News Briefs

Two books written by Beachers and reviewed in these pages last year have been nominated for in 40th annual Heritage Toronto Awards. Books that contribute to the promotion and conservation of the city’s history and heritage are considered for nomination.

Along the Shore: Rediscovering Toronto’s Waterfront Heritage by M. Jane Fairburn covers the history, social heritage and current conditions of four waterfront areas in Toronto: the western lakeshore, the Scarborough Bluffs, the Toronto Islands and the Beach. The coffee table-sized tome offers some stellar and previously unseen historical photos and images, and offers an interesting comparison between these varied, but sometimes similar, waterfront communities.

Willowdale: Yesterday’s Farms, Today’s Legacy, by Scott Kennedy, explores the landscape of his youth in North York, now a vast urban cityscape of high-rise condos. In the not-so-distant past, the major roads leading through those towers used to surround farms operated by the families those roads are now named after.

The winners will be announced on Oct. 21. See heritagetoronto.org for more information.

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Local publishers ECW Press are also celebrating after two ECW authors were nominated last month for the 2014 Scotiabank Giller Prize longlist. Author Arjun Basu was nominated for his novel Waiting for the Man, while Jennifer LoveGrove was nominated for her novel Watch How We Walk.

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City council candidates running for a seat in Ward 36 (Scarborough Southwest) will share their ideas at a debate scheduled from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 15 at the Oakridges Community Centre at 63 Pharmacy Ave. Hosted by the East Beach Community Association, the debate will be held in the social room at the centre.

Candidates running for school trustee in TDSB Ward 18, which covers the same area as Toronto wards 35 and 36, will take the stage tomorrow, Wednesday, Oct. 8 at the Birchmount Community Centre, 93 Birchmount Rd. Doors open at 7 p.m., and the debate is scheduled to run from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m.

Both nights, attendees will be able to chat with candidates from 7 to 7:30 p.m. Questions may be submitted in advance to info@ebca.ca or in writing the night of the debate.

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Candidates running for school trustee in Ward 11, the local ward of the Toronto Catholic District School Board, will join in an Oct. 14 debate at St. Brigid’s Parish Hall starting at 7:30 p.m. St. Brigid’s is located at 300 Wolverleigh Boulevard, three blocks north of Danforth between Coxwell and Woodbine Avenues.

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Monarch Park Collegiate is welcoming alumni to celebrate the school’s 50th anniversary on Saturday, Oct. 18. Alumni will wander the halls and chat with old friends and teachers from noon to 3 p.m., and a dance with live music kicks off at 7 p.m. Dance tickets are $30 at the door, $25 in advance. Visit monarchparkreunion.ca for more information.

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Local branches of the Toronto Public Library are hosting a unique music and literature event called Beaches Reads, centred on Vikram Seth’s An Equal Music. Free book discussions, combined with music, will be hosted by TSO musician Tim Dawson and CBC’s Tom Allen at the Gerrard Ashdale branch on Tuesday, Oct 14 and at the Beaches branch on Tuesday, Oct. 21 at 2:30 p.m. On Nov. 2 at Kingston Road United Church, a quintet of TSO players will perform pieces mentioned in An Equal Music, while Allen narrates passages during the concert. Tickets for that event are $20. For more information contact the libraries, or visit kruc.ca.

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The farmer’s market at East Lynn Park will host Harvestfest on Friday, Oct. 10 from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. Featuring hot apple cider, glitter tattoos, and a 4:30 p.m. musical performance by Sprout Kids, the event will ring in local farmers’ fall harvest.

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