world19News #139
February 1, 2004

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In this issue:
1. Property Assessment & how to appeal
2. Bloor West Residents' Association
3. Federal Election notes
4. Meetings of interest:
   .. David Crombie / Gerard Kennedy
5. Community Garage Sale

1. PROPERTY ASSESSMENT
n a previous newsletter, we passed on a letter that a Village resident was circulating among neighbours about the flaws in the property assessment process carried out by MPAC (Municipal Assessment Assessment Corporation), which was set up by the (previous) provincial government.

Property owners have all received new assessment notices, and in a couple of months, the city will set its 2004 tax rates. Despite its likely mill rate increase of around 3%, residential property owners in this area will inevitably -- as usual -- receive a much larger increase because of MPAC's new assessments.

Our correspondent has sent out new information about how (and why) to appeal property assessments. Visit our website http://www.world19.com for links to all this information.

2. BLOOR WEST RESIDENTS' ASSOCIATION
We've mentioned in previous newsletters a proposal to create a residents' association for the area north of Bloor. A number of local residents have now begun meeting to create this new group. We'll provide updates on this in the future. If you'd like more information, or would like to become involved, email world19 (world19@world19.com).

3. FEDERAL ELECTION NOTES:
Past world19 newsletters have passed on news & rumours regarding potential Liberal challenges to Parkdale-High Park MP Sarmite Bulte. From what we hear, it now appears that Ms Bulte will in fact be running for re-election in the upcoming election. The most frequently mentioned challenger for the Liberal nomination, former City Councillor Korwin-Kuczynski we've heard has a new job in the "security" area that requires him to travel often to Washington.

The other potential challenger we'd reported, Borys Wrzesnewskyj, owner of Future Bakery, is contesting the Liberal nomination in Etobicoke Centre (Alan Rock's current riding)..

Meanwhile, the NDP is holding its nomination meeting Feb. 12. The two candidates -- both are world19 subscribers -- are Greg Hamara (http://www.hamara.ca) and Peggy Nash (http://www.peggynash.ca). We've had no world of a Conservative candidate. (The new Conservative riding association just held its first meeting very recently).

4. MEETINGS OF INTEREST
Two upcoming meetings on the same date:

a) Swansea Historical Society - David Crombie
Wed. Feb. 4, 7:30pm at the Swansea Town Hall (95 Lavinia Ave). The Society's monthly meeting features as guest speaker, former Mayor David Crombie (who was born and grew up in Swansea), speaking on "Swansea - Fifty years after Metropolitan Toronto". Swansea was one of the original 13 municipalities making up Metro Toronto. Visitors welcome.

b) Gerard Kennedy
The Parkdale-High Park MPP and Minister of Education holds his next Community Council meeting at 7:00 pm, Feb. 4 at St. Vincent de Paul Elementary School, 116 Fermanagh Ave., off Roncesvalles. The focus of this meeting is on Education issues.

5. COMMUNITY GARAGE SALE
We recently received the following interesting proposal. world19 has always encouraged ways of fostering community interaction, so we'd be happy to help promote this idea. If you're interested in getting more information or becoming involved, see below for contact information:

I am interested in organizing a community garage sale in the Bloor West Village. Now, I am not thinking your typical street sale. I am thinking more in the range of hundreds of garage sales taking place on the same day. I have been to such an event in Ottawa, called the Great Glebe Garage Sale. (enter this in any search engine for details of their sale). I would like to use their model as a template. The boundaries for such a sale would range from, say, Jane to Glendonwynne, and from Annette to Morningside. Such a sale would be successful only with your interest and participation. I am hoping local community papers would be supportive of this, and offer free space in there papers. Another option would be to collect say $2 from every participant during the sale, and put $1 to the following years marketing costs, and donate the other dollar to a charity. This Village Pillage garage sale idea is still very much in its infancy, but I am hoping to get the (first annual?) sale up and running this spring, perhaps late May or early June. But again, I cannot do this without your help. So if there is anyone that finds this idea at all interesting, or can help in the organization of such an event, please reply to this forum, or email me at villagepillage@yahoo.ca.

Looking forward to your feedback
Terry Pater (village resident for 35 years)

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