Fires on Laxton Ave.

Community, Local Interest

We are extremely concerned to hear of at least the third major fire on Laxton Avenue in Parkdale within a 1 year period. 

Laxton Avenue is a small street — approximately 210 meters long — south of Queen St. W. that runs east-west between Dowling Avenue and Jameson Avenue.  There is a mix of houses on the street and low-to-mid rise apartment buildings. 

In May 2021, there was a fire at the rooming house at 9 Laxton Avenue. Then on 2 December 2021, there was a fire at the Native Family Services residence at the northeast corner of Laxton Avenue and Dowling Avenue. Now, last night (17 January 2022), there was a fire at 4 Laxton Avenue. 
This is concerning for such a small street.

 There have also been several major fires elsewhere in Parkdale, including the January 2021 fire which displaced 12 men from a rooming house at 24 Callender Street; several apartment building fires on and near Jameson Avenue; and a significant fire at the southwest corner of Dowling Avenue and King Street West in December 2019.  

What is being done in terms of promoting fire prevention and fire safety in Parkdale? 

11 Brock Ave. (old LCBO) Update

Announcement, Community, Local Interest

City Council approved to lease the site at 11 Brock Ave. (at Noble St.) to a non-profit housing provider, yet to be determined, to develop and operate 40 affordable and supportive rental homes in a new 4-storey building.

The City and CreateTO have done additional due-diligence work on the site and they are now ready to proceed with the demolition of the existing building. Site activity will begin including construction crew and equipment on-site and installation of fencing mid-January.

Happy New Year Parkdalians!

Announcement, Community, Local Interest
Queen Street looking west from Dufferin in this 1898 view by photographer Josiah Bruce

As 2021 comes to an end, we want to thank you so much for supporting your community. This New Year’s Eve, the Executive from your Parkdale Residents Association wish you and your loved ones a safe and happy 2022. May it be a wonderful year for you.

We encourage you to give back to the community in any way that you can – whether it is donating non-perishable goods, volunteering in the community, or doing a good deed.

Here are just three suggestions of local groups doing good things: Parkdale Neighbourhood Land Trust, Parkdale Project Reads and Parkdale Activity Recreation Centre.

We wanted to share with you some of our highlights from 2021 that help build community…

Parkdale Hub Project (Queen W. & Cowan), West Queen West Area Study (Bathurst to Roncy), Parkdale Main Street Heritage District Study, new condo/rental developments along Queen West, King-Queen-Queensway-Roncesvalles (KQQR) intersection construction, Wabash Community Rec Centre development (Sorauren Park), Exhibition Place Master Plan, Ontario Place re-development, Laneway housing, greening Parkdale, affordable housing.

Very best wishes to ALL Parkdalians!!

Ontario Place Redevelopment – Dec. 14

Announcement, Community

On December 14, the Ministry of Heritage, Sport, Tourism, and Culture Industries is partnering with Infrastructure Ontario to host a virtual technical information session to share more information with the public on areas of work required to prepare the site for redevelopment.

At this upcoming Site Preparation Technical Information Session, the public will learn more about site preparation work that the province will be undertaking, including:

  • Environmental due diligence and approvals
  • Heritage conservation
  • Utility and site servicing replacement
  • Repairs to the Pods and Cinesphere
  • Design of the public realm

If you would like to join the Ministry’s event, here are the details:
Date: December 14, 2021

Time: 5 p.m. – 6:30 p.m.

Location: Zoom

KQQR Intersection & Closure of King Street West

Announcement, Community, Local Interest

Starting the week of November 8, Queen Street West and Roncesvalles Ave. will reopen to through traffic at the intersection of King Street West, The Queensway, Queen Street West and Roncesvalles Ave. (KQQR). Once reopened, King Street West will close from Queen Street West to Wilson Park Road to allow for Stage 2 construction work. Travel lanes will continue to be reduced on The Queensway from the KQQR intersection to Parkside Drive; however, a minimum of one shared travel lane in each direction will be maintained at all times.

Ex Place Public Consultation x 2 – Oct. 28 & Nov. 2

Announcement
Hotel X Phase 2 Concept Drawing

There are two Public Consultations coming up regards Exhibition Place. The first is their semi-annual info session & public feedback – Oct. 28, 7-9 PM, and the second is regards their Strategic Plan 2022-2026 – Nov. 2, 6-7:30 PM. Due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, both meetings are held virtually.

Over the past six years, local area Residents’ Associations have come together to ask for better visioning of these iconic 192-acres of City-owned land. We’ve been instrumental in establishing the City’s Exhibition Place Master Plan – now in its second phase. We’ve asked for local representation and more diversity (Indigenous, arts, heritage, architecture, etc.) on the Board of Governors of Exhibition Place. Where is the public in the major expansion of Hotel X Phase 2 (another 30-storey hotel and 7,000 seat events centre)? What is the relationship between what’s happening at Ontario Place directly south of Exhibition Place and the effects this will all have on the area residents? Make sure your voice is heard and attend both these events.

Community Liaison Consultation Meeting, Thursday, October 28, 7-9 PM
Connect to the Meeting on Zoom
https://us06web.zoom.us/j/3476398103?pwd=WEtHK0llaWZmTWtmTnhPUlVqRmlGUT09
To join the meeting with audio-only call
647-374-4685 or 647-558-0588 / Meeting ID – 347 639 8103 / Meeting Passcode – 0

Exhibition Place 2022-2026 Strategic Plan – Public Consultation Session, Tuesday, November 2, 6-7:30 PM
Connect to the Meeting on Zoom
https://us06web.zoom.us/j/83767529430?pwd=dTVreXJLQXFzdVNrTUp0aVpZUzdJUT09
To join the meeting with audio-only call
647-374-4685 or 647-558-0588 / Meeting ID – 837 6752 9430, Meeting Passcode – 0

Fun Things to Do Close-by and On-line

Announcement

#ArtonQueenWest Art Gallery Outdoor Pop-up: Take a tour of this art exhibition down the alleyways on either side of the St. Patrick’s Market building. 238 Queen St. W.

Exploring Exhibition Place: Free guided walking tour is led by Bruce Van Dieten, a member of the local community, and will touch on various architectural and historical highlights of the site. Tour begins at Princes’ Gates. October 17 at 1 PM. https://www.explace.on.ca/…/exploring-exhibition-place…/

Ghost Walks Exhibition Place: A two-hour tour that will take you through our haunted past. 2 Manitoba Dr. October 8-29.https://www.eventbrite.ca/…/ghost-walks-at-exhibition…

Haunted Cinema Drive-In: This Halloween, catch a scary movie at Ontario Place in the comfort of your own car. 955 Lake Shore Blvd. W., October 26-31.https://ontarioplace.com/en/drive-in/

Luminato 2021: From immersive theatre to podcasts, public art installations to dance and film, Luminato brings Toronto’s arts and culture to you live and online. October 13-17. https://luminatofestival.com/

Mini Art Crawl on Toronto Island: Explore local artists’ works displayed in elevated miniature display cases as you stroll along the island’s cosy streets. View the map here > https://torontoisland.org/tiny-galleries/

Walk Liberty: Enjoy this interactive portal inviting you to explore the rich history, public spaces, and dynamic and eclectic businesses of Liberty Village. https://storymaps.arcgis.com/…/3a13ce09781d424094c496d7…

ImagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival: The world’s largest Indigenous festival showcasing film, video, audio, and digital and interactive media made by Indigenous screen-content creators. October 19-24.

Greenest City Harvest Festival – Oct. 17

Announcement, Community, Local Interest

You are invited to join Greenest City’s annual Harvest Festival on Sunday, October 17th in the Milky Way Community Garden (87 Milky Way – behind the Parkdale Library). The event starts at 3 PM. You can find out the itinerary for the day HERE.

For years, the Harvest Festival has been a way for Greenest City to gather with neighbours, partners, friends, families and otherwise plant-obsessed Autumn frolickers to celebrate the season and offer gratitude for all of the energy and inspiration gleaned from this vibrant community. As with most community events in recent times, this will be a little different than in previous years to ensure that everyone is following COVID safety guidelines.

To maintain safety, they are asking that folks bring their masks and maintain social distance. They will have a limited capacity at the event to ensure that they are not overcapacity. 

To RSVP – please call 647 438 0038 or email sandra@greenestcity.ca