Illegal dumping on tracks near Wallace Ave.: November 1, 2008

The Toronto Star's "Fixer" has another article about our neighbourhood. Unfortunately, articles from The Fixer don't usually shine a positive light on things. This article discusses the illegal dumping that frequently occurs along the train tracks around Wallace Ave., between Campbell and Lansdowne Avenues.

Illegal dump makes area an eyesore
By Jack Lackey, Toronto Star, 2010-02-17

Some selected quotes:

There are a lot of ways to disrespect a community, but strewing the landscape with junk that could be properly disposed of has to rank near the top.
We went there Tuesday and found an appalling amount of garbage likely dumped in the dead of the night. There was a couch, a mattress, old appliances and several bags of trash.
On a utility pole near the tracks was a sign warning that illegal dumpers can be fined up to $5,000, which sounds formidable but is obviously considered an empty threat.
STATUS: Markings on track equipment identified CN Rail, so we called its media rep, Frank Binder. He said CN did a major cleanup there a year ago, but has since sold the track to GO Transit. GO's Vanessa Thomas took down the details and promised to update us.
A swift cleanup will take place, Thomas said, "if it is determined that this garbage is located on GO Transit property."

Read the complete article online at The Star's website.

Lisa posted this meeting notice on the Sterling Studio Lofts discussion forum:

Hi!
I live in the town homes on Merchant Lane and just received something in my mailbox last night. It was a flyer that read as follows:

"Proposal to demolish the sterling lofts and build two, twenty story structures on the site!
If you wish to oppose these plans please attend the meeting at:
The Ukrainian Cultural Centre
1604 Bloor Street West
Date: February 17th, 2010
Time: 7:00pm"

Seems like awfully short notice for this meeting. Anyone else get this flyer? Going to the meeting?

You can discuss this meeting and development proposal on the Sterling Studio Lofts discussion forum.

UPDATE (12:30pm):

I asked Councillor Giambrone's office about this meeting, and was sent the original meeting notice that was distributed to the residents of 221-227 Sterling Rd. Staff also explained some of the background behind this meeting. Read on below.

Ground floor

On December 7th 2009 I had the opportunity to do something I've wanted to do since moving in to this neighbourhood: I explored the Tower Automotive building Sterling Rd. Four of us from the TLR Club photography group spent the snowy Monday afternoon wandering through the building, admiring the architecture and views, and of course taking many photos.

The Tower Automotive building on Sterling Road is a fascinating place. Because of its height and location (no other tall buildings nearby) it's one of the most easily recognizable features of this neighbourhood, from miles around. I won't go into too much detail about the property or development plans, which you can read about here, so I'll just move on to the photo tour.

These first two photos were taken on the ground floor of the building. I'm not sure why, but the main level had a hardwood floor instead of concrete like everywhere else.

Today's Toronto Star has an article about controversial expansion of Erwin Krickhahn Park, at the corner of Rankin Cres. and Paton Rd.: Battle brewing: Garden or park space?

This issue has been posted and discussed several times before on this site, so please read those threads for background information before commenting here again.

A quick recap: In September 2009, City Council approved the expansion of Erwin Krickhahn Park into the dead and of Paton Rd. on the north side of the park. In the Fall, City work crews removed the asphalt and installed a new sidewalk adjacent to the new park land. Soil has been tested at the new park space and has been found to contain some "contaminants consistent with a roadway". Environmental remediation of these contaminants is expected to happen.

There are several options for using this new park space: It could be grassed over to expand the field area of the park, it could be planted with trees and other plants, a community garden can be installed there, or other options. The community garden proposal is the most controversial of these ideas. Councillor Adam Giambrone has promised to hold a community meeting this Spring so that residents and city staff can discuss these ideas and come up with the most suitable plan.

Over the past few months, certain discussions on this website have taken a turn for the worse. I think in general, the discussions here are pretty good and informative, but sometimes things just seem to go downhill.

Usually, this involves people getting into a heated discussion then resorting to personal attacks, lies, and false information posted in the comments.

I generally avoid deleting messages, but when things get out of hand, I need to take a stronger stance. So far, I haven't deleted many of the messages posted here. I always hope that people can restrain their anger and work things out amicably. I also tend to turn a blind eye to off-topic posts that show up in the wrong forums. Usually the only things I delete are spam messages (advertising that has nothing to do with this neighbourhood), but more recently I deleted some others.

One that I deleted today was a message about the Erwin Krickhahn Park expansion. That message was inappropriately posted to the Brownstones on Bloor forum, which has nothing to do with the park. I mentioned this in the message. And now complaints of "censorship" of that message are posted in a forum about local computer businesses (these off-topic messages will be deleted too)

I also deleted a message from a local business who posted an event advertisement in the comments of the DIGIN meeting announcement.

In both of these cases, the messages are completely off-topic.

I'm not censoring anyone here, but just asking that you please choose the correct place to post your messages. If you want to talk about Erwin Krickhahn Park, please use one of the many existing forums that already discuss that subject, rather than posting off-topic messages elsewhere. Alternately, anyone can create a new forum topic by visiting the forums. You can also use the Search feature of this site to find previous posts.

I also want to point everyone to the Code of Conduct that was recently posted here. Please read it and keep it in mind when posting to this site. I can appreciate that everyone here may have different opinions, but please try to be civil and keep your messages on-topic.

Lastly, if you don't like the way that this site is run, nobody is forcing you to visit or post here. You can start up your own website, and set your own rules.

Again, please read the Code of Conduct. And if you want to discuss this Code of Conduct, please post HERE, and not all over the other forums.

The following media release come from the Fuzzy Boundaries neighbourhood naming group:

For Immediate Release – Saturday, January 30, 2010

Media Advisory

West Toronto Community Votes for Top 10 Neighbourhood Names

Stage Set for Final Selection of Area Name

Who: Fuzzy Boundaries, a group of local residents spearheading a naming project in their West Toronto neighbourhood north of Roncesvalles and east of The Junction.

What: The conclusion of a two-week voting process from which the Top 10 Neighbourhood Names have been chosen by area residents. A second (and final) round of voting begins on March 1 to select a neighbourhood name in a preferential vote that will allow residents to rank their three favourite names in order. Residents can vote online at www.fuzzyboundaries.ca or in person at the Perth/Dupont location of the Toronto Public Library, Yasi’s Place and Nonna’s Place.

Top Ten Neighbourhood Names

1. Junction Triangle
2. South Junction Triangle
3. East Junction
4. Railpath
5. Railtown
6. Black Oak Triangle
7. Rail District
8. The Wedge
9. The Triangle
10. Perth Park

Why: Naming the neighbourhood gives us a collective identity – something to call our area as a whole – which in turn creates a sense of pride and ownership. Through this process people begin to see the potential of a united neighbourhood and become more aware of what the community means to them.

Davenport Diamond

Here's another update on Davenport Diamond grade separation project. What is this project about? In short, this project proposes to grade-separate the railway tracks that run along the east side of our neighbourhood (between Campbell Ave. and Lansdowne) and the CN Tracks on the north side of our neighbourhood (between Dupont and Davenport). This would involve creating a huge wall/overpass or trench east of Campbell Ave., with the possibility closing Wallace Ave. Whatever the outcome of this project is, it will have a major impact on our neighbourhood.

It seems that not too much has changed since the last update from GO/Metrolinx on November 10 2009, except that:

• GO/Metrolinx have purchased the entire Newmarket/Barrie railway corridor (as reported here on December 15th)
• The environmental assessment has been pushed back to 2012.

Read below for the email sent from Gary McNeil of GO/Metrolinx:

Castlepoint's Properties

Here are my notes from the January 18 2010 meeting about the ongoing developments at the former Tower Automotive properties. Hosted by Castlepoint Realty Partners (the property owners / developers) and the South Perth and Sterling Rd. Residents Association at the Church of the First Born, the meeting was certainly informative and interesting. It attracted about 40 people from all around this community (guessing, I didn't count).

My notes are just quick points that I jotted down at the meeting. If you have any of your own comments or corrections, please feel free to reply below.

Note: You can view the huge versions of the images by clicking on them. The fine details may still be hard to read.

New Railpath Maps: Cariboo Ave. Entrance

Note: This item was also posted on I Bike T.O.

Out for a walk a few nights ago, we noticed that new maps have been installed at each end of the West Toronto Railpath. Now we know what those metal frames were for.

The maps are a nice addition to the path. They include various bits of useful information:

• A complete map of the entire path and immediate surrounding area
• All cross-streets are labeled, and a note whether there is an access point or not
• Cumulative distance markers, starting from Cariboo Ave.
• Estimated travel times for walking and cycling
• A few major landmarks and other features

It's great to see the path/park continue to evolve and improve. It has been very well-used, even over the winter, so I hope the expansion plans come to fruition soon!

Next Steps to Naming Our Neighbourhood

We have listened to residents, and modified the name-finding process to address what we feel are valid concerns. Your vote does count, and the voting process is already underway, but will now take place in two stages. No jury will be involved.

For more detailed information, please visit:
http://www.fuzzyboundaries.ca/NamingProcess