As the neighbourhood continues through its cycles of rediscovery and reinvention, the debate over its name persists.  Theoretically, there is only one long stretch of beach.  Yet correspondence between the family members of Kew Williams – so-named for Kew Gardens in Britain and once-upon-a-time resident of the house that remains in the Beach park of the same name – suggests early inhabitants made reference to their location in the neighbourhood through their proximity to one part of the beach, for instance, Balmy Beach, Scarboro Beach or Kew Beach.

Given this, it seems plausible to understand how the controversy may have begun.  Conceivably, people may have envisioned themselves as residing in micro-boroughs, which may have led one to perceive their beach-front vicinity as distinct in nature from another – hence, the potentially historically meaningful reason behind calling the neighbourhood 'the Beaches.'

I will place a special emphasis on my family home at 269 Glen Manor Dr. E.

As early as 1884, the Beach was identified as a part of what is today the City of Toronto on insurance maps. It is not always clear how the specifics between newly appropriated areas and older parts of the City were managed.  Evidence suggests the Beach was annexed in the mid 1880s.

Yet Balmy Beach, the name which refers to the entire neighbourhood on the 1884 insurance map and, likewise, on the record illustrating the amalgamation of the area, officially became a part of the City of Toronto through an Ontario Railway and Municipal Board Order dated Nov. 12, 1909.

While Balmy Beach may have been the first piece of waterfront land to be named, the name Kew Beach emerged by 1890.  The addition of beach names over relatively short periods of time lends credence to the argument that early inhabitants perceived themselves as living in small communities. The adoption of unique beach names by each community suggests that each perceived itself as a distinct neighbourhood; yet collectively these communities are 'the Beaches', a shared identity unified by the beach itself.

Glen Manor Drive is situated in the heart of the neighbourhood and exemplifies the majesty for which the area is known. In essence, The Glen is a ravine with tree-lined streets,  and it remains straddled by a bridge that enables pedestrians to cross over its steep hills. (I call it The Glen because that is how it is referred to on maps until the street was officially named.)

In 1884, divisions for the allotment of properties surrounding the park are illustrated on maps of the East End of Toronto.  While the area adjacent to The Glen appeared to be earmarked for development in the 1880s, Glen Manor Drive, the street on either side of the park, did not come into existence until somewhere between 1913 and 1924.

In the 1880s, property lines were drawn for Glen Manor Drive East with rear boundaries facing Balsam Avenue. Divisions for the allotment of properties on Glen Manor Drive West were drawn fronting on the ravine and backing on Southwood Drive. Between  1903 and 1913, many of the roads and road names that remain today came into existence.

In the 1880s, maps depict few street names, but those that were already founded include Birch, Beech and Balsam Avenues. By 1913, much of the geography contemporary Beachers are familiar with was established. Examples of later roadway developments include Bellefair, Wheeler, Hambly and Wineva.  Nineteenth-century maps of 'Old Town Toronto' depict sections of the city in divisions named after Christian saints, such as St. Patrick's Ward, St. Andrew's Ward and St. John's Ward. From the time of its amalgamation to the City, the Beach was incorporated under the system that succeeded the saint-naming tradition; from the outset, the community was simply assigned Ward and Division numbers.

As the neighbourhood grew in population, Ward numbers changed. Glen Manor Drive was in the catchment area of Ward 1, Division 9, until 1919. In 1920 it became a part of Ward 8, Division 3. From 1969 it became a part of Ward 9, Division 3, Subdivision 240, and its ward status has subsequently changed since then.

Tax assessors compiled information on Beach residents for the purpose of property evaluation.  The assessment role from 1918 indicates that there was only one taxable party who lived on Glen Manor Drive. Joseph Price, aged 56, a British subject – as opposed to a foreign ‘Alien’ – worked in advertising.

Price was a Protestant and a 'freeholder' (not a tenant), who resided at 48 Glen Manor and had a property value (both land and house) of $7, 300.

It was not until the 1932 assessment role that 269 Glen Manor Drive East surfaces, with a value appraised at $11, 530.  The owner was Robert L. Kimber.

Kimber, aged 48, resided in the house with three other people (presumably a wife and two children) and, like Price, Kimber was a businessman, Protestant and British subject.

Between 1932 and 1951 the house went down in value from $11, 530 to $11, 346, and this figure remained constant throughout the 1970s. Tax assessment forms did not reflect the market value of the house but the total sum upon which the resident should pay taxable dues.

Given that the Kimbers resided in the house by 1932, it seems fair to suggest 1930 as the probable year of construction. Building permit application stubs indicate that there was much development on the street at this time. Records show permits were issued for the owners of 1, 10, 270, 272 and 352 Glen Manor Drive that year. Elsewhere in the Beach, houses were being constructed on Kippendavie, Kenilworth, Silver Birch, Kingswood and MacLean. The 1930s was an era of much change, a moment of significant movement of people into the area.

Those that moved to the neighbourhood tended to live in their houses for the better part of their lifetime. Anna Kimber, born in 1884, lived at 269 Glen Manor Drive from around 1932 until her death in 1972 or 1973.

With Anna's passing, the house was sold in 1973 to a retired couple named Robert and Marilyn Francis. They lived at the home from 1973 until 1981, when the house was purchased by my parents, an investment banker by the name of Norman Fraser and his wife, Ruth.  The Frasers remained at the residence until the year 2013.

The house at 269 Glen Manor Drive East has enjoyed three generations of ownership and, while its owners may change, the beauty of its locale and tension over whether the neighbourhood is in name the Beaches, or the sum of its parts – the Beach – remains constant.

Wokie Fraser is a local history buff who grew up in the Beach

It really feels that the Beach real estate market reflects the weather we’ve witnessed over the last month: hot and sunny … cool and rainy … looks like rain then suddenly sunny. Certainly some of the swagger and seeming invincibility that had been indicative of the Beach market over the last few years has been lost. The rumours of its demise are overheard, but overstated.

What we’re seeing in this Beach spring real estate market is simply the by-product of several factors that have been gently at work for some time, and are only now pushing through to the surface. This isn’t the forum to debate the myriad of economic forces at play. But the reality is that many buyers are just more cautious, and relaxed, than they might have been even two months ago. They’re just having a longer look before they leap, as they survey the situation, only to see that indeed they have choices. Instead of too many Beach buyers hunting too few Beach homes, now more homes are hunting those buyers. It’s called balance.

It really shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone that the market is cooling somewhat. It has to take time to breathe in order to be sustained and thrive. Yes, there are more homes available than what we’ve become accustomed to, and many ‘for sale’ signs are lingering longer than what had become the perception as normal in the Beach. But the wild market we became used to just wasn’t a normal one. Beach real estate has become complacent; lazy even. In today’s adjusting and fluctuating market, Beach homes are going to have to bring real value to the buyer’s table – surely something much more than what the previous hectic market has become accustomed to, anyway. And that’s what has started to happen.

Yes, there are still the notorious bidding wars and multiple offers taking place, largely (but not necessarily exclusively) between first-time buyers in Beach homes priced below $700,000. Yet the difference between now and a year or two ago is that, instead of five offers on a home purposely priced low to garner such attention, there may only be two or three buyers willing to step up.  Will those buyers move the price up to where it should be, or should have been in the first place? Maybe. But with the market harder to peg down than just a couple months ago, the answer could easily be maybe not.

On another note, I imagine that most people who cruise Realtor.ca realize that they are not really viewing the same MLS (Multiple Listing Service) that your favourite real estate agent is looking at, and working on daily. But if you didn’t know that, well, the truth is, you’re really just surfing a great big advertisement site, paid for and sponsored by local real estate boards such as the Toronto Real Estate Board and produced and maintained by the Canadian Real Estate Board for public consumption. Yep, we got you! You’re dutifully soaking up real estate agent propaganda, when you may have believed you were just cruising for a house, without the assistance of those darn bothersome agents. No need to hire an agent, I’m on the MLS!

All kidding aside, what you’re looking at when you go to Realtor.ca is only a tiny piece of the entire MLS service that agents have access to. The MLS that agents use is a private member to member (agent to agent) service, employing the latest technology and up-to-the-minute market data. Yes, most homes listed by brokerages (but not all) are uploaded automatically to Realtor.ca for public viewing. But there’s much, much more to the real MLS than what you’re seeing. You only see available homes that agents allow you to see, and only approximately 24 to 48 hours after the house actually hits the market. By the time you see it, the house could already be sold. What’s more, you only see part of the actual data for the house. Some of the most important information about the house is held back from the public, often for privacy reasons. Realtor.ca is a fabulous tool for agents to advertise their listings. And that’s it. Cheap, but effective advertising for agents.

If you have any questions about this column, or about Beach real estate in general, please feel free to call me at 416-690-5100, or drop me an email at tneal@trebnet.com.

Thomas Neal is a well-known and respected local Beach agent
Real Estate… Beach Wise 

10. This is one country I thought would have been near the top. Having spent some time in Australia, I can tell you firsthand they have a reputation for being able to put it away big time. Some of their drinking stories are legendary. However, Aussies aren’t the imbibers they used to be. Once a huge beer market, rising prices and refined tastes have turned many folks to wine. Probably a good thing, seeing as they produce some great ones. Thus, they sit at #10 on the list.

9. Octoberfest, and especially its beer, has ensured Germany’s presence on the top 10 list. The Octoberfest celebration is the country’s month-long answer to St. Patrick’s Day. Much of Germany’s consumption has to do with the fact that beer can be purchased just about anywhere: bars, shops, gas stations, newspaper stands and on public transport.

8. The African nation of Uganda drinks more alcohol than any of its continental neighbours. Part of this reason is the result of much illegally-produced booze and a drink made from bananas. High on the menu is a potent liquor called “waragi,” also known as “war gin” because it was once used to fortify troops.

7. In South Korea, alcohol helps “oil the wheels of business and allows people to vent frustrations.” Perhaps just what’s needed to overcome the strict social protocols of the country!

6. The tiny Soviet state of Moldova has a decent selection of homegrown wines and local variations on eastern European fruit brandies. That’s what enables them to maintain a spot on this list.

5. There is a ritualistic rule of drinking in Ecuador: you must wait for a toast before you can take a first sip of your drink. After that, you’re on your own. The local imbibe is called “hangover in a bottle.” Zhamir is an inexpensive, ridiculously potent drink made from sugar cane that will have you snockered after just a few sips. Need I say more?

4. The French consume wine with every meal except breakfast and it’s often more freely available – and cheaper – than water. Only French wine will do though, no foreign stuff! They are wildly loyal to their own wines. In fact, you’ll be hard pressed to find any other country’s vino in their shops.

3. Vodka is as synonymous with Russia as martinis are with James Bond. This spirit seems to be stoically endured and part of the culture. If you had to endure a Siberian winter, I suppose you’d appreciate the warming effect of vodka.

2. There’s no denying that China has one of the most rapidly expanding economies on the planet. Aside from a new-found love of wine and rich splurging on high-end, first-growth Bordeaux, this culture loves to drink during celebrations, especially with grain-based spirits and brandies. Premium whiskies like Scotch, imported beer and top-of-the-line cognacs are always huge. Weddings, births, deaths, birthdays, business deals, etc. are all great occasions to indulge.

1. Finally, the all-star consumer of them all, Great Britain! Potable life here revolves around none other than the pub. It’s a place to grab a bite, meet and greet friends, watch sports, celebrate victories and curse losses, begin and end relationships, settle scores and make deals. I’ve heard some folks say drinking is a way for many Brits to overcome their traditional reserve.

Edward Finstein a.k.a. The Wine Doctor, wine writer, educator, judge & consultant 

416-269-7963
winedoctor@sympatico.ca
www.winedoctor.ca

Afternoon Tea Menu

• Cucumber sandwiches (Montmartre Bakery, 105 Midwest, Midland and Lawrence, 416-757-7771, makes excellent bread and slices it extra thin or horizontally for party sandwiches).

• Open-faced smoked salmon sandwiches on rye with lemon, dill and finely sliced green onions (Kristapsons Inc., 1095 Queen Street East, 416-466-5152, carry the best cold smoked salmon).

• Devilled eggs (yes, they are old-fashioned but people love them) or Scotch eggs (see recipe below). People love these too and they are a little more unusual.

• Any other tasty sandwich on good bread cut into fingers with crusts cut off – these are guaranteed to please. One of the most popular sandwiches is the banana and peanut butter roll done on bread cut horizontally. However, make sure there are no peanut allergies.

• Something chocolate, in this case, my mother’s recipe for oatmeal squares are designed to WOW! Not to mention freshly made scones served piping hot with whipped cream and strawberry or raspberry jam.

If you make this selection accompanied with a huge pot or pots of tea, you will make all your guests feel like queens for the day!

Oatmeal Square

Although this sounds like a humble item, the simple ingredients when combined and cooked produce the most decadent treat imaginable! It was always my Mother’s emergency recipe because it was simple to prepare and only needed one bowl to wash (under 20 minutes preparation time) and everyone loved them.

1/2 cup (125 ml) melted butter
1 1/2 cups (375 ml) quick cooking oatmeal
1/2 cup (125 ml) sweetened flake coconut
1 tsp (5 ml) vanilla
1/4 tsp (1 ml) salt

Frosting:
1 1/2 cups (375 ml) semi-sweet pure chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350˚F (180˚C). Line nine inch square baking pan with parchment paper. Set aside.

In glass bowl, melt butter, then stir in oatmeal, coconut, brown sugar, vanilla and salt until well combined. Spoon mixture into prepared pan, spreading evenly and pressing lightly (including corners). Bake 15-20 minutes or until deep golden brown and bubbly.

Remove from oven. Sprinkle evenly with chocolate chips. Allow to melt. Spread melted chips with a knife and make decorative swirls with the tines of a fork. Allow to cool. Cut into 24 squares.

Scotch Eggs

This version is simple to make and sure to please. Cut each egg in half or in quarters to serve with Dijon mustard.

6 hard-cooked eggs
1 lb (450 g) sausage meat from Schneider’s skinless sausages
2 cups (500 ml) fresh bread crumbs made in a blender or food processor, about four slices of bread (do not use commercial bread crumbs)

To hard cook eggs: this also works well for devilled eggs and egg salad sandwiches, always a popular item for tea. Place eggs in a saucepan, cover with cold water one inch above eggs. Bring water to a boil; reduce heat to simmer and allow to boil gently for 10 minutes. Immediately drain and plunge into ice-cold water. Peel shells. To easily peel, crack around the circumference and the shell should come away in two neat parts. Rinse eggs to remove any shell and pat dry.

To make Scotch Eggs:

Preheat oven to 375˚F (190˚C). Line baking sheet with parchment paper; set aside.

Divide the sausage meat into six equal portions, about two and a half sausages per egg. Mash in your hand and put the egg on top of the sausage meat, pressing the meat around the egg to completely coat. Dip into a bowl of fresh breadcrumbs to coat evenly. Bake on prepared baking sheet 25 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on rack. Can be made several hours or a day ahead. Slice and serve.

Lemon Curd

I know this sounds like a terrible name, but it is truly delicious and has a multitude of uses. One chief one for an afternoon tea is as a filling for tiny tarts. The intense lemon flavour is addictive and nicely complimented with a thin slice of strawberry on top.
Jan Main is an author, cooking instructor and caterer 416-265-8445

The Pixie grapevine can be grown and overwintered in a container.

That’s because our heads are filled with thoughts of plants, colours, equipment and all the other things we want to add to our gardens this season. I’ll share some of my finds with you:

• Garden equipment: I don’t like long-handled hoes in a city garden. They hurt my back and aren’t practical for closely packed plants. My choice is a hand weeder/cultivator called the Culti-weeder, made by Garden Works, Inc. It’s a sort of curved sickle-shaped thing with a toothed edge and spiked tip that looks like something Freddy Krueger dreamed up in Nightmare on Elm Street. Sturdy and stainless steel, it lets you really dig into tough roots like lily-of-the-valley (locally available at the Urban Nature Store in Leaside).

• Sheridan Nurseries, an all-Canadian family-owned business, celebrates its 100th anniversary this year. Besides publishing a commemorative book (Sheridan Nurseries: 100 Years of People, Plans, and Plants), they’re offering three new anniversary plant introductions.

Purple Be Dazzled lilac re-blooms and stays a tidy 1 m tall. The Sheridan Anniversary blush rose grows to 2 m, with sweet-smelling, pearly-pink blooms. Largest of the lot is Mahogany Magic nineback, growing 3 m tall with a spread of 2 m. In mid-summer, it bears handsome clusters of starry-white flowers.

• Lots of new annuals are being brought out this year by the Proven Winners plant brand people. I grew several last year on a trial basis, and I was really impressed by three in particular (locally available this year at East End Garden Centre and Sheridan Nurseries).

Lemon Slice calibrachoa has a perfect yellow colour, not too bright and not too washed out. Up close, the flowers are lemon yellow, with small white stripes radiating from the centre. It bounced back from my occasional lapses in watering and kept blooming through early fall – without deadheading.

I love verbenas, but they often mildew and poop out in the heat. My plants from Proven Winners’ Superbena line, though, stayed strong and serene all through last year’s hot summer.

Cleomes are an interesting annual with a bad reputation. Frankly, they stink. Like skunk. And they have sharp thorns in unlikely places. That’s not the case with Senorita Blanca (white) and Senorita Rosalita (pale mauve) Proven Winner cleomes. They can grow really big (1 m) in the ground, but mine stayed a neat 48 cm in a container.

• Some folks think of Loblaw garden centres as just another big box store. There’s a big difference, though: Loblaw is Canadian. They buy from Canadian growers (promoting our own garden industry). And they hand-select the President’s Choice plants they sell, working with growers at least a year in advance. Here are some to look for this spring.

Amazing edibles: Number one is the President’s Choice Mighty ’Mato. One plant (nearly 2 m tall) may be all you need. It produces double the crop of a regular plant (even in a container) and you don’t have to rotate your tomato patch from year to year. All this happened not through genetic manipulation, but by grafting choice eating tomatoes onto extra-strong rootstock. (Don’t bury the knobby graft, or Mighty ’Mato will lose its magic.) It’s a bit pricier than regular tomatoes, but a bigger harvest with less work should make it worthwhile.

Other novelties include the hardy fig tree that you can leave outside in winter. There’s also the Pixie grapevine, a true dwarf complete with grapes, that can live and overwinter in a container. Last on my list is the Haskap berry, a cross between blueberries, raspberries and Saskatoons. You need two varieties to get berries, so the plants come in a convenient double pack.

Heavenly  hostas: Shade gardeners can snap up the Hosta of the Year, ‘Rainforest Sunrise’. It’s compact, slug-resistant and gold with dark green edges. Or try the new ‘Designer Genes’ hosta – tall and gold, with bright red stems (but unfortunately thinnish leaves).

There’s more, but I’m out of space, so go see some of these beauties for yourself. And for perennials, don’t miss the Beach Garden Society Plant Sale, May 18, 9 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. at Adam Beck Community Centre, 99 Lawlor Ave.

Mary Fran McQuade is a hobby gardener and freelance writer

Polly and Nellie

Fear not, I haven’t fallen asleep in a field of poppies. Aside from the flying monkeys, it’s all true!

On Sunday, May 5, while mariachi bands celebrated Cinco de Mayo, I celebrated the emancipation of two donkeys from a burden-bearing past. I was also re-acquainted with old friends and introduced to some delightful new ones on Education Day at PrimRose Donkey Sanctuary in Roseneath, Ontario.

I first visited this magical place over a year ago. Fondly named after the very first donkey taken in by founder Sheila Burns, PrimRose continues to win the hearts of all who find their way to its barn door. At 39 years old, PrimRose the donkey still makes appearances at special events and proudly leads the way in the Palm Sunday parade in town!

Following that visit, I shared the story of a brave little donkey named Annabelle. She’d been rescued seconds before being sold at auction. It’s been nothing but rainbows for Annabelle ever since! Her BFF (best farm friend) is the oldest donkey at the sanctuary, 48-year-old Lucy. When she’s not braying it up with Lucy, she’s nudging volunteers for hugs.

Other residents at the sanctuary shone just as brightly, demanding my attention. Take Abigail for instance, the pot-bellied pig with a passion for interior decorating. Abby is sadly gone now but no doubt going hog wild on renos.

Following in her hoof-steps is the new pig in town, a real ham that goes by the name Art-the-Fart-Blueberry-Tart. I didn’t actually meet Art. He was sawing logs in his pig-house which is probably just as well considering his aromatic reputation. I did, however, have the pleasure of meeting his stall-mate, Ruby-Thursday! Rescued on a Thursday, she bravely shares the pig parlor with her fragrant friend. They’re just two pigs in a pod!

Vanna White the grinning goat is still illuminating the barn courtesy of her celebrity smile. Of course she only smiles when young Preston isn’t getting her goat. She’ll need time to warm up to the new kid on the block. For now, she’s sharing her goat’s nest with her sheep peeps.

Christina Rose, best described as a dog in sheep’s clothing, is still a big happy ball of yarn albeit recently sheared. But like Vanna, she’s raring to butt heads with the smaller version of herself just to show him who’s boss. Kitty Lamonte, a motherless lamb, needed bottle feeding when he joined the sanctuary. For now, orphans Preston and Kitty are pen-mates until they’re big enough for Head-Butting Initiation Day with the elders.

Last but never least is Justin Credible, the canine prince of PrimRose. We shared a few precious moments together in the breezeway, watching a slideshow of all the rescued donkeys that have come and gone while Over the Rainbow played softly in the background. That’s when time stood still for me, at least until I met Polly and Nelly.

It’s true what they say – when one door closes, another opens. Sheila and her dedicated volunteers recently mourned the loss of two beloved residents. Russell was a sweet 50-year-old mule and Jack was a 49-year-old donkey who could bray your ear off if you let him. Saying goodbye is never easy, even when one knows a donkey’s average lifespan is 50 years. Volunteer Elaine, who snapped photos for me, said Jack reminded her of Eeyore. He was a great listener, at least when he wasn’t banging his head on the barn door – a donkey’s willful way of asking to be let out to pasture.

Soon after Russell and Jack bid them farewell, another door did in fact open. Sheila received a phone call from the Quinte Humane Society on the Friday before Education Day. Two donkeys, a mother and daughter, were being seized due to severe neglect. The owner had been issued orders pertaining to proper care but never complied. Thankfully, he surrendered them without argument. Sheila couldn’t gather them up fast enough. In just two days since being rescued, seven-year-old Polly and three-year-old Nelly had already received better care than they’d ever known.

For some of the volunteers, this was the worst case of neglect they’d ever seen. The donkeys’ hooves alone told a painful story of needless suffering. They were so frightfully over-grown, the pair could barely walk. Nelly’s hooves were the worst. They looked like Munchkin elf shoes curling up at the toe. But there was nothing cute about this. Donkeys need their hooves trimmed every 10 to 12 weeks. Nelly’s had never been trimmed. The joy they must have felt when they were finally free of their cement shoes!

Polly and Nelly, top, were taken in by the Prim Rose Donkey Sanctuary after being seized from their previous owner for neglect. Neither had ever had their hooves trimmed, above.

It will take time for Polly and Nelly to fully recover from their stormy past. They practically have to learn how to walk again. But once they do, they’ll shed the unwanted pounds gained from a combination of limited mobility and poor diet. Just as important, they’ll shed their fears as they gradually learn what it’s like to be handled with love and respect.

We don’t need crystal balls, ruby slippers or a man behind a curtain claiming to be a wizard to make magic happen. Real magic is far less complicated, like watching two donkeys graze in a sunlit emerald pasture without a care in the world. For that kind of magic, there’s no place like PrimRose.

Polly and Nelly are burden-free donkeys discovering the magic that lies over the rainbow in an enchanting place called The PrimRose Donkey Sanctuary in Roseneath, Ontario (primrosedonkeysantuary.com). Experience the magic for yourself! Families are welcome Thursdays and Sundays from 1 to 4 p.m.

This archival photo shows some of the tolls charged on Toronto’s roads before toll gates were eliminated in the city.
Photo: City of Toronto Archives, Fonds 1244, Item 1279

In the news the last while, our elected officials have been looking at some new ways of filling their coffers. Taxation? Well, yes, but how about something else? Some minds of the brain trust have come up with an idea: how about toll roads in the city?

The province allowed a company from outside the country to run the 407 – it’s making millions of dollars for this foreign company. The province set up a lucrative toll road on the Burlington Skyway bridge, which covered construction costs for this gigantic project.

If these roads can be so successful, why can’t we do the same to our entrances to the city? Let’s put toll gates on the western approaches on the Gardiner expressway. Why don’t we put tolls on the DVP? We could put toll gates on the east and west ends of the city and make millions.

There is only one concern. Over 150 years ago there were toll gates, and the main ones were near here, in our own East End.

The government of the day tried to get farmers, city folk and everyone to pay for the privilege of using highways. Over the years, different types of road construction were tried. Trees had to be cut down, land cleared, swamps and ponds drained and bridges built.

This was quite a formidable task. Winter would bring ice, sleet and snow, spring and summer would bring rain and mud, and in most cases, the roads were impassable.

What about roads built of logs, the famous corduroy roads? What about roads of crushed rock and stone called macadamized roads?

Many construction types were tried, some good, some bad.

Private enterprise was willing to take over, and the roads went out to tender. Of course several consortiums were willing to take the enormous projects on, thinking that they would make a profit – that’s what capitalism is all about.

There were a few main roads with toll gates every few miles. Yonge Street, Kingston Road, Dundas Street and several smaller highways had tolls. In many cases, these roads were indispensable to commerce and the military. The army had to be able to move in case of rebellion or war.

In the case of commerce, the main market was St. Lawrence in Toronto. The only way farmers’ wagons could reach the market was by Yonge Street in the north, or Kingston Road in the east.

Here in the Beach, we had several toll gates over the years on different parts of Kingston Road. One was at the current intersection of Kingston and Victoria Park, and the other was at Woodbine and Kingston.

The toll gates were good business for small hamlets such as Norway, because when the farmers became tired or hungry they could stop in the different inns that had sprung up along the way. There were several, such as The Blacksmith, Norway House, Small Bros., Ontario House, O’Sullivan’s Tavern and the Painted Post.

Tolls would be set at, say, 7 cents for a wagon full of hay or 5 cents for a leisure vehicle, but the price wasn’t always the same at the different toll gates. Sometimes some tried to make a little extra profit on the side.

Some farmers might try to get to market by other roads, but often they would become stuck in mud or snow, and would end up having to use the toll roads.

Most toll gates were operated by families, and often someone would be on watch 24 hours a day. Other times some wouldn’t be open on Sundays or holidays.

Woodbine and Kingston was one of the busiest, as Dawes Road also led to Kingston Road, and some days hundreds of vehicles would be on the road to the city.

Eventually, with the building of the railroads, the era of toll gates came to an end.

Let’s take a look at the Painted Post toll gate, which stood at the junction of Kingston and Victoria Park (then called the Town Line, at the border between the townships of Scarborough and York). The road didn’t go far north of Kingston Road until well into the 20th century. The painted post itself was said to be a first nations symbol, though others say it was connected to the French.

Whatever the reason for the painted post, it was the reason for the name of the Painted Post toll gate. At this corner was an inn catering to farmers and other travellers. Many rested there before heading on to the St. Lawrence Market. Though there are a few taverns with old fashioned names now  - such as the Green Dragon – the Painted Post is now only memories.

One enterprising family living in the former village of East Toronto set up its own toll gate at Beech and Kingston, though it was shut down by the village. The toll gate in Norway, at Kingston and Woodbine, was another family affair, which lasted 50 or 60 years.

Here and now, why don’t we set up a toll gate again at Victoria Park and Kingston, call it the Painted Post, and extract a fee from these ‘foreign devils’ coming through our beloved Beach? Then let us set up another at Queen and Woodbine and call it the Firehall toll gate. Then another at Woodbine and Kingston, called the Norway toll gate. This way we might keep ourselves free from all these would-bes and wannabe Beachers.

That may sound like plenty to some, but this Bill amends almost 50 pieces of legislation and even invents a new one.  Five days leaves us with about an hour’s worth of debate on each of these changes.  That’s not a lot of time to discuss amalgamating Foreign Affairs and the Canadian International Development Agency, putting Treasury Board at the bargaining table with Crown Corporations, reducing the number of foreign takeovers subject to review, and so on.

Who would have imagined that these so-called champions of transparency and accountability – these parliamentary reformers – would ever justify such a limited level of scrutiny for parliamentarians, or that they would privilege what they feel is appropriate over the traditions and institutions of Canadian government and governing. It is most certainly a form of tyranny.

But this isn’t just an issue of principle, process or even of the details of the bill. It’s about a government that deliberately sets its sights below the potential of Canada and its citizens. Never mind reach exceeding grasp and all that sort of stuff – this is a government that aspires to achieve less than what’s possible.

This is the recurring narrative of the Parliamentary Budget Office’s ‘Economic and Fiscal Outlook’. The PBO estimates that over the next four years, “the net impact of Economic Action Plan 2013 measures and revisions to spending levels on real GDP and employment is contractionary,” that it will “push the economy further away from its potential GDP and delay the economic recovery.”

This is a perplexing response to an economic context in which 1.4 million Canadians are out of work, 240,000 more young people are unemployed than before the recession, the number of working poor and income polarization is on the rise, 50 per cent of jobs in our city are precarious and the trade deficit stands at $67 billion and is set to worsen.

This, I believe, is worth fulsome discussion in the House of Commons.  And answers are owed!

None are forthcoming, of course, so we do as Jack advised – proposition not just opposition.

So, on May 10, Tom Mulcair will have been to the Economic Club to unveil a different kind of action plan – an urban action plan that’s responsive to the economic circumstances of the country and understands that cities are the engines of economic growth in a modern economy.

As this edition rolls off the presses the following week, I will be accompanying Tom through Toronto on a two-day economic tour.  We’ll be visiting with green industries in the East End and West End and high-tech, creative digital media, biomedical and cultural clusters downtown and on the waterfront.  We’ll also be meeting with the representatives of the post-secondary institutions – college and university – that work with and, in certain circumstances, incubate these enterprises.

The purpose of this economic tour – the first of a number of themed tours over the summer – is to listen and learn about the role of the federal government in undoing that which constrains – or providing that which facilitates – the growth of innovative, creative enterprises so that the economies of Canadian cities can flourish.

Who would have guessed that those of us who occupy the House of Commons would have to reassure Canadians that we do indeed aspire to the full potential of Canada? At least some of us can and do.  The guys on the government benches, as long as they remain there, need to explain why they aim for less – why they aim so low.

Matthew Kellway
MP
Beaches/East York

To start a savings program, Tula met with a financial advisor. After the meeting, she realized she did not know some basics about investments or investing.

One of Tula’s questions was regarding the ‘volatility’ of investments. To better understand volatility, she checked out Moshe Milevsky’s book, Are You a Stock or a Bond: Identify Your Own Human Capital for a Secure Financial Future.  Milevsky is an associate professor of finance at York University’s Schulich School of Business and executive director of the IFID Centre at the Fields Institute.

Milevsky writes that if you are a business owner, your business represents the equity portion of your portfolio and  you should invest in bonds, GICs and low risk investments. Conversely, if you have a steady job with a salary, ‘you’ represent the bonds in your portfolio and your money should be invested in equities.

Tula identified herself as a having a steady job and therefore she should invest primarily in equities with a small portion in GICs and bonds.

Milevsky goes on to explain how long term investing and volatility is purely mathematics. For example, if you invest $100,000 and have sequential returns of +27 per cent, +7 per cent and -13 per cent, at the end of three years your portfolio would have a balance of $118,224.

Now change the order … with returns of -13 per cent during the first year, +7 per cent in the second and +27 per cent in the final year, starting with the same $100,000 investment, you end with exactly the same, $118,224.

Tula’s other question … What is a stock index?

An index follows a certain market and gives investors a single number to summarize its ups and downs. It is a means by which the world's institutional (and retail) investors can track a market without having to buy the underlying components. It is a convenient way for someone interested in a broad, narrow or extremely narrow group of securities to track them.

The most commonly followed indices in North America include:

• The Dow Jones Industrial Average, known as the DJI, is a stock market index. It is comprised of 30 large publicly owned companies based in the US.

• Standard and Poor’s 500, known as the S&P 500. This is similar to the DJI. The companies selected are representative of the industries in the US economy. In order to be added to the index, a company must have a market capitalization of at least US $4 billion.

• The S&P/TSX Composite Index is an index of the stock (equity) prices of the largest companies on the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX) as measured by market capitalization. The Toronto Stock Exchange listed companies in this index comprise about 70 per cent of market capitalization for all Canadian-based companies listed on the TSX.

Tula has just begun to investigate investing for the long term. She has consulted a financial advisor as well as doing her own research. As a further tool for educating herself, Tula purchased the Stock Trader’s Almanac. It provides stock market analysis, stock market trends and reports in much the same way as a Farmer’s Almanac provides historical information for farmers.

If you would like to invest but do not have the cash flow, try investing hypothetically. Pick mutual funds and stocks and an amount to invest. Periodically follow the results of your hypothetical investment on the internet or in the financial/business section of the newspaper. In this way you will gain experience and expertise. When you finally are ready to invest, you will be knowledgeable.

J McPherson, 416-738-1555

Along with our vice principal Fermer Santos and teacher Jonathan Jones, we had the privilege to experience a once in a lifetime trip to Japan.  Despite all of the work required to make this initiative possible, we were ecstatic to learn about a culture so different than ours here in the Beach. Our journey was called the ‘Kizuna Project’, meaning “bonds of friendship” in Japanese.

Officially, the Kizuna Project is an initiative established by the Japanese government and administered by UNESCO to promote a better understanding of Japan’s recovery efforts after the disaster of March 2011, as well as to create positive relationships between the youth of Japan and other countries.

Malvern’s students acted as ambassadors of Canada, receiving orientations and participating in workshops and activities in many different regions of Japan. We prepared speeches and presentations for schools, business owners and government officials, visited a disaster affected area and took part in a homestay exchange.  But it was so much more than just that official description.

As a group, we spent months doing everything we could to prepare for this trip, but none of us could have imagined what we had in store. I don’t think that any of us expected to fall in love with the country or the people the way we did or for the experience to have such a lasting effect on us.

We set out to learn about how the people of Japan are recovering after the natural disasters that took place, but learned so much more along the way.

What really struck me was that even though there are so many differences between our cultures, at the end of the day we have more in common than I ever imagined. The Japanese may eat with chopsticks and frown upon wearing shoes indoors, but for the most part, we laugh at the same things and agree that nothing is more important than friends and family. Sometimes, all it takes is leaving all that behind for two weeks to realize and fully understand the importance of loved ones. Sadly, the Japanese were reminded of this in a much more difficult way, when the disaster of March 11 took place.

Two years later, they are still recovering from these unfortunate events, despite all the work that has been done. In one fishing village we visited, the majority of the residents were still living in temporary housing.

But we found a strong sense of community in the many places that we visited, and were moved to know that many of the members of these communities are still alive today thanks to the help and rescue efforts of neighbours. Each community’s team effort to fundraise and repair the destruction further inspired our group.

Everywhere that we went in Japan the hospitality was outstanding. Despite the amazement that the Japanese showed over my blue eyes, I always felt at home.  Everyone was so welcoming. One of my fears before the trip was that I would accidentally offend someone by doing something wrong and for the first few days I was pretty nervous. The hot chocolate vending machines and toilets that play music were a tad confusing, but everyone was more than happy to explain how things worked. I was glad to know that no one would yell at me for doing something wrong, especially because my Japanese may not have been strong enough to understand any harsh criticism.

When we finally left Japan, we were all upset knowing we couldn’t pack our friends in our suitcases and take them back to Canada with us.  ‘Kizuna’ was an appropriate name because the bonds that we formed were so strong. Many of us continue to talk to the friends that we made on our trip via email and Facebook, as well as look into further Japanese lessons and trips in the future.

The week after we returned to Canada, a group of 24 Japanese students came to stay with us here in the Beach before continuing to Vancouver. The Japanese students were able to see what Canadian home life is like and visited our local tourist spots.  At Malvern, all Kizuna participants put together an assembly to educate the rest of the school about our findings throughout our journey and included a dance performance by the Japanese participants, traditional fans and all. The Malvern students were very interested in the lives of the Japanese students and had many questions to ask them.

Thanks to the successful outcome of this particular exchange, the Japanese government and UNESCO hope to continue the Kizuna Project in Canada. The Malvern students want to organize a ‘Kizuna Night’ where we hope to give the Beach community a taste of Japanese culture through art, music and food.  This initiative has been a life-changing experience for everyone involved and although the official part of the Kizuna Project is over, its impact on us will continue to live on for many years to come.