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

Announcing the Federation of Metro Tenants’ Associations’

VIRTUAL TENANT SCHOOL

Free legal workshops for tenants via Zoom
Taught by staff from community legal clinics and the Federation of Metro Tenants Associations

March 2nd & 3rd at 6 pm and March 5th and 6th at 2 pm 

Intro to Landlord/Tenant Law – Wednesday, March 2nd, 6 pm
Getting Repairs Done  – Thursday March 3rd, 6 pm
City Hall 101 – Saturday, March 5th, 2 pm
Tenant Associations 101 – Sunday, March 6th, 2 pm

You do not have to attend every workshop.
To register and receive your Zoom invite, go to https://forms.gle/Qn1x3duAHNy4f2Fo8 for the online registration form or contact Joeita Gupta at joeita@torontotenants.org or 416-413-9442.

For more information: www.torontotenants.org

Register now!

Spring Recreation Registration

Registration for City of Toronto spring recreation programs opens on March 5 and 7. Residents can have fun, learn a new skill and stay active with thousands of programs across sports, fitness, swimming, arts and general interest. Some new programs for spring include outdoor Pilates, outdoor Tai Chi, and outdoor yoga.

Residents are asked to plan ahead and confirm the district for their programs before registration starts. Visit toronto.ca/SpringRec for more information.

March Break CampTO

Not long to go until March Break! Registration is open for #CampTO, including in-person and online camp experiences for ages four to 12 and adapted programs for ages six and over. Camps take place from March 14-18. Learn more: toronto.ca/camps

The first official public consultation for the development proposal at 403 Keele Street (the former Canadian Tire gas station site) is taking place next Thursday, March 3 at 6:00 pm. The applicants are proposing a zoning change on the site to allow for a new 11-storey mixed-use building with commercial/retail uses on the ground floor and 216 dwelling units on the upper floors.  While the applicants held a pre-application meeting in the fall, this will be the first official meeting organized by City Planning.

To register for the meeting, or see any of the submitted documents on this application, please click here: www.Toronto.ca/403KeeleSt

Some residents have been in touch with our office as they are seeing online advertisements for a 5 storey residential project on Keele Street.  That is for the adjacent “Junction Square Condos” at 406-410 Keele Street (west side of Keele Street, at Vine Street).  While this building’s height and massing was approved in 2017, they have since re-applied for a zoning change with a new unit count (65) and changes to the parking and rooftop garden access.  These proposed changes still do not have zoning approval, however we do expect them to return to Council in the next couple of months.

To see this proposal, or any proposal in the City, please visit the City’s Application Information Centre at: https://secure.toronto.ca/AIC/index.do#detail1

Further to my last update on 1540 Bloor St West, copied below, the Ontario Land Tribunal has issued their written decision, attached, on the Settlement Offer from the developer accepted by the City of Toronto in late 2021.

The decision of the Ontario Land Tribunal is to accept the settlement offer agreement, however it is withholding the final Order pending a number of items that need to be addressed to the satisfaction of the City of Toronto. These items include the replacement of the existing rental dwelling units and fourteen (14) new affordable rental dwelling units on the lands for a minimum period of ninety-nine (99) years. The complete list of items with details is available in attachment 1 of the attached document.

As always, my office is always available to assist you or answer questions on Ward 4 or city related manners.

Gord Perks, City Councillor

Parkdale High Park, Ward 4

1540 OLT-21-001811-FEB-04-2022

My previous December 2, 2021 update:

Update on 1540 Bloor St West (N/W corner Bloor /Dundas) “Giraffe”

The application at 1540 Bloor St West was originally submitted to the City in 2019, and  scheduled for appeal at the Ontario Land Tribunal (OLT) formerly Local Planning Appeal Tribunal (LPAT). In the meantime, the applicant made a settlement offer to resolve the Appeal.

The City Solicitor submitted a Request for Direction Report for 1540 Bloor St West to the November. 2021 City Council meeting.  The report approved by City Council recommended that City Council adopt recommendations contained in a Confidential Attachment and authorize the public release of specific confidential recommendations. That information is now available.

http://app.toronto.ca/tmmis/viewPublishedReport.do?function=getCouncilMinutesReport&meetingId=19696 , scroll down to TE28.5 1540-1550 Bloor Street West – Zoning Amendment – Request for Direction Report.

City Council have accepted the with prejudice settlement offer dated September 20, 2021 The Settlement Proposal is for a 27-storey (86.65 metres excluding mechanical penthouse) mixed-use tall building, as compared to the earlier hybrid building typology which included a taller base building with a tower on top – effectively a mid-rise building with a tower added. Additionally, the base building has been redesigned to meet the current standards in the Zoning By-law, as amended by the Bloor Dundas Study implementing By-law 1222-2009. The Settlement Offer is available to review, labelled as Attachment 1, Appendix “A” at http://app.toronto.ca/tmmis/viewAgendaItemHistory.do?item=2021.TE28.5

City Council have also accepted the without prejudice settlement offer in respect of community benefits proposed to be provided in the building, which consist of fourteen (14) new permanently affordable rental housing units, on the terms set out in Confidential Appendix “A” to the City Solicitor’s report, available here: https://www.toronto.ca/legdocs/mmis/2021/cc/bgrd/backgroundfile-173920.pdf​ 

The City staff will attend the OLT Settlement Hearing on December 10th in support of the approved settlement. If you wish to observe this hearing, please contact Christopher Molnar, Case Coordinator, Planner, (437) 231-5387 or Christopher.Molnar@ontario.ca to obtain the videoconference link for the hearing. A table comparing the Settlement offer, the Original and a previous revised application is available starting on Page 5 of the Request for Directions Report:

https://www.toronto.ca/legdocs/mmis/2021/te/bgrd/backgroundfile-171382.pdf

I would also like to add, as a related matter that I am generally quite concerned with the process of negotiations between the City and developers on applications which have been appealed to the Ontario Land Use Tribunal.  Council is often put in a position of having to consider a settlement offer with: very little time for review; limited ability to discuss it publicly; and, advice which can appear to the public as different from the advice provided in previous public reports.

With that in mind, I have submitted a letter to Planning and Housing Committee requesting that the City Solicitor, in consultation with the Chief Planner and the City Clerk staff give advice to Council on the negotiation process for applications which have been appealed. I expect this advice to be provided early in the new year.  I will keep you updated on this item moving forward.

Gord Perks, City Councillor

Parkdale High Park, Ward 4

The Atmospheric Fund (TAF) just launched a new $2 million fund to support electric vehicle (EV) charging installations region-wide. Reliable charging access is needed to encourage more residents to choose EVs and meet the climate targets set by TransformTO and Toronto’s EV Strategy. The program targets the hardest to reach places to plug in, like on-street and multi-family buildings. We encourage building and retail owners, and other community organizations with public or private parking lots to check out the program and apply for incentives here.

Get the full details and FAQs at our info session on February 10^th. Sign up here.

You can find our announcement with the hashtag #EVStationFund on Twitter or LinkedIn.

You can also participate in one of the virtual consultation meetings. Register today using the links below.

• Registration: February 15, 2022 – 6:30 – 8:00 pm
• Registration: February 16, 2022 – 1:30 – 3:00 pm

If you are unable to attend one of the virtual meetings or complete the online survey, you can provide feedback by emailing us, leaving a message, or mailing us a letter:

wastestrategy@toronto.ca | 416-392-3760

Attention live music venues in Ward 4: Applications are due end of day February 14 for the City’s “Creative Co-location Facilities Tax Subclass” program for 2022. This program provides up to 50% in property tax relief to eligible live music venues.

Qualifying venues must be able to prove that, pre-pandemic, they met these criteria:

• present live music performances on average 3 times a week throughout the year
• pay the musicians
• provide infrastructure needed for live music
• employ people whose jobs support the live music operations

The full eligibility criteria can be found here – under the Live Music Venues drop-down. If you have never applied to this program before, please email culturetaxclass@toronto.ca to indicate your interest in applying, then download and submit an application form (available via the link above) before end of day February 14, along with as much of the supporting documentation as you can supply. (City staff will follow up if anything’s missing.) Successful applicants from last year need only provide a brief attestation on the application form as well as the property owner’s signature.

Please note that although we recognize that many hospitality businesses are facing challenges, this opportunity is focused only on those that feature live music as a key part of their business model.

On Wednesday, February 16, 2022, Toronto and East York Community Council (TEYCC) will be reviewing the 340-376R Dufferin Street and 2 Melbourne Avenue -Official Plan Amendment and Zoning By-law Amendment Application – Final Report

http://app.toronto.ca/tmmis/viewAgendaItemHistory.do?item=2022.TE31.4

The application proposes to modify the range of permitted employment uses on this site. No physical changes to the existing building are proposed.

The Final Report details City Planning staff’s review of the amendments and concludes the site should permit a wider range of office, retail, and services on the site that are more compatible with the adjacent residential districts, while generating job opportunities, and continuing to encourage the adaptive re-use of the existing buildings. Approval of the application is recommended.

The report can be viewed on line at: https://www.toronto.ca/legdocs/mmis/2022/te/bgrd/backgroundfile-198859.pdf

I will be supporting the staff recommendation. I ask that you review the details of the report and share your questions and comments with my office: councillor_perks@toronto.ca , 416-392-7919.

The items is scheduled for Wednesday, February 16^th on or after 10:00 AM.

Due to the pandemic, Civic buildings are closed to the public and meetings of the Toronto and East York Community Council are currently being conducted by electronic means. If you wish to register to speak to this item at Toronto and East York Community council, or submit written comment, please email teycc@toronto.ca. Registered speakers will be provided with instructions on connecting to the meeting.

TEYCC will also be streamed live online at www.youtube.com/TorontoCityCouncilLive

The owner of 1660 Bloor St West is proposing to build a 13-storey mixed-use building with 171 units, and retail space fronting onto Bloor Street. A virtual community meeting to review application was held in July 2021.

This application falls within the area of the Bloor Dundas Avenue Planning Report and therefore requires a Site Plan Application and a Committee of Adjustment variance.

Two concurrent applications are in process.

A Site Plan application has been submitted to the City of Toronto and a minor variance application has been submitted to the Committee of Adjustment.

The Site Plan application is under review by City Planning staff. Information on the application is available on the Application Information Centre at https://secure.toronto.ca/AIC/index.do .

The Committee of Adjustment hearing is scheduled for Wednesday, March 2, 2022 at 9:30 a.m.

Community members have an opportunity to comment on the application at the virtual Committee of Adjustment hearing. The Public Notice, with details on how to view and/or participate, is below. Note that the deadline for comments is no later than 4:30 pm on Wednesday, February 23, 2022.

As a member of Toronto City Council, Councillor Perks appoints citizens to the Committee of Adjustment to make decisions on minor variances based on their review of application and city staff information. As such, and on the advice of the Integrity Commissioner, Councillor Perks cannot attempt to influence a member’s decision on an application.  He can, when requested, ask City Staff to review an application and provide their professional comment to Committee of Adjustment.