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Bulletin of Events, Activities and Trends |
FoNTRA Newsletter - Summer Solstice 2024 |
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Dear Association Contact
This email is the seventh edition of our monthly eNewsletter - with information on upcoming meetings and other activities across the City.
The summer solstice for the Northern Hemisphere occurs on June 20, 2024. The summer solstice marks the official start of astronomical summer and the longest day of the year. It occurs when one of Earth's poles is tilted toward the sun at its most extreme angle, and due to Earth's tilt, this happens twice a year.
FoNTRA's Annual General Meeting will be held on June 18, 2024 at 6:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. in advance of our regularly scheduled General Member's Meeting. All FoNTRA members are encouraged to attend.
A critical focus in the next six weeks will be the City of Toronto's review of the City Avenues Policy.
Feel free to share the contents with residents and fellow neighbours.
Best regards,
Geoff and Cathie
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Image Credit: City of Toronto |
City of Toronto: Review of City Avenues PolicyCity Planning staff are holding virtual community consultation meetings on the Avenues Policy Review initiative, which is part of the Toronto's Housing Action Plan.
The HAP is a cornerstone of the City’s efforts to address current housing challenges. Adopted by City Council in December 2022, the HAP outlines a strong ‘made-in-Toronto’ multi-pronged approach to increase housing supply, housing choice and affordability for current and future residents.
The Avenues Policy Review is looking at opportunities to:
- update the vision and policy direction for how Avenues will develop;
- extend and potentially introduce new Avenues;
- streamline study requirements for building new housing along Avenues; and
- consider opportunities to create areas of transition between Avenues and Neighbourhoods to enable more housing.
Public consultations (virtual) are taking place over the next several weeks. Here is the master schedule. You can find out how to register at the Meetings & Events tab on the website page found HERE.
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Next Steps for RA's:
Residents' Associations should advise their members of this initiative and encourage residents to attend one of the many sessions. Residents should also reach out to their local councillors to gain more information.
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City of Toronto: OPA 680, Bill 97 Area of Employment Official Plan Amendments
The city is undertaking two Official Plan Amendments in response to provincial changes to the Planning Act through Bill 97.
This initiative amends the definition of “area of employment” and introduces a transition provision for land uses excluded from the definition.
Learn more on the city's webpage.
Date: Wednesday, June 19
Time: 6 p.m. – 7 p.m.
Location: Virtual
Register to participate in a virtual community consultation meeting on Wednesday, June 19th from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. to learn more and ask questions about these changes and how the city is responding.Next Steps for RA's:
Residents' Associations should study this issue to determine the impacts on their local neighbourhoods. Send your concerns to your local councillor with a copy to FoNTRA.
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City of Toronto: EHON Neighbourhood Retail and Services
Small-scale retail, service and office uses support daily life in Neighbourhoods and encourage complete, connected communities, contributing to amenity, sustainability, equity, diversity and vitality.
As part of the EHON initiative, the City of Toronto is investigating ways to support the preservation and growth of these uses for existing and future residents of the City’s designated Neighbourhoods.
Date: Wednesday, June 19
Time: 4:00 p.m. – 6 p.m.
Location: North York Memorial Hall
Date: Monday, June 17
Time: 6:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.
Location: Virtual
Next Steps for RA's:
Residents' Associations should study this issue to determine the impacts on their local neighbourhoods. Send your concerns to your local councillor with a copy to FoNTRA.
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Photo Credit: Save Ontario Science Centre |
Save Ontario Science Centre: St. Clair West RallyThe Ontario Science Centre (OSC) was a gift to the people of Ontario on the occasion of Canada’s centennial. Premier John Robarts chose to build the new museum outside the city core, in an area sometimes referred to as the “geographic centre of Toronto." Architect Ray Moriyama designed a remarkable building embraced by visitors for over 50 years.
The SOSC rally is part of a ongoing campaign to raise awareness about the adverse impact of the Ford Government's proposed move.
Time: 12 p.m. to 2 p.m.
Location: Wells Hills Park, 145 Hilton Avenue (Map)
Coming to the rally? Let the organizers know!
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Toronto Public Library: NatureTO - Our Urban Forest
Join City of Toronto Urban Forestry staff for an in-library presentation on Toronto's amazing urban natural forest and its habitats.
Date: Saturday, July 6
Time: 11am - 12pm
Location: 5120 Yonge St, Room 101
Toronto has one of the largest urban forests in the world. Join City of Toronto Urban Forestry staff for an in-library presentation on this amazing natural habitat that reaches all corners of Toronto.
We’ll 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!
Registration is encouraged. Drop-ins welcome until capacity is reached.
For more information, contact the 4th floor Business, Science & Technology desk at 416-395-5613.
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Toronto (PH13.14): The Future of Visitor ParkingAs increasingly new developments are being approved with minimal visitor parking. This will present some foreseeable challenges, especially in the suburbs where there is neither permitted street parking, nor sufficient public parking lots available. While owners choose to purchase a unit with or without a parking spot, they cannot choose whether friends and family live near enough to transit to visit without the use of a car.
Having sufficient visitor parking is very important to ensure that people with visitors have somewhere for their visitors to park. Further, we want to ensure there is sufficient visitor parking to encourage social interactions rather than presenting visitor parking challenges that could exacerbate the already serious social isolation that is happening in our city.
Staff were directed to continue work on the review of parking requirements in the Zoning By-law as part of the City-Wide Parking Strategy, which includes:
- a review of accessible parking requirements;
- a review of bicycle parking requirements; and
- the establishment of a parking monitoring program
The PHC committee requested City Planning in consultation with the President, Toronto Parking Authority, to consider the greater need for visitor parking in suburban contexts compared to downtown as part of the ongoing review of the parking requirements in the Zoning By-law and consider the potential impact of Bill 185 in their analysis, and report back no later than the fourth quarter of 2024.Next Steps for RA's:
Residents' Associations should study this issue to determine the impacts on their local neighbourhoods. Send your concerns to your local councillor with a copy to FoNTRA.
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Image Credit: City of Toronto |
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Toronto (PH13.4): Housing Action Plan - As-of-Right Zoning for Mid-rise Buildings on Avenues
The City is advancing several initiatives to make changes to the City’s Official Plan, Zoning By-law and Urban Design Guidelines to enable more housing in neighbourhoods along major streets and Avenues, in transition zones and in major growth areas.
The recent report proposes amendments to the city-wide Zoning By-law 569-2013 to permit heights and densities that would enable mid-rise buildings on lands designated Mixed Use Areas in the Official Plan along Avenues. The draft zoning by-law amendment implements urban design performance standards, including updated standards for rear transition and increases height and density permissions.
On June 13, the PHC directed City Planning to consult stakeholders and the public on the proposed draft zoning by-law amendment and report back with the final recommended zoning by-law amendment in the third quarter of 2024. Updated rear transition performance standard will included in the report to be presented to the PHC at the same time.
Next Steps for RA's:
Residents' Associations should study this issue to determine the impacts on their local neighbourhoods. Send your concerns to your local councillor with a copy to FoNTRA.
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Toronto (PH13.10): Toronto Local Appeal Body - Chair's 2023 Annual Report
The TLAB is composed of fourteen members including the Chair, Vice-Chair, and twelve Panel Members who are nominated by an impartial citizen-member nominating panel with recommendations for appointments submitted to City Council. City Council appoints Members of the TLAB for a four-year term of office.
The Planning and Housing Committee deferred consideration of the item until the July 11, 2024 meeting of the PHC.
FoNTRA made a deputation on this item. You can read the deputation HERE.
Next Steps for RA's:
Residents' Associations that are active in TLAB matters should study the report and provide a deputation to the next PHC meeting.
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Image Credit: Infrastructure Ontario |
Leaside Life: Ontario Line – Transit-Oriented CommunitiesWelcome to the City of Toronto’s engagement webpage on Transit-Oriented Communities (TOCs) – a Provincial program led by Infrastructure Ontario and/or Metrolinx to deliver mixed-use developments that are connected to, integrated with or nearby major transit stations including subway, LRT and GO/Smart Track stations.
The City of Toronto is working to shape the TOCs put forward by Infrastructure Ontario and Metrolinx, to advance the City’s planning vision for growth around transit. As the Province continues to advance TOC proposals, the City will engage with the public to help shape the City’s input into the review of TOCs. Be sure to visit this page regularly for opportunities to provide direct input to the City.
To read the full article in Leaside Life, see HERE.
Next Steps for RA's:
Residents' Associations who are near or adjacent to any of the fifteen Transit Oriented Committees (TOCs) should study this file carefully. Working with your local councillor, and partipating in engagement sessions will be critically important over the next few years.
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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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