Councillor Matlow's City Hall & Community Update: August 2024

Improving our School Play Spaces for Students and Community

Fairbank

At July’s City Council meeting, I was thrilled to move a motion to contribute $300,000 to assist the Fairbank Public School with the construction of a new playground and schoolyard.
 
The Fairbank Public School playground and schoolyard are well used by the school and the community at large. This funding will assist with a project that will improve and revitalize the playgrounds and other outdoor areas at the school. This will ensure that the school community and the public have access to outdoor facilities that are safe and accessible, while providing increased opportunities for outdoor learning and physical activity at the school.
 
I want to thank the parent community, Principal Amira Kamel-Zia and Trustee Shelley Laskin, for your tireless leadership and advocacy in these efforts. I am very grateful to be able to support our community together.
 
Maurice Cody
At July’s City Council meeting, I was thrilled to move a motion to contribute $164,800 to assist the Maurice Cody Public School with the construction of its new schoolyard.
 
The schoolyard and Maurice Cody Junior Public School serves as the neighbourhood park due to a lack of greenspace in the eastern portion of the Davisville Village community. In fact, there is already a community use agreement between the City and the TDSB for the field which the city supported almost a decade ago.

Through the advocacy and hard work of parents, Principal Rob Hochberg and Trustee Rachel Chernos Lin, a plan to build a beautiful new play area has been developed. Some of the new features to be built include a funnel ball, basketball nets, an outdoor classroom, and new seating.
 
While Maurice Cody is not in Toronto-St. Paul’s, as the former Councillor for this part of Davisville Village, I am very happy to support for this important project that will benefit our community as a whole.
 
Humewood
At July’s City Council meeting, I was thrilled to move a motion to contribute $300,000 to Humewood Community School with the construction and implementation of their new schoolyard master plan.
 
The Humewood Community School playground and schoolyard are well used by the school and the community at large. This funding will assist with a new master plan that will improve and revitalize the schoolyard including the design of new outdoor play areas, a relocated baseball diamond and soccer pitch, and new treed areas and seating. This will ensure that the school community and the public have access to outdoor facilities that are safe and accessible, while providing increased opportunities for outdoor learning and physical activity at the school.
 
I want to thank the parent community, Principal Alana Hardy and Trustee Shelley Laskin for your tireless leadership and advocacy in these efforts. I am very grateful to be able to support our community together.

Save the Science Centre!

In 2022, the Provincial Government announced their intention to move the Ontario Science Centre to a much smaller location at Ontario Place. This announcement was done without consultation with residents of Thorncliffe Park and Flemingdon Park who rely on the Centre for employment and education opportunities.

Recently, the Ford government used an engineering report that inflated the cost of roof repairs, and other maintenance needs, as a pretext to shamefully shutter the Science Centre down unnecessarily. That’s why it was vital that Staff reported back to Council last week on my motion to have the City take a lead role in saving this important cultural institution that is located on land partially owned by the City of Toronto.

We have an obligation to explore all possible means to keep the Science Centre at its current location. I’m pleased that my additional motion was supported to establish a working group with the province in the Toronto Region Conservation Authority (the other primary land owner) to review the lease agreement signed with the City stating the province would operate a Science Centre until 2064 and other matters.
 
For more information on the province’s engineering report on the Science Centre, please see this in depth article in Canadian Architect Ontario Science Centre doesn’t require full closure: A close reading of the engineers' report. 

Preventing Flooding During Major Storms

Major storms are becoming more frequent. And while Toronto wasn’t designed for our changing climate, we now need to be willing to invest in resilient infrastructure - with the capacity to keep our city functional, to protect our property and to keep us safe. Our city is worth it.

The Mayor moved an important suite of motions to look at ways to address these issues that I was happy to support. For more information, please see the Mayor’s motion Agenda Item History - 2024.MM20.24..

Protecting Small Businesses and Vibrant Main Streets

As more local shops and shops on our main streets close due to spiralling rents, there is increasing awareness that action is needed to protect small businesses.
  
My motion adopted by Council in May requested the province to consider establishing a form of rent control for Mom and Pop shops to keep them in our neighbourhoods. This motion was cited in a Toronto Star article regarding the unfortunate closing of a beloved pastry shop in the Bickford Park community. You can read the article here: Toronto cafe closes after building sale leads to rent spike.

UPDATE: Putting the Brakes on Auto Theft: Immediate Action Needed to Keep Our Neighbourhoods Safe

The surge in auto theft and home invasions are significantly impacting neighbourhoods across the city. I know many of you are going to bed not knowing what you’ll find when you wake up - and often fear that your families will be victimized by home invasions. Many believe auto thieves have the upper hand and that this issue isn’t being taken seriously enough. This has even led to, in some cases, residents hiring private security at their expense- personally spending tens of thousands of dollars in enhancing security measures for their own properties and those of their neighbours.

I’ve personally met with the Vice President of the Insurance Bureau of Canada to learn more about their advocacy for policy and regulatory changes. Currently, auto theft costs Ontarians hundreds of millions in insurance claims and premiums per year. This doesn’t include court, policing, legal, and out-of pocket costs such as deductibles.
 
I also remain in close communication with our Toronto Police Service and commend  53 Division’s recent work on identifying and arresting members of a suspected auto theft ring responsible for re-vinning stolen vehicles in Toronto.

While there have been increased measures at our national borders and ports, and additional funding has been allocated and spent to help curb auto theft, there is much more that needs to be done. This is why I was pleased to see City Council unanimously support my motion, seconded by Councillor Jon Burnside, on the following recommendations requested to the federal and provincial governments:

1. Updating current and mandating new technological standards and security features for all vehicle manufacturers. Canada’s technology standards for vehicles haven’t been updated by the Government of Canada since 2008. All vehicle manufacturers should be mandated to heighten the technology and security features in vehicles.
2. The Ministry of Transportation should eliminate the ability for any citizen to register a vehicle on another person’s behalf except for certain legitimate exceptions. Re-vinning stolen vehicles has been a major play in criminals’ playbooks. Removing this and granting access for certain legitimate exceptions will restrict criminals from being able to fly under the radar.
3. The Ministry of Transportation should ban the public from relying on a New Vehicle Information Statement (NVIS) to register a vehicle, limiting this registration mechanisms to only licensed dealers. This is another way of creating VIN numbers. Restricting access from the public and granting access only to licensed dealers will, once again, deter criminals from being overlooked.
4. Expedite outgoing screenings at all ports. While increased measures has been taken at the Port of Montreal, there has been a significant increase of illegal activity at the Port of Halifax. More resources need to be allocated to all Canadian ports to accelerate the screening process of all outgoing items.

I’m actively working to ensure more action is being taken to curb auto theft and support safety in our neighbourhoods.

A Beautiful New Manor Square

As a part of Rockport’s development at 2100 Yonge Street, we have secured a beautification of Manor Road East between Yonge St and the subway tracks as “Manor Square”, which will be a vastly improved streetscape and public realm project with tree planting, planters, and plenty of seating for our community to enjoy.
 
Estimated completion will be in Spring of 2025, with renderings shown below! A major thanks to Rockport, City Transportation Staff, and City Planning for their hard work and support to move this forward. 

Opening the Beltline Stairs

The stairs to the Beltline Park from Eglinton/Chaplin were fenced off by Metrolinx without explanation other than there were, in their words, “deficiencies”. Working with residents, we advocated to get them safely open to the public. I’m happy to report we were successful. Enjoy!

Afro-Caribbean Farmers Market

I’m proud to support my friend Lori Beazer & her Afro-Caribbean Farmers Market at Oakwood & Eglinton. The market brings people together, serves as a weekly “town square” for the community & is an exciting part of our collective efforts to revitalize Little Jamaica.

This summer, take some time to visit one our incredible local farmers markets!

Afro-Caribbean Farmer's Market
At Reggae Lane in Little Jamaica (1531 Eglinton Ave W - Green P Parking Lot)
From 11am to 3pm on August 11th and 25th, and September 8th, 22nd and 29th.

Davisville Farmers Market
In June Rowlands Park every Tuesday until October 8th, from 3pm to 7pm.

The Eglinton Way Farmers Market
Every Sunday from June to October (from 8:00 AM until 1:00 PM) at 125 Burnaby Blvd.

Wychwood Barns Farmers Market
Open every Saturday from 8am to 1pm at the Wychwood Barns.

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Salsa on St. Clair

Usually I walk on St. Clair, but this time I salsa! Congratulations to Salsa on St. Clair for a successful festival. 

Adding Hot and Cold Beverage Cups to the Blue Bin (Recycling) Program

It’s about time! As of July 3rd, Toronto residents can now place hot and cold paper beverage cups in the Blue Bin recycling, including coffee, tea, and soft drink cups.

Hot and cold paper beverage cups will also be accepted in recycling bins of commercial businesses that receive City waste collection, as well as charities, institutions and religious organizations that are serviced by the City.

*Sleeves and non-black plastic lids are recyclable but must be separated from the cups before being placed in the Blue Bin (recycling). Plastic straws and stir sticks are not currently accepted in the Blue Bin and should still be placed in the garbage.

Cups should also be emptied and given a quick rinse (where possible) before being placed in the Blue Bin (recycling). Other similar paper-based items like ice cream containers or frozen food containers are not being accepted in the Blue Bin at this time and these items should be placed in the garbage. Only beverage cups made from paper are being added to the recycling program at this time. As producers work towards a standardized recycling program in 2026, they will look for further opportunities to expand the types of materials collected in the Ontario blue box program.

For more information visit http://toronto.ca/recycle

Dream Wheels on Eglinton

After over a decade of Metrolinx’s LRT construction, Covid and more, the businesses on Eglinton really suffered. It was so nice to join our community at the Dream Wheels event today to welcome everyone in our city back to a vibrant, fun Eglinton that’s back in business!

Summerfest with the Armenian Community

Every time I visit with our city’s Armenian community, I feel like I’m with family. I appreciated being invited to Summerfest this evening at the Armenian Community Centre here in North York!

Hillcrest TTC Complex Tour

Today, I had an opportunity to tour the TTC’s Hillcrest complex and learn directly from the people who maintain vehicles and operate transit control. For those of us who ride the TTC, we often focus on the problems we experience and the improvements needed to make the system safer, more affordable and reliable. And for good reason. However, what’s became even clearer to me is how talented and dedicated the people who actually maintain and operate the system are. And how many problems are solved, and crises averted, everyday, that the public doesn’t even hear about - because TTC employees simply did their jobs. Our transit system is chronically underfunded, and the organization itself is going through a transition. This affects riders, but it also impacts the moral of the hardworking people we rely on. My message to them, operators, mechanics, managers and all, is that you deserve to be valued and appreciated. I’m very grateful for the difficult, complex and deeply important work you do for our city.