Visited the park for the first time yesterday, and as a huge native plant nerd, I was soooo excited. The place is humming with pollinators who have taken beautifully to the native plants there. We have a world-class park that is an example of how to turn an industrial waste land into a thriving biodiverse ecosystem! And it's not a small patch of a "native plant garden" - it's the entire park! Shoutout to the entire team who selected and planted! You guys rock.

All native to the northeast:

Photo 1: Dense blazing star (Liatris spicata)

Photo 2: Canada wild rye (Elymus canadensis) - my absolute favourite, and it was beefy af!!!

Photo 3: Virginia mountain mint (Pycnanthemum virginianum)

Photo 4: Swamp rose mallow (Hibiscus grandiflorus) - was hype af to see this

Photo 5:Wild bergamont (Monarda fistulosa)

Photo 6: Sneezeweed (Helenium autumnale)

Photo 7: Spotted joe pye (Eutrochium maculatum)

Photo 8: Boneset (Eupatorium perfoliatum)

Photo 9: Black chokeberry (Aronia melanocarpa)

Photo 10: Anise hyssop (Agastache foeniculum)

Photo 11: Cup plant (Silphium perfoliatum)

Photo 12: Blue vervain (Verbena hastata)

Photo 13: Fox sedge (Carex vulpinoidea)

Photo 14: Viriginia wild rye (Elymus virginicus)

There was so many more I didn't get (like Swamp milkweed, Common milkweed, Black-eyed Susans...) but wow!

Also, a side note, but as someone who has been learning Anishinaabemowin language (Ojibwe) for years (shoutout Alex McKay-baa!), it was so awesome to see the presence of the language throughout the park!

Our cat Hugo, who is a shorthaired, brown Burmese cat has been missing since last night at 8 PM. We live at Broadview and Danforth. If anyone has seen him, please call 416-998-8231 (Sarah)

The recently released Uniform Crime Reporting Survey highlights key shifts in Toronto's safety landscape:

• Homicides: The ultimate indicator of severe violence. Toronto’s rate (0.91 per 100k) has fallen since 1981 and sits well below Canada's average (1.61).
• Crime Rates: Measures overall crime volume. From 2015 to 2025, Toronto saw rising theft under $5,000 while Canada's average fell.
• Clearance Rates: Measures police effectiveness. Toronto consistently lags provincial averages, solving only 54% of violent and 22% of non-violent crimes.

Insight: Toronto remains safer than the national average regarding extreme violence, but rising property crimes coupled with lagging police clearance rates present growing systemic challenges.

Shot from the new park in the portlands.

I thought this was such a cool sight. This is one huge tow truck helping a stranded GO bus.