The CNE at Home virtual fair is being launched with a special live broadcast streamed on the CNE website here: https://theex.com/main/entertainment/cne-at-home/special-events/opening-ceremonies along with media coverage, taking place today, Friday at 10 AM.
The SummerWorks festival is happening. Colourful messages by artist Mark Reinhart written in duct tape adorn the sides of public and private buildings throughout our neighbourhood of Parkdale and along Queen West. Created in collaboration with organizations and residents in the Parkdale community, these temporary public art installations help people remember, be seen, and communicate their fears, wonderings, anxieties, and hopes in a COVID-19 reality.
Installations will be added continuously throughout the month of August. Follow the progress of this project using the MAP found HERE, on their Instagram stories, or by safely exploring the Parkdale and Queen West neighbourhood. You can also follow the project on Instagram – and add your own photos – at #HealthAndSafetyNotes
Community partners: Antikka, Artery, BAND (Black Artists’ Network in Dialogue), Gallery 1313, Kate Duncan, Andrew Kerr, PARC (Parkdale Activity-Recreation Centre), STEPS, The Theatre Centre, Toronto Media Arts Centre (TMAC), Workman Arts, Women in Paint
ParksPlayTO is a FREE drop-in program that offers fun for the whole family.
This program is available at Masaryk Park on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 1:15 pm to 4:30 pm. Families will participate in a two-hour program including activities such as nature and gardening, active games, arts and crafts, family fitness, story-telling and music circles.
Greenest City wants to help you grow!
Greenest City is now offering balcony gardening kits. They believe that everyone should have the opportunity to cultivate fresh fruits and veggies. People with no garden space but interested in growing their own food on a balcony or window space this is for you.
In the kit provided at no cost, you will receive:
Register now as kits are limited: Phone: 647-438-0038, Email Nicolas: gardens@greenestcity.ca
We are at a critical point for the future of Ontario Place. The Ford government has instituted a bit of a pause in its plans to develop the precious lakeside park and heritage site. It’s asked the three finalists to rework their proposals and has reached out to the Mayor of Toronto, promising that the City of Toronto will have a major say in what happens to Ontario Place.
Make sure Premier Ford, Minister MacLeod and Mayor Tory hear your voice. Send them a letter, your own or the one available below, demanding an open and transparent consultation process for the future of Ontario Place.
One of the lessons we have all learned from the Covid-19 pandemic is the importance of open public space where people can gather safely. It is clear that Toronto does not have enough park space, especially in the downtown, and cannot afford to lose any of what it now has to a private developer.
Now, more than ever, we need both the City and the province to consult with the public, open and transparently, about what they would like to see at a revitalized Ontario Place. The public owns the 155-acre site, and we should have a say in its future additions to the site.
Since the City’s Street PLAY program is cancelled how about using our laneways to program activities? Here is a handy guide to organizing a laneway activity that can have a particular purpose or just be for fun.
You do NOT need a road closure permit for a laneway event, because you cannot put any fixed set-up in the laneway. Keep it temporary and be ready to move it (car coming!) or use the non-right-of-way areas (parking pads, backyards, etc.).
Turn Your Street Into a Playground This Fall – deadline July 1
With so many playgrounds still closed due to COVID-19, children need a place to play outside now more than ever. Consider signing up for Street PLAY, a city program that allows residents to shut down their streets for certain hours, allowing children to play safely and freely right outside their homes. (It has been a popular initiative in Seaton Village: read about the benefits at the Street PLAY site here.)
It’s FREE, but you must act fast: Apply by Wednesday, July 1 to temporarily close off your street to traffic this fall from September 1 through October 31. Learn more here and apply for your permit here.
Parkdale Neighbours – it saddens us to have to draw attention to this incident of racism in our community. Amico’s Pizza is a neighbourhood establishment and they must know we will not overlook or condone their harmful silence, nor the alleged wrongful dismissal of Tyler Daniel. We urge them to take further action to make amends for the damages done and assure the community that customers and employees will be treated with respect. We don’t want to see harmful retaliation against the establishment, we would like to express solidarity in how Parkdale can move forward with meaningful change. Concerned residents can offer support by donating to the Black Legal Action Centre – https://www.blacklegalactioncentre.ca/
https://www.instagram.com/chefboytd/
https://www.instagram.com/amicospizzato/
Parkdale–High Park MP Arif Virani invites you to join him TONIGHT at 7 p.m. for a Facebook Live discussion on Anti-Black Racism – He will be joined by an incredible panel of guests including:
You can follow Arif on his Facebook Page HERE.