City Hall and Community Update for May 8, 2015

However, if you continue to experience an outage or require further information, please contact Toronto Hydro directly at 416-542-8000.

PS- On a lighter note, for those of you who follow me on Twitter or Facebook, you may have noticed (due to AutoCorrect) I announced a "poet outage". I obviously meant to write "power", although I can commit to you that I will alway advocate for our poets! :)

Ward 22’s Newest Park! Yes, we're actually creating new parks in our community.

I am absolutely thrilled to announce that Ward 22 has just acquired a new park space through a report that was approved at this week's City Council meeting!

Like many churches across our community, the Manor Road United Church at Forman Avenue and Manor Road has had to face the challenging reality of matching the size of their property with a declining congregation. After reviewing their options, the Church decided that it only needs half of the current property.

To avoid seeing this property sold for townhouses, I have worked with the Church to acquire the site, using development fees, for a new park. This new green space will occupy the eastern portion of the site, now occupied by the community hall. The church plans to use their funds to renovate their remaining structure to accommodate a variety of community services. I appreciate how civic-miinded the church has been throughout this process.

Implementation of “Midtown in Focus” Public Space Improvement Plan to be Debated at Planning and Growth Committee

On May 14th, City Council's Planning and Growth Management Committee will consider recommended amendments to the Yonge-Eglinton Secondary Plan that implement the Midtown in Focus Parks, Open Space and Streetscape Plan.

Members of the public are encouraged to attend the meeting and present their views regarding the proposal. If you wish to address the Planning and Growth Management Committee, please notify the City Clerk, attention: Nancy Martins, Administrator, Planning and Growth Management Committee, at 416-397-4579, or by email at [email protected] by 12:00 noon on May 13, 2015.

Meeting Notice: City Moving Forward on New Guidelines for Temperature Standards in Apartment Units

In response to a motion I moved during the last term of Council, The City of Toronto is conducting a review of its bylaws that govern indoor temperature standards, including heating and air conditioning.

Proposed changes to the bylaw include the removal of date ranges to allow landlords and property managers flexibility in managing building temperatures and better ensuring tenant comfort.

Currently, landlords and property managers are required to maintain a minimum temperature of 21 degrees Celsius between September 15 and June 1. If air conditioners are in place, they must be operated from June 2 to September 14 to maintain an indoor temperature no higher than 26 degrees.

The City will hold two consultation meetings to obtain public input:

● Wednesday, May 13: North York Civic Centre, Committee Room 3, 6:30pm to 8:30pm

● Wednesday, May 20: City Hall, Committee Room 3, 6:30pm to 8:30pm

More information about the review and current regulations can be found here.

Staff will report to the Licensing and Standards Committee on June 25 on consultation findings and any recommended bylaw changes.​

Winston Churchill Park- Major and necesary infrastructure work planned

We have been notified by Toronto Water Staff that structural repairs to the St. Clair Water Reservoir are essential. For those who are unaware, Sir Winston Churchill Park sits on top of the St. Clair Reservoir, which will mean significant disruption to the park space iteself while Toronto Water undertakes the structural repairs.

I have asked Toronto Water staff to hold a public information meeting in advance of any work commencing, which is scheduled to begin later this fall.

I would like to invite you to attend this public meeting, on Wednesday June 3, 2015 from 6pm to 8pm at First Unitarian Congregation (175 St. Clair Avenue West).

A notification will be sent out by City staff to area residents soon. I will share the notice with you via my website, once it becomes available (early next week).

Evening and Weekend Parking on Yonge Street Between Scrivener Square and Crescent Road

While this area is located outside of Ward 22, I have heard from many residents who were concerned about the impact of allowing parking in the evenings and on weekends just to the south of our ward.

This past week at City Council, I seconded a motion from Councillor Wong-Tam to once again restrict any parking along this stretch of Yonge Street. This decision came out of a working group meeting I held with Councillor Wong-Tam that included the cycling community, local residents' associations from Ward 22 and Ward 27, the Toronto Parking Authority and the Rosedale-Main BIA.

In addition, the group worked together to find alternative off-street parking options to help support the businesses yet also address concerns raised by some residents with regard to commercial parking impacting the availability of parking for those who live just east of Yonge Street.

Traffic Signals at Yonge and Heath Streets

Recently the lights at the intersection of Yonge and Heath Streets were changed from a two phase operation to a three phase one, based on recommendations from Transportation Staff to address some ongoing safety concerns at this location rasied by local residents.

Staff had initially said that this change would result only in a slight increase in traffic. It quickly became apparent after the lights were changed that the impact on traffic along Yonge Street was very significant and completely unnacceptable. I requested that city staff correct what was done. Gridlock on this stretch of Yonge Street during peak hours is already bad enough.

As of this past Tuesday, the lights have been reverted to a two phase operation, and I have asked Staff to explore other options that will not have such a significant impact on congestion.

Help Build Toronto's Cycling Network - Take the Survey

Toronto residents and businesses are being asked to complete a survey to help the City's Transportation Services division create a plan for expanding and improving Toronto's 856-kilometre cycling network over the next 10 years.

The plan has three objectives: to connect gaps in the existing cycling network; to expand the cycling network into new parts of the city; and, to renew existing cycling network routes to improve their quality.

For more information on this initiative and to complete the survey before May 29th, please click here. ​

Ward 22's Davisville Village Farmers’ Market opens for another season!

AppleTree Markets, a local Ward 22 non-profit organization, will once again be transforming June Rowlands Park into a temporary town square for the fourth year of their popular farmers’ market. I am delighted to support this community-building initiative at June Rowlands (Davsiville) Park. The market has been a place where you are sure to see friends and neighbours, while buying fresh produce, fish, meats, chocolate, and so much more.

This season, the market begins on May 12 and will operate weekly on Tuesdays between 3 and 7pm. I look forward to seeing you there!

Mount Pleasant Village Annual Kids' Fun Day!

Please join me and my family for the 3rd Annual Mount Pleasant Village Kids’ Fun Day, on Saturday May 9, 2015!

Presented by the Merchants of Mount Pleasant Village, and taking place in the heart of Toronto’s Midtown on Mount Pleasant Road between Eglinton and Davisville Avenues, Kids’ Fun Day will offer a full day of free, fun family activities. Mount Pleasant Village's sidewalks will be bustling with entertainment, activities, games, contests, discounts, giveaways and food. I hope to see you there!

SAVE THE DATE: Councillor Josh Matlow's Community Environment Day

On Thursday, June 4 from 4pm to 8pm, I will be hosting my annual Community Environment Day. The event will take place in the parking lot of North Toronto Memorial Arena (174 Orchard View Blvd).

Please drop off any unwanted art supplies, books, toys, and used sports equipment. Facilities will be available to dispose of computers and other hazardous household waste, or even replace your damaged green bin.

REMINDER: Charlotte Maher Park - New Playground Opening Celebration

Please join me on Saturday, May 9 at 11 am in Charlotte Maher Park for a celebration of our new playground! It was a great pleasure to work with local parents and residents to build a beautiful new playground for our community. I look forward to celebrating together!

REMINDER: 1 Eglinton Avenue East Public Meeting

An application has been submitted to City Planning to permit the redevelopment of 1 Eglinton Avenue East with a 68-storey mixed use condominium and office development. Please join me at 7 pm on Monday, May 11 at Northern District Library (40 Orchardview Blvd), for a meeting to discuss the proposed development. City Planning staff will be in attendance to answer any questions you may have.

To ensure that you are informed and engaged about development proposals that are being proposed for sites near your neighbourhood, I've created an interactive webpage with locations, staff reports and public meeting notices. Please click here to learn more about what you can do to help free Toronto from the Ontario Municipal Board (OMB).

For ongoing council and community news, my contact information, along with a calendar of events, please visit www.joshmatlow.ca. Click here to read my previous city hall and community updates.