The Friends of Fort York and Garrison Common
250 Fort York Blvd M5V 3K9 Toronto, ON, Canada

The Bentway isn't the only trail news in Toronto... The MEADOWAY is an emerging vision in northeast Toronto. Connecting 7 river and ravine systems, 15 parks, 16 kilometres of trail, 13 neighbourhoods, over 200 hectares of meadow, the Meadoway is destined to make a huge improvement to the health and quality of life in this city, thanks to the generosity of The Weston Family Foundation, to whom we owe our thanks for the rehabilitation of Garrison Common, part of Fort York National Historic Site. https://themeadoway.ca/

Remembrance Day week... The story of "Driver" James Grant in the First World War and paratrooper Charles Watermen in the Second World War, and more Black Canadian military history... courtesy of Black Military History of Niagara and Myseum of Toronto: http://www.myseumoftoronto.com//black-military-history-o/

Canadian airman Marvin Gord, aged 99, Leading Aircraftman, RAF, now Baycrest Vet leading the Marvin's Million walk, in front of the west gate at Fort York National Historic Site on Remembrance Day. Fort York staff walked with him in some the uniforms he would have remembered. From left to right: Eric Ropollo as a Lieutenant (Navy) Women's Royal Canadian Naval Service c. 1944; Kevin Hebib as Flight Sergeant RCAF Bomber Command Navigator Bomb Aimer c. 1943; Marvin Gord; Colin Sedgwick-Pinn as RCAF Pilot Officer, Fighter Command C. 1940; and Samantha Horne as Canadian Army Corporal, Canadian Women's Army Corps c. 1944. Photo courtesy of the Baycrest Centre. For more info about Marvin's Million Walk, see: https://www.baycrestfoundation.org//Campai/Marvins-Million

From the collections of the Fisher Rare Book Library at the University of Toronto, a virtual exhibit for this Remembramce Day... https://fisherdigitus.library.utoronto.ca//wwi/introduction

Remembrance Week 2020: how to commemorate during the Covid-19 epidemic: https://www.toronto.ca//toronto-r/upcoming-commemorations/

A magnificent chestnut in Garrison Common, looking north, against backdrop of new condo towers in the Ordnance triangle (right) and Liberty Village (left). (photo: A. Stewart)

Changes coming to the Fort York neighbourhood... news from Metrolinx about planning and construction of the Ontario Line... https://blog.metrolinx.com//zooming-in-on-ontario-line-pl/

The Fife and Drum, July 2020 issue, with articles about the 17th century wars in Ontario, the 1919 CNE, a sketch of Toronto from the New Fort in 1840, the Toronto Garrison and the Red scare of the 1920s, and much more; just published... https://www.fortyork.ca/

As of today, Fort York is back... on a pre-booked tour-only basis. Fort York's hours are Wednesday to Sunday, 11-5 PM, with the last tour starting at 3:30. For more information and to "book your visit" please see https://www.toronto.ca/museums This year marks the 65th anniversary of the Fort York Guard (guard infantryman, below, by Sid Calzavara, courtesy of Friends of Fort York).

Explore, from home, historic and archaeological sites from around the world, some in 3D, at CyArk. We're proud to be part of their international collection of important cultural sites documented to their exacting standards... https://cyark.org/explore/

Ontario Place private, for-profit entertainment ground or public park? https://www.theglobeandmail.com//article-ontario-place-s/ Like Fort York National Historic Site and Exhibition Place, Ontario Place is within walking distance of 50,000+ people. We would like to see it become a waterfront park, connected to Exhibition Place: https://ontarioplaceforall.com/

Without investment by senior levels of government, the City of Toronto will continue to suffer from financial shock. Revenues to support basic services, as well as cultural services, have declined severely. Even when it's safe to open Fort York again, will the City, which owns and operates the site, be able to afford to do so? https://www.nationalobserver.com//cities-need-rescue-plan-

Our border with the U.S. has always been a challenge for one reason or another... It took 100 years and two wars to come to mutual agreement on its boundary line. The question of how to enforce policies and laws along it, including inspections, tariffs and health checks, is always in play.... https://www.thestar.com//what-will-the-canada-us-border-of

Garrison Common, parched in summer heat, is an important green space in downtown Toronto. It receives more visitors than ever, thanks to Garrison Crossing bridge (left), which opened last fall, enabling entry by foot and bike from the north side of the railway corridor. The Common is part of Fort York National Historic Site.

Great historical map coverage of the Niagara Frontier/Peninsula for the Frontier Crisis Period (1780s and 90s) and the War of 1812, thanks to Brock University...

Canadian War Museum's excellent 1812 online exhibit, which builds on the CWM's "Four Wars of 1812" that opened at the museum in 2012... https://www.warmuseum.ca/war-of-1812/

Our good neighbour, the Ireland Park Foundation, is moving ahead with two initiatives: restoration and re-purposing the Corleck Building at Eireann Quay (foot of Bathurst St, on the waterfront); and marking the bicentenary of health care in Toronto with the construction of the first brick hospital in 1820. Find out more at: https://irelandparkfoundation.com/

Lisa Rochon, urbanist, design historian, founder of Citylab, and a highly valued, former director of the Fort York Foundation, and her team proposes a 28-km "ring road" for cyclists and pedestrians around downtown Toronto (extending just south of Fort York National Historic Site). Citylab dubs it the "Freedom Ring Road", which we find sounds too American, preferring, say, the "Jervois Circle". Lieut.-Colonel William Jervois (pronounced Jer-vus) of the Royal Engineers proposed... a series of defensive earthworks around Toronto in 1865 to deal with an invasion of Canada by American forces during the height of international tensions following the Trent Affair during the U.S. Civil War. If it had been built, and preserved (highly doubtful in this city of ever-expedient demolition and development), we would, today, be blessed with a wide strip of open green with raised inner bank and outer ditch extending from Humber Bay north to Davenport Ridge and east over to the Don Valley and beyond. Plus, he would have thrown in a couple of picturesque Martello Towers on the island. Read about Citylab's post-pandemic big idea, which would substantially enlarge useful, multi-user public realm space in Toronto: https://www.thestar.com//a-post-pandemic-toronto-needs-a-b