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  • August 29, 2019 3:48 PM | David McMahon (Administrator)

    View this email in your browser  | August 29, 2019

    Metrolinx is building the Eglinton Crosstown, Toronto’s new 19-kilometre light rail transit (LRT) line that will run along Eglinton Avenue with a central 10 km underground section. The Crosstown will connect Mount Dennis in the west to Kennedy Road in the east, and the new service will be up to 60% faster than the bus service today. With 25 stations and stops and connections to 3 TTC subway stations, 54 local bus routes, 3 GO Transit lines and the UP Express, the Crosstown will improve travel times and change the way we move through the heart of the city.

    Reminder before the start of school:
    Pedestrian Changes at
    Chaplin and Eglinton
     

    What Work is Taking Place?


    As early as August 26, 2019, changes to pedestrian routes in the Chaplin Crescent and Eglinton Avenue area will be implemented to accommodate excavation and hydro utility work at Chaplin Station.  The sidewalk on the east side of Chaplin Crescent will be closed between Spadina Road and Eglinton Avenue.  The north crosswalk at the Chaplin Crescent and Eglinton Avenue intersection will be removed and the west crosswalk will be reinstated.  A new unsignalized pedestrian island crosswalk will be implemented on Chaplin Crescent at Spadina Road.


    Timing

    • Changes to pedestrian were implemented on Monday, August 26, 2019
    • The new configuration will take approximately one (1) week to implement
    • Once in place, the changes will remain in place until mid-2020

    What to Expect

    • Eglinton Avenue will be reduced to one lane only between Chaplin Crescent and Latimer Avenue for approximately one (1) week while the new traffic configuration is implemented; traffic will alternate in each direction with assistance from a Paid Duty Officer and/or traffic control personnel
    • Pole removal and overhead cable work
    • Pedestrians and motorists can expect delays when travelling through the intersection

    Traffic and Pedestrian Details

    • The east sidewalk on Chaplin Crescent between Eglinton Avenue and Spadina Road will be closed
    • The north crosswalk at Chaplin Crescent and Eglinton Avenue will be removed
    • The west crosswalk at Chaplin Crescent and Eglinton Avenue will be reinstated
    • A new unsignalized pedestrian island crosswalk will be implemented at Chaplin Crescent at Spadina Road
    • Westbound right turns from Eglinton Avenue onto Chaplin Crescent northbound will be reinstated once the pedestrian island crosswalk is in place

     

     

    Thank you for your patience as we work to build this important project.

    Please support your local businesses during construction.

    For more information about Chaplin Station, please contact: Nicole Panchal

     

    West Community Office
    1848 Eglinton Ave West
    416-782-8118

    Crosstown Website

    Crosstown Email

    Crosstown on Twitter

    Crosstown on Facebook

    Crosstown on Instagram

    Copyright © 2019 Metrolinx, All rights reserved.
    You are receiving the Eglinton Crosstown e-blast because you signed up through our online form, or participated in one of our community events and indicated you would like to receive these e-updates. Our email list is only used by the Eglinton Crosstown Community Office for information about project events, initiatives and construction updates. It is not sold or provided to any other party for their use, nor to market our services or products.

    Our mailing address is:

    Metrolinx

    660 Eglinton Avenue East

    1848 Eglinton Avenue West

    Toronto, ON M4G 2K2

    Canada


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  • August 29, 2019 10:17 AM | David McMahon (Administrator)

    Metrolinx is building the Eglinton Crosstown, Toronto’s new 19-kilometre light rail transit (LRT) line that will run along Eglinton Avenue with a central 10 km underground section. The Crosstown will connect Mount Dennis in the west to Kennedy Road in the east, and the new service will be up to 60% faster than the bus service today. With 25 stations and stops and connections to 3 TTC subway stations, 54 local bus routes, 3 GO Transit lines and the UP Express, the Crosstown will improve travel times and change the way we move through the heart of the city.

    Upcoming Berwick Avenue Road Closures for TTC Line 1 Facility Service Building Construction - September 2019

    What Work is Taking Place?

    In September 2019, crews will conduct a series of closures of Berwick Avenue between Duplex Avenue and Yonge Street to perform supporting construction activities for TTC’s Line 1 Subway Facility Services Building. Due to the location of the new building, the work can only be carried out safely while the subway is not in operation. Please see below the schedules of road closure and subway closure in September.

    Please note that this work is subject to cancellation. If cancelled, the road closure will not be required, and affected properties will be notified. TTC closures may go ahead even in the even of the road closure cancellation. Please visit TTC’s website under “Scheduled Subway Closures” for update-to-date service information.  

     

    Road Closure Details

    Berwick Ave will be closed between Duplex Ave and Yonge St

    • Friday September 13, 2019 at 7:00 a.m. – Monday September 16, 2019 at 7:00 a.m.
    • Friday September 20, 2019 at 7:00 a.m. – Monday September 23, 2019 at 7:00 a.m.

    Construction activities will take place on a 24-hour basis during each closure.

    Schedule is subject to change and/or cancellation.

     

    Subway Closure Details

    There will be no subway service at TTC Eglinton Station on each of the weekends listed below. Access to TTC Eglinton Station Bus Terminal will be maintained, allowing TTC users to access shuttle buses for the duration of the closure. Please visit TTC’s website under “Scheduled Subway Closures” for more information on subway closures and shuttle bus operation. 

    As of August 27, 2019, Line 1 will be closed:

    • Between St Clair Station and Lawrence Station from Saturday September 14 until Monday September 16, 2019
    • Between St Clair Station and Lawrence Station from Saturday September 21 until Monday September 23, 2019

    Subway closure details are subject to change. Riders should consult TTC’s website for update-to-date service information.  

     

    What to Expect

    • Construction zones and laydown areas will be set up on Berwick Ave between Duplex Ave and Yonge St, and in TTC’s corridor (south of Berwick Ave).
    • Noise from large construction equipment, heavy truck traffic entering and exiting the work zone, equipment and material storage within work zones, as well as lighting can also be expected.
    • Work will occur on a 24-hour schedule during the TTC subway weekend closures listed above.
    • All property access is expected to be maintained, with the exception of four parking spaces to the east of 34 Berwick Ave.  In the event that property access will be affected, property owners will be contacted directly.
    • Expect delays when travelling in the vicinity of Berwick Ave during each closure.

     

    Traffic and Pedestrian Impacts

    • Berwick Ave will be closed mid-block between Duplex Ave and Yonge St, per the schedule listed above. 
    • Access to Canada Square parking lot will be maintained from Duplex Ave only; access to 2180 Yonge St loading dock and TTC Bus Bay from Berwick Ave will be maintained from Yonge St only.
    • Pedestrian access will be maintained along the north side of Berwick Ave from Duplex Ave to Yonge St. At times, pedestrians may be asked to halt or divert around the crane movements.
    • The south sidewalk of Berwick Ave from Yonge St to the west end of the work zone will be temporarily closed.

     

    Travelling Smart during Construction

    Travel delays are expected with the Crosstown construction. Please allow extra time for your journey. Traffic will be extra heavy at peak periods during the Crosstown construction. When possible, please travel during the off-peak period between 10:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m.

     

    Stay Informed

    Sign up for e-mail updates at www.thecrosstown.ca/sign-up or download the Crosstown traffic app to get real-time traffic and transit information for the Eglinton corridor.


    Disponible en francais 


  • August 29, 2019 10:09 AM | David McMahon (Administrator)

    The 53 Division, OPEN HOUSE, is scheduled for , Saturday October 12th, 2019 , from 11am – 3pm.

    The event is hosted by Unit Commander Shaun NARINE & Inspector Paul RINKOFF.

    Come out, meet officers from your 53 Division Community Response Unit, Special Units, tour our Facility, enjoy some FREE BBQ food, get pictures with Police Horses, Police Dogs, Patrol Cars & Equipment !



  • August 10, 2019 1:54 PM | David McMahon (Administrator)

    Yonge and Eglinton: Ground zero in Toronto’s battle to reconcile high-density development and livability

    JOHN LORINC

    SPECIAL TO THE GLOBE AND MAIL

    PUBLISHED AUGUST 9, 2019

    Situated in North Toronto, the area sits almost at the city’s geographic centre, and comprises affluent low-rise residential neighbourhoods abutting two extended clusters of high-rises around Eglinton and Davisville avenues.

    One weekday afternoon in July, Jane Auster and Andy Gort picked their way through the side streets of a neighbourhood that has become ground zero in Toronto’s struggle to reconcile high-density development and livability.

    The landscape near Yonge and Eglinton – once dubbed “Young and Eligible” – is nothing if not urban: The sidewalks at this hour teem with people on their way home, passing development sites, new apartment towers and concrete mixers.

    Produce flies off the stalls of a local grocer, while the patio of a bar next door is filled with happy-hour patrons.

    Ms. Auster, a writer, paused near the Art Shoppe condo project and squinted at a crane far overhead. “Look, Andy,” she said, “they’ve topped out.”

    Situated in North Toronto, the area sits almost at the city’s geographic centre, and comprises affluent low-rise residential neighbourhoods abutting two extended clusters of high-rises around Eglinton and Davisville avenues.

    Activists with the South Eglinton Ratepayers’ and Residents’ Association(SERRA), Ms. Auster and Mr. Gort, a retired tech manager, have been engaged for years in a block-by-block struggle to rein in a seeming torrent of development – 50,000 new dwelling units for the Yonge-Eglinton-Davisville corridor approved or under way since 2016 alone. Mr. Gort likens the pace of change to “a runaway train.”

    Such grievances are familiar fare among the homeowners living in North Toronto’s leafy enclaves: that the city, in its zeal to intensify, has failed to invest in schools, pools, parks and pipes, the infrastructure needed to accommodate so many new people. “We’re packed,” said former city councilor Karen Stintz, who lives in the area and grapples with jammed rush-hour subways and clotted side streets. “At some point, you have to ask, `When is enough, enough?’”

    Towers have sprouted rapidly from the grassy moats surrounding older apartment buildings. The Crosstown LRT construction has transformed the Yonge and Eglinton intersection into a warren of barriers and tunnels. In coming years, most of the 1960s-vintage mid-rise offices on Eglinton East will be replaced by 50-plus storey condo towers – a transformation that could lead to a loss of local white-collar employment not foreseen in the city’s official plan.

    To confront the mounting pressures, planners, developers and residents’ groups spent six years hammering out a long-term growth plan. “Midtown in Focus” called for new open spaces, amenities and prescriptive rules that capped development while establishing height transitions between main and side streets.

    Last year, council approved Official Plan Amendment 405, which codified all that horse-trading, and shipped it to Queen’s Park for approval. But earlier this summer, the Ford government sent back that meticulously finessed plan, along with orders to council to edit out the caps, some of the height limits and the restrictions on what can be built where.

    STORY CONTINUES BELOW ADVERTISEMENT

    “[The] Ford government intends to support developers’ financial interests over our quality of life [and] ignore Toronto’s community-focused growth plans,” area councillor Josh Matlow tweeted angrily at the time.

    Open this photo in gallery

    To confront the mounting pressures, planners, developers and residents’ groups spent six years hammering out a long-term growth plan, which was approved by city council but then rejected by the Ford government.

    RIOCAN

    For all the political push-back, many the area’s thousands of apartment dwellers have a far more benign view of their ‘hood. “I love the area,” said Denise Stewart, who has lived in an apartment on Davisville Avenue for 30 years. “It’s cozy, it’s safe. You’ve got everything right here.” Others agree. The area is crowded but “pretty pleasant,” said Chris Mortensen, a GO conductor who lives in a new high-rise rental on Balliol Street and walks his Bernese on the Beltline. “Everyone seems to get along.”

    What developers know is that this sense of urban convenience sells, and sells very well. “There’s always been a recognition that Eglinton has been the middle of the city,” commented Ed Sonshine, chief executive of RioCan Real Estate Investment Trust, a developer whose headquarters are in the Yonge Eglinton Centre, a 1970s mixed-use complex.

    Apart from downtown and North York city centre, the Yonge-Eglinton-Davisville corridor – denoted as an “urban growth centre” since 2006 on the official plan – is unique in terms of the concentration of the investment activity, especially in comparison with the generally low-rise neighbourhoods abutting the vast majority of the city’s other subway stations. As Mr. Gort said dryly, there’s nothing like this at Yonge and Lawrence, just one stop north.

    A meandering back-story informs what’s happening now. “North Toronto was always a place of order,” said former mayor David Crombie, who raised his family in the area. The original zoning allowed smaller residential lots closer to Eglinton and systematically shifted to the larger plots further north, in exclusive enclaves like Lytton Park and Lawrence Park.

    After the subway opened in 1954, chief planner Matthew Lawson pressed ahead with plans to develop rental apartment buildings near Eglinton, the terminus station at the time. Those 20-storey towers were to be collared by generous green lawns. (Fifty years later, those lawns have become prized development sites for property management giants Greenwin Inc. and Shiplake Properties.)

    STORY CONTINUES BELOW ADVERTISEMENT

    During the early 1960s, row houses on side streets like Keewatin Avenue, Balliol Street and Roehampton Avenue “were mowed down” to make way for modern slab apartments with virtually no public consultation, Mr. Crombie said.

    But by the late 1960s, when a builder assembled a large parcel a few blocks north-west of Yonge and Eglinton for a luxury high-rise, North Toronto residents were ready to push back.

    This was the era of Jane Jacobs and Stop Spadina, and ratepayer activism, then considered a progressive political force, was in the ascendancy. One North Toronto homeowner group dubbed the proposal, to be located at 500 Duplex Ave., “an obscenity.”

    “It was the stone through the stained glass window,” chuckled Mr. Crombie, recalling public meetings packed with irate homeowners. “500 Duplex radicalized more people than [former mayor] John Sewell on his best day.”

    The narrative of homeowner opposition to development has been hardwired into North Toronto’s political personality ever since, from the 1980s campaigns to block mid-rise apartments on Yonge north of Eglinton to the strenuous fight to stop two Minto towers, approved in 2003 on a former government site just south of the intersection. More recently, locals fought a plan by RioCan to replace a forlorn concrete plaza in front of its Yonge Eglinton Centre with a three-storey retail complex topped by a publicly accessible terrace.

    Open this photo in gallery

    'We’re packed,' says former city councilor Karen Stintz, who lives in the area and grapples with jammed rush-hour subways and clotted side streets. 'At some point, you have to ask, 'When is enough, enough'?'

    FRED LUM

    The Minto battle gave rise to the Federation of North Toronto Residents’ Assocations (FONTRA), which today has about 30 member associations representing homeowners from Bloor Street north to Sheppard Avenue, and from Bathurst Street over to the Don Valley. The group brings people together for a wide range of development struggles, from large planning exercises to localized NIMBY-ish conflicts.

    STORY CONTINUES BELOW ADVERTISEMENT

    The irony, of course, is that almost all the high-profile projects that drew the ire of residents’ groups got built. And life went on.

    “Their job is to oppose everything,” Mr. Sonshine shrugged. Ms. Auster and Mr. Gort insisted their group isn’t opposed to more people or tall buildings per se, but rather aims to press both the city and builders about the lack of public investment in physical infrastructure, platform capacity at the Eglinton subway station, sufficient open spaces and additional amenities. Said Mr. Gort: “We want a library, we want a couple of non-profit day-cares, an agency for new immigrants, stuff like that.”

    All worthy goals, but what’s impossible to ignore is the fact that families, young people, newcomers and retirees have continued to flock to – and invest in – both the area’s vertical and horizontal neighbourhoods, despite years of dire warnings about over-development.

    During the drawn-out Midtown in Focus negotiations, residents’ associations urged planners to calculate the “cumulative” impact of all the proposed development instead of simply assessing each project individually.

    When, they asked, will Yonge and Eglinton reach a saturation point?

    All those who aspire to live in midtown, with its locational conveniences, might pose a very different question: How soon, they wonder, can we move in?


  • May 31, 2019 11:12 AM | Heather Harris (Administrator)

    The Oriole Park Association is hosting it's annual garage sale on Saturday, June 1st.

     Here is a list of participating households:

    112 Hillsdale Avenue West

    117 Hillsdale Avenue West

    17 Lascelles

    22 Eastbourne Ave.

    151 Eastbourne

    28  Anderson Avenue

    66 Tranmer

    79 Highbourne Road

    181 Highbourne Rd.

    952 Avenue Rd. 

    We hope to see you there!! 

  • May 28, 2019 5:01 PM | Heather Harris (Administrator)

     

    ALERT               ALERT              ALERT            ALERT        ALERT                                                                 

    The politicians of the Province of Ontario are proposing to change many laws of Ontario in a piece of legislation called    BILL 108    the first week of June 2019.  There are several changes in that BILL but the ones listed below will have the most important, impactful, changes that will affect the quality of this city and the Province of Ontario for the next 50 years.     It will

    • ·        Bring back the planning power of the OMB over our own local Planning Appeal Tribunal Boards.
    • ·        Dramatically weaken Heritage Protection
    • ·        Allow developers to pay into a fund rather than do what is necessary to ensure the survival of an endangered species on a site anywhere in Ontario.  Remove the requirements of the Minister to consult scientific experts. 
    • ·        Allow the developers to contribute only a maximum percentage of the sites land value towards necessary infrastructure and the owner/developer can elect to decide what to contribute to regardless of what the neighbourhood’s needs are.  These contributions will be put into a special account of which 60% must be spent in that calendar year. Presently, in return for high density buildings developers pay a significant amount of money towards infrastructure: One contribution is called Section 37 that goes towards road improvements, sewers, day care centers. The other contribution is called Section 42 which goes towards parkland.  The city can’t afford to provide all these necessary public infrastructure without these contributions.

    Unfortunately, when our governments do not have the money for schools, daycares, public health, breakfast programmes, proper sewers, water pipes, public libraries, parks, park benches (public infrastructure), paramedic services it will not be a good place to live and it will decrease industry and growth! 

    THIS IS A WISH LIST FOR DEVELOPERS.  THERE WAS NO CONSULTATION WITH ANY CITY OFFICIALS IN THE PROVINCE

    WE NEED A PUBLIC OUTCRY AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.   AS AN ONTARIO TAYPAYER AND VOTER ONE MUST SEND A PERSONAL MESSAGE TO AS MANY PROVINCIAL MEMBERS OF PARLIAMENT, INCLUDING CONSERVATIVE, LIBERAL AND NDP  TO GET THIS BILL DEFERRED UNTIL THERE IS PUBLIC CONSULTATION

     Premier Doug Ford   416 8052156       premier@ontario.ca

    MAYOR John Tory   416 3972489        mayor_tory@toronto.ca

    STEVE CLARK, MINISTRY OF MUNICIPAL AFFAIRS AND HOUSING: 416 5857000,  613 3429522

     steve.clark@pc.ola.org

    JILL ANDREWS: MPP ST-PAUL’S 416 656 0943   jandrew-co@ndp.on.ca

  • October 25, 2018 4:19 PM | Heather Harris (Administrator)

    View this email in your browser  | October 25, 2018

    Metrolinx is building the Eglinton Crosstown, Toronto’s new 19-kilometre light rail transit (LRT) line that will run along Eglinton Avenue with a central 10 km underground section. The Crosstown will connect Mount Dennis in the west to Kennedy Road in the east, and the new service will be up to 60% faster than the bus service today. With 25 stations and stops and connections to 3 TTC subway stations, 54 local bus routes, 3 GO Transit lines and the UP Express, the Crosstown will improve travel times and change the way we move through the heart of the city.

    Intersection Closure at Chaplin Station

    What Work is Taking Place?

     

    As early as October 31, crews will conduct a closure of Chaplin Crescent between Eglinton Avenue West and Spadina Road in order to complete piles and decking installation.  Due to the location of the piles at station headwall in the middle of the intersection, Chaplin Crescent must be closed to vehicular traffic while this work takes place, TTC and emergency vehicles excepted.  One lane of traffic on Eglinton Avenue West will be maintained in each direction.

    This work will take approximately three (3) weeks to complete. Upon completion, a new traffic stage will be implemented.
     

    Timing

    •  As early as October 31, 2018 for approximately three (3) weeks
    • 7:00 a.m. – 11:00 p.m., Monday through Sunday


    Construction Staging

    What to Expect

    • Chaplin Cres will be closed between Spadina Rd and Eglinton Ave W
    •  Access for TTC, emergency services vehicles, and local access will be maintained
    • A concrete deck will be installed over top of the work area upon completion
    • Road users can expect delays when travelling through the intersection
    • This work may be rescheduled or delayed due to unforeseen circumstances or inclement weather

     

    Thank you for your patience as we work to build this important project.

    Please support your local businesses during construction.

    For more information about Chaplin Station please contact:

    Kyle Reaburn
    West Community Office
    1848
    Eglinton Ave West
    416-782-8118

    Copyright © 2018 Metrolinx, All rights reserved.
    You are receiving the Eglinton Crosstown e-blast because you signed up through our online form, or participated in one of our community events and indicated you would like to receive these e-updates. Our email list is only used by the Eglinton Crosstown Community Office for information about project events, initiatives and construction updates. It is not sold or provided to any other party for their use, nor to market our services or products.

    Our mailing address is:

    Metrolinx

    660 Eglinton Avenue East

    1848 Eglinton Avenue West

    Toronto, ON M4G 2K2

    Canada


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    https://mailchi.mp/ffabef18d629/intersection-closure-chaplin-station?e=d3851bef40

  • September 26, 2018 4:04 PM | Heather Harris (Administrator)

    The field at the playground of Oriole Park PS is certainly a tempting place to allow your family dog to run and play, however it is prohibited to do so.

    We know that there are few city sanctioned dog parks nearby, but as responsible owners, we must make every effort to utilize these facilities, and not the neighbourhood schoolyards.

    It is a hygiene issue, as not all owners are diligent at cleaning up after their pets, and it is also an issue of shared space for the community.  This yard is utilized after hours by permitted sporting events, as well as residents who enjoy the facilities for their children. 

    Please be mindful of your neighbours and do the right thing.  Go to the dog park, not the school yard. 

  • September 06, 2018 9:27 PM | Heather Harris (Administrator)

COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT & COMMUNITY ISSUES

As we all know our neighbourhood is subject to serious development pressure, and development issues have occupied much of the board’s time. Among these issues are:

Community Development Committee of Adjustment – Single Family Homes

The OPA keeps a close eye on applications for home renovations and tear- downs in our neighbourhood.

We receive details about applications from the Committee including a description of the proposed changes and the deadline for submitting to the committee. We forward information about homes in our area to a special email list. You can subscribe here: Oriole Park Association - Committee of Adjustment notices.

Metrolinx – Eglinton LRT

The OPA is involved in the ongoing process of the development of the new Light Rail Transit line in our area.

One major concern for the community is that Eglinton Avenue is to have restricted lanes westbound between Oriole Parkway and Braemar Avenue for the construction of the Avenue Road Station.

The proposals as detailed below will last until 2021.

The businesses on the north side will have very restricted access and visibility.

The second concern is that Metrolinx in their initial proposal wished to ‘clear cut’ the area on the south side of the North Toronto Community Center between the eastern driveway and the western boundary beside the ‘Art Barn’ building. The area is to be used for storage and construction vehicles

The OPA community involvement is:

  • We attend meetings on behalf of the membership and community as well as sit on a ‘working group’ Chaired by Councillor Cristin Carmichael-Greb (Ward 16) and as supported by our Councillor Josh Matlow ( Ward 22).
  • The working group is comprised of elected officials; Senior City of Toronto Staff including Metrolinx and Crosslinx staff. The local residents associations are represented by the Eglinton Avenue Road Community Association: the Eglinton Park Ratepayers Association as well as the OPA.
  • We will provide updates via our Twitter and Facebook Accounts as well our email subscribers as they come available.


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