Click to reveal author's notes (with any spoilers!)
My now-wife used to live in this part of town, and I had to the traditional IKEA pilgrimmage more than a few times to furnish my first student apartment, so I've been through the IRIS/GREENBANK intersection quite a few times over the years! Even though we now live more in the east, we're back in the area frequently enough, be it for IKEA suppers or for Lee Valley workshops!
On the puzzle itself, the fact that GREENBANK is just such a long word - and not one easily described on its own - meant that I had to break it up into GREEN and BANK. This led to an unusual three-block line at the bottom-left and top-right corners, but I think the lengthy answers at 3-Down and 10-Down make up for it! I especially enjoyed cluing 30-Across FUR baby (not that that's slang I would actually use, even if I weren't hoping to build up an aquarium); and the two [Place for a pupil] clues.
The Centre is *for*, is in favour of, Canadian crosswords. It is a creative space where the default assumption is Canadian, from the references to the spelling.