How do you define heritage – the kind worth preserving, celebrating and enshrining? Is it a specific building (think Agnes Macphail’s house) or architectural type (e.g. Leaside Tudor), and is there a Leaside “character” worth defining and protecting by designation as one of Toronto’s Heritage Conservation Districts (HCDs)?
Many parts of the old City of Toronto are already protected in this way – Cabbagetown, Harbord Village, the Distillery District spring to mind. In May 2014, former Councillor John Parker recommended to Council that Leaside be considered a Heritage Conservation District (HCD). So far, efforts to have south Leaside recognized in this way have not come to fruition.
For some Leasiders, that’s just as well. In this issue we present the views on both sides: from Saving Old Leaside columnist and LPOA co-president Geoff Kettel and Business of Leaside columnist (and sometime contrarian) Glenn Asano. At what point do heritage conservation and recognition of neighbourhood character put shackles on development and growth, and do they alienate younger people attracted to Leaside? Can neighbourhood character co-exist with new builds and a changing local environment? This is an exciting debate, with Leaside a petri dish for the opposing views.
Also in this issue…we feature our Green Team applying their green brush to Christmas, a holiday that doesn’t always bring out the green consciousness in holiday makers. But maybe that’s changing.
As you celebrate the holidays, we at Leaside Life want to thank you for continuing to read our publication and sharing your views with us. Happy holidays!
