Trained on grassy slopes by the R.C. Harris Water Treatment Plant and “hill repeats” up Glen Stewart Ravine, cross-country runners from Neil McNeil High School have no end of learning curves. But after winning their eighth straight city final in October, Neil runners say there’s more to their success than elevation gains. “You push each […]
Crews have fenced off most of the R.C. Harris Water Treatment grounds for a three-year reconstruction project. By the fall of 2018, contractors are expected to replace the waterproof membrane that shields the underground settling basins on the plant’s north side. Crews will also upgrade the basins themselves, along with the green access hatches and […]
This City of Toronto Archives photo was taken in the late 1960s. The view is west on Queen Street, taken in front of the RC Harris Water Filtration Plant. The photographer used a telephoto lens, compressing the image, an effect that emphasizes the hill just before the Neville Park loop. Do you have an old […]
Who is accountable for damage done by unruly mob? After midnight on July 24 a mob of mostly young and several drunk people gathered at the foot of Balsam Avenue. This was apparently the second night in a row a large group gathered there after being moved off Queen Street as the jazz festival ended […]
Most of the Beach is still waking up when Anne-Marie Kaskens meets the morning crew by the R.C. Harris waterworks. Although she moved to the Beach 20 years ago, Kaskens says it wasn’t until she got her dog Jessie that she started going down to the water every day. “It’s a real stress-buster,” she said, […]
Eastern construction will extend East End traffic chaos The city is planning to close Eastern Avenue basically between Leslie and Coxwell for an entire year for sewer upgrades. No westbound traffic and only one lane eastbound. Why this wasn’t being done while the work along Leslie disrupted traffic is totally beyond comprehension. Why it would […]
Construction of the R.C. Harris Water Treatment Plant began in 1932. This photograph was taken a year after the first shovel went into the ground. It took nine years to complete and in 1992 the facility was declared a national historic engineering site. This view point is looking north to Queen Street, close to where […]
This view of the R.C. Harris Water Treatment Plant was captured in April of 1935, just three years into its nine-year construction, from the southwest corner of the property. In 1992 the facility was declared a national historic civil engineering site. Do you have an old photograph you’d like to share with our readers? Please […]
On any given morning, the joggers, dog walkers and tandem cyclists who regularly circle the RC Harris Water Treatment Plant can peer in a window and see the plant at work. Besides its art deco features, architect Mark Wronski says that is the glory of Thomas Pomphrey’s design. “One of the great experiences is looking […]
Visitors to the Beach during Toronto’s annual Doors Open event on May 25 and 26 got a rare peek inside five historic buildings, from the Kew Beach Fire Hall at Woodbine to the R.C. Harris Water Filtration Plant at Victoria Park. Anyone who dropped by the fire hall, a.k.a. Toronto Fire Station 227, got to […]
