Toronto City Council recently approved the use of $7,000 in section 37 funds — monies secured from developers to put toward community benefits — for the installation of “Republic of Rathnelly” street signs in the neighbourhood at the foot of Avenue Road Hill.
The quirky area, a collection of streets including Rathnelly Avenue, made a mock declaration of its secession from Canada in 1967. Since then, the neighbourhood has celebrated its unique identity with biannual street parties.
Local resident Marnie Gold describes it as not quite the Annex, not quite Forest Hill and not quite Rosedale. The existing street signs were aging, Gold said, so it seemed like an opportunity to put their own twist on them.
She compared the branding to that of the Church Street and Wellesley Street signs, decked out with rainbows. The Republic of Rathnelly’s coat of arms, which will be featured on the street signs, has martini glasses, reflecting the area’s fun and social side, and train tracks, referring to its physical location.
The street signs are slated to be installed in the spring of 2013.
