The city’s laneway naming project aims to honour the memory of locals who have made a positive contribution to their community. Two departed Toronto residents  were included in the latest round of nominees for the naming of laneways in Rosedale and Forest Hill.

Local resident Howard Tile nominated the laneway west of Yonge Street between Macpherson Avenue and Roxborough Street West to be named after his late father, Sam Tile.

According to Tile, his father fled oppression in Europe in the 1920s, eventually establishing a small dry cleaning business at 1108A Yonge St. in 1946. 

“He raised his family in a small apartment above the store, and the lane behind became a playground for my brother and me,” he said.

The business remains active today under new ownership. “By naming this laneway, we are not only honouring my father, but in a broader sense the immigrant experience that has built our city,” he said.

The naming was approved in late September by the Toronto and East York Community Council.

The nomination for a laneway between Eglinton Avenue West and Wembley Road is intended to honour the late Alan Slobodsky.

Slobodsky served as Mayor Mel Lastman’s chief of staff between 1998 and 2003. He was also president of Slobodsky Associates, a development consultancy that worked on a number of projects, including the Yonge-Sheppard Centre and 1 Bloor St. W.

“Everyone has been talking about Alan as someone who could always solve issues and always had a gentle touch about him,” said Rochelle Slobodsky, his wife.

Ward 21 councillor Joe Mihevc shares in the community’s recognition of Alan. “It’s important for us to recognize not just the big shots, but also the people who did a lot of good work at the neighbourhood level building our city,” said Mihevc. “Alan is the perfect candidate.”