"Where does this community go from here rather than just making noise on this site?
How can we gather as a group to help these guys out?"
1. Get our new City Councillor, Ana Bailao, involved. Write letters. Maybe get her to hold a special Town Hall meeting in your area to kick things off
2. See if you can interest the media in an investigative story, suggest contacting Toronto Star, Globe and Mail, if no go contact OPENFILE
3. As a registered Canadian Chairity you can (with a lot of effort) get the feds involved in looking at the books http://www.cra-arc.gc.ca/chrts-gvng/lstngs/menu-eng.html
Getting action is often an uphill climb but persistence will pay off
I'll answer your questions Kevin to the fundraiser portion and further comment.
At the time when "Through the Roof" was on, a group of us that formed the Perth Festival Committee for the sole purpose of raising funds for the b/g here.
There was a lot of community involvement around the time that we were fighting for Leon's to not kick the club out and Tony Puopolo was faced with a number of questions from the community.
-Why can we not do a fundraiser for this location?
-According to him, 2 fundraisers could not run at the same time as they would interfere with the "Through the Roof campaign".
One parent asked if we could not have a portion of those funds as this b/g club here was sinking.
-Tony stated "no" due to the fact that the donors were donating for the "Through the Roof" Campaign.
-We/I was told that once that campaign is over, there would be one for this community.
I raised this issue at the Board Meeting (former board) and was told that this community here was going to be looked after next.
I will state that during the crisis of trying to find a b/g location for us, Tony Puopolo stated there was not a budget for rent.
We were looking for a location that was donated or free space for non-profit organizations or a location with a very minimal rent.
He made the decision for Ernest and the former board supported him knowing FULLY well the funds were not there to sustain this building.
We can complain and speculate and finger point but it's not resolving anything.
Changing their name to Junction Club does not take away the fact that this club is and belongs to the Dovercourt B/G regardless of the latest comments from the president of the board. (the current board does not know the history of the club)
The are the outreach program in this community but still the Dovercourt Organization.
I'm not going to defend Justin but...I will say that the original decision for Ernest was not made by him or the current Board and financially this location could not be sustained due to not having a budget in the first place.
The accountability of the events that have taken place up to now lie with the former Executive Director that ran the club for 30-40 years and the former board that agreed with his decisions.
He resigned and following his resignation, the former president of the club resigned immediately after.
This is not hearsay or speculation, this is fact!
Where does this community go from here rather than just making noise on this site?
How can we gather as a group to help these guys out?
I've always had a great time at Icycle. Definitely one of the most fun Winter events in Toronto. The first time I went I even did the Rubber Race. I hope to go again this year.
Thank you all for your responses. It is very helpful. I hope others chime in.
Regarding the noise, it's a good suggestion to walk through during the morning or evening rush hours. I'll do that. Train noise is generally fine ... it's the screeching whistles that can be jarring.
I honestly don't know how everyone has managed during the grade separation work. From what I've read, it sounds quite stressful. How much longer until the work is done? And does the community truly feel that this will be of benefit once done?
For safety, we've been during the evening, and I felt safe, walking north of Dupont behind the townhomes on Osler. There were a few people about on the streets, but none on the railpath, so I didn't get a good sense of that. It was extremely well-lit, however.
We live on Perth at Ernest, fairly close to the tracks. The noise doesn't bother us at all. I walk often on the path alone, and in the evening I see others doing the same with their dogs. I feel very safe there. I don't often get up past Dupont in the evening, but during the day it is definitely fine, though there is less traffic. It's a great neighbourhood, I'm sure you'll like it here if you decide to buy.
we live on perth, just north of dupont and happen to enjoy the sound of the train. truth be told, we rarely hear it anymore. it has never, at any point, been a concern (and we have two toddlers).
While any official communication from DBGC is good, the February 8 letter sheds no light on how this process came so far off the rails in the first place. Nobody at City sees zoning issues, the rent was not "sky high" and it seems hard to believe that in the year of construction nobody spoke up. And when the Board decided to pull the plug they did so with no community input and against the recommendations of the Councillor. Could this space have been saved with community help? We will never know because everything the DBGC has done has been done in secret and it is only after the current outcry do we get any response as unhelpful as it was. The new letter is a positive note in a process that has been non-transparent and has excluded the Junction Triangle Community.
I have yet to see any hard evidence that backs up any of the claims about reasons the Clubhouse was closed.
I feel that the Junction Triangle and respected local businessman Peter Ross deserve an apology.
I find it hard to believe that "no public dollars were invested in the project". This fiasco will cost near to 300,000$ and that money had to come from somewhere. Somebody has to account for it and be held accountable for it.Our children deserve that at least. An audit by the City would help close the credibility gap.
The Junction Triangle is under serviced is many areas besides services for young children and I think the experience with the DBGC shows that the time is now here to move on and consider other more encompassing solutions for community building with a strong local presence in the decision process. I have heard from at least 25 residents with different family needs that they would like to try to salvage the Clubhouse on Ernest or create a new one in the area but something bigger and in a place that could really become the heart of the Junction Triangle Community. There is a great opportunity here to seize the momentum and finally deliver the all services OUR community needs.
Welcome to the neighbourhood. Hope you find a place that you like.
Noise:
This really depends on which part of the JT you're in. If you're closer to the north end, especially north of Dupont St., you'll hear the freight train noise fairly often. It's loudest when the engines go by. Also very loud when the trains cross the West Toronto Diamond, as it's steel wheels hammering on steel tracks. However, most of that noise will be gone once the West Toronto Diamond Grade Separation project is completed (luckily, you'll miss all of that pile-driving construction noise....)
The GO trains are loud when the locomotives go by, but the trains are short so the noise is more short-lived. Oddly enough, the newer locomotives have a much louder high-pitched sound than the older ones. It can also be louder near the Bloor GO station when the Georgetown trains accelerate from the stop.
It doesn't sound like GO train expansion will be happening too quickly..... but the Airport Rail Link trains will be pretty frequent (I think every 15 min. in each direction). However...those will be much smaller trains with smaller engines, so they shouldn't be anywhere near as loud as the GO trains. But that still remains to be seen....
We're on Symington, and train noise is never an issue. We can hear them in the summer with windows open, but it's never a problem at all. The Symington bus is definitely louder.
I'd suggest taking a walk through the streets near the tracks during the morning or evening rush, or plan a home visit during those hours if possible.
Railpath safety:
I don't think my wife of I have ever had any uncomfortable incidents along here. Maybe it's different for some people walking alone at certain times of day though. But comfort is also a perception.... I don't think I've heard of any bad incidents taking place along the path. People usually seem more concerned about the section south of Bloor because it's a much longer stretch without entrances/exits, so a bit more isolated. At least anywhere north of Bloor you're always close to homes and people.
If anything, Railpath has improved safety of that rail corridor and the streets nearby, as people of all ages are out and enjoying it, putting more "eyes on the street". Especially in the summertime. But even in the winter there are usually other people around.
The February 8 statement by the Dovercourt Boys and Girls Club is little more than another serving of platitudes and generalities. Swimming lessons, while great on their own, do not make a clubhouse. If clubhouses played no role in the delivery of social services for children, the Dovercourt Boys and Girls Club would be closing their Westmoreland location rather than spending $1.7-million on building a second floor.
No one expects that government money for a dedicated project should be diverted, but the project on Westmoreland also boasts about a substantial fundraising effort called "Through the Roof." Why was no effort made to raise additional funds to save the Ernest Avenue location?
The February 8 statement does not provide any documentation showing that the club was in non-compliance with zoning regulations. Can the Club show us a single document to prove their claim? Where is the legal opinion showing that the Club could vacate the premises based on this assumption?
And finally (for now), why was the rent described by the Operations Manager as "sky high" when the landlord was offering the location at cost? Is it okay to call this local business person greedy and part of a gravy train when nothing could be farther from the truth?
The February 8 document answers none of these questions or even offers an apology for the shameful behavior of the Dovercourt Boys and Girls Club.
I just wanted to state that I have finished the book Origin of Haloes. (I finished it a few weeks ago actually). I am always amazed with the way that Kristen Den Hartog captures your attention and draws you in. She uses the perfect words in her descriptions of characters and settings that you can absolutely envision what is going on. Origin of Haloes was a great read and I strongly recommend it. I look forward to picking up Kristen 4th book.
Good morning. I am an avid coffee drinker and even more avid knitter, and found your site when doing research on The Junction. Can you find and email me the phone number to a firm called Airport Transport (a taxicab and limo service), 737-77 Quebec Avenue, Toronto Ontario M6P2T4 (alternative postal code M6P1Z7). They are also in The Junction near downtown. I need to contact them for my boss, an exec with P&G in Cincinnati, OH. Thanks.
I agree. There are literally thousands, even tens of thousands of abandoned, stray cats in our city's back alleys, under porches, hiding in garages and abandoned buildings. The problem is irresponsible pet owners who throw them away when their 'lifestyle' changes or that cute little kitten grows up or they move and leave them in the middle of winter like broken Ikea furniture.
Another thing you can do is GET POLITICAL. Write your city councillor and/or the Licensing and Standards Committee (which has responsibility for Animal Services) and demand:
1. Stop the sale of cats and dogs in retail stores (it encourages backyard breeders and there are so many in shelters and rescues that need homes)
2. Demand a mandatory spay-neuter bylaw for all pets, with an exemption for legitimate certified breeders only.
I called in again and was told that a meeting is being held in early Feb. to find out the status on the Lansdowne Bike lanes. Unfortunately, this is not a meeting that the public can attend, but I will keep a close eye on it yet.
Again, I would please urge everyone who is concerned for the livelihood of the Lansdowne Bike lanes to phone in and voice your opinion.
Sometimes when things get a little heated, I find cooking/baking is a great way to let off some steam and diffuse the tension. And for anyone who wants to give me grief, I find stuffing them with cookies is an easy way to cutdown on the backtalk (not polite to talk with your mouth full!). This is a simple recipe that you can make using a double-boiler.
Molasses Cookies
¾ cup of butter
1 cup granulated
¼ cup of molasses
1 egg
1 ¾ cups of flour
½ tsp ground cloves
1 tsp ground cinnamon
½ tsp salt
½ tsp baking soda
1. Pre-heat oven to 425 degrees
2. Melt butter, add sugar and molasses and mix thoroughly. Lightly beat egg and add to butter mixture. Mix well.
3. Sift flour with spices, salt and soda. Add to first mixture. (Batter will be wet)
4. Lay a sheet of foil on a cookie sheet. Drop tablespoons of batter on foil leaving three inches between cookies.
5. Bake 8 to 10 minutes until cookies start to darken in colour. Remove and let cool.
The Room is:
Sidney Smith Hall, University of Toronto
Room SS2102, 100 St. George Street, Toronto
7:00pm tonight - sorry for the last minute notice, I don't know why the room change was made.
On September 21 2010 DBGC Manager Justin Hanna was quoted in the Toronto Star as saying that “Sky high rents” were one of the reasons for closing the Ernest location. Obviously there was a rental charge for the location but saying the rent was “sky high” creates the impression that the cost impact was unreasonable and so high that the club had no choice but to close. It creates the impression that a greedy landlord was charging high rents.
A look at real estate listings shows this could not be farther from the truth. In fact the landlord of the property had given the DBGC one of the sweetest rental deals one could ever imagine; far below comparable properties in the area and probably the cheapest rate that the club will ever find. “sky-high” is in fact the best deal that any group could ever hope to get in the JT area.
A survey of of listings was done by Chander Chaddah, a real estate broker who specializes in the west end, shows similar properties on Sterling, Primrose, Keele, and Ernest Avenue (remember that commercial spaces big enough for a clubhouse are few so you have to compare within an area). The results show costs per square foot (including what is called TMI: Taxes, Maintenance, Insurance) starting at around 6$ per square foot and rising as high as the 10 or 11 $ per square foot range plus an annual increase.
How much was the rent at 45 Ernest Avenue? Less than 1$ per square foot! With no annual increase and no TMI costs (utilities were extra and "at cost"). According to Mr. Chaddah, the rate charged was just enough to cover the landlords property taxes and nothing else. Mr. Chaddah notes that this location was previously listed at 10$ a square foot (TMI in) but the landlord reduced the rate 90% for the DCBGC making it one of the cheapest spaces of its kind in the city!
How is this “Sky High” ? Just like “zoning issues” when citizens take a closer look, information supplied by the DBGC doesn’t seem to hold up.
“Operations manager Justin Hanna blamed the sky-high rent for the board’s decision to reverse course.”
When I piss away 300,000 dollars of donated and public money without any accountability to the community or the taxpayer, then the issue will be me. Attacking the messenger will not get you off the hotplate you are currently on. My "endgame" is accountability by those who created this fiasco. Your cheap shots don't cancel out our right to know. Just a reminder, the issue is not the Junction Triangle Community, it is the Dovercourt Boys and Girls Club.
Hey Vivian thanks for speaking up for me, but I am okay I don't let things like this get to me or take it serious. The truth of the matter is there are some people who are still in denial about what Tony did and his part in this mess. Some need to find someone to blame instead of moving forward. Like I said to you before Vivian there is a small group of people living within a larger group who think they speak for everyone in the Junction Triangle.
What needs to happen and I mentioned this before since this incident happened in the JT/ward18 a letter needs to go out to the all the residents in this community explaining what the future plans are for the Boys and Girls Club in the JT and an update to what is happening now wtitten in English and 2 or 3 other top languages that are spoken in our community. I already spoken to Ana's office to get involved and be part of this. So this way EVERYONE is aware and informed.
My concern and question is what safe guards are in place so that this will not happen again??
I understand your frustrations and yes I can hear resentment in your postings. It feels as though many people are roaring very loudly, the discontent they are feeling regarding the sudden closure of the Ernest site. It closed before anything ever happened.
However, your statement “Your access to my thoughts and opinions and information is now denied by me. You wanted more open contact from the DBG, I was providing it and you killed it.”, is a very dramatic statement indeed. But I took the time to search though this discussion forum and the first comment you posted up was responding to Allen’s lengthy comment (January 19, 2011 - 6:16pm ) and this is what you wrote:
----------------------------------------- misinformation
January 22, 2011 - 2:13am — vivian
Almost everything in this posting is completely wrong, and what is not completely wrong is only somewhat right.
-----------------------------------------
Our first introduction to you representing the Boys and Girls Club was short, curt and totally lacked any openness of information. That first comment post set the tone to people feeling even more neglected. Moreover, your next two comments posted up on February 1, 2011, were this:
---------------------------------------- The whole point is that he
The whole point is that he doesn't have any actual information, but he's saying it anyway?
Why didn't you run for a
Why didn't you run for a position on the board? You could be on it helping to make things better instead of making good people's lives miserable with false and erroneous accusations.
----------------------------------------
Both those comment postings in response to further questions, were again curt, vague and lacks openness of information. I believe, you too, have set the tone to the online conversation that you now claim is thus “I have participated honestly thinking I was dealing with honest people.”, as per your last comment posting on February 7, 2011.
Where do we all go from here? I don’t know. But frankly, the one main question that would be helpful is, if the BG Club was under NO obligation to keep a satellite location in the JT, it would have been considerate of you, as Chair of the Board of Directors and acting as a community liaison via posting up on this web site, to have given us information on how the community can approach the Club headquarters in initiating a proposal for a permanent location in our neighbourhood.
I'm sure the problem isn't limited to Perth Avenue - cats wander! These were a few cats in particular along Perth.
If you're in the Junction Triangle and want to help out financially and/or help trap them or foster them, please please go to the website. It really is a service they are doing for our community! Thanks!!
I find police don't always move, because the people in the neighbourhood look the other way.
The house on Perth (that started this thread) was active for a few years before the police moved in.
It looks like it's stood empty since the raid. I'd say, just call the police, tell them your suspicions, and they'll investigate from there.
While you are feeling badly for Jack, I have to ask, Did you see what Jack wrote about Tony? Probably not, because it was removed by the administrator, who happens to be a really decent, fair-minded person. I don't think you have "politely addressed disagreements" and I also don't think you have given us much "information" so having that access denied now is not losing much. Though it is unfortunate that you never seemed to respond to the more moderate comments here, or to clearly answer questions the community has every right to ask.
Thanks for posting this announcement.
"Where does this community go from here rather than just making noise on this site?
How can we gather as a group to help these guys out?"
1. Get our new City Councillor, Ana Bailao, involved. Write letters. Maybe get her to hold a special Town Hall meeting in your area to kick things off
2. See if you can interest the media in an investigative story, suggest contacting Toronto Star, Globe and Mail, if no go contact OPENFILE
3. As a registered Canadian Chairity you can (with a lot of effort) get the feds involved in looking at the books http://www.cra-arc.gc.ca/chrts-gvng/lstngs/menu-eng.html
Getting action is often an uphill climb but persistence will pay off
I'll answer your questions Kevin to the fundraiser portion and further comment.
At the time when "Through the Roof" was on, a group of us that formed the Perth Festival Committee for the sole purpose of raising funds for the b/g here.
There was a lot of community involvement around the time that we were fighting for Leon's to not kick the club out and Tony Puopolo was faced with a number of questions from the community.
-Why can we not do a fundraiser for this location?
-According to him, 2 fundraisers could not run at the same time as they would interfere with the "Through the Roof campaign".
One parent asked if we could not have a portion of those funds as this b/g club here was sinking.
-Tony stated "no" due to the fact that the donors were donating for the "Through the Roof" Campaign.
-We/I was told that once that campaign is over, there would be one for this community.
I raised this issue at the Board Meeting (former board) and was told that this community here was going to be looked after next.
I will state that during the crisis of trying to find a b/g location for us, Tony Puopolo stated there was not a budget for rent.
We were looking for a location that was donated or free space for non-profit organizations or a location with a very minimal rent.
He made the decision for Ernest and the former board supported him knowing FULLY well the funds were not there to sustain this building.
We can complain and speculate and finger point but it's not resolving anything.
Changing their name to Junction Club does not take away the fact that this club is and belongs to the Dovercourt B/G regardless of the latest comments from the president of the board. (the current board does not know the history of the club)
The are the outreach program in this community but still the Dovercourt Organization.
I'm not going to defend Justin but...I will say that the original decision for Ernest was not made by him or the current Board and financially this location could not be sustained due to not having a budget in the first place.
The accountability of the events that have taken place up to now lie with the former Executive Director that ran the club for 30-40 years and the former board that agreed with his decisions.
He resigned and following his resignation, the former president of the club resigned immediately after.
This is not hearsay or speculation, this is fact!
Where does this community go from here rather than just making noise on this site?
How can we gather as a group to help these guys out?
Carla
carla.heavenly@gmail.com
geez, i wish my mortgage payments were "sky high". thanks for continuing to ferret out actual facts and information.
I've always had a great time at Icycle. Definitely one of the most fun Winter events in Toronto. The first time I went I even did the Rubber Race. I hope to go again this year.
Thank you all for your responses. It is very helpful. I hope others chime in.
Regarding the noise, it's a good suggestion to walk through during the morning or evening rush hours. I'll do that. Train noise is generally fine ... it's the screeching whistles that can be jarring.
I honestly don't know how everyone has managed during the grade separation work. From what I've read, it sounds quite stressful. How much longer until the work is done? And does the community truly feel that this will be of benefit once done?
For safety, we've been during the evening, and I felt safe, walking north of Dupont behind the townhomes on Osler. There were a few people about on the streets, but none on the railpath, so I didn't get a good sense of that. It was extremely well-lit, however.
stephanie
We live on Perth at Ernest, fairly close to the tracks. The noise doesn't bother us at all. I walk often on the path alone, and in the evening I see others doing the same with their dogs. I feel very safe there. I don't often get up past Dupont in the evening, but during the day it is definitely fine, though there is less traffic. It's a great neighbourhood, I'm sure you'll like it here if you decide to buy.
we live on perth, just north of dupont and happen to enjoy the sound of the train. truth be told, we rarely hear it anymore. it has never, at any point, been a concern (and we have two toddlers).
good luck,
brian
Thank you for not keeping quiet about this book and the others too! I really appreciate you sharing your thoughts.
While any official communication from DBGC is good, the February 8 letter sheds no light on how this process came so far off the rails in the first place. Nobody at City sees zoning issues, the rent was not "sky high" and it seems hard to believe that in the year of construction nobody spoke up. And when the Board decided to pull the plug they did so with no community input and against the recommendations of the Councillor. Could this space have been saved with community help? We will never know because everything the DBGC has done has been done in secret and it is only after the current outcry do we get any response as unhelpful as it was. The new letter is a positive note in a process that has been non-transparent and has excluded the Junction Triangle Community.
I have yet to see any hard evidence that backs up any of the claims about reasons the Clubhouse was closed.
I feel that the Junction Triangle and respected local businessman Peter Ross deserve an apology.
I find it hard to believe that "no public dollars were invested in the project". This fiasco will cost near to 300,000$ and that money had to come from somewhere. Somebody has to account for it and be held accountable for it.Our children deserve that at least. An audit by the City would help close the credibility gap.
The Junction Triangle is under serviced is many areas besides services for young children and I think the experience with the DBGC shows that the time is now here to move on and consider other more encompassing solutions for community building with a strong local presence in the decision process. I have heard from at least 25 residents with different family needs that they would like to try to salvage the Clubhouse on Ernest or create a new one in the area but something bigger and in a place that could really become the heart of the Junction Triangle Community. There is a great opportunity here to seize the momentum and finally deliver the all services OUR community needs.
Hi,
Welcome to the neighbourhood. Hope you find a place that you like.
Noise:
This really depends on which part of the JT you're in. If you're closer to the north end, especially north of Dupont St., you'll hear the freight train noise fairly often. It's loudest when the engines go by. Also very loud when the trains cross the West Toronto Diamond, as it's steel wheels hammering on steel tracks. However, most of that noise will be gone once the West Toronto Diamond Grade Separation project is completed (luckily, you'll miss all of that pile-driving construction noise....)
The GO trains are loud when the locomotives go by, but the trains are short so the noise is more short-lived. Oddly enough, the newer locomotives have a much louder high-pitched sound than the older ones. It can also be louder near the Bloor GO station when the Georgetown trains accelerate from the stop.
It doesn't sound like GO train expansion will be happening too quickly..... but the Airport Rail Link trains will be pretty frequent (I think every 15 min. in each direction). However...those will be much smaller trains with smaller engines, so they shouldn't be anywhere near as loud as the GO trains. But that still remains to be seen....
We're on Symington, and train noise is never an issue. We can hear them in the summer with windows open, but it's never a problem at all. The Symington bus is definitely louder.
I'd suggest taking a walk through the streets near the tracks during the morning or evening rush, or plan a home visit during those hours if possible.
Railpath safety:
I don't think my wife of I have ever had any uncomfortable incidents along here. Maybe it's different for some people walking alone at certain times of day though. But comfort is also a perception.... I don't think I've heard of any bad incidents taking place along the path. People usually seem more concerned about the section south of Bloor because it's a much longer stretch without entrances/exits, so a bit more isolated. At least anywhere north of Bloor you're always close to homes and people.
If anything, Railpath has improved safety of that rail corridor and the streets nearby, as people of all ages are out and enjoying it, putting more "eyes on the street". Especially in the summertime. But even in the winter there are usually other people around.
Cheers,
Vic
The February 8 statement by the Dovercourt Boys and Girls Club is little more than another serving of platitudes and generalities. Swimming lessons, while great on their own, do not make a clubhouse. If clubhouses played no role in the delivery of social services for children, the Dovercourt Boys and Girls Club would be closing their Westmoreland location rather than spending $1.7-million on building a second floor.
No one expects that government money for a dedicated project should be diverted, but the project on Westmoreland also boasts about a substantial fundraising effort called "Through the Roof." Why was no effort made to raise additional funds to save the Ernest Avenue location?
The February 8 statement does not provide any documentation showing that the club was in non-compliance with zoning regulations. Can the Club show us a single document to prove their claim? Where is the legal opinion showing that the Club could vacate the premises based on this assumption?
And finally (for now), why was the rent described by the Operations Manager as "sky high" when the landlord was offering the location at cost? Is it okay to call this local business person greedy and part of a gravy train when nothing could be farther from the truth?
The February 8 document answers none of these questions or even offers an apology for the shameful behavior of the Dovercourt Boys and Girls Club.
I just wanted to state that I have finished the book Origin of Haloes. (I finished it a few weeks ago actually). I am always amazed with the way that Kristen Den Hartog captures your attention and draws you in. She uses the perfect words in her descriptions of characters and settings that you can absolutely envision what is going on. Origin of Haloes was a great read and I strongly recommend it. I look forward to picking up Kristen 4th book.
Good morning. I am an avid coffee drinker and even more avid knitter, and found your site when doing research on The Junction. Can you find and email me the phone number to a firm called Airport Transport (a taxicab and limo service), 737-77 Quebec Avenue, Toronto Ontario M6P2T4 (alternative postal code M6P1Z7). They are also in The Junction near downtown. I need to contact them for my boss, an exec with P&G in Cincinnati, OH. Thanks.
I agree. There are literally thousands, even tens of thousands of abandoned, stray cats in our city's back alleys, under porches, hiding in garages and abandoned buildings. The problem is irresponsible pet owners who throw them away when their 'lifestyle' changes or that cute little kitten grows up or they move and leave them in the middle of winter like broken Ikea furniture.
Check out CAT CITY, a documentary recently made about the situation in Toronto. Here is a 2 minute trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b9x1sOzaYU0
Another thing you can do is GET POLITICAL. Write your city councillor and/or the Licensing and Standards Committee (which has responsibility for Animal Services) and demand:
1. Stop the sale of cats and dogs in retail stores (it encourages backyard breeders and there are so many in shelters and rescues that need homes)
2. Demand a mandatory spay-neuter bylaw for all pets, with an exemption for legitimate certified breeders only.
Here are contact links:
Email: councillor_bailao@toronto.ca (our ward18 City Councillor)
Licensing and Standards Committee Members:
Councillor Cesar Palacio (Chair). Councillor Glen De Baeremaeker, Councillor Chin Lee, Councillor Gloria Lindsay Luby, Councillor Frances Nunziata, Councillor Anthony Perruzza
Contacts: http://app.toronto.ca/im/council/councillors.jsp
For more about this, check out http://davenportdemocracy.blogspot.com/2011/01/is-new-toronto-city-counc...
If we are a truly compassionate society, we will care for the animals.
Thanks
I called in again and was told that a meeting is being held in early Feb. to find out the status on the Lansdowne Bike lanes. Unfortunately, this is not a meeting that the public can attend, but I will keep a close eye on it yet.
Again, I would please urge everyone who is concerned for the livelihood of the Lansdowne Bike lanes to phone in and voice your opinion.
Thanks
Sometimes when things get a little heated, I find cooking/baking is a great way to let off some steam and diffuse the tension. And for anyone who wants to give me grief, I find stuffing them with cookies is an easy way to cutdown on the backtalk (not polite to talk with your mouth full!). This is a simple recipe that you can make using a double-boiler.
Molasses Cookies
¾ cup of butter
1 cup granulated
¼ cup of molasses
1 egg
1 ¾ cups of flour
½ tsp ground cloves
1 tsp ground cinnamon
½ tsp salt
½ tsp baking soda
1. Pre-heat oven to 425 degrees
2. Melt butter, add sugar and molasses and mix thoroughly. Lightly beat egg and add to butter mixture. Mix well.
3. Sift flour with spices, salt and soda. Add to first mixture. (Batter will be wet)
4. Lay a sheet of foil on a cookie sheet. Drop tablespoons of batter on foil leaving three inches between cookies.
5. Bake 8 to 10 minutes until cookies start to darken in colour. Remove and let cool.
The Room is:
Sidney Smith Hall, University of Toronto
Room SS2102, 100 St. George Street, Toronto
7:00pm tonight - sorry for the last minute notice, I don't know why the room change was made.
On September 21 2010 DBGC Manager Justin Hanna was quoted in the Toronto Star as saying that “Sky high rents” were one of the reasons for closing the Ernest location. Obviously there was a rental charge for the location but saying the rent was “sky high” creates the impression that the cost impact was unreasonable and so high that the club had no choice but to close. It creates the impression that a greedy landlord was charging high rents.
A look at real estate listings shows this could not be farther from the truth. In fact the landlord of the property had given the DBGC one of the sweetest rental deals one could ever imagine; far below comparable properties in the area and probably the cheapest rate that the club will ever find. “sky-high” is in fact the best deal that any group could ever hope to get in the JT area.
A survey of of listings was done by Chander Chaddah, a real estate broker who specializes in the west end, shows similar properties on Sterling, Primrose, Keele, and Ernest Avenue (remember that commercial spaces big enough for a clubhouse are few so you have to compare within an area). The results show costs per square foot (including what is called TMI: Taxes, Maintenance, Insurance) starting at around 6$ per square foot and rising as high as the 10 or 11 $ per square foot range plus an annual increase.
How much was the rent at 45 Ernest Avenue? Less than 1$ per square foot! With no annual increase and no TMI costs (utilities were extra and "at cost"). According to Mr. Chaddah, the rate charged was just enough to cover the landlords property taxes and nothing else. Mr. Chaddah notes that this location was previously listed at 10$ a square foot (TMI in) but the landlord reduced the rate 90% for the DCBGC making it one of the cheapest spaces of its kind in the city!
How is this “Sky High” ? Just like “zoning issues” when citizens take a closer look, information supplied by the DBGC doesn’t seem to hold up.
“Operations manager Justin Hanna blamed the sky-high rent for the board’s decision to reverse course.”
http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/article/864497--west-end-youth-club-aban...
When I piss away 300,000 dollars of donated and public money without any accountability to the community or the taxpayer, then the issue will be me. Attacking the messenger will not get you off the hotplate you are currently on. My "endgame" is accountability by those who created this fiasco. Your cheap shots don't cancel out our right to know. Just a reminder, the issue is not the Junction Triangle Community, it is the Dovercourt Boys and Girls Club.
Hey Vivian thanks for speaking up for me, but I am okay I don't let things like this get to me or take it serious. The truth of the matter is there are some people who are still in denial about what Tony did and his part in this mess. Some need to find someone to blame instead of moving forward. Like I said to you before Vivian there is a small group of people living within a larger group who think they speak for everyone in the Junction Triangle.
What needs to happen and I mentioned this before since this incident happened in the JT/ward18 a letter needs to go out to the all the residents in this community explaining what the future plans are for the Boys and Girls Club in the JT and an update to what is happening now wtitten in English and 2 or 3 other top languages that are spoken in our community. I already spoken to Ana's office to get involved and be part of this. So this way EVERYONE is aware and informed.
My concern and question is what safe guards are in place so that this will not happen again??
I understand your frustrations and yes I can hear resentment in your postings. It feels as though many people are roaring very loudly, the discontent they are feeling regarding the sudden closure of the Ernest site. It closed before anything ever happened.
However, your statement “Your access to my thoughts and opinions and information is now denied by me. You wanted more open contact from the DBG, I was providing it and you killed it.”, is a very dramatic statement indeed. But I took the time to search though this discussion forum and the first comment you posted up was responding to Allen’s lengthy comment (January 19, 2011 - 6:16pm ) and this is what you wrote:
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misinformation
January 22, 2011 - 2:13am — vivian
Almost everything in this posting is completely wrong, and what is not completely wrong is only somewhat right.
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Our first introduction to you representing the Boys and Girls Club was short, curt and totally lacked any openness of information. That first comment post set the tone to people feeling even more neglected. Moreover, your next two comments posted up on February 1, 2011, were this:
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The whole point is that he
The whole point is that he doesn't have any actual information, but he's saying it anyway?
Why didn't you run for a
Why didn't you run for a position on the board? You could be on it helping to make things better instead of making good people's lives miserable with false and erroneous accusations.
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Both those comment postings in response to further questions, were again curt, vague and lacks openness of information. I believe, you too, have set the tone to the online conversation that you now claim is thus “I have participated honestly thinking I was dealing with honest people.”, as per your last comment posting on February 7, 2011.
Where do we all go from here? I don’t know. But frankly, the one main question that would be helpful is, if the BG Club was under NO obligation to keep a satellite location in the JT, it would have been considerate of you, as Chair of the Board of Directors and acting as a community liaison via posting up on this web site, to have given us information on how the community can approach the Club headquarters in initiating a proposal for a permanent location in our neighbourhood.
Where do we all go from here?
I'm sure the problem isn't limited to Perth Avenue - cats wander! These were a few cats in particular along Perth.
If you're in the Junction Triangle and want to help out financially and/or help trap them or foster them, please please go to the website. It really is a service they are doing for our community! Thanks!!
I find police don't always move, because the people in the neighbourhood look the other way.
The house on Perth (that started this thread) was active for a few years before the police moved in.
It looks like it's stood empty since the raid. I'd say, just call the police, tell them your suspicions, and they'll investigate from there.
While you are feeling badly for Jack, I have to ask, Did you see what Jack wrote about Tony? Probably not, because it was removed by the administrator, who happens to be a really decent, fair-minded person. I don't think you have "politely addressed disagreements" and I also don't think you have given us much "information" so having that access denied now is not losing much. Though it is unfortunate that you never seemed to respond to the more moderate comments here, or to clearly answer questions the community has every right to ask.