With the passage of provincial legislation on April 2, 1953, the Municipality of Metropolitan Toronto became a legal reality, joining together the City of Toronto with its twelve neighbouring municipalities in a regional federation. But few of the region’s 1.1 million inhabitants perceived Metro Toronto, with its combination of dense urbanization and abundant farmland, as [...]

Like many classic fairy tales, the saga of the Three Little Pigs has been interpreted in numerous ways. There’s the Walt Disney version, which popularized the question “who’s afraid of the Big Bad Wolf?” In the Looney Tunes universe, the pigs were a cool jazz trio pestered by a wolf from Squaresville. Last week, the [...]

In a partnership that lasted from the mid-1890s until 1923, Frank Darling and John A. Pearson left an indelible mark on the streetscape of Toronto and communities across the country with grand bank buildings, early skyscrapers, university buildings, and cultural institutions. Although a full inventory of their commissions is too long to list, their work [...]

These days, with all the construction and renovations happening around the city, "Post No Bills" is a commonly stencilled request. It's refreshing to see a creative re-interpretation of it, especially at the Toronto Reference Library. This hot spot for knowledge and creativity, currently under renovation, deserves something a little more impressive than the average construction stencil. This could be the work of our friendly neighbourhood writer, "Books," or another literary enthusiast. Either way, it's a welcome change.

Nathan Phillips Square, earlier this fall. Photo by Benson Kua from the Torontoist Flickr Pool. The forty-two-million-dollar revitalization of Nathan Phillips Square is scheduled to be completed in 2012, at which point the Square will be a better (or at least a more newly renovated) public space than it has ever been before. In the [...]

Every Saturday at noon, Historicist looks back at the events, places, and characters—good and bad—that have shaped Toronto into the city we know today. “Breaking Ground,” a commemorative quilt by Laurie Swim hanging at York Mills subway station. Photo by Rémi Carreiro/Torontoist. This week saw the installation of a quilt at York Mills subway station [...]