Dinner. Time. Get both! ISLINGTON 4868 Dundas St. West, Toronto TIMES (at Islington Ave.) 416-354-2220 Volume 01 • Issue 04 • Winter 2013 www.supperworks.com IN THIS ISSUE ‘Tis The Season 02 Music Studio Presents 03 Experience the Village 04 Home For the Holidays 05 Work and Play 06 Healthy Aging 07 Community Corner 08 Community Corner 09 Islington United Church 10 Enhancing the CPP 11 Bernard Trottier MP 12 Heritage Groups 13 Finance Tips 14 HOME IS WHERE CHRISTMAS IS www.villageofislington.com The early settlers of Islington Village brought many skills with them including farming and blacksmithing. They also brought their Christmas traditions and beliefs which they introduced to their new home. The Johnston, Wilcox and Montgomery families were three of the earliest families to settle Islington Village in the early 1800s. The attitude toward Christmas of the Johnston and Wilcox families would have reflected their shared British roots and the many similarities of the Johnston’s Methodist faith and the Wilcox’s Presbyterian beliefs. The Montgomery family’s Christmas customs were influenced by Thomas Montgomery who was born in Northern Ireland and was a follower of the Church of England. At that time, members of the Methodist and Presbyterian faiths did not celebrate Christmas other than with family prayers in their own homes and perhaps a special meal. The Montgomerys and many other families who were not Methodist or Presbyterian would have also celebrated Christmas with a focus on the spiritual aspect of the occasion, although they likely decorated their houses with local Name that mural plants like wintergreen and cranberry branches on Christmas Eve. A Yule log might have burned in their fireplaces and The first person to email perhaps a Yule candle too. Christmas was also often an occasion for visiting among friends, possibly with more than the [email protected] usual amount of drinking and recreational activities such as sleighing and skating. with the correct name and address of the mural below will Beginning in the mid-19th century, most Protestants, including Methodists and Presbyterians, began to recognize win a gift certificate for $25 from Christmas as a time to celebrate with those celebrations focusing on home and family. There were also several new Supperworks. continued on page 04 ‘Tis the season There is nothing like the holiday season in the Villages of Islington. The spirit was awakened during Shop Village of Islington Times the Hood on November 30th and is brought to a full tempo on Christmas Day. Community Newspaper Volume 01 | Issue 04 The holiday spirit continues on throughout the holiday season as the Village bustles with activity and local shops Quarterly Publication ~ Circulation 15,000 are decorated with holiday themed displays. Delivered by Canada Post Enjoy holiday shopping in a relaxed and unhurried atmosphere. Get to know the local business owners and let For advertising information, please contact them assist you with their wealth of knowledge. Take the time to familiarize yourself with the many local shops Toby Gardiner at 416-875-1409 or by e-mail and restaurants in your community. at [email protected] www.rjentpub.com Looking for a quiet evening from shopping? Stroll along the streets in the Village of Islington and admire the many murals. Village of Islington BIA P.O. Box 234, Station D, Dundas St West, From RJ Entertainment Publishing, we once again thank all our readers and advertisers for all that you do. We wish Etobicoke, ON M9A 4X2 www.villageofislington.com everyone happy holidays and a prosperous New Year. And remember to continue to shop local! Contact: Thanks to everyone for supporting our advertisers throughout the year, and for reading our community newspa- Linda Plater pers. The phone calls and emails that we receive in support of our papers are encouraging and reinforce the fact E-Mail: [email protected] that our local newspapers fulfill a need within the Villages. BIA Mobile Line: (647) 703-4802 @VillageofIsling villageofislington Editorial Contributors: Toby Gardiner | Publisher Lindsay Howe • Linda Plater [email protected] Follow us on Twitter @RJentpub and like us on Facebook @RJEntertainmentPublishing. Read all our publications on-line @ www.rjentpub.com graphic design The Village of Islington Times is printed on 100% recycled fibre. Please recycle. 2 The Music Studio presents free Christmas concerts You’re invited to these free community concerts featuring local music students performing Christmas carols and festive favourites. Montgomery’s Inn Tea Room 4709 Dundas St. W., Just east of Islington Ave. Sunday, December 8th, 2:00 P.M. - 3:00 P.M. Second Cup Christmas Concert 4850 Dundas St. W., Just West Of Islington Ave. Thursday, December 12th, 7:00 P.M. - 9:00 P.M. Creative Village Christmas Concert 4895 Dundas St. W.,Just East Of Burnhamthorpe Rd. Saturday, December 14th, 2:00 P.M. - 4:00 P.M. Montgomery’s Inn Tea Room 4709 Dundas St. West, Just East Of Islington Avenue. Sunday, December 22nd, 2:00 P.M. - 3:00 P.M. Burnhamthorpe Rd. N For Information, Please Call The Music Studio At 416.234.9268 ISLINGTON DENTURE or Email: [email protected] CENTRE à Cordova Join Us For Some Holiday Cheer! . Kipling Ave. Kipling Dundas St. W Ave. Islington TTC Subway Bloor St. W. Homecare you can feel good about. We provide compassionate care while maintaining independence for seniors. Premier can help with: • Alzheimer’s & Dementia Care • Personal Care • Medication Reminders • Palliative Care • Hospital Sitting • Overnight Stays Contact us today to set up your free consultation at 416-623-8229 or [email protected] www.premieretobicoke.com For seniors. For independence. For quality of life. 3 Home is where Christmas is Villages in Toronto continued from front cover By Lynda Adamson holiday traditions becoming popular at this time that likely would have found To some, the designation of ‘village’ to various areas of Toronto may appear their way to Islington Village. to be a recent. though charming approach to identifying neighbourhoods. The Christmas tree is a European tradition that began to be adopted by the Consider Forest Hill Village,. Bloor West Village, and our own Village of Islington. British in the early 1800s. It became very popular in 1848 when Queen Victoria By providing an area with a name. particularly one with historic connotations, and Prince Albert included a Christmas tree as part of their holiday celebrations. the area’s identity is enhanced. Residents and visitors alike regard the area as unique. Such is certainly the case in the Village of Islington. The giving of gifts to friends and family was a long-held British tradition although, for a long time, one without an official representative. Father And our ‘village’ is anything but recent! Once upon a time. there was a railway Christmas originated in England as a man dressed in green which represented station at Bloor and Islington. In 1879, Canning Avenue was built to connect the return of spring. He did not bring gifts but he did visit families at Christmas the new station with Islington Village’s centre at Dundas. In turn, this allowed and share in the holiday feast. By 1860 however, the Father Christmas tradition residents to commute more easily from the village to the city of Toronto. We tend to think of commuting as an element of our contemporary lifestyles, not had become joined with the Dutch/German Sinterklaas tradition, and the jolly that of a century ago! chap that we know today as Santa Claus was recognized as the official gift-giver of Christmas. In 1949, the Kingsway Business Men’s Association began. In 1970 the Bloor West Village Business Improvement Area was formed, followed by the Kingsway BIA “The stockings were hung by the chimney with care”, as described in the poem, when the Council for the Borough of Etobicoke passed a by-law to that effect ‘Twas the Night before Christmas, might have become a holiday tradition in 1973. Our Village of Islington had to wait another 13 years for its BIA to be in many homes of Islington Village beginning in the second half of the 19th created in 1986. It was extended to Kipling Avenue in 2003 and to include century. Montgomery’s Inn in 2013. However, it takes more than a name to create the village ambience. Developing a street lined with planters of lovely flowers Christmas cards became popular around the world in the mid-1800s. One can under a beautiful canopy of trees overhead; well-maintained, attractive shops; imagine Islington’s first postmaster, Thomas Musson, sorting Christmas cards and a multitude of services certainly contributes to the village feeling. But, in for residents of Islington Village to pick-up at his General Store. the end, it’s the people that make the difference. When local residents frequent these businesses. they thrive and in turn, the village ambience evolves. Christmas dinner of the day consisted of mince pies that were made with minced meat until the 19th century when dried fruit and spices began to be Lynda Adamson is a local resident and contributor to the Barclay Times Newsletter substituted for meat, so the residents of Islington Village probably enjoyed the latter. Their Christmas dinner likely included Christmas pudding consisting of dried prunes or raisins, and suet or possibly meat. In the late 1800s, Christmas cake was added to the holiday menu. A well-fattened goose was commonly Experience the Village of Islington this Holiday Season eaten as the main course, accompanied by a bounty of vegetables from each farmer’s own recent harvest. The Village of Islington is transformed each year into a wondrous Christmas village with festive décor provided by Islington Nurseries the The tradition of wassailing, which is the drinking of spiced apple cider, might local family-owned supplier of year round flowers and greenery.