It’s one of those things we have to accept more or less on faith. This Global News report is chock full of reasons like strikes in Peru, crowded seaports and a shortage of truck drivers for the price of everything from blueberries to bananas.

Proposed Canada Square at Eglinton and Yonge/Oxford Properties

The South Eglinton Ratepayers and Residents will hold three public meetings in the coming days to persuade the City to do more to ensure adequate public services at the proposed Canada Square site on the southwest corner of Eglinton Ave and Yonge St. It is, as stated by SERRA, a transformative development for Midtown Toronto. The land is held by Oxford Properties on a 99-year lease. Oxford is a creation of OMERS, the Ontario Municipal Employees Retirement Service. The interest of SERRA (and the public in general) is well-stated by Andy Gort of the association.

The proposal that will be discussed is the same from about one year ago (277K sq m or equivalent 3.07M sq ft). I understand that it might be a $2.5B project and everything currently on the site would be demolished.

Residential – 2700 residential units (rental?), which would house about another 5000 residents in midtown (not included in our projection of 50,000 for the SERRA area). This would make up about 80% of the proposed building floorspace (217K sq m).

Commercial : 20 % of the building space would be for office development (Canadian Tire Headoffice), but that would not replace all the office space that is currently on the site (only 80% replacement or 61K sq m).

Community: a negligible 1K sq m (0.3 % of the total 277K floor space)

Park: 1.8K sq m (total site is 37.3K sq m), so the park allotment is 4.8% of the site. Normally we would expect up to 15%. This would be “deeded” back to the City and have to be unencumbered (no structures below grade)

Open Space : This is generally a positive story … very large area at 21.4 sq m, but some of it is roadsand driveways. Without that it is still a large amount at about 50% of the site at about 18K-19K sq m (total site area is 37.3K sq M), but directly below will be TTC/Metrolinx facilities and garages of the office and apartment towers, some of it very close to the surface (TTC), so little chance of large plantings (trees). Also, it will be at different elevations, so stairs required. Still great space for patios, sitting and maybe, if enough community space were allowed (ie daycare, school) could function as outdoor playground area.

In fairness to Oxford properties, I am sure they will be willing to provide more for the community, but it will be based on the standard required commmunity benefits that private developers have to provide and frankly, would barely provide for the community needs of the site’s new residents. That won’t help with making up for the deficit in midtown community services, which are acute.

That is where the City has to come in and start opening their wallet and effectively “buy back” a part of the 99 year lease they have arranged with Oxford for this property (plus another 99 year extention)

• Thursday, Nov 25, 7-9 pm: City Planning and Oxford will present information and answer questions from attendees.
• Wednesday, Dec 1, 12-2 pm: Comments and feedback from community participants.
• Thursday, Dec 2, 6:30-8:30 pm; Comments and feedback from community participants.

Green P lot at Duplux and Castlefield

The CBC has published a story Monday saying that the Toronto Parking Authority secretly sold the parking lot to the old Capitol Theatre to a developer, but councillors found out about the deal in June of 2018 and put a stop to it. The story says the TPA knew the lot had been earmarked for a park by City Council. Your City at Work. The lot is at the corner of Duplex St and Castlefield Ave behind the Yonge St movie theatre.

The City of Toronto is warning residents to avoid a North York park after two people were attacked and bitten by a coyote on Sunday afternoon. In a news release, the City said the attacks took place at Bayview Village Park, located on Bayview Ave just north of Sheppard Ave. The incident comes as coyotes continue to roam freely in residential parts of the City as seen in this report from earlier this month.

A ticket holder in Ontario won Saturday’s $7.5 million Lotto 649 jackpot. And the draw’s guaranteed $1 million prize went to a lottery player in British Columbia. The jackpot for the next Lotto 649 draw on Nov. 24 will be an estimated $5 million.

Canada has approved the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine for children 5 to 11 years of age. A news conference is being held (or was) Friday morning.

Leaside’s Team Epping is bidding for the right to represent Canada at the 2022 Winter Olympics. Play begins Friday at the Tim Hortons Olympic Curling Trials in Saskatoon. There are nine men’s and nine women’s teams in the competition. The winning teams will represent Canada in the team curling competition at the 2022 Beijing Olympics.

The astonishing performance of Canada’s men’s soccer team has them on the road to the World Cup in Qatar next year. Alphonso Davies gives Canada a shot at World Cup

School bus rammed by fire truck 

Lucky escape for all/Buffalo Fire Department

The Buffalo Fire Department has released this shot of the collision between one of its trucks and a school bus. Happily, there were no children on the bus and the driver escaped injury.

Fabergé eggs on show in London

The Victoria and Albert Museum in London has launched a show displaying the work of Fabergé, jeweller to the Romanov dynasty in Imperial Russia. There are 15 Fabergée Easter eggs, tiaras and many other priceless pieces in the show.

Development site on Broadview south of Bloor

A huge highrise proposal for the west side of Broadview Ave south of Bloor St would see a 35-storey tower built on top of a seven-storey base building. There’s a virtual information meeting Thursday night. The proposal indicates that existing leases will be retained. That includes the Loblaws store at 720 Broadview.

No more paper mail to tell you that renewal needed

Beginning in 2022, the Ontario government will switch exclusively to email notices to citizens that their driver’s licences, licence plate stickers, and health cards need to be renewed. Email is more than 30 years old and is everywhere but no doubt there are some folks who still aren’t converted. Below is an interview with the minister, Ross Romano on this change.

Dave Owen, the owner of the popular fresh fish and seafood chain de la mer, has posted a video in which he tells the public he has been diagnosed with cancer.