HVRA AGM - October 16

HVRA Annual General Meeting - October 16
Wednesday, October 16, 6.30 - 9 pm
Knox Presbyterian Church, 630 Spadina, 2nd floor (elevator available). Enter from Harbord Street

Everyone is welcome to attend the HVRA Annual General Meeting to reconnect and get an update on what HVRA has been working on this past year. Paid-up members will vote on the Board members who represent you. Light refreshments will be served. It will facilitate the meeting if members would kindly renew online ahead of time.

The AGM begins with area caucuses where neighbours discuss local concerns within each group. Each caucus elects two representatives to the HVRA Board.

Then the main meeting hears brief reports from each of the caucuses—with notes taken so the Board can follow up on concerns. Agenda highlights include reports from some HVRA committees and officers (including a financial report), and election of board officers as well as Community Builder Awards and Councillor Layton’s semi-annual update.

The invited speaker this year is Dylan Reid, a co-founder and spokesperson for Walk Toronto, a volunteer advocacy group working to make Toronto a better city for walking.

We look forward to seeing you there!

Below are the bios for those standing for election to the HVRA Board, subject to voting at the 2019 AGM.

CHAIR: Gail Misra has lived in Harbord Village since 1993. She has been on the HVRA Board for 10 years, first as an Area Rep for the North West, then as the Membership Secretary for six years. For one year she apprenticed with the inestimable Gus Sinclair as the Vice Chair of the board, and for the past two years has been the Chair. She is on the Planning & Development Committee, the Communications Committee, and the Community Resilience Planning Committee. Gail has coordinated the Pumpkinfest for the past three years.

PAST CHAIR (not an elected position): Rory Gus Sinclair moved into Harbord Village (then Sussex Ulster) in 1990 with his partner Mary Newberry. Amongst his many volunteer activities, he has been on the Board of SURA and HVRA, being Chair of the latter for several years.

SECRETARY: Andrea Poptsis has lived in Harbord Village for thirteen years; she has been on the HVRA Board for three years, acting as Secretary. She is the mother of a hockey and baseball playing 11 year old boy. Andrea also sits on the Transportation Committee. She is keenly interested in road safety in the Harbord Village and you just might see her scolding wrong way drivers on Robert St.

TREASURER: Lena Mortensen has been a resident of Harbord Village for 13 years. She and her family first moved to Robert Street as renters and then became homeowners of the house next door. Lena is an anthropologist and teaches at the University of Toronto (based at Scarborough campus). She has served on the Board for three years as an Area Representative for the South East, was the co-coordinator of the Pumpkinfest in 2018, as well as being the Treasurer since 2018.

WEBMASTER: Regine Schmid has lived on Robert Street for 25 years. She works in film and organizes on social justice issues. Regine came to the HVRA Board in 2016 as an Area Rep for the North East. She’s the HVRA Webmaster and is on the Communications Committee.

MEMBERSHIP SECRETARY: Merrill Swain has lived in Harbord Village for many years, and is a retired U of T Professor. She has been a part of the HVRA e-blast team for three years and joined the Board as the Membership Secretary in 2017. Merrill has also been serving on the Transportation Committee since its inception in 2017, co-wrote a report on the Traffic Study undertaken by volunteers in the summer of 2018, and coordinates research projects with U of T Engineering students on issues of concern to Harbord Village.

U OF T LIAISON: Sue Dexter has been on the HVRA Board since its inception. She is passionate about the need to combat climate change and was among the earliest adopters of solar power in the City. Sue has been active in getting parts of the neighbourhood designated as Heritage Conservation Districts; has been the U of T Liaison; is a major communicator to our area Councillor’s office; was the driving force in formulating the Green Plan for our neighbourhood, and is on the Planning & Development Committee of the Board.

Bios for those standing for election from the Area Caucuses:

NORTH EAST AREA REPRESENTATIVES (2 to be elected by the NE caucus):

Carolee Orme moved into Harbord Village in 2011. She joined the Board six years ago as the North East Area Rep, and serves on the Planning & Development Committee. As well, she chairs HVRA’s Transportation Committee, where she is working to create a safer and more welcoming neighbourhood for pedestrians and cyclists.
Nicholas Provart has lived in Harbord Village since 2016, when he and his wife Marika Cooper purchased the house that his father-in-law’s family owned from 1942-1959 on Sussex Ave. He’s a professor of biology at the University of Toronto, and has been interested in local issues since campaigning for bike lanes on the Spadina Avenue redesign in 1992. Nick has been the North East Area Rep for a year, and as such, has been actively involved in the park design of the Sussex-Spadina U of T residence project.

NORTH WEST AREA REPRESENTATIVES (2 to be elected by the NW caucus):

Christian Mueller has been a Harbord Villager since 1986 and an HVRA Board member (North West Area Rep) since 2012. While on the Board, Christian has been active primarily in helping to organize several community events — Fall Fair, Pumpkinfest, and Yard Sale — as well as working on the Membership Committee.
Nicole Schulman, a neighbourhood resident for over 21 years, has headed the Oral History Project, led many local Jane’s Walks, and is currently chair of the Parents Consultation Committee. She is also an enthusiastic member of the Gardening Group. She has been a North West Area Rep since 2016.

SOUTH EAST AREA REPRESENTATIVES (2 to be elected by the SE caucus):

Cathy Merkley and her family have been residents in Harbord Village for over 12 years. Always seeking to add more beautiful plants and trees to the area, Cathy oversaw the installation of a green roof on top of the building adjacent to their home. She has served on the board as an Area Representative for the South East for two years.
Writer and editor Gina Buonaguro and her husband have lived on Robert Street since 2003. They now have two children who attend school and play in the area. In fact, her son’s neighbourhood outdoor social activities were the impetus for her to spearhead the installation of speed humps on Robert from Willcocks to Harbord. An active member of the Harbord Village Facebook groups, Gina is most interested in neighbourhood road safety and parenting issues. Gina will be seeking election as an Area Representative in the South East.

SOUTH CENTRAL AREA REPRESENTATIVES (2 to be elected by the SC caucus):

Simon Coleman has been living in Harbord Village for nine years, having moved here with his family from England, and was delighted to find a home in such a friendly neighbourhood. Simon is an anthropologist at University of Toronto, and one of his areas of interest is urban infrastructure. Over the years Simon has volunteered at the Fall Fair and Pumpkinfest, and is a keen advocate of cycling. Simon is on the HVRA Membership Committee and the Community Resilience Planning Committee.
Eve Schifman has lived in Harbord Village since 2013, but her historic ties to the neighbourhood go back to the late 1940’s. Her grandparents immigrated to Canada and also lived in Harbord Village, owning a bakery on College Street. Eve is passionate about preserving the unique character of the neighbourhood and has been a member of the annual Community Clean Up Committee and was the School Council Fundraising Lead at Lord Lansdowne Public School from 2015 – 2019.

SOUTH WEST AREA REPRESENTATIVES (2 to be elected by the SW caucus):

Jane Perdue has lived in Harbord Village for over 25 years. She is a senior urban designer/planner with the City of Toronto. Jane has been an HVRA Board member for 12 years, representing the South West area, and has worked with the community on the HVRA Green Plan and Croft Greening.
Bob Stambula, a South West Area Rep, is a home-grown member of the Board… born at the former Doctors’ Hospital… but on Lippincott for 18 years. Bob’s been active on the Planning & Development Committee and with pedestrian/patio issues.