Entries Tagged as 'General'
June 4th, 2014 · Comments Off on Realtor turns 42
Freeman finds support of community events a key success
By Chantilly Post
Located at 2 Vermont Ave., this is a very early Annex dwelling, the homestead of Patrick McGregor, who owned a large tract of land here in 1870. Learn more on the Annex Historical Walk on June 8. Brian Burchell/Gleaner News Read more
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Tags: Annex · General
May 27th, 2014 · Comments Off on Westbank solicits ideas for Ed’s site
Mirvish Villagers stress link between affordability and character
By Annemarie Brissenden
Mirvish Villagers accustomed to battling real estate developers greeted an unexpected overture from Westbank Projects Corp. on April 30 at the Randolph Academy with polite skepticism. It was one of a series of introductory meetings hosted by the company, which last fall purchased a 3.47-acre site that includes Honest Ed’s and Mirvish Village.
“We do things differently,” said Ian Duke of Westbank to the approximately 60 people in attendance. “We don’t see ourselves as a developer, we see ourselves as city builders.”
Duke explained that Westbank currently doesn’t have a plan for the site, and hasn’t even hired an architecture firm. The sole dictate at this point is that the future site will be a mixed-use development of some sort, and it is unlikely that it would be a hotel.
Westbank’s goal for the meeting, then, was to introduce its representatives to the community and gain an understanding of what makes Mirvish Village special to those who live and work in the area.
Duke opened the discussion by presenting Westbank’s guiding ideas for creating what it terms a “community vision” for the site. The nine points included mixed use, sharing economy (for example, co-op daycare, car share, farmers’ market), heritage, community space, and urban mobility.
In response, those attending the meeting asked practical questions, suggested some guiding principles of their own, and shared their misgivings about developers in general.
On the practical side, business owners wanted to know when work would begin on the project (not until 2017 at the earliest) and how long it would take to complete (as long as two to three years).
With regard to suggested guiding principles, chief among them was affordability.
One speaker said “low rents provide an opportunity for certain kinds of businesses and artists [to] exist here.”
Another speaker related that Mirvish Village was thought to be the legacy of Ed Mirvish’s wife, Anne Mirvish, who had wanted to create a space for artists.
“Rent control is a boon to us. Moving 100 metres—rent would be four times what we pay,” added a third.
Duke admitted that affordability is “going to be one of our biggest challenges. We’ll obviously need to apply a lot of creativity to that.”
The participants kept returning to affordability, arguing that it is inextricably linked to something else they hold dear: Mirvish Village’s heritage and character.
“People come here because it’s not the same, because it’s different,” said one business owner.
“That will be a yardstick we apply to the final project,” answered Duke.
While the participants were cautiously optimistic about Westbank’s approach, they did express some cynicism about developers in general.
As one speaker commented, “It may not be like this in Vancouver, but in Toronto, developers don’t have a good reputation,” adding, “To what degree are you going to deliver on this excellent list?”
“We want to find out what things really hit the mark with people. What are must-haves, what resonates, what doesn’t,” said Duke. “One hundred people will have 100 different ideas. We want to distill a hierarchy of what’s important to get out of the process.”
“Just know that a lot of people will be watching that list,” responded a participant.
In addition to the Randolph Academy meeting, Westbank’s representatives met with four business improvement associations (BIAs) and four residents’ associations. The groups they spoke to included the Bloor-Annex BIA, the Harbord Street BIA, and the Palmerston Area and Seaton Village residents’ associations. It also held a similar introductory session with 45 members of the Centre for Social Innovation Annex on Bathurst Street, and is exploring how best to communicate with local residents and business owners, be it through a project website, twitter, or even a community kiosk.
Duke said Westbank anticipates presenting the results of these meetings at an open house in June, when there will be another opportunity to discuss the guiding ideas and get input from the community. He expects the company to hire an architectural firm in late summer or early fall and to present the first iteration of the plan for the area in December or January.
But he stresses that the timeline is a preliminary one, and Westbank could easily fall behind.
“We would rather do things right than quickly,” Duke said.
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Tags: Annex · News · General
May 27th, 2014 · Comments Off on Mulcair, Cressy against island airport expansion, support transit funding
Leader of the Opposition and NDP leader Thomas Mulcair and federal by-election candidate Joe Cressy walk the walk with the Gleaner recently in Little Italy. BRIAN BURCHELL/GLEANER NEWS
By Annemarie Brissenden
Thomas Mulcair leaves his hockey hoodie at home in Montreal when he visits Toronto.
“When I went for my run this morning, I had on a great big Habs hoodie, and I thought…maybe I should bring this to Toronto, and then I thought…nah,” joked the official opposition and New Democratic Party (NDP) leader over an exclusive and wide-ranging conversation with the Gleaner last month. Accompanied by Joe Cressy, the NDP candidate for Trinity-Spadina, the gentlemen spoke over coffee at Il Gatto Nero, where nothing, not the Central Technical School field, the proposed island airport expansion, or the mayoral race, was off the menu.
It seems appropriate, given that a diversity of taste is what defines the area for Mulcair.
“We’re in an Italian café, I can see the Portuguese flag across the street, you’re in an area where you’ve got the best to celebrate every bit of Canadian diversity, which is magnified tenfold here in Trinity-Spadina,” said Mulcair.
For Cressy, it’s the parks that give the area its special flavour.
“This is a riding where our neighbourhoods define [themselves] by their parks. Christie Pits to Trinity-Bellwood…Bickford Park to Jean Sibelius. You talk about building a community, and with the condominiums in the south, the park is home,” said Cressy, who has keenly followed the Toronto District School Board’s attempt to bring a championship field to Central Technical School at Harbord and Bathurst streets.
A resident of Albany Avenue, he plays soccer on the field in the summer, so “I’ve been very involved, as have many, as I value Central Tech as a pillar in our community as a place to do recreation and come together.” And, he recognizes the concerns of the local neighbourhood about the proposal to bring in the dome.
“It’s not just around congestion and parking,” explained Cressy, “but access to our greenspace and our field.”
He is equally opposed to expanding the island airport, and defined the debate as a choice between “a large, diverse, and vibrant waterfront that happens to have a small airport” and “a large airport that happens to have a small waterfront.”
Mulcair agreed, noting that the tripartite agreement must be the starting point, and that any change would need broader support.
“The project that’s there now was controversial in its time,” commented Mulcair. “With the tripartite agreement in place, everyone has made their peace with the current situation, but [expanding the island airport] would be a huge change. We would never consider something like that without very widespread social adhesion, which doesn’t seem to be the case right now.”
The only mayoral candidate clearly opposed to expanding the island airport is Olivia Chow. Unsurprisingly, she is also the candidate that both Cressy and Mulcair support.
“I am an active supporter, and was an early encourager for Olivia to run,” said Cressy, who was the campaign chair for Olivia Chow and Mike Layton, and the president of the Trinity-Spadina federal NDP riding association. “Our city deserves better than our current mayor.”
“Rob Ford has been an embarrassment to Canada’s most important city,” added Mulcair. “I don’t enjoy the fact that the only time Toronto gets referred to in the American press is when his most recent video of his appalling behaviour is on display. I think Torontonians deserve better, and that with Olivia Chow they’ll have much better.”
Mulcair and Cressy admitted that it can be difficult to champion Toronto in the federal arena, but they are both committed to pursuing an urban agenda in Ottawa.
“We are a highly urbanized country. People tend to overlook the fact that we’ve stopped investing federally in those areas,” said Mulcair. “We’re asking municipalities to form the impossible. We’re giving them 8% of the tax base and we’re asking them to take care of 60% of the infrastructure. That is just a mathematical impossibility.”
“I am running to proudly champion downtown Toronto,” said Cressy. “Here in the GTA we’re losing $6 billion a year because of gridlock, in lost productivity. And so it’s a quality of life issue. It’s an environmental issue, and it’s also about economic productivity. If we’re going to get Torontonians moving again, we need stable, predictable, and permanent funding for transit. That’s the key. Not just for the next generation, but supporting existing transit to alleviate congestion.”
While for Cressy, then, transit is the most critical issue facing Trinity-Spadina, for Mulcair it is income inequality.
“For the past 35 years, the average Canadian family has actually seen their revenue drop. It’s the first time that’s ever happened in our history,” explained Mulcair. “Whether it’s a social program, or a social service, there are, from a social democratic view, things that you can do to create opportunity, but the fundamental role is to reduce income inequality in our society. That’s my number one job as a national leader.”
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Tags: Annex · News · General
April 8th, 2014 · Comments Off on Raucous meeting on CTS field
Community dismayed by lack of dialogue
By: Annemarie Brissenden Read more
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Tags: Annex · News · Sports · General
April 8th, 2014 · Comments Off on Condominiums, shopping malls and student housing
College. Spadina, and Sussex potentially home to three new student residences
By Annemarie Brissenden, Brian Burchell, and Neiland Brissenden
In about 500 B.C., the Greek philosopher Heraclitus of Ephesus (near modern-day Kusadasi, Turkey) propounded a distinctive theory of universal flux. It is an oversimplification of his views, but he is frequently attributed with the quote “the only thing that is constant is change itself”. Read more
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Tags: General
April 8th, 2014 · Comments Off on Little Library
By: Beth McKay
Often it is the small touches which make the Annex the welcoming and exceptional neighbourhood that it is today; and neighbours Taya and Jamie Cook of Grace Street certainly understand the importance of inclusivity and sharing. The Cooks have recently installed a little free library in front of their home with the aim of encouraging literacy within this community. Their little free library also aims to build new relationships amongst neighbours. Read more
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Tags: General
April 8th, 2014 · Comments Off on Crime down again for 2013
Stats Confirm slide in crime reports
By: Brian Burchell Read more
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Tags: General
April 8th, 2014 · Comments Off on Annex Cat Rescue and Don Cherry team-up
By: Brian Burchell
Two hundred and thirteen lost cats were rescued by the Annex Cat Rescue from the streets and back alleys in 2012 and adopted into loving local homes (statistics for 2013 are yet to be published). That’s a record year for the entirely volunteer-run organization. Read more
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Tags: General
April 8th, 2014 · Comments Off on Making the grade
Keeping tabs on the urban landscape
By: Beth McKay
Bobbie Rosenfeld Park and Salmon Run Fountain
Between the CN Tower and the Rogers Centre
Time: 1:15 pm
Grade: B (Last year: B+) Read more
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Tags: General
April 8th, 2014 · Comments Off on Changes sought to complaints system
Consensus emerges for a better Ontario Police Complaints System
By: Brian Burchell
“More transparency, timeliness, independence, and accountability are what’s needed,” says Dr. Alok Mukherjee, chair of the Toronto Police Services Board; these are just some of the recommendations that have emerged from a report on the Future Directions for
the Ontario Police Complaints System. “Our current system is too aloof and makes no effort to be proactive,” said Mukherjee at a day-long expert panel discussion hosted by Scadding Court Community Centre (SCCC) in September. Read more
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Tags: General
November 7th, 2013 · Comments Off on Getting Canadians Moving Again
Long-term predictable funding is what transit needs
By: Olivia Chow and Joe Cressy
Those of us who live in the city all know the aggravation that can come with unreliable public transit and gridlock. Being squeezed into an overflowing subway. Watching packed streetcars pass you by as you wait in the cold, already late for work. Sitting in a car in traffic and fighting that temptation to scream. The reality, for far too many, of not having a fast and reliable source of public transit within walking distance of your home or work. Read more
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Tags: General
November 7th, 2013 · Comments Off on
Photo By Brian Burchell/Gleaner News, Files courtesy of Gus “Rory” Sinclair Read more
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Tags: General
November 7th, 2013 · Comments Off on
Photo By Brian Burchell/Gleaner News
An estimated seven-hundred and fifty carved and lit pumpkins lined Harbord street just after dusk on November 1. The 6th Annual Harbord Street Pumpkin Festival saw local residents bring their Halloween craftsmanship to display for all to see on tables provided by the Harbord Street BusinessImprovement are, a key sponsor of the event which is organized by volunteers of the Harbord Village Residents Association. Read more
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Tags: General
