Jeanne Beker: Sexy 70's fashion picks

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12:00 pm

Suddenly, it’s all about the seventies, so we got Jeanne to suss out some of the decade’s hippest finds for spring 2015.

WINNER (A)
PINK TARTAN,
77 Yorkville Ave., $395
“I just love what Kim has done with Pink Tartan this season. This is a fantastic fabric; you just want to stroke it. Very sexy. A great conversation piece.”

Debonair air (B)
TNT,
Bayview village, $775
“I had many floppy hats reminiscent of this back in the day. This is especially nice because of the tassels and silver beading.”

Sailor’s salute (C)
THE CAT'S MEOW,
180 Avenue Rd., $395
“These are palazzo pants — we saw a lot of these from Gaultier at the start of his career. They have a beautiful crepey fabrication and are very flattering with the high waist.”

Standup suede (D)
MICHAEL KORS at CLEMENTINE'S,
1260 Yonge St., $695
“Suede is all the rage. You could certainly wear a turtleneck under it — that would look great.”

The real deal (E)
YVES SAINT LAURENT at THE CAT'S MEOW,
180 Avenue Rd., $249
“We think of the ’70s, and we think of one of the classic designers of the era: Saint Laurent. This has a bit of a Russian feel with this intricate floral pattern.”

Spring statement (F)
GUCCI at HOLT RENFREW,
Yorkdale Shopping Centre, $625
“I love these platforms! They’re really fun with the rope detailing and the embroidery.”

Geometry class (G)
MARNI at HOLT RENFREW,
50 Bloor St. W., $1,415
“This certainly has that ode to the geometry and to the great graphic feel of the era.”

Bombshell bells (H)
SECOND YOGA at JEAN MACHINE,
Fairview Mall, $120
“Now, all of a sudden, bell-bottoms — they’re back! This pair has a great stretch to them. Wow!”

Retro romance (I)
LA MENDOLA at DIVINE DECADENCE ORIGINALS,
128 Cumberland St., $1,700
“It’s Italian, pure silk. It’s really pretty fabulous with this very generous gathered skirt and romantic sleeves.”

Boho babe (J)
TNT,
Bayview Village, $1,495
“Fringes have come and gone and come again. This has a real feeling of authenticity. It’s the kind of coat you could throw over anything.”

Classic clogs (K)
GRAVITYPOPE,
1010 Queen St. W., $125
“Oh, how many trays of spaghetti did I used to sling in clogs?! These are great ’cause they have studs. They’re very basic, but they’re cool.”

Flirty fringe (L)
STUART WEITZMAN at HOLT RENFREW,
50 Bloor St. W., $498
“These are as sexy as all get out. It’s a nice soft suede in a beautiful light beige. The fringe really gives them that ’70s vibe.”

Taste Test: Susur Lee helps us pick Toronto’s top ramen

By

Andrew Mannsbach

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10:59 am

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Toronto is a veritable mecca of Japanese cuisine and over the years the number of ramen shops has rapidly grown. With ramen comes ramen aficionados, so we invited star chef Susur Lee to taste T.O.’s top bowls.

CHEF SUSUR LEE
When chef Lee goes out for ramen, he looks at how the ingredients are placed in the bowl, as well as the broth and quality of the noodles. Not to mention it must be served piping hot.

Winner (pictured above)
AJISEN RAMEN, 5229 Yonge St., $9.50
“I really love the pork, I have to say. They did a really good job with the pork,” says Lee of this tender pork ramen. “And also they made the effort to poach the egg marinated into the soy broth, so it has a nice little taste every time you bite the egg white.”

Runner-up
TOUHENBOKU RAMEN, 2459 Yonge St., $10.50
“I like that the broth tastes like chicken. It’s a very clean taste,” says Lee. The dish is the original Touhenboku ramen with pork shoulder. “This is a really great broth,” says Lee as he declares this bowl to have the best broth and the best noodles, noting that “the thickness of the noodles is a bit different.”

Tonkotsu black ramen
SANSOTEI RAMEN, 650 Yonge St., $9.85
“The egg is cooked perfectly,” says Lee as he takes his first few bites while also noting that the pork has been burnt with a torch. “I do like the broth, and I have to say the char of the pork is nice because it’s kind of burnt a little bit,” says Lee, which adds a nice flavour.

Oyster miso ramen
INATEI JAPANESE CUISINE, 9021 leslie st., $11.99
“I like the sweetness from the oysters; the umami taste from the oyster is very natural,” says Lee. The chef also adds that the taste of the corn is too powerful and takes away from the oysters.

Miso ramen
KENZO RAMEN, 4860 Yonge St., $7.95
The chef takes a taste of this miso ramen bowl with a special miso tare broth, roasted pork and marinated bamboo shoots. “The braised meat is nice, maybe a bit too salty,” says Lee, adding that he wishes there were more ingredients in the bowl. “There’s only five things on this plate that you can physically see.”

Pork spicy ramen
KINTON RAMEN, 5165 Yonge St., $10.90
“This is raw garlic on top,” says Lee as he gets his first look at the dish. “They are trying to do garlic kimchi noodles with braised pork, and the broth is supposed to have more garlic. You have to put fresh garlic in,” says the chef. He also notes that the pork is too big and that the broth has too much of a kimchi and cabbage taste.

Chicken dark miso ramen
RAMEN RAIJIN, 3 Gerrard St. E., $11.95
“In this one they definitely used dashi,” notes Lee. Dashi is a cooking stock commonly used in Japanese cuisines. In regard to the dark colour of the broth, Lee says, “This is almost like a Korean-style black bean that they used.”

Momofuku could not participate as they were temporarily closed on the day of tasting.

The New Mid-Life: T.O.’s best way to defrost

By

Andrew Mannsbach

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9:30 am

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I don’t want to leave my bed, let alone my house. It is one of the coldest days in Toronto. Still, I get in my car (-21.5°C) shivering and wearing three layers of clothing to go to the Hammam Spa.

I have not felt warm in days. Even wearing two pairs of socks can’t keep my toes from tingling from the cold. I’m wearing a hat … in my house.

So I am excited to experience a traditional bathing ritual, originating in Turkey and the Middle East. The service I’m getting is called the Hammam Turkish bath treatment. It starts with a few minutes in the steam room, followed by an authentic bath performed in one of their Turkish suites, where I lie down on a white marble table, heated to 108 degrees Fahrenheit (Woot!) surrounded by candles.

Will this treatment keep me from shivering 24/7 at least for an hour? When I fill out a form for “any medical conditions,” I write down, “coldness.” There has been a spike in recent weeks of people going to the Hammam Spa, and I’m not the only one, surprisingly, that has written down “cold” as their “condition.”

First, I step into the steam room, and I feel so warm and comfortable, I don’t want to leave. The warmth envelops me like a great big hug … in Mexico.

Although this treatment’s purpose is to cleanse, relax and purify the body and skin using hot and cool water techniques, with exfoliation. (Thank god. No matter how many times a day I moisturize, I feel like a reptile. Why do I live in Canada, again?)

Michelle, my therapist, tells me that, as you age, it’s very important to exfoliate, as our skin becomes dull, and products won’t work as well on your skin.

The Hammam bath treatment is supposed to clear my mind (of the cold!), my body (of the cold!) and spirit (I have no spirit. We’re in the midst of a cold snap!).

I have never before laid down on a marble table, for a massage or any other procedure. It is nothing short of an amazing experience.

I feel like I’m going through a car wash. There are so many bubbles I can’t help but laugh. Michelle throws hot water on me, over and over, to rinse me off.

After the treatment, I feel squeaky clean and warm, oh, so warm. So, yes, there is ONE reason to leave your homes and get out of your sweatpants and Sorrels. I feel rejuvenated, refreshed and actually happy after my human car wash experience. I wonder if they’d notice if I moved in.

Stintz on Midtown: Mr. Tory, we need a park

By

Andrew Mannsbach

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8:45 am

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When it comes to city issues, there are few that find unanimous agreement. I have found one: the southeast corner of Eglinton and Duplex to Yonge Street is in desperate need of a makeover.

Currently, the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) operates a bus terminal on a portion of the land while another portion looks like a forlorn wasteland of concrete pilings. It has been an eyesore for so long that no one seems to notice anymore.

However, as the construction on the Eglinton Crosstown light rail transit is completed and the other corners of Yonge and Eglinton are developed, the blot on the landscape will become increasingly pronounced.

For the next few years, the site will be used as construction storage for the Eglinton Crosstown. Once the Eglinton Crosstown is up and running, there will no longer be a need to operate buses at that location.

If the city wants to develop the area with some condos and office space, it needs to sort out the ownership of the site and consolidate all the pieces.

This might be challenging because the TTC sold a portion of the air rights to a developer. The developer hasn’t done anything but could prevent the site from being put to its best use. The other issue is to determine what that is.

Although everyone agrees something needs to be done, there are varying opinions on what should take the place of the eyesore: condos, commercial space or public space.

The City of Toronto’s planning department conducted an extensive visioning exercise with the community and developed a plan that included high-rise condominiums, wide sidewalks, a new park and a new street to take some of the pressure off Duplex Avenue.

The solution lies with a little bit of residential development, a little bit of commercial development and a park big enough to ease the feeling that we are being crowded out of our neighbourhood.

It is well-known that North Toronto has a shortage of parks and green space, and the area is growing so rapidly that a new park needs to be part of any redevelopment plan.

Eglinton Park is crowded, Toronto District School Board is selling off green space, and land in the area is too expensive for the city to buy in order to make a new park. Given that the city already owns the corner, it is a perfect location.

The city won’t make as much money developing a park, but city building involves more than just trying to make a buck.

I would also confidently say that, if there was a plan to create a beautiful green space, there would be another issue that would find unanimous agreement.

Karen Stintz is a former city councillor, elected in 2003, and was a chair of the TTC. She lives in Ward 16 with her husband and two kids.

Comic Stripped: Bruce McCulloch turns one-man gig into cool new TV show

By

Andrew Mannsbach

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12:30 pm

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Of all the Kids in the Hall, I’ve always found Bruce McCulloch the hardest to pin down. So it’s ironic that his one-man shows are so candid about his life and personality.

The first, Two-Headed Roommate, contains one of my favourite lines ever: “No, I’m not tired, this is the way I look now.”

You could hardly call McCulloch a stage hog. His onscreen output has been minimal compared to some of his Kids colleagues.

Even he admits, “I’m really kind of a reluctant performer.”

McCulloch was the only Kid actively pursuing standup while taping the iconic series, which is how I got to know him. He did some great, innovative routines, including a jazz comedian who would snap his fingers and murmur, “Jokes … jokes,” while a tape of bass riffs would play.

I also helped buy him his first good suit. Seems he had an awards show to attend and needed to look the part. Knowing I had sartorial interests, he asked me to help him pick out an outfit. I took him to the nicest men’s shop on Bloor Street and chose a fine navy worsted. I’ll never forget the look on his boho face as he peeled off 11 one-hundred-dollar bills, each one exacting a further grimace.

He looked great in the suit, incidentally.

Beginning in the late ’90s, he directed a series of less than successful flicks and then seemed to disappear. But his one-man shows brought back his visibility, most prominently his latest, Young Drunk Punk, a saga of growing up alienated in Alberta.

The show has been turned into a TV series on Citytv and has Bruce playing his own father.

Calling Dr. Freud!

The title might be a bit misleading. The main character, a pre-college version of McCulloch, is less punk and more new wave — the cuter, less angry version of punk. There’s not a lot of danger here, but you will find a lot of skinny ties, shoulder pads and silly haircuts on these kids.

This unexpected sweetness does not ruin the show but enhances it. The ’80s milieu is funny in itself, an innocent decade ripe for lampooning.

The actor playing the young McCulloch, Tim Carlson, nails his role. The show is suffused with pop colours, and I can’t say enough good things about the period music. I loved when the Diodes’ chestnut “Tired (Of Waking Up Tired)” showed up on the soundtrack and upped the ante on the coolness of the show.

McCulloch is funny enough. He’s playing the straight man but has some good lines. There’s a funny extended sequence of young McCulloch and his best friend Shakey trying to get a job without a high school diploma — that dead-end world has rarely been captured better or funnier. The rest of the plot involves some shenanigans at a house party, but it’s all just an excuse for McCulloch and company to get some shots in at teen alienation, ’80s style — not a cellphone or computer in sight.

Sometimes the show feels like an edgier version of a Disney comedy. I spent some time hoping it would get darker and crazier like the Bruce McCulloch we all know.

A good start — definitely young, a bit drunk. Now let’s have some more punk, please.

Post City Magazines’ humour columnist, Mark Breslin, is the founder of Yuk Yuk’s comedy clubs and the author of several books, including Control Freaked.

Theatre: Molly and mid-life

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Andrew Mannsbach

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12:20 pm

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It’s one of those ridiculously cold days in February, and the first question to Molly Parker is one of timing and her decision to head back to Canada in the middle of winter to take the stage for the first time in 18 years.

“It’s crazy,” she says. “It’s truly shocking after living in California for 15 years. I mean, I’m from the West Coast, so this was never my weather.” But despite the frigid climes, Parker, was compelled to sign on for the new Canadian Stage production of Harper Regan by U.K. playwright Simon Stephens.

When Parker read the script, she couldn’t stop thinking about it for days and agreed to take on the role to find out why.

“That’s basically why I’m here.,” she says, as we chat at the Berkeley Street Theatre before rehearsals. “This woman seemed so unremarkable yet was such a mystery that it seemed like a worthwhile thing to spend a few months discovering.”

The play tells the story of middle-aged Harper Regan who reaches a breaking point and turns her back on her family and her responsibilities and goes on a journey, both literally to visit her dying father and figuratively as a way of finding herself in the process aided by a number of strange encounters along the way.

“This play is deceiving,” Parker explains. “It feels like this woman is on a journey and she discovers herself and all that, but the underpinnings of the story is this sort of Greek tragedy.”

This is all new to Parker. She acted in just one play in Vancouver 18 years ago, when she was first starting out. Instead she made a name for herself with impressive turns in a series of independent films, followed by features and TV work.

Currently, she portrays Jackie Sharp on House of Cards. A role she relishes with obvious glee.

“I love that job. It is so fun,” she says. “That woman is so wonderful to play because she is powerful, sexual, intelligent, strong and yet completely flawed.”

For Parker, Jackie Sharp and Harper Regan are two additional characters in a series of compelling and complex roles that make Parker such a fascinating actor.

Harper Regan runs at the Bluma Appel Theatre, March 1-22.

Run, Bekers, run

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3:13 pm

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For many fitness enthusiasts, signing up for a marathon often marks their decision to push the limits. But Thornhill resident Steve Beker decided that just wasn’t enough. Not only did he participate in an ultra-marathon last December, he also convinced his entire family to join him — and raised $8,000 for charity along the way.

An ultra-marathon involves running any distance longer than a traditional 42-kilometre marathon, though there are several different types. For Beker, it was the “one day race” in Arizona that caught his eye, where participants ran as many kilometres as they could within a 24-hour period.

Beker also decided to voluntarily raise money for charity and didn’t hesitate to ask his 10-year-old twins for help.

“It was an important lesson for the kids to learn about fundraising and about those in need,” he said. “You can all help out, and that includes kids, too.”

Raising funds wasn’t their only goal; the family also set their mind on running 250 kilometres altogether, with the hope that the twins would cover about 25 kilometres each. The results were nothing less than spectacular: From 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., the 10-year-olds each ran more than a marathon.

“I just was in amazement,” said Beker. “I was worried that after an hour they would be, ‘We’re bored, we’re going back to the hotel.’ So this just totally, totally blew me away… I think this is something that they’ll remember for the rest of their life.”

Chai Lifeline was the lucky recipient of the funds the family raised. The charity provides support to families dealing with the repercussions of serious pediatric illness, offering programs to help them retain a sense of normalcy and hope in their lives.

“It’s extremely refreshing to see somebody who’s that thoughtful and believes in us and our cause,” said Mordechai Rothman, regional director of Chai Lifeline. “It’s absolutely incredible.”

Schoolyard makeover

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2:42 pm

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Gillian Uy and Shannon Phillips, parent volunteers at Allenby Junior Public School, were just two of many who were tired of seeing their kids play in a giant mud pit before and after school. So they took it upon themselves to come up with a solution and help revamp the schoolyard.

After only four months of fundraising, the parent body was able to round up over $100,000 to put toward a new playground with basketball hoops, lines for four square and hopscotch and other fun features, alongside funding from the Toronto District School Board to take care of the turf and the terrible mud problem.

The parents orchestrated a dance-a-thon called Dance Hard for Our Schoolyard, as well as a big culminating soiree, where they held live and silent auctions, as well as a charity casino, in support of the schoolyard.

“It’s a testament to how much people love the school and their community just how quickly this money was achieved, and in such a short period of time,” said Uy.

“The community wanted to show how much they love the school, because you look at that field right now, and you know, it needs a lot of love.”

With two little ones of her own, a nine- and a seven-year-old, Uy said her children are excited about the prospect of having a new and improved schoolyard to play on — one that isn’t dusty or muddy.

But this hasn’t been a one-person operation. Uy is part of the fifth committee that has come along and been a part of this particular undertaking.

“There have been committees upon committees, and all of a sudden, pieces started falling into place. But it’s been a community effort. If it hadn’t been for a lot of legwork from past parents and past committees, we might not have been as far as we are,” she said.

“And now finally we’re going to be getting the schoolyard we’ve been dreaming of, long before my kids even started at the school,” said Uy.

Construction is slated to commence in July or August of 2015, with a shiny new schoolyard geared up and ready to go at the start of the school year.

Residents “lucky” after train derailment

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2:36 pm

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Two cars from a Canadian National Railway (CN) freight train derailed near Elgin Mills Road and Newkirk Road on Jan. 31 in Richmond Hill, calling into question the effectiveness of emergency communications in the town, according to a local councillor.

Two of the train’s cars derailed at 11:55 a.m — the first carrying steel plates and the second containing sulfuric acid, according to CN’s spokesperson Jim Feeny. Although the lack of leaks and injuries makes this a “minor derailment,” eyewitnesses, such as Richmond Hill’s Ward 2 councillor Tom Muench, have questioned such a description. With the train derailment occurring near a residential neighbourhood — and only a barrier dividing the houses and tracks — Muench said, “We’re very lucky.”

“If there had been an explosion … that barrier would have done nothing to prepare the residents for their safety,” said Muench.

He was also critical of CN’s communication processes, saying the “information flow reduced dramatically” after he left the scene.

“I’d like to have a conversation so [CN] can tell me the updates. Those updates stopped.”

“That barrier would have done nothing to prepare residents for their safety.”

But according to Feeny, his team did their part to keep the town informed. “At all times starting six minutes in, the people who needed to know had the information that they needed on what was derailed, what was in the cars and what was going on,” he said. “We sent an email to the mayor of Richmond Hill so he was aware.”

Residents, such as Michelle White, general manager of the nearby Delmanor seniors’ residence, echoed Feeny’s sentiments, stating that she felt well informed throughout the day.

Although Muench is thankful for CN’s services, he said he wants to see them act as more of a partner going forward.

“They basically said, ‘We cleaned it up, we’re moving on, here’s the story, have a nice life,’ ” he said. “I’m not saying they have a safety concern, but I certainly believe that improvement is always possible.”

Forest Hill Collegiate Institute over capacity

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2:36 pm

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Seven schools from areas surrounding the St. Paul’s and Eglinton-Lawrence wards were among the 70 recently listed by the media as under review by the Toronto District School Board (TDSB) for closure — but officials say their concerns are centred around Vaughan Road Academy.

York Memorial, Oakwood, John Polanyi, George Harvey and Forest Hill Collegiate Institute (C.I.) are all included in a particular study to address low enrolment and underutilization at Vaughan Road Academy (currently operating at 30 per cent) — which could be shut down.

“Four or five schools are usually listed in a cluster,” said Shelley Laskin, TDSB trustee for St. Paul’s (ward 11), “and hypothetically one of those schools would be closed and the others would become ‘receiving schools.’”

This explains why Forest Hill C.I., which is currently over its Ontario Ministry of Education capacity at 115 per cent (due, in part, to optional attendance, which allows students to attend a school other than their assigned one), is mistakenly listed among the 70, when the Ministry has no intention of closing the school.

According to Jason Kunin, a teacher at Vaughan Road Academy, optional attendance is largely to blame for the uneven distribution of students. “It has destroyed the concept of the neighbourhood school,” said Kunin. “Forest Hill C.I. probably has 200 kids who should be ours.”

“We have this reputation … that we’re this sort of rough and tumble place, and that’s never been the reality.”

“The list was leaked without any context from the board.”

Which according to Kunin is why some in-area students often opt to attend Forest Hill C.I. instead.

In the event that Vaughan Road closes, Laskin said many of the self-contained programs offered at the school (like the elite athletes program and the international baccalaureate program) will likely be redirected to John Polanyi. The fate of the child day care centre, however, remains unknown.

Kunin said most of the staff at Vaughan Road aren’t terribly optimistic about their chances, but believes that a more appropriate solution to the problem would be to close John Polanyi.

While Laskin maintains that the study is the Ministry’s attempt to “right-size” the system; she worries that many residents do not have all the information. Peggy Aitchison, principal of Forest Hill C.I., said she has received calls from former teachers and parents who were concerned that Forest Hill C.I. would close.

“The list was leaked without any context from the board,” said Laskin. “People like to jump to the worst-case scenario.”

North York school review

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2:36 pm

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Talk of school closures has blown up in the media this past month, with the implication that 70 schools listed by the Toronto District School Board (TDSB) are under review for closure, but officials say the information was taken completely out of context.

“A grouping of schools are studied for various purposes: there could be a grade reconfiguration, a boundary change, a program change or the potential for consolidation and closure,” said Shelley Laskin, Toronto District School Board trustee for Ward 11.

According to Ryan Bird, spokesperson for TDSB, trustees voted on Feb. 10 in favour of the 2015–2016 school year review of Charles H. Best Middle School and Wilmington Elementary School in North York to determine the most efficient distribution of the students and grades across the two sites, which are in close proximity to one another.

But there is a process the school board must follow before schools are closed or consolidated. It’s a process that involves a series of meetings with extensive community consultation. A pupil accommodation review committee (PARC) process involves staff, parents and community members who are directly involved, and it can result in a number of outcomes.

“The list was leaked without any context from the board.”

The Ontario Ministry of Education’s current calculation of Wilmington Elementary School’s utilization rate is 101 per cent (281 students enrolled, with a capacity to hold 277), whereas Charles H. Best is at 63 per cent (296 students, with a capacity for 469).

Although Bird did not want to speculate, he did state that there are schools way below 63 per cent, and that this particular case may just be a matter of a boundary change.

However, the outcome will ultimately be determined by the PARC process.

The demographic patterns surrounding certain schools, especially within the downtown core of the city, have changed dramatically since they were built in the early 1900s, and according to Laskin, this is the Ministry’s attempt to “right-size” the system.

Unfortunately reports in the media have caused a panic.

“The list was leaked without any context from the board,” said Laskin. “People like to jump to the worst-case scenario,” she said.

“A whole story here is being reported on, but for whatever reason, the media have focused two per cent of the attention on what should receive 90 per cent of the attention,” said Peggy Aitchison, principal of Forest Hill Collegiate Institute.

Plan for three-storey high school in North York may force local residents to sell their homes

By

Andrew Mannsbach

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2:36 pm

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The Toronto Catholic District School Board (TCDSB) recently served 18 residents in North York with notices of expropriation to accommodate the construction of St. Joseph Morrow Park, a three-storey, all-girls secondary school near Bayview Avenue and Cummer Avenue.

According to Angelo Sangiorgio, associate director, planning and facilities at TCDSB, the board has already purchased four of the 18 properties at fair market value, using the educational development charges allotted to them by the City of Toronto. They are currently negotiating for two more, with offers submitted Feb. 18.

The province’s Expropriation Act allows a public agency to take possession of a property “for a purpose deemed to be in the public interest,” regardless of whether or not the owner is willing to sell it.

However, on Nov. 26, 2014, the Committee of Adjustment denied the TCDSB application to allow for the three-storey school on the existing site, after residents expressed concerns about the intensified traffic the development would cause. So they submitted an appeal to the Ontario Municipal Board, with a hearing set for May 6, 2015.

Councillor Shiner and residents have pointed to the TCDSB property on Ravel Road near Leslie Street and Finch Avenue East as a more appropriate site for the school, but Michael Del Grande, TCDSB Ward 7 trustee, insists the location is too far for students and would still require expansion, meaning they would be back at square one.

“They have to question if that is the best use of taxpayers’ dollars,” said Shiner, with regard to the Catholic school board’s decision to spend up to $30 million to expropriate the homeowners’ property.

“Personally, no, I don’t believe in expropriating, that would be my last choice,” said Del Grande. “[But] expropriation has occurred and will continue to occur for the public good. The school will be there for decades and decades. People will come and go out of those townhomes. They’re not there forever.”

Before the recent demolition, the site was home to an elementary school owned by the Toronto District School Board (TDSB) with a capacity for 400 students. The new building is designed for approximately 850 students.

Giovanna Andrews, a retired TDSB principal lives across from the proposed development, and believes that TCDSB is “trying to fit a round peg in a square hole.”

“We’re not adverse to a school, but what they’ve proposed is simply too large for that particular site,” said Andrews, who said it will force people out of their homes, increase traffic and make safety a serious concern.