In today's National Post, Brenda McMullen writes about a house for sale on Perth Ave. that is "bursting with promise and potential".

You can read the entire article on the National Post website.

An email update was sent out today from the Clean Train Coalition. For more information about the CTC, please visit their website.

An Update from the Clean Train Coalition!

A number of important actions have taken place in the past week that you should know of. Last week the Toronto District School Board created a motion expressing concern about the health and noise effects of the Georgetown rail expansion, particularly as it affects the health of children. The Board will vote on this motion in two parts: tonight and at the full Board meeting in June. Contact me for a copy of the motion if you’re interested (outreach@cleantrain.ca)

We had a Press Conference at Queen’s Park today that was well attended by the Press and some MPPs. This gave us the opportunity to discuss our concerns about Metrolinx’s plans and to call on the Premier to explain why he’s not showing more concern about the negative health consequences of using diesel trains to power his “Green” revolution.

Toronto City Council has again voted to demand electrification of all rail lines within the City. They are considering a bylaw that would prohibit the introduction of new sources of air pollution, in this case diesel trains, into the City.

In the near future, we will be making deputations before the City of Toronto Board of Health.

News stories about the rail expansion and electrification have been recently published in all four Toronto dailies.

The Strachan Ave Superbridge proposed by Metrolinx will not proceed. A less intrusive model replaces the original highly offensive proposal.

We hope to keep you informed of what’s happening on a weekly basis. If you have any questions or comments, please write to me (Peter Morgan) at the above address. Check our website for more info: www.cleantrain.ca.

The following email came through the DIGIN mailing list:

From: Cathy Martens
Subject: Neighbourhood green/social justice nonprofit startup meeting June 3, 10-12 noon

Howdy neighbours,

As a reaction to the Metrolinx / GO Transit "Georgetown South Service Expansion" project, a new grassroots organization has formed across West Toronto: The Clean Train Coalition.

The Clean Train Coalition, as its name suggests, is a coalition of community groups, residents, and other stakeholders in along the Georgetown South railway corridor who are concerned about the planned increases in diesel train traffic.

From the Clean Train Coalition website:

Clean Transit is Possible

Our city deserves a clean, effective and modern transportation system. Now is the time to build a transit solution that will benefit all of us and serve our region for decades to come. The solution should:

• Use clean-running, quiet and light weight electric trains
  Eliminate the harmful effects of diesel pollution
• Maintain and enhance neighbourhood connections
  Prevent the division and isolation of communities along the corridor
• Create accessible and affordable transit for everyone
  Ensure this public infrastructure project provides a lasting benefit to us all

For more information about the Clean Train Coalition, to get the latest news about the GSSE project, and to get involved, please visit their website at: www.cleantrain.ca

To discuss the effects of the GSSE project on our neighbourhood, you can use our local forum.

The following meeting announcement comes from the local "Fuzzy Boundaries" group who are working to initiate a neighbourhood naming process. There has recently been a lively discussion about our neighbourhood's name on this website here.

This image features an area map, 1899, and a photograph of Perth Avenue, 1916, with the familiar water tower in the distance.

As in those days, nobody really knows what to call our community. A number of different names have been used since Shedden Farms became a neighbourhood in 1887.

Some local residents have formed a group called Fuzzy Boundaries to initiate a naming process for the area. You are invited to attend a lively discussion about how we define our neighbourhood on Wednesday, May 13 at 7p.m. at the Perth Avenue Housing Cooperative (120 Perth). Local history buff Michael Monastyrskyj will show some old photos, and Urban Planner Beate Bowron will speak about neighbourhood identities. A Q&A will follow. All are welcome to attend this free event.

For details, visit www.fuzzyboundaries.ca or call Kevin at 416-537-1128.

WHAT: Public open house for GO Transit's Davenport Diamond grade separation project
WHEN: Wednesday April 22 2009, 5:30 to 8:30pm
WHERE: St. Josephat's School, 55 Pelham Ave. (map)

The following flyer is provided by GO Transit (Click through for a larger version):

PUBLIC OPEN HOUSE #1

Davenport Diamond Rail to Rail Grade Separation
City of Toronto

THE STUDY
GO Transit, the Province of Ontario's interregional public transit service for the Greater Toronto and Hamilton areas, is involved in an environmental assessment of the Davenport Diamond. The Study Area extends from Keele and Dufferin Streets to the West and East, and adjacent to Rogers Road and College Street in the North and South (as shown in the map).

GO trains operating on the Newmarket corridor between Union Station and Barrie cross over the CP North Toronto corridor just south of Davenport Road. It is proposed that a grade separation of the Davenport Diamond will improve rail access along the two corridors.

Today Metrolinx issued a Notice of Commencement for the Georgetown South Service Expansion and Union-Pearson Rail Link Project (GSSE).

There will be a series of Open House meetings during the month of April. Here are the details of our local meeting:

When: Tuesday, April 21, 2009, 3:00pm – 8:00pm
Where: The Lithuanian House, Hall B, 1573 Bloor Street West, Toronto, ON (map).

If you can't make it to the local meeting, there will be five other sessions along the length of the study area. You can view the list here. An "online virtual house" will also be available starting April 15th.

The details below come from the Metrolinx meeting announcement flyer. Further details about the whole GSSE project can be found on the Metrolinx website.

If you wish to discuss this project, please use our forum.

We have reported on the GO Transit rail grade separation project in the past, but in the last few days it seems that members of the Junction community and their local politicians have been making their complaints known in a stronger way.

On the afternoon of Friday March 27th there was a rally on Hook Ave., where residents along with Parkdale - High Park MPP Cherie DiNovo demonstrated against the excessive noise of the pile driving.

The CBC and the Toronto Star both reported on the rally and the noise issues, as did the Junctioneer blog.

This morning, Monday March 30th, CityNews featured this story on Breakfast Television and broadcast the construction noise on live TV.

The ongoing noise from the pile driving, which may take up to 16 months, affects people on "our side of the tracks" as much as it does the people in The Junction. However, I haven't heard as many complaints from residents here, or action from any levels of government. In Parkdale - High Park, MP Gerrard Kennedy, MPP Cheri DiNovo and Councillor Gord Perks have all sent around information about this project and tried to get the noise issues resolved.

Residents of Hook Ave. have started a discussion list about the piling noise. This is probably the best place to get the most recent updates on the issue.

Toronto Star Neighbourhood Map, v2.0

On Sunday, The Toronto Star published an article about Toronto's neighbourhood names, and released an updated version of their online neighbourhood map.

One thing you may quickly notice on their map is that our neighbourhood is left out. We're still an unlabeled grey area sandwiched between The Junction and High Park on the west, Roncesvalles and Parkdale to the south, Wallace-Emerson and Brockton Village to the east, and Carleton Village to the north.

One other oddity is that The Star uses a Google map as a data source, and you can see in the underlying Google map that this neighbourhood is incorrectly labeled as "Silverthorn", which is actually a neighbourhood north of us in the Eglinton and Keele area.

The timing of this article and map is interesting, as there is already a group of local residents who are working on giving the neighbourhood a properly recognized and standardized name. Kevin Putnam was interviewed by the Toronto Star, and they started their article with the following:

There's a good chance that you have noticed all of the construction happening at the West Toronto Diamond (where the major railway corridors intersect), especially if you live in the north-west corner of our neighbourhood. The pile driving can occasionally be heard as far away as Symington and Bloor.

The Junctioneer Blog has posted about this project, and included some good links to more documentation about it.

The following message was posted to Councillor Gord Perks' blog:

Go Transit grade separation project in CN/CP rail corridors

Thank you for sharing your concerns regarding the construction noise and vibrations at the West Toronto Diamond Rail Yard.

Please be advised that the City of Toronto’s Noise By-law is not applicable when the noise is generated as a result of activities on either provincial or federal lands.

I have received several complaints about the noise emanating from the site. In response to those complaints, I have asked staff to contact GO Transit who are responsible for overseeing the construction activities. I understand that GO is well aware that some of the noise and vibration as a result of the pile driving activities may be of concern to some of the area residents. Staff kindly asked them to attempt to resolve the neighbourhood’s concerns. I understand that City staff were advised that all construction work is occurring during the hours our Noise By-law would normally permit, however our Noise By-law is not applicable in this case.

The City’s GO contact has provided me with telephone numbers and contact information for the public to call to address any concerns they have about the on-going work. As of February 23, 2009, the public can contact McCormack Rankin, the contract administrator, at 416-604-9582.

You may also want to contact the office of MP Gerard Kennedy at 416-769-5072 or by email at KenneG1@parl.gc.ca should your complaints not be resolved in a timely manner.

Thank you.