2020 Budget Consultations

2020 Budget Consultations

I recently attended a meeting hosted by our local MP, Stan Choi and a few other members of the PC party. This event was one of many that has been happening across the province as part of the 2020 budget consultation initiative that was announced back on Dec 18, 2019. Here's a link if you want more details. 

2020-budget-consultations

Our group was comprised of a number of non-partisan individuals from our ward as well as representatives from the health care and not-for-profit sectors. Below is a high-level summary of the feedback that was provided on the topics that were moderated:

Making life more affordable 

• Lots of discussion about cost of living with specific attention to housing and rental costs. More and more of people's after-tax dollars are being directed towards housing costs.

• High level review of Bill 108 and feedback provided that this approach will have little impact on making home/rental more affordable. Supply is controlled by developers and speeding up the time lines for the city to comment on proposed development is not the root cause of housing affordability. 

  • Specifically to our area, it was the belief of some in the room that land developers / speculators are taking advantage of the misalignment between the City of Toronto official plan (and related zoning by-laws) vs the Ontario government's plan. This is resulting in land speculation as developers challenge (and often win) cases that go before the "Ontario Municipal Board".

  • Provincial government should be working closely and collaboratively with the city to reduce the misalignment and support "hard rules" as it pertains to zoning by-laws.

• Recommendation tabled that the government work with experts in the field to address root causes and put measures in place the discourage treating shelter as an investment. Specifically, look to address:

  •  Air B'n'B rules

  • Foreign investments into homes and condo units

  • How REITs (Real Estate Investment Trusts) are impacting rental units and prices

Preparing people for jobs / creating a more competitive business environment

• A number of representatives from the health care sector spoke to the cost of living in the GTA and issues it was having to attract and retain professionals and personal care workers. Commute times for many staff are becoming a significant burden. As a result, losing talent.

  • Personal care worker "crisis" looming. Significantly lacking staff to manage the demands and only getting worse as our population ages.  

  • Praise given to the government for their commitment and action on long term care. Main message; keep focused on this and look to address issues with personal care workers.

• Representative from large, international pharmaceutical company with manufacturing office in our ward:

  • Noted that Canada/Ontario has great source of skilled workers.

  • Issues making their company less competitive = infrastructure. Specifically, public transportation and driving commute times (people living farther away due to property and rental costs. Public infrastructure not reliable)

•  High-level discussion about the public education system:
  

  • Recommendation that the government work with experts in the field to find ways to upgrade the current system. General agreement that there should be more integration of technology into the classroom (eg. on the right track with e-learning but should be working with those in the education sector). 

• More investment into the tech-sector.

Connecting people to places

• Call out of this government and all other political parties - stop changing course when it comes to the transit plans in GTA. A good plan well executed is better then a great plan that never sees the light of day. Get working together.

  • Our political process works in 4 year cycles or less. Seems every time a new party / mayor comes into power they have a new idea on how to build infrastructure - this needs to stop. Figure out a way to have plans carry through beyond your terms.

• Continual investment into train corridors and capitalize on existing transit routes. 

Making government smarter

• Run the public sector like the private sector does. Specifically, take a Lean/Six Sigma approach to your services.

  • Great that you are listening to the people of Ontario but hope that the government is working with experts in the related fields and taking their feedback more seriously. 

  • Figure out a way to collect and act on the feedback from front line staff in the public sector. You will identify waste and create better client experiences.

Again, this was a high level summary of the 2 hour dialog that occurred. It is my belief that the government is looking to gauge general public opinion and has engaged in this initiative to identify themes that carry throughout Ontario. I'm sure it will shape their narrative and I am hopeful the feedback will be carefully considered.

Warm Regards,

Stephen 

President, Willowdale Central Ratepayers' Association

Winter Update

Hi all, 

Hope that this note finds you well! The WCRA Board of Directors has been busy over the past few months. We continue with our networking efforts and I am happy to report that we are making some good progress on this front! 

We thought you may be interested to know about the following....Upcoming Events: 

Frozen "Frozen" Event: February 8th, 3:00pm - 7:00pm

Councillor Filion's office is hosting a neighbourhood event at Mel Lastmans Square.Skating party with some of the cast from Disney's hit film "Frozen". There will be a number of kid's activities around the skating rink along with hot chocolate and snacks. The skate party will run from 3:00pm - 5:00pm. Following the skating party there will be an outdoor viewing of the movie, Frozen. This will run from 5:00pm - 7:00pm.Don't have skates, no problem as there will be a city program available to swap skates OR pick up a pair free of charge.

Skate Day in Willowdale: February 14th, 1:00pm - 6:00pm

The outdoor rink volunteers have partnered with Councillor Filion's office and will be hosting a community skate day.Each of the four outdoor rinks will be hosting an event and each of these locations will have their own activities with hot chocolate/snacks. Here's the current schedule for the day:Casewll Rink 1:15pm - 2:15pmEdithvale Rink 2:30pm - 3:30pm Parkview Park Rink 3:45pm - 4:45pm Glendora Rink: 5:00pm - 6:00pm Following the skating event, the various rinks will be open for inter-generational shinny.NOTE - This event will be weather dependent so we strongly encourage you to check in advance for a status update. If you use the rink, you most likely have contact details. If you are interested but unsure how to check please reach out to the councilor's office (link attached below)John Filion's Office link

Community Leaders' Summit & Networking Activities:

On February 1st Councillor Filion's office held a half day networking event with approximately 100 community leaders. This group was made up of engaged community members representing various associations / community groups along with city staff. I was able to attend and found it a worthwhile event. Here is a high level summary:

• Councilor Filion and a number of other active, longstanding community members were very encouraged to see the amount of engagement. There are a number of neighbourhood associations in the process of getting started and a healthy amout of community building activity going on in our ward. 

  • To this end, I have made contact with a few neighbourhood association leads and we are in the initial stages of planning for community building events. 

• On the topic of "neighbourhood organizing"

  • A committee has been put together with the aim of establishing a Business Improvement Association (BIA). This should be welcomed news for our ward as the Yonge Street corridor is one of the few high density areas in the GTA without an active BIA. The establishment of this type of association will allow for greater community building activities and represents a possible source of co-sponsorship funding for events. 

    • The committee lead is Nuno Topa

• On the topic of "animating local places"    

  • A number of committees are currently being established with the aim of animating parks and other areas within our ward. The networking event allowed people to connect and form into committees. If you wish for a full list please reach out us via our email (willowdalecra@gmail.com).

    • Of specific note, there is a focus on getting more programming into the Lee Lifeson park. 

    • We were able to work with North York Arts last year to bring some programs into the park over the summer months. We are expecting some more opportunities this year. Lila Karim is the main contact whom we will be working with. 

  • TD Park People

    • TD Bank has a grant available for local community groups. 

    • I will start to explore how we might be able to leverage this grant for our community building activities this year. Anyone interested in helping with this?.. Please reach out to me (sboyleto@gmail.com).

    • Here's the link should you want more background info: TD Park People Link   

WCRA Board of Director's Update:

• We have been focusing on networking and community outreach activities over the past few months. As mentioned above, we are now in contact with a few other association leads. We would like to do some door knocking and mail drops in the spring and are looking for help. Anyone willing to help?... Please let us know.

• The Board is reviewing the Bi-laws and will report back to the general membership in our Annual General Meeting (AGM). 

  • Save the date, looking to host the AGM on May 27th at 7:30pm at the John Mackenzie Historical House.

• In addition to support the two events noted above this February we have started to explore other events (noted below)

  • Community Bar-B-Que gathering

  • Tennis tournament at the NY Tennis Club

  • Inter-association sporting events (eg. baseball, soccer). 

  • These things do require some member support, if you are interested in helping out, please let us know. 

As always, please let the association know if you have any event you are hosting and/or if you have any ideas on how we can bring community members together.

Warm Regards,

Stephen,

On Behalf of the WCRA  

Winter is coming… and so are the outdoor ice rinks!

Looking for something to do when the temperature drops and the snow starts to fly?... Why not embrace the winter, get active and have some fun with the kids and your community neighbours. Dust off the skates and take to the ice whenever you want. Outdoor rinks are a great option for those of you looking to get together for a group skate or game of shinny (pick-up hockey). You don’t pay for ice time and you don’t need to worry about a set schedule. Parents, tired of having to watch your kids have all the fun on the ice, now you can join them! Outdoor rinks give you more flexibility for play time, simply call up your friends / family and coordinate an event OR just head out to one of the venues and join in on a game of pick-up hockey!

There are a few options available and conveniently located throughout the city. Our community is very lucky to have three natural ice, outdoor skating rinks. These venues are run entirely by volunteers. This dedicated group of people are the ones that flood the rinks and clear the snow so that you can enjoy the wonders of winter. Here’s a summary for each of the locations in our neigbourhood:

Edithvale Rink:

This outdoor rink is located on Lorraine Drive next to the Edithvale Community Centre. It’s location to the community centre and neighbourhood demographics makes it a great option for both skating and pick-up hockey. It has a large ice surface and can accommodate both free skate and informal hockey games at the same time. It gets well used and is a good location for those hoping to jump into a game of pick-up hockey. The outdoor fire pit makes a great addition to this rink, be sure to bring your marshmallows! You can find out more about this one by checking out the links below:

Website: https://edithvalerink.wordpress.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1406729126240281/about/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/edithvalerink

Glendora Park:

The Glendora rink is located one block south of Sheppard Ave E, on Willowdale Ave. It is arguable the biggest of the three rinks featured in this article, but we will let you decide for yourself. This is the only outdoor rink with end-boards and netting which makes it a fan favorite for the hockey-playing groups. The size of this rink and fact that it has a separate ice surface dedicated to free skate means you can have multiple people with varying abilities on the ice at the same time.

The rink is managed by a small but mighty group of volunteers and they are always looking for another set of hands to help. You can email willowdalecra@gmail.com if are would like to find out more and get involved.

Parkview Park:

The Parkview rink is one block west of Bayview Ave, on the corner of Kingsdale and Estelle Ave. When it comes to ice management there are no others as dedicated and skilled as this group. Don’t believe me, come check it out for yourself! This large outdoor rink is open to all and gets a good amount of use thanks to its caretakers. It considers itself a learning rink and makes an ideal location for those who are just learning to skate and/or looking to tryout hockey. Don’t have a hockey stick, no problem as there are a number of them available free of charge.

Download the SnapChat app and search for Parkview Rink Rats so that you can get notifications and up to date information about the rink. Looking to coordinate a game of pick-up hockey is easy with this group.

So, there are really no excuses for you. Get out there and try all three rinks this winter. You can decide which one is your favorite.

Fall Update

Lots happening around the city and in our community. Wanted to provide you with some information and updates. Please see executive summaries below and let me know if you want more information on any of the topics covered here.

Reimagine Yonge Update:

1. Thanks for all of those that took the time to complete the survey. We had over 85% response rate from the membership, clearly people are interested in this topic.

2. I've attached the summary report which was provided to John Fillion and John Tory's offices.

3. I, along with 8 other neighbourhood association representatives had the opportunity to meet with city staff and the mayor's office. I was surprised to see how aligned all the representatives where with respect to their stance on this topic (almost mirrored the results from our survey).

4. A motion will be put forward in November, if it does not have support from the city councilors we will have further delays for any significant investment on our stretch of Yonge St. I will keep you posted as I get updates from John's office and / or the mayor's office.

Development Appeal - Sheppard Ave West:

In May, the Sheppard Lansing Secondary Plan was appealed by a group of land speculators who where looking to develop the stretch West of Beecroft to Welbeck Rd (near Senlac). This group was looking to develop well beyond the city approved plan. The Local Planning Appeals Tribunal (aka OMB) recently ruled against their appeal.

While this doesn't directly impact our community, it is a good example of how a strong neighbourhood association, working effectively with the city can combat land speculation which often benefits a few at the expense of the community.

Parkview Neighbourhood Garden (PNG):

You may recall that this garden was in a state of disrepair last year. The WCRA, with the help of a few members, engaged with the group this past spring in an effort to help support the small group of volunteers that where overwhelmed with the work managing this parcel of land.

I am happy to report that our efforts have helped. Through the use of social media and personal networking, the PNG were able to recruit many more people this year. In addition, the city provided some additional support after our group engaged with the councilor's office. Thanks to all those who helped with this initative and a special thanks to the core PNG volunteer group for their continued efforts!

City Parks Department:

Councilor Fillion's office, in coordination with the City Parks department will be looking into enhancements at the Mitchell Field, Willowdale Park and Doris-Norton Park locations. The councilor's office has been in contact with me on this matter and will reach out when they are looking for public feedback. If you have any thoughts on this matter, feel free to send me an email.

For those interested in opportunities to play some pick-up hockey this winter, Mitchell Field Area has time slots once a week (see attached link). In addition to supporting local outdoor rinks, I will be looking to get more time slots at Mitchell Field. So please let me know if you have children interested and I will keep you posted. It would be a nice community event if we could coordinate activities like this so please let me know if you have any other thoughts on how we can bring the neighbourhood together.

Finally, the city is seeking input from neighbourhood associations. I've attached the document for your review.

If you have an event coming up or would like to coordinate a social event please let us know.

Wishing you all the best!

Stephen,

on behalf of WCRA

Development Funds “Section 37”. What is it and why should I care?…

As Toronto grows, improvements to its public facilities and services are required to meet increasing resident needs. Section 37 of Ontario’s Planning Act is one of the key planning tools available to the City of Toronto to help ensure new development is accompanied by the necessary investment to enhance our quality of life.

Section 37 enables the City to negotiate contributions towards local community benefits for development applications that exceed a site’s zoned height and density. Unlike other municipal financing tools, Section 37 benefits are provided primarily in the local community within which the development is located.

Want to learn more?… Here’s a great summary document:

http://willowdalecentral.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/TO-Funds_SECTION37.pdf