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Mayor John Tory's Toronto

Ford Nation, et al, is happily proud to announce that Community Environment Days will be held as drive-thru events at City Drop-Off Depots from September 12 to October 31, 2021.

From link.

TitleDescription
Dufferin Drop-Off Depot (North York)35 Vanley Cr., North York
Event Dates
Sunday, September 12 | 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Sunday, September 26 | 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Bermondsey Drop-Off Depot (Toronto)188 Bermondsey Rd., Toronto
Event Dates
Sunday, September 12 | 1 to 5 p.m.
Sunday, October 24 | 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Ingram Drop-Off Depot (North York)50 Ingram Dr., North York
Event Dates
Sunday, September 19 | 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Sunday, October 3 | 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Scarborough Drop-Off Depot1 Transfer Pl., Scarborough
Event Dates
Sunday, September 19 | 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Sunday, October 31 | 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Commissioners Drop-Off Depot (Toronto)400 Commissioners St., Toronto
Event Dates
Sunday, September 26 | 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Sunday, October 24 | 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Victoria Park Drop-Off Depot (North York)3350 Victoria Park Ave., North York
Event Dates
Sunday, October 3 | 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Sunday, October 24 | 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Disco Drop-Off Depot (Etobicoke)120 Disco Rd., Etobicoke
Event Dates
Sunday, October 17 | 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Sunday, October 31 | 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

From link.

Effective Monday, June 14th: all Drop-Off Depots have reopened to the public.

  • Get current hours for all Drop-Off Depots.
  • Residents are asked to limit visits to Drop-Off Depots and practice physical distancing when visiting.
  • Cash will not be accepted at any Drop-off Depots; please pay via debit or credit card.
  • A face mask or covering is mandatory and must be worn by anyone entering the Drop-Off Depots sites
  • If you are exempt from wearing a mask/face covering, you must call ahead to schedule your arrival time. This is to ensure your safety as well as the safety of others. Please call 311 to be transferred to a Drop-Off Depot to book your time.
Due to COVID-19, compost will not be available for pick up at Drop-Off Depots until COVID-19 restrictions and protocols have changed.
 
W. K. Lis said:
"The current agreement with Toronto Hydro requires the road to be properly lit, but not the sidewalk, leaving many sidewalks relying on adjacent buildings, if any, for illumination. In some areas of the City, this can create accessibility and safety concerns.​
​
There are also community design aspirations and existing local lighting standards that the current agreement does not assist with nor protect in the long-term. If a new light is to be installed or an existing light replaced, Toronto Hydro typically will default to a standard design, such as the “Cobra Head” Luminaire which is attached to 25 foot poles.​
​
This design, while functional, is not a suitable replacement for many areas of the City that have paid for and/or historically used other standards. As an example, Victorian-style lighting standards in some parts of the St. Lawrence Neighbourhood reflect both the Old Town heritage character and provide pedestrian scale lighting. Without an identical or similar lighting standard option, these lights are being replaced by Toronto Hydro’s standard and sometimes much taller poles as they are damaged or reach their end of life. Without an approved alternative, reinstating the previous neighbourhood-specific lights is both challenging and expensive."​

I've seen tree planting that avoids placing them under street lamps, so the trees don't cast shadows on the roadway.



"
Click to expand...
It would also be best to illuminate only the surface, not the sky:

Light_pollution_solution_examples.jpg
 
In a report to next week's Executive Ctte, staff recommend implementing a 'Vacant Homes Tax' beginning Jan 1, 2022.

There would be consultation this fall to refine any details.

The revenue, however, would not flow until 2023 because of the way in which the tax is structured.

Revenue is projected in the 55-66M range per year.

Report here: https://www.toronto.ca/legdocs/mmis/2021/ex/bgrd/backgroundfile-168674.pdf

My comment:

A fine start!

****

Now, about a storm-water tax, an increase in property tax beyond inflation, and a parking tax.
 
Northern Light said:
If we want to make a real difference in lives of currently disenfranchised people (a disproportionate number of whom are First Nations or Black)........there is a long list of worthwhile places to put the money before this.
Click to expand...
There are other things that need to be addressed, for sure. But at the speed of bureaucracy, if we focus on only one, or just "the biggest fires", we ignore the problems the others cause as well. Tackling multiple sources of problem at once brings attention and makes it easier to address others.
 
Toronto destroys community garden at local park without warning

From link.

20210628-trinity-bellwoods2.jpg


As if there wasn't already enough outrage at the way the City of Toronto needlessly evicted homeless campers at Trinity Bellwoods park last week, it turns out that there was even more damage done than initially thought.

A community garden, located right next to the greenhouse near Trinity Bellwoods' community centre was bulldozed as part of last Wednesday's chaos.

The garden had been tended to and cared for by a group of volunteers and local community members who dedicated their time to adding some beauty and diverse plant life to the park.

"The gardens surrounding the space served as an extension of the growing season, however, on Wednesday afternoon, a local informed the group that a bulldozer clamped away every last bit of their plants and efforts in a matter of minutes," Jessica Hui, a representative for the Friends of Trinity Bellwoods Park volunteer group told blogTO.

"The group was given no warning prior to this removal, which meant all their personal property, time, energy, and love was just thrown out, along with the community's canoe, which symbolized the Lost Rivers project that was generously donated by the David Suzuki Foundation."
Click to expand...
According to Hui, part of the reason given to them about why the garden was bulldozed was that city officials were concerned that something could have been stashed or hidden within the garden.

Because of the city's need to use excessive force, not only were several people evicted from the park but the local community lost a beloved garden that was a home to several birds, insects and small mammals.

Bees, ladybugs, butterflies, and all sorts of other creatures that made a walk through Trinity Bellwoods that much more magical will now be forced to find a new home until the volunteers can regrow a new garden.

After such an ugly year, it hurts to lose some more beauty in this city.
Click to expand...
1624906805-20210628-trinity-bellwoods3.jpg
 
A public park isn't the place to set up your home, or leave your personal belongings. If they didn't want to waste their time, energy, and love, they should have set it up somewhere they had permission too.
 
I moved the Dundas Street discussion to a separate thread to better manage topics.

Proposed renaming of Dundas Street

Dundas station seen as ideal candidate for a name change; Ryerson University a likely partner, says TTC chair The Globe and Mail Wed Jul 6 2011 Byline: Elizabeth Church File: TTC ****summarized for quick read*** Dundas station will be the test case for plans by the Toronto Transit Commission...
urbantoronto.ca urbantoronto.ca
 
In respect of trying to get some new revenues for the City, while discouraging surface parking........

1625518822950.png


Tory's allies unite with a vote to dither!
 
The Integrity Commissioner is reporting on our old 'friend' Jimmy K!

After an investigation, the Integrity Commissioner found that there was insufficient evidence to conclude that Mr. Karygiannis had wrongfully used his office to shield his political supporters or report political opponents to the City (contrary to Article VIII), or had entered homes under false pretenses (contrary to Article XIV).

However, it was found that he entered two residential properties without permission and, in two other cases, inappropriately took pictures of people in their homes, which is discreditable conduct for purposes of Article XIV (Discreditable Conduct). The Integrity Commissioner also found that the failure follow the Ethical Framework was contrary to Article XV (Failure to Adhere to Council Policies and Procedures).

Mr. Karygiannis is no longer a member of City Council. Therefore, the Integrity Commissioner makes no recommendation as to penalty or remedial action.

See: http://app.toronto.ca/tmmis/viewAgendaItemHistory.do?item=2021.CC35.2
 
A great motion from Wong-Tam on the Wellington fiasco! I and the SLNA will certainly be writing in our support, other UTers may want to do so too. It has truely been a very expensive mess!

MM35.17
ACTION​
​
​
Ward: 13​
Requesting the Auditor General Review the Wellington Street East Construction for Effective Coordination and Communication - by Councillor Kristyn Wong-Tam, seconded by Councillor Joe Cressy​
* Notice of this Motion has been given.
* This Motion is subject to referral to the Infrastructure and Environment Committee. A two-thirds vote is required to waive referral.​
Recommendations​
Councillor Kristyn Wong-Tam, seconded by Councillor Joe Cressy, recommends that:

1. City Council request the Auditor General to consider including an audit of the construction and utility work on Wellington Street East in her 2022 Work Plan on the following matters regarding work on Wellington Street East between Yonge Street and Church Street:

a. factors which led to delays on Wellington Street East that have created over five years of utility and construction activity;

b. improvements to the process and work that could have mitigated delays; and

c. recommendations to improve utility and construction management to ensure the timely and cost-effective delivery of future streetscape work in the City of Toronto.

2. City Council direct the Chief Engineer and Executive Director, Engineering and Construction Services and the General Manager, Transportation Services to report to the September 14, 2021 meeting of the Infrastructure and Environment Committee on the following matters regarding work on Wellington Street East between Yonge Street and Church Street:

a. outstanding work to complete on Wellington Street East, including a timeline for resolution for individual pieces of work; and

b. potential options to accelerate outstanding work ahead of June 2022.​
Summary​
Since 2015, work has been underway to upgrade Wellington Street East between Yonge Street and Church Street. The vision by local residents and businesses is reflected in the St. Lawrence Market Neighbourhood Business Improvement Area Streetscape Master Plan, and represents a decade of community planning, which was supported by City Planning and the Business Improvement Area Office.

By repurposing one lane of traffic on Wellington Street East, the future streetscape will boast a wider north sidewalk for pedestrians, patios and street furniture, loading and lay by improvements and new street trees. The work also would allow for intersection improvements to improve traffic and pedestrian safety at the intersection of Church Street, Wellington Street East and Front Street East. To ensure a beautiful new streetscape was not marred by future utility cuts, the work was staged to allow utilities, including Toronto Water, Toronto Hydro and Enbridge Gas to upgrade their underground infrastructure, as well as to provide an opportunity for the Toronto Transit Commission to before streetcar track replacement.

Following the necessary approvals by City Council in 2016, work began in 2017, Residents and the St. Lawrence Neighbourhood Association quickly became concerned that work was not proceeding in a timely manner to allow streetscape work to begin in the summer of 2020 as had been originally desired. In 2019, by way of my Motion adopted at City Council, City staff was directed to create a working group to coordinate the Wellington work as well as other nearby projects to try and finish construction as quickly as feasible. Utility work continued to create delays, and despite best efforts, the earliest delivery that staff and utility companies could feasibly deliver was to start and finish the work in 2021.

Streetscape work along this 300 metre portion of Wellington Street East finally got underway in the spring of this year, with an anticipated September end date. The discovery of new unanticipated underground conflicts halted the contractor’s work in mid-June, and prompted the Chief Engineer and Executive Director, Engineering and Construction Services and the General Manager, Transportation Services to jointly decide to delay further work until the Spring of 2022.

Businesses and residents on Wellington Street East have been living with construction on what is a relatively short piece of the road for four years, and have now been told to expect work to stretch into a fifth year. The impacts have been profoundly difficult for businesses on and adjacent to Wellington Street East, even before adding the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. The current best case scenario is for residents and businesses to live with an unfinished streetscape until the Spring of 2022, with construction bleeding into the summer yet again.

The elements that contributed to years of construction on Wellington Street East are not unique to the downtown. There are also many stretches of Toronto with similar plans and ambitions, and without a proper autopsy to determine what caused Wellington Street East to drag for five years - and how the City may have prevented it from doing so - this pattern is set to repeat. If the City does nothing, Wellington Street East will become a poster - fairly or not - of “mismanaged” municipal streetscape projects and challenge the City to properly upgrade and beautify other streets in the downtown for fear from residents and businesses that they will unnecessarily endure years of construction themselves.

There are many questions that residents, businesses and even the Councillors’ offices have had for many years that require a proper autopsy, including:

1. What factors were the legitimate causes for delays on Wellington Street East?

2. Were these factors legitimately unavoidable?

3. Are there lessons that can be learned from the Wellington Street East construction work that can assist in keeping future streetscape projects on time and on budget?

While this work is pending, it is also critical to ensure that the remaining work on Wellington Street East be completed in an efficient and expedited manner. The current estimated timeline is for work to resume in April 2022, with construction ending July 2022. It is critical for businesses on Wellington Street East to have a functional streetscape by the summer. If there are any steps that staff can take with the contractor to resume work earlier and to consider measures such as extended hours, they should be strongly considered to avoid additional construction work slipping into June 2022 as is still feasible.​
 
So this story appeared on CBC.
Forget the content itself for a moment; it's a buried lede story of little interest outside one neighbourhood and niche government legal fandoms.

What stands out is Councillor Pasternak going for an all-time best bafflegab in his quote saying that there are definitely "speeding challenges" with vehicles in the neighbourhood

Speeding challenges in the neighbourhood.

Let that one sink in as a response to a car going so fast it flipped over trying to make a turn. It has as much passion for the subject as a middle-manager of an applesauce company talking about the difficulties of getting the new labels to stick to the jars. "There have been jar labelling challenges, but we're optimistic about a new glue formula."
 
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Jonny5 said:
Let that one sink in as a response to a car going so fast it flipped over trying to make a turn.
Click to expand...

A more apt analogy for Pasternak…

It has as much passion for the subject as a middle-manager of an applesauce company talking about the difficulties of getting the new labels to stick to the jars after adhesive cross-contamination killed three infants. "There have been jar labelling challenges, but we're optimistic about a new glue formula."
Click to expand...
 
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