Category: Uncategorized

Un-paving paradise with Councillor Mike Colle on Saturday

Join Councillor Mike Colle and your neighbours to see a new park site! The old Green P parking lot at Castlefield between Yonge and Duplex is the future home of a large new park! More green space is coming to the Yonge-Eglinton area.

Contrary to the old Joni Mitchell song – you CAN unpave a parking lot!

SEDRA works closely with many residents’ associations across the city including the Eglinton Park Residents’ Association (EPRA). Our friends at EPRA have asked us to join in their celebration.

Come for the music, kids’ activities, food & drink, plus bike checkups with Cycle Toronto. There will be samosas and dipping sauce, and hot dogs. For the thirsty, there will be cold water and cold drinks. But city discourages plastic bottles. There will be cups, but you can bring your own flask or thermos, and fill it there. On hand will be folks from EPRA, LPRO, 500 Duplex Tenants’ Association, City of Toronto Parks Department, and of course Eglinton-Lawrence Councillor Mike Colle.

Where to meet:
Duplex and Castlefield – Saturday May 28th – 1 PM to 4 PM

SEDRA call to action re: 537 Eglinton Ave East (at Hoyle)

537, 539, 541, 543 EGLINTON AVE E
Zoning By Law Amendment Application to permit a 23-storey, 128 unit residential building with a total gross floor area of 9,073 square metres, resulting in a floor space index of 15.8 times the lot area. A total of 37 vehicular parking spaces and 142 bicycle parking spaces are proposed on two levels of underground parking.

South Eglinton Davisville Residents’ Association has released a call to action regarding a development proposal at 537 Eglinton Ave East. Mark your calendar for SEDRA’s Zoom Meeting on May 30th at 7:00PM.

After both the North York Community Council (NYCC) and City Council unanimously adopted City Planning’s Refusal Report, developer Eglinton Hoyle Realty Inc and their law firm Aird & Berlis are proceeding with an appeal to the Ontario Land Tribunal. The Case Management Conference (CMC) has been scheduled for 10 am on June 9th via video. SEDRA believes the City has a very strong case against this appeal, but their case is much stronger with the support of the community. SEDRA (South Eglinton Davisville Residents’ Association) – formally SERRA – plans to participate. SEDRA strongly recommends that as a resident, you also consider signing up as a Participant. The more residents who show their support by attending this hearing, the better.

SEDRA Zoom Meeting – May 30th at 7:00PM
Topic: SEDRA – 537 Eglinton meeting
Time: May 30, 2022 07:00 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)
Join Zoom Meeting: Link
Meeting ID: 889 0893 7601
Passcode: 338001

SEDRA will be focusing on the following issues in our communication to the OLT:

  • Suitability of the site to accommodate such a tall building
  • Potential wind impacts associated with a tall building with limited stepbacks
  • The proposed height of 23 storeys (double the permitted height of 8-12 storeys for this location per OPA 405)
  • The lack of transition from such a tall building to the homes to the south
  • Shadow impacts on neighbouring residential properties to the north
  • Lack of on-site parking, and in particular, visitor parking.

All the information regarding the latest application, the rationale for the city’s recommendation and your input from the community consultation meeting can be found in the link below.

537, 539, 541 and 543 Eglinton Avenue East – Official Plan Amendment Application – Refusal Report

Do-or-die battle to save low-rise Davisville west of Bayview

Comings and goings observed on South Bayview in May

A stroll down our favourite street has revealed changes to some well known businesses. Peering through the glass, we could see the demolition of the interior space that was formerly home to Scholar’s Choice and Butter Studio. The refurbished space will make way for a “new restaurant” with a patio, according to a building permit application. Strolling south, we observed a new banner that is covering up the sign for the Bombay Snack Bar. They are now known as Charcoal Biryani at 1595 Bayview Ave. Parpar clothing is still preparing their store, with plans to open in the former location of Express Travel at 1569 Bayview Ave. Since patio season has officially begun, tables, chairs, potted plants and smiling faces are starting to fill our sidewalks. We think the electric blue patio set at La Diperie is rather eye-catching! This will be their first summer at 1559 Bayview Ave. Welcome to Bayview, Supermart and Petals (1635 Bayview Ave.) your beautiful flowers are a feast for the eyes!

Construction continues in the base of the new residential building known as The Stack, 730 Hillsdale Avenue East at Bayview. Maker Pizza and The Sweet Potato (grocery store) will be opening later in 2022.

See you on Bayview!

What’s behind the fencing at Bayview and Eglinton?

Friend of the Bulldog and venerable shutterbug, Rudy Limeback has tweeted a photo of the exposed underbelly of the intersection at Bayview and Eglinton. Quite a change from the archive photo of Sunnybrook Plaza. Metrolinx construction continues.

R.V. Burgess Park official opening event set for Saturday

Jaye Robinson, City Councillor for Ward 15—Don Valley West will be holding an official opening event for the newly designed R.V. Burgess Park (46 Thorncliffe Park Drive) on Saturday, May 28, 2022 starting at 10:00am.

The ambitious R.V. Burgess Park Renovation Project in Thorncliffe Park was officially completed in fall 2021.

Over the last few years, my team has worked closely with City staff and the Thorncliffe Park community to refine the design for R.V. Burgess Park using the feedback we collected from the Working Group. Thank you to all those who were involved.

In 2019, I significantly expanded the scope of the R.V. Burgess Park project by allocating additional funding that nearly doubled the original budget. Instead of just replacing the existing playground as initially planned, we completely transformed the park. I also made sure that the community would remain well-served by outdoor amenities throughout the construction period by asking City staff to review the programming offered at other nearby parks.

I am looking forward to hosting an official park opening with the community later this month!
Jaye Robinson, City Councillor for Ward 15—Don Valley West

Doors Open Toronto returns this weekend, May 28th-29th

Ever wanted to peek inside an interesting or historical building, but it’s not open to the public? Now could be your chance to do just that. Rediscover the city you thought you knew through Doors Open Toronto, celebrating 100+ sites of architectural, cultural and social significance. Go deeper with engaging tours, insightful talks, an online film series and other virtual experiences. Doors Open Toronto returns May 28 and 29, 2022, plus free general admission to all Toronto History Museums. Doors Open activities take place between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m.

www.toronto.ca/explore-enjoy/festivals-events/doors-open-toronto

Tornado touched down in Uxbridge during Saturday’s storm

Field crews with the Northern Tornadoes Project have confirmed that an EF2 tornado hit Uxbridge, Ont., with wind speeds of up to 195 km/h.


Canada’s 1st derecho since 1999

The City of Toronto is continuing clean-up work after last Saturday’s severe storm. City and contracted forestry crews worked through the weekend to respond to storm service requests. More than 2,900 requests have been received since Saturday. Crews worked 12- to 14-hour shifts over the weekend and all available crews and inspectors were brought in and assigned to this work.

Nearly half of Canada’s population hit by derecho. “Derechos of similar intensity have occurred before in this part of Canada, but never has one had a track like this that followed the length of the most densely populated corridor in the country.”

What’s a derecho and why is it so destructive? The science behind this powerful storm “A derecho, is a long-lived, fast-moving thunderstorm that causes widespread wind damage. This particular storm system was fed by a heat dome over the eastern United States. Unlike the rotating winds in a hurricane or a tornado, a derecho’s winds are straight. That doesn’t mean it’s any less damaging; its winds can topple trees and lift up roofs. Another feature of a derecho is that unlike the slow building of a supercell thunderstorm, the business end of a derecho is at the front.”

Hydro Ottawa says current outages significantly worse than ice storm, tornadoes



#WelcomeBackCody Spring Fair set for Saturday, June 11

Maurice Cody Spring Fair will take place on Saturday June 11, from 10-3 pm rain or shine. Its being promoted as #WelcomeBackCody and they are really excited to make it a fun community event after the two year absence. There will be bouncy castles, inflatable games, DJ playing music, Bake Sale, Calk Walk, Lucky Dip, Duckie Race, BBQ, Salon & Spa and more!

Deadly thunderstorms whipped through Ontario Saturday

Peel Regional Police said a woman in her 70s has died after being struck by a falling tree this afternoon. While Ontario Provincial Police West Region confirmed that a tree fell on a camping trailer at Pinehurst Lake Conservation Area in between Kitchener and Brantford. One person was pronounced dead in hospital while two others were injured. More.

Locally there was a lot of debris in the road. Toronto Hydro’s outage map website crashed but was later restored, albeit without any outage information. Pleas for assistance posted to Twitter suggest localized outages were experienced throughout the GTA.

The Bulldog observed a cornucopia of branches of all sizes littering the lawns of just about every property on Bessborough Drive between Millwood Road and Sharron Drive. One of the largest was near Millwood, where a giant trunk had split. McRae was closed between Millwood and Hanna due to another downed tree. Traffic lights on Bayview were out north of Lawrence, and Bayview Village Association reported outages affecting elevators and garage doors.

Further north, Uxbridge has declared a State of Emergency with widespread damage reported. Residents of Whitchurch-Stouffville are also reporting some severe damage. Looking east to Ottawa, the videos and photos from Ottawa are shocking. The storm was fast and furious leaving a lot of damage in its path.


https://twitter.com/TomOrlandoo/status/1528131571663896577


Exploring Ontario’s woodlands in search of elusive trilliums

They only appear for a couple weeks in the spring, so you have to plan your search wisely! It’s a real treat to see Ontario’s provincial flower, the White Trillium (Trillium grandiflorum) blooming out in the wild. It was designated the provincial floral emblem of Ontario in 1937. Enjoy these snapshots from the Oak Ridges Moraine in Uxbridge taken last weekend. Look, but don’t touch — if you pick a trillium, the plant may not have enough energy to survive throughout the winter. Learn more: www.ontarioparks.com/parksblog/trilliums

It’s gettin’ hot this weekend! Grab sunscreen & an umbrella

Whether you’re in Toronto or at the cottage, you will be warm on Saturday! Possible thunderstorms may pop up, so plan accordingly. Victoria Day Monday will be cooler, but the rain clouds should be gone by then, giving way for a clear night to watch the fireworks. Fingers crossed!

Ashbridges Bay fireworks display on Victoria Day (Monday)

Photo by Stephen H on Unsplash

Mayor John Tory announced the return of Victoria Day fireworks at Ashbridges Bay Park starting at 10 p.m. on Monday, May 23. This will be the first public in-person fireworks display on Victoria Day in Toronto since 2019. The 13-minute show is a free City of Toronto event that will feature 2,000 individual fireworks – spectators can expect a spectacular finale. The fireworks display is weather dependent. Ashbridges Bay Park is located on Lake Shore Boulevard East at the foot of Coxwell Avenue and is readily accessible by public transit. More information about the park is available on the City of Toronto’s Ashbridges Bay Park webpage. Attendees are encouraged to leave personal vehicles at home and take public transit or Bike Share as a greener, faster and more affordable way of getting to and from the festivities.

More information about fireworks including proper use and disposal, is available on the City’s fireworks webpage: www.toronto.ca/fireworks.