Weekend need-to-know: Blue Jays last homestand

The Toronto Blue Jays will take the mound for the last time this season and the Word on the Street festival is back. Keep in mind there will be a subway closure on a portion of Line 2 all weekend.

Toronto Blue Jays last homestand

It’s your last chance to catch the Toronto Blue Jays in action this weekend with their last home series. Toronto will take on the Miami Marlins in a three-game series start on Friday evening with games on Saturday and Sunday afternoon as well.

Tickets are still available to purchase and it’s fan appreciation weekend, meaning there will be a variety of fun games and activities for fans of all ages.

The Jays failed to make the playoffs this year and finished last in their division so will be packing up their lockers on Sept. 29.

Kensington Market Jazz Festival

The Kensington Market Jazz Festival is back on the streets of Toronto this weekend. The 9th annual festival is a salute to “all that jazz” and feature singer-songwriter and philanthropist Molly Johnson.

There will also be free shows at the Bellevue Square Park stage and areas for busking. A full schedule of shows can be found on their website.

Opening night is Sept. 27 starting at 6 p.m. and runs all weekend.

The Word on the Street festival

The largest free book and magazine festival is happening this weekend on Queens Park Crescent. Put on by the Word on The Street, the non-profit organization celebrates Canadian reading, writing, and champions literacy primarily through the free, annual outdoor festival.

There will be hundreds of author events, presentations and workshops, and to browse a marketplace that boasts a selection of Canadian books and magazines you’ll find anywhere.

It kicks off at 11 a.m. on Saturday and runs until 5 p.m. on Sunday.

TTC closures

Partial Line 2 closure

Starting at 11 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 27 to 6 a.m.,  Monday, Sept. 30, there will be no subway service between Woodbine and Kennedy stations due to planned track work. TTC staff will be available on site to assist customers. Shuttle buses will operate. 

Road closures

Gardiner Expressway closure

As part of the long-term construction plan on the Gardiner Expressway, one westbound lane and one eastbound lane are closed between Dufferin Street and Strachan Avenue. The eastbound on-ramp from Lake Shore Boulevard at Jameson Avenue is also closed.

Other new and ongoing city closures

• From 11 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 15, to 11 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 15, eastbound Lake Shore Boulevard East will be reduced from two lanes to one lane between Logan and Carlaw Avenues due to road reconstruction on Lake Shore Boulevard East as part of the Port Lands Flood Protection project. Drivers will not be able to right turn onto Carlaw Avenue from Lake Shore. A detour will be in place via Logan Avenue and Commissioner Street.
• Park Lawn Road is down to a single lane from north of Lake Shore Boulevard to the Gardiner Expressway due to the construction of a proposed GO station in the area.
• Spadina Avenue streetcars have been replaced by buses between Spadina Station and Queens Quay, and until the end of the year, there will be no 510 service between Spadina Station and Union Station. Commuters wishing to travel onwards to Union from Queens Quay will need to transfer to a 509 streetcar.
• O’Connor Drive is down to a single lane each way between Bermondsey and Sandra for road reconstruction and sewer and watermain installation until the summer of 2024.
• The Yonge and Bloor intersection will be reduced to a single lane until 2025 for condo construction and sewer installation.
• University Avenue will be reduced to a single lane in both directions between College Street and Queen Street West to complete several infrastructure projects for the next several months.
• Queen Street is fully closed to traffic between Bay and Victoria Streets to accommodate work on a new station for the Ontario Line subway. The closure is scheduled to last until 2027, at least four-and-a-half years.
• Northbound Yonge Street is reduced to one lane between Wellington and King Streets for TTC construction, which is scheduled to continue into 2024.
• Two northbound lanes of Yonge Street from King Street to Wellington Street are closed for TTC construction until Sept. 30, 2024.
• Finch Avenue West is reduced to a single lane in both directions from Dufferin to Wilmington until October 2024 for sewer installation.
• Eglinton Avenue West is reduced to a single lane east of Islington and west of Scarlett Road due to tunnelling work related to the multi-year Eglinton Crosstown West Extension project.
• Lane restrictions on Bayview Avenue between Roehampton Avenue and Armistice Drive while the city completes road resurfacing, curb and sidewalk replacement, and traffic signal and pedestrian upgrades. One northbound lane is currently closed on Bayview Avenue between Kilgour Road and Roehampton Avenue.
• Cherry Street remains closed south of Polson Pier due to maintenance on the Ship Channel Lift Bridge (Strauss Trunnion Bascule Bridge). Road users are able to access the Port of Toronto and Cherry Beach via Unwin Avenue. 
• From Friday, July 12, the Progress Avenue bridge over McCowan Road and the ramp at Busby Drive to northbound McCowan Road will be permanently closed for demolition as part of construction on the Scarborough Centre subway station. Demolition is scheduled for completion in early September. Sidewalk access will be maintained.
• The eastbound lanes of Huntingwood Drive will be closed between Birchmount and Kennedy Roads for rehabilitation and improving bike lanes until Sept. 15. Westbound lanes will remain open.
• Until mid-October, both eastbound lanes and one westbound lane on Queen Street West will be closed at the York Street intersection for the installation of overhead wiring for the 501 Queen streetcar detour. One westbound lane will remain open.