Moving Forward With Parkside Drive Improvements

Friends,

We are moving forward with our work to create a safer Parkside Drive and neighbouring community.

The present conditions are unacceptable. Parkside Drive is, in effect, a highway running in between the front doors of homes and a park. Narrow and missing sidewalks, lack of bikeways, excessive vehicular speeds, and aggressive driving have caused 1487 collisions in the last ten years. Of the collisions, five resulted in serious injuries and two resulted in fatalities.

Parkside is a neighbourhood, not a bypass. A complete street redesign along this corridor with traffic calming on adjacent streets is necessary.   

On Tuesday, Infrastructure and Environment Committee considered a staff report recommending endorsement, in principle, to advance detailed design of the road safety changes identified in the Parkside Drive Study, which includes bike lanes and intersection safety improvements. Funding for these improvements are part of the 2025- 2034 Transportation Services Capital Budget submission for Council consideration and approval.

I was grateful for the residents that shared deputations illustrating the consequences of the current condition and joined them in expressing my support for the staff recommendations. You can listen to my comments to the Committee here.

The Infrastructure and Environment Committee adopted the recommendations without amendments, and the item will be considered by City Council on November 13, 2024.

I am also pleased to share that today at Toronto East York Community Council, we adopted a staff report recommending traffic calming on five streets adjacent to Parkside Drive. As part of the Parkside Drive Study, Transportation staff concluded that speed humps on these neighbouring streets would enhance safety, are desired by the local community, and are technically feasible to implement.  

We are advancing these staff recommended safety improvements, despite the recently proposed legislation by the Province of Ontario that threatens to prevent municipal cycling planning. Building a safe and convenient cycling network is an essential component of our City’s commitment to reducing traffic related fatalities. Together, with my City Council colleagues we will defend our data-driven and targeted approach to achieving a safer Parkside neighbourhood.  

Sincerely,


In This Week's Newsletter

City Wide Updates

  • Seniors Tax and Water Relief Programs
  • Survey for Dogs Off-Lease Areas Review
  • Housing Rights Advisory Committee Vacancy
  • Stormwater Management Incentives Consultation
  • Public Engagements for the Parks and Recreation Facilities Plan and Parkland Strategy

Ward 4 Updates

  • Halloween Howl by Junction Residents Association - Oct 26
  • Developments
    • 2400-2440 Dundas St W Community Consultation Meeting
    • Community Consultation Reminder for 2106-2112 Dundas St West & 1 Golden Ave
    • 1930-1938 Bloor St W & 3, 5, & 21 Quebec Ave
    • 138 Dowling Pre-Application Meeting

City Wide

Seniors Tax and Water Relief Programs 

The deadline to apply for Property Tax, Water & Solid Waste Relief and Rebate Programs is October 31, 2024. 

Learn more about eligibility criteria and how to apply here


Survey for Dogs Off-Lease Areas Review

In June, Council requested Parks, Forestry and Recreation (PFR) to develop criteria to determine sites acceptable for Commercial Dog Walkers and to propose a list of acceptable sites across the City (MM19.3). This will be included as part of the review and update to the City’s approach to dogs off-leash areas, requested by Council in October 2023 (2023.IE6.8).

Online Survey

As part of the public engagement to develop this criteria, the City is conducting a survey for all residents, which can be accessed through Toronto.ca/OLAStudy. We hope to hear from all Torontonians, including dog owners, non-dog owners, and Commercial Dog Walkers. The survey will be open until October 31, 2024.


Housing Rights Advisory Committee Vacancy

Are you passionate about housing in the City of Toronto and committed to advancing the right to adequate housing?

The City of Toronto is looking for residents with a diversity of living/lived experience of housing precarity and homelessness, including youth, Indigenous and Black residents, housing advocates, academics, and service providers to fill a vacancy on the committee.

Meetings are held a minimum of four times a year during business hours.

Learn more and apply by November 1 here.


Stormwater Management Incentives Consultation

Yesterday, Toronto Water launched a public consultation on opportunities for new and expanded stormwater management incentives for private properties. It aims to gather feedback on existing and potential grants, subsidies or rebates for installing green infrastructure like permeable surfaces, rain gardens or bioswales, and for actions that reduce flooding risks, as directed by City Council in July 2024

The consultation will run  until November 5. The public is encouraged to participate in the consultation by completing an online survey or providing feedback through email or phone.

More information is available at toronto.ca/StormwaterIncentives


Public Engagements for the Parks and Recreation Facilities Plan and Parkland Strategy

The City is conducting public consultations to listen and learn about what recreation needs and priorities are important to residents and their communities. These consultations are part of the review and refresth of the Parks and Recreation Facilities Plan and the Parkland Strategy.

All residents can share their opinions by participating in several in-person and online opportunities from Friday, October 18, to Wednesday, December 18. The survey will be available in six languages and can be found on the City’s website: https://cotsurvey.chkmkt.com/?e=416688&d=l&h=66D856CDC3F0CD6&l=en.

The Parkland Strategy and Parks and Recreation Facilities Plan (formerly the Facilities Master Plan) are 20-year plans that guide the growth and investment in these spaces across the city. Every five years, these plans are reviewed to ensure they continue to meet the changing needs and priorities of residents and reflect updates in population, policies and funding.

To learn more about other opportunities to share your input or to sign up for updates on the engagement process, visit the project webpage.


Ward 4 

Halloween Howl by Junction Residents Association


Construction Notice: Sunnyside Sewage Pumping Station

Expected Start Date: November 2024
Expected End Date: Summer 2025
*Timeline is subject to change. Future notice to be provided.

The City of Toronto will be rehabilitating the Sunnyside Pumping Station starting this fall. The work
will involve repairing and replacing aging infrastructure with new technology to help improve efficiency
and ensure the City can continue to provide long-term reliable service.

View full notice here.


Developments

2400-2440 Dundas St W Community Consultation Meeting

The City has received a resubmitted Zoning By-law Amendment application for 2400-2440 Dundas St W and as a result City Planning has scheduled a virtual Community Consultation Meeting for the evening of Monday, October 28th at 6pm.

A resubmission has been proposed for this space for two mixed-use buildings comprised of three towers being 25, 37 and 42-storeys in height, with retail on some ground floors. The proposal would contain 1214 residential units, 1394 bike parking spaces, 155 vehicle parking spaces, a new 1,044 square metre public park, and a new private road will provide vehicular and pedestrian access to the existing GO/UP Station pick-up/drop-off loop to the south of the site. A pre-application community meeting was held for this site previously on February 22nd, 2023 and a previous community consultation meeting was held on June 20th, 2023. This month's meeting, consisting of a short presentation of the development followed by a Q&A session, will allow you to view the proposal and share your thoughts.

Councillor Perks and City Planning staff, and the applicant will be in attendance to help answer any questions that may arise. You can register for the meeting here: https://qr.link/5EvmL0.

Further information on the project and what is being proposed can be found on the City's Application Information Centre website here: https://www.toronto.ca/city-government/planning-development/application-details/?id=5243436&pid=148484.

Looking forward to seeing you there.


Community Consultation Reminder for 2106-2112 Dundas St West & 1 Golden Ave

This is a reminder that the City has received a Zoning By-law Amendment application for 2461-2475 Dundas St West and City Planning has scheduled a virtual Community Consultation Meeting for the evening of Wednesday October 30th at 6pm. This meeting is a rescheduling of last month’s meeting which unfortunately had to be cancelled on short notice.

A plan has been proposed to redevelop this space into a 10-storey mixed use building including 3 retail units on the ground floor. The building would contain 52 residential units, 58 bike parking spaces, and 4 vehicle parking spaces. This month's meeting, consisting of presentations from the applicant and City Planning Staff, followed by a Q&A session, will allow you to view the proposal and share your thoughts.

Councillor Perks, City Planning staff, and the applicant will be in attendance to help answer any questions that may arise. You can register for the meeting here: https://toronto.webex.com/weblink/register/med6c92c4b2257d4ef944e9f35b70d839.

Further information on the project and what is being proposed can be found on the City's Application Information Centre website here: https://www.toronto.ca/city-government/planning-development/application-details/?id=5481364&pid=161633.

Looking forward to seeing you there.


1930-1938 Bloor St W & 3, 5, & 21 Quebec Ave

The owner’s of this site previously submitted an application to the City for a Zoning By-law Amendment and Rental Housing Demolition & Conversion application to permit a 17-storey mixed-use building, containing 144 dwelling units (of which 12 are rental replacement units).

After a community consultation meeting and discussion among the City’s Planning staff, the City decided to refuse the application because outstanding issues could not be resolved within the legislated timeline for decision of 90 days. Details of the decision can be found here.

The applicant has thus decided to appeal the City’s refusal decision to the Ontario Land Tribunal. Details on this case can be found here: https://jus-olt-prod.powerappsportals.com/en/e-status/details/?id=bd357b6e-796c-ef11-a670-000d3a0c9ce2.

A notice was sent to interested parties outlining how to remain involved, a portion of which can be read here If you would like a copy of the full 19 page notice, please reach out to my office at [email protected] and I will be happy to supply you with one.

If you wish to participate in the hearing, instructions on how to do so are listed on page 3 and 4 of the notice, under the heading Party and Participant Status Request. I note this pertinent section from page 4 of the notice:

"Persons who are granted party status may participate fully in the proceeding (see Rule 8). Persons who are granted participant status may only participate in writing by way of a participant statement. This statement is expected to be provided 10 days advance of the Case Management Conference [on Nov 6] as part of the status request and sets out their position in the matter (see Rule 7.7). Only persons who are granted party or participant status by the Tribunal at the CMC are permitted to participate in any further hearing event that is convened by the Tribunal for this appeal."

If you wish to be a party it requires the hiring of a Planning Lawyer who will be able to make planning law-based arguments on why this request should not be granted. If you wish to request participant status, this will allow you to write in to the Tribunal and voice your opinion.

The City will have a lawyer at the Tribunal to defend it’s refusal decision.

If you have any further questions, please reach out to our office at [email protected].


*NEW MEETING DATE* 138 Dowling Ave Pre-Application Community Meeting

It has come to our attention that there was a clerical error in the notice delivered to local residents' homes which listed the incorrect timing of the October 8th pre-application meeting for 138 Dowling Ave. This resulted in a number of residents missing the meeting. At our request, the applicant will hold another meeting for those interested. Details below.

Date: Tuesday, November 19 2024 at 6:00pm

Link to register: 

https://toronto.webex.com/weblink/register/rea1d8205235361a045727e1f10e3aabe

The applicant is proposing a 14-storey residential building with a mix of 1, 2, 3 bedroom units and studios with approximately 49% 1 bedrooms. They have been working with Planning staff and are hosting this meeting at the request of our office. 


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2025 Staff-Prepared City Budget Highlights

Friends,

On Monday January 13th, the City of Toronto launched the 2025 Budget process with a staff-prepared budget that protects and invests in our City’s core services based on feedback gathered during Fall 2024 consultations with Toronto residents.

I am pleased to see a number of new and enhanced initiatives included in the 2025 staff-prepared budget that advance our goals of making Toronto a more affordable, connected, and safe city for all. Key investments include:

Making life more affordable:

  • Feed 8,000 more students through school food programs
  • CampTO food program to support over 31,000 youth

Getting Toronto moving

  • Increase transit service hours by 5.8 per cent (approximately half a million hours) 
  • Expand to 100 Traffic Agents to address blocked intersections, improve travel times in key corridors and decrease collision

Providing community services

  • Expand Sunday service hours for 70 Toronto Public Libraries
  • Increase access to cultural initiatives including local arts, festivals and events

Keeping people safe

  • Add 276 more Emergency Services positions (fire, police and paramedics) 
  • Expand road safety programs

Staff presentations on the 2025 staff-prepared budget are available at www.toronto.ca/budget. I encourage you learn about the various opportunities to get involved in the budget process, which includes opportunities to speak directly to the Budget Committee and submitting written feedback here.

I will also be hosting a ‘City Budget 2025 Virtual Town Hall’ on Monday, January 20th at 6pm, where we will review the proposed 2025 budget, discuss its investments and impacts on city services, and walk through the City’s budget process together.  To join the virtual meeting, please use this link: gordperks.ca/2025budget

Looking forward to seeing you there,


In This Week's Newsletter

City Wide Updates 

  • CampTO Summer Programs List
  • Winterlicious returns Jan 31 - Feb 13
  • Nominations now open: Toronto Community Champion Award 🏆 

Ward 4 Updates

  • Masaryk-Cowan Presents: Community Youth Nights

2024 Highlights and Holiday Wishes

Friends,

2024 has been a transformative year for our city.

As Chair of the Planning and Housing Committee, I have had the pleasure of supporting the tireless work of community activists and City staff in advancing real solutions to the housing crisis we have been witnessing.

In 2024, to name a few successes, we established the Renovictions Bylaw to deter bad-faith evictions, launched an industry-supported incentive program that facilitates the development of 20,000 new rental homes, expanded permissions for townhouses and small-scale apartment buildings along major streets city-wide, and initiated steps to address excessive indoor temperatures due to the effects of climate change.

I am most proud of our work at rebuilding the City’s capacity as a Public Builder that leads the delivery of affordable housing options. Through establishing a Housing Development Office at the City, we have transformed the City from an entity that is frustrated and unable to move on affordable housing to quite possibly the biggest developer of affordable housing in the country.

In the last 15 months we have gone from zero to 13 affordable construction projects currently under construction, including the 11 Brock site in our ward, and dozens more projects with shovels in the ground next year. We are proving that when we choose to face our most pressing issues head-on, we can respond with quick and effective actions.

This week, as part of Council Mid-term Member Appointments, I was honoured to be asked to continue in my role as Chair of the Planning and Housing Committee for the remainder of this Council term.

As we celebrate the holiday season, I look forward to continuing to work together in 2025 to advance the realization of housing as a human right in Toronto.

Sincerely,


2024 Highlights

Dunn House

Dunn House (90 Dunn Ave), Canada’s first ever social medicine supportive housing initiative, opened in October. The four-storey modular housing building includes 51 new, rent-geared-to-income and supportive homes for people who were experiencing homelessness and who were also frequent users of UHN’s emergency department. The new homes will be furnished studio apartments with a bathroom and kitchen. The building will include amenities such as shared laundry, a commercial kitchen, a dining area, a communal area and programming space. They will also benefit from wrap-around social and health services provided by Fred Victor and UHN aimed at improving their well-being and housing stability.  Dunn House has been supported by all orders of government and non-profit housing partners, with continued engagement with the local community.

11 Brock Ave

Earlier this week, the City broke ground on the construction of 11 Brock Ave, the first of five ‘housing ready’ sites to be developed under the Public Developer Model. The planned four-storey building will provide 42 homes with supports to maintain people’s health, wellbeing, and housing stability. The new homes will be private apartments with a bathroom and a kitchen. The building will also include amenities such as shared laundry, a commercial kitchen and programming spaces for residents. The City has partnered with Parkdale Activity Recreation Centre (PARC) as the community housing provider. PARC operates supportive homes in Toronto for adults experiencing mental health and substance use challenges, many with a history of homelessness. PARC and our office will continue to engage with the local Parkdale community on the development of this site. This work is possible due to intergovernmental partnership. In 2023, the project received $21.6 million through the Federal Rapid Housing Initiative. Beginning in 2025, annual operating funding of at least $1.2 million is required from the Province of Ontario for the support services planned for this building.

Traffic Calming Policy & Vision Zero Road Safety

There has been an update on the Vision Zero Road Safety Initiatives and Traffic Calming Policy. The updated Traffic Calming Policy was adopted by City Council in November 2023, and began applying to Community Council Reports starting January 2024. The warrants for Traffic Calming on a residential street are now based on the posted speed limit instead of the standard 40 km/h. This should help local streets in need of additional calming measures. As part of Vision Zero safety initiatives, the Automated Speed Enforcement (ASE) camera is designed to deter speeding motorists and increase safety for vulnerable road users. In Q1 of 2025, Ward 4 will receive two additional cameras as part of the ASE program expansion; the locations are Jameson Avenue South of Laxton Avenue and Jane Street near Page Avenue.

West Parkdale Cycling Connections

In Fall 2024 the City completed installation of the West Parkdale Cycling Connection. This project addresses a previous gap in our cycling network by providing a connection between The Queensway and Brock Avenue. In addition to the installation of the bike lanes the project included one way street conversions, changes to one way street directions, changes to on street parking, new stop signs, intersection improvements and traffic calming speed humps. A new traffic light signal will be installed in 2025 at Roncesvalles Avenue and Galley Avenue. Over the next 6 to 12 months, City staff will continue to monitor traffic counts and collect feedback from the community.

Parkside Drive

Parkside Drive’s current road configuration encourages motorists to travel at high speeds. In November City Council endorsed, in principle, to advance detailed design of the road safety changes identified in the Parkside Drive Study, which includes bike lanes and intersection safety improvements. The road reconfigurations aim to improve safety for all road users and upgrade Parkside Drive to accommodate multi-modal travel options. Council also approved as part of the Parkside Drive Study City staff recommendations for the installation of speed humps on five adjacent streets to Parkside Drive which satisfy the updated Traffic Calming Policy warrants.

High Park Movement Strategy

Improvements as part of the High Park Movement Strategy (HPMS) continue to be advanced in High Park. New pick-up/drop-off spaces at key destinations on Colborne Lodge Drive between the Grenadier Cafe and Bloor Street West were added, and TTC 203 High Park Route operated seasonal service this summer with an expanded route that was run via Keele Station, providing a transfer-free accessible connection between High Park and Line 2. The High Park Movement Strategy includes the implementation of a shuttle service to help visitors get around High Park all year long. The City of Toronto has issued a Request for Proposal (RFP) for the provision of this shuttle service, which will help visitors get around key locations within High Park. The City has also partnered with Toronto and Region Conservation Authority (TRCA) to undertake a road ecology study within High Park to better understand existing conditions, potential risk factors to wildlife, and possible mitigation measures.

Sunnyside Beach Shoreline Resiliency Project

The Sunnyside Beach Shoreline Resiliency Project is one of 36 locations where work is being undertaken to rehabilitate and increase resiliency along the shoreline of Lake Ontario. Periods of high lake water levels, coupled with increased frequency and severity of storms have put pressure on the existing erosion control measures in place along Lake Ontario’s shoreline and the City must deliver proactive solutions to address this. This project is carried out through the Federal government’s Disaster Mitigation and Adaptation Fund (DMAF). The mandate of this work, under this funding structure, is to address the impacts of flooding and erosion by repairing, remediating, and enhancing the resilience of Toronto's waterfront shoreline. As part of these mitigation efforts, three seat walls in different locations have been installed as a protective barrier against high lake water effects. The City installed new sand to restore the sand quality at Sunnyside Beach following completion of the Shoreline Resiliency Project.


In This Week's Newsletter

City Wide Updates 

  • Vacant Home Tax 2024 Declaration
  • New Year's Skating Parties
  • City of Toronto Consultation: Growing Space for Trees & Infill Housing
  • Planning for the Holiday Season in Toronto
  • Toronto Parking Authority Rate Change Communication

Ward 4 Updates

  • Developments
    • *New Date* Committee of Adjustment Application, 1375 Queen St W
    • Update on 2453-2469 Bloor Street West: Ontario Land Tribunal Hearing - Request for Directions
    • An Update on 2461-2475 Dundas St W - Zoning By-law Amendment and Rental Housing Demolition & Conversion

Increasing Shelter Infrastructure and Our Public Developer Capacity

Friends,

I am encouraged by the progress announced this week on the City’s Homelessness Services Capital Infrastructure Strategy (HSCIS). The City unveiled the first six shelter sites that are being developed as part of this 10-year strategy and has expanded winter services for people experiencing homelessness.

The City is currently providing emergency accommodations to approximately 12,000 people. These shelter spaces enable our unhoused neighbours to have a roof over their heads while accessing services that help them transition to permanent housing. In 2023, more than 5,900 people experiencing homelessness moved from the shelter system into permanent housing.

Although the City is providing shelter to thousands of people, hundreds of people are unable to be matched to shelter each night. The HSCIS was developed to meet the unmet demand for shelter space by building new shelters across Toronto. Between 2024 and 2033, the City plans to develop up to 20 new purpose-built shelter sites, creating a total of approximately 1,600 shelter spaces.

Each shelter will be smaller by design and serve approximately 80 people, focusing on providing safety, comfort and resources to help residents transition to stable housing. I encourage you to learn more about the City’s work to open new shelter sites on the project webpage.

I am also pleased to share that Executive Committee adopted a staff report this week on strengthening the City’s role as a Public Developer to deliver housing faster.

This report outlines steps to establish a Housing Development Office that will focus exclusively on advancing and accelerating the delivery of housing on City-led and City-supported sites. Through this new Office, the City will either lead projects directly or leverage Toronto Community Housing (TCHC) and CreateTO on a project-by-project basis, based on each organization’s unique expertise and best practices. This item will be considered by City Council next week.

I will continue to use my voice and vote on Council to support improving and increasing our shelter infrastructure and expediting the City’s delivery of housing.

Sincerely,


In This Week's Newsletter

City Wide Updates 

  • Vacant Home Tax 2024 Declaration
  • Support your community: Holiday Wish List 🎁 
  • Skate Lending Library is back this winter  
  • Illuminating holiday experiences at Toronto History Museums ✨

Ward 4 Updates

  • Junction BIA's Window Wonderland
  • Junction Residents' Association: Community Caroling Sing-a-long in the Junction!!
  • Attention Parkdale Village BIA Members: Board Members Wanted
  • Developments
    • *New Date* Committee of Adjustment Application, 1375 Queen St W

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