E-Newsletters

Dear Resident,

I hope that you've been enjoying this beautiful summer weather and taking good care of yourself in the heat. It's always a great pleasure for me to see you in our community when Melissa and I go for our weekly Ward 22 neighbourhoods walk, at our new farmers market, at my town hall meetings, community events or even when out shopping at one of our local businesses!

To keep you informed, I've prepared an update for you below about our community and upcoming public meetings and events. To learn more, please visit www.joshmatlow.ca

Best regards,

Josh Matlow
Toronto City Councillor
Ward 22-St.Paul's
www.joshmatlow.ca

Oriole Park Update

Good news, Ward 22. At long last, the corner of Oriole Park, at Oriole Pkway & Chaplin, is now restored and beautified with new turf and flowers. I am continuing to make improvements to this park including the newly paved entrance at the North East corner.

Hydro One and the Community Tree Committee

Earlier this spring many residents contacted my office with regards to Hydro One's planned removal of trees and brush along the hydro transmission corridor that runs adjacent to the CP rail tracks behind Cottingham Street. While it was understood that vegetation management to be carried out by Hydro One was needed to address safety concerns along the corridor, residents had also expressed concern about the impact that the loss of several trees will have on the area. I shared their concerns, and it is was important to me to ensure that local residents were engaged as much as possible in the decision making process regarding the proposed removal and replanting of trees along the transmission corridor.

We held a public meeting with Hydro One and local residents in May and subsequently formed a working group with my office, Hydro One and representatives from the community. I am pleased to report that the working group and Hydro One have agreed to a plan that will allow for the necessary pruning and in some cases removal of trees that on the Hydro corridor, while at the same time minimizing the impact this work would have on the community and the environment. Hydro One has agreed to a three year pruning cycle (as opposed to six years) for trees along the corridor, which will result in more frequent but less aggressive pruning at any given time.

Here is a summary of the resolution between Hydro One and the community working group:

• Hydro One has agreed to the three year pruning cycle of the 31 Norway Maples just north of the fence at the south end of Robertson Davies Park.
• Hydro One committed to landscaping at the top of the railway embankment, which will occur in the spring of 2013. This landscaping will include cleaning up debris (previously fallen trees and rubbish) on CP property.
• Six mature trees along Macpherson Ave., west of Avenue Rd., will require some pruning to meet electrical clearance requirements.
• Hydro One has agreed to cut the brush down to ground level just south of the Cottingham Tennis Club and a landscape plan will be implemented that could entail planting a coniferous buffer along the top of the CP embankment, which would minimize leaf litter on the clay courts.

Preservation of historic postal office in North Toronto

As some of you are surely aware, Postal Station K is an iconic building and still-functioning post office that sits on Yonge just north of Eglinton. Its long-standing service to the community, sitting on the site of the Upper Canada Rebellion's Montgomery Tavern, along with its Art Deco architecture and the rare Royal Cipher of Edward VIII make this a very valuable and historic building. I have therefore put my support behind the Eglinton Park Residents' Association's formal application to have the City grant Postal Station K heritage status. I invite anyone who wishes to find out more about the issue and get involved to take a look at their Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/YongeEglintonPostOfficeStationK.

Toronto Parks and Trees Foundation B.U.L.B. Program

The B.U.L.B. program – that is, the Better Urban Living with Bulbs Program – is a fantastic program run through the Toronto Parks and Trees Foundation. The program provides daffodil bulbs to groups across the city for planting in publicly accessible space. It provides this service free of charge. For more information as well as application forms, please see www.greenhere.ca/GREENHERE/TPTF_BULBS_Form.html.

Davisville Village Farmers' Market

The Davisville Village Farmers' Market continues throughout the summer on Tuesdays from 3:00 pm to 7:00 pm in June Rowlands Park, which is located at Davisville and Mount Pleasant. The Davisville Village Farmers' Market is operated by Appletree Markets, a local non-profit organization, and supports local farmers and food producers. The Farmers' Market runs until October 16th, 2012.

Congratulations to Olympian David Wright

Local athlete David Wright is competing in the Men's Laser sailing event in the London 2012 Olympic Games. David finished sixth in the World Championships for his event in 2009 and placed third in the Miami Olympic Classes Regatta earlier this year. David was Canadian Sailing Male athlete of the year in 2009.

David placed eighteenth in his first Olympic race and fifteenth in his second on July 30th. I would like to congratulate David for his performance and I wish him luck in his upcoming races. Your Ward 22 community is cheering for you David!

1331 Yonge Street Public Meeting

Date: Thursday, August 9th, 2012 7:00 to 9:00 pm
Location: Christ Church Deer Park, Elliott Hall, 1570 Yonge Street

I would like to invite you and your neighbours to an important community information meeting, regarding a development application for 1331 Yonge Street - the former CHUM site.  Keeping residents engaged and informed is a priority for me, and the purpose of this meeting is to review the new plans submitted by the applicants for the project.

In December of last year, approximately 150 of you attended a meeting hosted by City Planning to voice your concern with the initial proposal for this site. The original plan was for a 13 storey condo with 214 units and 184 parking spaces. The community was almost unanimously opposed to this proposal.

Subsequent to the winter meeting the applicant has submitted new plans for an 11 storey building with 149 units and 4 levels of below-grade parking. While certainly a step in the right direction, I have heard from many of you that there are still concerns with the traffic that will be come from the building along with the height, density, its relationship with adjacent properties and design of the building itself.

I have asked the applicant to present their revised plans to the community and for City Planning staff to attend. You will have an opportunity to ask questions of both parties.

Final Port Lands Acceleration Initiative Public Meeting

The final public consultation meeting for the Port Lands Acceleration Initiative is being held from 6:30 to 9:00 p.m. on August 8, 2012 at the Toronto Reference Library's Bram & Bluma Appel Salon (789 Yonge Street, 1 street north of Bloor Street). If you have any questions, please contact Christopher Dunn, Waterfront Secretariat, at (416) 395-1211 or [email protected].

Live Green Toronto Grants – Fall Round 2012

Starting September 4, the Toronto Environment Office will begin receiving applications for its Live Green Toronto grants. This represents an exciting opportunity for resident associations, community groups, not-for-profit organizations, and BIAs. Two grants are being offered:

• Community Investment Program Grants ($25,000): geared towards community-led projects addressing local issues such as food production, renewable energy, and transportation;
• Capital Projects Fund (up to $250,000): geared towards community improvement projects – building retrofits, tree planting, park restoration, and more.

For more information, please see http://www.toronto.ca/livegreen/greenneighbourhood_rebates.htm.

2nd Annual Toronto 5K Run

Get active and get running for a great cause! The 2nd Annual Toronto 5K Run will be happening on Saturday, September 15 at Winston Churchill Park. The race is in support of SickKids Foundation. Join Councillor Matlow at the starting line at 8:00 AM. For more information, please see www.toronto5k.com.

For more council and community information, please visit www.joshmatlow.ca.

Dear Residents,

I hope that you've been enjoying your summer and are taking good care of yourself in this hot weather. Please also consider checking in on neighbours who are seniors and those with mobility challenges. Please note that during extreme heat alerts, civic centres are open to provide an air conditioned environment while public pools and splash pads will be operating under extended hours. Please call 311 for more information.

I would like to provide you with an update on a very successful week at Council and on several priorities. Council strongly supported my motions to move Toronto closer to a successful rapid transit expansion plan, support tenants during periods of extreme heat and increase the number of solar projects in our City. In Community news, I would like to share information regarding park improvements, Republic of Rathnelly street signs, tree protection, seniors' strategy consultation and more.

Sincerely,

Josh Matlow
Toronto City Councillor
Ward 22-St.Paul's
www.joshmatlow.ca

Moving Forward on a Regional Transit Strategy Approved at Council

Council was united this week in declaring that a regional approach is the best chance we have to build and fund the transit that Torontonians need and deserve. My motion, Moving Forward: Improving Public Transit and Relieving Traffic Congestion through a Regional Funding Strategy, was passed unanimously by my colleagues.

To fund public transportation and relieve traffic congestion for Toronto and the Greater Golden Horseshoe (GGH), it is imperative to move forward with a regional funding strategy. Implementing a sales tax, tolls or other tools across the GGH would create new, and dependable, revenue streams paid into by everyone in our region rather than have Toronto cover capital expenses through our property tax base.

We need these tools to move forward with a Downtown Relief Line to ease overcrowding on the Yonge Line, to finally build a rapid transit link to Pearson airport and to connect our city and region.

This fall, Metrolinx will begin a public discussion on transit funding while Toronto Council will discuss local funding and route requests. My hope is that these two initiatives find a common path to see a connective and fully funded plan through to fruition.

The "OneCity" transit proposal announced by Councillor Stintz and Councillor De Baeremaeker was not put forward by the proponents for Council's consideration.

Establishing Appropriate Room Temperatures for Tenants

This past May was unseasonably hot. I heard from many of you in apartments that your units were uncomfortable and that sleeping, in particular, was difficult. Toronto's tenants have the right to a comfortable and healthy home.  That's why I put forward a motion that seeks to establish appropriate room temperatures for renters.

Currently, the Municipal Code requires that landlords turn on the heat in rental housing units from September 15th through to June 1st.  This is to ensure that the room temperature be maintained to at least 21 degrees Celsius (70 degrees Fahrenheit).  However, this enforcement by date rather than by temperature ensures that during hot days before June 1st, a tenant's unit may be not only uncomfortable but could present a public health issue to the elderly and/or tenants with certain medical conditions.

The Motion looks to change the Municipal Code to reflect the reality that before June 2nd, it may not be necessary to keep the heat on due to warm or hot spring temperatures. Further, it may be necessary to set an acceptable maximum temperature at which rooms can be heated.

My intent is not to necessarily make air conditioners mandatory. There are many environmentally-friendly ways to cool an apartment including improved ventilation, green roofs, deep lake cooling and shading. This issue will be studied by City Staff and a report will come to committee for public input. To read the National Post article on this subject, click here.

New Solar Energy Projects Coming to Toronto

Solar energy has the potential to benefit Toronto's environment and economy. As your School Trustee I worked to have solar panels installed on school roofs and am proud to be helping expand green power across the city.

My motion, supported by Council, endorses potential solar projects for consideration by the Ontario Power Authority (OPA). The OPA has new rules establishing a points system to determine the priority for offering of contracts for rooftop solar projects. Points will be awarded to applications that are supported by the municipality in which the project is located. Projects with more points will be more likely to receive contracts from the OPA.

In particular, I worked with Bright Roof, a Ward 22 firm with projects in our community and across the city. The projects that BrightRoof and others are developing will deliver significant benefits to the City of Toronto, including:

Solar systems will provide 20 years of clean energy. On average, the systems produce 400kW of power. A 400kW rooftop system will reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 104 metric tons per year. These solar systems produce clean energy locally, reducing the need for new transmission lines and/or large power generation facilities within the City of Toronto. Each project represents a significant capital investment into the property and the community. For instance, BrightRoof is investing approximately $1.5 million into each rooftop solar project that it is building in Toronto, creating jobs for local tradespeople The landlord of the property on which the rooftop solar project is built will receive rent for 20 years. The income stream derived from the rooftop solar project (both rental income and investment returns) will increase the value of the property.

The Republic of Rathnelly to get "national" street signs

Ward 22's Rathnelly is a picturesque enclave of homes, situated at the bottom of the Avenue Road Hill. It is home to a large number of artists, academics, writers, and media.

The Rathnelly neighbourhood made headlines in 1967, while celebrating Canada's 100thbirthday. During the celebrations Rathnelly residents playfully declared themselves as anindependent republic of Canada. To mark their independence, the "Republic of Rathnelly" elected a queen, organized a parade, formed an "air farce" of 1,000 helium balloons, and issued Republic of Rathnelly passports to everyone in the neighbourhood.

The Republic of Rathnelly celebrations continue to this day with a bi-annual street party. To recognize this distinctive neighbourhood, I've allocated funds with Council support toward "Republic of Rathnelly" street signs designed by the community.

To read more about this, click here.

To see the street sign design, click here.

Dogs now allowed in Mount Pleasant Cemetery

As of July 1st, dog owners are now allowed to walk their dogs on paths and roads in the Mount Pleasant Cemetery. Please note that dogs must be kept on a leash at all times.

Oriole Park North Pathway Replacement

The north-east pathway at Oriole Park has been replaced and new lights will be installed in the fall of 2012.

Seniors Strategy Consultation Workbook

The Seniors Strategy Consultation Workbook can now be completed and submitted online at:

http://wx.toronto.ca/inter/sdfa/seniorscw.nsf/workbook?OpenForm

To learn more about Toronto's Seniors Strategy, please click here.

Get your green on at the Live Green Toronto Festival!

What do you get when you mix hundreds of green products and services with live music and great local foods - and invite everyone in Toronto?  The Live Green Toronto Festival!

The 7th annual celebration of all things green - the Live Green Toronto Festival - will take place on Saturday, July 21 (11 a.m. to 9 p.m.) at Yonge-Dundas Square.  Everyone is welcome and admission is free.

Toronto's largest outdoor green festival brings hundreds of green products and services, live music, local foods, and more to the streets of Toronto every year!  Stroll through the exhibits, sample locally grown foods, check out the TD Kids' Zone, and catch some of Canada's hottest musical acts on the 104.5 CHUM FM Main Stage.

Enjoy a dazzling musical line-up including performances by Faber Drive, Fefe Dobson, Platinum Blonde, and many more.

Help defend our urban forest against the emerald ash borer!

Protect our ash trees against infestation by becoming an Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) Ambassador. Local Enhancement & Appreciation of Forests (LEAF) is providing a free training session which will give you the tools you need to educate your neighbours and community about EAB and the options for treatment, removal, and planting.

The session will be held at Scarborough Civic Centre on Saturday, July 28th, 10:00am – 2:00pm, in Committee Room 1.

To register for this event, visit www.yourleaf.org.

Dear Residents,

For your information, please read below for some upcoming public meetings and events in our community.

Restaurantacular

Do you love great, cheap food? Then come to Mount Pleasant Village from noon to 9 PM on June 26 for Restaurantacular! Go on a tasting tour of the great restaurants in the neighbourhood, for only $2, $4, or $6 per item. Bring some toonies and your taste buds. Please visit the Mount Pleasant BIA's website for more information!

2263 Yonge Street and 25 Roehampton (Proposed major development at the North East corner of Yonge and Eglinton and Yonge and Roehampton) Community Consultation Meeting

There will be a community consultation meeting on Thursday, June 28th from 7 to 9 PM at the Northern District Library (40 Orchard View Blvd.) about a proposed development near Yonge Street and Eglinton Avenue. A rezoning application has been submitted to City Planning to permit the redevelopment of the lands for the purposes of a new mixed use building comprised of two residential towers 64 stories and 38 stories in height respectively connected by a 3 storey podium containing retail and office uses. Included in the proposal is the demolition and replacement of 30 existing rental dwelling units secured through a related Residential Demolition Control Application. The proposal will contain 1166 dwelling units complete with 371 parking spaces located in a below grade parking facility, 95 of which would be provided for retail and office purposes.

St. Paul's M.P. Carolyn Bennett's Canada Day Picnic

Carolyn Bennett, M.P. for St Paul's, invites and welcomes you to the Annual St. Paul's Canada Day Picnic on Sunday, July 1, from  4 to 6 PM at Wells Hill Park (470 St Clair Avenue West). Enjoy Live music, face-painting, cultural dance troupes, great activities and a delicious free BBQ.

Sincerely,

Josh Matlow
Toronto City Councillor
Ward 22-St.Paul's
www.joshmatlow.ca

Dear Davisville Public School parents and local residential community,

Over two years ago, the Toronto District School Board (TDSB) began a process to explore redeveloping the Davisville Public School property. At that time, serving as our local school trustee, I was able to obtain a written commitment from Dr. Chris Spence, the TDSB's Director of Education, that no redevelopment plan would be brought to the school board for consideration unless a Memorandum of Understanding was signed by the TDSB, the parent school council and the local residents' associations – the South Eglinton Residents and Ratepayers' Association and the Oriole Park Association.

I also made a request of the TDSB to be upfront with parents and residents as to their financial requirements for redevelopment of the Davisville site. I wanted to ensure that the funding envelope, and scope of what was possible, be established before the school community invested their time and energy into designing a new school. Unfortunately, the Board has taken the opposite approach and has wasted considerable time in the process.

As your City Councillor since December, 2010, I have been closely following the TDSB's work towards a development proposal that would ultimately come to City Hall. Soon after taking office, I met with Trustee Shelley Laskin and Board staff to discuss their options for redevelopment. I informed the TDSB representatives that Davisville PS is located in a Neighbourhood designated zone under Toronto's Official Plan. This designation allows for a maximum of 4 storeys, though there may be a little flexibility as the Salvation Army building just east of the site is 6 storeys.

Since that time, I have been made aware that the TDSB is exploring proposals that could see several condominiums on the Davisville site, with one of the buildings at 20 storeys.

The Official Plan was a compromise, of sorts, with the residents of Toronto. To accommodate the provincially-mandated growth targets, the City not only directed but confined growth to the downtown, major nodes and avenues. Despite significant intensification from condos, single-family home areas would be protected. Since the Official Plan was adopted in 2002, Neighbourhoods designated zones have not been compromised by the City and have been consistently upheld by the Ontario Municipal Board. I believe protecting the stability of Toronto’s neighbourhoods must be a priority for the City of Toronto.

As a former two-term Trustee I fully understand the very real financial pressures that the TDSB is facing to provide excellent programming in quality facilities that our children, parents and teachers deserve. That's why I've been working with Trustee Laskin, TDSB staff, and City Planners to find a solution that meets the Board's important needs while respecting Toronto’s Official Plan. Recently, there have been constructive conversations regarding the possibility of an institutional exemption from the Official Plan for the TDSB. While promising, this is an issue of city-wide significance that will need significant review by City staff and Council. In short, this is not an overnight solution and may not be supportable by Council even if considered.

The North Toronto Collegiate redevelopment near Yonge and Eglinton is a great success that I am proud to have played a role in. The students, staff and parents now have a state-of-the-art facility while the board received much-needed funds for the redevelopment of the deteriorating school building and field. The planning context, however, was very different for that site as North Toronto CI is located in an Apartments designated area of the Official Plan where residential buildings of significant heights are permitted.

I am committed to working with the TDSB, and my colleagues at City Hall, to support the Davisville school community along with students, parents and residents across Toronto. We will look at every possible avenue towards supporting a new facility for our children. However, I will not jeopardize the stability of our neighbourhoods or allow for new development precedents that could adversely affect the quality of life in our midtown community.

Please feel welcome to contact me if you wish to discuss this important issue further.

Sincerely,

Josh Matlow
Toronto City Councillor
Ward 22-St.Paul's
www.joshmatlow.ca

Dear Residents,

I am pleased to inform you that with your support, my motion to move forward with a regional transit funding strategy for Toronto and the Greater Golden Horseshoe was (amazingly) approved yesterday by the Mayor's Executive Committee. I would like to offer my sincere gratitude to everyone of you who signed the petition, wrote emails, and made deputations including representatives from the Toronto Board of Trade, the Toronto Environmental Alliance and Paul Bedford, former City of Toronto Chief Planner.

If this motion passes Council next month, we will take a vital step towards finally creating a realistic funding strategy to improve and expand our transit system. The motion is expected to come before City Council next month where I am hopeful that it will be passed. To encourage Councillors to support this motion please send an email to [email protected].

Over the past few weeks, I've been delighted to attend sevral spring fairs at some of the amazing local schools we have in Ward 22, including Oriole Park Junior Public School, Cottingham Junior Public School, Maurice Cody Public School and Davisville Public School. I encourage all of you to attend Eglinton Junior Public School's Fun Fair this coming Saturday June 16 from 11am to 3pm. As well, I look forward to attending a number of graduation ceremonies at local schools over the next two weeks. Congratulations to all of this year's graduates. And to our parents, school administrations and staff- job well done!

Moreover, I hope to see many of you at the official opening of the new Dunfield/Soudan Parkette tomorrow night, Thursday June 14 at 5pm. Thank you to all of you who have suggested names for the park - I'll be announcing the winning suggestion soon.

And as always there are many interesting events going on in Ward 22, and important notices,  that I am pleased to let you know about. Please click here or keep reading below for a more information about these events.

For updates and information on our community and city hall, please visit my website at www.joshmatlow.ca.

Sincerely,

Josh Matlow
Toronto City Councillor
Ward 22-St.Paul's
www.joshmatlow.ca

Upcoming Events and Public Meetings

1. Holiday Shopping Consultation
2. Davisville Village Farmers' Market
3. Spring Newsletter
4. Calling all Ward 22 gardeners
5. Canada Day with our MP, Carolyn Bennett and a Garden Party at Spadina Museum
6. Eglinton Way Sidewalk Sale

1. Holiday Shopping Consultation.

The City of Toronto is asking residents to provide the City with feedback on the current Holiday Shopping By-law by taking part in an online survey and public consultation sessions. The City's current holiday shopping regulations require some retail businesses to close on designated public holidays while other businesses are permitted to open.

The public can provide feedback through a public opinion telephone poll, online survey and public consultation meetings.

Holiday shopping public consultation sessions will take place around the city, including at the following locations which are closest to Ward 22:

• Monday, June 18 - 7 to 9 pm
North York Civic Centre, 5100 Yonge St., Council Chamber
• Monday, June 25 - 7 to 9 pm
Toronto City Hall, 100 Queen St. W., Rotunda

Space is limited. Pre-registration is available by calling 416-392-8671 or emailing [email protected]

Residents and businesses can also provide their views via an online survey available at: http://www.toronto.ca/holidayshopping.

2. Davisville Village Farmers' Market a big success.

The first two weeks of the new Davisville Farmers' Market at June Rowlands Park (Mount Pleasant and Davisville), our Ward 22 community's first, have been a great success. We put a lot of work into this initiative and its a great pleasure to see so many local residents enjoying it. A big thank you to the Market organizers, and Davisville Village residents, Chris Trussell and Lesley Stoyan of Apple Tree. The market will be held every Tuesday from 3pm to 7pm until October 16, 2012.

3. Spring Newsletter arriving at your doors.

Please check your mailboxes for new edition of my newsletter. It contains updates on many important issues that I've been working on and resources for residents to access services provided by the City of Toronto. You can also download a PDF version of the newsletter on my website by clicking here.

4. Calling all Ward 22 gardeners.

As well, residents interested in community gardening might be interested in visiting City's website on community gardens or the website of the Toronto Community Garden Network.

5. Canada Day with our MP, Carolyn Bennett and a Garden Party at Spadina Museum. Sunday, July 1, Noon to 4pm, Spadina Museum, 285 Spadina Road.

Please join me at Dr. Carolyn Bennett's annual Canada Day picnic at Wells Hill Park (470 St. Clair Ave West 4-6PM!

Also- Celebrate Canada's Diamond Jubilee and party like it's 1927!  Come in 1920s garb (check out the Spadina Museum facebook page for ideas), participate in our costume contest, purchase period appropriate refreshments, learn to Charleston, and enjoy the jazz music of Beverly Taft and the Swell Fellas Trio and Bob De Angelis Brass Quartet.   Enjoy crafts, games and make strawberry ice cream.  Solve a 1920s era mystery in our beautifully restored mansion.  Admission is FREE thanks to the financial support of the Government of Canada through the Department of Canadian Heritage, Celebration Canada Grant.

6. Eglinton Way Sidewalk Sale. Saturday, June 23, 11am - 4pm

Starting at 11 am, come out and check out the festivities! The Eglinton Way Business Improvement Area (BIA) will have family-friendly activities for the kids, food samples from participating restaurants and our local merchants will be showcasing their best shopping deals! Visit www.theeglintonway.com for more information.

Please click here to download the PDF version of Josh's 2012 Newsletter.

Dear Residents,

The new Davisville Village Farmers' Market

I'm delighted to announce the opening of Ward 22's first community farmers' market at June Rowlands (Davisville) Park on Tuesday, June 5th from 3:00 to 7:00 pm! Our market will be run by Appletree Markets, a local, Ward 22 non-profit organization that is dedicated to maintaining a farmers' market for the community, with an emphasis on local produce with an effort to promote green living in an urban neighbourhood. Read more...

The new Dunfield/Soudan Park: Public naming contest!

I'm also excited to welcome a new park to Ward 22 for residents to enjoy. Complete with a brand new playground, the park at Dunfield and Soudan will be officially opened on Thursday June 14, from 5:00 to 6:00 pm. As this is a brand new park, I'm holding a public naming contest to ensure that the neighbourhood has a say. Please consider names that you believe reflect the community and let me know your suggestions by emailing [email protected].

And as always there are many interesting events going on in Ward 22, and important notices,  that I am pleased to let you know about. Please keep reading below for a more information about these events.

For more updates and information on our community and city hall, please feel free to explore my website.

Sincerely,

Josh Matlow
Toronto City Councillor
Ward 22-St.Paul's
www.joshmatlow.ca

More information on The Davisville Village Farmer's Market

Working with Appletree Markets founders Chris Trussell and Lesley Stoyan, I asked City Staff to find an appropriate location for a farmers' market, on a trial basis, to serve our ward. They identified the south west corner of the park, close to Davisville Avenue and Acacia Road by our new splash pad, as the most feasible venue. This season trial will run until mid-October. The market will operate every Tuesday from 3:00 pm until 7:00 pm.  I intend to revisit the success of this market based on feedback that I receive from the surrounding neighbourhood.

I believe this proposal will be a very positive addition to our community. It will provide a place for families and friends to come together and animate their local park. This contributes to a safer neighbourhood. The emphasis on providing local produce will provide more opportunities for people to support local farmers and producers and purchase local food conveniently.

I look forward to seeing you there!

Other Notices and Events

1. Extreme Heat Alerts
2. Community Pools
3. Bells on Yonge Group Bike Ride
4. Complaints Process
5. Heritage Toronto Walks 2012
6. Heritage Toronto Awards – Call For Nominations
7. Cancer Screening Survey

1. Extreme Heat Alerts

With the arrival of summer, extreme hot weather can become an issue for many of our senior and disabled residents. In cases of extreme hot weather, a cooling centre will be available for people in need at Castleview Wychwood Towers, 351 Christie Street from 11:00 am to 7:00 pm. More information on the program is available at toronto.ca/health/heatalerts.

2. Community Pools

And speaking of the heat, summer provides a great opportunity for ward residents to use our public pools, among which are the indoor and outdoor facilities at North Toronto Memorial Community and Recreations Centre. In addition, the pools at Sir Oliver Mowat CI and Sir Wilfrid Laurier CI are available to the public after 6:00 pm every day. For a full list of programs and schedules, please visit http://www.toronto.ca/parks/prd/swimming/index.htm.

3. Bells on Yonge Group Bike Ride

Interested in building a safe bikeway from North Toronto to downtown? Join up with fellow cyclists on June 2nd  at 1:30 PM for a gentle group bike ride parallel to Yonge Street. The route will run from Duplex Parkette all the way down to Queen's Park. Both Councillor Karen Stintz and I will be speaking at stops along the ride. For route information and more, go to www.bellsonyonge.ca.

4. Complaints Process

The city complaints procedures have changed for both the Toronto Water and Toronto Revenue Services. For the complete complaint procedures, go to www.toronto.ca/customerservice/divisional_complaint_protocols.htm

5. Heritage Toronto Walks 2012

For the 18th year in a row, Heritage Toronto is leading free neighbourhood walking tours of our city.  These tours allow both visitors and residents the opportunity to discover and deepen their appreciation of our city's unique neighbourhoods. This year, the tours will aim to highlight two significant anniversaries in the history of Toronto – the bicentenial of the War of 1812 and the 175th anniversary of the 1837 rebellion. For a full summer schedule, please visit Heritage Toronto's website at www.heritagetoronto.org/discover-toronto/walk.

6. Heritage Toronto Awards – Call For Nominations

The 38th Annual Heritage Toronto Awards celebrate contributions, both by professionals and volunteers, in the promotion and conservation of Toronto's heritage landmarks. Heritage Toronto is now calling for nominations for significant achievements made in 2011. Nominations can be made for a number of categories, including short publications, architectural conservation, books, media, and community heritage. For nomination forms, please visit the website at www.heritagetoronto.org.

7. Cancer Screening Survey

A team of researchers are using a short, 5 minute on-line survey to find out more about the cancer screening practices and beliefs of all Ontarians. The survey is open to men 50 and older and women 18 and older, living in Ontario. An optional draw for an iPad at the end of the survey is offered for all participants. Early cancer detection through screening is an effective way to save lives and lower health care costs. Healthy people make healthy communities. To fill out the survey, please visit the website at www.getscreened.ca/screeningsurvey.

Dear Residents,

This month, if you're a Ward 22 resident living in a neighbourhood south of Eglinton Avenue, I'll be coming to your door to speak with you directly about the upcoming construction of the Eglinton – Scarborough Crosstown LRT- an exciting project that will run underground through midtown and connect our community to the rest of the city. As your local city councillor, I want to ensure that you are informed and engaged in this process.

While a new Eglinton Avenue rapid transit line will be a remarkable asset to our community and city, to be candid, like any construction project I expect there will be some challenges. While most of the tunnel boring work will not affect at-grade activities, at intersections where the new underground stations will be built, there will be cuts to the street and some temporary lane closures. To simply put it, there will be frustrating periods for all of us during construction.

To avoid increased lane closures and traffic disruptions, the TTC property (former bus depot) near the southwest corner of Yonge and Eglinton will be used as an off-street staging ground. After The Crosstown construction is completed, this site will be redeveloped and will include a new public square. In the meantime, I’ve asked the TTC for some aesthetic improvements to the periphery of the site- it’s been left as a derelict eyesore for far too many years.

Please be assured that I will be working closely with our community and the Eglinton Way Business Improvement Area in an effort to mitigate adverse construction impacts of the work being underground and at the station locations. There must be a plan to support local businesses and to assist local residents when they need immediate questions answered.

I'd like to share with you some information from Metrolinx and the TTC about The Crosstown, to give you a sense of what you can expect.

Construction of The Crosstown has already begun and the tunnelling from Black Creek Drive to Laird Drive is scheduled to begin this summer. The entire line will run from Jane Street to Kennedy Road, a distance of 25km, and riders will be able to transfer to the Yonge/University/ Spadina subway at Eglinton and Eglinton West stations and at Kennedy station riders will be able to connect to the Scarborough RT, the Bloor/Danforth subway, and the GO train. The Crosstown is scheduled to be operational in 2020.

There will be twenty-six stations along The Crosstown, including stops at Bathurst, Chaplin, Avenue, Eglinton and Bayview. Metrolinx and the TTC are in the preliminary design stage for Chaplin Station and it is important to them to get your feedback before the architectural design theme is finalized. There is an online survey available at The Crosstown website (listed below) which is available until May 9, 2012. There will also be a wider consultation meeting about The Crosstown on May 24 (see meeting notice below). Construction work related to tunnelling is scheduled to begin at Chaplin in late 2013. The station itself will begin construction in 2015.

Detailed information on The Crosstown can be found at the project's website: www.thecrosstown.ca. As well, you can contact Metrolinx, the provincial organization responsible for the project, at 416.874.5900 and the TTC at 416.393.3030, and visit their websites at www.metrolinx.ca and www.ttc.ca.

Together, we were successful at ensuring The Crosstown would be built. This line will help connect our city and relieve overcrowding on the current subway line. It is a project, in my opinion, which is frankly a generation overdue.

However, now that the project has begun, we must challenge Metrolinx and the TTC to do it well - on time, within budget, and working closely with local residents and businesses and to learn from past mistakes.

Sincerely,

Josh

Toronto City Planning Division - Meeting Notice

Community Consultation Meeting - Eglinton-Scarborough Crosstown Planning Study

Date: Thursday, May 24, 2012

Location: Northern District Library, 40 Orchard View Blvd. (northwest of Yonge Street and Eglinton Ave. West)

Time: Meeting begins at 7:00 pm and ends at 9:00 pm

Over the next two years, the City of Toronto will undertake a comprehensive planning study of the Eglinton Avenue corridor to create a community-led vision that will help to anticipate future growth and redevelopment along the corridor resulting from the Crosstown line.  The study is being led by City Planning staff and will be completed with the financial support of Metrolinx, the regional transportation agency of the Province of Ontario.

City Planning staff is holding three Community Consultation Meetings to introduce the objectives of the study, discuss guiding principles and provide an opportunity for the community to provide feedback.  If you cannot attend any of the meetings, you can still make your views known or get on our update list by contacting the study team at:

Eglinton-Scarborough Crosstown Planning Study

Metro Hall, 55 John Street, 22nd Floor

Toronto, Ontario M5V 3C6

Email: [email protected]

Phone: 416-392-2691

Fax: 416-392-3821

Further information on the planning study can also be obtained by visiting the City’s website at www.toronto.ca/eglinton. Be sure to check this website often for news and coming events.  For general information on the transit project, visit www.thecrosstown.ca.

Dear Residents,

To fund the expansion and improvement of public transportation and relieve traffic congestion for Toronto and the Greater Golden Horseshoe (GGH), it is imperative to move forward with a regional funding strategy.

Our transit needs are too urgent to continue relying on one-time provincial funding. Gridlock has become so severe that the status quo, traffic congestion that costs the GGH $6 billion a year and which has an adverse impact on our residents' quality of life, is unacceptable.

As we move forward with improving public transit for residents, we need to continue expanding our rapid transit system, including a connection with Toronto Pearson International Airport, relief subway lines to help ease the burden on the already overcrowded Yonge-University-Spadina subway line, priorities from across the City of Toronto and support state of good repair. Together, we must also reflect the transit needs of residents, including commuters, in Toronto and across the GGH region.

Metrolinx, the provincial transit agency, is currently preparing a funding strategy for their regional transit plan, The Big Move. There are a variety of funding mechanisms that may be considered including the feasibility of implementing road tolls or a regional sales tax dedicated to transit priorities.

This motion requests the City Manager to work with Metrolinx to explore a variety of regional funding mechanisms with officials from across the GGH to achieve these aims. Any funding initiative should be done on a regional basis to mitigate unintended consequences including job loss and consumer avoidance. Ultimately, we want the City of Toronto to have a leading seat at the table with its partners as Metrolinx's process moves closer to fruition.

Cities like New York already have regional transit authorities that have the ability to raise revenue to support their transit systems. Of course, if we as a city are satisfied with the status quo, a conversation about realistic ways to fund transit projects won't be necessary.

However, if we truly want a faster, reliable and more accessible public transportation system, we must have the courage to finally create a realistic way to fund it.

Sincerely,

Josh

Dear Residents,

There are many public issues that the City of Toronto and our city's school boards share in common, including school pools, field and park permitting, land use, nutrition programs, school traffic zones, etc.

However, aside from ad hoc meetings between bureaucrats, our governance model is such that there's currently no formal way for our respective institutions to problem-solve together for our common constituency - Toronto.

Therefore, I am bringing this motion to the May 8th and 9th City Council meeting for consideration. With Council's support, I look forward to a new relationship between our City and school boards based on mutual understanding, goals and working closely together for the best interest of our communities.

Sincerely,

Josh