On Monday, August 30th, Heritage Toronto and the Toronto Historical Association will host a public mayoral debate at St. Lawrence Hall to discuss the state of heritage in Toronto in 2010. The debate will be moderated by former Chief Planner for the City of Toronto, and Adjunct Professor of City Planning at the University of Toronto and Ryerson University, Paul Bedford.

Heritage Toronto and the Toronto Historical Association have run a series of community consultations throughout the city which will result in a report of what Torontonians see as significant issues relating to heritage preservation. The information collected through the consultations and public input will be used to develop a heritage report card, with key issues being raised at the debate. The report card will also be accessible to the public and media in the fall.

By Jamie Bradburn

Visitors to Chorley Park in northeast Rosedale may notice a cul-de-sac off Douglas Drive that seems out of place with the surrounding greenery and the serenity of local residents enjoying a rest on a bench. Beside this road is a plaque commemorating the tumultuous history of the building that once occupied much of the grounds. The half-century saga of Chorley Park saw the main building go from a magnificent manor for government dignitaries to a crumbling ruin deemed too expensive to maintain. Along the way the site was embroiled in government scandals, war efforts, schemes to find a lasting function, and the city's unending and ultimately successful effort to buy the property for its current use.

Chorley Park, residence of Lieutenant Governor of Ontario, 1923. City of Toronto Archives, Fonds 1231, Item 79

In August, Heritage Toronto, in partnership with the Toronto Historical Association, will be hosting a mayoral candidates' debate on heritage issues.

In anticipation, we want to hear from all those involved in the heritage community to get your views on the state of heritage preservation in Toronto. Do you think the city's current system provides adequate protection of the city's heritage and, if not, how could it be improved?

We have held several meetings across the city with representatives of historical associations, museum boards, resident groups and others involved in the heritage community. We are now inviting all of our readers to send us your views.

A summary of these consultations will be prepared, and used as background information for the debate. We will also circulate the report to the media.

Today, Deputy Mayor Joe Pantalone and Councillor Pam McConnell officially unveiled the five short-listed competing designs in the St. Lawrence Market North Building Design Competition. In February 2010, five design teams were selected from a field of 30 to compete in Stage 2 of the competition and develop full architectural building designs.

The five short-listed teams that are presenting design concepts for this competition are:
Adamson Associates Architects and Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners
Cohos Evamy + Hotson Bakker Boniface Haden Architects
Kuwabara Payne McKenna Blumberg Architects
NORR Limited, Architects Engineers Planners
Taylor Hazell Architects and Montgomery Sisam

In mid-May, a jury of seven distinguished members will evaluate the five short-listed submissions and choose a winning design. The competition winner will be announced on June 7, and until then, each of the designs are anonymous, identified only by a designated colour to ensure fairness and equity in judging.

Today the five short-listed competitors who will vie for the title of ‘winning design' in the St. Lawrence Market North Building Design Competition were revealed.

The announcement comes after architectural teams across the country and abroad responded to Stage 1 of the competition by submitting expressions of interest, and the City and a professional advisor to the competition narrowed the field to a final list of competitors. Stage 2 of the competition begins today, in which the finalists develop full building designs. These will be exhibited to the public in May.

The list of jury members for Stage 2 was also unveiled today. The jury members, who come from across North America, will deliberate, debate and adjudicate over which design should be chosen for the North Market redevelopment. The redevelopment of the St. Lawrence Market North property is to replace the existing one-storey North Market building with a new four-storey, multi-purpose facility that is more environmentally sustainable, energy efficient and mindful of the character and heritage of the St. Lawrence Market neighbourhood.

The City of Toronto has launched the St. Lawrence Market North Building Design Competition to find the best design for a new, vibrant North Market building.

Architectural teams are invited to come forward with an innovative design that is mindful of the character and heritage of the St. Lawrence Market and surrounding neighbourhood. The underused, single-storey North Market building will be replaced with a new four-storey, multi-purpose facility that will be a model for sustainable design, energy efficiency and design excellence.

The competition is a two-stage process. In Stage I, eligible architects are invited to submit an ‘Expression of Interest'. In Stage II, a jury will evaluate the design submissions developed by the short-listed teams, and the competition will end in June 2010 when a winning design is announced.

View the Competition Brief for a formal set of submission requirements and site and design criteria.