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

The City will be hosting a virtual community meeting to discuss planned park improvements to Close Avenue Parkette (located at King St W and Close Ave). 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, converting the existing wading pool into a splash pad and other park improvements.

Councillor Gord Perks will be in attendance.

Event Details:

Thursday November 5^th – 6:30 -8:30pm

WebEx Registration: https://toronto.webex.com/toronto/onstage/g.php?MTID=ec2dea4b198985c051808a44e577f4fb0

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

Project Wide:

• The Bloor West Bikeway construction is almost complete! Some changes to concrete curbs, bollards, signage, bike parking and pavement markings are still underway.
• Accessible loading platforms, to make it easier for Wheel Trans and accessible taxis to pick-up and drop-off passengers, are being installed in October.
• CaféTO installations are planned for removal in November.

Indian Road to Symington Avenue:

• Bikeway installation has been delayed due to infrastructure upgrades by Toronto Hydro, and road closures elsewhere such as Howard Park Ave that have rerouted buses through the Dundas and Bloor intersection.

Indian Road to Dundas Street West:

• Bikeway installation is planned for October and November after pavement restoration by Toronto Hydro work is complete. Physical separation is planned for November and December after the pavement markings are installed.

Dundas Street West to Symington Avenue:

• Toronto Hydro continues to replace their infrastructure underneath the road.  It is expected that this segment will see bikeway pavement markings installed in late November or early December after Toronto Hydro work is complete.
• The rail bridge is scheduled for rehabilitation in 2021. The work will likely require lane restrictions during construction so physical separation for people cycling will be installed after this work is complete.

Traffic signals and signal timing:

• Intersection and traffic signal upgrades are planned at the Runnymede Road, Clendenan Avenue, Keele Street, Dundas Street, Dufferin Street and Dovercourt Road intersections to improve safety between people cycling and motorists.
• Some intersection signage improvements is planned at the Indian Road, Lansdowne Avenue, Brock Avenue and Ossington Avenue intersections to further highlight the new turning restrictions.
• Traffic signals will be synchronized to facilitate traffic flow on Bloor Street West once all traffic signals are installed.
• These improvements are planned for installation in November-January.

Please refer to the http://www.toronto.ca/bloorwestbikeway website, under the “Construction Update” tab to find the latest updates on the timeline.

Read more about EcoFair 2020 Toronto further below.

Green 13 is a member of Green Neighbours’ Network, and has organized the first free online film screening of this year’s fast-approaching EcoFair, of the film 2040. Watch the trailer here. Subscribe here for updates from EcoFair, as Eventbrite registration will be required for the free online events.  Once Eventbrite registrations have been set up, you will then be able to register via the EcoFair website for the free online screening of 2040  (free Vimeo On Demand rental), to be available from 8am October 15 – midnight November 8th, 2020. 

In addition, Green 13 has pulled together several self-guided “ecotours” for the west end area. Learn more as the ecotours are finalized and posted here

Romero House is hosting a virtual pumpkin carving contest!

Please see the graphic below for more details & submit your pumpkin photo at info@romerohouse.org by Thursday, October 29th.

Voting and pumpkin photo gallery viewing will take place on Friday October 30th through the Romero House Facebook page so stay tuned for that post!

There will be prizes! All are welcome to participate, however please note you can have only 1 pumpkin submission per person.

For each pumpkin submitted, please include the name of the artist. These photos and first names will be included in the Facebook photo album! 

See you soon and Happy Halloween!

Toronto ACORN is hosting a tenant rights workshop for any tenant interested in learning about above the guideline rent increase. The workshop is happening on Thursday, October 22 at 6PM.

The workshop will cover details related to above the guideline rent increases, what they mean for tenants and different resources to help. They will also have time for questions and will have a discussion after each section.

If there is anyone who may be interested in the workshop there is an event posting on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/events/326814045281669/

And on Twitter : https://twitter.com/TorontoACORN/status/1314653314970202112

Those who are interested can RSVP by emailing GTAinfo@ACORNcanada.org or by calling 416 461 9233.

The City of Toronto had closed down the North Playground at High Park in October of 2019 for repairs and upgrades. The City was scheduled to complete the improvements to the playground area with new playground equipment and structures, and also rehabilitating the wading pool by Spring of 2020. Due to Covid-19 related delay in construction, the work was delayed. The playground revitalization is now complete.

Read more about EcoFair 2020 Toronto further below.

Green 13 is a member of Green Neighbours’ Network, and has organized the first free online film screening of this year’s fast-approaching EcoFair, of the film 2040. Watch the trailer here. Subscribe here for updates from EcoFair, as Eventbrite registration will be required for the free online events.  Once Eventbrite registrations have been set up, you will then be able to register via the EcoFair website for the free online screening of 2040  (free Vimeo On Demand rental), to be available from 8am October 15 – midnight November 8th, 2020. 

Note too that there will be a free online panel discussion of the film taking place Saturday, October 17, 4-5 pm. Registration via Eventbrite will also be required for the panel discussion. 

In addition, Green 13 has pulled together several self-guided “ecotours” for the west end area. Learn more as the ecotours are finalized and posted here

EcoFair 2020 Toronto

For the past 11 years, EcoFair at the Barns has held a wonderful one day extravaganza at Wychwood Barns. This year, in the face of COVID-19, it’s reinventing itself. Green Neighbours’ Network and Transition Toronto have collaborated to bring about 2020 EcoFair Toronto, featuring twelve free and exciting 1.5 hour events, happening online over four weeks. Each week has a theme: Carbon Countdown (week 1), Waste Not (week 2), Active and Healthy (week 3), and the Eco-Economy (week 4). See the summary of events  here. [free film screenings, panel discussions, webinars, workshops, celebration, and resources (ecotour routes, eco-exhibitors…)]. Events culminate in the Nov. 8 finale featuring EcoFair eco-groups and eco-business exhibitors. Join in and help celebrate a green new decade!

Sign up for EcoFair Toronto’s e-newsletter to receive event highlights/updates for this year’s EcoFair, and registration links for the wealth of free events.

Homelessness is an extremely complex issue and the City of Toronto continues to experience significant demand for emergency shelter. To ensure safe and welcoming places for people who need them during the coming winter weather, the City is providing details about the 2020-21 winter services plan.

The winter plan is part of the City’s Interim Shelter Recovery and Infrastructure Implementation Plan released today, which specifies measures needed over the next 12 months to protect homeless clients and to continue to provide shelter services safely while COVID-19 is a concern.

The winter plan will provide approximately 560 new spaces between November and April through a combination of shelter beds, hotel programs and supportive housing units. This compares to 485 spaces offered through last year’s winter services plan.  Additional space will also be activated at Warming Centres during Extreme Cold Weather Alerts. This is in addition to the 6,700 spaces in Toronto’s shelter system that are currently available year-round.

This will be the fifth consecutive year that the City has increased the number of spaces available throughout the winter season. Spaces will be made available through the following:

• 100, 24-hour respite site spaces in the Better Living Centre at Exhibition Place
• 150 beds in hotel programs
• 90 hotel beds as a replacement for the Out of the Cold program

For many years the Out of the Cold program has offered meals and overnight shelter during the winter to homeless individuals at different community locations each night. As COVID-19 emerged, and given the program model, rotation of locations and use of volunteers, the program opted to close in March. It remains unfeasible to operate the program within Ministry of Health guidelines for congregate settings. The new program model, operated by Dixon Hall, will provide replacement shelter capacity 24 hours a day, seven days a week for the duration of the winter.

Capacity will also be created in the existing shelter system with the introduction of approximately 220 new supportive housing units, including two new modular housing sites. These units are a component of the City’s HousingTO 2020-2030 Action Plan, which targets approving 40,000 new affordable rental homes including 18,000 new supportive homes.

In addition to the above spaces, the City will continue to provide 200 shelter system beds for single adults that were kept open from the 2019/2020 winter season. These beds, originally planned to close in April, were maintained to provide expanded response to the pandemic, as required.

City staff will make additional services available if an Extreme Cold Weather Alert (ECWA) is issued by Toronto’s Medical Officer of Health based on information from Environment and Climate Change Canada.

The City will offer approximately 150 spaces at four Warming Centres located in different areas of the city. This is the first year that the City has offered more than one Warming Centre, which will increase access to these services across Toronto.

During an ECWA, the City’s Streets to Homes program will also increase its 24/7 mobile street outreach to connect with people living outside and encourage them to come indoors. Staff will also hand out blankets and sleeping bags.

All services identified under the 2020-2021 winter plan have been considered from the lens of providing safer services during the pandemic. In particular, in consultation with infection control experts, the City will be piloting the use of impermeable barriers between beds in congregate sleeping areas or double occupancy rooms in order to provide an additional measure of protection from the spread of COVID-19. These barriers will be implemented in addition to the two-metre lateral distancing between beds required by the current shelter standards directive.

Staff will also continue with ongoing COVID-19 protocols, which include encouraging physical distancing in all areas of the shelter, ensuring hand washing and mandatory use of masks for staff throughout shifts and for clients in all common areas, conducting symptom screening and monitoring of staff and clients, increasing infection control and prevention measures such as enhanced cleaning, and providing isolation and recovery sites for individuals that await results or test positive to recover.

The City remains focused on the safety of those in encampments and on moving clients sleeping outdoors into safe indoor spaces through shelter programs, hotel spaces and housing options with supports.

Information about all services for people experiencing homelessness is available at toronto.ca/homelesshelp.

To access a shelter, call 311 or Central Intake at 416-338-4766, 1-877-338-3398.

Residents should contact 311 if they see a person experiencing homelessness in need of assistance and the City will dispatch an outreach team to investigate. If the person is in distress or needs immediate assistance, call 911.

Register now for City’s Recreational Programs.

See below for the list of programming available at Holy Family Community Centre (141 Close Avenue), Masaryk Cowan Community Recreation Centre (220 Cowan Avenue), and Parkdale Community Recreation Centre (75 Lansdowne Avenue). Visit toronto.ca/rec for more information.

TTC is preparing for their 2021 Annual Service Plan which will identify how they will serve customers in the coming year. As part of this process, they are seeking the public’s feedback on emerging priorities and proposed 2021 service initiatives, including RapidTO (Eglinton East and Jane Street Priority Bus Lanes), changes to the Express Bus network, and other service improvements. Feedback from the public is important and will help inform the TTC’s decision making about priorities and initiatives for 2021 service.

Take the survey at ttcannualplan.ca from September 25 to October 9.