In an earlier post, we highlighted a petition to designation 1 Weatherell Street as an historical building. Last week, Toronto City Council did just that. To read more about this unique house, click here.
We’ve been advised that the Toronto and Region Conservation Authority (TRCA) are embarking on the development of a new watershed plan for the Humber River and are looking for our neighbourhood input.
There are three ways for you to provide this:
- Complete their online survey, which is available until October 31, 2022
- Email us them humber@trca.ca
- Register to join one of their online webinars:
- Wednesday, October 12, 2022 from 12:00 to 1:00 p.m. (register here)
- Thursday, October 13, 2022 from 7:00 to 8:00 p.m. (register here)
- Webinars will include a presentation with information on the watershed planning process, the Humber River watershed and the development of the HRWP, an interactive session with various exercises and polling, and a Q&A session
You can check out the project webpage for more details.
If you live in a house in our neighbourhood, do you have a downspout that doesn’t empty into your garden or lawn, like the image above? You should consider having it disconnected, taking advantage of the City’s Mandatory Downspout Disconnection Program:
- Disconnecting your home’s downspout so it directly waters the lawn or garden, or goes into a rain barrel for use later, saves both water and money.
- Diverting your downspout away from your home’s foundation helps reduce the risk of basement flooding.
- Disconnecting your downspout so it is no longer directly connected to the sewer system helps keep the City of Toronto’s storm sewers from overloading during heavy rain.
- The program also offers eligible households financial assistance for downspout disconnection, where some costs could be reimbursed.
If not, or you’d like to speak up, there’s a survey ready for you to take.
The City is striving to protect the quality and comfort of the outdoor spaces enjoyed by all residents, including our neighbourhood. The study also includes a review of sun, shadow and wind policies to ensure adequate access to sunlight in public spaces.
Climate change is placing pressure on our public spaces to provide respite during days of extreme heat or cold. Ensuring thermal comfort is key in designing a resilient city. To take the survey, click here. To learn more about the study, click here.
1 Weatherell Street in Bloor West Village is an Arts and Crafts house built by prominent Toronto architect Henry Simpson. Simpson built the home for himself as a cottage and he lived there until his death in December of 1926. The home was lovingly owned by the same family since the 1950s and is in pristine condition.
A heritage designation is being sought to prevent its demolition. If you’d like to support, please visit this link.
The City will be adding 6 new spaces in our Ward to an electric vehicle charging pilot project. The locations are:
Annette Street, north side, from a point 36 metres west of Indian Road Crescent and a point 12 metres further west (2 spaces)
High Park Avenue, east side, from a point 26.7 metres north of Glenlake Avenue and a point 12 metres further north (2 spaces)
Runnymede Road, east side, from a point 93.8 metres north of Annette Street and a point 12 metres further north (2 spaces)
These spaces will be subject to existing parking regulations in effect in the area, including the need for an on-street parking permit where and when required. In addition, parking in these spaces will be limited to a 12 hour maximum period for permit parking holders, and a 3 hour maximum period for non-permit parking holders to ensure turn-over. Users must be actively connected at all times.
Please see this link for the full report.
Residents of the Swansea Mews complex at Windermere Avenue and The Queensway have had to leave their homes because they have been deemed unsafe (a ceiling panel in one home fell down, injuring a resident). As a result, all 114 families are now without secure housing for the foreseeable future.
If you are able, please consider making a donation to the Swansea Mews Resident Relief Fund. The goal is to raise a minimum of $1,000 for every one of the 114 families. A Registered charity called the Stone Soup Network is running this campaign, and will be well positioned to get all funds raised directly into the hands of all 114 families who need it.