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In this issue:
News on local developments, environmental issues, and some stupid & dumb
notes...
1. Stelco Site development
a) Site walkabout June 4
b) Develoment updates
c) Public meeting June 27
2. Southport Plaza development meeting June 13
3. Ellis Park condo - environmental report
4. South Kingsway meeting June 12
5. High Park spring/summer walking tours
6. Eco-Village planning workshop
7. Windshare - investing in clean air
8. Safe water
9. Who's Stupid & Dumb?
1. STELCO SITE DEVELOPMENT NOTES
a) Site walkabout - Tue. June 4
There will be a guided tour of the site for the public this Tuesday between 6-7pm.
(rain or shine). The focus of the tour will be the site remediation -- this has been
completed on the eastern site, and is beginning on the western site. A representative of
Gartner Lee, one of the REON partners, and the company responsible for the site cleanup
will be available. If you're interested, please phone & register with REON: (416)
960-6111 or 1-(866) 422-REON. Meet at the Sales Office on the Windermere and Queensway
corner at 6:00pm. Please wear appropriate clothing and footwear.
Note: REON's message to us, and their
community listing in The Villager located the sales office at Windermere; however there is
no building at the corner, and the sales office is located at the far east end of the
property (Queensway & Ellis). Be prepared, or ask if you call REON!
b) Updates on the development
(See our stelco pages ( http://www.stelco.world19.com
) for more details -- including minutes of the liaision committee meetings (the most
recent one covering the May 6 meeting has a lot of relevant information), and information
on some soil remediation possibilities.)
Some notes:
- Environmental reports are available for reading at the Swanse Town Hall
- A builder has been signed: Cresford Developments who are building a condo
development beside the old Summerhill railway station, and also did the condo conversion
of the former Sears warehouse building at Jarvis & Dundas
- Construction (east side) expected to start in the late fall
- The future of the old Joy Station is still in limbo. Disagreements between the
former lessee & the City over cleanup.
c) Public Meeting - June 27
A public meeting will be held on June 27, 7:30 pm at the Swansea Town Hall with
more information, including design and other site plan information.
2. SOUTHPORT PLAZA DEVELOPMENT - Meeting June 13
Will this sad, half-empty plaza (the old video store must be one of the
longest-running empty businesses around) finally turn around? Turn into what? A proposal
has been made for development, and this will be discussed at a public meeting on Thursday,
June 13, 7:00pm at Swansea Town Hall, charired by David Miller. For more info, call his
constituency office 416 392-4074.
3. ELLIS PARK - Environmental Issues
The long-running battles over this condo development continue. There was a lot of
coverage a week or so about possible pollution run-off from the site into Wendigo Creek.
The concern is that hazardous materials left over from the former gas station may leech
further into the water system during construction. The Provincial Environment Ministry has
resisted doing an assessment unless there was evidence that hazardous materials were
affecting neighbouring properties. One local resident, David MacAlpine pursued the issue
and arranged for environmental testing done by Lake Ontario Keeper, affiliated with Energy
Probe. Gerard Kennedy is pushing the province to do a full environmental assessment. The
results of the tests can be seen at http://www.lakeontariokeeper.org/lok/index.cfm?DSM=toronto
4. SOUTH KINGSWAY - Meeting June 12
A public meeting to discuss the "repaving & greening" of South
Kingsway: 7:00pm Swansea Town Hall. Chaired by David Miller, with City works & traffic
staff.
5. HIGH PARK WALKING TOURS
(from the High Park Citizens' Advisory Committee)
Evening Walking Tours for the spring & summer have begun. Join these
moderately-paced walking tours every other Tuesday evening from May 14 to August 20. Each
tour lasts 1˝ to 2 hours and may go on wooded trails. Please wear appropriate footwear.
Meet at 6:45 p.m. (unless otherwise noted) at the benches across the road from the south
side of the Grenadier Café and Teahouse in High Park. Your $2 donation supports this and
other volunteer programs in High Park.
Dates & details are on our website at http://webhome.idirect.com/~jleeson/high_park_tours.htm
. For more information on walking tours and other volunteer programs, please call
416-392-1748 or 416-392-6916 (Colborne Lodge).
6. BLOOR WEST ECO-VILLAGE WORKSHOP - June 18
The Eco-Village's annual planning workshop to develop ideas and enlist volunteers
to work on strategies for encouraging environmentally sound and economically viable
alternatives. Swansea Town Hall 7:30pm. For info, call 416 766-2862 or visit http://www.geocities.com/bwevTO.
7. WIND POWER: A chance to invest in
a clean environment - June 19
Another public meeting at Swansea Town Hall, June 19 with Windshare, a project of
the Toronto Renewable Energy Co-Op (TREC). Information about the first major urban wind
turbines In North America, how this can contribute to our environmental challengs -- and
how you can invest in clean energy. Details on their website www.windshare.ca, or phone 416 977-5093.
8. WATER "POWER" - consultation meeting
June 4
We've covered water issues before (see our issue #102, available on our website).
See our City Issues page for a link to a Toronto Star editorial on Toronto's water options
"The water is great, so stay out". The following comes from Water Watch:
In Part II of the Walkerton Report published last Friday,
Justice O'Connor added weight to what Water Watch has been saying. He stressed that safety
and accountability are paramount in decisions about how to manage a water system, and the
more direct the accountability, the better. O'Connor also cautions municipalities to
conduct reviews of the water system in the context of his recommendations and the
legislative changes that follow from it, rather than rushing ahead without a clear picture
of the future.
Despite all of that, we expect the City to recommend that we
give up control of our drinking water system, and rush forward toward an ill-defined
arms-length Board that manages our water.
Water Consultation Meeting June 4th, 7 p.m.Committee Room 2 -
Toronto City Hall
For information call Water Watch at 416 820-7889 or call the
City’s Water Advocate, Councillor Irene Jones at 416 397-9273
And finally...
9. "STUPID & DUMB THINGS"
Yes, this could only be about our Mayor. Those living in our neighbourhood may get
a close-up view of next year's mayoralty race. Mel -- as only he is capable of doing --
gave a huge boost to possibly his main 2003 mayoralty opponent, Ward19 Councillor David
Miller . The man who copyrighted "stupid & dumb" recently came out with one
of his stupidest & dumbest sayings yet. (But maybe not his stupidest). One hopes Mel
would have little chance for re-election, but he just gave himself even longer odds.
Read John Barber (and Don Wanagas's) accounts of Mel's latest
attack of Mel-itis (and read Mel's views on "responsible" parenting). See our
city pages: www.city.world19.com.
For world19,
John Leeson
world19:
Supporting citizen involvement in our community and its future.
Phone: 416 766-8605
email: world19@world19.com
web: www.world19.com |