Christie Pits

Having just hoofed (and slid and babystepped) on the icy walks near Chrisie Pits park, it occurs to me that some people may not know about its interesting history. I was about to write it up, but found that there's already a short, good summary of the infamous Christie Pits riots online.

I once did a story about the underground river, Garrison Creek, that is buried beneath the park. It was filled in because it had become, essentially, an open sewer where people dumped EVERYTHING. The buried waterway causes some foundation issues for a few local houses, hence the slightly tippy domiciles on Shaw Street, north of Bloor.

Every year, PublicSpace.ca organizes a Human River Walk. A series of interesting events leading up to the walk culminates in a tide of people, dressed in blue, walking the path of buried Garrison Creek, which stretches all the way south to Fort York. Of course, Fort York used to overlook the lake until Toronto's waterfront swath was extended by adding extensive infill.

Cheers,

Vanessa