The YMCA and GBC (Block 1/14) are the furthest along in their construction program and are on track for a topping off in Spring 2013. Waterproofing, vapour barrier installation and the underground mechanical and electrical are complete. Current activity includes the forming and pouring of the second floor slab.

Construction on Canary District Condominiums (Block 11) has ongoing excavation and the installation of underground supports. The north tower supports are almost complete with the north crane erected by early December. The centre podium underground supports are scheduled to be complete by mid-November, with work on the basement foundation walls scheduled for the month of December. The south tower excavation and underground supports have begun and are scheduled to continue until the end of December.

 Road infrastructure work includes the redevelopment of Cherry Street and Old Eastern Avenue. This complex infrastructure renewal program has been designed to accommodate the eventual build out of the entire Canary District and West Don Lands neighbourhood. The subdivision roadwork continues with the mobilization for permanent power with the installation of the underground hydro duct bank and gas mains. Cherry Street’s deep storm sewer, sanitary sewer and watermain work is complete except for the crossing at Front St.

Beginning at the end of September we began installing the TTC light posts and footings which will take a couple of months to complete. We have also just begun installing the silva cells to support the tree infrastructure at the south end of Cherry Street. Time permitting; we will begin preparations for surface installations such as the road sub-base, and curbs.

 Stayed tuned for more construction updates in the future!

For those who are unfamiliar with Nuit Blanche in Toronto – it is an annual city wide festival honoring contemporary Art. The festival originated in Paris, France in 2002 in an attempt to bring contemporary art to the masses. Since 2006, Toronto has enjoyed this tradition, bringing hundreds of thousands of people to the streets.

This year, the festival began at 7:03 p.m. on Saturday September 29^th, 2012 and ran until sunrise the following day. Most of the city’s main streets were closed to vehicles in order to showcase exhibits to pedestrians, allowing people to access and engage in contemporary art. A variety of art exhibits were set up throughout Toronto; some were humorous and relatable while others were inspirational and mesmerizing to say the least.  There were over 150 art projects throughout the city, ranging from small intimate expression to grand spectacles.

The Distillery District featured an Official Independent Project with the City of Toronto’s Nuit Blanche event. This year The Distillery District showcased DADA Reboot – exhibiting a post-World War I cultural movement.

Photos of some of the exhibits which were displayed in The Historic Distillery District during Nuit Blanche 2012:

For more information on this festival, please visit:

http://www.scotiabanknuitblanche.ca/

https://wx.toronto.ca/festevents.nsf/a2f14808aae0d4f1852572ff0066124a/4c0606d3faae257d85257a75005bc8c4?OpenDocument

 Beginning at the sales centre located at 9 Mill Street, brokers had the opportunity to familiarize themselves with the layout of the Canary District before having a safety orientation and suiting up in safety gear.  Brokers then walked over to the western gatepost of the Canary District, amid heavy machinery and vehicles. Approaching the corner of Front and Cherry Streets, there was a definite sense of excitement as  the historic Canary Restaurant and CNR buildings came into full view as the tour was surrounded by activity and cranes. Standing between the two historic buildings, it was easy to visualize how the new neighbourhood will take flight.   The Canary District name was actually derived from the famed Canary Restaurant which graced the corner of Front Street East and Cherry Street from the mid-1960’s to 2007. The building itself dates back to 1859 and took on several forms over the years, starting as the Palace Street School. It later took on a new life as the Cherry Street Hotel, before eventually becoming the Canary Resturant.

As we walked east along The Canary District’s main street—Front Street  Promenade, the Canary District team pointed out that Front Street will be given new life with 40,000 square feet of retail space housed on the ground floors of its residential buildings, inspiring public art and pedestrian-friendly mews and courtyards.

Walking down the street and seeing the building’s foundation being constructed was remarkable. There was a tremendous amount  of progress being made in such a short time and from the Front St vantage point, the brokers were right in the middle of all of the action. Everyone on site was united towards one common goal: to build Toronto’s next great neighbourhood. The construction for the 80,000 square feet YMCA and George Brown Student Residence was well underway as cranes towered over Block 1/14. Next month, there should be a total of eight cranes on site.  Canary District fans should anticipate lots of growth in the West Don Lands over the next few months.

At the end of Front Street, the group made a left onto Bayview Avenue where the brokers were given a guided tour of the new 18- acre Don River Park being built by Waterfront Toronto. The park, designed by famed landscape architect Michael Van Valkenburgh, integrates the unique topography of the area’s massive flood protection landform to deliver a stunning park with a variety of features and amenities.  The park offers incredible sightlines of Toronto’s skyline looking to the west and captivating views of the Don River to the east.  The park’s large central lawn can easily accommodate multiple uses as it was designed with gently sloping sides to provide for open spaces and comfortable seating.  The pavilion is the centerpiece of the park, and is surrounded by a variety of child-friendly play areas, barbeques, and hills for tobogganing in the winter.  A designated area for community events is almost complete . On the east side of the park along the Don River, new pedestrian and bike trails within the park were designed specifically to connect with all of the existing paths, such as the Martin Goodman trail, with  access to the Bala railway corridor. Tree-lined trails, a marsh, open fields  and bridges are just some of the features of the new Don River Park, the centerpiece of the rapidly developing West Don Lands.

All in all, the tour definitely gave brokers the exclusive experience the Canary District team had initially intended.  Torontonians can expect nothing less from the city’s next great neighbourhood.