Latest news with #HeritageToronto
Edmonton Journal
19 hours ago
- General
- Edmonton Journal
Dead Toronto raccoon whose sidewalk memorial went viral in 2015 immortalized with heritage plaque
Article content TORONTO — Ten years ago, a dead raccoon on a downtown Toronto street sparked an impromptu sidewalk shrine as passersby laid flowers, candles and cigarettes around the critter. Article content Now, Conrad the raccoon has been immortalized in the city's history with a heritage plaque at the spot where it all happened. Article content Article content Conrad went viral in 2015 after his remains laid on the sidewalk at the corner of Yonge and Church streets for nearly 14 hours following a social media post reporting the dead animal to the city. Article content Meg Sutton, plaques co-ordinator with Heritage Toronto, says the 10th anniversary of Conrad's death is the perfect occasion to revive the raccoon's story, which she says united Canadians across the country. Article content The plaque includes photos of the posts that launched the DeadRaccoonTO hashtag, imprints of raccoon paws and a QR code that leads to a website where people can post their own raccoon stories. Article content As the first-ever animal plaque in the city, Sutton says it also serves to highlight the natural history of raccoons in urban spaces. Article content #NeverForget #DeadRaccoonTO — mound (@PITmounD) June 17, 2016 Article content In the early 1900s, industrialization and deforestation caused such a threat to the raccoon population that people worried the creatures would go extinct, she said. Article content Article content 'Now, raccoons have become so adaptable and resilient that they've made their homes in attics and sheds, they've found new diet sources and human-discarded food, and they've just become these cheeky personalities that run amok,' Sutton said Tuesday in an interview. Article content After a month, a permanent version of the plaque will be installed to replace the QR code with life-size raccoon prints since the QR code requires maintenance and upkeep, Sutton said.
Vancouver Sun
20 hours ago
- General
- Vancouver Sun
Dead Toronto raccoon whose sidewalk memorial went viral in 2015 immortalized with heritage plaque
TORONTO — Ten years ago, a dead raccoon on a downtown Toronto street sparked an impromptu sidewalk shrine as passersby laid flowers, candles and cigarettes around the critter. Now, Conrad the raccoon has been immortalized in the city's history with a heritage plaque at the spot where it all happened. Conrad went viral in 2015 after his remains laid on the sidewalk at the corner of Yonge and Church streets for nearly 14 hours following a social media post reporting the dead animal to the city. Meg Sutton, plaques co-ordinator with Heritage Toronto, says the 10th anniversary of Conrad's death is the perfect occasion to revive the raccoon's story, which she says united Canadians across the country. The plaque includes photos of the posts that launched the DeadRaccoonTO hashtag, imprints of raccoon paws and a QR code that leads to a website where people can post their own raccoon stories. As the first-ever animal plaque in the city, Sutton says it also serves to highlight the natural history of raccoons in urban spaces. #NeverForget #DeadRaccoonTO In the early 1900s, industrialization and deforestation caused such a threat to the raccoon population that people worried the creatures would go extinct, she said. Start your day with a roundup of B.C.-focused news and opinion. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder. The next issue of Sunrise will soon be in your inbox. Please try again Interested in more newsletters? Browse here. 'Now, raccoons have become so adaptable and resilient that they've made their homes in attics and sheds, they've found new diet sources and human-discarded food, and they've just become these cheeky personalities that run amok,' Sutton said Tuesday in an interview. So far, more than 400 people have scanned the QR code on Conrad's plaque and the web page has been visited more than 1,000 times. After a month, a permanent version of the plaque will be installed to replace the QR code with life-size raccoon prints since the QR code requires maintenance and upkeep, Sutton said. Promoting community engagement was the main goal of the plaque, she said, since 'everyone has a raccoon story in Toronto.' 'Conrad is one for the people, where he represents a lot of individual moments or interactions,' Sutton said. 'And I think we all kind of fell in love with him.'
National Post
20 hours ago
- General
- National Post
Dead Toronto raccoon whose sidewalk memorial went viral in 2015 immortalized with heritage plaque
TORONTO — Ten years ago, a dead raccoon on a downtown Toronto street sparked an impromptu sidewalk shrine as passersby laid flowers, candles and cigarettes around the critter. Article content Now, Conrad the raccoon has been immortalized in the city's history with a heritage plaque at the spot where it all happened. Article content Article content Conrad went viral in 2015 after his remains laid on the sidewalk at the corner of Yonge and Church streets for nearly 14 hours following a social media post reporting the dead animal to the city. Article content Meg Sutton, plaques co-ordinator with Heritage Toronto, says the 10th anniversary of Conrad's death is the perfect occasion to revive the raccoon's story, which she says united Canadians across the country. Article content The plaque includes photos of the posts that launched the DeadRaccoonTO hashtag, imprints of raccoon paws and a QR code that leads to a website where people can post their own raccoon stories. Article content As the first-ever animal plaque in the city, Sutton says it also serves to highlight the natural history of raccoons in urban spaces. Article content #NeverForget #DeadRaccoonTO — mound (@PITmounD) June 17, 2016 Article content In the early 1900s, industrialization and deforestation caused such a threat to the raccoon population that people worried the creatures would go extinct, she said. Article content Article content 'Now, raccoons have become so adaptable and resilient that they've made their homes in attics and sheds, they've found new diet sources and human-discarded food, and they've just become these cheeky personalities that run amok,' Sutton said Tuesday in an interview. Article content
Toronto Sun
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Toronto Sun
Raccoon whose sidewalk death went viral immortalized with Heritage Toronto plaque
Christie Brinkley reveals exact moment she learned her husband was cheating with teen girl Ozzy Osbourne, who led Black Sabbath to become the godfather of heavy metal, dies at 76 CBC hands out record-breaking raises to offset loss of executive bonuses Raccoon whose sidewalk death went viral immortalized with Heritage Toronto plaque Photo by Natasha Baldin / THE CANADIAN PRESS Article content Ten years ago, a dead raccoon on a downtown street sparked an impromptu sidewalk shrine as passersby laid flowers, candles and cigarettes around the critter. Advertisement 2 Story continues below This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account or Sign in without password View more offers Article content Now, Conrad the raccoon has been immortalized in the city's history with a heritage plaque at the spot where it all happened. Article content tap here to see other videos from our team. Try refreshing your browser, or Raccoon whose sidewalk death went viral immortalized with Heritage Toronto plaque Back to video tap here to see other videos from our team. Try refreshing your browser, or Play Video Article content 🦝 RIP Conrad!! Ten years ago today, the body of a raccoon was found on a sidewalk in Toronto. Go read the #HTplaque commemorating Conrad, remember Toronto's most legendary trash panda, and share your condolences in honour of this unforgettable raccoon! — Heritage Toronto (@heritagetoronto) July 9, 2025 Your Midday Sun Your noon-hour look at what's happening in Toronto and beyond. There was an error, please provide a valid email address. Sign Up By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Thanks for signing up! A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder. The next issue of Your Midday Sun will soon be in your inbox. Please try again Article content Advertisement 3 Story continues below This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Article content Conrad went viral in 2015 after his remains laid on the sidewalk at the corner of Yonge and Church Sts. for nearly 14 hours following a social media post reporting the dead animal to the city. Meg Sutton, plaques co-ordinator with Heritage Toronto, says the 10th anniversary of Conrad's death is the perfect occasion to revive the raccoon's story, which she says united Canadians across the country. The plaque includes photos of the posts that launched the #DeadRaccoonTO hashtag, imprints of raccoon paws and a QR code that leads to a website where people can post their own raccoon stories. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Heritage Toronto (@heritagetoronto) Advertisement 4 Story continues below This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Article content As the first animal plaque in the city, Sutton says it also serves to highlight the natural history of raccoons in urban spaces. In the early 1900s, industrialization and deforestation caused such a threat to the raccoon population that people worried the creatures would go extinct, she said. 'Now, raccoons have become so adaptable and resilient that they've made their homes in attics and sheds, they've found new diet sources and human-discarded food, and they've just become these cheeky personalities that run amok,' Sutton said Tuesday in an interview. So far, more than 400 people have scanned the QR code on Conrad's plaque and the webpage has been visited more than 1,000 times. After a month, a permanent version of the plaque will be installed to replace the QR code with life-size raccoon prints since the QR code requires maintenance and upkeep, Sutton said. RECOMMENDED VIDEO tap here to see other videos from our team. Try refreshing your browser, or Play Video Promoting community engagement was the main goal of the plaque, she said, since 'everyone has a raccoon story in Toronto.' 'Conrad is one for the people, where he represents a lot of individual moments or interactions,' Sutton said. 'And I think we all kind of fell in love with him.' Read More Top Canadian animal stories of 2015 #DeadRaccoonTO picked up within reasonable time: Official Article content Share this article in your social network Read Next
Winnipeg Free Press
a day ago
- General
- Winnipeg Free Press
Raccoon whose sidewalk death went viral in 2015 immortalized in Toronto's history
TORONTO – Ten years ago, a dead raccoon on a downtown Toronto street sparked an impromptu sidewalk shrine as passersby laid flowers, candles and cigarettes around the critter. Now, Conrad the raccoon has been immortalized in the city's history with a heritage plaque at the spot where it all happened. Conrad went viral in 2015 after his remains laid on the sidewalk at the corner of Yonge and Church streets for nearly 14 hours following a social media post reporting the dead animal to the city. Meg Sutton, plaques co-ordinator with Heritage Toronto, says the 10th anniversary of Conrad's death is the perfect occasion to revive the raccoon's story, which she says united Canadians across the country. The plaque includes photos of the posts that launched the DeadRaccoonTO hashtag, imprints of raccoon paws and a QR code that leads to a website where people can post their own raccoon stories. As the first-ever animal plaque in the city, Sutton says it also serves to highlight the natural history of raccoons in urban spaces. In the early 1900s, industrialization and deforestation caused such a threat to the raccoon population that people worried the creatures would go extinct, she said. 'Now, raccoons have become so adaptable and resilient that they've made their homes in attics and sheds, they've found new diet sources and human-discarded food, and they've just become these cheeky personalities that run amok,' Sutton said Tuesday in an interview. So far, more than 400 people have scanned the QR code on Conrad's plaque and the web page has been visited more than 1,000 times. After a month, a permanent version of the plaque will be installed to replace the QR code with life-size raccoon prints since the QR code requires maintenance and upkeep, Sutton said. Promoting community engagement was the main goal of the plaque, she said, since 'everyone has a raccoon story in Toronto.' 'Conrad is one for the people, where he represents a lot of individual moments or interactions,' Sutton said. 'And I think we all kind of fell in love with him.' This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 22, 2025.
