Fall 2011
We are pleased to announce that another 30 final plaques have been installed in the shelters and the last remaining few are going through the finishing process and will be installed shortly.
An incredible amount of work has been completed to date -- 90% of the shelters have custom plaque content! Local schools, local organizations, community groups, individual citizens and former residents have provided excellent ideas, edits, advice, photos and direction; the content of each plaque represents collaborative efforts of many.
With the exception of only a few stops we have plaques in all of the shelters now. The last remaining few temporary paper versions are poised to be replaced with permanent installations. Based on your feedback the temporary plaques were updated or revised and then replaced with a robust printing technology that is expected to have a lengthy life cycle. Although it may be difficult to tell the temporary ones from the permanent ones by their appearance, all temporary plaques have the words “Sample” printed as a watermark. We will also be placing permanent commemorative plaques in the two subway stations that commemorate “How St. Clair Avenue got its name”.
The intent for these plaques was to speak to and from the communities along St Clair Avenue West – each plaque has its own identity and story. We thank all of those who have participated! Look for the names of the contributors displayed right on the plaques. This project was made possible by collaboration between Ryerson University (McGill Professor Nik Luka), Toronto City Planning (Graphics & Visualization) and Toronto Parks Maintenance and Construction. It was supported by the TTC and consultants Brook McIlroy and our parners at the Toronto Star, Archives of Ontario and Toronto Public Library. The City of Toronto Public Consultation Unit was instrumental in coordinating and connecting the team to the community and we received much support from City Council.
The project team continues to welcome questions, look for partners and contributions .
Email: stclairtransit@toronto.ca
Interpretive Plaques: Project History
The new streetcar shelters along the St Clair Avenue West 512 route from Yonge Street to Gunns Road were designed with space for an interpretive community plaque. The purposes of these plaques are to express community identity, local history and other unique qualities. The aim of this project is to 'Give Voice' to the people, places and events that have shaped the neighbourhoods of St Clair Avenue West. Each of the 50 plaques along the route have been assigned a theme that is based on the information received from 2004-2005 community mapping workshops.
These plaques belong to St Clair neighbourhoods – Please get involved!
Toronto's Official Plan, passed by City Council in November 2002, focuses on high-quality transit for the city's major avenues and making transit a more attractive option for travel. The TTC Ridership Growth Strategy compliments the Official Plan.
