By Ayesha Khan
On January 8, 2025, the Toronto Preservation Board passed a report recommending City
Council designate the former Rivermede House, located at 3100 Weston Road, as a heritage
property. As background to the agenda item, a report from city staff determined that the
residence met enough criteria to merit recommendation and that a more thorough examination
of other heritage elements at the site would be appropriate. Furthermore, the Preservation
Board recommended that city staff conduct a full review of the former St Basil-the-Great College
school, its Chapel, and its property for further heritage value and designation.
Those who live and work in the Emery region are likely familiar with Rivermede House.
Constructed in the 1930s, the sprawling building near the intersection of Weston Road and
Sheppard Avenue West is a prime example of the Tudor revival style in contemporary
architecture. The antique house is positioned with a view of the courtyard where artifacts
pertaining to the now-fenced Marian Shrine of Gratitude once were.
The Preservation Board item received a wave of public interest, with over 50 communications
submitted and 14 registered speakers. Many speakers attested to the value of the Marian
Shrine of Gratitude, a volunteer-run religious site in the defunct pool of St-Basil-the-Great, which
was said to be the site of miracles. Among the speakers was Olga Rubino, a retired French
Immersion School Department Head and Supervising Principal of the Elementary International
Languages Program with the Toronto Catholic District School Board, an educational
professional for more than 40 years who also attested not only to the religious significance but
also to the educational value of the site.
Local City Councillor Anthony Perruzza, a near-lifelong resident of the area, reiterated the
immense cultural heritage value of the site, including and beyond Rivermede House. Member of
Provincial Parliament Tom Rakocevic submitted a written communication that cited a petition
with over 20,000 signatures, emphasizing the site’s religious significance.
The motion was adopted without amendment and will now be considered by City Council’s
Planning and Housing Committee on January 23rd. Though the saga continues, believers
remain hopeful.
“I was thankful to God and the Blessed Virgin Mary for all the time I was able to spend there, for
15 years,” remarked John Biafore, a senior and former volunteer at the site, to the Preservation
Board. “I’m just hoping that it can still maintain its necessary status as what it is today.”