All posts by Ric Amis

Toronto Waterfront Summit – Oct. 27 & 28

You’re invited to Toronto’s first Waterfront Summit! This unique event will bring together stakeholders from across our city’s waterfront – from Etobicoke to Scarborough. Together, we will hear from thought-provoking speakers and work on solutions to urgent issues facing our waterfront.

Experts and organizations ranging from community groups to governmental and business interests will share their waterfront passions, goals, and stories in panel discussions and workshops. Together, we will strive to elevate civic engagement and shape the future of our waterfront.

The Waterfront Summit will take place at the modern and sustainable George Brown College waterfront campus. A detailed agenda and workshop sign-ups will be published soon. Don’t miss out on this special event. Reserve your spot today – RSVP!

Date: Friday Oct. 27th  and Saturday Oct. 28th
Time: Fri. 7:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m. and Sat. 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m
Place: 51 Dockside Drive (George Brown Waterfront Campus)

Milky Way Garden Design Reveal – Oct 7

Celebrate the successful purchase of Parkdale Neighbourhood Land Trust (PNLT) & Greenest City’s first piece of community-owned land and get a first-hand look at the 3-D model design!
Enjoy delectable hot chocolate and mulled cider, local fruits of the season, $2 samosas and momos plates of food.

Tours of Greenest City’s spaces and places

RSVP

Date: Saturday, Oct.. 7th
Time: 3:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.
Place: Behind the Parkdale Library and 201 Cowan Ave.

Queen St. West Restaurant Study Consultation – Sept 27

The City is holding a Community Consultation meeting where you can learn more about this study, ask questions, and share your comments.

In 2013 City of Toronto Planning staff completed a study of restaurants and related uses along Queen Street West between Dufferin Street and Roncesvalles Avenue and the impact that these were having on other commercial uses along Queen Street West as well as on the surrounding residential uses north and south of the street.

Upon completion of the Study, City Council passed By-laws 1049-2013 and 1050-2013 placing certain restrictions on restaurants such as limiting their size and location within a building. Additionally, these By-laws placed a maximum on the number of restaurants permitted to be located in Areas A-D (see map) limiting the concentration of licensed restaurants to no more than 25% of the properties along Queen within each of these areas (with the exception of Area D at 33%).

City Council directed City staff to evaluate the impact of this concentration provision and to report back to City Council before the end of 2017. The purpose of this Community Consultation meeting is to present some preliminary findings related to this concentration provision and to obtain feedback from the Community.

To help complete the required analysis, the City retained the services of consultation firm Three Sixty Collective who will present their preliminary findings and will be available to respond to questions.

Date: Wednesday, Sept.. 27th
Time: 7:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.
Place: 20 West Lodge Avenue, May Robinson Auditorium

On Common Ground Festival – Sept. 15/16/17

The On Common Ground festival features an engaging mix of culturally-diverse music, dance, storytelling, theatre, visual arts, local food, and family-friendly activities in celebration of Canada 150. This three-day festival will launch the world premiere of Miigis by Red Sky Performance. Melding contemporary Indigenous dance and live music, Miigis explores a journey from the Atlantic Coast to the Great Lakes.

For more information click here.

Date: Friday Sept. 15 to Sunday Sept. 17th
Time: 11:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m.
Place: Old Fort York and The Bentway

Exhibition Place Community Consultation – Sept. 19

You are cordially invited to attend Exhibition Place upcoming Community Liaison Consultation Meeting on September 19th at Beanfield Centre. Use the link below to obtain event details and where to RSVP:
https://www.explace.on.ca/about/community-info/community-liaison-public-meeting-september-19-2017

There is an  article worth reading in last Saturdays Globe by Alex Bozikovic about Exhibition Place: https://beta.theglobeandmail.com/news/toronto/for-year-round-relevance-torontos-exhibition-place-needs-a-makeover/article36215090/?ref=http://www.theglobeandmail.com&

Date: Tuesday, Sept. 19th
Time: 6:30 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.
Place: Beanfield Centre, Meeting Room 203 (across from Enercare Centre)

2017 Roncesvalles Polish Festival – Sept. 16-17

Enjoy great local and international music, including Polish folklore, Polka and Euro dance bands, and entertainment from near and far on multiple stages. Saturday night enjoy the ever-popular Dance Under The Stars polka party. Come out and sample fantastic cuisine from over 40 renowned restaurants, cafes, bakeries, and bistros, along Roncesvalles, and of course, lots of traditional Polish fare, including pierogi, kielbasa, bigos, cabbage rolls, and much much more!

Cześć! Join the festivities on Saturday September 16th and Sunday September 17th for North America’s largest celebration of Polish culture in Toronto.

For more info click here.

Community Benefits Workshops for Parkdale – Aug. 30 & Sept. 7

The Parkdale Community Economic Development (PCED) is hosting a series of Community Benefits Workshops for Parkdale on Wednesday August 30th and Thursday September 7th*.

Come learn about new developments arriving in Parkdale, discuss how they will impact the neighbourhood, and collectively develop ideas for how these developments can be best leveraged to benefit our community.

Building on workshops held earlier this summer with ESL students and the PARC Ambassador and Co-op Cred program, these workshops will provide a platform for community members to express their thoughts and suggestions on how to ensure that new developments in Parkdale benefit the local community and strengthen its four overarching values: Inclusiveness, Affordability, Diversity and Equity. The workshops will help to establish a set of community demands that developers must adhere to when building in Parkdale.

Food and refreshments will be provided. Please note that the library is wheelchair accessible. Contact mzayas@parc.on.ca for childcare and/or translation needs.

Spaces are limited. RSVP encouraged but not required: https://parkdale-community-benefits-workshops.eventbrite.ca

*Please note that these workshops are identical and participants need only sign up for one workshop.

Date: Wednesday, Aug. 30th
Time: 6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.
Place: 1303 Queen St W. – Parkdale Library (basement)

Date: Thursday, Sept.. 7th
Time: 6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.
Place: 1303 Queen St W. – Parkdale Library (basement)

Bonnie Briggs passing

Bonnie Briggs, a housing activist and poet who was 64, died suddenly Friday at her Parkdale home.

Bonnie worked tirelessly on homelessness and affordable housing in Parkdale and beyond. She was a member of the Parkdale Residents Association Executive for the past 2 years; along with chairing the Tiny Houses project and as a board member of the Parkdale Neighbourhood Land Trust.

Her generosity and compassion is cherished by all the people who met and worked with her.

Laneway Housing Information Session by PRA

The City of Toronto is considering Laneway Suites (housing). A laneway house is a smaller, detached home located where the garage would normally go on a single-family lot.

Join us at an information session to learn more about laneway housing and how it can affect Parkdale!

Sign up HERE.

Please read the following links:

Lanescape – A laneway housing advocacy group
http://lanescape.ca/

Toronto Star – Laneway suites could open up new Toronto housing possibilities
https://www.thestar.com/…/laneway-suites-could-open-up-new-…

CBC News – Laneway housing a step closer to reality after community consultations
http://www.cbc.ca/…/metrom…/laneway-housing-report-1.4029590

City is Welcoming Your Comments Re Short-Term Rentals

On June 19, 2017, the City of Toronto Executive Committee directed Municipal Licensing & Standards (ML&S) and City Planning to consult the public on proposed zoning bylaw amendments and licensing and registration framework. The proposed regulations are to:

  •  Amend the City’s zoning bylaws to create a new land use called “short-term rental” that is permitted in principal residences across the city;
  •  Prohibit short-term rentals that are not in a person’s principal residence;
  • License companies that facilitate short-term rental activity, like Airbnb; and
  • Create a registry for anyone who operates a short-term rental in their home.

If you have concerns or interests about these proposed rules for short-term rentals (e.g. Airbnb) in the neighbourhood, the City invites you to express those concerns in an online survey. It takes about ten minutes to complete. The survey will be available online until August 18, 2017.  The input that you provide will inform the final recommendations that staff will report to City Council in the fourth quarter of 2017.

For more information, please visit toronto.ca/mlshaveyoursay. Please note that public consultation meeting dates will be made available online once they are finalized.