Junction Triangle

The Dovercourt Boys and Girls Club still has remained secretive about how they handled the 45 Ernest site and how so much money was wasted. There has been zero accountability and no dialogue with the Junction Triangle community for months. The Councillor and locals asked Sue Kaiser, Manager, Community Funding Social Development, Finance and Administration to investigate.

This evening, a local resident witnessed someone digging up and stealing plants from the West Toronto Railpath. I received the following email and photos that describe what happened:

Railpath plant thief

I was cycling under the Wallace Avenue bridge about 8 p.m. on Thursday evening. As I cycled through the plaza underneath the bridge I noticed a man digging in the flower bed close to Wallace Avenue where tall white daisies are growing.

I thought at first he was a volunteer planting flowers and kept cycling. My three year old son made a fuss about the rail mural as we cycled south on the Railpath and we ended up turning around and returning to the plaza underneath the bridge. That's when I noticed this man in his late 20's/early 30's with dark hair potting three plants and walking away. I confronted him about why he was taking the plants. He said they were wild flowers and they would grow back. I told him they were planted just recently and he was a thief. He made a fast exit up the stairs of the Wallace bridge as I chastised him. I took two pictures with my iPhone, but could not chase him down because I had my two kids with me on the bike.

Two men under the bridge witnessed the incident and said nothing. Two young women, possibly students, walking up the stairs saw the confrontation, but said nothing.

Despite the nominal value of the plants, I still found myself P.O. at the level of selfishness it takes to steal plants from a public park.

Junction Triangle Resident
June 23, 2011

Railpath plant thief: Closeup

Some good news for a few of our local parks from our Ward 18 city councillor, Ana Bailao, in her June 23 newsletter:

Ana on Parks

In Toronto's urban environment, public park space acts as an oasis of grass, trees and plant-life that provide play, walk and enjoy. These public spaces are more than simple greenery, offering a wide assortment of services and programming to the neighbourhood community.

The following update is from Metrolinx. You can download a PDF copy of the document here.

The Georgetown South Project will provide infrastructure improvements to meet existing GO Transit ridership demand and future growth. It will also accommodate the new Air Rail Link service between Union Station and Pearson International Airport.

West Toronto Diamond Construction Update:

Road Closure – June 15 to November 15

The Perth-Dupont Community Garden is looking for volunteers to help with their flower bed and butterfly garden:

Started just as a garden with individual plots nestled into the Symington Avenue Playground Park in 2005 by the City Councillor, The Perth Dupont Community Garden has been transformed into a thriving Community Garden, and is now a center for Urban Agriculture.

With ethnic and lifestyle diversity, our community garden is a place to grow food, flowers, friendships, and personal social and leadership skills.

• Our garden is looking for one or two people interested in flowers and roses, to help with our Front flower Bed, and our Native Plant - Butterfly Garden.
• For more information please contact Susan perth-dupontcg@frogstar.com

http://perth-dupont.parkcommons.ca

From Michael Monastyrsky. Please note that this affects services and events at Campbell and other parks too.

Tuesday June 21, 7 to 9 pm, with Councillor Ana Bailao. At the park clubhouse. Bake-oven supper available from 6 p.m. Everyone welcome!

On Tuesday June 14, more than 100 people came to Campbell Park for a community dinner and campfire. During the evening, many people asked park staff if dinners like this could become a regular event. Campbell staff would like to see that happen, but a lot will depend on decisions made at City Hall.

The following announcement is from the Perth-Dupont Public Library. Download the flyer here.

BOOK SALE

Lots of Books, DVDs, CDs, Comics
Graphic novels, etc.
For Adults and Children

SATURDAY JUNE 18 2011
9:30am - 2:00pm

RAIN DATE: SATURDAY JUNE 25, 2011
9:30am-2:00pm

COME EARLY FOR BEST CHOICE

Perth/Dupont Branch
1589 Dupont St. Toronto ON M6P 3S5
416-393-7677

Campbell Park - Soup on the Campfire: Yes, it's a photo from last winter, but I promise there will be no snow this time.

The following announcement comes from Michael Monastyrskyj, regarding the updated kitchen facilities and June 14th campfire at Campbell Park:

Hello everybody,

Thanks to strong support from ward 18 councillor Ana Bailao and her executive assistant Braden Root-McCaig, Campbell Park's rinkhouse/clubhouse has a new kitchen with sinks, running water and a stove. This lets us expand our menu at the winter snackbar and cook food for community events.

To celebrate the new kitchen, Campbell staff would like to invite everybody to a dinner and campfire at the park. Come join us 6:30-10pm Tuesday June 14. We will be a serving a main dish for a suggested donation of $5 and desert for $1. We ask for the donation to cover costs, but we don't want anyone to go away hungry. Give as much or as little as you like. After dinner, roast marshmallows over the fire. And if you have a guitar, bring it along!

June 28, 2011. Details from the Facebook event page:

A neighbourhood get-down, jump up celebration! Kathleen's BBQ, and you bring what's to grill, what's to drink etc.

6:00 - 10:00
feel free to invite friends and neighbours regardless of their sexuality! But queers are especially welcome and neighbourhood queers are the best!

The mural removal incident isn't the only local story all over the news this week. On Wednesday morning, a resident of Rankin Cres. was charged with cruelty to animals and possessing a dangerous weapon after allegedly beating a family of raccoons in his backyard. Details from the Police and media follow:

From the CP24 story:

Toronto police said officers were called to a home on Rankin Crescent, near Lansdowne Avenue and Bloor Street, shortly before 6 a.m.

At least one neighbour called 911 to report a man striking small raccoons with "a shovel-type" garden tool in his yard while a mother raccoon attempted to rescue her offspring, police said.

The neighbour told CP24 that he was startled by wild animals' shrieks, so he looked outside to find the suspect beating the raccoons with a red-coloured spade.

"The screaming from the first baby was horrific, it was loud," said the neighbour, who confronted the man.