Front St.’s perpetual brick problem

Some problems seem to defy a permanent solution, like the loose sidewalk bricks on a busy stretch of Front St.

We first wrote about the wayward bricks on Front St., west of Yonge St., in June of 2012. Nearly five years later, they’re no less dangerous to pedestrians.

Decorative bricks are an attractive addition to the streetscape, but the older ones inevitable lift and shift, loosened by frost heaves and the blades of sidewalk plows scraping over them.

The edges end up protruding from the sidewalk surface at odd angles, perfectly positioned to catch the feet of unwary pedestrians scurrying to catch a train at Union Station.

Paul Smith has sent us two notes — one in 2015 and another last week — saying the bricks, in front of the historic Dominion Public Building, continue to be a hazard.

“I contacted the city a short while ago, but have yet to hear any response or see any work being done to rectify this unsafe sidewalk,” he said.

We went there and found that the road in front of the sidewalk is still closed to traffic, with a barricaded area filled by construction equipment and debris spilling over from the never-ending redevelopment of Union Station.

The sidewalk area filled with bricks doesn’t look any different than it did in 2012; many are loose and move when stepped on, while the empty space where others were removed is unevenly filled with asphalt. Status: We’ve asked transportation services if it can do anything to make the bricks safer right away, and if there’s a long-term plan to get rid of them. What’s broken in your neighbourhood? Wherever you are in Greater Toronto, we want to know. Send an email to

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