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Lonely crocus stretching for the sun - photo by Margaret Procter
Infrastructure & Environment Committee Meeting
Tuesday, March 29, 9.30 am
**Written comments and registration to attend / speak at the meeting due by Monday, March 28 at 4.30 pm**
The City is planning bike lane upgrades to College St, to be coordinated with TTC track work later this year. The proposed changes, which place raised bike lanes where the current parking bays are, will significantly affect sidewalks, corner bumpouts, parking, and CafeTO placement. Initial plans were shown to the public last November; since then there has been very limited engagement by the City with community stakeholders, including HVRA, who pushed for a safer, greener design with little success. (See meeting minutes from December, January and February.)
There is a final chance for the public to provide input to the City and/or sign up to speak at the meeting – by 4:30, Monday, March 28th, ahead of the Infrastructure & Environment Committee’s vote on the proposed design. See below for details.
You can find information about the project, including the Public Consultation Report, here: Toronto.ca/CollegeUpgrades.
For a quick backgrounder, you can find shorter outlines here:
Cycling and Road Safety Upgrades College Street Public Notice
College Street Upgrades Public Meeting Slide Deck
Important Note: While there are desirable features to the City’s plan, it reverses the location of bike lanes and CafeTO, meaning that people will have to walk across the new bike lane to get to CafeTO areas (a dangerous situation for servers, pedestrians, customers and cyclists). Sidewalk space will be trimmed and some bump-outs will be removed. Next Tuesday will be your final opportunity to let the city know your concerns.
From the city:
Transportation Services is seeking City Council authority to install proposed bikeways on College Street from Manning Street to Bay Street. If approved, these bikeways would be installed in fall 2022. Highlights on the proposed design include the following:
- Manning Avenue to Spadina Avenue
- Installation of parking protected, wide raised cycle tracks including raised TTC platforms
- Two vehicle travel lanes maintained in each direction with off–peak parking in the curb lanes
- Parking impacts would include:
- Peak period parking restrictions to maintain traffic flow (similar to west of Manning Avenue)
- Parking loss at new TTC stops to accommodate new platform length. (Approximately 105 off-peak parking spots in the curb lanes, down from 144)
- Raised crosswalks will be installed at Bellevue Avenue, Brunswick Avenue, Major Street and Robert Street
- Planting areas on side street corners will be installed at Palmerston Avenue, Lippincott Street, and Brunswick Avenue.
- Spadina Avenue to Bay Street
- Two vehicle travel lanes maintained in each direction
- Narrow vehicle lanes to accommodate curb separated 1.6 metre wide cycle tracks
Future Projects on College Street
Transportation Services is committed to considering more expansive changes on College Street in the next five to ten years. The project recommended today would be a step in an iterative design and operational improvement study and future public consultation and Council engagement is planned.
Approval Process - Infrastructure and Environment Committee Meeting
As part of the approval process, staff will report to the Infrastructure and Environment Committee of City Council on Tuesday, March 29, 2022. You can read the staff report IE28.7 Cycling Network Plan - 2022 Cycling Infrastructure Installation here.
Members of the public can arrange to speak or submit comments to the Committee. For those who wish to speak at the meeting regarding the project, you must contact the Infrastructure and Environment Committee Administrator at 416-397-4592 or iec@toronto.ca by 4:30 p.m. on Monday, March 28, 2022. Clearly indicate the project you are commenting on as there are many projects to be discussed.
You can also submit comments on any of the agenda items by emailing the Committee at iec@toronto.ca. Communications and public submissions will become part of the public record and will be listed in the legislative record of the meeting.
The following link tells you more about this process: Have your say. If you require alternate formats or need assistance understanding city maps, drawings or any other content, please phone 416-338-2985 or email Aadila.Valiallah@toronto.ca.
Community Consultation for Redevelopment at Bloor & Spadina
Monday, March 28, 7:00-9:00 pm.
Planning Staff have scheduled a Community Consultation Meeting for the sites at 320, 328, and 332 Bloor Street West (at the north east corner of Bloor & Spadina). You can read the public notice here. The application proposes to amend the City of Toronto Zoning By-law to permit a 37-storey mixed use building with an 8-storey base building, containing 366 dwelling units and 628 square metres of retail. For further information go to www.Toronto.ca/328BloorStW
The Virtual Community Consultation Meeting will include:
- an update on the status of the Zoning By-law Amendment application including its process and potential outcomes;
- opportunities for local residents, employees, businesses and landowners to provide feedback; and
- next steps for the Zoning By-law Amendment application.
For more information about how to join the meeting, how to participate, and code of conduct visit the Engagement Webpage.
Jane’s Walk Festival Returns in Person!
Save the date: May 6-8
Toronto's festival of free, community-led walking conversations returns this May. Jane’s Walks create space for Torontonians to celebrate their culture, share their passions, and dream of a more equitable city for all. Details are still being added - check back on the website for updates.
Be a part of this year's festival
Did you know that HV residents have led walks in the past? You can too! Click here to find out more about leading your own Jane's walk and sign up for the walk leaders’ workshop below.
Learn How to Lead a Jane’s Walk - Digital “Walk-Shop"
Saturday, April 2, 2 - 4 pm
Leading a Jane's Walk means connecting with your neighbours and inspiring great conversations about what matters most in your community. Learn how to tell a powerful story—and how to create space for others to share their thoughts and ideas at this Digital Walk Shop.
Update on Robert / Sussex Field
From our NE Rep Nick Provart:
The University of Toronto re-posted "No Dogs" signs on the entrances to the Robert St. field and Campus Police have begun training dog owners to not go on the field with their dogs (through regular patrols, the number of owners and dogs on the field is way down).
U of T Facilities & Services will be maintaining the grass on the boulevard to the west of the Robert St. field, and will pick up litter when they do so.
U of T has also posted a link to a website put together by the Faculty of Kinesiology and Physical Education for community members to see when the field is available for non-U of T use, as per the terms of the OMB-mediated settlement (to which the HVRA was party). (See photo below for the poster; link can be found here.)
Signage prohibiting construction vehicles west of Sussex Mews has been installed. The north sidewalk on Sussex Ave. between Sussex Mews and Spadina will be closed for a couple of years.
More info: Robert Street Field project and Spadina Sussex Student Residence project
Become a Literacy Tutor at APNLC - training starts in April
Alexandra Park Neighbourhood Learning Centre (APNLC), located at Scadding Court Community Centre, 707 Dundas W at Bathurst, is a non-profit community-based organization that provides free literacy programs for adults 19 and older. They are currently seeking Volunteer Adult Literacy Tutors to help learners develop their reading/writing, numeracy, and/or digital technology skills through one-to-one tutoring sessions. Tutor-learner pairs meet once a week for two hours in person at SCCC.
The people APNLC is looking for should:
- Have an interest in adult literacy, adult education, and community development
- Have good listening, speaking, and writing skills in English
- Are patient, friendly, punctual, and reliable
- Demonstrate an understanding of barriers faced by marginalized communities
- Are open to new ideas and believe that all people can learn
- Practice social justice and anti-oppression principles
Volunteers must commit to meeting their learner for 2 hours per week for a period of at least 6 months. The plan is for this to be in-person tutoring. However, should the COVID situation get worse, the program may be delivered virtually.
No experience or post-secondary degree/diploma necessary. However, volunteers are required to complete a 12-hour virtual training series. The next volunteer training sessions will start in April. Volunteers who have completed ALL five 2-hour training sessions will be matched with a literacy learner in June 2022, subject to the needs of learners. Additional skills development workshops are offered on an occasional basis. Training information and dates can be found here.
For more information on volunteering or to sign up, please contact info@apnlc.org.
(Editor’s note: I am on the board at APNLC and was a tutor for several years. It’s a hidden gem in our community, doing incredible work to transform lives and acting as a leader in Toronto literacy.)
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Support HVRA's work by renewing your membership today!
Help us build a stronger and more supportive community. With your support, HVRA is able to take on various activities that benefit the neighbourhood, including beautifying our local parks, hosting community events like the Fall Fair, addressing community safety concerns, and so much more.For the price of just two fancy coffees ($10), your annual membership dues help
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