Author: Michael

114 Families In A Nearby Community Need Our Help

June 23, 2022 Michael Leave a comment Feedback, News

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. 

Improvements Coming To High Park TTC Station

June 21, 2022 Michael Leave a comment News

Good news: the TTC will be conducting work at High Park Station at the Quebec Avenue entrance to make High Park Station accessible by 2024. Construction started June 20, 2022.

Please find the Pre-Construction presentation here. Information is posted on the TTC website/social media. A mailer out was sent as well. Also, you can see the stage 1 and 2 construction notice here.

The notice outlines the impacts, including the closure of the Quebec Avenue entrance to High Park Station.

Who’s Who In The Zoo?

June 10, 2022 Michael Leave a comment Meeting info
You are invited to join Friends of High Park Zoo on Wednesday, June 22, 2022, from 7:00 PM to 8:30 PM for their Annual General Meeting. This year, it will be held virtually and in person, with details given below.

Anyone can qualify as a member of Friends of High Park Zoo by either contributing 10 hours of volunteer work with the organization or making a financial donation of at least $20 during 2021 or by June 22, 2022. If you haven’t already done so you can donate online here.

To attend in person, you must provide proof of vaccination and wear a mask. The meeting will be held at the High Park Nature Centre located at 375 Colborne Lodge Dr, Toronto, ON M6R 2Z3. To attend via Zoom, please register below.

Register in advance for this meeting:
https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZMvdu-vpzwiHdZ-_MvyhcVTDJZXv5YAtF1Y

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

Helicopter Assault to Begin

May 10, 2022 Michael Leave a comment Meeting info
Aerial spraying planned to combat gypsy moth infestation | CTV News

Not to worry; Apocalypse Now is not being remade in our neighbourhood. But helicopters will be used nearby from mid May to mid June to control gypsy moths. You can check the interactive map at http://toronto.ca/lddmoth to find out where spraying will take place.

Spraying is weather-dependent and can only be initiated in specific weather conditions. As a result, specific spray dates will be confirmed 48 hours in advance and may be cancelled if conditions change.

No special precautions are required for residents in the spray zones, however, those wishing to avoid exposure can remain indoors during and immediately after the spraying. The insecticides that will be applied are not toxic to birds, humans, other mammals, adult moths, butterflies, bees and other insects and are approved by Health Canada for urban aerial use.

Noise, Noise, Noise…

April 4, 2022 Michael Leave a comment Feedback

The City is working on a report to respond to various City Council directives since the Noise Bylaw was amended in 2019. Residents of Bloor West Village have been invited to share feedback and comments on things like restrictions on noise from two-stroke leaf blowers and other small-engine equipment and potential strategies to reduce excessive vehicle noise our neighbourhood, including automated noise enforcement and the use of noise radar technologies.

To share any comments, please email MLSFeedback@toronto.ca by April 20, 2022. More information is available at toronto.ca/Noise. 

Supporting the Refugee Housing Network

March 29, 2022 Michael Leave a comment News

Local volunteers from Techfugees Canada are working with Romero House to respond to the urgent needs of refugee claimants and help families living in transitional housing find stable apartments faster. There are two ways you can help as a Bloor Street West resident:

  1. Consider if you are able to host a refugee family in your home on an emergency basis. If you are in a position of having extra space in your home and would be willing to offer space to a refugee or refugee family, we would love to know and keep your name on a list of people we might call on when needed.  
  2. Do you have an apartment that you are willing to rent to refugees? Do you know of others who do? Permanent housing for refugees is even better than emergency housing! If you are willing to be a landlord to recently arrived refugees get in touch. 

To learn more about both of these initiatives email toronto@techfugees.com.  

Techfugees Canada is a local chapter of the global social enterprise Techfugees, which is an impact-driven organization dedicated to nurturing a sustainable ecosystem of tech solutions to support the inclusion of displaced peoples.