Poop power

 

Location: Rolling Mills Road

Date photo taken: 7 October 2020

When I first saw this post, it was the cute little cut-out of a dog at the top that caught my attention. The diagram on the front, with the words "Dog waste only", got me intrigued. It turns out these bright green pillars are an innovative new way to dispose of your pooch's poop and turn it into something positive. This pillar sits atop a concrete containment well sunk into the ground, where the poop is collected and kept safely contained. Out of the sun, the contents remain cooler and smell less. The bins are emptied regularly and the waste is delivered to a facility that converts it into energy. With approximately 230,000 dogs in Toronto according to the city's website, that amounts to a lot of energy potential. The condo development in the Canary District was the first in Toronto to have these collectors installed but it seems like such an elegant solution that I'm hopeful more will start popping up around the city. 

Laughter Solves Depression

 

Location: Noise barrier along the rail corridor, viewed from Sudbury just south of Queen St. W.

Date photo taken: 11 November 2021

This mural, encapsulated within a large letter S, is one small part of the gigantic mural that stretches along the sound barrier adjacent to the railway lines running through West Queen West and Liberty Village. While not that noticeable at street level, the wall is highly visible from the adjacent condos, and Urbancorp, developers in the neighbourhood, were responsible for keeping the space from becoming an eyesore. Attempts to cover the barrier in ivy met with little success and the wall was repeatedly and extensively tagged. The eventual solution was to accept that the wall was the perfect canvas and offer it up to street artists. Large blocky letters marked out in white primer, spelling out Toronto, Parkdale, West Queen West, and so on, provided over 50 street artists with individual canvases on which to contribute their own visions. If you want to learn more, a short documentary was created detailing the project. 

History of Yorkdale Mall

 

Location: Yorkdale Mall

Date photo taken: 9 December 2018

Yorkdale Shopping Centre, located at Highway 401 and Allen Road, opened in 1964. At the time, it was billed as the largest enclosed shopping mall in the world and it was definitely something new for Toronto. According to the Toronto Star, approximately 100,000 people visited on opening day. Since opening, the mall has consistently reinvented itself, having gone through four major renovations to date. On a visit not that long ago, I was delighted to discover that one of the interior hallways leading to the washroom facilities had been given over to a display of vintage photographs of the mall. A space that in many such facilities is overlooked and often bleak had been transformed into a gorgeous gallery celebrating the development of this cultural space. It was really interesting to study the archival images and then re-emerge into the modern mall and note the differences and similarities. Definitely worth a look on your next visit, even if you don't need the facilities.. And for those interested in urban development and the future of shopping malls, you might want to check out the ambitious redevelopment plans currently being put forth for Yorkdale and its surroundings.

Torrent at Redpath Refinery

 

Location: Redpath Refinery, Queens Quay at Jarvis

Date photo taken: 1 June 2022

Depending on where you live in Toronto, I think it's sometimes easy to forget that we're a waterfront city. And even if you're a fan of our waterfront, it's easy to forget that it was once dominated by shipping piers and industry. One of the few remaining remnants of this industrial past is the Redpath facility at the foot of Jarvis. According to their website, Redpath is Canada's oldest food company, in operation since 1854. The refinery on the lake front was opened in 1959 and the official opening ceremony was attended by Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip. Today it receives regular shipments of raw sugar on ships such as this one. Did you know that there are websites that let you learn about and track ships like this? For example, this ship, which is the bulk carrier Torrent, was built in 2010 and sails under the flag of Cyprus. Before arriving in Toronto, its last marked location was Montreal, and before that, Brazil. Fascinating.

Fun fact: The green arm at the right of this image is a large claw which reaches into the hold and unloads the sugar. You can stand and watch it, and if the wind blows just right, you can actually smell the raw sugar.