Heard about the Hood: Queens Quay media roundup

Photo: Part of the East Bayfront project

A lot of ink (online pages) being taken up by waxing on about the Queens Quay neighbourhood.

First, we start with a story about Toronto's big tests, pointing to the eastern part of our street [Toronto Sun]:

"And don't forget the East Bayfront -- our last great hope to get the waterfront right. Are the developers bidding for that work going to give us a dream project or a nightmare?"

Next, Christopher Hume, talks about walking the waterfront, saying 'pedestrianism is the new urbanism' [Toronto Star].

John St.: Imagine a walkway extending south from Grange Park and the Art Gallery of Ontario past Queen and King streets to the CN Tower, Rogers Centre and finally the waterfront. John's value as a vehicular route is minimal, so closing it would not jeopardize the convenience of Toronto's long-suffering drivers. Because both ends of John are destinations, the walkway would have a processional quality.

And just north of the Queens Quay neighbourhood is the planned development of the June Callwood Park. The $2-million park is to be built by 2011 south of Fort York northwest of Barthurst and Lakeshore. The winning design has been chosen and goes to committee. [National Post]

Submitted by the firm gh3, it literally articulates a quote Ms. Callwood gave in her last interview before her death. A voice wave of “I believe in kindness,” will be translated into a “sinewy path that runs north to south through clearings” in an urban forest that will be planted with native Canadian trees “that would have inhabited the Lake Ontario shore line at the time the city was settled.”

Picture below from National Post's Posted Toronto


Finally, a life story on a Jamaican in Toronto who learns to skate. The venue, of course, is our very own Natrel Rink. [Toronto Star]

The next time I ventured onto the ice was at Harbourfront with Jeff Carlson, Steve Carlson and Dave Hanson, popularly known as the Hanson brothers from the movie Slapshot. They were in Toronto promoting the third instalment of the film and offered to give me some tips.

"What's your first piece of advice?" I asked nervously.

"Try something else," Steve said, bursting into laughter.