Comments for Spacing Toronto

Comment on The truth about the University Avenue bike lanes by W O

W O — Mon, 08 Jun 2026 15:36:07 +0000

Thinking car parking should be removed from University Avenue. Parking poses a greater risk to all that use the avenue.

Comment on The truth about the University Avenue bike lanes by Robyn

Robyn — Fri, 05 Jun 2026 14:20:09 +0000

I’d add that McCaul is not at all a good cycling street due to the very narrow space between the parked cars and the streetcar tracks. You have a choice between getting doored and being brought down by the tracks.

Comment on OP-ED: Get Those E-Bike Delivery Guys Some Education by Sandie Orlando

Sandie Orlando — Thu, 04 Jun 2026 12:57:09 +0000

This is a great initiative! I cringe every time I see a delivery person dressed entirely in black with no reflective tape on the bag and no lights. Especially at night time in the rain. Thank you for taking the right approach with education and empathy.

Comment on Jet Dreams on Toronto Island (Part 1) by Juiie Beddoes

Juiie Beddoes — Mon, 25 May 2026 17:42:19 +0000

I wonder how many of the people who would be happy to have a jet airport next to residents on the waterfront would go berserk if someone proposed a six-unit apartment building on their street.

Comment on Jet Dreams on Toronto Island (Part 2) by Julie

Julie — Mon, 25 May 2026 17:21:28 +0000

Never has there ever bern anyone so determined to destroy Toronto and the province. He thinks all he does is brilliant . It doesn’t matter Dougie. Enough is enough. Release the phone records so the truth can be revealed to all of your corruption and deceit.

Comment on OP-ED: Yonge Street deserves pedestrianization by W O

W O — Wed, 20 May 2026 20:03:19 +0000

I too would like Yonge Street Pedestrianized!

Comment on Jet Dreams on Toronto Island (Part 2) by Irena Nikolova

Irena Nikolova — Wed, 13 May 2026 02:47:33 +0000

The information in this article is invaluable and its arguments are very clear. The expansion of Billy Bishop Airport is not a re-construction but a destruction project. Its impact on the environment, on future housing initiatives, as well as on the oasis of the Toronto Islands, spells disaster for the waterfront. It is hard to imagine that one of the most treasured sites of Toronto, the beach on Hanlan’s point, may no longer exist. This article and other writing on the subject need to be given a lot of publicity, so that the extension of the airport can be stopped before it is too late.

Comment on Jet Dreams on Toronto Island (Part 2) by Irena Nikolova

Irena Nikolova — Wed, 13 May 2026 02:17:19 +0000

The expansion of Billy Bishop Airport is not a re-construction but a destruction project. Its impact on the environment, on future housing initiatives, as well as on the oasis of the Toronto Islands, spells disaster for the waterfront. It is hard to imagine that one of the most treasured sites of Toronto, the beach on Hanlan’s point, may no longer exist. This article and other writing on the subject need to be given a lot of publicity, so that the extension of the airport can be stopped before it is too late.

Comment on OP-ED: Yonge Street deserves pedestrianization by Andrew Youngman-Jang

Andrew Youngman-Jang — Mon, 11 May 2026 23:56:05 +0000

I would sign a petition to pedestrianize Yonge if you made it. I would also get everyone I know to sign it too.

Comment on Jet Dreams on Toronto Island (Part 2) by Jane French

Jane French — Fri, 08 May 2026 00:30:39 +0000

Premier Ford said that Billy Bishop Airport is “the jewel in the crown of Toronto’s waterfront”.
Nothing could be further from the truth. Our waterfront is the jewel in Toronto’s crown.
From the magnificent Biidaasige Park to the Toronto Islands, our waterfront is a precious resource that must not be squandered by expanded runways and disruptive jet traffic. We’ve already lost so much with the desecration of Ontario Place.

Comment on Jet Dreams on Toronto Island (Part 1) by Jane French

Jane French — Fri, 08 May 2026 00:22:20 +0000

Who would want to live on the central Toronto waterfront if this happens? Jets at Billy Bishop spell the death of downtown.
Bird collisions with jets often result in crashes. Toronto’s central waterfront is situated on two major migratory bird routes.

Comment on Jet Dreams on Toronto Island (Part 2) by Sophia Karadov

Sophia Karadov — Thu, 07 May 2026 23:19:56 +0000

Phenomenal writing and well constructed arguments. Unfortunately, given that Ford, his government, and the lobby he seems to be servicing are corrupt to the bone, no amount of pointing out how bad an airport extention on the waterfront will be for the city and its residents is going to chance his mind. The federal government needs to grow a spine and defend its own policies and put a stop to the extension idea once and for all.

Comment on Jet Dreams on Toronto Island (Part 2) by Dixie Gillies

Dixie Gillies — Thu, 07 May 2026 23:14:32 +0000

Thank you for all of the amazing information. It is so valuable for those of us who are getting involved, to stop Ford’s absurd plans.

Comment on Jet Dreams on Toronto Island (Part 1) by Dwight Williams

Dwight Williams — Thu, 07 May 2026 00:48:11 +0000

The whole point is to hive off the Toronto waterfront for the richest of the city’s people, isn’t it?

Comment on LORINC: The finicky business of planning Ookwemin Minising by Jacquelyn Lefebvre West

Jacquelyn Lefebvre West — Thu, 07 May 2026 00:36:08 +0000

A key that Toronto city-builders could come to embrace is how can we build belonging while we build housing. Social infrastructure should be carefully considered especially in light of the many challenges the author points to. More than the infrastructure, the relational layer of how we connect new residents to what’s there for them and to one another like neighbours, is how we build the new districts where a feeling of pride, connection and belonging is possible. May it be great! Toronto deserves this exceptional place crowned with the Park.

Comment on Jet Dreams on Toronto Island (Part 1) by Max Moore

Max Moore — Wed, 06 May 2026 22:33:36 +0000

This is the best summary of the history of the island airport that I have seen… The conclusion that Nieuport Aviation is the only group that will benefit from island airport expansion raises serious questions about who now controls Toronto Island – JP Morgan Bank.

Comment on OP-ED: Introducing “Care Blocks” by Ian

Ian — Wed, 06 May 2026 15:25:40 +0000

Great idea. We all need to email this article to our city councillors.

Comment on LORINC: The finicky business of planning Ookwemin Minising by Todd

Todd — Tue, 05 May 2026 23:36:30 +0000

I really like Leslie’s and James’ thoughts – lower midrise to ‘see and hear the street…’ And thank you, John Lorinc, for a great article. This: ‘a city scape that aspires to urbanism instead of ROI…’ ‘Absent streetcars, we’ll be baking in car use…’ Toronto had lots of money at the same time cars were becoming the hot thing.

I personally don’t feel some of the public commons approach is too gimmicky – I do believe some meaning is meant to had here. I love the notion of this area growing as slowly and mindfully as it can and getting the grit and layers of great urbanism.

We know how to do this, we just need to do it. It is not a zero sum game. Toronto has some growing up to do and this seems like a better step forward to good vibes.

Comment on LORINC: The finicky business of planning Ookwemin Minising by James

James — Tue, 05 May 2026 16:04:16 +0000

Completely agree – I understand the need for more housing and I get that in Toronto, this has typically meant super high density in the places that we can fit it. But to me, there is a missed opportunity to create a truly liveable neighbourhood here. It might sound radical, but what if we imagined Ookwemin Minising with slightly fewer residents, living in predominantly 6-8 story buildings, with courtyards, ground floor commercial space, smaller streets etc. Despite the nice renderings filled with trees (though extremely out of proportion people and cars..) it’s looks like any other neighbourhood filled with towers. We all know how dehumanising those kinds of places feel. Despite the intentional design to create pedestrian only streets, that street is almost consistently going to be in the shade of 30+ storey towers. I’m a transplant from Toronto but I’ve lived in Berlin for nearly 7 years and while it’s by no means a perfect city, there is consistent density across most of it – with 6 storey buildings placed in large blocks with interior green courtyards. It feels like a more ‘human-scale’ city. When you can sit on a balcony on the sixth floor and still see and hear the street, or look into the trees growing in front of the building there’s a connection to your surroundings that doesn’t exist when you’re living 23 floors up.

I know there are many reasons for building such a neighbourhood in the way they’re proposing, the top one being economic of course…but for me it would be nice to see something that doesn’t look the same as everything else.

Comment on LORINC: The finicky business of planning Ookwemin Minising by Leslie Woo

Leslie Woo — Tue, 05 May 2026 14:56:33 +0000

Thanks you John for generating this great word of caution. As I was reading this I was reminded of my own neighbourhood – Corktown, which has all the physical elements of what makes for a great streetscape, which it definitely succeeds at BUT however the retail struggles, still lots of empty retail 11 years after the PanAm games and the a third of the trees dedicated to each country of the Americas that line Front St. E, are sticks or stumps and no sign of the City looking to replace or regenerate. SIGH!
The most vibrant “centre” is in fact the Cooper Koo YMCA, named after developer Michael Copper and his partner Krystal Koo. HAving been on the Board of the Y when this project was put in place, this makes for the case for greater multi sector partnerships in developing and designing our neighbourhoods.
Leslie
PS I could have sent this to you directly in an email but heck, the folks at Spacing should appreciate the great journalism that you undertake everyday and how important you are to the public discourse