Before we begin, our Picture of the Month was taken by someone you have probably seen in the neighbourhood with his camera slung around his neck. Thanks so much Arnab Chakraborty for letting us show this beautiful heliopsis helianthoides, a.k.a. False Sunflower. Nothing false about this native bloomer!
Photo by Arnab Chakraborty. Included with permission.
Billy Bishop March & Rally
The federal government is consulting the public on the future of Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport. There are two ways to make your voice heard.
1. Tell the Feds What You Think
If you haven't already, fill out the federal government's anonymous survey. (Heads up: if you've already taken it, the link will just take you to Survey Monkey.) The federal consultation closes July 24 — just days from now.
2. Tell the World What You Think
Environmental Defence is organizing the Save Our Waterfront Rally and March on Sunday, July 26, 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Starting at Harbour Square Park, the march goes to Union Station and HTO Park. Register here.
A Path for Pollinators
(and the people who care about them)
Over the past few years, something has been quietly taking shape across our neighbourhood — something that will become, we hope, a connected web of pollinator-friendly plantings stretching from Corktown Common in Canary District to Sackville Playground in Corktown, with dozens of stops along the way for pollinating insects. We call it the Corktown-Canary Butterfly Corridor, and it's growing fast.
The idea is simple: bees, butterflies, and other pollinating insects need food within a reasonable distance wherever they are, and the best food for native insects is produced by the flowers and shrubs that have evolved with them.
A single garden bed helps. A corridor of them, connected across neighbourhoods, helps a lot more.
Corktown Common, established in 2013, anchors the east end, and more park beds dot the Front Street Promenade. Local volunteers have been quietly converting beds around their buildings to native species. And the Sackville Playground pollinator gardens were established in 2021. Ultimately, the prairie on the far side of Corktown Common will add a wilder edge to the mix.
There are gaps, and much work still to do — beds that haven't been converted yet, properties that could be approached, new developments coming that offer a chance to get it right from the start. But the momentum is real.
You can explore the full corridor on an interactive map at cdna.to/butterfly_corridor_map. Click any marker to find out what's there and who made (or might make) it happen.
If you'd like to get involved — whether you have a garden bed to convert, a building to approach, or just a pair of hands — write to [email protected]. The corridor is only as strong as the community behind it.
Two Programs. One Ask.
This fall, the Canary and Distillery Districts will be home to two additional programs supporting healthy aging — and both of them are looking for people like you.
Changes and Choices: Living Well in our Community will be a peer-led workshop series helping seniors plan ahead for independent living. The Digital Literacy Project will help older adults get more comfortable with technology through virtual workshops and one-on-one support.
Neither program works without people from the community who are willing to give a little time.
Changes and Choices is looking for volunteer facilitators — people who can help guide small-group conversations about health, housing, finances, and what it means to age on your own terms. You don't need professional credentials; you need to be a good listener who cares about your neighbours.
The Digital Literacy Project is looking for tech mentors — community members of any age who can help a neighbour troubleshoot a smartphone, navigate a website, or spot a phishing scam. Last year's mentors called it one of the most rewarding things they did all year.
Full details and registration for participants open in August, but if you're already curious, we'd love to hear from you now. Reply to this email or write to [email protected] and tell us which program interests you.
Lassonde Art Trail West Opens
Saturday July 25 • Biidaasige Park
LAT West will launch on Saturday, July 25 when a new section of Biidaasige Park opens to the public. This milestone will see seven temporary sculptures added to the Art Trail, expanding the trail route to over 4 km.
With the opening, 10 new acres of waterfront parkland will be added to Ookwemin Minising, the newly created island at the re-routed mouth of the Don River.
Click here to explore the artworks... or better still, head south to Ookwemin Minising and experience them for yourself!
Save the Date • August 22
What happens when the businesses of the Front Street Promenade open their doors — and step outside? Discover Canary, that's what!
On August 22, businesses along the Promenade will set up tables outside, offering samples, specials, snacks, raffles, and a reason to linger. More details will come in the next newsletter, but for now... save the date.
Outdoor Movies
Our favourite outdoor movie event is still running! Toronto Outdoor Picture Show presents movies al fresco at Corktown Common. Click here for more details.
Volunteers Making a Difference
Many of the beautiful pollinator gardens shown in the map above would not be possible without volunteers.
We want to make a special shout-out to three of them: Cara Eastcott and Ellen Langille worked together to give the pollinator garden at Sackville Playground a major uplift. Merlin Simard worked at the other end of the corridor to weed and tidy the large pollinator bed across from the park at Front and Bayview.
Huge thank you to these volunteers, and all the other volunteers in the area who keep this project thriving!
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