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Bulletin of Events, Activities and Trends |
FoNTRA Newsletter - April 2024 |
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Dear RA contact
Get ready for those April Showers!
This email is the fourth edition of monthly eNewsletter - with information on upcoming meetings and other activities across the City.
It seems that will be 'showered' by many City events and meetings throughout the month including timely meetings on Stormwater Charges (aka the Rain Tax).
Feel free to share the contents with residents and fellow neighbours.
Best regards,
Geoff and Cathie
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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 (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.
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Official Plan Amendments: Complete Application Requirements and Heritage Conservation.On April 3, 2024, Toronto residents are invited to attend a virtual open house session to learn about proposed changes to the Official Plan related to:- Schedule 3: Application Requirements and
- Section 3.1.6: Cultural Heritage Evaluation Report.
These proposed changes support ongoing improvements to the City’s development review process. The purpose of the meeting is to share information about the proposed amendment and answer questions. The session will cover topics including technical amendments, new application requirements and streamlining of current application requirements.City-wide Virtual Consultation- Date: Monday, April 3 Time: 6:30 to 8:00 p.m.
Registration is required through the following webpage:
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Stormwater Charge & Water Service Charge - Public Consultation Meetings
Public consultation on a potential stormwater charge and on a potential water service charge will take place March 18 to April 30, 2024.
Following public consultation, City staff will review all feedback received. A report to Executive Committee and City Council on the outcomes of consultation is planned for summer 2024.
To learn more about a possible stormwater charge, stormwater charge credits program, and a water service charge, and to provide feedback, you are invited to participate in a virtual meeting, review the presentation material and complete a survey.City-wide Virtual Consultation- Date: Monday, April 8 Time: 6 to 8 p.m.
- Date: Thursday, April 11 Time: 6 to 8 p.m.
- Date: Tuesday, April 16 Time: 6 to 8 p.m.
Registration is required through the following webpage:
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Improving Community Consultation in the Development Review Process
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: 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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The Life and Death of Canadian Cities - An Interdisciplinary Debate hosted by Ontario Association of Landscape Architects- 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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Gregor Craigie and Mitzie Hunter on How to Solve Canada's Housing Crisis (Book Launch)- Date: Thursday, April 11
- Time: 5:00-6:00 p.m.
- Location: 105 St. George St, Toronto (Rotman School)
- Fee: $33.90 (registration and book)
Our Crumbling Foundation: How We Solve Canada's Housing Crisis (Random House Canada)About this Event
Speaker: Gregor Craigie Host, On The Island, CBC Radio; Journalist, BBC World Service, CBC Radio, CBS Radio, Public Radio International
In conversation with: Mitzie Hunter (EMBA ’09), Former MPP and Minister of Education
Co-Presented by: David Feldman Centre for Real Estate and Urban Economics and School of Cities
Event Synopsis:
An urgent and illuminating examination of the unrelenting housing crisis Canadians find ourselves facing, by Balsillie Prize finalist and CBC Radio host Gregor Craigie, Our Crumbling Foundation offers real-life solutions from around the world and hope for new housing innovation in the face of seemingly impossible obstacles.
Click HERE for registration.
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NatureTO: Our Urban Forest - Toronto has one of the largest urban forests in the world. - Date: Thursday, April 18
- Time: 6:00-7:00 p.m.
- Location: 239 College Street, Toronto (Lillian H. Smith - Branch Library)
Join City of Toronto Urban Forestry staff for an in-library presentation on this amazing natural habitat that reaches all corners of Toronto
About this Event
City Staff will talk about what makes the urban forest so special and share tools to explore and understand it better. Bring questions and curiosities and leave with embolden confidence and understanding of your City and the natural world that surrounds you!
Click HERE for registration. |
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 advise you of any changes.
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Popup Working Group – COA Improvement Areas - FoNTRA has initiated a new Popup Working Group to identify areas for improvement within the Committee of Adjustment
- The working group has developed their initial submission focussed on the areas for improvement in "communications and resources"
- We have had contributions from residents' associations from across the city.
- Check out the FoNTRA websites for updates on this initiative.
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Popup Working Group – Development Review Process- Many residents' associations across the City are involve as participants or parties in the Development Review Process including OLT proceedings
- We encourage residents' associations to provide submission letters to City Planning staff on this issue.
- FoNTRA will spin up new Popup Working Group to share ideas and develop a joint submission document.
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David Suzuki Foundation: Call to Action - Help document the 302 butterfly species in Canada!
Do you have a favorite butterfly? David Suzuki does.
"The most numerous, diverse and important animals in the world are insects. Without insects' terrestrial ecosystems would collapse as most flowering depend on insects for pollination while numerous vertebrate species from bats and mice to frogs and lizards would lose their food. What better way can we celebrate and enjoy insects than through encouraging butterflies back into our lives,” shares David Suzuki, whose favourite butterfly is the Mourning Cloak.
Throughout the country, nature enthusiasts are documenting butterflies to help scientists learn about the state of our most colourful and flamboyant pollinators. BIMBY, or Butterflies in My Backyard, is a community science project that invites and trains volunteers from coast to coast to document butterflies in Canada.
Over the past two years, 500 volunteers from British Columbia joined the BIMBY Project and documented 20,000 butterflies within the province.
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By becoming a BIMBY Seeker, you take part in the community-led science initiative by taking photos of butterflies in your region and the plants they feed or rest on. Once accepted as an official member, you will be invited to a 90-minute training on how to effectively take butterfly photos, what to look for and how to submit your findings to BIMBY Project on iNaturalist, an online platform that documents nature and wildlife and shares findings with scientists worldwide.
Pollinators such as butterflies are keystone species because their wellbeing reflects the general state of our environment. With climate change affecting the environment and natural habitats, butterflies, bees and birds are stressed and struggling for survival. Findings from BIMBY Seekers will help scientists come up with ways to help them.
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Bill O'Leary—The Washington Post via Getty Images |
Time Magazine: NIMBYs and YIMBYs Have More in Common Than It Might SeemBrian Balogh is Professor of History Emeritus at the University of Virginia, and author of the recently published "Not in My Back Yard: How Citizen Activists Federalized Neighborhood Politics in the Struggle for Green Springs." He wrote an opinion piece in TIME magazine on February 4, 2024
Here’s a summary of his article:
YIMBY Movement: The article discusses the rise of the ‘Yes In My Backyard’ (YIMBY) movement, which advocates for more affordable and accessible housing in urban areas. This contrasts with the ‘Not In My Backyard’ (NIMBY) sentiment of the past, where activists sought to protect their neighborhoods from development, often with concerns about property values and quality of life.
Historical Context: It provides historical context, explaining that NIMBY activism in the past was not just about self-interest but also included progressive goals like preserving green spaces and historic resources. The article suggests that today’s YIMBYs share similar motivations, aiming to address housing shortages and improve urban living conditions.
Common Ground: The piece concludes by highlighting the commonalities between NIMBYs and YIMBYs, suggesting that both groups have been driven by self-interest and a desire for a better quality of life. It calls for mutual understanding and cooperation to address the challenges of urban development and housing affordability.
The article emphasizes the evolution of citizen activism and its impact on urban planning and housing policies. It also reflects on the changing priorities of progressive agendas over time.Read the full TIME magazine 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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1601 Bayview Ave, Toronto, ON, M4G 4G8, Canada
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