Gord Perks City Councillor, Ward 4, Parkdale-High Park

I would like to thank all of you who attended the final meeting in the Bloor Visioning series on Wednesday March 26th, 630pm, at the Lithuanian House, 1573 Bloor Street West. Over one hundred of you came out to express your longstanding committment for the neighbourhood, and I hope you come out again to the 1540 Bloor St West community consulation meeting on Tuesday April 8th, 630pm at the Lithuanian House to do the same.

This meeting brought together comments, questions and concerns of the last two meetings (January 16^th and March 5^th) and gave the City’s Planning Department an opportunity to present their draft recommendations to members of the community. This was also an opportunity for the City Planning Policy and Research dept to present information on the recent Council approved Bloor Avenue study. I would again like to thank Kevin Edwards, Lynda Macdonald and Corwin Cambray for their incredible work in putting these items together.

I have attached a record of comments and questions that arose at the meeting, as well as responses from Planning and myself.

If you would like a copy of the PowerPoint presentation as reviewed by City staff please email Shana Almeida (the file is too large to upload to this posting).

I will be sending out more information about the Avenue Study as it becomes available, as well as the formal notice for the April 8th meeting. Should you have any further questions, please do not hesitate to contact my assistant Shana Almeida at 416-338-5174 or by email at salmeida@toronto.ca

microsoft-word-bloor-visioning-final-meeting-minutes.pdf

The Greenest City Youth Green Squad has been chosen as a finalist for a 2008 Green Toronto Award in the Youth category. The City of Toronto, Green Toronto Awards, will be decided on April 25 and we hope that the Youth Squad is recognized for their contribution to Ward 14.

The Youth Green Squad was created by the Greenest City – a non-profit environmental group based in Ward 14 – as an environmental awareness and leadership program for marginalized youth in Toronto. This unique project connects youth to food, to the community, and to the environment.

In 2007, the Youth Green Squad consisted of eight underprivileged youth who were given paid positions for several months as community environmental leaders working on various local projects including the HOPE Community Garden at Masaryk Cowan, one of the first community food gardens in Parkdale.

Good luck Youth Green Squad!

The Ministry of Environment (MOE) has announced Ontario’s Action Plan on

reducing lead in the provinces drinking water. One component of this plan is

to provide financial assistance to eligible low-income families to obtain

water filters that will remove the elevated lead content from their drinking

water.

In Toronto, the Water Filter Fund (WFF) is administered by Toronto Social

Services. The attached fliers detail the eligibility criteria.

This benefit is only available to households that meet the following three

criteria:

Must have received a water notification notice elevated lead levels through

Toronto Water – testing is free

And be low-income resident – in receipt of social assistance (Ontario

Works/Ontario Disability Support Program), or a low income household with a

yearly net household income of $20,000 or less.

And , be at-risk – pregnant woman, or have children age 6 years or younger.

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Please join me on April 19th for our 2008 annual Environment Day and an opportunity to tour the Sorauren Park Fieldhouse.

More details to follow.

See attached flyer openhouseposterlr.pdf

Earth Hour

This is a reminder that this Saturday is Earth Hour! Please join me and the City of Toronto in turning off your lights for 60 minutes between 8 and 9pm. Your participation will be making a powerful, world-wide statement that you want to help save our planet. The World Wildlife Fund has joined with The Toronto Star and the City of Toronto to bring Earth Hour to Canada. You can register your participation at http://www.earthhour.org/ .

The City of Toronto is hosting a free concert at Nathan Phillips Square. The event will run from 6:45 p.m. to 9 p.m. and residents from across the GTA are invited to attend.

Join Nelly Furtado and other musical stars at Toronto‘s Earth Hour event

Nelly Furtado, multi-platinum Grammy and Juno Award-winner, and Canada‘s first Earth Hour Ambassador, will play a free concert at Toronto‘s Earth Hour event at Nathan Phillips Square on Saturday, March 29. In the heart of the city, people will see the lights go off in hundreds of buildings in the downtown core, including City Hall.

Parkdale Drug Strategy Education Event

The Parkdale Drug Strategy is hosting a community drug use educational event on April the 5^th from 2 to 5pm at May Robinson Auditorium – 20 West Lodge

Moderator: MPP Cheri DiNovo will be joined by a diverse panel of experts from the follow agencies and groups: St. Joseph‘s Health Centre, St. Christopher House, Toronto Police Services, Toronto Harm Reduction Task Force and the Toronto Drug Strategy.

08-04-05-parkdale-drug-strategy.pdf