All posts by Ric Amis

Feedback Needed on 1117 Queen St. W. (old Canada Post Stn. C)

The 1117 Queen West Neighbourhood Survey is available for circulation. Please share with your neighbours and groups.

We want to hear your vision for 1117 Queen St W, Lisgar Park and our neighbourhood. The historic Postal Station C at 1117 Queen Street West has been sold by Canada Post and the new owner is proposing to redevelop the building. In one proposal, the owner has offered to make space available for community use in the building in exchange for more height. This version of the new owner’s plan suggests a contribution of (approximately) 1.5 storeys of community space in exchange for a 29-storey building.

The current 2-storey building was built in 1902 and the exterior remains in its original form, except for the back porch/loading dock. Both floors are large open spaces with high ceilings and plenty of natural light.

A small group of local advocates formed the West Queen West Community Post (WQWCP) – and have acted as stewards for the building since its sale was announced in the summer of 2021. This group of volunteers recently succeeded in getting the property designated by the City of Toronto under the Ontario Heritage Act.

WQWCP has put this survey together to engage the community and garner sentiment on a number of issues involving the building itself, Lisgar Park, West Queen West and our wider city.

We’d love to get your opinions about the future of the building and our neighbourhood. We’re looking to surface a collective vision!

The survey should only take a few minutes. You don’t need to answer every question, but the more you share with us the more nuanced our conversations can be with the building owner, City Councillor, and City Planning staff.

Note: survey participants will need to provide their email address in confidence

URL link http://tiny.cc/1117survey

Town Hall on Making Transit Safe – Apr. 20

Next Thursday, MP Artif Virani, MPP Bhutila Karpoche, and Councillor Gord Perks will host a town hall on making transit safe for everyone. This is an opportunity to give your three levels of Parkdale-High Park representatives feedback on how you think safety on the TTC can be improved.

Date: Thursday, April 20th, 2023 
Time: 6:30-8:30 PM 
Location: Bishop Marrocco Secondary School  at 1515 Bloor Street West, Toronto

Ontario Place Public Consultations – April 15th

The City of Toronto will be hosting an all-day public consultation on the development proposal from 12.30 PM – 4.30 PM at Beanfield Centre, Exhibition Place, 105 Princes’ BlvdNo registration is required, just show up! 

Attend an in-person consultation this Saturday, where City staff will break down the Province’s revitalization of Ontario Place proposal, and offer breakout rooms focused on particular aspects of the redevelopment proposal.

12.30 PM to 1.30 PM – Overview
1.30 PM to 4.30 PM – Themed Breakout Discussion Tables

Summer Youth Paddling Program

The Sunnyside Paddling Club is holding a Summer Camp for youth ages 7–17 through July and August. The program introduces kids to paddling disciplines such as kayaks, outrigger canoes, stand-up paddle boards (SUP) and Dragon Boat. The program will have a balance of technical instruction along with fun and play-based learning. Sunnyside Paddling Club is a Toronto community-based non-profit organization dedicated to the promotion and facilitation of paddle sports.

Register at: https://www.sunnysidepaddlingclub.com/youth-program

Have questions or want to learn more about the program? Contact them at youth@sunnysidepc.ca

150 Dunn Community Open House – Mar. 30

West Neighbourhood House and Parkdale Peoples Economy are hosting a community event at the Parkdale Intercultural Centre – 1365 Queen Street West this coming Thursday, March 30th from 4-7 PM.

There will be food, a raffle, dialogue, and information about the supportive housing being built at 150 Dunn Ave. (Unity Health Network hospital lands).

Eventbrite registration is here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/community-open-house-150-dunn-avenue-tickets-577840114337

340-376R Dufferin Street – Virtual Community Consultation Meeting – Mar. 28

Date: Tuesday, March 28th, 6:00-8:00 PM

This is a City-led meeting presenting the development proposal for 340-376R Dufferin St. and 2 Melbourne Ave. to the local community for the opportunity to answer questions and take feedback. Councillor Perks and City Planning staff will be attending.

You can review development application plans and/or REGISTER by selecting 340 Dufferin Street on page 2 – https://www.toronto.ca/community-people/get-involved/public-consultations/city-planning-consultations/

Hallmark Sun Life has submitted a development application for 340-376R Dufferin St. and 2 Melbourne Ave. Their proposal plans for 4 towers ranging in height from two mid-rise buildings (6 and 11-storeys) and two tall buildings (21 and 25 storeys) above a series of linked base buildings that are configured around a courtyard and privately-owned publicly-accessible open space (POPS).

We would like to bring to your attention that looking to the West the development is moving into a well-established historically mature neighbourhood of low-rise housing – Parkdale. To the East of the development are historically industrial lands following the rail tracks. Lands along the rail line have traditionally been zoned industrial and rezoned to mixed-use (i.e. commercial on the ground floor and residential above). The tall towers in this proposal look to the East for reference and validation and tend to skew the conversation. Community benefits need to be more fully discussed.

1437-1445 Queen St. W. Pre-Development Event – Mar. 22

STANFORD HOMES, property owner of 1437-1455 Queen St West, is holding an On-line Community Meeting to share preliminary plans for a mixed-use development on this site near the Queen and Jameson intersection.

Date: Wednesday, March 22nd, 6-7:30 PM

Link to Join: https://toronto.webex.com/toronto/onstage/g.php?MTID=eab350fb021334940dba996e939d3deaf

The meeting will be an early opportunity for the community to review a presentation by STANFORD HOMES and to ask questions and provide comments.

Councillor Perks and City Planning staff will be in attendance.

CreateTO Parkdale Hub Phase 3 Virtual Meeting – Mar. 8

CreateTO Parkdale Hub Phase 3 Virtual Meeting on Wed., Mar. 8 from 6:30 PM to 8:30 PM.

Register and join the meeting online via Zoom by visiting the project webpage: www.parkdalehub.ca or https://thirdpartypublic.zoom.us/…/tZIpd-mprzkqGdNifm8…

Join by phone dial 647-558-0588 and enter Meeting ID: 864 0011 2037To ask a question during the session, press *9 to “raise your hand.”

They encourage you to join a few minutes before 6:30 p.m. to allow yourself time to log on.