After working closely with City staff to make this project a reality, I am pleased to announce that the Trees Across Toronto/Toronto Water tree-planting program will see several parks across Ward 35 receive hundreds of new trees during the Fall 2010 planting season!

The following parks have been selected by the program: Clairlea Park, Corvette Park, Don Montgomery Community Recreation Centre, Dunlop Parkette, Byng Park, and Edge Park. The plantings will expand the urban forest canopy, improve animal habitats, increase biodiversity, and ameliorate the quality of life of local residents. 

Continue reading below to review the site-specific proposals including numbers, species, and planting plans. (more…)

The City of Toronto has released the 12th edition of its online newsletter City Update.

This edition provides readers with the latest news about City services, innovations and initiatives and can be viewed at http://www.toronto.ca/city-update. Subscriptions are welcome online at http://www.toronto.ca/e-updates.

The following stories are included in this edition:

• Toronto powering the economy
  Conference Board of Canada projects growing economy
  Canada, Ontario and Toronto launch revitalization of Union Station
  Toronto financial services a powerhouse (more…)

Highlights from the Toronto City Council meeting of July 6th, 7th, and 8th, 2010.

Lawrence Heights revitalization
Council approved proceeding with the revitalization of the Lawrence Heights housing complex. Created in 1957, the neighbourhood currently houses about 3,700 tenants in 1,208 units. The Toronto Community Housing Corporation will replace all 1,208 present-day rent-geared-to-income units, and 4,792 market units will be added to the 60.5-hectare property, for a total of 6,000 housing units. Revitalizing Lawrence Heights as outlined in the broad Lawrence Allen Revitalization Plan that Council endorsed will help bring positive social and economic changes to that area of the city. Council adopted many directives to City divisions and agencies concerning this major initiative. (more…)

Important Information for Residents Planning Driveway Work

As part of the ongoing amalgamation process in the City of Toronto, staff are working towards a single harmonized zoning bylaw. Recently, the City has harmonized the requirements for the widths of the driveways and the amount landscaping in the front yards of small residential buildings in the city.

Residents who initiate work on their driveways (expansion/repaving/etc) are affected by these rules. You are encouraged to read this explainer to ensure that you fully understand the bylaws governing your driveway and property.

The City of Toronto has a goal to divert 70% of waste from landfill. By achieving this goal, the City will recycle enough Blue Bin materials to save 900 million kilowatt hours of energy annually, enough to supply all the electrical needs for 170,000 homes.

To achieve this diversion rate, a number of initiatives are being pursued. In addition to improved Blue Bin and Green Bin Recycling and re-use programs, the City will need to build a waste processing facility to divert 75,000 tonnes per year of recyclable and compostable materials from the residential mixed waste stream. The interim name being used for the proposed facility is Green Lane Resources.

To learn more about the City’s efforts, as well as selection criteria and comments from public consultations, please see the full Green Lane Resources Update.

The City of Toronto’s Parks, Forestry, and Recreation (PF&R) division offers a wide variety of recreation programs and services to residents of all ages and abilities. These programs offer the chance to learn, have fun, and enjoy the benefits of lifelong active living.

 On an annual basis, PF&R provides the following services to the residents of Toronto:

• Offers approximately 66,885 registered recreation courses;
• Receives over 8.3 million participant visits to registered and drop-in programs;
• Issues over 280,000 permits for use of City parks and recreation facilities, serving more than 20,000 groups and individuals.

For more information on the PF&R division, please visit http://www.toronto.ca/parks/

Highlights from the Toronto City Council meeting of June 8th and 9th, 2010.

Sponsorship of Live Green Toronto events
Council authorized staff to negotiate and enter into a sponsorship agreement with Canadian Tire Corporation for the Live Green Toronto initiative in 2010 and 2011. Canadian Tire will provide financial support to events such as the Live Green Toronto Festival. Live Green Toronto is the City’s leading initiative for supporting neighbourhoods, community groups and businesses in taking local action on climate change and other environmental issues. (more…)

Attention green-thumbs!

Thanks to the efforts of the current 2010 community gardening team, the new Prairie Drive Park Community Garden is in full bloom and will soon begin producing beautiful flowers and delicious vegetables.

Applications are now being accepted for the 2011 growing season. This opportunity offers residents the chance to meet their neighbours, get some exercise, enjoy gardening with others in your community, and be part of a local “growing” movement.

Interested applicants can contact my office for an application form and additional information.

The City of Toronto is making it easier for motorists to find their way around city streets.

The City has created a website at http://www.toronto.ca/torontostreets that shows ongoing and emergency road construction, existing travel conditions on City of Toronto roads and special events taking place.

“This is going to be an exciting and busy summer in Toronto, and we want to do everything we can to make getting around the city as effortless as possible,” said Mayor David Miller. “This new website is one of the ways we will keep residents and visitors informed about how best to do that. Make this site one of your favourites and check it before you leave home to help find your best route around the city.” (more…)

Highlights from the Toronto City Council meeting of May 11th and 12th, 2010.

Emergency support for displaced residents
Council approved establishing a City fund to help cover the costs to support local residents who are displaced from their homes during significant neighbourhood-level emergencies. Examples are a neighbourhood fire, a widespread power outage or a gas leak – which are classified as Level 1 or Level 2 emergencies in the City of Toronto’s Emergency Plan. Services in those situations are likely to include emergency accommodation, food, counselling and a reception centre to support potentially large numbers of displaced residents. (more…)