Edwards Gardens

I remember going to Edwards Gardens a few times as a child with my parents.  Much hasn't changed since then, as far as I can recall.  There are still beautiful garden features like annuals, roses and wildflowers surrounded by rockery here, but for the most part much is as lovely as I remembered.

Edwards Gardens and Toronto Botanical Gardens are both located  on one of several tributaries in the Don River (Wilket Creek) where you can overlook spectacular views of large centenarian willow trees, stair rises, waterfalls and bridge arches.  

The summer is when the gardens come to life, and although rarely preferring summer over fall, this is the only time when everything is in bloom.  Much of the structures on the estate originally entitled to Alexander Milne (a Scottish weaver) who  settled there after 1812 still remain.  Alexander remained only for twenty years and left the property neglected.

Thankfully the land was bought by Rupert E. Edwards in 1944 where he had created a beautiful garden and  restored the wool and sawmills still there today.  Rupert sold the property to the City of Toronto in 1955 and it then became a public park.  

Today, Edwards Gardens and Toronto Botanical Gardens are enjoyed the world over, as well as a city treasure for its hiking and cycling trails, gift shops, floral shows, as well as a photographic goldmine.  With its trimmed lawns, flower beds, rivers and creek, and exotic trees it's a perfect backdrop for a wedding and wedding parties.  

My son and his fiance were scoping out a few venues for their wedding and I can see endless possibilities for perfect photographs here.  Edwards Gardens has won an Award of Excellence for the Regional Citation category from the Canadian Society of Landscaping Architects.  I guess that explains why. 

If you do decide to have a wedding ceremony or have formal wedding pictures taken at a city park, you do need to have a permit.  I didn't know this.  If you need more information, click here.

Ontario Place

It's been so many years since I visited Ontario Place, but I decided to check it out on the long weekend because I was given free tickets to the Cinesphere for the viewing of "Under the Sea'.  We brought the bikes out because the weather was just gorgeous.

The Ontario Place calendar is loaded with events and I really hope it takes off this year because it has sooo much to offer, especially for young families!

For starters, if you are an avid bicycler like me you are always on the lookout for new bike trails to discover - Ontario Place has just opened a new trail called 'Trillium Park, William G Davis' .  It has full boat access either by water or by land, and for those who choose to walk-in their transport - there are plenty of canoe lift-offs.




We loved the film at the Cinesphere and you know movies just don't look as good as they do here!  Every moment seems up-close and personal.  The chairs are relatively comfy but would have liked it if they laid back just a little.  A note for the cyclists though: we had trouble locating racks or proper bike security here yet.  I hope that changes since there are plenty of two-wheelers around.


I should mention that the Ontario Place's Trillium Park incorporates a lot of Indigenous culture.   There was a lot of consultation with First Nations that went into it.  The Mississaugas of the New Credit First Nation were involved in the consultation process, so I've heard.

It took around three years to build the park.  The trail, itself, used to be a parking lot.   All the trees, plants and shrubs total about 1,200 trees and 28,000 shrubs and perennials.  They're all indigenous.

The rocks and boulders that surround the park were transplanted from the Muskoka area.

Total cost was around $30-million, but the end result is a bicycle, dog, and jogger friendly,.

We saw lots of people splayed out on the grass during the late afternoon. The green space was less overrun than other similar spots in the city.  We stopped to have our lunch of egg salad sandwiches while overlooking the lake in two perfectly set Adirondack chairs.












I'll be back again and again and I certainly hope Ontarians will rediscover it too.

Downsview Park Subway (New)

Downsview Park is the first extended new rapid transit station on Line 1 Yonge–University of the Toronto subway and a commuter rail station on the Barrie commuter rail line of GO Transit.

Subway service began on December 17, 2017, and GO Train service began on December 30, 2017.
The station is fully integrated multi-modal transit facility serving both lines. This is in contrast to other interchanges between TTC subway and GO Transit rail lines, which have separate structures for each agency.

Here are some pictures taken months after the 'grand opening' so a lot of the outside shots will most likely become outdated as the station will continue to change in the development towards the support of both Downsview Park and the Keele Industrial area north of Sheppard Avenue West. 

 

The station is set back to allow for transit oriented development on the south side of Sheppard Avenue West. To maximize transit oriented development, bus terminal parking and Passenger Pick-Up and Drop-Off facilities will be available at the future Sheppard West and Finch West Stations.

Bakersfield Street will be extended to provide vehicle access to the west side of the station. The TTC subway station is centred under the CN/GO Rail line to provide better integration between transit modes and to make room for transit oriented development. GO Transit has committed to cost sharing for this fully-integrated, multi-modal transit facility. 

 

The development potential of Parc Downsview Park is maximized by locating a significant portion of the station in the 30-metre strip on either side of the CN/GO right-of-way that is not available for development.

Entrance pavilions are located on both sides of the CN/GO Rail line with access for pedestrians on footpaths adjacent to maintenance and emergency response access routes. A maintenance driveway extends from the Bakersfield Street and Sheppard Avenue West intersection, allowing for access to the Bakersfield substation that is integrated with the west pavilion. The east pavilion contains both TTC spaces and GO Transit ticketing spaces.The station is located to allow transit oriented development to build up to a more urban nature in the future, with the design of the TTC station meeting height limitation requirements for the Downsview Airport.

Vaughan Metropolitan Centre Subway (New)

The Vaughan Metropolitan Centre Station design was developed in response to existing site constraints, available undeveloped land and an evolving vision for a new urban centre. The interchange is well integrated into the future urban context of the Vaughan Metropolitan Centre, while offering high quality materials, generous circulation, intuitive wayfinding and efficient bus to subway transfers.

 It will serve as a catalyst for the growth of a new mixed-use downtown precinct with the built-in potential to connect directly to adjacent developments. The station also provides an unpaid indoor pedestrian link under Highway 7, with the potential to unite the two halves of the future downtown together.


The Vaughan Metropolitan Centre Station is located north of Highway 7 to the west side of the relocated Millway Avenue. It will have a tail track structure extending north of the station box and a crossover box extending south of Highway 7.

The station will be a multi-modal transportation hub with a Passenger Pick-Up and Drop-Off, connections to York Region Transit Bus Terminal and to Viva Bus Transit running along Highway 7. The York Region Transit bus terminal and passenger pick-up and drop-off will be owned and maintained entirely by York Region.


The Vaughan Metropolitan Centre Station project incorporates the following environmental initiatives:

• Cool roof to main entrance;
• Green roof to electrical substation;
• Increased daylight levels to reduce electric lighting power usage;
• LED lighting in pylon signs, and energy efficient lighting in illuminated wayfinding signage;
• Water efficient plumbing fixtures;
• Energy efficient heating, air conditioning and ventilation system;
• Reduced storm water runoff into the municipal drainage system by utilizing green roof landscaping and soft landscaping areas adjacent to other building runoff areas;
• Bicycle parking; and
• Landscaping with native and drought tolerant species.

The most distinctive feature of this station is the domed main entrance building with a-zinc standing seam roof. The metal roof will be constructed as a cool roof with a high solar reflectance to reduce heat absorption, and contain skylights to allow daylight to penetrate down to concourse. The dome is supported on a ring-beam clad in prefinished dark grey steel and the building is glazed in bird-friendly fritted glass in curtain wall framing. Bicycle parking will be in the form of post and rings arrayed around both ends of the entrance, located under roof overhangs. The design team has worked with the City of Vaughan to apply environmental standards, such as the Toronto Green Standard, to the subway station. A green roof will be installed on the electrical substation.

This station has been designed to maximize potential Transit Oriented Development with seven knockout panels along a single, continuous, unpaid concourse level and are designed to be barrier free. An additional knockout panel is provided at the south end of the concourse for a future secondary entrance.