Queen's Own Rifles at St. Paul's

Location: In front of St. Paul's Anglican on Bloor, east of Church

Date photo taken: 6 January 2019

St. Paul's Anglican on Bloor is the regimental church of the Queen's Own Rifles, Canada's oldest continuously serving infantry regiment. It explains why the fence surrounding the church yard bears their cap badge. It might also explain why Cody Hall, built on the property in the 1920s, included a rifle range in the basement along with the gym and bowling alley.

Formed in 1860, the Queen's Own Rifles have taken part in every Canadian military campaign. The two on their badge is a nod to the original designation of the regiment - the 2nd Battalion, Volunteer Militia Rifles of Canada - and their motto, In pace paratus means "Prepared in Peace". 

According to a nearby plaque, the fence was erected by the Queen's Own Rifles and the wife of Colonel Charles Osborne Dalton, DSO, KStJ, ED, as a memorial to those who served the regiment from the parish of St. Paul. It was dedicated April 26, 1989.

When I Was a Stranger

Location: in front of St. Paul's Anglican on Bloor, east of Church

Date photo taken: 6 January

This hooded figure, presented life-sized and sitting outside St. Paul's Anglican on Bloor Street, is one of Canadian artist Timothy Schmalz' representations of Jesus. His first and arguably most famous depicted Jesus similarly cloaked, hooded and barefoot, sleeping on a bench. He explained his inspiration to the CBC: "If you look at the history of Christian artwork, most of the representations of Jesus have him embodied as physical perfection... So this is a breakaway from that. I started thinking, how would Jesus want to be portrayed? Would he want to be made out of marble, perfect and wavy, with beautiful gowns? And if you read the Gospels, I don't think that would really interest him. I think he would want to be represented like the least of his brothers.

This installation includes a ring of bronze stools surrounding the figure which welcome passers-by to sit awhile. St. Paul's encourages those who do to take a picture and post it using the hashtag #SittingWithJesus.

Bike Lockers

Location: Lower Jarvis

Date photo taken: 30 January 2017

Ever wondered what the deal is with these big boxes? Manufactured by CycleSafe, they're part of the City's cycling infrastructure and they provide protection against "theft, vandalism and inclement weather", all for $10 per month. Each box holds one standard bike plus gear such as panniers, locks, helmets, etc. and each one is assigned to a single user, who receives a key for their personal use. To find out locker locations and all the details about renting one, check out the City's cycling website.