It was with great satisfaction — and yes, a touch of sadness — that I read our Councillor’s announcement last month in Leaside Life about the completion of the City’s major capital improvements at Leaside Gardens. The satisfaction came from knowing firsthand how challenging it is to secure funding at City Hall, not to mention how painfully long the process can be. The sadness came from knowing that my days as a proud Leaside Gardens board member were officially over.
Yes, folks, my two terms are up and I’m going to miss the “job.” Despite the bumps along the way, I had a tremendously rewarding experience, mainly because of the quality people I worked with along the way. Finishing my board term felt abrupt, and I didn’t want it to end. I felt as if I had been rudely pruned from a garden I had helped tend. We planted ideas, grew relationships, and even pulled a few weeds along the way. Things were starting to bloom… then the city’s term limits did what they were designed to do – made space for new gardeners.
Stepping back left me with mixed emotions. I was so proud of what was growing, but I also knew I’d miss the tending. Then a few weeks ago, I was invited to join a planning session with the new board, and it felt like someone handed me the watering can again. And in that moment, I realized something important: when you volunteer, you’re tending the garden for the community — and then one day you realize the community has been tending you too.
Leaside’s strength is its people
I’m reminded of a theme I’ve witnessed again and again, whether here in Leaside or in other places I’ve lived and worked: the success of most things comes down to the people. In April 2019, I floated the idea of a “Leaside Strength Index,” not to measure net worth or real estate values, but something far more meaningful: our neighbourhood’s capacity to care, show up, and participate.
I believe that a neighbourhood with a high proportion of residents with these characteristics is one of the key contributors to the liveability of a community. Having more opportunities to be around people who show up and care is genuinely uplifting, good for the soul and underpinning the togetherness I value in our community.
That closeness is something Leasider Jim Heller touched on recently at the Leaside Residents Association’s November board meeting. While presenting his paper “Recommendations to Mitigate the Consequences of LRT Transit Corridor and Related Developments on Leaside’s Quality of Life,” he used a word I had never encountered: “propinquity.” He described it as the closeness we enjoy as neighbours — the easy familiarity that comes from bumping into one another at Trace Manes, the Gardens, an LRA meeting or a shop on Bayview. His concern was that intensification along Eglinton could make that closeness harder to sustain.
A neighbourhood is really a shared garden. The buildings and streets are the planters and pathways, but it’s people who do the planting, weeding, watering, pruning. They bring the place to life. You can build a neighbourhood out of concrete, but you can only truly grow one with people. Leaside’s strength has never been its postal code; it’s been its people.
Jim’s not wrong to raise the alarm, but maybe the battle to “push back” is already behind us. Back in 2019 I wrote, “at the heart of the matter is the population densification of Leaside and what that will mean for us.” I argued that if change is inevitable, then we should shift the conversation from “Should there be growth?” to “Will Leaside be ready for growth?” Some developments may be on pause now, but not forever. The cranes will come when the market dictates. In the meantime, there’s always pickleball!
Our task now is to ask what will hold us together as the neighbourhood inevitably becomes denser — what we will need to grow the kind of garden we’re still proud to call home. It’s time to think about the seeds, soil, labour, tools, and yes, even the silver bells and cockle shells to help cultivate the future we want.
Let’s define our future NOW
In response to Jim’s rallying cry, now is the time. Before construction and change reach full steam, we must define our own future rather than have it imposed on us, think strategically about our needs, and engage with the City so Leaside’s infrastructure and overall liveability can be maintained, if not enhanced.
In 2026, we elect a mayor and 25 City councillors; soon the promises will start rolling in. But before we listen to candidates, we should listen to ourselves. What do we mean when we say Leaside is a “great place to live”? Green space? Walkability? Schools? Safety? Friendship? Opportunity? Likely all of those — but the balance is ours to define.
A while back, when the old Leaside Property Owners’ Association became the new Leaside Residents Association, it signalled a shift from guarding property to belonging. Ownership is about boundaries; residency is about relationships. It’s a subtle but powerful evolution that I was proud to witness.
So Leaside, there’s never been a better time to support the LRA and come out to an event or two. Also, with the assistance of Leaside Life, be on the lookout in the new year for a residents’ survey where you can share your thoughts. The results will be shared across the community and used to identify the issues Leasiders care most about. Ideally, we will follow this with a local “forum/symposium” to discuss the issues together, in person, and celebrate Leaside’s many volunteers and their organizations.
Leaside’s greatness has never been measured by density but by how many of us care enough to show up. The more who do, the more our community grows.
Season’s Greetings, Leaside! See you in 2026.
How would you describe what makes Leaside a great place to live? Do you believe Leaside is ready for the next decade of change? If not, what’s missing — and what would you most like to understand through a resident survey? Want to help shape the upcoming resident survey?
Help Shape Leaside’s 2026 Resident Survey
Before the community-wide survey launches in February, we want to hear from residents about what you think it should cover.
What issues matter most? What questions should we ask? What’s missing?
Sign up to contribute your ideas. We’ll send you a brief pre-survey questionnaire to help shape the final design.
Your perspective will help us ask the right questions. Click here: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/87BV3W8
Leaside Memorial Gardens Events
William Lea Room Events:
December 7 10am-3pm Vinyl Record Show
December 14 10am-3pm Sportscard Show
December 21 10am-3pm Comics and Collectibles Show.
Free Adult Public Skating
11am – 12pm for adults (18+) only
Tuesdays, December 2nd, 9th, and 16th
Thursdays, December 4th, 11th, and 18th.
Adult Public Skating will resume on January 6th, 2026.
January 2026 everyone welcome for our Free Community Skating
on January 24th, 2026, upon the reopening of the Bert F. Grant Rink
Every Saturdays 5:15pm-7:15pm on Rink B.
Free: all ages welcome. Helmets mandatory for children 12 and under and recommended for all skaters.
