Category: Feedback

Update On Humber River Watershed

September 23, 2022 Michael Leave a comment Feedback, Media

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:

  1. Complete their online survey, which is available until October 31, 2022
  1. Email us them humber@trca.ca
  1. 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.

Down With Spouts

September 4, 2022 Michael Leave a comment Feedback

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.

Feeling Comfortable Sitting Outdoors in Bloor West Village?

August 22, 2022 Michael Leave a comment Feedback

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.

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. 

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. 

Free COVID Tests in Bloor West Village

February 15, 2022 Michael Leave a comment Feedback

You can now get a free rapid testing kit for at-home use. Ontario will be distributing 5.5 million rapid antigen tests each week for eight weeks through pharmacy and grocery locations across the province, as well as through community partners in vulnerable communities. Here is a list of everywhere you can get them. Use the search bar for a major street or store in our neighbourhood.

REVISED: Update on Garden Suites

November 14, 2021 Michael Leave a comment Feedback, Media
As the final community consultation, City Planning has provided the following documents on the Garden Suites website for review by the public: 

– Proposed Garden Suites regulations
– Draft Official Plan amendments and draft Zoning By-law amendments 
– A video explaining the regulations with illustrations.

A reminder that Bloor Street West residents have until November 30th to submit their comments. Planning will be preparing their Final Report for submission to the Planning and Housing Committee in January, 2022.
Toronto wants to add garden suites to neighbourhood housing options | The Star

Help Map Memories in Bloor West Village

October 9, 2021 Michael Leave a comment Feedback, News
The history of Bloor West Village in Toronto

Imagine walking through your neighbourhood and being able to pull back the curtains of time as you go. What do seniors remember from decades ago? What family anecdotes do they have to tell? What used to be where that condo now stands? What did newcomers experience when they settled in Toronto?

These are some of the questions Back Lane Studios hope to answer with their newest project, Mapping our Memories. Here’s their plan: Build a team to collect memories and historic information about our neighbourhoods in the west part of Toronto, including ours. Then, make the material easily accessible through links to digital maps. They will be focusing for now on Roncesvalles and High Park, Parkdale, Swansea, the Junction and Weston, with
some forays into Etobicoke.

Back Lane Studios decided to embark on this project when one of their videos, Growing up in the Junction, gained more than 2,000 YouTube views in fairly short order. In the documentary, Lois Broad, 94, who has a remarkable memory, reminisces about places and childhood experiences in west-end Toronto. The video showed the strong interest people have in what life in their neighbourhoods used to be like, and they decided to create a way to
continue collecting and organizing seniors’ memories geographically.

Mapping our Memories is supported by funding from the Government of Canada’s New Horizons for Seniors Program. They are using the grant to pay instructors and cover the cost of developing the website mapping platform. Most of the work is being done by volunteers. Current funding runs until February, 2022 however, they are hoping to build a team of volunteers, involve interested partners and seek further funding to continue this as a long-term Back Lane Studios’ project with expanded geographic reach.

If you want to help or support, here is their contact details: info@backlanestudios.ca.

Do You Own A Rental Unit in Bloor West Village?

September 21, 2021 Michael Leave a comment Feedback

A call out to local landlords: Would you consider renting the apartment to a refugee family?

Techfugees Toronto is working with Romero House on a new project called the Refugee Housing Network to help families living at Romero House transition from temporary to affordable permanent housing faster.

We are looking for landlords who agree to be contacted by Romero House in the event that a settlement worker identifies a potential match with a refugee family living there. Settlement workers will only make tenant recommendations if the tenants have stable income.

Conditions for joining as a housing provider:

  • Agree to share your unit information with Romero House (location, price, availability)
  • Agree to be contacted by Romero House if a settlement worker identifies a potential match with a family
  • Agree to meet with the settlement worker and the family if a rental arrangement is possible (with no obligation to rent)
  • Acknowledge that many refugee claimants do not have a credit score upon arrival and that many receive stable income from provincial assistance

Email toronto@techfugees.com to learn more about #VacanciesForRefugees. Techfugees Toronto 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.

Please Share Your Thoughts on Outdoor Dining

August 25, 2021 Michael Leave a comment Feedback

We’re reminded that CaféTO is supporting nearly 1,200 restaurants this season with expanded outdoor dining space in curb lanes and on sidewalks. The have launched a new survey, which will help the City to better support recovery of the restaurant industry, enhance understanding of the appropriate use of public sidewalks and curb lanes, and identify the effects of expanded patios on private properties.

The survey is currently live and will be open until September 19, 2021. You can find the survey at toronto.ca/CafeTO.

Outdoor dining features heavily in our neighbourhood and so we encourage all residents of Bloor West Village to complete it to help CaféTO shape the City’s outdoor dining programs and the future of Toronto’s streets, including ours.

The top 5 patios near High Park