Christie Pits To Be Spruced Up

Greetings,
Spruce up plans for Christie Pits Park were discussed recently at a public meeting written up by InsideToronto.com.
Some of the possibilities?
A new stage, an improved pizza oven and "... a community hub installed around the fire pit, improved fencing around the baseball diamond – complete with a warning track – and a play feature to replace the park’s old merry-go-round."
Cheers,
Vanessa

Are Your Blades Sharp?

Skaters, good news: Toronto's outdoor skating rinks are open, or about to open, including the one at Christie Pits.
As of November 29th, you can glide to your heart's content from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. at the rink, which is at the northwest end of the park at Christie and Bloor.
Cheers,
Vanessa

Toronto GMO-Free Festival & Farmer's Market May 24th

Christie Pits Park will be the site of a GMO-Free Festival & Farmer's Market Saturday, May 24th.
Here's the scoop:
"Be a part of this global day of action to raise awareness of the health and environmental risks associated with GMOs while celebrating Ontario’s rapidly growing non-GMO and organic food movement! From 12-6pm on May 24th, 2014, thousands of citizens will gather at Christie Pits Park (see map) to learn and educate themselves about GMOs and explore alternatives to the industrial food system. This will be Toronto’s first GMO-free festival, and will feature great high-profile speakers, entertaining musicians and performers, info tables on crucial health and environmental issues, and a wide variety of non-GMO munchies to sample or purchase!"
It doesn't specifically say, but I assume that attendance is free-of-charge. Activities run from noon to 6 pm.
Cheers,
Vanessa

February 5th Friends of Christie Pits Park Meeting

If you're a fan of Christie Pits park -- and who isn't? -- you may want to attend the February 5th Friends of Christie Pits Park meeting to "talk park."
It begins at 6 pm at the Bob Abate Community Centre and agenda items include future events and elections to the association.
RSVPs (via the link above) are requested.
Cheers,
Vanessa

Skating Rink at Christie Pits Is Open

Hey, blade enthusiasts: the skating rink at the northwest end of Christie Pits is open for the season.
And it's actually cold enough this year to partake. Bonus!
The online schedule includes a family skate today from 1 to 5 pm.
Enjoy!
Vanessa

Pizza in the Pits This Friday

IF THE INCESSANT RAIN WOULD STOP we could all enjoy more outdoor activities.

Sheesh.

That's the end of my whine.

Anyway, get out the rain gear and join Pizza in the Pits this Friday-- pizza made in the wood-burning oven in Christie Pits Park.

Here's the scoop:

"Pizza in the Pits is back on! Summer without pizza nights at Christie Pits would be, well, the pits. So we decided to bring it back. Join us this Friday, June 14th between 5 and 7 pm for some pizza fresh from the wood-burning oven. $5 gets you a fresh pizza pie made by a Park Ranger. Seriously. An actual Ranger. And if you happen to be an aspiring baker, pizza pie maker or person keen to make amazing things happen with the wood burning oven this summer, please do drop by. We should talk. Pizza in the Pits is being hosted by the Friends of Christie Pits Park with help from the Christie Pits Residents Association and the David Suzuki Foundation's Homegrown National Park Project. Come for our pre-summer trial run and share your ideas on how to re-ignite the community fire..." Cheers, Vanessa

Bike with Mike May 26th

Attention bikers: Mark May 26th in your calendar. That's the date for Bike with Mike at Christie Pits from noon to 5 pm.
The Mike in question is councillor Mike Layton. Activites include on-site basic bike repair; demos and clinics; children's entertainment and face painting; and a BBQ.
So, really, you don't even need to be a cyclist to join in the fun.
Cheers,
Vanessa

Sexual Assault Investigation

The Christie Pits area has been the scene of an alleged sexual assault. Again.  A scant half year after police apprehended a serial assaulter.
Sigh.
Here are the details from Toronto Police Services:

Sexual Assault Alert, 
Christie Street/Barton Avenue area, 
Man wanted, 
Composite sketch of suspect released

Broadcast time: 15:18
Wednesday, April 24, 2013

Sex Crimes Unit
416-808-7474

The Toronto Police Service would like to make the public aware of a sexual assault investigation.

It is reported that:

- on Sunday, March 17, 2013, at 2 a.m., a 17-year-old girl was walking in the Christie Street/Barton Avenue area

- a man approached the girl from behind and sexually assaulted her at Christie Pits Park

- the suspect fled southbound through Christie Pits Park

Police have released a composite sketch of the suspect.

The suspect is described as black, 25-30, 5'7"-5’10", medium-to-athletic build and clean-shaven. He was last seen wearing a dark toque or cap, possibly a dark-grey or brown puffy jacket and jeans.

Anyone with information is asked to contact police at 416-808-7474, Crime Stoppers anonymously at 416-222-TIPS (8477), online at www.222tips.com, text TOR and your message to CRIMES (274637), or Leave A Tip on Facebook. Download the free Crime Stoppers Mobile App on iTunes, Google Play or Blackberry App World.


A sexual assault is defined by the Criminal Code of Canada as any form of unwanted sexual contact. It includes, but is not limited to, kissing, grabbing, oral sex and penetration. To learn more about sexual assault, including how to report a sexual assault, please visit our Sex Crimes Unit website.

---

Constable Tony Vella, Corporate Communications, for Detective Constable Kimberly Percival, Sex Crimes Unit

Christie Pits: Hot Neighbourhood

So, this is a little off-topic re: The Annex and Seaton Village. So sue me.
I wrote about real estate for many years and have an abiding interest in it. For some reason, one of my fixations is to know the next neighbourhood that's going to blow, as in buy now because the neighbourhood is about to be hot, hot, hot and the prices are going to go up, up, up.
Leslieville and Trinity-Bellwoods are current examples of "hot" real estate areas. 
Toronto Life tracks real estate religiously and while I find little of interest to me lately in the magazine (Who lives like that? The decadence! Slightly nauseating...) I think the publication nailed it recently with its online feature Where To Buy Now.
Listed at #3 is Christie Pits, defined as beginning at the park and stretching west to Ossington from Bloor to Dupont.
Neighbours take note: if a move is in your future, go West, young man, go West.
Cheers,
Vanessa

Old Toronto: Willowvale Park, a/k/a Christie Pits

Willowvale Park sounds lovely and bucolic, no? While Christie Pits sounds... ugly. Hm.I mention it because Christie Pits, host to many a soccer and baseball game, was once Willowvale Park and these "Old Toronto" pics below are from that time.
The house was situated at 236 Christie Street in 1921; that is the west side of Christie, south of Dupont, which now looks like anything but countryside.

And this pic is easy to recognize if you have visited Christie Pits lately. The north end of the park has more grass, benches, trees and fences, but stretches of Christie St. look virtually the same.

Cheers,
Vanessa

Two Additional Charges In Sex Assault Case

I'm still in shock about the age of the accused in our area's sexual assault cases. It added to that shock when I learned that he now faces two additional charges.
Vanessa

Walk in Support of the Women of Christie Pits

As I mentioned -- and as is splashed all over the media -- the sex assaults in The Annex/Seaton Village/Christie Pits area continue; there's was a rash of them during the weekend.
Another walk has been planned in support of the women of Christie Pits. It will begin this evening at 8 pm at the south end of the park at Christie and Bloor.
Vanessa
PS Seems the walk was well-attended. Let's hope we don't need more of them.

Christie and Bloor Is The Place To Be Sunday

Better indulge in Doors Open today because tomorrow you'll want to be at Christie Pits park and Bickford Centre across the street from it.
From noon to 5 pm at Christie Pits Councillor Mike Layton will host Bike With Mike. Not only can you donate a bicycle to The Great Bike Recycle, there will be a scavenger hunt; a bike wash; cargo rides; a bike rodeo; bike-themed storytelling; face painting; button making; bike decorating; a BBQ and much, much more.
If you have any energy after all that, you can head just across the street for the Bickford Springfest, which runs from noon til 4pm.
Cheers,
Vanessa

Summer Sinting at Christie Pits Today

Just found out about this celebration, a Summer Sinting, happening today from noon to 5 pm at Christie Pits. (Thanks, Annie).
Apparently, this is just the beginning of celebrations to mark Jamaica's 50th year of independence.
Perfect day for it!
Cheers,
Vanessa

Family Day Fun

There are two ways to have on Monday with blades strapped to your feet: at Christie Pits rink with MP Olivia Chow and at the Family Day Skate at Bill Bolton arena.

Get those sharpeners out!
A little farther afield, but free and fabulous, are TIFF Lightbox family film screenings all weekend, including today.

Hope you're enjoying your February long weekend.

Cheers,
Vanessa

Toronto Life Lists 'Christie Pits' Area Good Place To Buy A Home

Good news for our neighbours to the west: Toronto Life's list of Where To Buy Now lists the Christie Pits neighbourhood as #3.

It's usually artists or community-minded people's interest in an area that elevate it to a more desirable place to live and, in turn, draw in interesting businesses and fresh influxes of homeowners.
Good stuff, that. Wonder if Mayor Ford gets that concept?
Vanessa

Movies In Christie Pits

Head to Christie Pits tomorrow and Monday for outdoor screenings of new classic Catch Me If You Can (Sunday) and old classic North By Northwest (Monday).

Things get underway at 7:30 pm both nights.

These events are a fundraiser to help get more Movies inChristie Pits going, but admission price is unclear. I believe it's a "suggested donation" situation and that you could attend for free, if you wish.

Happy viewing!
Vanessa

Fancy a Skate?

With the cold weather comes the opportunity to skate outdoors this Holiday season. Some years that is just a pipe dream, so skaters should jump all over it!
The rink at Christie Pits is open quite a bit during the Holidays but, strangely, not on weekends. (Am I reading the schedule right? Wouldn't that be the most popular skating time?)
There also is a community-maintained rink at Sibelius Square. I think you can just skate there whenever you wish, but someone may have more of a scoop than I do about that one.

Happy skating!
Vanessa

Shooting Near Christie Pits

There was a shooting near Christie Pits this afternoon. There are no deaths reported, though two people were injured.
Police are looking for a male suspect.

Vanessa

Christie Pits To House... Refugee Camp?!?

Now this is an interesting idea... Médecins Sans Frontières / Doctors Without Borders (MSF) is setting up a refugee camp at Christie Pits May 27 to 30.

The "free, interactive, awareness-raising event" has a goal to "raise awareness about the plight of the world’s 42 million refugees and internally displaced people (IDPs) uprooted by war and conflict...

"The Refugee Camp in the Heart of the City exhibit is an outdoor reconstruction of an actual refugee camp, where experienced MSF staff (doctors, nurses, logisticians) guide visitors through a 40 to 60 minute interactive tour explaining the crucial elements for survival in a refugee or IDP (internally displaced person) crisis."
It will be pretty hard to ignore, no, when it's on our doorstep and not thousands of miles away? And I suppose that is exactly the point.
Vanessa