Garden Suites
A "Garden Suite" is a second, generally smaller, house built in the backyard of a detached, semi-detached, or townhouse property. The City is intending to pass city-wide zoning permitting these suites in all neighbourhoods subject to certain standards.
The Garden Suite Community Meeting Presentation was discussed at the consultation meetings. Planning presented this Draft Report to the Planning and Housing Committee (PHC) on June 28.
Next Steps
We understand additional consultations are to take place over the summer. Planning is to submit a Final Report and Amendments to the Zoning By-laws to the Planning and Housing Committee and then to City Council sometime in Quarter 4 of 2021 (Oct to Dec).
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Councillor Mike Colle Update
View the June 14 update.
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MPP Robin Martin COVID-19 Update
View the July 9 update.
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Hon. Marco Mendicino Community Update
View the July 9 update.
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Multi-Tenant (Rooming) Houses
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The City is proposing the creation of a comprehensive city-wide zoning approach and enhancements to licensing and enforcement to encourage and regulate safe, liveable, well-maintained and affordable multi-tenant houses across the city (adding all of York and Etobicoke, Scarborough, North York, Leaside and East York).
Here is the City-Wide Framework for Multi-Tenant (Rooming) Houses Presentation used at the various Workshops. A Report was submitted to the Planning and Housing Committee meeting on June 28th. Drafts of By-law 1 and By-law 2 as well as a new Municipal By-law have also been published and would come into effect on Nov 22, 2022.
The Planning and Housing Committee approved the proposal, with Motions, so the proposal and the By-laws will be reviewed at the City Council meeting on July 14th/15th.
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Changing Rules Around Your Yard
Some new rules are going to City Council next week that may impact you and your neighbours.
- The City is proposing delaying the start of spring yard waste collections, starting in 2022, by eliminating March collections.The change has been suggested in support of the City’s policies on promoting bio-diversity and protecting pollinators. Native insect pollinators, including butterflies and bumblebees, use dead leaves and other ground cover for spring nesting. Encouraging residents to delay clearing these leaves until the beginning of April will provide some support to these populations which are in distress.
- Starting in 2023, your yard waste will only be collected in kraft paper bags.Yard waste is currently accepted in rigid plastic containers that when heavily loaded, pose ergonomic and safety concerns for workers when they have to bend low to the ground.
- Also changing will be what can be grown in a yard. The City controls height limits for grass, weeds or other types of vegetation. Residents wishing to create a natural garden, with other types of plants or native pollinators, have historically needed to go through a special application process. To promote bio-diversity, this process will now be removed. The City will amend the Grass and Weeds bylaw to specify that any kind of “turfgrass’, including any type of vegetation that when mowed creates a dense uniform turf, must be kept below 20 cm. Other types of plants will remain as prohibited species, including problematic plants like poison ivy, ragweed, dog strangling vine, etc.
There remain a number of properties where yards are not properly maintained. At the moment, the City will enforce the Grass and Weeds bylaw only on a complaints driven basis. If you are concerned about a property where grass and weeds exceed 20 cm, you can call 311 or send an email to Councillor_Colle8@toronto.ca.
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New Stores & Services
Dr Ruth Anne Baron ND, 1963 Avenue Rd - relocating effective Aug 1, 2021 to Health Avenue, 1975 Avenue Rd (upstairs) on Wed / Sat and Marsden Ctre, 9131 Keele St, Unit 1,Vaughan on Mon / Thur / Fri. Dr Baron can be reached then at 416-385-9277 or drruthannebaronnd@gmail.com.
Dr Carla Inoque (Chiropractor) and Associates (Meredith Cossitt /Chiropodist, Alana McDaid /Manual Osteopath,and Melinda Baldwin /Reg Massage Therapist),1963 Avenue Rd - relocating effective July 21, 2021 to their new clinic "Body in Health" at 1794 Avenue Rd (formerly The Hatter).They may be reached then at 416-4822122 or
bodyinhealthclinic@gmail.com.
Haber’s Compounding Pharmacy is now operating at 1783 Avenue Road (SE corner of Melrose and Avenue). An independent full service pharmacy offering compounding, sports medicine supplies, professional supplements (AOR, Metagenics,Thorne, etc.) in a caring environment. Open Mon-Fri 9am-7pm, Sat 9am-5pm. Phone 416-656-9800. www.haberspharmacy.com. info@haberspharmacy.com.
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TTC Update – July 22 2021
The July 2021 TTC Update contains information on: TTC subway closures; Ridership; Renumbering of Bus Routes (5 Avenue to 13 Avenue); 2022 Annual Service Plan Survey; Line 3 Bus Replacement; and New Fare Inspector & Special Constable Complaints Office.
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Take Action: Sign the Petition to Stop Excessive Construction Noise Hours
Now is the time to take action to stop Doug Ford’s provincial government extending construction hours beyond the October, 2021 deadline. In Councillor Josh Matlow’s Community Update on July 7, he asked residents to take action:
“Doug Ford’s provincial government used COVID-19 to extend construction hours for his developer friends under the guise of building new hospitals. While no new hospitals were built in Ontario, many Toronto residents have suffered as a result of excessive noise day and night, 7 days a week, from luxury condo developments.
Last spring, at the beginning of the pandemic, the Province meddled with the City of Toronto Act to change permitted hours of residential construction from 7:00am - 7:00pm Monday to Friday, 9:00am - 7:00pm on Saturdays and not at all on Sundays to 6:00am to 10:00pm every day of the week. This was an unconscionable decision during a time when the Ford government was asking people to do their part to stop the spread of COVID by staying home.
I have heard from too many Torontonians whose mental health and work has suffered from this greedy giveaway to developers. Extending construction hours should have never happened in the first place, but it’s certainly well past time that this decision was reversed.
Working with Councillor Kristyn Wong-Tam, we have developed a petition to the provincial government.
https://www.kristynwongtam.ca/constructionnoise
redacting Limitation 2 to Ontario Regulation 130/20 of the City of Toronto Act that allows for “construction activity in the City between the hours of 6 a.m. and 10 p.m.” This represents a significant departure from the City's By-laws, which permit noise from construction between 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. from Monday to Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. on Saturdays, and not at all on Sundays.”
Please participate in the Councillor Matlow/Wong-Tam campaign on this important issue by signing the petition.
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Tax on Vacant Homes
This week City Council will consider approving framework for a tax on vacant homes in Toronto starting on Jan 1, 2022. The goal of the tax is to change the behaviours of vacant homeowners – encouraging them to sell or rent out the homes – thereby increasing housing supply.
A home is considered vacant if unoccupied for more than six months during the previous calendar year. Exemptions would include death of the owner, homeowner is under medical care, or the home is undergoing renovation.
It is being recommended that an initial tax rate be implemented of one percent of the property’s current value assessment (CVA) for the year in which the home is vacant. An estimate, based on assuming that 1% of Toronto’s housing stock is vacant, at a tax rate of 1% of the average Toronto home’s CVA, could equal $55 million to $66 million in tax revenue per year.
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2021 Membership Drive
We need your financial support!
Membership contributions allow us to maintain our activities.
How to Contribute
SAHRA will never disclose your personal information to any third party.
To contribute via PayPal or credit/debit card
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To contribute by cheque, please download and complete
the 2021 Membership Form to accompany your cheque
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