An early guide to services

By Gleaner Staff

Staying local, living local, and shopping local is going to be the new normal in the coming weeks as the world hunkers down to battle the 2019 novel coronavirus (COVID-19). 

As your local newspaper, we’ve put together this guide to Annex resources that will help you stay healthy and informed. Please note the following references to hours of operation and services were valid at time of press and may change at any time. The Gleaner will strive to keep this updated and current online, at gleanernews.ca.

The basics

Both the City of Toronto and the Province of Ontario have declared a state of emergency. Please stay home, wash your hands, take care of yourself and your loved ones. If you have to go out, practise safe social distancing, wash your hands frequently, and return home as quickly as you can. Follow the City of Toronto dedicated website for the most up-to-date information: www.toronto.ca/home/covid-19/ or the Province of Ontario’s: www.ontario.ca/page/2019-novel-coronavirus.

Have a symptom?

If you believe that you have COVID-19 symptoms, or have been in close contact with someone who has it, take this self-assessment to determine if you need further care: www.ontario.ca/page/2019-novel-coronavirus-covid-19-self-assessment.

If you meet any of the criteria found there, contact your family doctor or Telehealth Ontario at 1-866-797-0000. Let them know you used the province’s self-assessment tool. 

If you have severe symptoms like shortness of breath, chest discomfort, lethargy, drowsiness, weakness, or dizziness, go to your nearest emergency department.

There are three COVID-19 assessment centres that are near to the Annex:

• Mount Sinai Hospital – 600 University Ave., ground floor, website: www.sinaihealth.ca/coronavirus-covid-19-information/
• UHN Toronto Western Hospital, 347 Bathurst St., website: www.uhn.ca/Covid19
• Women’s College Hospital – 76 Grenville St., use the northeast entrance on Grosvenor St., website: www.womenscollegehospital.ca/patients-and-caregivers/updates-on-the-coronavirus-(2019-ncov)/

If you are not well enough to take personal transportation, call 911. 

The doctor is in

For medical issues unrelated to COVID-19, please reach out to your primary care provider or family doctor. Many are now offering virtual appointments. If you don’t have access to a family doctor there are several walk-in clinics still open: 

• GSH Medical – 481 Bloor St. W., second floor: open for people with non-flu like symptoms. They are also offering virtual appointments that can be set up by calling 416-928-0217 or emailing annex@goldstandardhealth.ca. There is no cost for this service, you don’t need to be an existing patient, and they are accepting all requests at this time. 
• Downtown Doctors Walk-in Medical Clinic – 720 Spadina Ave., #100: still open for walk-ins. You can also call them to set up a phone appointment at 416-929-1530.
• Watson Medical Walk-in Clinic, located inside Snowdon Pharmacy at 264 Bloor St. W., is asking clients to call 416-962-7304 to schedule a phone appointment. They will take your information, healthcard details, and arrange for an appointment.

Please remember, if you are experiencing any flu symptoms, don’t go in person to either walk-in clinic, please call first. 

Pharmacies

The following pharmacies in the Annex are still open, and many offer special hours or delivery:

• Snowdon Pharmacy – 264 Bloor St. W.: offering delivery to seniors and at-risk customers. 416-922-2156.
• www.snowdoncompounding.com 
• Rexall – 481 Bloor St. W.: dedicating the first hour of shopping exclusively to those who are 55 and older. 416-929-8213
• Rexall – 474 Spadina Ave.: encouraging shoppers to allow seniors access to the first hour but will serve all who are in need. 416-413-1060
• Pharmasave Spadina Medical – 720 Spadina Ave., #100: offering some local delivery. 416-929-7000
• Green Pharmacy – 620 Bloor St. W.: open with their regular hours. 416-530-4004
• Loblaw Pharmacy – 650 Dupont St.: free delivery, open to seniors only from 7 a.m. to 8 a.m., pharmacy opens at 8 a.m. 416-588-4793
• Shoppers Drug Mart – 360a Bloor St. W.: phone orders, free delivery. 416-961-2121
• Shoppers Drug Mart – 292 Dupont St.: phone orders, free delivery. 416-972-0232.
• UT?Pharmacy +?Print – 193 College St.:?open regular hours and weekends. Phone orders, free delivery, 647-351-1708.

Mental health

For those struggling with anxiety or other mental health issues the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health has information on their site at: www.camh.ca/en/health-info/mental-health-and-covid-19. 

Other information can be found on the Canadian Mental Health Association’s site at: ontario.cmha.ca/news/cmha-offers-tips-to-support-mental-health-amid-concerns-of-covid-19-pandemic/.

Household fixes

Need a hammer, nail, or tool? With so much time at home, there’s time to tackle all those home repairs. Wiener’s Home Hardware at 432 Bloor Street West is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and is taking extra measures to protect staff and customers. 

They are asking customers to limit foot traffic to one person per family in the store. They can also help you over the phone: 416-922-7043. MARCH 24 UPDATE: Wiener’s Home Hardware is temporarily closed. You can find updates on their instagram feed here.

Groceries

There’s no need to panic shop, as retailers’ supply chains are still operating, with many offering delivery and seniors’-only shopping hours.

“Supply chains across Canada are strong. There are no food shortages – just some empty shelves due to a sudden rush in shopping. Rest assured that items will soon be re-stocked,” said the Retail Council of Canada in a recent tweet.

Pets still need care

Annex Animal Hospital (716 Bathurst St.) remains available for essential visits, food, and medication. Please call them at 416-537-3128 and they’ll accommodate you in the safest way possible. 

Temporary closures

Many local businesses and centres have closed temporarily to comply with government mandates, and to protect staff and customers. These include: the Madison Avenue Pub, Lee’s Palace, Hot Docs Ted Rogers Cinema, the Miles Nadal JCC, the Annex Hotel,  Futures Bistro, By the Way Café, Insomnia Restaurant, BMV Books, the Tranzac, Trinity-St. Paul’s Centre, Midoco, the Royal Ontario Museum, Tokyo Smoke, the Bata Shoe Museum, and the Gardiner Museum.

Please try and support local businesses by ordering online, buying gift cards for later use, calling ahead, and by paying with credit or debit. 

Support local businesses

While many local restaurants are closed to dining in, they are offering food delivery service through DoorDash, fooddora, Ritual, Skip the Dishes, and UberEats. 

Please try to order locally—you can find Bloor Annex BIA restaurants that are open for delivery and pick up at www.bloorannex.ca/food-drink.

Mortgage deferrals

If you’re a homeowner and are interested in speaking with your mortgage provider about a mortgage deferral, please contact your mortgage broker, bank representative, or account manager. If you’re unsure where to start, here is a list of lenders and their contact lines for mortgage deferral inquiries: ­

• Bank of Montreal: 1-877-788-1923
• B2B: 1-800-263-8349 
• Bridgewater: 1-866-243-4301
• CMLS: 1-888-995-2657
• Equitable: 1-888-334-3313
• First National: 1-888-488-0794
• Haventree: 1-855-272-0051
• Home Trust: 1-855-270-3630
• ICIC: 1-888-424-2422 
• Industrial Alliance: 1-800-463-4396
• Lendwise: 1-866-675-7022
• Manulife: 1-877-765-2265
• MCAP: 1-800-265-2624
• Merix: 1-877-637-4911
• Optimum: 1-866-441-3775
• RMG: 1-866-809-5800
• Scotia: 1-800-472-6842
• Street/RFA: 1-877-416-7873
• TD: 1-866-222-3456
• Wealthline: 1-855-892-5400
• XMC: 1-877-775-2970

Support for tenants

The Ontario government announced on March 16 that no new eviction orders would be issued until further notice, and asked the Sherriff’s office to postpone any currently scheduled enforcement of evictions.

If you’re a tenant who needs advice or assistance, please contact

• MPP Jessica Bell’s office at 719 Bloor St. W., Unit 103, phone 416-535-7206 and email: jbell-co@ndp.on.ca 
• the Federation of Metro Tenants’ Associations (FMTA) tenant hotline at 416-921-9494. The FMTA has updates available on their website www.torontotenants.org/eviction_ban_now_2020. 
• stepstojustice.ca offers step-by-step information about a wide range of legal issues, include for tenants.  

Local organizations are helping and staying active as well. The Good Neighbour Project is helping the vulnerable by delivering supplies and groceries and can be reached at 647-873-2230 or by visiting their facebook page at www.facebook.com/ groups/GoodNeighbourProject. The Annex Residents’ Association would like to hear about and celebrate local acts of kindness. Please email  your stories to aracares@theara.org.

Thank you

We know that the Annex is home to many people who work in hospitals, government, and other essential support roles. 

Thank you for all that you’re doing to keep us safe. And if you have a story to tell, please email us at gleanereditor@gmail.com. Because even as we all continue to stay local, live local, and shop local, we also think it’s important to celebrate local.

Listen to public health officials, cancel play-dates, work from home

By Jessica Bell

We are in a new normal. The COVID-19 pandemic is impacting our country, our city, and our community. While our healthcare workers, public health staff, and others – including pharmacists, grocery store workers, and TTC staff – are working around the clock to keep us safe, we also need to do our part. 

The most important thing we can do right now is to continue to listen to our public health experts. That means practising social distancing: working from home if you can, cancelling playdates and social gatherings, avoiding retirement and long-term care homes, and maintaining a 6-foot distance from others in all public spaces. It’s also important that we frequently wash our hands for 20 seconds, especially when leaving the house and coming home.

Public health officials have also been very clear that any person who has travelled abroad in the past two weeks must self-isolate at home immediately upon return. That means staying home and not going into any public spaces, including grocery stores, for 14 days, even if you don’t have symptoms. 

I know that these are not easy adjustments to make. This is a significant shift in the way we live our lives. But for the time being, it’s a necessary one. Many groceries stores and local restaurants provide delivery services that can be accessed from the safety of our own homes. While libraries and recreation centres are closed, the Toronto Public Library’s online tool Hoopla has a host of movies, audiobooks, ebooks, and TV shows you can stream directly, and many local fitness centres are offering free online classes and exercise tutorials. 

This is also a time when communities are banding together to help one another. Across University-Rosedale, there are Facebook groups and community networks of folks who are picking up groceries and medicine for those who are vulnerable, setting up online playdates, and finding ways to connect while staying safe. City-wide, Volunteer Toronto is organizing volunteers who are able to respond to local opportunities and ensuring that safety and infection-prevention measures are in place. Interested residents can register with Volunteer Toronto at volunteertoronto.ca or at 416-961-6888.

Over the past week, my office has also heard from many community members who have lost their jobs or income because of this pandemic. If you are worried about how to buy groceries, pay rent, or pay your bills in the coming weeks, please reach out to my office at 416-535-7206 or by email at jbell-co@ndp.on.ca 

I also want to let you know that last week, the Ontario Government approved a bill protecting sick leave for workers who are unwell, are caring for someone who is unwell, are under orders to self-isolate, or cannot work due to childcare responsibilities. 

Also last week, the federal government announced two financial benefits for workers who don’t qualify for Employment Insurance: one for workers who are sick or caring for someone who is, and one for workers who have lost their job due to the pandemic. More information about these and other federal supports will be available in coming weeks.

While these are welcome announcements, I know that much more needs to be done. 

I strongly support the province’s move to halt all evictions during this time, but I also want to see a bill tabled at once that would guarantee that no one can be punished in any way for missing a rent payment, such as being charged interest or late payment penalties, and that renters’ rights are protected during this time. 

The Ontario government must also step up and do its part by providing direct funding to protect families from missing meals or rent and mortgage payments, and prevent small businesses from going under.

I will continue to advocate for all leave from work to be paid, not unpaid, and expanded protections for workers. I will continue to fight for supports for vulnerable people, including seniors and those receiving OW and ODSP support, so they can access the groceries and medications they need. 

Right now, we need to thank our amazing healthcare and frontline workers. We need to stay informed through accurate sources of information, like the City of Toronto’s website. And we need to take care of each other – by staying home, but also staying connected. 

We’re all in this together. 

Jessica Bell is the MPP for University—Rosedale.

READ MORE BY JESSICA BELL

• FORUM: Catastrophic climate change is here. How do we respond? (Feb. 2020)
• FORUM: University-Rosedale has a housing affordability crisis (Jan. 2020)
• FORUM: Ford plows ahead with cuts (Dec. 2019)
• FORUM: Ford’s backtracks show our resistance is working (Nov. 2019)
• FORUM: Our streets should be safer (Oct. 2019)
• FORUM: Top takeaways for our community from Ontario’s 2019 budget (Summer 2019)
• FORUM: Taking a stand against Ford’s cuts to education (May 2019)
• FORUM: With people-power there is hope (Winter 2019)
• FORUM: Take back Toronto on the 22nd (City Election 2018)

Neighbours are opposed due to traffic and density

By Tanya Ielyseieva

A proposed mixed-use building with ground-level retail and residential uses above at 287 Davenport has neighbours up in arms.  

The project hopes to include three townhomes along Bedford Road and was designed to transition gently down to the low-rise Annex neighbourhood, which means stepping down from the Davenport frontage of the building to the neighbourhood to the south. The highest point of the proposed building will face Davenport Road.

At a Community Consultation on Monday, February 24, Anita Genua spoke on behalf of the  Bernard community and stated that she and her neighbours are “strongly opposed” to the proposed 15-storey development.

“We strongly believe it would destroy the residential nature of Bernard Avenue and our community,” said Genua.

The project’s architects, from the firm Audax, spoke in response.

“One of the reasons that we’ve been hired, I think, is because of our sort of approach to design is much mores sensitive in terms of materiality,” said Gianpiero Pugliese, project architect at Audax. “We don’t want to do a glass box.”

Plans for the proposed high-rise envision a 15-storey residential mixed-use building with a height of 53.67 metres, containing 106 residential units and approximately 278 square metres (2,990 square feet) of retail space on the ground floor. Among 106 residential units, there are 57 one-bedrooms, 38 two-bedrooms, and 11 three plus-bedrooms. That means that units aren’t really family-oriented in the family-oriented neighbourhood. The price point for the unit hasn’t been set yet, but it’s definitely not a cheap building. No affordable units are currently included in this planned building.

The height limit for the northern portion of the location is 14 metres and the southern portion is 12 metres. However, the application is for 58 metres. “It is above what is allowable in the zoning by-laws, that is the only reason why we are here, height and massing,” said Councillor Mike Layton. “If they were building what was allowing by zoning by-laws, we wouldn’t be having a meeting.”

The city has outlined several issues, and height and massing are first to come to mind.

“We asked for an official plan amendment on this application because a large portion of the site is within the residential designated area and there’s a four-storey maximum height limit in this area. The maximum height for the building is 14 metres versus 58 proposed metres,” said Barry Brooks, senior planner for the City of Toronto.

Brooks also stated that there are other issues as well, including traffic and parking and how traffic is “going to be escalated” in terms of more vehicles and more impact on the neighbourhood.

The proposed project is set to have 124 parking spaces, including 110 for residents, 11 for residential visitors, and 3 for non-residential use. There also will be 169 bicycle parking spaces, including 153 long-term and 16 short-term spaces.

The site is well connected for both transit and cycling opportunities. It is 600 metres to both Dupont and St. George stations and is also served by bike lanes along Davenport and a bike share station at Avenue Road.

Following this meeting, a working group may be formed to try to work through some of the application concerns.

In late January police were called to a house located at 410 Brunswick Ave., where workers had dug up human remains while doing renovation work. 

Toronto Police Constable Victor Kwong said contractors discovered the bones buried in the backyard. At the time, police said, they suspected the remains had been buried there for decades. They proceeded to open an investigation to determine the circumstances of death. 

A forensic identification officer from the Toronto Police Service, as well as a forensic anthropologist from the Office of the Chief Coroner, were at the scene to investigate the nature of the find. The big question was, was this anthropological, misfortune, or criminal. Police now say that the bones are from a “human specimen” that was used to assist new doctors. 

“It was a teaching aid acquired by a doctor in the 1940s. The doctor disposed of the remains in the backyard. There was no crime committed, and this does not relate to a missing person,” said Toronto Police Constable Michelle Flannery. 

The case has been closed.

—Patrica Mamede and Tanya Ielyseieva, Gleaner News

MARCH 26, 2020 UPDATE: In light of the challenges the Faculty Club is facing due to the COVID-19 virus, this event has been cancelled, but will hopefully be rescheduled as soon as possible.

What was the Toronto food scene like in the 1960s? Come and find out as the Faculty Club marks its 60th anniversary with a culinary trip back to the time of its founding. A multi-course dinner will feature the best-loved dishes of the era. 

60 Years of the Faculty Club: A Celebration of Communities, Cultures & Cuisines will feature guest speakers to introduce each course, starting with award-winning cookbook author Bonnie Stern. 

Stern will speak about Toronto’s Jewish cuisine at the time, and food historians Daniel Bendear and Irina D. Mihalache will delve further into this key moment in the evolution of dining in Toronto and beyond. 

 “There was a lot happening in the food scene of the sixties, which I didn’t realize until meeting with Daniel and Irina,” says general manager Leanne Pepper. “It wasn’t just about dining in hotels or eating TV dinners. There was a huge change in the food industry.  Julia Child and the classic chefs back then really changed how we eat today.”

New waves of immigration indelibly changed dining in the neighbourhood. Award-winning author Arlene Chan will speak about the very first restaurants in Chinatown. Chan has written seven books on the history, culture, and traditions of the Chinese in Canada. The menu is being created with input from all four speakers.

Sommelier Pierre Lebouedec will be serving sixties-inspired cocktails. A slide show from the Toronto and University Archives will set the scene.

Following dinner, a panel discussion will top off this interactive and delicious evening. 60 Years of the Faculty Club: A Celebration of Communities, Cultures & Cuisines will take place Monday, April 20, at 5:30pm. 

Tickets are $60 for members, $75 for non-members. To reserve call 416-946-7052 or email faculty.club@utoronto.ca

—Nicole Stoffman, Gleaner News

READ MORE BY BRETT LAMB:

• EDITORIAL CARTOON: How Nice (Feb. 2020)
• EDITORIAL CARTOON: How Nice (Jan. 2020)
• EDITORIAL CARTOON: How Nice (Dec. 2019)
• EDITORIAL CARTOON: How Nice (Nov. 2019)
• EDITORIAL CARTOON: How Nice (Oct. 2019)
• EDITORIAL CARTOON: How Nice (Sept. 2019)
• EDITORIAL CARTOON: How nice (August 2019)
• EDITORIAL CARTOON: How Nice (Summer 2019)
• EDITORIAL CARTOON: How Nice (May 2019)
• EDITORIAL CARTOON: How Nice (Spring 2019)
• EDITORIAL CARTOON: How nice (December 2018)
• EDITORIAL CARTOON: How Nice (City Election 2018)
• EDITORIAL CARTOON: How Nice (October 2018)
• EDITORIAL CARTOON: How nice (Aug./Sept. 2018)
• EDITORIAL CARTOON: How Nice (Summer 2018)
• EDITORIAL CARTOON: How Nice (July 2018)
• EDITORIAL CARTOON: How Nice (Election Special 2018)
• EDITORIAL CARTOON: How Nice (May 2018)
• EDITORIAL CARTOON: How Nice (Spring 2018)
• EDITORIAL CARTOON: How Nice (Mar. 2018)
• EDITORIAL CARTOON: How Nice (Dec. 2017)
• EDITORIAL CARTOON How nice! (August 2017)
• EDITORIAL CARTOON How nice! (July 2017)
• EDITORIAL CARTOON: how nice! by blamb (June 2017)
• EDITORIAL CARTOON: TCHC (May 2017)
• EDITORIAL CARTOON: The Grand Tory (April 2017)
• FORUM: Celebrating 20 years of cartoonist Brett Lamb (April 2017)

As we continue to try and navigate uncharted waters due to the spread of the COVID-19 virus, it has been quite reassuring to hear from the prime minister in almost daily news conferences delivered from the steps of his home, Rideau Cottage. The federal government response to the crisis under Justin Trudeau’s leadership has been calm, measured, and mindful of the significant impact it has on the lives of Canadians now and in the future. 

Trudeau announced a huge economic aid package for people in all forms of employment and support for businesses facing a bleak financial outlook. He negotiated with the Americans a closure of our common border to all non-essential travel while leaving it open to trade for what is really one economy.

And the prime minister has done all this from home where he is the sole caregiver 24/7 of three young children. His wife, Sophie Gregoire Trudeau, who has tested positive for the virus following a trip to England, is quarantined in one part of their house. There are no political staff or caregivers at the residence.  Following Mrs.Trudeau’s diagnosis, the family took the need to self-isolate very seriously. 

Parliament is convening to consider the government’s multibillion-dollar rescue package. Trudeau will be absent. Though the Liberals lack a majority the opposition parties are unlikely to block the legislation as the plan has been widely applauded as necessary. 

In the outdoor news conferences media repeatedly ask Trudeau why he has not invoked the Emergencies Act which would give the federal government sweeping powers to limit civil liberties and impose strict rules on the movement of people. He has wisely resisted the call to declare a “public welfare emergency” (language from the Act) unless and until the provinces and other jurisdictions have exhausted their powers to control the crisis, and the scale and severity of the situation warrant a much stronger federal response. Trudeau is wise to wait in fact; the law demands this prudence. 

The predecesssor legislation to the Emergency Act is the War Measures Act which then Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau famously enacted in 1970. This was in respsone to a “apprehended insurrection” in Quebec after members of a terrorist group, the FLQ, kidnapped a British diplomat and a provincial cabinet minister. Police arrested and detained hundreds of indiviudals on the basis of their ties to the FLQ. Justin Trudeau is altogether a different leader from is father. 

Domestic duties have kept the current Trudeau busy; making meals for his children, Hadrien, Ella-Grace, and Xavier. In between, calls with G-7 leaders continue. Sometimes the two conflict. Sounds of kids yelling and screaming can be heard on the line during some pretty heavy conversations. A late night teleconference with federal officials was delayed recently because it was bath time for his six-year-old Hadrien. 

On the occasion of his most significant announcement, regarding the economic measures, he halted the news conference which was being held on a very cold winter day and said “Just before I take questions, I’m supposed to model healthy behaviour,  I’m going to go grab my coat and I’ll be right back.”  At another presser, he took the high road and wanted to thank Canadians, not only front line medical professionals, but those earning low wages re-stocking grocery shelves or serving coffee, truck drivers, and cleaners. 

He took the time to thank the children: “I know this is a big change, but we have to do this not just for ourselves, but for our grandparents, our nurses, our doctors and everyone working at our hospitals and you kids are helping a lot.”

This is exactly the kind of leadership we need right now. Trudeau is modelling behaviour that is positive, caring, inclusive, and proactive.

READ MORE EDITORIALS: 

• EDITORIAL: Fictions, falsehoods and a crisis in leadership (Feb. 2020)
• EDITORIAL: Bat crazy (Jan. 2020)
• EDITORIAL: Ford “proud” of cancelling green energy contracts (Dec. 2019)
• EDITORIAL: Don Cherry’s deeply revealing words (Nov. 2019)
• EDITORIAL: The hidden cost of Conservative climate plans (Oct. 2019)
• EDITORIAL: How not to manage the retail sale of pot (Sept. 2019)
• EDITORIAL: Let cabinet do its job (August 2019)
• EDITORIAL: Time for Ford to press “eject” (Summer 2019)
• EDITORIAL: Ford’s angry budget (May 2019)
• EDITORIAL: It’s not your private police force, Mr. Ford (Spring 2019)
• EDITORIAL: It’s hardly ‘for the students’ (Winter 2019)
• EDITORIAL: Blowing smoke on the climate file (Dec. 2018)
• EDITORIAL: This premier is not for the people (City Election 2018)
• EDITORIAL: Eight weeks lost to Ford’s madness (October 2018)
• EDITORIAL: A lost cause worth fighting for (Aug./Sept. 2018)
• EDITORIAL: Reclaiming our city (Summer 2018)
• EDITORIAL: City staff ignore bike lanes (July 2018)
• EDITORIAL: The market has no moral compass (Election Special 2018)
• EDITORIAL: Lessons to be learned from Excessive Force (Spring 2018)
• EDITORIAL: A social contract is a precious thing (March 2018)
• EDITORIAL: Intolerance leading to Quebec’s decline (Dec. 2017)
• EDITORIAL (Nov. 2017): Student safety suffers as trustees cave
• EDITORIAL: Pandering to religious intolerance (October 2017)
• EDITORIAL: Bike lanes, good for business (Fall 2017)
• EDITORIAL: Don’t sacrifice safety for political gain (August 2017)

Redesigning the roads with necessary rules

By Mike Layton

There are changes coming to local road infrastructure that will be a big step towards improving safety for all road users in our neighbourhoods. These changes will bring a new bike lane on Brunswick to just south of the Annex, connecting to a larger cycling route which includes Shaw, Bloor, and College in the surrounding area. This work will occur alongside efforts to upgrade existing bikeways, resurface roads, refresh speed humps, set parking back from corners to improve sight lines, and other changes aimed at making our roads safer for all who use them. 

Through public consultation that began last fall, the City worked to learn about residents’ priorities for their street and shared the planned route through the neighbourhood. In response to the feedback received through this process, the City took steps to address issues with accessibility and access for residents with disabilities. 

Prohibiting right turns on red lights is a simple way to reduce collisions between drivers and pedestrians.

As with every project Transportation Services undertakes, this design is subject to evaluation and review. I am dedicated to working with staff while changes are monitored, and if the street is not working as intended, to augment the design as necessary. In the first six to twelve months after installation, Transportation Services will observe new behaviour, conduct new traffic counts, and evaluate the before and after conditions to ensure the project meets the goals as intended. If there are operational challenges, further changes could be considered. 

Feedback and dialogue is the basis of how I work to make change, and I welcome those who haven’t participated in the process to reach out to me. For those who have shared their thoughts, I want to thank you for taking the time to engage in the consultation process. Your comments were crucial in the decision-making process and improved the overall design of the streets. 

I have recently asked staff to explore a restriction on right turns on red lights (RTOR) at selected intersections to improve road safety. In February, I sent a letter to the Infrastructure and Environment Committee chair to consider the growing call to implement this measure as a part of our Vision Zero road safety principles. Prohibiting RTOR is a simple way to reduce collisions between drivers and pedestrians. In the majority of reported collisions, it was the pedestrian who had the right of way. 

While the City currently has a warranting system in place to address requests for RTOR prohibitions, there is an opportunity to proactively review the restrictions and how they will apply to selected intersections to make the road safer for all road users. My letter to committee asked for staff to include a review of RTOR in their speed limit reduction strategy later this year. While it may not work for all intersections, the change could prove to be another significant way to help us meet our Vision Zero target. 

If you have questions, or want more information on any of these developments, please do not hesitate to contact my office. You can also visit www.mikelayton.to for the latest on this, and other City-related issues. 

Mike Layton is city councillor for University—Rosedale Ward 19.

READ MORE BY MIKE LAYTON:

• FORUM: Budget challenges at City Hall (Feb. 2020)
• FORUM: Build a more livable city, together (Jan. 2020)
• FORUM: Layton laments city’s snow job (Spring 2019)
• FORUM: Moving forward in the new reality (Dec. 2018)
• FORUM: Celebrate citizen activists (July 2018)
• FORUM: Provincial government is developer-friendly (Spring 2018)
• FORUM: Establishing a new Indigenous Affairs Office (Nov. 2017)
• FORUM: Building a better Bickford Park (Oct. 2017)
• FORUM: Recognize and reconcile Canada at 150 (July 2017)
• FORUM: San Francisco a model to follow (April 2017)
• FORUM: Tolls, taxes, and Toronto (February 2017)
• FORUM: Seeing our neighbourhood through new eyes (December 2016)
• FORUM: We can do better: Dangerous summer for Toronto pedestrians and cyclists (October 2016)
• FORUM: Curious story of Christie Pits pool liner ends in extended hours at Alex Duff (August 2016)
• FORUM: A tribute to a friend (June 2016)
• FORUM: Large problem, small solution (March 2016)
• FORUM: Happy New Year from a new Dad with a new perspective (January 2016)

COVID-19 response speaks volumes about those we choose to ignore

By Terri Chu

There’s a China-sized hole in the world’s pollution map thanks to the coronavirus (COVID-19). Flights around the world have decreased, economic activity has gone down substantially, and our air has never been cleaner. Even Venice’s famous canals are running clean, and are once again home to swans and the odd dolphin.

If there’s anything COVID-19 is teaching us, it’s that when faced with an existential threat, we can actually take measures to prevent humans from dying. Unfortunately, preventing humans from dying depends largely on the humans we’re trying to protect. 

What we need is an economy that no longer depends upon consumption of goods for consumption’s sake

There have been thousands who have died from or been displaced by flooding, typhoons, and hurricanes who have gone largely unnoticed because they were impoverished. The millions who will die from the famine resulting from locust swarms in Africa don’t matter, because they are poor and, well African. (There has been scant news in this part of the world about the East African locust swarms that threaten the lives of millions.) 

The world, however, can and will act when disease threatens those who can afford to put food on the table, buy airplane tickets, and consume endless amounts of stuff. This message has been sent loud and clear. We will only act in the face of imminent danger to those whose lives matter.

Thanks to climate change, diseases are predicted to spread further and faster than ever before. Acting swiftly and decisively might actually happen on a more regular basis.

I feel terrible for everyone stuck in an economic system that dehumanizes the very workers who keep it afloat. For many, there is no other path to putting food on the table other than being a cog in the machine that churns out goods and services that we don’t actually need. The fact is, we can function perfectly fine as a society without fancy handbags, designer clothes, and destination handbags.

We now live in a society that is suffering from the over-abundance of useless products that we pay people to help sort, store, and dispose of. The one thing that we can’t do without is food. Yet in our economic system, being able to eat has less to do with food availability than it has to do with finding a way to produce an economic unit of labour, even if nobody needs that labour. Even more unsettling is that about 60 per cent of what we grow ends up wasted, even as many continue to starve.

At the moment, China has slowed production of the gadgets that will become tomorrow’s landfill. And while there are those for whom the self-distancing measures brought on by COVID-19 are merely an inconvenience, many on our society’s economic margins are suffering. 

We don’t need a more robust economy to deal with this fall out. What we need is an economy that prioritizes land, water, and biodiverse ecosystems over immediacy and convenience. We need an economy that will take seriously the threat to the lives of billions of people, even those that don’t “matter”. Because in fact, every human life matters.

COVID-19 demonstrates that the world (minus the United States) is mostly capable of acting. The question is whether we think the lives at stake are actually worth acting for. 

Terri Chu is an engineer committed to practical environmentalism. This column is dedicated to helping the community reduce energy use, and help distinguish environmental truths from myths. Send questions, comments, and ideas for future columns to Terri at terri.chu@whyshouldicare.ca.

READ MORE BY TERRI CHU:

• GREENINGS: Short-term gains lead to long-term losses (Feb. 2020)
• GREENINGS: Emergency climate calls to city met with busy signal (Jan. 2020)
• GREENINGS: Moral cowardice fuels our failures (Dec. 2019)
• GREENINGS: Unpacking the winning bling (Nov. 2019)
• GREENINGS: Another election, another round of disappointing platforms(Oct. 2019)
• GREENINGS: Addiction to capitalism will lead to overdose (Sept. 2019)
• GREENINGS: Sing the same tune, PLEASE (August 2019)
• GREENINGS: Not sure what’s worse, climate crisis or denying it? (Summer 2019)
• GREENINGS: Plastic ban born of necessity (May 2019)
• GREENINGS: Confronting consumption (Spring 2019)
• GREENINGS: Preventing chaos, mass starvation (Dec. 2018)
• GREENINGS: Municipalities should flex their green muscles (City Election 2018)
• GREENINGS: Short-term solutions haunt future (October 2018)
• GREENINGS: Urban under-representation (Aug./Sept. 2018)
• GREENINGS: Nurture the neighbourhood by cultivating green canopy (Summer 2018)
• GREENINGS: Results beg for electoral reform (July 2018)
• GREENINGS: Choosing the lesser evil (Election Special 2018)
• GREENINGS: Reduce, reuse, and then recycle (May 2018)
• GREENINGS: Car-free parenting is not rare (Spring 2018)
• GREENINGS: The science of board games (Mar. 2018)
• GREENINGS: Driving fuelled by unseen subsidies (Jan. 2018)
• GREENINGS: No solutions for nobody’s problem (Dec. 2017)
• GREENINGS: Celebrate science not milestones (Nov. 2017)
• GREENINGS: Down to the data (Oct. 2017)

U of T seeks big win on greenhouse gas reductions

By Nicole Stoffman

Green energy from the deep earth is coming to the Annex. The University of Toronto is drilling one hundred and fifty-three 850-foot boreholes into the Robert Street Field in order to extract geothermal energy to provide heating and cooling to the future Spadina-Sussex Student Residence and connect to the University on the other side of Spadina.

 “It will be the deepest large project in Canada,” says Brian Beatty of Beatty Geothermal Consulting. 

Geothermal energy systems take advantage of the fact that the earth 10 feet below the surface maintains a temperature of 11-12 degrees Celsius year-round. Fluid running through pipes that go down into the boreholes absorb heat, bring that heat to the surface and then transfers it to a heat pump that warms the air circulated throughout a building. 

In summer, heat from the building warms up the water going into the borehole loop and transfers it to the rock. The cool water flowing back can then be used to cool the building. 

This project will mean a 90% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions for heating and cooling university buildings, compared with natural gas. 

That’s an annual reduction of 1,150 tons of carbon dioxide. It is in lock step with the university’s pledge to fight climate change and reduce campus-wide emissions 37% by 2030, and to reach carbon neutrality by 2050. 

“There was a plan to revitalize the Robert Street Field, and this presented an opportunity,” says Campus & Facilities’ David Sasaki.“This is exactly the kind of big step necessary to create a cleaner, healthier system.” 

The 7 million dollar project is expected to pay for itself within 28 years.

At a recent public meeting, Councillor Mike Layton said that if the neighbourhood could tap into this geothermal system instead of gas it could be a model for the City of Toronto on how to integrate sustainability into recreational facilities, and connect to urban growth.

The city has pledged to be net zero by 2050, and is supporting green community initiatives under its “Transform TO” action strategy. Since buildings account for 50% of carbon emissions, the city could consider tying into this geothermal field. 

The U of T is not opposed to a future partnership, and talks with the city are ongoing.

“The community would be delighted to discuss the opportunity to feed into the system,” says Susan Dexter of the Harbord Village Residents’ Association. “It is very clear geothermal is the quickest route to reducing household carbon emissions.” 

Geothermal technology is not new and Canada has significant potential to tap into this energy source. 

However, the initial investment into these systems is high, so it requires long-term vision to justify the pay-off.

 “Geothermal is a very clean, renewable source of electricity,” says Jack Gibbons, chair of the Ontario Clean Air Alliance. “It will help the U of T reduce its natural gas consumption. We must phase out fossil fuels and move to renewable energy to protect our climate.”

The end result will be a revitalized and expanded natural sod playing field. 

The Robert Street skating rink, change rooms, and tennis courts will be demolished, but will be replaced by an inviting community park featuring a butterfly garden, playground, climbing boulders, and seasonal plantings. 

STUDIO tla Landscape Architects will complete the park by the end of  summer.

Geosource Energy Inc. will complete the field by June 2020.

Can a park’s past set the tone for its future?

The Aura Lee playing field located on Robert Street has quite a storied history. In January of 2018 the Gleaner chronicled its past in a piece written by Nicholas Provart. It is reprinted here on the occasion of U of T’s decision to extract green energy from the site.

By Nicholas Provart

Fifty years ago, around the same time that the City of Toronto was planning the Spadina Expressway, urban planners had a bold vision for the area surrounded by Robert Street, Sussex Avenue, Bloor Street, and Spadina Avenue. The thought was to build two tall towers and create another St. James Town. The city rezoned the area, and a developer quietly purchased many of the 32 properties on Robert and Sussex avenues.

The residents who lived in the area, however, were not so quiet. 

The Sussex Area Residents’ Association responded with an 80-page report detailing their grievances. They highlighted the loss of affordable housing both for students and owners of the houses in the area, increased density, and limited green space. 

They also underscored the lack of recognition of how the area functioned “in the creation of the Canadian nation”, absorbing successive waves of immigrants.

By June 1967, the rezoning was repealed, and the developers, University of Toronto, and City of Toronto agreed to what’s become known as the Aura Lee Transfer.

The city wanted to extend Ramsden Park, between Roxborough and Pears avenues, all the way to Avenue Road. 

The university’s Aura Lee Playing Field was just east of Avenue Road at the west end of Ramsden Park, and the developer had properties on the south side of Pears Avenue. 

Instead of purchasing the playing field, the developer exchanged its Robert Street land for the Aura Lee Playing Field. 

By 1968, the developer had enough land to build two towers on Pears Avenue, and received permission to build from the city by pledging the northerly 1.6 acres of Aura Lee lands to create the western extension of Ramsden Park.

In 1968-69, deaf to affordable housing concerns, the university tore down 32 houses on Robert Street and Sussex Avenue to create the Robert Street Field. 

It was well used by the community, and a skating rink and tennis courts were built on the site.

In 1971, the university and the city came to what council called an exemplary agreement: the public would be able to use the facilities and the city would pay the cost of maintaining them.

The city also created a children’s play area at the site’s south end, now a parkette on Sussex Avenue, and the University of Toronto Schools built its own changing facilities for the rink house. 

In 1973, the university renamed the Robert Street Field the Aura Lee Playing Field.

Over 20 years later, and the university’s once lauded behaviour isn’t quite so exemplary.

The rink’s ice making equipment — deemed the university’s responsibility in the agreement with the city — failed in 1998, the university is storing an army of garbage cans (including, oddly, garbage cans labelled “Ryerson”) on the rink, there’s snow fencing in lieu of nets on the pitted tennis courts, and the university’s ground crews are using what was once the three original tennis courts as storage space for landscaping materials.

With this history, it’s no wonder local residents have a sense of déjà vu about the university’s plan to build a student residence on the northeast corner of Sussex and Spadina avenues.

It would be an interesting exercise to have students from the university’s architecture program reimagine this area with a view to incorporating heritage and green space. 

Or if the university is unable to maintain the rinks and the tennis courts, perhaps the land could be given to the city for much-needed green space.

Nicholas Provart is a member of the Harbord Village Residents’ Association. 

This article is condensed from the original version, which appears on the association’s website www.harbordvillage.com. It has been reprinted with the writer’s permission.