In 1798, John Sullivan, an illiterate Irish immigrant new to the town of York, was on a drinking spree with his friend Flannery, nicknamed "Latin Mike" for his habit of reciting quotations he had learned in church. During a spirited drinking bout, Flannery forged a note for three shillings and ninepence (less than a dollar) under the name "Fisk" and persuaded Sullivan to hand it in to the bank.

Successful, the pair spent the money on whisky at a local bar, but when they were found out Flannery fled town leaving his friend to take the fall. Sullivan was tried, convicted and hanged from a makeshift rig on King Street opposite Toronto Street where a crowd of people in their best clothes had turned out to witness the spectacle. When he finally swung from the gallows — a poorly tied knot failed to kill him the first time — John Sullivan became the first recorded person to be executed in the town of York.

Although Gordon Chong's report on the feasibility of the Sheppard subway extension won't go before the City's executive committee until February 13, excerpts revealed by the Toronto Sun indicate that the project is "doable" (or "do-able," as some would put it). That's mildly surprising given the reticence of the private sector to fund subway expansion in the past. So what's the catch?

The McGuinty government announced this morning that Ontario Place will effectively be shut down until 2017 as the park undergoes some much-needed revitalization.

Apparently, 1970s-era domes and lackluster amusement park rides aren't drawing crowds the same way they used to, and the province can't afford the $20 million annual price tag to keep the park open, according to Finance Minister Dwight Duncan.

Compromise? We don't want compromise!

In a move that amounts to an open revolt against TTC chair Karen Stintz, Ford supporters on the TTC board voted yesterday to prevent the study of further above ground options for the Eglinton Crosstown Line.

Like Sisyphus and his boulder, Torontonians seem condemned to forever push transit plans forwards and backwards in a never-ending struggle. Proposals for rapid transit along Eglinton Avenue have been seriously promoted and rescinded for nearly thirty years now, and although work seems to finally be starting on the Eglinton Crosstown LRT, the last year has been consumed with debate over the configuration and operation of the line. And with good reason, since besides the ongoing legal and political issues, the entire concept of burying of an entire LRT line is an engineering contradiction in terms, forgoing the lower cost and easy expandability of light rail but retaining the expensive tunnels and stations of a high-capacity subway, sans the capacity.

Looking back at the irreplaceable buildings we've lost in Toronto — Trinity College, Chorley Park, The Grand Opera House, to name a few — it's clear we only have ourselves to blame. A lack of conservation policy, a misguided attempt at improvement or simple neglect has sent many a worthy building the way of the wrecking ball.

Occasionally, though, disaster intervenes and buildings are taken from us against our will. As a sort of depressing companion to last year's top 10 buildings lost to demolition in Toronto, here's a look at the best buildings, in no particular order, snatched away by fire.