North Toronto Super Canopy
Dublin Core
Title
North Toronto Super Canopy
Description
The following is an excerpt from Stroll: Psychogeographic Walking Tours of Toronto, Coach House Press, 2010
Towards Lawrence, Yonge defaults low again, another pleasant strip of pleasant stores. The area is perhaps a little more diverse than Russel Smith gave it credit for, though in the mid-2000s, Globe and Mail columnist John Barber referred to North Toronto, the area around Yonge and Lawrence, as our city's only real ghetto (a rich white one). I worked up here for a while and met some of the nice ghetto denizens. They shopped at the upscale supermarket Pusateri's, sent their kids to Upper Canada College and, when giving me a ride to the subway, they would point out fancy homes where important wives had left important husbands. As with so many Toronto neighbourhoods, it functioned like a small town, where people know each other and gossip flows through the streets.
Just south of Lawrence, east of Yonge, is the former farm of John Lawrence, 'a gentleman farmer.' Just before the first World War, it was subdivided by the Dovercourt Land Building and Savings Company into the Lawrence Park Estates, designed as 'a high-class suburban site.' However, the war and recession resulted in a 1919 auction of the many unsold properties at 'any price the public will pay.' Today, they pay upwards of $1,000,000 to live on these leafy streets. At night, the warm glow of their plasma screens are visible from the street, but some of the Craftsman houses have been torn down to make way for atrocious monster homes that must make the old money shudder.
South of Lawrence Park are the ravines that follow Burke Creek, starting with the Alexander Muir Memorial Gardens. They were originally located north of St. Clair, but in 1952, the TTC spent $100,000 to move the gardens to make way for the subway. Muir's 1867 massive top-forty hit 'The Maple Leaf Forever' isn't sung much any more, but his park has lovely red crushed-stone paths, a nice change from boring pavement.
Deeper still, old-growth forests with a White Pine 'super canopy' that is the natural equivalent of the city’s high-rise buildings (those buildings seem far away down here). A pitched dog owner vs the dogless battle took place here during the 1990s, similar to the ones brewing around the city today, but now the dogs have ample leash-free areas, including a network of fenced-in pathways that keep the sensitive ravine slopes safe from doggy disturbances. There is even a dog drinking fountain dedicated to 'mankind's best friend.' The plaque continues: 'We wish them Fun Walks. Happy times. Cool drinks. Willy thanks for getting us walking in this beautiful park. This clean water is for you and the little fur people... drink, my loves.'
Towards Lawrence, Yonge defaults low again, another pleasant strip of pleasant stores. The area is perhaps a little more diverse than Russel Smith gave it credit for, though in the mid-2000s, Globe and Mail columnist John Barber referred to North Toronto, the area around Yonge and Lawrence, as our city's only real ghetto (a rich white one). I worked up here for a while and met some of the nice ghetto denizens. They shopped at the upscale supermarket Pusateri's, sent their kids to Upper Canada College and, when giving me a ride to the subway, they would point out fancy homes where important wives had left important husbands. As with so many Toronto neighbourhoods, it functioned like a small town, where people know each other and gossip flows through the streets.
Just south of Lawrence, east of Yonge, is the former farm of John Lawrence, 'a gentleman farmer.' Just before the first World War, it was subdivided by the Dovercourt Land Building and Savings Company into the Lawrence Park Estates, designed as 'a high-class suburban site.' However, the war and recession resulted in a 1919 auction of the many unsold properties at 'any price the public will pay.' Today, they pay upwards of $1,000,000 to live on these leafy streets. At night, the warm glow of their plasma screens are visible from the street, but some of the Craftsman houses have been torn down to make way for atrocious monster homes that must make the old money shudder.
South of Lawrence Park are the ravines that follow Burke Creek, starting with the Alexander Muir Memorial Gardens. They were originally located north of St. Clair, but in 1952, the TTC spent $100,000 to move the gardens to make way for the subway. Muir's 1867 massive top-forty hit 'The Maple Leaf Forever' isn't sung much any more, but his park has lovely red crushed-stone paths, a nice change from boring pavement.
Deeper still, old-growth forests with a White Pine 'super canopy' that is the natural equivalent of the city’s high-rise buildings (those buildings seem far away down here). A pitched dog owner vs the dogless battle took place here during the 1990s, similar to the ones brewing around the city today, but now the dogs have ample leash-free areas, including a network of fenced-in pathways that keep the sensitive ravine slopes safe from doggy disturbances. There is even a dog drinking fountain dedicated to 'mankind's best friend.' The plaque continues: 'We wish them Fun Walks. Happy times. Cool drinks. Willy thanks for getting us walking in this beautiful park. This clean water is for you and the little fur people... drink, my loves.'
Creator
Shawn Micallef
Date
Dec 3/13
Files
Collection
Citation
Shawn Micallef, “North Toronto Super Canopy,” TPL Virtual Exhibits - Contribution site, accessed July 5, 2024, http://omeka.tplcs.ca/virtual-exhibits-contribute/items/show/95.