Over a block of Toronto businesses now being demolished

Crews have begun to tear down a block and a half of businesses in Toronto's Pape Village area, and while the demolitions are gutting the neighbourhood of beloved shops and restaurants, the short-term pain may very well be worth the long-term gain.

Metrolinx is razing the group of 20 properties along the west side of Pape Avenue spanning both north and south of Cosburn Avenue following a controversial move to expropriate the buildings last year.

The buildings will be replaced by the new underground Cosburn Station on the forthcoming Ontario Line, a 15-stop, 15.6-kilometre subway route set to connect Don Mills and Eglinton with Exhibition Place via downtown Toronto.

Locals will get a new quick link to the city centre, but it's an improvement that will indeed come with growing pains for the area.

Approximately two dozen businesses along this 200-metre strip on the west side of Pape Avenue between Gamble and Gowan Avenues were ordered by the transit agency to close their doors by Sept. 1, 2024, and after almost nine months of boarded-up buildings and interior pre-demolition work, the teardowns have finally begun.

The first steps towards demolition began in March, in a process expected to stretch four to five months.

Local photographer Kotsy took to the skies over the doomed stretch of Pape with a drone to capture the first signs of teardown activity. 

At the southern end of the blocks, the roof of one property has been peeled away to reveal interior demolition within. A white-painted railing at the top of a staircase offers a glimpse into the human element of residents being displaced for progress.

To the north, the remaining properties on the opposite side of Cosburn await a similar fate.

The many businesses displaced to make way for Cosburn station included George's BBQ Chicken & Ribs, Coin Laundry Cleaners, Phyllo Cafe, C Market European Deli, Subway, Pharmasave Pape Medical and Pape Fruit Market, among others.

The demolition process is expected to continue into the summer months, with working hours planned to span Monday to Friday, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Saturday, 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Once demolition is complete, the next steps will involve crews preparing the future station site for excavation.

Metrolinx projections state that approximately 10,300 people will be within walking distance of Cosburn Station by 2041.