I’m pleased to share with you the following message from David Juliusson about an upcoming presentation (Committee Room 1, City Hall) by Jennifer Keesmaat related to heritage preservation:

Hi Jaan

I thought you might find Item 1 interesting. It is a presentation by Jennifer Keesmaat the new Chief Planner and Exec Director City Planning. Her views could be interesting.

The following agenda is available online.

Toronto Preservation Board

Meeting 23
Wednesday, May 29, 2013 2:00 PM
Committee Room 1, City Hall

URL: http://app.toronto.ca/tmmis/decisionBodyProfile.do?function=doPrepare&meetingId=7210

PB23.1 – How Heritage Fits With the Vision for Planning and Development for the City of Toronto [This is the topic of the presentation by Chief Planner and Exec Director City Planning]

PB23.2 – Demolition of a Designated Heritage Property – 3 Chedington Place (Ward 25)

PB23.3 – Demolition of a Designated Heritage Property in the North Rosedale Heritage Conservation District and Construction of a Replacement Structure – 127 Glen Road (Ward 27)

PB23.4 – Inclusion on the City of Toronto Inventory of Heritage Properties – 923-925 Queen Street East (Ward 30)

PB23.5 – Intention to Designate under Part IV, Section 29 of the Ontario Heritage Act – 150 Symes Road (Ward 11)

PB23.6 – Alterations to a Designated Heritage Property – 378 Yonge Street (Ward 27)

PB23.7 – Approval of 2013 Toronto Heritage Grant Awards (Ward All)

PB23.8 – Permanent Short Term Delegation of Authority for Applications under Parts IV and V of the Ontario Heritage Act (Ward All)

PB23.9 – Toronto Heritage Property Tax Rebate Program Review (Ward All)

CITY CLERK’S OFFICE
www.toronto.ca/council<http://www.toronto.ca/council>

An earlier blog post about Doors Open can be found here.

Click here for details about Doors Open in Toronto with a focus on what’s happening in the West District (Etobicoke and York).

The Humber College / Lakeshore Campus website has a great overview of events connected with the campus.

The Humber Doors Open events are also highlighted here.

An excerpt from the site reads:

Doors Open Toronto – Humber College events

May 25, 2013 – 10:00am
May 26, 2013 – 10:00am

Humber opens its doors to the community during Doors Open Toronto, May 25 and 26.

Buildings to tour include:

Centre for Urban Ecology/Humber Arboretum (North Campus, 205 Humber College Blvd.;10-3, Saturday only)

Lakeshore Campus cottages and tunnels (Lakeshore Campus, 21 Colonel Samuel Smith Park Dr.; 10-4 Saturday and Sunday)

L-Space Gallery/Lakeshore Commons (Lakeshore Campus, 21 Colonel Samuel Smith Park Dr.; 10-4 Saturday and Sunday)

Humber Centre for Justice Leadership (Lakeshore Campus Annex, 3120 Lake Shore Blvd. West; 10-4, Saturday only)

For more information, click on the links above or go to http://wx.toronto.ca/inter/culture/doorsopen.nsf/BuildingsAll?OpenView&count=999

I’m pleased to share with you the following text from the Mimico Residents Association website:

The MRA recently sent several questions regarding the rezoning and development application process to Matthew Premru in Toronto City Planning. We would like to share these with residents, to better understand the timing and procedure we can expect for future development, and specifically for Wesley Mimico United Church’s development application.

Q: Is a City-hosted Public Consultation Meeting required regarding WMUC’s application?

M. Premru: Yes. Once Planning puts forward a Preliminary Report to Council to introduce the Application, we also recommend that Council directs us to hold an initial community consultation meeting. I am aiming to bring the Preliminary Report to the June 18th EYCC agenda. The instruction to staff usually is to determine a community meeting date in consultation with the local Councillor – once that is set, public notice will go out (note: typically we do not hold community meetings in the summer). Then there is the Community Council ‘Public Meeting’ that is required by the Planning Act. That meeting happens on the day the Final Report is brought forward to Etobicoke York Community Council.

Q: The application is listed on the City Planning website as “under review”. What does this mean? How long will this take?

M. Premru: The application is now being circulated to the relevant internal and external commenting departments and agencies. This process (rounds of circulation) continues until staff are prepared to complete a Final Report with recommendations. At this point, it is too early to predict how long the process will take, it will depend on the extent of issues to be identified through the circulation process and the applicant’s ability to address those. In my experience, an application like this would typically not take less than 9 months to complete – again, I’ll have a better idea once the issues are identified.

Q: Will nearby residents be informed of the application – if so when and how?

M. Premru: Residents within 200 metres of the subject property will automatically be notified of the community consultation meeting and we also add names to the interested parties list for automatic notification as well.

Note: Residents can submit comments on the Wesley application and request updates on the Development Application Webpage here.

Q: Is Heritage Designation considered as part of the rezoning application? Can the decision be deferred based [on a ] Heritage review?

M. Premru: This application has been circulated to Heritage Preservation Services staff. I am relying on them to identify the best process going forward as part of their comments on the first round of circulation. These, and all other agency/dept comments are available on file for public inspection.

Q: It says on the Planning Applications website that “detailed project data” will be provided for rezoning applications, but I don’t see anything other than storeys and number of units. Will more information be posted?

M. Premru: The Application information is not posted on the City website, however the public can access the files at Planning office by contacting us (Matthew Premru: mpremru@toronto.ca). The public can inspect/copy either the paper copies on file or digital versions if available. More details will be available as we continue to process this application and by the time we prepare a Preliminary Report (which of course will be available to the public).

Note: The MRA has copied the relevant application files and they are available for download on the MRA website here.

[End of text from MRA website]

“Ontario school boards say they’re being forced to interview all qualified applicants for long-term supply jobs, not just the ones they want to.”

As a retired teacher, I find the story of interest. I’ve discussed an earlier version of the narrative in a blog post in October 2012.

I’m aware from Google Analytics that the above-noted blog post [see link in previous sentence] has prompted quite a few visits – more than I had anticipated, in this case – to the Preserved Stories website.

From what I can gather, the back story concerns fairness – with varied stakeholders addressing the issue of fairness according to their own particular interests.

A good criterion to keep in mind is: What is in the best interests of the child in the classroom? What is in the best interests of the school system as a whole?

And: How are such issues addressed in Finland, which is seen to have one of the best educational systems in the world?

A given newspaper article provides a hint of the underlying narratives.

This is a very relevant discussion

Under Toronto’s new ChemTrac program it is possible to find out where in your community there may be small industries emitting toxic chemicals. Toronto is the only municipality in Canada where this reporting occurs.

A Meet & Greet will be held in South Etobicoke on May 22, 2013

The following message is from DeTOx Toronto:

South Etobicoke Neighbourhood Meet & Greet – DeTOx Toronto

We invite our friends and members to join us at our next Neighbourhood Meet & Greet event at New Toronto Library on Wednesday, May 22, 2013.

Heather Marshall, TEA’s Toxics Campaigner, will share information on Etobicoke’s air quality and sources of pollution to inspire local action to DeTOx Toronto and protect our health. Heather will also share TEA’s new Toxics Reduction Toolkit.

Join us to talk about TEA’s Toxics in Toronto campaign, meet others who care about the environment and talk about solutions!

When: Wednesday May 22, 2013
6:30 pm – Introductions & Information table
7:00 – 8 pm – Presentation & Discussion
Where: New Toronto Public Library – Community Room 110 Eleventh Street

RSVP: events@torontoenvironment.org

We hope to see you there!

Copyright © 2013 Toronto Environmental Alliance, All rights reserved.
You are receiving this email because you opted in at our website or signed up in person. Council Watch is the twice-monthly e-newsletter of the Toronto Environmental Alliance (TEA).

Our mailing address is:
Toronto Environmental Alliance
30 Duncan St
Suite 201
Toronto, Ontario M5V2C3
Canada

[End of message from Toronto Environmental Alliance]

DeTOx Toronto Toolkit

The following information is from the DeTOx Toronto website:

In a partnership with environmental and health groups, TEA [Toronto Environmental Alliance] is proud to release the Toronto Toxic Reduction Tool Kit.

The 8-part toolkit outlines how to identify and reduce toxic exposure at work, at home and in the community with worksheets, guides and resources.

The Toolkit will help residents understand and make use of Toronto’s Community Right to Know (CRTK) bylaw which requires public reporting of toxic chemical use by local businesses.

You can access the Toolkit by clicking here.

“When Thomas Insel, the director of the National Institute of Mental Health, came out swinging with his critiques of the American Psychiatric Association’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, a couple of weeks ago, longtime critics of psychiatry were shocked and gratified.”

Further into the article one reads: “Looking for the neurochemistry of mental disorders that don’t necessarily exist has turned out to be as futile as using a map of the moon to get around Manhattan.”

An April 9, 2013 New Yorker article similarly addresses the topic of how mental illness is defined.

The above-noted reference is from an earlier blog post regarding Erving Goffman and his contribution to sociological research.

The discussion is also of relevance with regard to the Lakeshore Hospital Grounds and the Lakeshore Psychiatric Cemetery.

Also of interest is a May 21, 2013 Toronto Star article: “World Health Assembly: putting mental health on the agenda” – as is a May 2013 Walrus article offering an international perspective on definitions of mental illness.
 

Are the shorelines of New York City worth preserving as sea level rise?

This topic came to mind when I read a May 17, 2013 Globe and Mail article by Eric Reguly entitled “Ignoring the cost of climate change is bad business.”

The article begins – in the second sentence, after an opening sentence about volatility in financial markets and everyday life – with the following comments about condos:

“Case in point: Toronto’s condos.

“They are everywhere, endless rows of cookie-cutter towers. Besides being bland, even hideous, they are obviously not built to cope with volatile weather patterns, such as the soaring number of extremely hot days. Acres of glass and thin walls are their dominant features. They are almost entirely dependent on energy, and lots of it, for heating, cooling and ventilation (in some condos, many of the windows don’t open).

“As temperatures rise, these glass boxes will consume more energy to prevent them from roasting their occupants alive. Some will get easily damaged by storms and flooding if a hurricane hits. Many are so shabbily built that they will have to be torn down and replaced within decades – construction is a highly energy-intensive activity.”

[End of excerpt]

Click here to access the article.

Doors Open Toronto is a great concept and a great event!

Doors Open Mississauga also warrants celebration; it takes place on September 28, 2013.

Doors Open Ontario offers information about the history of the Doors Open concept and provides a link to Doors Open events in other countries. At the latter link, you can find some interesting live links and some that are not currently live.

The Doors Open Ontario link notes that the first Doors Open Day (La Journée Portes Ouvertes) took place in France in 1984.

Remembering Toronto’s history, with the help of the web

The building at the west-end intersection of Dupont, Dundas and Annette streets was the site of an 1837 stagecoach robbery led by Toronto’s first mayor, William Lyon Mackenzie. Now, it’s a 24-hour Coffee Time.

Times have changed in Toronto. Neil Ross, president of the West Toronto Junction Historical Society, counts the pre-Confederation tale among his favourite footnotes of Toronto lore. “Here’s the leader of the Upper Canada Rebellion, one day after marching armed men down Yonge Street – three years after he was Toronto’s first mayor – robbing a stagecoach in front of the Peacock Tavern,” Mr. Ross said.

[End of excerpt. You can access the full article here.]

Comment:

Local historical societies come and go, or wax and wane, depending on circumstances. In my experience, they are a tremendous resource for networking and information sharing.

West Toronto Junction Historical Society; La Société d’Histoire de Toronto

I’m delighted to know of the work – described in the above-noted Globe and Mail article – of La Société d’Histoire de Toronto, which has a walking tour, in French, on May 26, 2013 of the trails used by First Nations groups along the Humber River – sth.ca - and of the Junction Historical Society, which will hold a walking tour of the work of prolific Junction architect James Ellis on June 9, 2013 at 1:30 pm: wtjhs.ca

Laptop U

I’m reminded of the power of the Internet to share information, as highlighted in a May 20, 2013 New Yorker article entitled “Laptop U: Has the future of college moved online?”

The article by NATHAN HELLER begins with the following opening sentence:

“Gregory Nagy, a professor of classical Greek literature at Harvard, is a gentle academic of the sort who, asked about the future, will begin speaking of Homer and the battles of the distant past.”

Tubes (2012)

I’m reminded as well of Tubes: A journey to the center of the Internet (2012). The opening paragraph of a blurb about the latter study at the Toronto Public Library website reads:

“Everybody knows that the Internet is the most powerful information network ever conceived. It is a gateway to information, a messenger of love and a fountain of riches and distraction. We are all connected now, but connected to what? In Tubes, acclaimed young journalist Andrew Blum takes readers on a fascinating journey to find out.”

The Ward, one of Toronto’s most historic, yet forgotten, communities – May 17, 2013 Toronto Star

Also of interest is a May 17, 2013 Toronto Star article by John Lorinc describing the historic Ward neighbourhood in Toronto. The opening sentences read:

A week from now, thousands of people will fan out across Greater Toronto to take advantage of a once-a-year opportunity to poke inside intriguing buildings that are often closed to the public. As in previous years, the Doors Open roster includes architectural gems, cultural or religious institutions, and heritage buildings.

But there will be no doors to open in one of the city’s more historic, and yet most thoroughly forgotten, communities — a once dense Kensington Market-like precinct known as “the Ward,” home to thousands of poor immigrants who arrived here between the 1890s and the 1920s. The area, which today would likely be described as a “priority neighbourhood,” later became Toronto’s first Chinatown.

[End of excerpt. You can access the full article here.]

Doors Open – May 2013 (Toronto) and September 2013 (Mississauga)

Further information about Doors Open Toronto on May 25 and 26, 2013 can be found here and here.

Doors Open Toronto is a great concept and a great event!

Doors Open Mississauga also warrants celebration; it takes place on September 28, 2013.

Doors Open Ontario offers information about the history of the Doors Open concept.

The Doors Open Ontario link notes that the first Doors Open Day (La Journée Portes Ouvertes) took place in France in 1984.

Toronto Lakeshore West High School Reunion

When: Sat, June 8, 2013   STARTS: 5 pm

Where: Royal Canadian Legion 101 Longbranch, 3850 Lakeshore Blvd. West
A reunion for those who attended High School in the New Toronto, Alderwood or Mimico area, featuring dinner, dancing and live music. Tickets are $30 and on sale at  Royal Canadian Legion – Long Branch (416) 255-4535 or available at the door. Contact Gayle Thomas at (416) 901-5757 or thomaskgayle@hotmail.com.