City magazine Toronto Life is looking for people with interesting real estate/housing stories (buying, selling, renovations, etc) or a strong point of view about a housing issue in the city that they are personally affected by who are willing to tell their stories. If you have an opinion or story to tell, please reach out to Maddy Mahoney, Digital Producer, Toronto Life at maighdlin.mahoney@stjoseph.com.
Toronto Nature Stewards (TNS) is a volunteer based organization working to restore the health and beauty of Toronto’s many ravines. Two of their sites are very close to Bloor West Village: South Kingsway (8 South Kingsway) and Magwood Park (2 Pasadena Gardens).
Their focus is the removal of invasive plants with fully trained Lead Stewards providing direction so volunteers are never on their own. Events are usually on a weekly basis, but no time commitment is required. Volunteers must be registered to participate.
To learn more, check out torontonaturestewards.org and if you would like to give it a try, click on “Get Involved”.
The Toronto Star recently profiled our neighbourhood in this piece, explaining the virtues of a place we know so well.
Sewer work in and around Old Mill Drive has been plagued by issues of late, including an expensive, stuck machine deep underground. Read here to learn more including when things should return to normal.
Building on the broad public consultations conducted in 2022, the City wants to reconnect with you to hear your opinions on making the UrbanHensTO pilot program permanent and city-wide. Take an online survey to share your thoughts and any additional comments on issues related to the program, such as nuisance, public health, food security, veterinarian care and animal welfare in Toronto. The deadline to submit comments is February 7.
Your feedback from the survey will update the City’s understanding about the program, help staff gauge the extent to which the public support making the program permanent, and inform the final staff report expected at the April 2023 meeting of the Economic and Community Development Committee.
Learn more at toronto.ca/UrbanHensTO.
This time of year can often be variable: cold days, mild days, cold days… It will eventually be much colder, longer, so consider these tips to ensure your home’s plumbing is safe:
Locate your main water shut-off valve inside your home and add a tag or label to it, so it is easy to locate and turn off quickly if pipes burst in your home
Seal air leaks in your home and garage to stop cold air from getting in. Check around windows and doors, electrical wiring, dryer vents and pipes
Insulate pipes in your home most prone to freezing including near outside walls, in the basement, or in a garage with an outside water supply. Use foam pipe covers available from building supply or home improvement stores
Keep the house warm even if you’re away to prevent indoor plumbing from freezing, especially in the area near the water meter
When temperatures are below -15C for a few days, you can choose to keep the water moving in your pipes by running a pencil-thin stream of cold water from a tap in the lowest point of the house e.g. a sink or tub in the basement. Ensure the drain is kept clear of debris to prevent overflowing or flooding. However, if you choose to take this step, you will be charged for the water you use.
More tips including a video on ways to avoid frozen pipes available at toronto.ca/frozenpipes
Rentola, a popular rental housing portal, released a study this week comparing 140 neighbourhoods in Toronto. Our neighbourhood ranked #3 with other west end locales making the top 10. Factors included in the study included crime, environment, education, housing, jobs, the local economy and health.
To view the complete report and methodology, click here.
The City has partnered with Ministry of Transportation Ontario, Metrolinx, TCC and other municipalities around the Golden Horseshoe Area to conduct a transit survey. The survey is called the Transportation Tomorrow Survey (TTS).
TTS is a confidential and voluntary travel survey on how Ontarians in the Greater Golden Horseshoe and surrounding area use the transportation system. The information collected is an important data source for local and regional governments, as well as the Province and its agencies. The results will be used in future transportation planning and investment decisions.
You may be hearing from them as Invitations are currently being sent out to randomly selected households to take the survey.
While the City does not regulate the use of doorbell cameras or other similar security technology on private residential properties, there are best practices that you can consider when installing this equipment on your property. More information can be found here.
The Stone Soup Network is reaching out to residents of Bloor West Village for volunteers to participate on their Steering Committee.
Since 2016, over $250,000 in donated goods and services have been shared with over 3,000 people struggling with poverty in our neighbourhood. Anne Marie Molher, a Steering Committee Member, would be happy to chat with you further about this Steering Committee Volunteer role or connect you with one of their Co-Chairs. She can be reached at 416-763-0870 or 647-627-1775. More information about the Network can be found here.
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.