After taking a break from Council in March, we came back with a packed agenda this week. Read on for updates on some of the biggest items we considered and their impacts on our community here in Don Valley North.
Yesterday at Council, we recognized the countless community ambassadors and Vaccine Engagement Teams who have worked and continue to work tirelessly to keep our communities safe against COVID-19.
There are many Calls to Action from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s 2015 report that require action from municipalities to be realized. Toronto’s Reconciliation Action Plan will guide our City’s actions to advance truth, justice and reconciliation for Indigenous people for the next decade. There are many actions the City is focused on in the first year of implementation, including conducting city-wide reconciliation audits, improving relationships with Indigenous organizations and treaty partners, and supporting Indigenous place-keeping. We’ve started this work but it is work that will never be finished, and I’m glad to see the City implementing this plan to guide our actions in every single division.
It was with a healthy dose of skepticism that I supported the Mayor and Executive Committee’s motion for Toronto to investigate a bid to host the 2026 World Cup. The pandemic has tightened the City’s budget, to say the least, but we also know how much our hospitality and tourism sectors are hurting. I want to make it clear that so far, all we have done is accepted a nomination to be able to submit a bid.
Mayor Tory made it very clear that he is proceeding with extreme caution. The next step is to work with our Provincial and Federal governments to gauge their support and see what they would be willing to contribute to this. An event as large as the World Cup could never be executed without all three orders of government in lockstep. Council will get a report on those negotiations in June before committing any funds.
We know that so many of our restaurants have been hard hit again and again over the course of this pandemic. Council approved a motion that will see the City continue many of its restaurant support programs, including sidewalk cafes and outdoor live music options. Staff are also looking into the feasibility of making these programs permanent, as they’ve certainly made our city more vibrant and supported our local businesses in the warmer months.
I was very glad to see Council move forward with an updated Food Charter for our city. I worked very closely with community groups and staff on the implementation of our first Food Charter, which is focused on developing programs and empowering communities who are the most impacted by food insecurity. Here in Don Valley North, I worked with North York Harvest to support the creation a community food space in Oriole Community Centre to advance our Food Charter commitments. It’s been over twenty years since the first Food Charter was adopted, so it’s high time we update this document and make sure it reflects the current situation. So many groups are doing important work tackling food insecurity in our communities, and a new Food Charter will ensure that the City’s actions are guided by the people doing that work and those most impacted by it.
Council voted to extend the urban hens pilot we launched a few years back to the end of March 2023. The pilot applies to a limited number of wards (it does not cover Don Valley North) in which residents are able to keep up to four backyard hens in enclosures. The pilot has been very successful and there is a proposal to allow backyard hens city-wide. Council has asked for one more report from staff in January 2023 to get a bit more information on the impacts of extending this program across the city. I hope this report continues to be as positive as the data we’ve seen from the pilot so far.
I know some folks in the neighbourhood are concerned about backyard chickens. Know that participation has been very limited thus far. Less than 1% of households each ward have signed up to take part in the pilot, because keeping hens is hard work and requires thorough City inspection. When done properly, these backyard hens can be a great step towards food security and a fun hobby for many in our city.
ModernTO is a vast initiative that our real estate division brought forward at the beginning of this term to look at ways to repurpose City-owned public land. While the full initiative will take many years to implement, we saw some of the biggest ModernTO pieces launched for action at this Council session. Out of the eight properties that staff will look at in the report, two really exemplify the ModernTO concept: the TTC headquarters at Yonge and Davisville and the Toronto Community Housing (TCHC) headquarters near Rosedale Station. Both facilities no longer adequately accommodate their current users. Instead of looking for a quick sale to the private sector, staff will study these sites and see if they can be redeveloped into affordable housing, a new City administrative building, or even a community facility like a library or community centre. Once sold, public land can never be affordably restored to the public domain. While making a quick buck can be tempting, in the long run it is much more lucrative for us to hold onto these publicly-owned sites to support the delivery of our City’s most essential initiatives.
Each quarter, Council gets an update on our Cycling Network Plan. The big item of discussion this quarter was the extension of the ActiveTO pilot on Yonge St between Bloor and Davisville. Staff are requesting this extension so that they can conduct further analysis, especially as we are still waiting to see a full return to normal traffic patterns as we re-open. Mayor Tory moved a motion to have staff report back on this extension in January with more data from local businesses and the TTC.
Here in North York, the Sheppard-Willowdale resurfacing project, which is west of Don Valley North, was approved to move forward for construction this summer. This includes the creation of some safer cycling infrastructure. Our own much more extensive Sheppard Reconstruction project between Bayview and Leslie was not included in this report. Based on feedback from our community, staff are refining the design and will come back for another community consultation meeting later this year. If you want more information on this project or to share your questions and comments, you can contact Aadila Valiallah, Senior Coordinator, at aadila.valiallah@toronto.ca or 416-338-2985. You can also learn more about the project at www.toronto.ca/SheppardAvenueEast.
To close, I want to tell you about the speech we heard in Council this morning by the Mayor of Kyiv, live from Ukraine. Mayor Vitali Klitschko spoke to Toronto directly and his words moved me and my colleagues to tears several times. He asked us to do something very specific: he begged us to do all we can to stop Russian propaganda. On his behalf, I ask you to be vigilant on social media and call out misinformation when you see it. Ukraine is not the aggressor in this war. We must do all we can to protect Ukraine’s democracy and its millions of citizens under attack.
Planning & Development Updates
Upcoming Community Meetings
Tyndale Virtual Community Meeting: OLT Appeal, Proposal Update & What’s Next Wednesday, April 13, 2022 @ 6:30 PM Join me, my team, and City Planning staff for a virtual meeting to learn about the current status of the Tyndale development application, provide feedback on the current proposal to City Planning, and learn about how the process changes now that the developer has appealed to the Ontario Land Tribunal. For more information and to register for the meeting, visit my website:
Fourth Dose Eligibility
Appointments for fourth doses of the COVID-19 vaccine are now available to:
Residents age 60 and older
First Nation, Inuit and Métis individuals and their non-Indigenous household members age 18 and over
Appointments will be available for all five City of Toronto immunization clinics from April 9 to 23, with more appointments being released soon. Eligible residents can book their fourth dose if at least five months have passed since receiving their third dose.
Book your fourth dose appointment through the Province's online COVID-19 vaccination portal (https://covid-19.ontario.ca/book-vaccine/) or by calling the Provincial Vaccine Contact Centre at 1-833-943-3900.
For more information, visit the link below:
Upcoming Vaccine Clinics in Don Valley North
Parkway Forest Community Centre (55 Forest Manor Rd.)
North York General Hospital is running a vaccine clinic at Parkway Forest Community Centre every Wednesday in April from 4:30 - 7:30 PM. First, second, and third doses of Pfizer and Moderna are available, and all ages (5+) are welcome. Appointments are preferred, but walk-ins are welcome while supplies last. For more information, visit the link below:
Oriole Community Centre (2975 Don Mills Rd. W.)
North York General Hospital is running a vaccine clinic at Oriole Community Centre every Wednesday (12:00 - 3:00 PM) and Thursday (4:00 - 7:30 PM) in April. First, second, and third doses of Pfizer and Moderna are available, and all ages (5+) are welcome. Appointments are preferred, but walk-ins are welcome while supplies last. For more information, visit the link below:
Meet Jane Robertson, our Don Valley Northerner of the Week! As President of the Bayview Village Association, Jane is constantly championing the interests of her community. She is always quick to foster community dialogue, connecting her neighbours with the resources they need time and time again. She brings a positive outlook and a productive attitude to every meeting she attends. Thank you, Jane, for all of the work you’ve done to bring together the Bayview Village community.
Nominate a Neighbour! Do you know someone in your neighbourhood who makes a difference? Someone who is committed to bettering their community and always there to help out their neighbours? Nominate them for Don Valley Northerner of the Week! To submit a nomination for Don Valley Northerner of the week, please send the following information about the person you are nominating to councillor_carroll@toronto.ca:
Name
A short blurb (~100 words) about why you are nominating them (how they support/contribute to the community, etc.)
I know so many of you help out your friends and neighbours in a number of ways, so please nominate anyone in your community who you feel makes a difference. My team will contact you if we select your nominee as Don Valley Northerner of the Week!