Affordable Housing Options Info Session by PRA & PNLT – Mar. 14

Community, Local Interest, Meetings
Options for new affordable housing in Parkdale

Please join us for a Panel Discussion on the options for creating new affordable housing in Parkdale.

Toronto is experiencing a housing affordability crisis. Rents are skyrocketing, pricing low and middle income people our of their communities, while home-ownership is increasingly unattainable for the majority of Torontonians.

In Parkdale and beyond residents have demanded “affordable housing now!” This begs the question what options do we have for creating more affordable housing in Parkdale?

Panelists will provide an introduction to the opportunities and challenges of some of these options including: Cooperative Housing, Affordable Home Ownership, inclusionary zoning, non-profit rental housing and Community Land Trusts.
We will also discuss possible solutions.

Speakers:
Mercedes Sharp – Parkdale People’s Economy – What is affordable?
Anjala Kulasegaram – Cooperative Housing Federation of Toronto
ArtScape – Affordable Housing Ownership For Artists
Cheri DiNovo – Inclusionary Zoning – How will it create affordable housing for Parkdale

This information session is jointly presented by the Parkdale Neighbourhood Land Trust. You can register HERE.
Date: Wed., March 14th, 2018
Time: 6:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.
Place: 20 West Lodge Avenue, May Robinson Auditorium

Free 2017 Tax Clinic – Mar. 3, 17 & Apr. 7

Announcement, Community

MP Arif Virani is hosting three FREE tax clinics for residents of Parkdale-High Park area to have their taxes done  for the 2017 year.

Who qualifies to have their taxes prepared?

  • Singles with incomes below $30,000
  • Couples with incomes below $40,000
  • Adults with a dependent $35,000 (with $2,500 added for each additional dependent)

Clinic #1:
Date: Saturday, March 3
Time: 9am-4pm
Location: Cooper Mills gym, 4020 Dundas West

Clinic #2:
Date: Saturday, March 17
Time: 9am-4pm
Location: 245 Dunn Ave Recreation Room

Clinic #3:
Date: Saturday, April 7
Time: 9am-4pm
Location: 100 High Park Recreation Room

If you would like to know if you qualify for these services, please contact MP Arif Virani office, 416-769-5072, to book an appointment. *For the 2017 tax year*

 

SmartTrack & GO Stations project update – March 1

Announcement, Community

SmartTrack & GO Stations project update and to share your feedback.

Cycle TO have been working with stakeholders to push for a bridge to Liberty Village and expanding Railpath up to St. Clair Smart Track Station. As well they have been working with other community groups to have a multi-use trail run along the Barrie line from Railpath at Dundas up to Earlscourt Park connecting in the middle with the new GO Station at Bloor/Lansdowne. This public meeting will cover a lot and not in great detail but if you go stand up and say you support the above initiatives.

Date: Thursday, March 1, 2018
Time: 6:30 pm – 8:30 pm
Place: 1573 Bloor St. W. (Lithuanian House)

Town Hall on Women’s Empowerment and Gender Equality – Feb. 21

Announcement, Community

Join MP Arif Virani and a panel of women leaders from the community to discuss issues relating to women’s empowerment and gender equality.

Speakers are:
Heather Gamble, Co-Founder of Women on the Move
Lindsay Maskell, Strategist and Consultant in the Public Affairs, Crisis Management, Government Relations and Advocacy fields
Rev. Anne Hines, Minister at the Roncesvalles United Church
Huda Bukhari, Executive Director at the Arab Community Centre of Toronto
Chemi Lhamo, University of Toronto SCSU’s Racialized Students’ Collective Coordinator
Avon Harris, Community and Outreach Manager at The Redwood

Featuring special guest and Parkdale-High Park Canada 150 Change Maker Award Recipient Scout Collins!

Register HERE

Date: Wednesday, Feb. 21, 2018
Time: 7:00 pm – 9:00 pm
Place: 1515 Bloor St. W. (Bishop Marrocco/Thomas Merton CSS)

Greenest City Fundraiser – Mar. 21

Announcement, Community

Enjoy the goodness of food prepared by Parkdale chefs in the intimate setting of the Tempered Room, steps away from Greenest City.

Greenest City teaches children and youth to grow, cook, eat! healthy food. Growing the Future focuses on food skills, stewardship and food growing. Youth leaders are trained and through paid employment – facilitate the children’s programming. Watch this animated video created by the youth mentors to learn about the impact for them.

A night out with good friends, good food and a great cause. Buy a ticket HERE

Date: Wednesday, Mar. 21, 2018
Time: 6:00 pm – 10:00 pm
Place: 1374 Queen Street West (The Tempered Room)

Town Hall on Indigenous Reconciliation – Jan. 18

Announcement, Community

Our Federal MP Arif Virani is holding a Town Hall meeting to discuss nation-to-nation relationship with Indigenous peoples. Arif will be assisting the Minister of Heritage in his role as Parliamentary Secretary with one key part of reconciliation – working to co-develop Canada’s first-ever Indigenous Languages Legislation with Indigenous partners. Come out to learn more about nation building.

Date: Thurs., Jan. 18, 2018
Time: 7:30 pm – 9:00 pm
Place: 214 Wright Ave.  (Roncesvalles United Church)

6 Noble Street Development Community Meeting – Jan. 22

Announcement, Community, Local Interest

The developer of 6 Noble St. has submitted a settlement proposal to the City of Toronto with revisions to the original application. City Planning along with a number of City departments will now review the Settlement Offer and provide their feedback.

Councillor Perks is holding a Community Meeting to review the revisions to the original application with community members. 

Of note, revisions include the height of the building which has been reduced from 14-storeys (51.3 m including mechanical penthouse) to 8-storeys (32.3 m including mechanical penthouse); no non-residential uses are proposed. The non-residential gross floor area and the live-work units have been replaced with townhouse units. This ZERO non-residential space means no accomodation for Pia Bouman School.

Date: Monday, Jan. 22, 2018
Time: 6:30 pm – 8:00 pm
Place: 1303 Queen St West (Parkdale Library, basement auditorium)

 

 

New 24-hour Winter Respite Service for Women in Parkdale

Announcement, Community, Local Interest

A new program, providing 24 hour services for women experiencing homelessness who need warm and safe refuge from Toronto’s winter weather opens in Parkdale at the Church of the Epiphany and St. Mark’s, 201 Cowan Avenue, just south of Queen St West.

You are invited to a Community Open House to welcome the program, meet staff and ask any questions you may have.

Donations or volunteers to the program are welcome. Please contact Stewart King, Program Manager, directly at stewart_king@can.salvationarmy.org,  647-302-5752.

Date: Thursday, Jan. 11, 2018
Time: 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm
Place: 201 Cowan Avenue, south of Queen St West (Sanctuary Space, Church of Epiphany and St. Mark’s)

Co-Ownership Housing Workshop – Jan. 25

Announcement, Community

Co-buying is becoming an increasingly common means of accessing the real estate market for those who might otherwise not be able to afford a house of their own. A house co-purchased with friends, acquaintances or family members can have segregated living spaces with all the privacy of apartment style living. Others might structure their co‑ownership with communal living ideals in mind – complete with shared household responsibilities. No matter how you do it, there are many considerations that go into co-buying a home.

Join a discussion on what it takes to make housing co-ownership work.
Register for FREE – HERE.

Panellists:
Safia J. Lakhani and Lauren Blumas
Lawyers, Iler Campbell LLP
Lesli Gaynor
Sales Representative with the Fridman Team
Forest Hill Real Estate Inc.
Lesley Tenaglia
Mortgage Agent – License # M10002427
Ultimate Mortgage and Finance Solutions Inc.

Date: Thursday, Jan. 25, 2018
Time: 6:30 pm – 9:30 pm
Place: 720 Bathurst St. Ground Floor (CSI Annes “The Garage”)