Location: Rathnelly Avenue and Poplar Plains Crescent
Date photo taken: 25 September 2013
Back in 1967 Canada celebrated its centennial. The various levels of government, private corporations and organizations of all descriptions marked the occasion with special projects. Citizens too were encouraged to celebrate this milestone and projects big and small were publicized in the newspaper. One neighbourhood in Toronto decided to celebrate by seceding from Canada. On June 10, 1967 residents of Rathnelly took to the streets, erected barricades, declared themselves an independent republic within the borders of Canada and had themselves a grand party. While it was all in fun, resident Alan Thomas explained at the time that they had "planned it as a reminder that there was a slender thread of rebellion in Canada's history". The shenanigans went beyond a single day in 1967 however. In 1969, looking for funding for the erection of a playground, representatives of the Republic wrote to Prime Minister Trudeau asking for a foreign aid grant. More recently, in 2012, street signs like the one above were distributed throughout the neighbourhood. The coat of arms features neighbourhood markers including train tracks and a rough sketch showing the five blocks that make up the area, as well as the Expo symbol and six martini glasses, presumably a nod to the year and spirit of its founding.
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