Scarborough Bluffs Communities are Unique
The photo at the top of this page is of the Bluffs today, seen from the bottom
of Brimley in what is known as Bluffers Park
They have a history of European occupation going back to the seventeen hundreds.
Lowland Scots emigrated to this area after being pushed out of their farms in
Scotland by the titled gentry. Some of their descendents still live here today.
The name “Scarborough Bluffs” was given to it by Elizabeth Graves Simcoe, wife of the first Lieutenant
Governor of Upper Canada,
John Graves Simcoe because it reminded her of Scarborough Bluffs in England.
The Bluffs are the only geologically scenic area in the greater Toronto area but
are also a geologic wonder, visited by scientists from all over the world to
study its exposed history of the planet.
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by Kathryn McGrath
Visitors entering Scarborough along Kingston Road are now greeted by a giant
octopus painted on the side of the Pizza Pizza outlet at Victoria Park Avenue.
The new image is the brainchild of an artist known simply as “Al,” who was commissioned by the City of Toronto and Pizza Pizza to create a mural
to replace the unsightly graffiti that has adorned the building for too long.
The funky mural also features cats riding a roller coaster behind the giant sea
creature.
“The historical thing has been done before, so I decided to do something fun and
a little bit weird,” explains Al, who has worked on a number of projects across the city. He views
the octopus as “coming up from the lake” and added the cats because “everyone seems to like cats, right?”
It’s a good thing Al is media-shy because the throngs of Toronto reporters who
attended the project announcement were focused on
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Mayor Rob Ford, who showed up to support Councillor Gary Crawford’s campaign to revitalize Kingston Road.
Ford spoke about the mural project being part of his ongoing campaign to rid the
city of graffiti vandalism and as a way to enhance the reconstruction of
Kingston Road that began in April.
The section of road between Queen St. and Birchmount Road is currently under
recon-struction with water mains and sewers being replaced and the road being
repaved. The mural is part of the streetscaping above the ground that will also
include new planter boxes and transit shelters.
“Constituents were writing us saying they were not happy about the graffiti, so
we decided to cover it over and also create something more meaningful for the
community at large,” says Crawford’s executive assistant Raymond Chan. “We hope all of this will attract people to local shops and businesses.”
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Bluffs Monitor (in Councillor Berardinetti’s April 2013 Newsletter) see:
by Lee Graves
“Surprisingly fast” is how one resident describes the amount of work already completed in the north
lane of Kingston Road and it’s also surprising how smooth and easy the traffic can proceed along the street,
into the side roads from it and so far, without interruption to driveways of
businesses and residents, despite the amount of huge vehicles and equipment
needed on the road and the enormously deep trench carved through lengths of the
street as the work progresses.
Kingston Rd. in some spots looks for all the world like the mines in Cobalt,
where large veins of silver were dug out leaving a wide, deep gash in the
ground. No precious metals here, though. Something more precious for us – new pipes threading through the space to carry water to its various destinations
and sewage and rainwater safely away during sudden heavy downpours. Too long in
coming but at last it will help prevent backups into basements in surrounding
streets.
Expecting the worst, quite a few commuters have decided to give Kingston Rd. a
bypass and travel along Gerrard and Clonmore instead. Wrong move! It is now
bumper to bumper and really slow going, whereas the traffic flow on Kingston
Rd., hardly feels different.
For its opening phase, Mayor Rob Ford, Public Works and Infrastructure Chair
Councillor Minnan-Wong and local Ward 36 Councillor Gary Crawford met in tiny
Avalon Parkette on April 9th to inform the residents about the project now
being undertaken. A motley group of media reps that seems to follow Ford
wherever he goes, crowded around the podium where all three politicians spoke
on the proceedings, the concept and how it will improve the way people will be
able to move around, whether driving, cycling or by public transit.
In fact, Mayor Ford said that this project has inspired projects in other parts of Toronto, where similar conditions exist.
“An investment of more than $155 million to improve Toronto’s roads and bridges this year is being made as part of a 10-year capital plan
that will invest $2.9 billion to maintain 1,000 kms of roads, 50 kms of
expressways, 500 km of sidewalks, 150 bridges and structures, 100 kms of
off-street bike trails and 80 km of on-street bike path connections” said Ford.
Quite an inspiration!