The Bulldog

SERRA posts compromise on deal for 1600 block of Bayview

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Depiction of seven-story revision

South Eglinton Ratepayers and Residents Association has posted details of the compromise in the design of the commercial and residential building on the 1600 block of Bayview Ave between Hillsdale and Soudan Aves.  The City’s resistance to the nine-storey plan offered by the owner, the Brown Group, led to negotiations which have yielded a seven-story plan which has been accepted by Council. Two residential properties at 701 Soudan and 720 Hillsdale East owned by Brown and intended for inclusion in the construction are now removed from the application for Official Plan Amendment. The height of the proposed development is limited to a maximum of seven storeys and 25.1 metres plus a maximum 4.0 metre mechanical penthouse. On floors three to six of the proposed development, on the Bayview frontage, the balconies will be recessed and not extend beyond the required setbacks.

STREETWALL EFFECT AND AGM PLANNED

One or more landscaped planters will be added and maintained on the terraces and balconies on the portions of the west facade of the building that extend beyond the 45-degree angular plane. Additional architectural treatment of the Bayview frontage of the proposed building is to emphasize the existing “streetwall character” of the Midtown Village character area of Bayview Avenue. These latter terms may befuddle laymen but it seems the idea is to make the building seem lower to those walking the street.  SERRA thanks Councillor Josh Matlow (Ward 22) and the City’s planning staff, especially Giulio Cescato and David Driedger, for their work. The SERRA Annual General Meeting is Monday May 8, 2017, from 6 to 9 p.m. at Greenwood College School, 443 Mount Pleasant Rd., Toronto, ON, M4S 2L8. Doors open at 6 p.m. for attendees to register, renew memberships, enjoy refreshments and browse a number of information booths. The AGM will start at 7 p.m. and end at 9 p.m.

Davisville PS parents meeting set for 6.30 Tuesday evening

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Family games night March 19

A meeting for parents Tuesday night at Davisville Public School will hear from Jeff Latto, senior manager of major capital projects and building partnership for the Toronto District School Board. One of his interests in recent times has been the prospect of placing classrooms in taller buildings. An outline was shared by the school’s Twitter account suggesting the meeting will focus on reviewing the design of the New Replacement School and operations during construction.  The proposed replacement for DPS is expected to go to at least a third story in order to maximize use of the costly land at Yonge St and Millwood Rd.

Salut to Leaside Men’s Winter Tennis winner Phil Parsons

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Phil Parsons flanked by Jamie Procunier and Bill Pashby

The Leaside Men’s Winter League tennis group recently held their year-end celebration. The men play Sunday nights and have been doing this since 1984 when some residents of Donlea Dr got together to form the League. This year’s winner as shown above is Phil Parsons with last years winner Jamie Procunier and MC Bill Pashby. Thanks to reader Bob Chapman who sent this along.

Shoppers abandon carts at Loblaws as debit process crashes

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Loblaws was struck Monday with a failure of debit — no transactions were possible with the popular form of payment. Some reports said that only cash was being accepted, but others said some credit cards were working. (Bulldog co-publisher successfully purchased groceries at Valumart on Bayview using an RBC Credit Card during the outage.)  These unexpected foul-ups caught many converts to the cashless society flat-footed. As seen above, shopping carts full of groceries were abandoned at the checkout. Nothing like having 10 or 15 green $20 images of her majesty in your purse or pocket when the tap and pay goes down. One wag said that soon we will be able to tell our phone to print some paper money. “Don’t waste your time @LoblawsON tonight — been to 2 stores and CC and Debit are down… does anybody even carry cash anymore?” said one tweet. “Just in case I’m not the last to know this, all debit and credit machines for Loblaws are down in Atlantic Canada. Dominion is cash only,” tweeted another shopper. Customers are notified by in-store announcements over the PA system. On Mar. 22, Shopper’s Drug Mart had a computer outage affecting 1,300 locations that lasted more than two days.

https://twitter.com/Michael_KaneBNN/status/856638837958815751

Flowering South Bayview offers compliments of the season

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Week ahead

TPS begins process of divesting Crossing Guard program

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The Toronto Police Service is taking early steps in its expressed intention of divesting itself of the School Crossing Guard program. To begin, it is asking those interested in possibly assuming these duties to provide information to the service on how this might be done. It says that if there “sufficient interest, ability and feasibility of third-party delivery of the program, the TPS may, but is not obligated to, initiate a competitive bidding opportunity.”  News release

Wynne begins 3-year trial of “basic income no matter what”

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True to her activist creed, Premier Kathleen Wynne will introduce a trial program of payments to poorer Ontario residents — “a basic income, no matter what.” The program will see the three-year trial begin immediately in Hamilton, Lindsay and Thunder Bay. The plan is “a basic income pilot project aimed at providing financial stability for low-income residents during a time of precarious work and a changing economy,” the Premier is quoted from remarks in Hamilton. Global News.

 

Horwath will dispense free (tax supported) medicine

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NDP Leader Andrea Horwath says that if she is elected Premier in 2018 she will introduce universal pharmacare to the province.  Horwath said the province’s first plan to cover drugs for its 13.6 million citizens would cover 125 drugs, cost an estimated $475 million a year and be fully implemented by 2020.

 

Truck hits man, teen on motorcycle on Yonge at Erskine

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A man and a young woman apparently his daughter have been injured when they were hit by a pickup truck as they rode a motorcycle north on Yonge St. at Erskine Ave Sunday night. The driver of the pickup drove off but police now say they have found the vehicle although they have not said where. The bike was hit about 8:45 p.m. Sunday when the pickup truck tried to turn left onto Erskine and struck the northbound motorcycle. The injured parties, 54 and 16, are said to be seriously hurt but on the mend.

Video wheel assays having twins at 39 without man around

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The video wheel begins with Sarah Lenti. She grew up in a conservative Christian home so her parents were surprised when she told them she wanted to have a baby before getting married. Now she has two lovely kids but no husband. Alternatively, it appears she does have some money. To the right, a reprise of Game Six by Breakfast Television. Such goal tending but really, boo hoo. Then, the inevitable creation of music videos on the vertical so they “fit” your phone. And finally diverse Toronto, meet homogeneous Tokyo where a mixed race Miss Japan is barely permitted on television. They don’t care what you think, you know.

Mac’s at Eglinton and Petman robbed by man with a knife

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Tenant rent strike threat against MetCap could boomerang

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Aliza Kassam, MetCap tenant
May 1 Rent Strike
Large landlord
Pat Moore, Thorncliffe Park tenant

Some tenants of MetCap apartment buildings in Parkdale have hung up signs calling for a rent strike on May 1.  Their public expression of an intention not to pay the rent has led to eviction notices which would permit MetCap to commence eviction proceedings two weeks after the rent is due and remains unpaid. One of the leaders of the strike is tenant Aliza Kassam. She was interviewed by CityNews.  A rent strike was raised at a community meeting held with Thorncliffe Park tenants by Premier Wynne in January. At that time such action was advocated by tenant Pat Moore, a board member of the Thorncliffe Neighborhood Office (TNO).  So far as is known there is no action currently planned by Thorncliffe tenants.

ABOVE GUIDELINE RENT INCREASE

One issue in both neighborhoods is the so-called Above Guideline Increase (AGI). These are rent bumps for authorized improvements which permit a landlord to raise rents above the rent control guidelines in order to cover the cost. Many tenants see AGI applications as a pretext to raise rents. MetCap manages 19 apartment buildings in Parkdale and five are facing rent increases. Tenants are demanding MetCap withdraw all pending AGI applications in Parkdale, stop the practice of applying for AGIs in Parkdale and resolve all outstanding maintenance issues.

METCAP CEO

MetCap CEO Brent Merril says he is doing everything by the book and he intends to proceed with eviction if tenants do pay the rent. After the strike comes into effect, he will issue an N4 Notice of Termination as of May 2 giving tenants 14 days to pay their rent and if they do not the landlord can choose to take them to the Landlord and Tenant Board for an eviction hearing.