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

The City of Toronto announced planned road closures that will impact travel this weekend, Saturday, November 7 and Sunday, November 8.

Lake Shore Boulevard West will be reduced to a single lane of traffic (westbound only), between Windermere Avenue and Ellis Avenue from Friday, November 6 at 9 p.m. until Sunday, November 8 at 11:59 p.m. to accommodate a large tower crane hoist.

As well, several filming permits are in place downtown this weekend, including a permit along Asquith Avenue that requires lane restrictions on Church Street.

There will also be no subway service on Line 1 between St. Clair West and St. Andrew stations on Saturday and Sunday to allow for track work. Shuttle buses will operate throughout the closure, stopping at each station along the route. Dupont, St. Patrick and Osgoode stations will be closed, but all others will remain open for fare sales and connection to surface routes and Line 2. The 63 Ossington bus route will also be diverted away from Atlantic Avenue for a large crane lift. Routing details can be found here  .

ActiveTO major weekend road closures will not be in place this weekend for factors that include some of the restrictions listed above along with other factors, as well as available capacity along the adjacent Martin Goodman Trail and Don Valley Trail. As temperatures have cooled, City staff have observed that the adjacent trails can accommodate the demand for those using them.

Traffic-signal timing on nearby routes will be enhanced all weekend to help manage congestion associated with planned restrictions and closures.

Remembrance Week (November 5 to 11) is a time when Torontonians can reflect on those who have made the ultimate sacrifice for their country and honour all Canadians who have fought and continue to fight for peace.

This year, Remembrance Day commemorations will be held virtually in keeping with public health advice against in-person gatherings due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The City of Toronto encourages the public to observe this year’s Remembrance Day commemorations virtually at home or at work. The City will ensure appropriate respect and honour is paid by placing wreaths at the City’s cenotaphs on behalf of various organizations.

The City’s virtual commemorations will focus on the diversity of Toronto’s participation in times of war and significant milestones, as 2020 marks the 75^th anniversary of the end of the Second World War and 100 years of marking Remembrance Day with a public ceremony.

Commemorative activities planned for Remembrance Day include:

• The Toronto sign and the City Hall Towers will be lit in red on November 11.
• Virtual ceremonies will be made available via broadcast media and the City’s YouTube channel throughout the week.
• All Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) vehicles will stop for two minutes on November 11 at 11 a.m. In addition, “Lest We Forget” window cards will be placed in TTC vehicles prior to Remembrance Day.
• Commemorative posts will be available on the City’s official Twitter, Facebook and Instagram accounts throughout Remembrance Week.
• The public can show support for veterans and commemorate Remembrance Day by using the City’s Poppies Facebook frame available at https://www.facebook.com/profilepicframes and search ”City of Toronto Poppies” to change their frame.
• The Toronto Archives’ 75th anniversary of the end of the Second World War web exhibit shares the history of Canada’s participation in the Second World War through historical images from the time: https://www.toronto.ca/city-government/accountability-operations-customer-service/access-city-information-or-records/city-of-toronto-archives/whats-online/web-exhibits/first-second-world-wars/75th-anniversary-of-the-end-of-the-second-world-war/
• The World Wars section of the Toronto Archives’ Black History in Toronto page provides information about Black Canadians’ participation in World Wars:  https://www.toronto.ca/city-government/accountability-operations-customer-service/access-city-information-or-records/city-of-toronto-archives/using-the-archives/research-by-topic/black-history-in-toronto/
• Artifacts from Fort York National Historic Site, Canada’s largest collection of original War of 1812 buildings and an 1813 battlefield, can be seen online through the Toronto History Museums Artifact Collection. Search “Remembrance Day” on the web page to view commemorative items, including Remembrance Day programs, proclamations and photos, and military medals and uniforms. https://toronto.minisisinc.com/scripts/mwimain.dll?logon&application=COLLECTIONS&language=144&file=%5BCOT_OPAC%5Dhome.html

In addition, Torontonians can view the Mayor’s official proclamation, learn how the City remembers and access a virtual Golden Book of Remembrance and additional resources on the City’s virtual commemorations web page at https://www.toronto.ca/city-government/awards-tributes/tributes/toronto-remembers/upcoming-commemorations/.

The City will be hosting a virtual community meeting to discuss planned park improvements to Melbourne Avenue Parkette (located near King St W and Dufferin St). This meeting is an opportunity to hear about potential design proposals and for the community to provide feedback on what improvements they would most like to see in the park. The current plan involves upgrading playground equipment, new accessible surfacing, a water bottle filling station and other improvements. Councillor Gord Perks will be in attendance.

Event Details:

Tuesday November 17^th 2020 – 6:30-8:00pm

WebEx Registration: https://toronto.webex.com/toronto/onstage/g.php?MTID=e5872d4e4097d80e346633553fd8e30e5

Please register in advance to receive the instructions for joining the meeting.

For more information on the project, please visit: www.toronto.ca/MelbourneImprovements

The following attachment provides the design options that were presented by Parks Staff:

Please see below for the link to the community engagement survey for Art Over Bridges shortlisted artist designs.

The Micki Moore ‘Art Over Bridges’ Project – Jameson Pedestrian Bridge

Survey closes November 19, 2020 at 11:45pm EST

Stay tuned as we hope to have the artists present their concepts to the community via WebEx or Zoom.

It’s time for the all of us to starting thinking and organizing about the kind of City we want. On Friday, the City starts work on setting the budget for next year. It will be a budget unlike any that we have ever done before. Because of the pandemic the City’s revenues are way down at exactly the moment when we need to invest more.

The first step in City budgeting is to look at our “rate supported” budgets. These are budgets for our water system, garbage and recycling, and the Toronto Parking Authority. They are done separately because we fund them without using property taxes. The drafts for these will be out Friday and I will keep you informed on them as we go.

The main budget will be discussed in January and February. As I said this will be the place where we make the big decisions about the kind of City we will be post pandemic. I will be hosting a virtual town hall on the in the coming weeks. Hope to see you there.

My office can be contacted for any Ward 4 or City-related matter at councillor_perks@toronto.ca .

Gord