#204: (Almost) goodbye, SOS from resident, 2500 Bloor meeting,

In this newsletter:

1. Our (almost) final newsletter
2. 2500 Bloor Development: Community Meeting, Oct. 5
3. Fight the Height: new community association re: 2500 Bloor
4. SOS from Bloor St. resident

1. Our (almost) final newsletter

It’s been quite a few months since our last newsletter (and website update), and while our publishing has been irregular at times in the past, we’re thinking that after 11 years it’s time to retire our world19 community network, one which was certainly the first in the area to use the Internet as a community organizing & advocacy tool.

We expect to issue a final newsletter in the near future as a sign-off. However, just like zombies that never die, you should never count us out… don’t be surprised if some day in the future, you find another world19 newsletter lurking in your inbox.

2. 2500 Bloor: Community Meeting

Date: Monday, October 5th, 7 pm
Place: St. Pius X Catholic School,

Tomorrow evening, the City of Toronto Planning Department will host a Community Meeting regarding Tridel’s proposed condo development at 2490/2500 Bloor St. This meeting had originally been scheduled for June 25th, but was postponed due to the municipal strike. The purpose of the meeting is to formally introduce the development application to the community and invite feedback.

The Planning Department has also rescheduled the related design charette - now to be held over the two evenings of October 21st and 28th As we noted in our June newsletter the charette is intended to provide an opportunity for the community to consider possibilities and issues raised by the 2500 Bloor proposal and other potential development sites in the immediate vicinity - most notably the Odeon Humber block. Participation in the charette will be limited. The process will be explained and volunteers will be solicited at tomorrow night’s meeting.

Links to documents and other information related to the Tridel development can be found in our June 23rd newsletter update.

3. Fight the Height emerges from the shadows of the proposed 13 and 16 storey condo towers and the Old Mill Community Association is born.

As summer was officially heating up so too was ‘Fight the Height’ (FTH)- a group of local residents who will literally be living in the shadows of the condo towers, should Tridel’s development application succeed as it presently stands. Opposed to the height and density of the proposed development, FTH gathered steam through the summer as neighbours came together on several occasions to assess their options and develop a strategy. By the end of summer, the group was incorporated as the Old Mill Community Association (OMCA) with an immediate mandate of ‘fighting the height’ but with an eye to lasting over the long term. And at the moment, all signs point to Councillor Saundercook also being prepared to fight the height alongside the OMCA.

So, despite Tridel’s earlier efforts to consult with the community through a working group process involving local ratepayers and residents, it looks like their community work regarding 2500 may have only just begun.

No doubt all interested parties will be in attendance at tomorrow night’s meeting at St. Pius.

If you are interested in signing up for the Fight the Height newsletter, email fighttheheight@yahoo.ca

4. SOS from Bloor St. resident

We’ve previously reported about the situation that Linda Sepp faces. Linda is the last resident of the otherwise-boarded up block on Bloor between Oakmount and Pacific. Linda faces extreme challenges, as she suffers from Multiple Chemical Sensitities and Environmental Sensitivities (MCS/ES), a debilitating condition, and she has been desperately seeking help in locating new housing: a need that in her case is literally a matter of life and death.

After years of legal wrangling, the company (W & J Properties) which owns that block and wants to demolish it for development, will finally take over her building in April, 2010. Meanwhile Linda is living there, and is now without heat or adequate water. And while W&J has offered assistance to acquire a new home for her, because of her disability Linda is unable herself to actually search for housing safe enough for her to live in.

As she has stated, “the lack of safe housing is the number one issue for people with MCS/ES, and access to that would go a long way towards diminishing the debilitating effects of this disability.”

(In fact, as she has explained, MCS/ES will not even allow her to go to a hospital, because the conditions there are potentially life-threatening to her and others in her condition).

We’ve posted a short WORD document she sent us which outlines what she has been through, and the help she says she has so far failed to receive from agencies, elected representatives and other officials.

Most urgently, it outlines the help she is hoping to find, somewhere.  It’s last note:

Time is of the Essence

Despite the date of April 4, 2010 for Linda’s landlords to gain legal possession of her home, given that the gas for heat and hot water was cut off, she has no warm clothing, and the water is unsuitable for her daily needs, time is of the essence for her to relocate before the cold weather season starts. Any and all assistance to meet this goal is urgently needed.
Linda can be reached at urbanfengshui@hotmail.com or 416 766 2862

Below are some MCS links she forwarded to provide more background on the illness and its repercussions to those who suffer from it:

Hospital Protocols: http://www.mcscanadian.org/hospital.html

The American Academy of Environmental Medicine: http://www.aaemonline.org/index.html
The most up to date perspective on MCS: http://thetenthparadigm.org/mcs09.htm
New article on mystery fragrances: http://www.americanprogress.org/issues/2009/08/ebg082609.html

Pollution & air quality - Indoor air quality - Scents
http://www.lung.ca/protect-protegez/pollution-pollution/indoor-interieur/scents-parfums_e.php

Health Care Without Harm:
http://www.noharm.org/us/pesticidesCleaners/
http://www.noharm.org/us/pesticidesCleaners/Fragrances

What’s under your kitchen sink, in your garage, in your bathroom, and on the shelves in your laundry room? Learn more about what’s in these products, about potential health effects, and about safety and handling.
http://householdproducts.nlm.nih.gov/index.htm

Some past media coverage of her situation: The Toronto Star, Aug. 2007 and the National Post, May 2009

On behalf of world19,

John Leeson
Elizabeth Lines

Oct 04 2009 10:52 pm | newsletters | 5 Comments »

#203a (Jun. 17/09): 2500 BLOOR Public meetings June, July

UPDATE (June 23):
These meetings have been officially postponed as a result of the city strike.

Stay tuned to world19 for updates.

As noted previously, the Planning Department’s staff report (see below) called for two Planning Department-sponsored meetings regarding the development application for 2490/2500 Bloor St. (the current Old Mill car dealership site). Dates have now been announced:

Notice of the meetings was delivered by mail through the area (as defined by Community Council last month) surrounding the 2500 Bloor site . A copy of the notice (PDF format) is posted here, with more details. For more information, contact Ed Murphy, Senior Planner at 416 394-8234 or Matthew Premru, Planner at 416 394-6004.

Other related information:

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On behalf of world19,

John Leeson
Elizabeth Lines

As always, we invite comments on these and other community issues. You can click the “comments” link below this post, or email us. See our index to past newsletters, where you can subscribe to our newsletter, or visit our main webpage at www.world.com

Jun 17 2009 09:08 am | newsletters | Comments Off

#202b (June 8/09): CLAUDE BITTON: THE INFOMERCIAL - BUT WHAT DOES IT MEAN FOR THE VILLAGE?

Those who have been following world19 over the past several years know of our interest in the now derelict Odeon Humber site and its uncertain future. We were quick to report on its closing in 2003, its purchase by the Wynn family, and its subsequent acquisition along with the rest of the block to the west by a former Wynn partner, Claude Bitton.

As you may recall, Mr. Bitton also owns the vacant TD Bank space at Windermere, and the pharmacy/medical building at 2150 Bloor, next door to the library. The latter is still occupied, but many of its former medical tenants have left, uncertain over its future.

Needless to say, many in the neighbourhood have wondered… Just who is the “mysterious Mr. Bitton”? What does he have in mind for his growing number of Village properties? And how long must we wait to find out?

Over the last year, we spoke with him on several occasions, but little of substance emerged. Basically, he indicated he was in a “wait and see” mode and that he was interested in partnering with a Tridel-type developer, at least in regard to the Odeon Humber block.  Still, much of the mystery remained.

But now, with a sudden burst of web-based activity, Mr. Bitton is taking an electronic leap from out of the shadows in what appears to be a concerted and coordinated effort to lessen the mystery, and create a face…or, at least a Facebook page.  And though the Facebook page actually shows no face, it is only one of many web pages devoted to the life and times of Mr. Claude Bitton.

This new google glut of Bitton links is curious since in the past we had great difficulty uncovering online information about him, usually turning up little more than world19’s website. But now, he has published four websites, a blog, and both Facebook and Linkedin pages, all covering many facets of his life and business experience, and presenting himself in glowing terms in a major self branding exercise. See end of this post for the links.

So what’s behind this sudden burst of stagecraft from one who seemingly avoided the spotlight until now?

We’ve come up with three possibilities.

  1. To kick start some partnership action on his Bloor West properties: Unlike Tridel, with its lengthy track record in the field of major, residential developments and resulting high visibility, Mr. Bitton’s depth of similar experience and relatively low public profile has perhaps deterred prospective development partners.
  2. To assist in his defense in a pending court action: This case has been previously reported in mainstream media. 
As some readers know (we’ve received a number of emails about it), Mr. Bitton, along with eleven others is facing charges of fraud and uttering a forged document relating to the Canada Small Business Act. See this press release.
  3. Both #1 and #2

Maybe you can think of others.

In brief, the websites variously cover his ‘Real Estate’ interests, his involvement in ‘Fashion & Haute Couture’ (his bio says he studied architecture and fashion at the Sorbonne in Paris), his faith-based initiatives, and his philanthropic commitments. His blog touches on all of these, and post-by-post, references his various accomplishments and then links to one of the websites.

Of particular interest, his real estate website states that “Claude Bitton has become not only a visionary for his family but a visionary as a real estate developer. He has looked years even decades down the road to determine what buildings will be needed and where.” But, as far as we know, he has not yet looked down Bloor Street; we’re certainly not aware of a Bitton vision for the Village. And, despite his online pitch, which rivals the original infomercial greats of the 80s,  our questions remain: who is Mr. Bitton?  What does he have in mind for his growing number of Village properties? And how long must we wait to find out?  If his ‘Regency on the Ravine‘ development’s snail’s pace of progress is any indication, we’re going to be waiting a long, long time.
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His Websites:

NOTE: We found originally that most or all of these sites execute some Java script that we’ve discovered can cause browsers (Firefox & Internet Explorer, running on both PCs and Macs) to hang. If your browser asks if you want to disable the script, answer Yes. If you get no prompt, but hang, you should (temporarily) disable Java Scripts. However, the script problem seems to have been fixed on most of the websites. As well, his blog was inaccessible a couple of days ago, but it too appears to have been repaired.

In addition, the blog page currently has problems in Internet Explorer (but works in Firefox). The main page may be blank. If so, go to the “About” tab, and then see the posts via the Archive links.

http://www.claudebittonrealestate.com/ - Real Estate
http://www.claude-bitton.com/ - Judaic outreach (Kiruv)
http://www.claude-bitton.ca/index.html - Fashion
http://www.claudebitton.ca/ - Charity

His blog, http://www.claudebitton.com

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/people/Claude-Bitton/1533281463
Linkedin: http://www.linkedin.com/in/claudebitton

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On behalf of world19,

John Leeson
Elizabeth Lines

As always, we invite comments on these and other community issues. You can click the “comments” link below this post, or email us. See our index to past newsletters, where you can subscribe to our newsletter, or visit our main webpage at www.world.com

Jun 08 2009 08:07 am | newsletters | 3 Comments »

#202c (June 8/09): FALAFEL WORLD CELEBRATES 25

Music, dancing and partying

Music, dancing and partying

On Sunday (June 7th), Falafel World celebrated 25 years on Bloor at Armadale. Plenty of food, cake, topped off by music and bellydancing.

Everybody was on hand for the party, including of course owner Hafiz Halabi and wife Hinda along with multiple generations of family and friends, many of whom are familiar faces to all who frequent this wonderful local Lebanese food experience.

We are lucky to have Falafel World in our neighbourhood. It’s a business that many people consider the most popular in Bloor West Village.

On behalf of world19,

John Leeson
Elizabeth Lines

As always, we invite comments on these and other community issues. You can click the “comments” link below this post, or email us. See our index to past newsletters, where you can subscribe to our newsletter, or visit our main webpage at www.world.com

Hafiz and customers

Hafiz and customers

Jun 08 2009 08:05 am | newsletters | 1 Comment »

#202a (June 8/09): NEIGHBOURHOOD DAYCARE URGENTLY NEEDS YOUR SUPPORT

world19 has just heard from Alison Gibbins, a local resident and organizer of a neighbourhood parents group (see below) with notice of an important ‘stroller march’ on Tuesday, June 9th at 4 pm at City Hall, in support of neighbourhood daycare (see flyer - PDF format).  It seems that City Council’s recent imposition of a one year Interim Control Bylaw on the operation of day nurseries on a section of High Park Avenue (see for example, this May 28 Toronto Star article was just the tip of the iceberg.

The parent group reports that, as part of the City’s ongoing zoning bylaw project), which aims to harmonize bylaws from the pre-amalgamated municipalities, the City is considering a zoning bylaw that would prohibit the operation of day nursery facilities in areas zoned for residential use. In our old City of Toronto, such a restriction would constitute a major deterrent to prospective operators, forcing facilities out of walkable neighbourhoods and onto high priced and less child-friendly, busy mainstreets. This, at a time when the need for local daycare spaces is dire and when the city is also trying to encourage people to leave their cars at home.

Here’s Alison’s note to world19:

Did you know that there are over 15,500 children waiting for subsidized daycare in Toronto?  That’s enough children to fill the Air Canada Centre!  And there’s even more children waiting for non-subsidized spaces.

I’m a mom and I plan on going back to work in the fall. But I’m on 6 different non-subsidized waiting lists and I probably won’t have a space for my son for September.  I’m also the organizer of a neighbourhood parents group (www.meetup.com/TorontoMoms) and we just learned that the City of Toronto is proposing new by-laws that would limit daycares in residential areas.

We are concerned that new proposed zoning by-laws would deter any new day nurseries from opening in our area, along with other residential areas in Toronto.

We have started a Facebook group to gather support on this issue.  Please join us at http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=84385873991 .

We are also holding a Stroller March on Tuesday, June 9, 4PM at City Hall to raise awareness about the childcare crisis in Toronto and give our feedback to city staff at the committee consultation.  We are expecting parents and children from across the city to come out to show their support for neighbourhood daycare.  At 5 pm there is a general Q&A session in Committee Room #1 as part of a general Open House hosted by the Planning Department regarding the zoning bylaw project.

We are also looking for volunteers who can help for an hour or two to promote the Stroller March.

Please contact me at Torontoniansfordaycare@gmail.com .

Your support is greatly appreciated!

Alison Gibbins

world19 will continue to report on this important issue.  In the meantime, we encourage everyone concerned about the importance of daycare facilities to take a stroll with the strollers on Tuesday and support the pressing need for adequate neighbourhood-based day care facilities.
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Background to the Interim Bylaw

See item EY27.40 in the City Council Decision Document, May 25-27. which contains links to the original Etobicoke York Community Council motion and report from the Chief Planner.

Feel free to add comments via the link at the end of the newsletter.
See our index to past newsletters, or visit our main webpage at www.world.com

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On behalf of world19,

John Leeson
Eliabeth Lines

Jun 08 2009 08:02 am | newsletters | Comments Off

#201 (May 22/09): 2500 BLOOR PUBLIC MEETING; BIKES, 4 VILLAGES, EVENTS

In this issue:
1.  2500 Bloor: public meeting, May 28
2.  Annette Bike Lanes: an opening celebration?
3. “Bells on Bloor”… and Bikes on Bloor?
4.  Four Villages adds new villages
5. Update on Bloor/Oakmount block
6. Reminder on upcoming events

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2500 Bloor/Tridel: public meeting May 28th with more to come…

We have confirmation that Councillor Saundercook is hosting the first public community meeting on the proposed Tridel condo development at 2490/2500 Bloor St. (The Old Mill car dealership site.)

Date: Thursday, May 28, 7pm
Location: St. Pius X Catholic School, 71 Jane St (just north of Bloor)

The Councillor’s flyer advertises it as “an informal meeting with me, the applicant and their team”. The flyer is available on our website in PDF format.  As you’ll see, the flyer states that “we are also targeting another two meetings in June, which will be discussed further at the meeting”.

We assume the ‘two meetings’ are those recommended in the Planning Department staff report for the site that went before the Etobicoke-York Community Council (EYCC) last week. (The report as amended and approved is here. That report, as accepted by EYCC contained a recommendation for two community meetings to be held by the Planning Department in conjunction with the Councillor: one a community consultation, and the other a design charette for the community to consider possibilities and issues around this development and other potential development sites in the immediate area (most notably the Odeon Humber block). Note: These two meetings are not related to Councillor Saundercook’s “informal” one. .

Though time is tight, holding a community consultation and design charette in June makes obvious good sense, before summer holidays prevail and while the issues are top of mind among community members following from the May 28th initial meeting. (It would also allow Tridel the summer months to consider the feedback from all three May/June meetings; giving Tridel time for careful consideration of the community’s response strikes us as a good thing.) We see no point in delay.

Finally, the original staff report also contained a recommendation for a public meeting as required by the Planning Act. (“Notice for the public meeting under the Planning Act be given according to the regulations under the Planning Act”); this would be held later in the year as the application progresses. However, this recommendation was removed via an amendment proposed by Councillor Saundercook. Since we understand that such a meeting is a statutory requirement of any development application, we do not yet understand the motivation or reason behind or implications of such an amendment.

For detailed information on the proposal, including planning concepts, Working Group meetings, as well as the development plans, Avenue Segment study and more, see http://2500bloor.ca/documents.php

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Monday (May 25) kicks off Bike Month in Toronto with “Bike to Work Day”. Groups will be riding to City Hall for a pancake breakfast. High Park is one of the starting points. See www.toronto.ca/cycling/events for all the details

2. Annette Bike Lanes: They’re almost ready to ride. Let’s celebrate!

It’s been a long road (so to speak), but the resurfacing of Annette seems to be nearing its end. And this has us thinking about mounting some kind of celebration to mark the arrival of the new bike lanes. Thank you to one of our readers for firmly planting the celebration seed.

We’re in the process of trying to pin down projected completion dates and are otherwise contemplating possible celebratory details. Any and all ideas are welcome!

So grease up the gears, pump up the tires and we’ll get back to you…

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3. “Bells on Bloor” for Bikes on Bloor: May 31 group ride, and upcoming: Bike Lanes on Bloor?

And while waiting for the bike lane celebration, a great way to gear up is the May 31, “Bells on Bloor” ride from High Park to Queen’s Park as noted in our last newsletter. http://www.world19.com/newsletters/archives/329. The ride is to promote the idea of an east-west bike lane across the length of Bloor/Danforth from Scarborough to Etobicoke. And in fact, the long-proposed idea may now be sprouting some tentative roots.

It appears that City Transportation staff, after lengthy study of the concept, may be ready to present a feasibility study to the June 3 Public Works and Infrastructure Committee on the lanes. Councillor Adrian Heaps, chair of the city Cycling Committee, feels it’s possible that the first stretch, from Victoria Park to Sherbourne, could potentially be installed this year. (See May 20 Globe & Mail article.

Considering the huge battle it took to win bike lanes on a small, sleepy stretch of Annette St. last year, that would be a huge accomplishment!

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4. Four Villages adds new villages

The Four Villages Community Health Centre, located at Bloor and Keele is preparing to open a satellite location at 3446 Dundas St. W. to server residents of Gooch-Cooper Mills, North High Park and the Junction. It’s expected to open in December, and a ground-breaking ceremony will be held at the site (in the back parking lot), Friday May 29, 1:30-2:30pm

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5. Bloor Street: The Demolition Battle continues

A hearing has been held this week regarding the developer’s application to demolish the homes along Bloor St. across from High Park. The city and developer have been at loggerheads for several years now/ The developer, WJ Properties wants to tear down the houses, most of which are in poor condition, even though it has no specific development plans yet. The city wants to maintain housing stock, in some form, and also maintains that using the poor condition of buildings as justification for demolition, when the owner has allowed the properties to deteriorate to that condition is not a valid argument.

The issue is reported in the National Post this week. However, neither the story nor any of the players makes any mention of the critical situation surrounding the one non-empty house: one which is occupied by the last remaining tenant of the block who suffers from an extreme case of Multiple Chemical Sensitivities/Environmental Sensitivities and has yet to be able to locate appropriate and affordable housing elsewhere.

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6. Reminders of other events
 (See last newsletter for details) http://www.world19.com/newsletters/archives/329

Feel free to add comments via the link at the end of the newsletter.
See our index to past newsletters, or visit our main webpage at www.world.com

May 22 2009 07:18 pm | newsletters | Comments Off

#200 (May 13/09): 2500 BLOOR, EVENTS, WORLD19

In this issue:
1. Our 200th newsletter
2. Tridel/2500 Bloor development at Community Council, May 14
3. Upcoming Events:
a) Junction Residents Assoc. meeting: May 14
b) Swansea Town Hall: Doors Open, May 23-4
c) RMRA AGM, May 26
d) Old Mill site development meeting: May 27
e) Bloor West Art Tour, May 29-31
f) Bells on Bloor bike ride: May 31
g) COBA: new BWV school & recital
4. Article on world19 & Annette bike lanes

UPDATE, May 14: See note at end of newsletter regarding date for public meeting about 2500 Bloor development

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1. Newsletter #200 - a brief look back.

Back in March, 1998, we sent out an email notice to our brand-new distribution list made up of people who’d signed up for it at a public meeting that we’d just held which focused on problems with the Current Value Assessment property tax system. (Also then brand-new).

That was our very first newsletter… we would never have guessed that we’d still be doing it 200 issues later. However, It’s not as much of a surprise that we’d also still be writing about flaws in the property assessment system.

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2. Tridel / 2500 Bloor development: at Community Council, May 14

As noted in our March 21st Newsletter, Tridel has filed its official application with the city to develop the site of 2490/2500 Bloor St. W., currently occupied by the Old Mill car dealership and an office building. The proposal involves two mid-rise buildings of 13 and 16 stories, with some ground level retail in the eastern building. The application also includes a proposal to align the South Kingsway and Riverside Gardens into a single connecting intersection.

The City staff’s Preliminary Report on the application will be presented at this week’s Etobicoke York Community Council.  The report discusses the proposal, its scope, details and relationship to existing zoning regulations  and the City’s Official Plan, as well as the 2005 Bloor West Village Urban Design Study and provincial development policy.

Prior to finalizing their plans and filing the application, Tridel had held a series of “Working Group” meetings through the fall and winter with residents groups, world19, the BIA and Councillor Saundercook. However, as required by the City, there will be a community consultation meeting organized by the Planning Department. In addition, Planning staff has recommended that a design charette be held to consider both this development and other potential development sites nearby (most notably, the Odeon Humber block).

We are awaiting notice of dates for those meetings, and hope to have an update very soon.

The Council meeting will be held Thursday, May 14, beginning at 9:30am in the Etobicoke Civic Centre, 399 West Mall. The agenda item is: “EY27.28, “2490 and 2500 Bloor Street West (including 2464 and 2474) - Zoning Amendment - Preliminary Report”

To submit comments, write to Etobicoke York Community council: etcc@toronto.ca. You may want to copy councilor_saundercook@toronto.ca (and feel free to also copy mail@world19.com if you’d like). It may be helpful to use subject line “Re: EY27.28 2490 AND 2500 Bloor Street West”.

You can also attend the meeting in Council Chambers. The time that any item will be discussed isn’t definite, but it’s helpful to follow the progress of the agenda via the Council Monitor. Look for item EY27.28.

References:

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3.  Upcoming Events:

a) Junction Residents Association Meeting: May 14

The JRA may have re-formed relatively recently, but they’re doing an amazing job in that neighbourhood. Check out their very impressive website, and their live (and archived) online broadcasts of their meetings.  They’ve sent along the notice below regarding this week’s meeting. The focus is on the proposed increase in train activity, especially the new Union-Pearson (”Blue 22″) link which will add numerous diesel train runs through the west end. (See the RMRA website, in an item below for some background).

Our next meeting will be taking place this Thursday at West Toronto Baptist Church, 3049 Dundas St. W., at 7pm, where we will be featuring a discussion on the Georgetown South Service Expansion (GSSE) and the Union-Pearson Rail Link (UPRL) and what they mean for our community.  Of course, you can also tune in live on JRATV, that you can find through our new website: www.junctionra.ca.

But, if you come out in person, there will be food and beverages as always!
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b) Swansea Town Hall: Doors Open, May 23-24

The following notice was sent by the Swansea Town Hall. If you’re interested, check ou t some of the other Doors Open sites around town.

The Swansea Town Hall together with the Swansea Memorial Library is proud to be a part of Doors Open Toronto on Saturday, May 23 and Sunday, May 24 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Everyone is welcome to come and observe the programs run by our clients during this time. There will be fun activities for the children as well as displays of what was happening in the Village of Swansea in 1959 the year the building was opened. We are also celebrating our 50th Anniversary. The Swansea Historical Society’s archives will be open for people to view along with an audiovisual presentation of the history of the Swansea Town Hall. Come see our amazing Swansea Mural which was unveiled this past November 11 after our Remembrance Day Service, there will be an Art Show on the second floor featuring Literacy. The Swansea Memorial Library will have exhibits of Lucy Maude Montgomery and Bernice Thurman Hunter as both of these authors lived in our neighbourhood.

c) Roncesvalles Macdonell Residents Associaton AGM: May 26

The RMRA is holding its Annual General Meeting, which will include elections for officers and “at large” positions. It’s also (always) looking for others interested in volunteering to help out more informally. The night also features their annual strawberry dessert.

Tue May 26, 7pm
Fern Avenue Public School, 128 Fern Ave. (east of Roncesvalles)
http://www.rmra-to.org/

d) Meeting re:development at Old Mill Inn site, May 27

Over the past year or more, there has been strong opposition from many residents, historic and preservation groups as well as from people living near or having an interest in the Humber Valley area to a proposal for a condominium to be built on the site of the Old Mill’s parking lot in the valley near the Humber River. We have heard that there will be a public meeting to discuss details of the proposal prior to the developer submitting its site plan. In addition to Ward 5 Councillor Peter Milczyn,  staff from Toronto Planning, Forestry and Heritage Departments as well as the Toronto Regional Conservation Authority will attend to answer questions.

May 27, 7pm.  Lambton Kingsway Junior Middle Schoo, 525 Prince Edward Drive. For more information, contact Councillor Milczyn’s office:  416-392-4244, www.petermilczyn.com

The area residents group, Kingsway Park Ratepayers, provides some background on the development and some reasons for their opposition on their website. (See “Old Mill Condo” on the left-side menu).

e) Bloor West Art Tour: May 29-31

The annual event features 29 artists in 26 locations. See www.ArtTour.info for more information.

f) Bells on Bloor: May 31

The annual bike ride to support the creation of bike lanes across Bloor Street will be held on Sunday May 31. The ride begins at the main entrance to High Park, and it will travel to Queen’s Park.  All ages are welcome. Riders are encouraged to bring a bell.  The ride begins at 12:00, but If you want to join, please arrive early to hear ride logistics. Alternatively, join the ride anywhere enroute. For more info, see http://www.bellsonbloor.ca

g) COBA: new area school & annual recital

Begun in 1993, the Collective of Black Artists (COBA) recently moved into Bloor West Village, and provides dance and music training to children “from 3 to any age”, as well as professional training. Classes cover areas such as ballet, West African, modern contemporary, Caribbean, Hip Hop, drumming and vocal-chanting.

They describe themselves as “Dedicated to creating and presenting the finest tradtions in dance and music that celebrate and reflect an African aesthetic.”

Their new studios are at 2444 Bloor, 2nd floor (above 2-for-1 Video), where they held an Open House last month. Next month, they’ll be presenting their annual school showcase recital. “SHEreHE!”:

June 20, 6:30pm, Isabel Bader Theatre, 93 Charles St. W. (south of Bloor,  east of Queen’s Park. See their website, visit their studio,  or call 416 658-3111 for info.

3. Dandyhorse

The new issue of  Dandyhorse, Toronto’s newest magazine on cycling has just been published, and contains an article on world19 and our efforts to save the threatened Annette St. bike lanes. Some excerpts:

So just who are these superheroes that kept the Annette Street bike lanes from being scuttled last fall and pushed the envelope on what kind of advocacy we can expect when cyclists and communities combine?

… During the Annette fight they encouraged over 200 bike lane supporters to send emails to City Council. If this isn’t the type of neighbour you want next door, who is?

While we appreciate the nice words about our efforts, we were more impressed by how well the article focuses on the importance of wide-reaching, grassroots community connection and communication on an issue like this. In the article, Steve Brearton of the Toronto Cyclists Union , with whom we worked said,

world19 really created a fabulous model for working on these kinds of projects. They worked very hard to get local residents on side… and, What was important and effective is that it was a campaign that was initiated at a very local level, but drew on city-wide resources of cycling activists and groups.

We recommend the magazine for those interested in cycling … and joining the Cyclists Union.

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UPDATE (May 14): Public meeting on 2490-2500 Bloor/Tridel Development: May 28.

Ward 13 Councillor Saundercook has confirmed a date for a public meeting on the proposed development of the Old Mill car dealership site. The meeting will include Tridel representatives. He has also indicated plans for another two meetings in June regarding the site. We assume at least one will encompass the design charette referenced in our original newsletter.

Thursday, May 28, 7pm at St. Pius X Catholic School, 71 Jane St. at Bloor

See his community notice (PDF format) here

Feel free to add comments via the link at the end of the newsletter.
See our index to past newsletters, or visit our main webpage at www.world.com

May 13 2009 08:37 pm | newsletters | Comments Off

#199: EVENT UPDATES

In this newsletter:
Upcoming events:
1. Apr. 27: Lecture by David Crighton cancelled
2. Apr. 28: RMRA meeting/workshops on GO Transit expansion with Metrolinx
3. Apr. 29: BWVRA Annual General Meeting
4. Apr. 29: Dandyhorse magazine (cycling) launch
5.  May 1: 100th anniversary celebration of West Toronto/Toronto amalgamation/
6. May 2-3: Jane’s Walk events
7. Other: note re: 2500 Bloor/Tridel development

SOME UPCOMING EVENTS:

Mon. Apr. 27: Lecture by local artist David Crighton CANCELLED

This event, sponsored by the Junction Residents Association and the Annette St. Public Library has been CANCELLED. See www.junctionra.ca for more info. There will be other events in the “Lecture Series in the Junction”.

Tue. Apr. 28:  RMRA meeting re: GO Train expansion

The Roncesvalles-Macdonell Residents’ Association is hosting a meeting on the impacts of GO Transit expansion, including the proposed “Blue 22″ rail link to the airport which will involve frequent diesel train runs on the tracks running through west end neighbourhoods.  The night will consist of a series of workshops on topics of noise/vibration impact; air quality/health impacts; West End Railpath; and issues around the Dundas West Station. Representative of Metrolinx will participate.

For details see this page, from a recent RMRA notice.

Fern Ave. Public School, 128 Fern Ave. 7pm.
http://www.rmra-to.org/

Wed. Apr. 29: Bloor West Village Residents Association AGM

This will be the BWVRA’s Annual General Meeting. The topic is “Bloor West Village Village: Its present state and future prospects”. The focus is on the Bloor St. retail strip. Panelists include Alex Ling and Paula  McInerney from the BWV BIA, and representatives from the real estate field and Toronto Police Service.

Runnymede United Church, 432 Runnymede Rd., 7:30pm. For more details see www.bwvra.ca

Wed. Apr. 29: Launch of Dandyhorse magazine

This is a new magazine on cycling in Toronto which published its first issue last fall. The new spring issue will include an article on the infamous Annette bike lane struggle which world19 was deeply involved in. See http://world19.com/annette.htm for background.

Sponsored by Amsterdam Brewery’s new Big Wheel Deluxe Amber beer.

Amsterdam Brewery, 21 Bathurst St. at Lakeshore. 7pm-midnight.
See http://www.dandyhorse.com/

Fri. May 1: 100th Anniversary celebrations of the amalgamation of West Toronto with Toronto

On May 1, 1909, reportedly thousands of Junction residents gathered to mark the joining of the old community of West Toronto with the growing City of Toronto. This event is organized by the Junction Historical Society and sponsored by West Toronto Paint and Wallpaper which has been in business in the Junction since 1909.

The celebration will be held under the historical murals of Group of Seven member Arthur Lismer and will feature live music, art, door prizes. Mayor David Miller will accept the Key to the Junction.

Humberside Collegiate, 280 Quebec Ave., 6-11pm. Details here: http://www.wtjhs.ca/

Sat/Sun. May 2/3: Jane’s Walk: locations around Toronto (and Canada)

The annual event honours one of the great thinkers of the 20th century, Jane Jacobs, best known for her writings on cities and society, and a Toronto resident for the last decades of her life.  “Jane’s Walk is a series of free neighbourhood walking tours that helps put people in touch with their environment and with each other, by bridging social and geographic gaps and creating a space for cities to discover themselves. ”

The walks cover a huge range of neighbourhoods and themes. Locally, they include walks along the Humber River with historian Madeleine McDowell;  Swansea, with former mayor (and Swansea native) David Crombie; the West Toronto Junction, organized by Heritage Toronto; and “The Real Parkdale” by MPP Cheri DiNovo.

See http://janeswalk.net/participating_cities/toronto for information and links on the Toronto walk, and also the Apr. 30 issue of NOW weekly for a full schedule. (Note: some walks require reservations, and the Sunday walk, “Places to bonk on your lunch hour” led by Eye Weekly sex columnist Sasha van Bon Bon is fully booked).

See http://janeswalk.net/ for more information.

OTHER ITEMS

As reported in our previous newsletter, Tridel has filed its application to develop the Old Mill car dealership site at 2500 Bloor St. West. The next step should be a community meeting organized by Councillor Bill Saundercook. As a part of the group of community and resident organizations that participated in discussions and workshops with Tridel over the past several months, we wrote the Councillor on Mar. 25 asking about a potential date for that community meeting. We’ve received no response to date.

Apr 26 2009 10:12 pm | newsletters | Comments Off

#198: EARTH HOUR, TRIDEL UPDATES, MPAC APPEALS

In this issue:
1. world19: back again
2. Local Earth Hour Events
3. Bloor development updates
4. MPAC Property Assessment Appeal deadline Mar. 31

For an index of past newsletters, or to subscribe, go to: www.world19.com/newsletters.htm

1. Back Again:

Long-time followers of world19 know that our publishing “schedule” can be pretty random, with some gaps now and then.  Since a flurry of news and activity last fall, particularly on the Annette St. Bike Lane issue, and developments (or non-developments) on Bloor St., especially the Old Mill car dealership/Tridel site and the “Humber Odeon” block, we’ve been very quiet.

However never count us out. We’re sometimes quiet, but never dead…

2. Local Earth Hour events:

Earth Hour walk in BWV, 2008

Earth Hour walk in BWV, 2008

In March, 2008, world19 helped organize the highly successful Earth Hour walk in Bloor West Village (photo), joining our community with hundreds of others around the world to raise awareness of, and dedication to combat climate change. Our report of last year’s Earth Hour walk is here, and some photos are here.

We worked, as we often have in the past, with neighbourhood activist, Christopher Holcroft, who since then has helped to start a local environmental group, Green 13, which, in conjunction with numerous other area organizations has organized ambitious Earth Hour events for 2009.

Below are some notes from Green 13 in relation to Earth Hour activities:

We will be using Earth Hour and the days leading up to it to begin a community dialogue on energy consumption and conservation and to advocate for greater political leadership on climate change.

Following the successful candlelight walk through Bloor West Village for Earth Hour 2008 that was attended by more than 500 people, Green 13 is coordinating and supporting a number of Earth Hour events throughout the ward this year to reach even more members of the community.

In addition to encouraging residents and businesses to power down for Earth Hour on Saturday, March 28, Green 13 is helping to organize inorganic markets, town hall meetings and candlelight walks. Green 13 will also be distributing Earth Hour “kits” with tips on energy conservation, fun facts for kids and relevant information about stopping climate change. The kits will be delivered to all schools in the community, as well as being made available to local residents and businesses.

The schedule of events include:

  • “Inorganic Markets” on Mar. 21 (Junction) and Mar. 22 (Bloor West Village), where you can recycle computer equipment and other electronic materials
  • Candlelight walks during Earth Hour, Mar. 28 in High Park, the Junction and BWV
  • A community reception on Mar. 28, 9:30pm at Runnymede United Church, hosted by MPP Cheri diNovo

Click here for a full schedule of Earth Hour events; Green 13’s website is here.

3. Tridel/2500 Bloor application filed & other Bloor updates

After a lengthy gap since the last Working Group meeting, Tridel has recently filed its development application for the site now occupied by the Old Mill car dealership. The proposal is for two mid-rise buildings: the western one up to 13 stories, the eastern building up to 16, with retail included. Among the proposals is one to align the South Kingsway and Riverside Gardens into a single, connecting intersection.

The website for the project now has a number of documents filed with the application including the cover letter, Planning Rationale, Bloor St. Avenue Segment Study, Bloor Traffic Study, the Rezoning Application and other documents. See http://2500bloor.ca/documents.php

As well, notes from the final (Nov. 4) Working Group meeting which discussed the various massing concepts are also posted on the page. Oddly, the document page says the notes were posted on Nov. 6, but in fact they weren’t posted until Feb. 18).

Tridel has indicated they will be working with Ward 13 Councillor Saundercook to organize a public meeting on the development, but no date has yet been set.

In addition, we have no updates as yet from Claude Bitton, the owner of the Odeon Humber block, as well as other vacant or under-used properties in the Village (and elsewhere). He is still advertising the properties for lease, and his office advises us that they are still considering working with other “partners” for property development.  We have not received any information from his office in answer to our question about the work proceeding inside the former theatre.

We have also suggested to him that if development or longer-term retail occupation of some of these empty buildings does not occur in the near future, there might be other, innovative uses that might be considered. Perhaps the community may have some ideas. And, at the least, he might want to consider allowing (as one example) some of the empty windows to be covered in artwork by local school children. It would be more attractive and inviting than the continued dark and empty store fronts.

See our Bloor development page for more background on Bloor Street development issues and questions.

We will have more on these issues soon.

4. MPAC Property Assessment Appeal Deadline: Mar. 31

A number of years ago, world19 published extensive information regarding the flawed CVA (Current Value Assessment) system which Ontario municipalities base their property taxes on. All the information we published came from two world19 subscribers, David MacAlpine and Bruce Haines.

David has now sent us information regarding the upcoming deadline to have your property assessment — which will determine how your property taxes are calculated for the next four years — reconsidered. Click the link above. The page also contains links to relevant MPAC webpages and our old “MPAC” pages.

For infomation, along with sample letters you can send to MPAC, and links to relevant MPAC pages and news stories (plus links to our old MPAC pages), go to http://www.world19.com/mpac09.htm

We’ll have more news & info coming soon…

Mar 21 2009 04:55 pm | newsletters | Comments Off

#197: COMMUNITY RIGHT TO KNOW

world19 is a community group based in the Bloor West Village / High Park area of Toronto, promoting citizen participation in community & political affairs. We established our online communications network in 1998. For more about us, see our main website, read our about world19 web page, or contact us by email. To subscribe to our newsletter by email, or to see an index of past newsletters, visit www.newsletters.world19.com

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We have taken a break since our activities around the Annette St. Bike Lanes… although we did take time to host a small celebration at the Yellow Griffin Pub with many of those who had participated in the campaign. See photo at www.annette.world19.com

For this newsletter, we are forwarding the following note, sent this week by Green 13, a new environmental group in Ward 13, regarding the imminent vote by City Council on the “Community Right to Know” bylaw. We also support this bylaw. which will be voted on at Council’s meeting Monday/Tuesday, Dec. 1/2.

You still have time to express your thoughts on the matter… the note below includes an email link for Councillor Saundercook. If you don’t live in Ward 13, you can get contact information for your councillor via this page.

If you would like to contact Green 13, you can do so by email: Chris_Holcroft@Yahoo.com. If you want to comment on the issue, or contact your Councillor, you should do so as soon as possible:the Council meeting begins on Monday.


Greetings,

We are writing on behalf of Green 13, a grassroots community environmental group operating in the Ward 13 area of Parkdale-High Park. Green 13’s goals are to educate and advocate for positive changes to ensure the protection of our environment.

We ask your help in encouraging Toronto City Council to approve the proposed Community Right to Know By-Law at its meeting next week.

Currently, most Toronto businesses including auto-body shops, printers and dry cleaners are exempt from having to report the use of some of the most dangerous toxic materials. As a result, we are not fully aware of the all the various pollutants entering our air, water and land.

But this landmark municipal policy would require between 5,000 and 7,000 Toronto businesses to report their use of 25 toxic substances. With this information, residents will know what toxins are being released into their community, and the City will be better positioned to encourage polluting businesses to use more environmentally safe products.

But these positive changes will fail unless there is political will to act at the December 1-2 City Council meeting. Please write our local Councillor Bill Saundercook and urge him to vote YES to the Community Right to Know by-law. Councillor Saundercook’s e-mail is councillor_saundercook@toronto.ca.

For more background information on the by-law please visit Toronto Public Health at: www.toronto.ca/health/hphe/enviro_info.htm or the Toronto Environmental Alliance’s Community Right to Know campaign at: www.secrecyistoxic.ca.

Thank you for your help in building a green community!

Sincerely and on behalf of Green 13,

Christopher Holcroft
Rita Bijons
Sarah Doucette
Annabel Reinis
Feresteh Hashemi
Jeanne Preudhomme

world19: Supporting citizen involvement in our community and its future
email: mail@world19.com
web: www.world19.com
To see an index of past newsletters or to subscribe: www.world19.com/newsletters.htm

Nov 30 2008 10:25 pm | newsletters | Comments Off
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