Books on Bathurst
May 28, 2016

About

Books on Bathurst was voted one of The Best Jane100 Events in Toronto by NOW MAGAZINE and one of The top 12 events for Toronto Bike Month in 2016 by blogTO.

Jane Jacobs & June Callwood

Our program featured authors and special guests, with a focus on celebrating authors and activists Jane Jacobs and June Callwood in what would have been the year of Jane’s 100th birthday. We rode near Jane’s home in the Annex, and ended the ride at June Callwood Park near the base of Bathurst.

Historical

We started our ride at the majestic Fort York Library at the base of Bathurst Street. The library was celebrating its two-year anniversary, and was built to serve the residents flocking to this part of town with its new condo developments. The library also honours the past in its design, incorporating elements that speak to the historical, geographic and literary landscape. We then rode north to the historic Tollkeeper’s Cottage at Bathurst and Davenport, which once marked the shoreline of Lake Iroquois and was a key trail for First Nations for centuries.

Population Density

Our goal for the Book Ride was to raise awareness of a street in the city that is seeing increased density from the south with the Fort York condominiums and redevelopments along Bathurst. This much-used north–south corridor requires improved bike infrastructure. Our trip was to illustrate that a street with libraries, schools, daycares, residences and businesses requires a complete street focus.

The Route

We cycled 10 kilometres!

Highlights

A collection of fun things that happened during Books on Bathurst

  • Fort York Public Library

    A great place to start

    Ted Belke of the Toronto Public Library provided history & architectural background on Fort York Library; Joe Cressy, City Councillor (Ward 20) spoke of the increasing density in this small area; Grace O’Connell, author of Magnified World entertained with her chapter on cycling; and Tanis Rideout, author of Above All Things former Poet Laureate of Lake Ontario, read a poem from her collection Arguments with the Lake published by Wolsak & Wynn Publishers.

  • Tollkeeper’s Cottage Museum

    A natural oasis

    Joe Mihevc, City Councillor (Ward 21) welcomed us to this neighbourhood; the Manager of the Tollkeeper’s Cottage shared some history & staff provided lemonade & cookies as it was a very hot day; Denise Pinto, executive director of Jane’s Walk, spoke about Jane Jacob's legacy; and John Lorinc (editor) & Fatima Syed (contributor), Subdivided: City-Building in an Age of HyperDiversity discussed the many voices and identities of Toronto.

  • June Callwood Park

    An urban forest

    Mike Layton, City Councillor (Ward 19) welcomed us to his ward; Jacquelyn Gulati, Manager, Cycling Infrastructure & Programs,Transportation Services at City of Toronto updated us on the ten-year cycling plan for Toronto; S. Bear Bergman, author of Blood, Marriage, Wine and Glitter, entertained us with a reading from the children's book M is for Moustache by Catherine Hernandez, which his company Flamingo Rampant publishes; and we discovered that Anne Michaels, Toronto Poet Laureate and author of Fugitive Pieces, shared a recollection of her close friend June Callwood. A perfect ending to the afternoon.

  • Spacing Store

    Book Shop

    Matt from the Spacing Store provided our pop-up book shop on wheels.

Featured Books

Magnified World

Grace O'Connell

ISBN: 9780307360373

Above All Things

Tanis Rideout

ISBN: 9780771076367

Fugitive Pieces

Anne Michaels

ISBN: 9780771058820

Subdivided: City Building in an Age of Hyper-Diversity

Jay Pitter & John Lorinc

ISBN: 9781552453322

Blood, Marriage, Wine & Glitter

S. Bear Bergman

ISBN: 9781551525112

M Is for Mustache

Catherine Hernandez and Marisa Firebaugh

ISBN: 9780987976345