Remembering the victims and survivors

 

Location: Humber College Lakeshore Campus

Date photo taken: 10 July 2021

The sprawling Humber College Lakeshore campus is situated on the grounds of the former Lakeshore Psychiatric Hospital. Opened in 1889 as the Mimico Asylum, this institution operated, under various names, for 90 years, closing its doors and transferring the last of its patients in 1979. This sculpture, created by Rocky Dobey and installed on campus in 2019, memorializes the former patients of the hospital. The roof is etched with a repeating pattern of words: We Remember. The roof also holds a small plaque on which the following is inscribed:

1889 - 1979

Lakeshore Psychiatric Hospital

We will always remember the victims and the survivors

If you want to learn more about the hospital, several websites exist. Two that I found particularly interesting are: 

Lakeshore Psychiatric Hospital - a site about the history

The Hospital History Project - where staff and volunteers of the Lakeshore Grounds Interpretive Centre share their findings as they comb through archival resources relating to the institutions located on the site.

The Day

Location: Kipling bus terminal

Date photo taken: 28 April 2025

The new Kipling bus terminal on the western edge of Toronto is a light, airy building with glass walls and large open stairwells. It also features over 220 square meters (or 2400 square feet) of vitreous tile mosaics designed by the Winnipeg-based artist Simon Hughes. The designs around the building are all different, some more abstract or geometric, but all are tied together by the colour scheme and Hughes' overall concept. The detail above is from one of the most striking murals, which wraps around one of the stairwells and presents an ever-changing view of an almost-but-not-quite-familiar city as you work your way down the stairs and around the landings. I was attracted to the DONUTS which is why I took a picture of this particular section, and was tickled to later read in an interview with Hughes that it's one of many Easter eggs that he included in the cityscape. 

Artaic, the company who made the tiles, has a wonderful description of Hughes' concept on their website: The Day was inspired by Hughes’ imaginative vision of the city. Referencing a wide variety of symbols, architectural styles, and landscapes, the installation blends fantasy and reality. Using icy blue colorways reminiscent of Toronto’s cool temperatures, Hughes collaborated with Artaic to create an inverted color gradient. The mosaic artwork features dark tones at the top of the shapes that dissolve into a white background, creating the appearance of a city emerging from morning fog, haze, or a snow squall."

Asteroid

Location: North east corner of Bloor and Islington

Date photo taken: 16 July 2025

According to the affixed plaque, this 2020 piece, titled Asteroid, is by Jean-Pierre Morin and was commissioned by Bloor Islington Place. Morin is a Quebec artist known for his large public art pieces and while you are more likely to see his art in his home province, at least three of his pieces can now be found across the city. While the form of each is unique, there is similarity in his choice of bright aluminum for the sculptural form and corten steel for the plinth.

Traffic Signal Box - Painted Ladies

Location: Dundas St. West at Wimbleton

Date photo taken: 25 June 2024

Image #21 in the Traffic Signal Box Series

I have to admit, I have no idea if these are Painted Lady butterflies. They could very well be American Ladies, which are similar, or something else entirely. Both Painted Ladies and American Ladies regularly migrate between Mexico and Ontario, and while most of the time neither are particularly plentiful here, every once in awhile they will arrive in great numbers. 

Signal box by Natalie Very B

Location: Lakeshore at Thirty Seventh Street

Date photo taken: 10 July 2021

Image #20 in the Traffic Signal Box Series

In honour of International Women's Day this Friday, here's one of Natalie Very B's gorgeous everyday goddesses. She painted it in 2020 as part of that year's crop of signal boxes prettied up through the city's Outside the Box program. Her boldly beautiful depictions of body positivity and self-love caught the attention of CBC and in 2020 they commissioned her to create a CBC Arts logo for Women's History Month. You can check out that logo, and read the article and interview here.

75th Canadian Infantry Battalion Memorial

 

Location: 70 Birmingham Street
Date photo taken: 5 September 2021

Walking along Birmingham Street in the New Toronto area of Etobicoke, I was surprised to encounter a World War II era vehicle parked next to a winding path. When I went for a closer look, I noticed that the building behind the carrier had a plaque affixed to an exterior wall. It turns out the building is the home of the Toronto Scottish Regiment, a Primary Reserve infantry regiment, which means that it's part of the Canadian Armed Forces but members serve mostly part-time while holding regular civilian jobs. The plaque is dedicated to members of the 75th Battalion, a predecessor of the Toronto Scottish Regiment. The 75th Battalion was formed during World War I and during the course of the war, over 5,500 soldiers served in its ranks. It was awarded 16 Battle Honours and one member, Captain Bellenden Hutcheson, a Medical Officer, was awarded the Victoria Cross. The home of the Regiment now bears his name. 

Text on the plaque:

France      Belgium
1916    1917    1918

To honour the memory of one thousand and eighty two officers, N.C.O.s and men of the Seventy-Fifth Canadian Infantry Battalion B E F [British Expeditionary Force] who gave their lives in the Great War. 

The 75th Overseas Battalion is perpetuated in the Canadian Militia as The Toronto Scottish Regiment. 

Volunteer fireman memorial

 

Location: 308 Prince Edward Drive South

Date photo taken: 11 November 2021

This memorial stone, which stands in front of Fire Station 431 in Etobicoke, is a reminder of the devastation and loss of life caused by Hurricane Hazel. While hurricane season usually doesn't trouble Toronto much, Hurricane Hazel was different. It hit Toronto on October 15,1954 and stalled over the city, bringing high winds and dropping copious amounts of rain. The region had been receiving above-average rainfall before the storm hit, so the ground was already saturated and much of the water ran off, flooding the city's waterways, washing out bridges and carrying houses and people away. This stone pays tribute to five of those people, volunteer fire fighters who lost their lives in the Humber River.

The full plaque text:

In proud memory of these men of the Kingsway-Lambton Volunteer Fire Department

Clarence (Tiny) Collins

Frank Mercer

Roy Oliver

David Palmateer

Angus Small

They lost their lives in the swollen Humber River while on rescue work during Hurricane Hazel, 16th October 1954.

Erected by members of the Kingsway-Lambton Volunteer Fire Dept. and Lakeshore District Firemen. 16th October 1955

Faithful unto death.

Ship in a bottle

 

Location: Marie Curtis Park

Date photo taken: 5 September 2021

There's a small building tucked away in a corner of Marie Curtis Park, near the Lake Promenade entrance. Once upon a time it probably blended into the scenery, but now its hard to miss thanks to four large, vibrant murals created by local graffiti artist Luvsumone in 2016. All four images draw inspiration from the lakeside location and I just love the twist put on this one. For me, the dark silhouette of the ship is almost ominous, but then the colours pull me back to happy.

Street art in Alex Faulkner Lane

 

Location: Alex Faulkner Lane, between Islington and Sixth

Date photo taken: 24 March 2022

This bit of wildstyle is just a small piece of the colourful street art that covers two sides of the Toronto Tree Care building at the corner of Sixth Street and Alex Faulkner Lane in New Toronto. Many of the lanes in this part of town are similarly colourful, making it a fun place to explore.

Middle Road Bridge

 

Location: Sherway Drive

Date photo taken: 18 June 2022

This humble looking bridge spans the Etobicoke Creek, just north of the QEW. It sits in parkland, connecting the leafy neighbourhood of Sherway in Mississauga to Etobicoke Valley Park North in Toronto and its scale seems perfectly suited to the pedestrian traffic it now serves. When it was built in 1909 however it was part of Middle Road, an important transportation corridor connecting the former counties of York and Peel regions. Middle Road was eventually absorbed by the new highway in the 1930s, but the bridge still remains. Both Mississauga and Etobicoke have recognized their ends of the bridge for its heritage value, and the plaque visible at the bottom right declares the bridge a National Historic Civil Engineering Site. It states that the Middle Road bridge was the first reinforced concrete arch-truss bridge in North America.  

Bell Box - Angel Carrillo

 

Location: Morrison Street

Date photo taken: 24 March 2022

Image #16 in the Bellbox Series

Here's another painted Bell box courtesy of the Bell Boxes Murals Project, a nonprofit street art program. This one is in New Toronto and was done in 2021. The artist is Angel Carrillo and if you love the style, he also happens to be a tattoo artist and co-owner of Southside Ink. 

Bell Box - Long Branch Public Library

 

Location: Thirty Second Street at Lakeshore

Date photo taken: 10 July 2021 

Image #15 in the Bellbox Series

The mural on this Bell Box is an ode to books and to the Long Branch Public Library, which it sits just beside. This branch was opened on May 26, 1955 by the Village of Long Branch. In 1967 it was taken over by the Etobicoke Public Library Board when the Village amalgamated with the Township of Etobicoke, and in 1998 it became part of the Toronto Public Library system. The branch is home to the Long Branch Historical Society Local History Collection as well as a large collection of materials in Polish, and an art exhibition space. 

The mural is the work of Naz Nahidi and was painted as part of the Bell Box Murals Project in 2020.

New Toronto Toad

 

Location: Laneway between Fifth and Sixth streets in New Toronto

Date photo taken: 24 April 2022

Walking in New Toronto recently I was drawn down an alley by a riot of colour. Among the murals was this handsome fellow. The work of cruz1 and Zegar, it was part of a Wallnoize project in 2021. 

Speaking for the trees

 

Location: James Street

Date photo taken: 5 September 2021

For those of you not familiar with Dr. Seuss, this is the Lorax, an environmental spokesthing from the 1971 book of the same name. In that story, the Lorax spoke up to protect the trees. On a walk in Long Branch this weekend this Lorax, along with a multitude of more generic but informative lawn signs, alerted me to a similar battle currently going on in this west end neighbourhood. Residents are campaigning to save the Black Barn Maple which is under threat due to a development proposal. At 160 years old, this maple is one of the oldest surviving trees in this part of the city and it is still healthy and going strong. Residents hope to keep it that way but so far the City has not moved to protect the tree. I personally hope they will, or that the builder will get creative and find a way to work around the maple. Heritage trees can be a powerful symbol and any mature urban tree is a valuable asset. 

"Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It's not." 

Hydro House

 

Location: 746 Scarlett Road

Date photo taken: 26 May 2019

This house has a secret. While the neatly trimmed shrubs and tidy yard may fool casual onlookers, anyone taking a second look is bound to notice the Danger sign next to the heavy duty front door, or the security equipment mounted at the corner. This building houses not people, but one of the city's many electrical substations. Scattered throughout the city to ensure the flow of power, these substations are designed to blend in and they are well maintained to ensure that neighbours have nothing to complain about. And for safety reasons of course. Most are shells, built by Toronto Hydro specifically to house equipment and in that, this house is a little different. It was once a regular home, but was purchased by Toronto Hydro and gutted to serve its new purpose.

Trumpeter Swan

 

Location: Humber Valley Pond in Summerlea Park

Date photo taken: 22 May 2015

Last weekend I found myself on the waterfront down by Tommy Thompson Park and I'm pretty sure there was a family of 5 trumpeter swans hanging out in the bay. They were a little too far out to say for sure, but I checked the park's website and the 2019 Bird Nesting Report confirms that there were two active nests located that year. This is pretty exciting because until relatively recently, these swans were extinct in Eastern Canada. Native to Ontario, hunting and habitat loss led to their disappearance in the wild about 200 years ago, but in the 1980s efforts were undertaken to reintroduce them. While their numbers are still dwarfed by the more common mute swan, which is an invasive species, it's nice to see that they are successfully breeding, even in the city.

Blast from the Past - Lick's Homeburgers & Ice Cream

 

Location: 1585 The Queensway

Date photo taken: 12 May 2014

This week's post offers up a double dose of nostalgia. Licks was a Canadian fast food chain that offered up better than average food, including their meatless Natureburger and decadent milkshakes. The chain actually started with a single ice cream parlour, opened in 1978. The 1970s, especially the later years, experienced a spate of 1950s inspired movies, music and television (think Grease and Sha Na Na) which carried over to general culture, and obviously influenced the branding at Licks. I just love the nostalgic vibes coming off this sign! 

When I snapped this picture, the chain's decline was already well advanced, with the flagship location having closed in 2012 and many of the franchises closing in the subsequent year. While they have largely disappeared, Licks' demise was not total. A Google search has revealed a lone Lick's Homeburgers & Ice Cream on the Golden Mile, and according to their menu, their milkshakes are still made with real ice cream.

Sunscreen Dispensers

Location: Sugar Beach
Date photo taken: 30 June 2018

If you find yourself at Sugar Beach this summer but forget your sunscreen, no worries, the City has you covered. Just look around until you find this bright yellow box. It's a touch-free dispenser filled with SPF 30 sunscreen. First piloted in 5 waterfront locations last year, the program has been expanded and now features 50 dispensers located all along the Waterfront Trail. Costs for the program are being covered by the David Cornfield Melanoma Fund and the Douglas Wright Foundation, and they are also responsible for keeping the boxes filled and maintained. A map showing dispenser locations and a list of sunscreen ingredients can be found on the besunsafe.ca website.

Kingsway Billiards

Location: 3056 Bloor St. W., near Royal York
Date photo taken: 9 January 2017

The Crooked Cue pool hall and restaurant has been in this Bloor Street West location since 1992 but the building has been dedicated to recreation since its first tenant opened its doors in the late 1940s. The Toronto Star ran a notice announcing the opening of the 16 lane Kingsway Bowling Academy on September 19, 1947. The Pappas family bought the building in the 1950s and eventually bowling gave way to billiards. The old school pool hall with its snack bar was renovated in 1992 when the next generation of the Pappas family took over, adding a full bar and restaurant. I'm not sure when during the building's history the neon sign was installed but I love it.

Love Birds

Location: Humber River Recreational Trail, where it passes under the 401

Date photo taken: 22 May 2015

Happy Valentine's Day!

Back in 2015 as part of the lead up to the Pan Am Games, a section of the Humber River Recreation Trail was designated as part of the Pam Am Path system, and various events were held and improvements undertaken along the route. These birds are part of a much larger mural entitled Born This Way painted on the section of the trail that passes beneath the 401.