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Bulletin of Events, Activities and Trends |
FoNTRA Newsletter - March 2024 |
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Dear RA contact
Happy St. Patrick's Day Weekend!
This email is the third edition of monthly eNewsletter - with information on upcoming meetings and other activities across the City.
This is March break for most of the city's schools and yet there is a lot to report upon in the coming four weeks.
Feel free to share the contents with residents and fellow neighbours.
Best regards,
Geoff and Cathie
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Toronto Board of Health begins public consultations for Toronto Public Health’s new Strategic Plan
This plan will serve as the guiding blueprint for Toronto Public Health (TPH) as it strategically navigates key priorities, ensuring continued delivery of high-quality programs and services to the diverse population of more than 3 million residents in Canada’s most multicultural city.
Help shape Toronto Public Health’s new strategic plan. Your feedback is an important part of the process. Online survey
Submit your feedback by completing the survey by Sunday, March 17. Start HERE
You can also submit your comments and feedback to TPHconsult@toronto.ca
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Improving Community Consultation in the Development Review Process
In-person Meeting (Etobicoke)- Date: Wednesday, March 20 Time: 6 to 8 p.m.
- Location: Etobicoke Civic Centre
- 399 The West Mall - Committee Rooms 1, 2 & 3
In-person Meeting (Scarborough)
- Date: Tuesday, March 26 Time: 6 to 8 p.m.
- Location: Scarborough Civic Centre,
- 150 Borough Drive - Ground Floor, Central Rotunda
Ongoing changes to the City’s development review process, including significantly reduced decision-making and approval timelines under Bill 109, have made it harder to residents to feel included in the community planning and consultation process for new developments.City-wide Virtual Consultation- Date: Thursday, March 21 Time: 12 to 1 p.m.
- Date: Tuesday, April 9 Time: 12 to 1 p.m.
- Date: Wednesday, April 10 Time: 6:30 to 8 p.m.
Registration is required through the following webpage:
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As-of-Right Zoning for Mid-rise Buildings on Avenues without the requirement for Avenue StudiesAs part of its Housing Action Plan, the City of Toronto is reviewing and updating the default height permissions and performance standards that regulate development of mid-rise buildings on Avenues in areas where the City and community have not completed an Avenue Study. The proposed revisions will introduce new Development Standard Sets for the Commercial Residential (CR) Zone that update how mid-rise buildings transition towards neighbouring buildings and open spaces, replacing the current rear angular plane requirements with building setbacks. Updates to height and density permissions for these areas will be aligned with Official Plan and Urban Design Guidelines criteria for mid-rise buildings.
In-person Meeting (Etobicoke)- Date: Thursday, March 21 Time: 6 to 8 p.m.
- Location: Etobicoke Civic Centre
- 399 The West Mall - Etobicoke Council Chambers
In-person Meeting (Toronto & East York)- Date: Monday, March 25 Time: 6 to 8 p.m.
- Location: Metro Hall
- 55 John Street - Ground Floor Rotunda
In-person Meeting (North York)- Date: Wednesday, March 27 Time: 6 to 8 p.m.
- Location: North York Central Library
- 5120 Yonge Street - Second Floor, North York Central Auditorium
In-person Meeting (Scarborough)- Date: Tuesday, April 2 Time: 6 to 8 p.m.
- Location: Scarborough Civic Centre
- 150 Borough Drive - Ground Floor Rotunda
To learn more about Housing Action Plan studies relating to the Avenues, Mid-rise and Mixed Use Areas, please visit the project webpage: www.toronto.ca/HAPavenues.
Want to learn more about how the proposed updates will look? Join in and participate in one of the City’s consultation events.City-wide Virtual Consultation- Date: Wednesday, March 27 Time: 3 - 4:30pm
Registration is required through the following webpage:
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Architecture and the Right to Housing: Panel Discussion at University of Toronto- Date: Thursday, March 21
- Time: 6:30-8:00 p.m.
- Location: 1 Spadina Crescent, Main Hall (Daniels Building)
An international panel discussion on how architects can contribute to the right to housing.About this Event
Join a distinguished panel of housing experts, moderated by the Daniels Faculty's Karen Kubey, as they envision how architects can contribute to the right to housing. The panel will raise urgent questions and discuss promising examples, laying the groundwork for future solutions. This event is presented by the Irving Grossman Fund in Affordable Housing. Panelists:
A human rights lawyer and former UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Housing, Leilani Farha is Global Director of The Shift, an international advocacy agency combating housing financialization while upholding human rights. Paul Karakusevic is a founding partner at Karakusevic Carson, an award-winning architecture firm at the forefront of public housing design across the UK.
Click HERE for registration.
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The Life and Death of Canadian Cities - An Interdisciplinary Debate hosted by Ontario Association of Landscape Associates- Date: Wednesday, April 3
- Time: 6:00-8:30 p.m.
- Location: Innis College, 2 Sussex Avenue
- Fee: $15.00
Learn how rapid urban growth across Canada challenges what long-term future sustainability affordability and quality of life looks like.In celebration of Landscape Architecture Month, OALA is hosting it's first Town Hall -The Life and Death of Canadian Cities – An Interdisciplinary Debate on the Future of Affordable Housing and Quality of Life in Canada
Join in for a robust debate on how to answer what affordable housing looks like and what it means for the quality of life in cities like Toronto. Coffee and tea will be offered beforehand, and a Q&A will follow the debate along with refreshments at 8pm.
Click HERE for registration.
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Photo Credit: Leaside Life, Geoff Kettel |
Let’s save our Ontario “Success” CentreGeoff Kettel recently wrote in the Leaside Life that ... "The 1960s and 70s were heady times, innovative, energetic and exciting. As a gift to the people of Ontario to mark Canada’s Centennial in 1967, the provincial government commissioned Canadian architect Raymond Moriyama to design the Ontario Science Centre – one of the first interactive science museums in the world, uniquely located on the banks of a Don Valley ravine."What can we do about this? Note the emphasis on the “we.” We can protest and support the Save the Science Centre campaign. Stephanie Bowman, MPP for Don Valley West, has done just that – she was a speaker at the Ontario Science Centre Rally at the St Matthew’s Clubhouse at Riverdale Park on January 27th. She said that two elementary students at Bessborough Public School had collected 200 signatures on a petition to save the Ontario Science Centre following her talk to their class about “Citizenship, and how to make a difference.”
Read the full Leaside Life article HERE.
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Request for Regular Updates on Northern Segment of the Ontario Line The Ontario Line is a 15.6-kilometre Provincial subway project that will span 15 stations from Exhibition Place to the Ontario Science Centre. Currently, Metrolinx is beginning work on the Elevated Guideway and Stations project, which includes the Thorncliffe Park, Flemingdon Park, and Ontario Science Centre Stations, as well as a proposed Transit-Oriented Community in Thorncliffe Park.On February 2nd, 2024 in a letter to City Council, FoNTRA requested that "the reporting to Committees and City Council on Metrolinx's Ontario
Line construction and related development matters be extended to
Wards 15 and 16, in North York District so that it incorporates the
Ontario Line stations at Thorncliffe Park, Flemingdon Park, and the
Ontario Science Centre, plus the Maintenance and Service Facility (MSF)."On March 20th, 2024 Councillor Jaye Robinson will make a motion (MM16.31)
at the Community Council meeting, seconded by Councillor Jon Burnside that:- City Council direct the Chief Planner and Executive Director, City Planning, in consultation with the Executive Director, Transit Expansion, to report to North York Community Council with updates on the status and progress of the Province’s Transit-Oriented Communities proposals as well as design and construction of the northern segment of the Ontario Line within the boundaries of North York.
Both residents and the local City Councillors would benefit from regular updates to North York Community Council on these projects as construction gets underway. In addition, City staff should continue including updates on the northern segment of the Ontario Line in other related reports to Committee and Council.Here is a LINK to MM16.31, if you would like to support this motion.
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Popup Working Group – Major Streets in Neighbourhoods - City proposal is to add up to 6 storeys on Main Streets (outside Avenues) in Neighbourhoods
- Planning staff will consider comments in January and February and report back to PHC in Q1, 2024
- We continue to follow this file and will keep you updated.
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The 311 Process to be streamlined throughout 2024 to improve service deliveryThe CBC reports on the work of a new committee set up by Mayor Olivia Chow with the aim of improving "bread and butter" service delivery and ensuring citizen complaints are addressed quickly and effectively.
311 handles over a million calls a year for some of Toronto's most basic services, including pothole patching, garbage bin repair and roadkill pickup. The city started a pilot in late February to streamline the complaints and compliments process with divisions that are the subject of the most frequent calls.
The city spent 2023 developing the plan and will expand the pilot program to more city divisions throughout 2024. Staff worked with Toronto's ombudsman to develop a system that's more transparent and easier for a resident to escalate if they're not happy, Yorke said.
Gary Yorke, executive director of the city's customer experience division says that "We're here to serve the public. So, we want to be very clear on the expectations and holding the city accountable for delivering those services as well."Read the full CBC article HERE.
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Policy Options article: Combat NIMBYism with transparency to help resolve Canada’s housing crisisSome homeowners who don’t want new housing in their backyard are trying to protect investments. But it’s not all about money. Here is a summary of the article:The Housing Crisis in Canada: The cost of housing in Canada has skyrocketed, with home prices doubling since 2011. By the end of 2024, median prices for detached single-family houses are projected to reach staggering levels: approximately $843,000 nationally and $1.48 million in the Greater Toronto Area. Simultaneously, rents have become increasingly burdensome. Despite government efforts, the root problem remains: Canada lacks sufficient housing supply. The Role of Homeowners: NIMBYs are homeowners who oppose new housing developments in their neighborhoods. While some opposition is rational—existing homeowners fear that increased supply will lower property values—NIMBYism is not solely about investment protection. Our research delves into deeper values, including egalitarianism, support for free markets, nativism, and traditionalism. These worldviews shape attitudes toward housing policy.Policy Recommendations : To address the housing shortage, we propose three policy solutions:
- Transparency: Providing clear information about housing projects can combat NIMBYism. When residents understand the benefits of new housing, opposition may decrease.
- Community Engagement: Engaging with local communities and addressing their concerns fosters collaboration. Inclusive decision-making processes can mitigate NIMBY attitudes.
- Values-Based Messaging: Tailoring messages to resonate with different value systems—such as emphasizing equity or market efficiency—can help build support for housing initiatives.
Read the full Policy Options article HERE.
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If you are aware of any upcoming events that may be of interest to residents' associations across the City, please let us know. Send the information about the event to info@fontra.ca
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Check out the FoNTRA website for the latest updates on events and activities across the city. The link to the FoNTRA website is HERE.
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