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about events or issues affecting our community.
City issues this time, especially on transportation:
In this issue:
1. Waterfront Revitalization - public meetings
2. Union Station secret deal - public forum
3. Stopping the Front Street Expressway
4. Rocket Riders: Transit in Crisis
5. Village Notes
1. WATERFRONT REVITALIZATION - public
meetings
Toronto's waterfront may soon be undergoing drastic (and expensive) changes
affecting all of us. The Waterfront Revitalization Corporation is scheduling a series of
public meetings in November. A public forum will be held in this neighbourhood this week:
Wednesday, November 6, 2002 West Toronto, 7 to 9:30 p.m. The Old Mill, Balmoral Room 21
Old Mill Road (right beside Old Mill Subway)
There are also a series of issue-specific meetings to be held
later this month. See the city website below for details. (We will also have them posted
on our website later today or Monday. See www.city.world19.com).
The Waterfront Corporation: www.towaterfront.ca
The City's waterfront pages: http://www.city.toronto.on.ca/waterfront/index.htm
2. UNION STATION 'SECRET DEAL'
St. Lawrence Centre Public Forum
Monday Nov. 4, 7:30pm
27 Front Street East, 2 blocks east of Union Station
Admission is free, capacity 500
416 366-1656 - http://forum.stlc.com
From the St. Lawrence Centre Forum: "Toronto city
council may be giving away Union Station. Council is currently negotiating -- behind
closed doors -- a contract with the Union Pearson group to give it control over Union
Station for the next 99 years."
What's in the deal, why is it secret, will it protect this
important building, improve transportation?
Speakers include Jane Jacobs, John Barber, Dave Jeannes
(Transport 2000). Moderator is Lisa Rochon, architecture critic for the Globe & Mail.
Before the meeting, John Sewell will conduct a brief tour of
Union Station, beginning at 6:30pm, meeting at the clock on Front St. For more info: http://www.saveunionstation.ca/ or http://toronto.ca/union_station/index.htm
3. FRONT ST. EXPRESSWAY
As mentioned in a recent newsletters, a group is trying to stop the building of the
Front St. Extension as a 6-lane ("1950's-style") expressway. This is deemed part
of the Waterfront Revitalization. See their website for details: http://battlefront.respect.to/, The website
includes a PDF format petition. They are hoping to collect 5000 signatures by the end of
November.
And further on the transportation theme:
4. ROCKET RIDERS RALLY "TRANSIT IN CRISIS"
Nov. 12, 7pm
Jane Mallett Theatre, St. Lawrence Centre
TTC cuts and fare hikes now; more likely next year. Service is deteriorating,
"promised" funds from the province and feds (if they come) may not be enough to
restore the TTC to what it was -- and could be. The transit advocacy group Rocket Riders (http://www.rocketriders.org/) are sponsoring a
transit rally to build support for a strong transit system.
5. VILLAGE NOTES
The empty triple store fronts on Bloor (the former Cheese Boutique and Book
Barrell) we hear may become home to a much-expanded Shoppers Drug Mart.
A couple of bad trends:
a) Garbage.
It may be a legacy of the garbage strike when people found it convenient and
acceptable to leave garbage anyplace that someone else had. We've noticed since then,
people leaving bags of garbage on main streets beside the street waste bins, or just set
down somewhere on a sidewalk, where it soon collects more garbage.
b) Graffiti:
Getting more extensive, including the latest "trend" of scratching
initials into plate glass windows that have to be replaced. A small meeting was held
recently with residents, businesses, police and David Miller on Annette dealing with the
problem.
A postive note:
One more note on the transit theme: I attended a very good meeting on "People
and Cars" organized by the Roncesvalles Macdonnell Residents' Association. They
sponsor monthly public forums on topics of community interest. A good, active, involving
community group. Unfortunately, in Bloor West Village, there isn't a residents'
association north of Bloor. We'd always be interested to hear from people interested in
becoming involved in such a group.
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 |