Latest news with #LibertyVillage
CTV News
3 days ago
- General
- CTV News
Red-winged blackbirds are attacking Toronto residents again. Here is why
The red-winged blackbird is a familiar and noisy inhabitant of nearly any wet habitat across Canada. (Canadian Wildlife Federation/Keith Sharkey) Torontonians hoping to enjoy a walk or run this summer should prepare to be back on the defensive as dive-bombing attacks from the notoriously small but mighty red-winged blackbirds have reportedly returned. The small bird that bears an uncanny resemblance to the famed bird from the Angry Birds game, shares more similarities than just their bold-coloured appearance. Pedestrians and runners around the city have taken to social media to report sightings of the birds. In past years, the bird's have been particularly prevalent in Toronto's Liberty Village neighbourhood, but experts say they are common near areas with dense vegetation and water. But why do the birds display such high levels of aggression? The songbirds' defence mechanism is triggered when humans or other large animals approach their nesting areas, which can lead to them defending their nests against what they perceive as a threat, Andrés Jiménez Monge, the Executive Director of Ontario Nature told CTV News on Tuesday. 'They're defending because they have a housing crisis,' Monge says. 'Very little ecosystems and habitats are left in certain areas, and some cases, in those poor-quality habitats that are left, one male ends up with having a ton of females (mates) because that's where they found an opportunity to nest.' The birds that carry out these aerial attacks are usually the males of the species, he adds. The breeding season of the red-winged blackbird begins in early May and could continue until August, when they can be witnessed flocking in the marshlands preparing to migrate for the winter, Monge says. Primarily, they nest in areas with dense vegetation, like parts of marshlands or in wetlands, he explains. But due to rapid urban development, much of their natural habitat is now closer to the residential population. The blackbirds usually call out warnings prior to taking any action and attacking, but most people – like runners or pedestrians wearing headphones – don't hear their calls, he adds, which leads to them attacking anyone who comes close to their nests. 'They fiercely defend their territories during the breeding season, spending more than a quarter of daylight hours in territorial defence,' Monge says. He states that being mindful of the animals and birds and their habitats could substantially decrease the likelihood of being attacked by them. 'Pay attention to the birds. Look at them and realize if they are calling and singing,' Monge says. 'And if they (people) just stand a little bit away from dense vegetation where they like to nest, they will easily avoid being confronted by a red-winged blackbird.'
CTV News
3 days ago
- General
- CTV News
Red-winged blackbirds are attacking Toronto residents again. Here is why
The red-winged blackbird is a familiar and noisy inhabitant of nearly any wet habitat across Canada. (Canadian Wildlife Federation/Keith Sharkey) Torontonians hoping to enjoy a walk or run this summer should prepare to be back on the defensive as dive-bombing attacks from the notoriously small but mighty red-winged blackbirds have reportedly returned. The small bird that bears an uncanny resemblance to the famed bird from the Angry Birds game, shares more similarities than just their bold-coloured appearance. Pedestrians and runners around the city have taken to social media to report sightings of the birds. In past years, the bird's have been particularly prevalent in Toronto's Liberty Village neighbourhood, but experts say they are common near areas with dense vegetation and water. But why do the birds display such high levels of aggression? The songbirds' defence mechanism is triggered when humans or other large animals approach their nesting areas, which can lead to them defending their nests against what they perceive as a threat, Andrés Jiménez Monge, the Executive Director of Ontario Nature told CTV News on Tuesday. 'They're defending because they have a housing crisis,' Monge says. 'Very little ecosystems and habitats are left in certain areas, and some cases, in those poor-quality habitats that are left, one male ends up with having a ton of females (mates) because that's where they found an opportunity to nest.' The birds that carry out these aerial attacks are usually the males of the species, he adds. The breeding season of the red-winged blackbird begins in early May and could continue until August, when they can be witnessed flocking in the marshlands preparing to migrate for the winter, Monge says. Primarily, they nest in areas with dense vegetation, like parts of marshlands or in wetlands, he explains. But due to rapid urban development, much of their natural habitat is now closer to the residential population. The blackbirds usually call out warnings prior to taking any action and attacking, but most people – like runners or pedestrians wearing headphones – don't hear their calls, he adds, which leads to them attacking anyone who comes close to their nests. 'They fiercely defend their territories during the breeding season, spending more than a quarter of daylight hours in territorial defence,' Monge says. He states that being mindful of the animals and birds and their habitats could substantially decrease the likelihood of being attacked by them. 'Pay attention to the birds. Look at them and realize if they are calling and singing,' Monge says. 'And if they (people) just stand a little bit away from dense vegetation where they like to nest, they will easily avoid being confronted by a red-winged blackbird.'
CBC
13-05-2025
- CBC
2 problem coyotes in downtown Toronto have been euthanized, city says
The City of Toronto says it's made the "difficult decision" to euthanize two problem coyotes in the Fort York, Liberty Village area, where a high number of coyote attacks over the past six months have left multiple pets dead and locals concerned for their safety. In a news release Tuesday, the city said two coyotes had been humanely euthanized over the past few days following comprehensive reviews with external experts. "Toronto Animal Services was able to confirm that one coyote in the area was responsible for multiple negative encounters, and his mate was present during some encounters," the release said. "This has been done as a last resort after all options were exhausted." A third coyote has left the downtown area, according to the release, leaving just one known coyote in the Fort York, Liberty Village area. The remaining coyote has not recently been seen, the city says, and has shown no signs of being habituated to the presence of humans. Since the fall, people in the Fort York and Liberty Village neighbourhoods have raised safety concerns over a rise in coyote attacks, many of them involving pet owners and their dogs. Complaints prompted the city to begin sending regular coyote patrols into the area and create a downtown coyote action plan. The city has also worked to improve lighting in the communities, repair fences, remove food sources and educate locals on how to deter coyotes and protect themselves against attacks. WATCH | Experts recommend ways city can respond to problem coyotes: Here's how experts say Toronto should tackle its coyote problem 2 months ago Duration 2:49 The city has announced plans to address the growing coyote problem in Liberty Village and Fort York, where several dogs have been attacked recently. Greg Ross reports. Despite this, attacks have persisted. Between November 2024 and April 2025, the city says it received 335 reports of coyotes in Ward 10, where Fort York and Liberty Village are located. Citywide, reported coyote attacks on dogs have gone up from 36 in 2019 to 91 in 2024. Since November, the city says two dogs in the Fort York and Liberty Village area have been killed by coyotes. The city continues to support co-habitation of wildlife and humans in the city, Tuesday's release said, but "if animal behaviour changes in a way that jeopardizes public safety, then the City must take action to protect residents." An independent, third-party report released in March found that relocation is not a viable option, as provincial legislation prevents coyotes from being moved more than one kilometre. That report found the prevalence of coyote encounters in the area stems from coyotes becoming conditioned to associate humans in the area as sources of food because of direct or indirect feeding. The report also found that local condo construction, and the redevelopment of nearby Ontario Place, have pushed the coyote population further into surrounding neighbourhoods.
Globe and Mail
10-05-2025
- General
- Globe and Mail
The cabinet of civic wonders (some assembly required)
In a thick-walled warehouse in Liberty Village, tokens of Toronto's history rested on a heavy table. An arrowhead thousands of years old, plucked by a child from the earth; a British soldier's crossplate from Fort York, dented perhaps by shrapnel in the explosions of 1813. William Lyon Mackenzie's pocket watch; a flyer for Mahalia Jackson's 1956 Massey Hall concert, presented by the local Grant AME Church. These items had been plucked from Toronto's municipal collection of 1.3 million objects and artifacts to prove a point. 'Some people think that Toronto isn't about anything – that it has no past,' said Karen Carter, the city's director of museums and heritage services. 'We need a place to display these things and show people that there is so much to learn.' Soon her wish may come true, completing a 60-year quest for Toronto to have a dedicated city museum. It would find a home in Old City Hall, a national historic site at Queen and Bay streets. Finished in 1899, E.J. Lennox's rambling Richardsonian-Romanesque pile is now vacant, and the city is working to reimagine its future. The institution and the place are an ideal match. Putting them together will be among the most important things the city has ever done. The question is whether Toronto – its government, its citizens and philanthropists – can accomplish this necessary task. Ms. Carter, who now leads the city's network of 12 museums and historic sites, has a strong, unorthodox vision for the city museum: It should bring together existing community groups and community museums into an association with the city government. They could then share ideas, collections and resources. 'You can't tell a story from just one perspective,' she said. 'So many people from so many places make Toronto work … and artifacts only have meaning if they're connected to people.' They might come together at Old City Hall. The building was finished in 1899, after more than a decade of controversy over its size and lavish construction. (The Globe complained about overspending.) The hall dominated the skyline for half a century: Local architect E.J. Lennox had created a showy, four-sided palace with a bell tower at the head of Bay Street. Its sandstone walls were carved with intricate floral and geometric patterns. Today, its gargoyles still depict a rogue's gallery of local figures, including Lennox himself. By mid-century the building was crowded and seen as obsolete. When Viljo Revell's new, modernist City Hall opened across the street in 1965, there were calls to tear down the old one. Instead, in 1972, provincial courts moved in, and occupied the building until this year. High security generally kept people out. 'I look forward to the day that this is open to the public in a way that you don't have to commit a crime to see it,' Toronto City Councillor Josh Matlow told me recently. Mr. Matlow was leading me through Old City Hall along with local councillor Chris Moise and city staffers including Ms. Carter. This is a place with a complex history. Its basement was a jail; half a century of suffering is baked into it. Upstairs, the former city council chamber and mayor's office were cluttered up with office furniture by the courts. But their bones are still intact, including murals by Gustav Hahn. In the lobby, a stained-glass mural by Robert McCausland, The Union of Commerce and Industry, shows an allegory of the city in 1899. Shipyard workers and builders stand proudly in one corner, representatives of the world's continents in the other. One is an African in a loincloth, holding an elephant tusk. Across the way, murals by George Reid depict scenes from the city's history alongside the names of local notables. In a panel title Staking the Pioneer Farm, a surveyor prepares his instruments to measure out the colonization of the land. Above it is the name of the Shawnee leader Tecumseh. Ms. Carter and her curators would surely love to get to work interpreting all this for today's Toronto. The time is right. Old City Hall's future is in question. In January, Toronto City Council allotted $18-million over 10 years for upkeep and future planning. The goal is to find interim uses, such as retail or temporary cultural events, and a longer-term plan, which could include a city museum. However, there's a danger that this opportunity could be swamped by paperwork. Two city departments, Corporate Real Estate Management and the development agency CreateTO, are working on it. But this place is not 'Real Estate.' It is a civic building of great symbolic importance. Toronto's government has spent 15 years studying it, getting nowhere and making bad assumptions. (The most recent proposal would have moved the nearby public library branch from Revell's City Hall, sucking people and energy out of that building. Why not open a second branch?) Old City Hall demands a small, dedicated project team, reporting to the top of City Hall, with dedicated funding and clear, short-term goals. The city's chief planner, Jason Thorne, has launched a 'Beautiful City' initiative. Here is a chance to turn that theme into a physical reality. Mr. Matlow, wisely, is pushing Toronto to move fast and think big. The future of Old City Hall 'has been lost in process for years,' he said. 'The first thing is for work to begin on refurbishing it and, to the greatest extent possible, open its doors to the public.' The building, admittedly, presents a big woolly challenge. It is large – more than 400,000 square feet in total – and it is old. Six years ago, city staff estimated that a full upgrade would cost $225-million in 2020 dollars. But that is absurd. Courts operated here until very recently. The building isn't museum-quality space right now, but it could hold something. There is a way to, as Mr. Matlow suggests, open the doors and let the public in. I recently asked heritage architect Michael McClelland of ERA for suggestions. His response: What about the large open-air courtyard in the middle of the building? Open the gates, bring some chairs and tables and planters, and set up a coffee kiosk. Do it this summer. Show that the city can actually get things done. From there, it is imperative that the city use the right process to think about the future. This is one of the most important buildings in Canada. You cannot allow anonymous real-estate managers to decide what exactly it should be. The architecture and the use must be considered at the same time. In the short term, any construction must begin with a design competition. How could architects and landscape architects – local ones, even – use quick and cheap moves to bring this place to life? For long-term changes, the only proper path is an open, international design competition, just like the one that produced the new City Hall. What kind of place should this be, finally? A model is the Castelvecchio museum in Verona, where modernist exhibition designs by the great Carlo Scarpa bring sprezzatura to a 14th-century palace. But there are many others. So-called 'experimental preservation' is in the air these days, being advanced by local practices such as Giaimo. The Barcelona architects Flores & Prats renovated a falling-down social club into a theatre complex, Sala Beckett, and the result is being celebrated around the world. The fusty 1880s designs of Old City Hall would provide an incredible counterpoint to a forward-looking, contemporary vision. And, speaking of vision: Old City Hall should become part of a larger civic precinct. Today, its stretch of Queen Street is closed to vehicles for the building of the Ontario Line. This should remain a continuous car-free zone that links the Eaton Centre to City Hall and then the nascent University Park. This would transform the ceremonial and political heart of Toronto, with the museum in the middle. Is all this a lot to ask? Maybe. 'In Toronto, I think we've had politicians focus on the bottom line as opposed to a vision for the city,' Ms. Carter reflects. 'But for a place like this, you have to be in visionary mode. You have to dream.'
CTV News
07-05-2025
- Politics
- CTV News
Downtown Toronto coyote action plan approved amid ‘unprecedented' number of incidents
Councillors have approved an action plan to respond to an 'unprecedented' number of coyote attacks in the Liberty Village and Fort York neighbourhoods. The action plan, put forward by Deputy Mayor and Spadina-Fort York Coun. Ausma Malik, came before the Economic and Community Development Committee on Tuesday. The plan calls for a 'playbook' with 'clear protocols' for the city to respond quickly to any coyote-related incidents in downtown neighbourhoods. 'The motion that we have in front of us is to add measures that strengthen the city's capability to respond to coyotes in our downtown communities effectively, so that pets and residents can be in their neighbourhoods safely,' Malik said at Tuesday's committee meeting. 'These recommendations cover quite a bit of really important ground where we have seen gaps and looks to go further in terms of our capability to respond as a city.' Since November 2024, there have been an increased number of coyote sightings, issues, and incidents in the Liberty Village and Fort York communities, according to the city. They say despite coyotes living downtown for many years, several factors are contributing to the recent attacks including: a high density of humans and domestic dogs lack of per-capita green space compared to other city neighbourhoods sparse foliage increase in the number of construction and redevelopment projects (including Ontario Place) the presence of rail corridors (which generally enable coyotes to move about out of human sight) the availability of discarded food, which can attract rats, which in turn draws in coyotes as they feed on rodents The city stepped up patrols in areas where most issues were reported in the fall and provided educational resources to the community, especially to people living in nearby buildings and residents' associations. It also added more signage in parks and installed additional lighting. Coyote sign Ordnance Triangle Park A sign on a pole in Ordnance Triangle Park warns of coyote seen in the area. (Janice Golding/CTV News Toronto) 'To have this many coyote interactions in downtown neighbourhoods is unprecedented in Toronto, and I cannot stress that enough. Pets have been attacked and pet owners are fearful,' Malik said. Several of Malik's recommendations were added to the city's action plan on Tuesday, like improving 311 reporting, increasing fines for feeding coyotes, better waste management for restaurants and businesses, and taking a more 'pet-friendly' approach to curbing interactions with wildlife. As part of the amendments, Toronto also plans to ask the province to share the costs that have come out of its clearing of Ontario Place without an environmental assessment – something residents have pointed to as a catalyst for the increase in attacks – and to consult with experts on a 'possible reproductive control plan' for the animals. The city previously said it has no plans to relocate or euthanize them. Malik said she will continue to look for immediate action in the community. 'This framework is badly needed. We have to be able to respond and keep our communities safe again… and get further in terms of curbing the amount of interactions that we're seeing.' Plan is 'ineffective': community group Ruby Kooner, who founded the community group Coyote Safety Coalition, said the plan is 'disconnected' from what residents' need as coyote attacks continue. 'If their plan is effective, why have we not had a decrease in attacks since the plan has been put into place?' Kooner shared with CP24 that there had been 38 attacks since the plan was conceived in March, including an incident that resulted in the death of another dog. Kooner's dog also died after being attacked by two coyotes. Kooner also recounted that a coyote tried to grab a two-year-old child while walking with their mother. 'This action plan, not only is it ineffective, it's not working. The city just seems to be buying time when they keep quoting their so-called ineffective action plan,' Kooner said. Asked what the city must do, she proposed relocating coyotes, which she noted is not what all residents want to do. 'This is why city officials and experts do need to step in,' Kooner said. Keith Patton, who is part of the group, echoed Kooner's comments, saying he doesn't believe the new plan would make a difference. The community is asking for a reactive response and not a proactive response, said Patton, who is helping in tracking the number of coyote attacks in the area. He noted that there have been at least 20 incidents so far. Patton shared that he and his dog had a close encounter with a coyote. 'I think what they need to do is implement immediate, reactive measures, remove the threat from the area, reinstate community safety, and then go back respectively and look at what caused it, how can we prevent it in the future, how can we stop this from happening again,' said Patton. Community members are holding a memorial later this week on May 8 to honour pets that have been lost to coyote attacks.
