I travel along Eglinton West a lot. By foot and by car. It’s where I live, it’s where my in-laws live, and it’s where I have my shop. In the last year, a lot of new shops have opened up. And they keep popping up, like Souperlicious at Oakwood, TR Wellness Spa near Glenholme, and a fast-food pasta place, Pastable. And it’s not just Eglinton. It’s Oakwood with Cafe Belém and St.Clair West with Limaq.
The smaller places keep opening, fixing things up, and staying open. The bigger owners have been here longer but not much has changed. They own our corners, and for the decade I’ve lived here, and all we’ve seen are abandoned buildings and blue and white City notice boards announcing new developments. The signs are weathered now, covered in graffiti, still announcing projects that haven’t happened.
The only new movement that took place was a fire at McRoberts and St. Clair West in the abandoned plaza where Glamour Sports Bar used to be. And now they’ve finally torn down the old structure. Things only started moving after the fire.
Big oil owns the former gas station on Earnscliffe and Oakwood. Suncor, the owner, is making no movement to clean up the land.
And lastly there’s the big guys behind our LRT. Doug Ford and the big construction bosses. We’re headed to 2026 and still no LRT. What’s new is that the TTC is now involved, as is Mayor Chow. I know it’s an election year for the mayor, but when it comes to the LRT, I wouldn’t bet my mayoralty on it.
As we head into the new year, my bet is on the little guy. They don’t own much, but they keep opening their doors and putting their money and time into the neighbourhood.
And the big guy? From here, it looks like more waiting.
