In this issue:
1. world19 at the Yimby Festival
2. wordl19 on CBC Radio, Oct. 29
3. Reader responses
4. "Let's all Hate Toronto"
5. Preserving local history
6. Swansea Bake & Craft Sale
7. South Kingsway/Queensway intersection
1. WORLD19 AT THE YIMBY FESTIVAL -
Oct. 27
This Saturday, the Gladstone Hotel
is hosting the second annual "YIMBY Festival ("YES, In My
Backyard") -- a "one day gathering of neighbourhood groups and
associations". world19 will be participating. The event (a
"family friendly event") is open to anyone who wants to find out
more about neighbourhood groups (or to start one!)
It is on 11am-5pm, on the second
floor of the Gladstone, 1214 Queen St. W, one block east of
Dufferin.
Below is the notice of the event
As Toronto continues to densify,
as our neighbourhoods get larger and more complex, how does
the citizen express hope, dreams and new ideas for the city?
Through the neighbourhood group!!! Come out and see
what happens behind the scenes of making Toronto such a
great city. Talk to people who are making a difference! Join
groups and get informed! Be the citizen you always wanted!
Last year's YIMBY Festival was
attended by 42 associations and hundreds of visitors
including policy makers such as Mayor Miller, city
councilors, MP's and MPP's - they came to listen to you! The
focus of this festival is on positive and decisive change.
This election brings galvanized energy and ideas to
municipal politics. As much as Neighbourhoods get unfairly
labeled as NIMBY, we know them to be the instruments of some
of the best urban policy and ideas. Your group can make a
difference.
Neighbourhood Associations and groups have the power and the
knowledge. Let's network and see what we can do!!!!
2. WORLD19 ON CBC RADIO
The big vote on the "Taxes" issue
has finished, but the echoes are still being heard.
On Monday, Oct. 29, Shelagh
Rogers will review the issue and controversy on her show,
"Sounds Like Canada". She will discuss Toronto's financial
woes and hopes for the future with three guests: Christopher
Hume of the Toronto Star, Von Palmer of the Toronto
Real Estate Board, and Elizabeth Lines of world19.
Tune in: CBC Radio One (99.1 FM
in the Toronto area). This segment will take place in the
first half hour, between 10-10:30am. (You can also listen
live online at
http://www.cbc.ca/listen/index.html
. Pick any time zone you want. If you want to hear the show
at 9am, select somewhere in the Atlantic provinces).
3. READER RESPONSES
Related to the tax issuer, our
newsletters on this issue raised more response than we've had in
a very long time; many agreed with our views and thanked us for
the campaign, others disagreed, often strongly, and cancelled
their subscriptions.
And we continue to get very positive
comments about our public forum on Toronto held Oct. 17. (We got
many more new subscribers than left us, so we are growing
again!).
4. MORE ON TORONTO: "Let's all Hate
Toronto"
A TV documentary on CBC Newsworld
this Sunday:
THE LENS
(Sunday October 28 at 10pm ET/PT on CBC Newsworld)
LET'S ALL HATE TORONTO (90 minutes)
More about love than hate, Let's All Hate Toronto is the
hilarious barn-burning adventure into Canada's other
national pastime - bashing Toronto. The first film ever made
on the subject, the filmmakers take the insane approach,
sending a "Mister Toronto" across the nation, holding
"Toronto Appreciation Days" at his own peril. Canada
basically goes berserk. But does Toronto really suck? Or is
Canada just afraid of growing up?
Discuss this film online.
http://www.cbc.ca/thelens/program_281007.html
5. PRESERVING LOCAL HISTORY
A newsletter subscriber sent us the
following note about threats to some local historical
artifacts at the Keele St. firestation.
Hello Friends. If you
appreciate the greening and historical displays done by
the Firefighters' Association at the firehall on Keele
between Annette and
Dupont, please write an email to David Miller and to Fire
Chief Stewart, asking
them to restore the heraldic crest / sign that was taken
down a couple of weeks
ago. Apparently David Miller would like to see it restored
and is looking for
public support to get it back up. I understand that nothing
about the sign
offends any official policy.
I understand that these kind of concerns could also threaten
the presence of the
little historical garden, and display of historical
artifacts in the future.
Sooner is better than later, as the Mayor's promise to act
is recent. Here is a
copy of my email to the Mayor and Fire Chief below, which
you may use for
inspiration.
(Michele Goland is the Mayor's assistant on this matter. W.
Stewart is the Fire
Chief)
thanks All,
Abby Bushby
6. SOUTH KINGSWAY/QUEENSWAY
INTERSECTION
Proposals for a major re-design of
the intersection, to make it a more "urban" design, friendlier
to pedestrians and cyclists has received a lot of attention. And
opposition from area residents suggesting the city's proposal
would make for a very dangerous design.
The final decision has not yet been
made. This week's NOW weekly carries a story about it, and there
will be more in a future world19 newsletter.
For world19,
John Leeson
Supporting citizen involvement in
our community and its future.
email: mail@world19.com