Latest news with #BikeforBrainHealth
Toronto Star
4 days ago
- Health
- Toronto Star
Gardiner, Don Valley Parkway to be shut down on Sunday for a bike ride. What you need to know
If you are planning on being in Toronto today, you may want to plan alternative routes as the downtown core, Don Valley Parkway and Gardiner Expressway will see disruptions. The DVP from the Gardiner Expressway to York Mills Road and the Gardiner from the South Kingsway to the DVP will be closed for the Bike for Brain Health. Participants will take over Toronto's highways from 2 a.m. until 4 p.m., riding traffic free, while raising awareness and donations for Alzheimer's research. ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW Gta 'An opportunity to say thank you': UHN's first large-scale fundraising walk celebrates health care and innovation We Walk UHNited's Saturday event advocates for Canadian health care and celebrated the patients helped by the hospital network. Gta 'An opportunity to say thank you': UHN's first large-scale fundraising walk celebrates health care and innovation We Walk UHNited's Saturday event advocates for Canadian health care and celebrated the patients helped by the hospital network. Roads surrounding the Exhibition Place such as Saskatchewan Road, British Columbia Road, Princes Boulevard, Quebec Street, PEI Crescent and Dufferin Street between Springhurst Avenue and Saskatchewan Road will also be closed. While public transportation is recommended, the event has disrupted the 329 Dufferin night buses Sunday morning. The route will not enter the Canadian National Exhibition grounds and will stop at the Dufferin Gate Loop. The TTC warned riders that the event may also cause delays to the 91 Woodbine and 95 York Mills routes until 4 p.m. Adding to the weekend's disruptions, the first-ever We Walk UHNited fundraiser took place on Saturday, with 2K and 5K walks in support of the UHN Foundation leading to multiple downtown street closures through the morning and early afternoon. With files from Kristjan Lautens
Toronto Sun
7 days ago
- Health
- Toronto Sun
City councillor driven to find alternatives for highway-closing events
Stephen Holyday wants city to work with events like Bike for Brain Health to find less disruptive routes Cyclists ride on the Don Valley Parkway. Photo by Supplied / Bike for Brain Health Veteran Toronto Councillor Stephen Holyday believes the time has come for such events as Sunday's Bike for Brain Health — which shuts down both the Gardiner and Don Valley Parkway from 2 a.m. to 4 p.m. — to reconsider their routes. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account The reason? The traffic woes they cause in a city already internationally known for its traffic nightmare. Recent viral videos have shown everyone from pop stars to hockey players forced to get out of their vehicles and walk to their Toronto concerts or games due to standstill, bumper-to-bumper traffic. 'I voted against the closure (for this event),' said Holyday, who has represented Etobicoke Centre since 2014. 'I voted against some of the other events in the last few years for this very reason. That congestion feels like it's at an all-time high. We also live in a big city that operates seven days a week so there is no good time to close down highways.' Holyday said although he wants 'to see these events be successful,' he'd also 'like to see if they can find other ways to run the events in other spaces that still keeps the traffic flowing' like using city streets. Your noon-hour look at what's happening in Toronto and beyond. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. For example, Holyday said there's an event in Etobicoke for which they dedicate some lanes in some major streets on a Sunday morning. 'And I've received very few complaints over the years over that,' he said. 'And there's a big difference because there are choices when you close streets in the city vs. major arteries. He added: 'I'm sure it's a fun event because of the road closure but it comes at such a great expense to people personally and to businesses including those that operate on Sundays. Perhaps they strive to open (the highways) earlier (than 4 p.m.) but it is a significant number of hours.' However, Josh Cooper, president and CEO of Baycrest Foundation, says the Bike for Brain Health event has no plans to change its route, noting it takes place on just one Sunday out of the year and represents 'mild' pain for major gain — 10,000 bike riders are expected to raising $5 million for brain research. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. 'Be it the Mattamy Homes Bike for Brain Health, be it the Sporting Life 10K run, be it whatever it is, we're fortunate enough that we live in a city where we have so many fantastic citizens who want to give up their Sundays to go out and raise money for all of these important causes,' Cooper told the Sun. 'So, instead of looking at the inconvenience of it, we should be looking at the net results of these events. And the reality is today you have over 650,000 Canadians impacted by dementia, a number which will climb by over a million by 2030. And so why not look for ways to help to find cures for these diseases.' But Holyday says it boils down to more than just drivers being inconvenienced and gridlocked. 'It's a traffic issue which leads to a quality of life issue for residents and it's also an economic issue for the city,' he said. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. 'And if you want to even back up globally, how many people do you hear from that are so frustrated with Toronto traffic that they're turning away from going into downtown and patronizing the businesses? And part of that are events like this that stack up. 'Then you add bikes lanes and Cafe TO and construction that happens, people are turning away from the city of Toronto and spending their business elsewhere. We're becoming notorious as a city of congestion.' Holyday said he'd like to see city council work with the public event organizer to find other places. 'I think as a city we should help these charities thrive but find an answer that works for everybody,' he said. Cooper noted, however, that the location of the charity event plays a role in its success. 'A big part of the attraction of the event is that you get to ride a bike on the Gardiner and on the DVP,' he said, 'but another big attraction is we're building community for people who either are themselves or have a loved one suffering from dementia.' jstevenson@ Toronto & GTA Sunshine Girls Celebrity Ontario Tennis
