The view is looking northeast, at the corner of Southwood Drive/Main Street and Kingston Road. Demolition and construction had began to erect the Norm Houghton housing complex (run by Neighbourhood Link Support Services), which was completed in 1994. Directly across the street the iconic Dip’N’Sip coffee shop remains. Rumours are swirling that a developer is […]
Category: Features
5 minutes – 5 questions
For this installment of 5 Minutes – 5 Questions, I thought it might be interesting to hear what one of the Beach’s more popular business owners might say in response. I called Ed Francis, the owner of Ed’s Real Scoop, the popular ice cream shop at 2224 Queen St. Ed was a hard guy to […]
5 minutes – 5 questions
Happy New Year. For this first installment of 5 Minutes – 5 Questions for 2012, I thought it might be interesting to ask the questions of the two people who are marking this January with significant changes in their lives – and the life of Beach Metro News. Our editor Carole Stimmell is retiring after […]
Former Beach Metro board member remembers
Christmas is a time of festive gatherings, hopefully with people who boost ones morale by their very presence. The newspaper’s Christmas parties for the staff and volunteer board always met that standard. Everyone dressed in their seasonal best and met for an evening of fine dining and pleasant conversation. One year instead of going to […]
History of Beach Metro News: 1989
As New Year 1989 began, the newspaper staff was still settling into new offices at 2196 Gerrard St. E. It had recently moved after 17 years at the YMCA on Kingston Road. Ten months earlier the paper’s name had changed from Ward 9 News to Beach Metro Community News. The staff was frustrated with the […]
Deja Views
The first image (taken in 1984 for Beach Metro News) shows the footbridge connecting Williamson Road and Glen Manor Drive East. A century ago at this location, an earlier bridge spanned across Howard’s Pond, a private waterway and stream owned by Allan McLean Howard Sr. In 2007 the walkway was replaced with an arch bridge […]
Deja Views
What an incredible amount of debris was washed up on shore during a late winter storm in 1973. This view is the beach between Munro Park and Silver Birch Avenues, looking west. A special thanks to Eleanor and Bill Guest for providing this image taken by George Coates. Do you have an old photo you’d […]
Bill MacLean’s 5 minutes – 5 questions
For this final column of 2011, I talked to our newly-elected MP, Matthew Kellway via email from his busy office in the House of Commons in Ottawa. This is what he replied. 1. Your favourite place in the Beach? – “On the lake, in my kayak… it’s a real treat to walk my boat down […]
In 1988, Ward 9 became Beach Metro
One of the easiest ways to identify longtime locals is that they still refer to this paper as ‘The Ward 9’. And so it was until 1988 when there were two major changes at the newspaper. The first was a new name. Municipal boundaries were rejigged, and the designation Ward 9 was transferred to the […]
Melinda’s best meals start here
Mairlyn Smith saved my bacon. Well, she saved my dinner, at least. Allow me to explain. I am not a great cook. I can manage to get a meal on the table, and I think my family would tell you it usually tastes good. But it lacks inventiveness, which is the hallmark of a great […]
