City Wide Updates
City of Toronto and Toronto Council Fire partner to commemorate National Day for Truth and Reconciliation
The City of Toronto will commemorate National Day for Truth and Reconciliation with ongoing events and activities through Monday, September 30; including the opening of a new Spirit Garden at Nathan Phillips Square.
The City is proud to partner with Toronto Council Fire Native Cultural Centre to present the seventh annual Indigenous Legacy Gathering from Friday, September 27 through Monday, September 30 at Nathan Phillips Square.
The Gathering acknowledges and honours residential school survivors, their children and communities, and commemorates Orange Shirt Day. The Gathering celebrates the diversity of Indigenous Peoples’ cultures, traditions and languages through workshops, presentations, stories, teachings, dance, film and music. Members of the public are welcome to attend, free of charge, as an opportunity to learn, reflect and engage.
More information is available at: https://www.councilfire.ca/indigenous-legacy-gathering/ .
National Day for Truth and Reconciliation Activities on September 30
The new Spirit Garden at Nathan Phillips Square will be open to the public starting at 2 p.m. on September 30. Led by Toronto Council Fire Native Cultural Centre in partnership with the City, this space honours residential school survivors and children lost to their families and communities, and Indigenous cultural traditions.
The Spirit Garden consists of a two-metre-tall turtle sculpture surrounded by a teaching, learning, sharing and healing space incorporating elements that represent First Nations, Inuit and Métis cultures including: a teaching lodge, a Three Sisters artwork and teaching garden, Two Row Wampum (Kuswenta), a Métis canoe and an Inuksuk. More information is available at: https://www.councilfire.ca/spirit-garden and http://toronto.ca/nps
Flags on official flagpoles at Toronto City Hall, Metro Hall, civic centres, and other City facilities will be flown at half-mast to mark the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation on September 30. The Toronto sign in Nathan Phillips Square will be lit orange.
The Survivors Flag – an expression of remembrance, meant to honour residential school survivors and all the lives and communities impacted by the residential school system in Canada – will also be flown at half-mast at City Hall and civic centres.
Seniors for Climate Event
63 Ossington bus to provide service on King St. W. (Atlantic to Dufferin) - Sept 16 - Oct 5, 2024
The City’s contractor has completed watermain/streetcar track renewal work on King Street West from Dufferin Street to Shaw Street. TTC crews are restoring power to the overhead streetcar wiring. Following this, TTC crews will commission and test the new tracks to ensure the safe operation of streetcars once service is restored.
The completion of road work allows the 63 Ossington bus to be rerouted via Atlantic Avenue and King Street West until October 5.
On October 6, service on the 63 Ossington, 501 Queen, 504 King and 508 Lakeshore routes will be restored to regular service.
More information on this project can be found here:
https://www.ttc.ca/about-the-ttc/projects-and-plans/King-Street-West-Track-Renewal
New Parks, Forestry & Recreation Registration & Booking System
Parks, Forestry and Recreation (PFR), along with Technology Services, and Economic Development and Culture (EDC), is replacing its registration and booking system this year. The new system is anticipated to launch later this fall, in preparation for winter registration in December. In addition to recreation program registration, clients will have the ability to buy memberships and make online bookings. This is a transformational, continuous improvement project that has been in development for many years.
Extensive community engagement informed the business requirements for the new registration and booking system, and we are pleased to be launching a system that will provide an improved and modernized customer and user experience.
Public engagement sessions will be held in each community council area. For Toronto-East York:
Monday, October 7, from 7 to 9 p.m., Metro Hall
The City of Toronto invites the post-secondary community to help shape a new Academic Housing Strategy
The City of Toronto is inviting post-secondary students, faculty and staff to share their thoughts about their housing challenges, ideas and expectations for the future.
The outreach is part of the Academic Housing Strategy, a priority under the City's HousingTO 2020-2030 Action Plan and the Housing Action Plan (2022-2026) to address housing challenges and ensure equitable access to affordable housing options for all Toronto residents.
The engagement will include an online survey, onsite campus interactive sessions, focus groups and interviews with leading experts to gather insights, share information and develop innovative solutions to address the housing concerns affecting Toronto’s post-secondary community. Participants will have the opportunity to:
- discuss current housing challenges and opportunities
- explore strategies for improving housing access and affordability
-
contribute ideas to all orders of governments and academic institutions to improve housing outcomes.
Have your say
Post-secondary students, faculty and staff are invited to share their experiences, insight and ideas by participating in an online survey available until Friday, November 1 on the City’s website: https://cotsurvey.chkmkt.com/AcademicHousingSurvey.
In-person engagement sessions will be held at eight college and university campuses across the city. The full schedule and location details of the drop-in sessions are available on the City’s Academic Housing Strategy webpage: https://www.toronto.ca/community-people/community-partners/housing-partners/housing-initiatives/academic-housing-strategy/.
Funding available for student-led climate action projects
The Youth Climate Action Grants program provides funding up to $1,000 to Toronto District School Board (TDSB) and Toronto Catholic District School Board (TCDSB) eligible student-led projects that educate on climate change and climate actions. Funding applications are open now until Tuesday, November 12. Find more information and apply on the City’s Youth Climate Action Grants webpage.
2025 Waste Collection Schedules are coming 🗓️
Toronto residents have begun to receive the 2025 waste collection schedule as part of their utility bill. Those who do not receive utility bills to their homes (e.g. tenants) and those who are not expected to receive a utility bill before the end of the year will have their collection schedule sent to them separately by the end of December. Residents are asked to keep their schedule for reference throughout 2025. More information is available on the City’s Waste Management Guide & Collection Schedules webpage.
Ward 4 Updates
Annual Governor Simcoe Walking Tour, 9:30am and 1:00pm, Saturday Sept 28 2024
As in past years, this FREE guided walking tour will retrace a portion of Simcoe's 1793 expedition up the Toronto Carrying Place portage route. As in past years, Part 1 of the tour will start at 9:30 am at the Rousseau plaque (8 South Kingsway, beside the Petro Canada station), heading north, mainly along Riverside Drive, and finishing near Bloor Street. After a break for lunch on Bloor Street, Part 2 will start at 1:00 pm at the Alex Ling Fountain (north-west corner of Bloor and Jane Streets), and then head farther north, mainly following residential streets a short distance east of the Humber River. Participants are free to join or leave the walk at any point along the route.
Please note: Registration for this walk is not required, but we are suggesting that those planning to participate register through Eventbrite, only if it's convenient, so that we can get an idea of how many people to expect.
Register for Morning Session
Register for Afternoon Session
Construction Notices
Rehabilitation of West Toronto Railpath Bridge over Bloor Street West
The City of Toronto is planning to rehabilitate the West Toronto Railpath Bridge over Bloor St. West. This work will ensure that the bridge and road meet today’s standards and remain safe into the future. The project is part of the Council-approved 2024 Capital Works Program.
- See the detailed notice with map here.
Rehabilitation of Brock Avenue Bridge under Metrolinx Rail
The City of Toronto is planning to rehabilitate the Brock Avenue Bridge under Metrolinx Rail. This work will ensure that the bridge and road meet today’s standards and remain safe into the future. The project is part of the Council-approved 2024 Capital Works Program.
- See the detailed notice with map here.
Rehabilitation of Dupont Street Bridge under Metrolinx Rail
The City of Toronto is planning to rehabilitate the Dupont Street Bridge under Metrolinx Rail. This work will ensure that the bridge and road meet today’s standards and remain safe into the future. The project is part of the Council-approved 2024 Capital Works Program.
- See the detailed notice with map here.
Developments
2280 Dundas St W – Loblaws Site
Following the resubmission of the application for 2280 Dundas St West in 2022 and recent reworking of the application, Councillor Perks, City Planning, and the applicant feel it’s appropriate to schedule another virtual Community Consultation Meeting for the evening of October 7th at 6pm, so that the community can become acquainted with the latest iteration of the development of this site.
The current proposal includes seven mixed-use and residential buildings (including five residential towers) on four development blocks. It will offer both ownership and rental housing options, with a new central public park and new street system. It includes approximately 1,923 residential units in a range of unit sizes and includes 735 rental units within 3 rental buildings. Previous community meetings were held for this site in 2018 and 2022. The meeting on Octobers 7th will consist of short presentations of the development from City Planning and the applicant’s team, followed by a Q&A session. This will be a great opportunity to 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. Information on how to register for the meeting will be available shortly and shared in a future newsletter.
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=5134035&pid=161892.
Looking forward to seeing you there.
138 Dowling Ave Pre-Application
Please join the applicant and owner of 138 Dowling Avenue for a pre-application community consultation meeting to learn more about their plans for the site, provide comments, and ask questions. Councillor Perks and Development Review staff will also be attendance.
Tuesday, October 8 at 6:00pm
Join here.
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