Jon Burnside listens to resident at LPOA meeting

The Ontario government growth plan mandates drastic change ahead for Leaside and there is not much the community can do about it, Jon Burnside told residents at the Leaside Property Owners Association Annual General Meeting Wednesday night. This bitter truth seemed to be both well understood and a deeply resented by many present. “I guess the LRT is going to be a wonderful thing but it is a terrible nightmare, no ifs, ands or buts,” said the Councillor for Ward 26. “The construction nightmare and what comes with higher-order transit is going to drastically change the neighborhood,”  he said. Burnside referenced the “provincial growth plan” which hopes to funnel the 30,000 people who move to Toronto each year mainly along or near those higher-order transit lines like Eglinton Ave.

12,000 PEOPLE AROUND LRT STOPS

He said the planning department applies a formula for density which he stated as 160 people (or jobs) per hectare within a 500 metre radius of a high-order transit stop or station  He said there are 70 hectares within that radius. Thus the population mass is about 12,000 people (or jobs) at each station. “That’s why we’re stuck with development. It’s not a not a matter of stopping it. It’s a matter of managing it.” Burnside noted that the large developments planned for the LRT route across Leaside in Ward 26 have resulted in about eight million dollars in so-called Section 37 funds. These monies are essentially taxes although members of Council often talk about them more like an inheritance. Developers pay for getting variances and creating density.  Mr. Burnside said that the money may be used to build a community centre within the development at 939 Eglinton that RioCan will build on the southeast corner of Eglinton and Laird. This is now known as Leaside Centre.

LPOA

The LPOA AGM was chaired by Carol Burtin Fripp and Geoff Kettel who spoke briefly of the many accomplishment and tasks of the association  Ms Fripp reviewed traffic concerns related to traffic passing through Leaside from the west on the way to the new Costco on Overlea Blvd. The meeting heard from Staff Sergeant James Hogan of 53 Division regarding traffic. Among those seen in the Lea Room at Leaside arena were Vanessa M. Rose and Jon Kieran, the PC candidate in Don Valley West

There has been a second daylight incident of a pedestrian being hit by a driver turning left at a quiet intersection controlled by stop signs. The latest occurred Tuesday at 12:12 p.m. when a man in  a pickup truck turned left off Orchard View Blvd. onto Edith Drive and struck a woman, 82, who was crossing Orchard View.  The scene is northwest of Eglinton and Duplex Ave. near Eglinton Park. The police information does not say if the pedestrian was crossing from east to west, in which case she would not have seen the truck approaching. But she has life-threatening injuries. November 24 a woman was struck at Verobeach Blvd and Indrio Rd. in North York in similar circumstances at 8.40 in the morning. Woman, 78, gravely hurt crossing at 4-way stop intersection

An app known as 529 Garage is said to have reduced bicycle thefts in Vancouver by 30 percent. From reporting done by the CBC, 529 Garage emerges as a digital registry which permits an instant alert to all users that a registered bike has been stolen. Its use among police, bicycle retail and repair dealers as well as individual cyclists has proven an effective way to identify a stolen bike and in some cases catch thieves. As in the case of home security devices, a 529 Garage warning decal is available to further chill the typical thief. The app’s inventor is a man called J.Allard. He seems somewhat coy for reasons not clear.  He wouldn’t tell CBC Toronto if the app was coming to Toronto, but did reveal that if a city has an NHL team he’s likely in talks about implementing the app there. How nice.

Pleasant Pottery sale at 566 Mt. Pleasant

Pleasant Pottery

Auston doll at arena Pro Shop

How do like my lawn

Log Jam on Manor

On the left, there will be things to see and buy on Friday, Saturday and Sunday at the Pleasant Pottery Sale, 566 Mt. Pleasant Rd. at Penrose Rd. To the right, how do you like my lawn? New boulevards at the greatly re-shaped corner of Randolph Rd. and Kenrae Rd. make a nice green vista for those living there. Centre left is an Auston Matthews doll just in at the Leaside arena Pro Shop along with other sort-of likenesses of NHL players. Finally at bottom is the under-construction Log Jam play structure at the new kids’ park beside Manor Road United Church at Manor Rd. and Forman Ave. Many Jungle Jims and Janes are going to love this thing.

Leaside Property Owners’ Association (LPOA) will hold its AGM for 2017 Wednesday, November 29 (tonight) with doors open at 7 p.m. The meeting will begin at 7:30 p.m. Councillor Jon Burnside, Premier Kathleen Wynne and MP Rob Oliphant have been invited to attend. In announcing the meeting the LPOA thanked five sponsors:

• Bonnie Byford Real Estate
• Bosley Real Estate (Patrick Rocca)
• Gyro Hyundai
• Olde Yorke Fish and Chips
• Valumart Bayview (Mike Tufts)

The South of Eglinton Ratepayers and Resident Association appear to have won significant victories at the Ontario Municipal Board in the drive to limit the mammoth development called 18 Brownlow. But members of the residents body and their counsel fear they are perhaps being played by the developer against what might be done another day. “Our win might be short-lived, since we are concerned about future development plans for the remaining 6 semis (on Soudan at Brownlow) that till now had been part of the development plans. We have a sense that this “revision” is just a tactic in achieving the same original development, but in stages that also ensure the developer does not have to devote as much of his site to parkland dedication.” SERRA

BRITON HOUSE EXPANSION

“We have an 18 Brownlow lookalike proposed development (700 Mt. Pleasant) with an application submitted on Nov. 3, 2017 by the Briton House (corner of Mt. Pleasant and Soudan) for a massive expansion of their retirement home with yet another 25-storey tower, including a massive 7-storey podium. The issues are familiar: too tall, too dense, lack of setback from the streets, lack of transition to surrounding buildings, zero transition to the neighbourhood on the south side of Soudan and no parkland dedication.”

Madame Justice Sheilah Martin

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has appointed Madame Justice Sheilah Martin to the Supreme Court of Canada. Martin was a member of the Courts of Appeal of Alberta, the Northwest Territories, and Nunavut. Her appointment addresses the retirement of Chief Justice Beverley McLachlin who retires Dec. 15 after almost 18 years on the court. Justice Martin is said to have a passion for the law. She is a graduate of the University of Toronto with a Doctorate of Juridical Sciences. She has worked as a professor of law at the University of Calgary and as Dean. In addition to her many awards, Justice Martin has traveled the world participating in judicial education seminars, sat as a board member or chair on multiple legal/community-based organizations, and has authored many publications. She has an unwavering focus on advancing the role of women in Canada’s courts and, it is said, a tireless devotion to the legal system.

Canada will co-host a meeting with the US about the threat posed by North Korea to the world — and yes, that includes Western Canada. The ICBM launched Tuesday by the callous Kim Jung un regime is fully capable it seems of landing in Vancouver or Calgary. Then, an entertaining examination by NBC of how Britons and Americans are responding to the international love-match now about to become a wedding spectacle. Below that, a reminder from experts that drones are extremely dangerous to aircraft. And while most countries, like Canada, are strengthening the rules, the awful truth is that many people who use drones don’t give a damn about the rules. And finally, a Scarborough man is cherished in his hood for the decorations he creates and offers freely to neighbours. Audra Brown of City News.

The Grey Cup has arrived! Star Quarterback Ricky Ray carries the cup into Nathan Phillips Square #Argos #GreyCup pic.twitter.com/uxLFMVYHSc

— Momin Qureshi (@MominYQureshi) November 28, 2017

The destiny of Nathan Phillips Square was surely to host a rowdy, improbable and thoroughly righteous Grey Cup reception for the Toronto Argonauts. And so it was Tuesday noon hour as the cup, emblematic of Canadian football supremacy for 105 years, was passed around to extreme gloating. Mayor Tory was in the spirit of things. He opined that Calgary Mayor Naheed (below) looked just great in his Argo jersey and that he would be sending the same garment to every CFL mayor because they would no doubt need it after the next CFL champion game. Whoa, your worship.

An inexpensive lookalike of Meghan Markle’s priceless engagement ring can be snapped up for just £33 (C$44) at the British catalogue retailer Argos, the Mail Online reports The stunning ring was showcased by the Suits actress as she and Prince Harry announced their engagement at Kensington Palace Monday. The original includes one stone from Botswana, where the couple recently holidayed and two diamonds from Princess Diana’s personal collections. Argos Ltd, trading as is a British catalogue retailer operating in the United Kingdom and Ireland, and a subsidiary of Sainsbury’s.

Hanna and Lara Neal

Try it

LRT selfie anyone?

Laird in Focus

Nearing goal

Peter Neal of Leaside’s Neal Brothers Foods has posted a heartfelt expression of how pleased he is to have daughter Hanna home from school for a while. Here she is seen with mom Lara. Then, it’s time to check out Volume 1, Number 1 of the Ontario Lawn Bowling Association Newsletter. It is a fun read and offers tips to those recruiting for their club. “Remember that most bowlers join initially for the social and fun aspects, so make sure they get a warm social welcome.” For sure. For transit fans, there is surely nothing more tempting than a chance to get immortalized in front of a likeness of the as-yet-unbuilt Eglinton Station. That’s happening today at the Crosstown Photo Booth at the Eglinton Centre. If you live to the east, drop in Saturday, December 9, when the booth will be at the Eglinton Square Shopping Centre and you can be snapped in front of the future O’Connor Stop. Lower right, the energetic kids of Sarah and Claire’s Food Drive are hoping you will do just a bit more to reach the goal of 100,000 pounds of food for the Daily Bread Food Bank and Regent Park Community Food Centre.  Mom Lynda DeBono reminds everyone that we’re at 92,000 pounds. Please give. Finally, a reminder of the Laird in Focus meeting coming up next Tuesday. 

Public opinion sampling done in recent days by The Forum Poll, a Toronto research firm, reveals a strong lead by John Tory (still a year away from the election) and the nature of Liberal/NDP Toronto, where their combined support is at 58 percent.  There is also a poll on the Forum website that suggests Canadians are only lukewarm about the Trudeau government. Some 38 percent say they would vote Conservative if the election were today.