NEWSLETTER #19 SPRING 2019

HOW TO REACH US Tel. 416-614-3371

www.mountdennis.ca facebook.com/Mount Dennis @MountDennisCA info@mountdennis.ca

CouldthisbethenewlookforWeston&Eglinton’sNWcorner?Seebelow. A map of Mount Dennis

A STREETSCAPE MASTERPLAN FOR WESTON ROAD

Lastyear,theMountDennisBusinessImprovementArea(BIA)receivedfundingfromTorontoCityHall’sBIAOfficetoassistinproducingaStreetscapeMasterplan.TheyhiredPMALandscapeArchitects,whohadalreadydoneanimpressivelandscapingplanforthenewCitydaycareatWestonandGlenvalley.

TheBIAcoversWestonRoadfromRayAve.toLambtonAve.Bymakingtheareamoreinviting,safeandbeautiful,thedraftMasterplanaimstoattractbothresidentsandvisitorstoshop,eat,dobusinessand“linger”.ItsideasarenotlimitedtoWestonRoaditself,butincludeproposedlandscapetreatmentsonmostside-streetswheretheyconnecttoit.Anditwantstosee“green”designintermsoftreecanopy,groundcoverplantingsandbetterstorm-watermanagementaswellasaroadthatworksbetterfor“activetransportation”suchascyclistsandpedestrians.

TheMasterplanrecognizesthattheBIAhasaverylimitedbudget,soitsproposalsarepresentedasa“kitofparts”thatcanbeusedasopportunitiesarise–forexample,whennewdevelopmentsareproposed,orwhentheCityisworkingonstreets,sidewalksorsewersinthearea.Thekit’ssixelementsare:specialtypaving,colour,trees,vegetation,seatingandart.Mostofthesecanbeusedinoneormoreofshort,mediumorlong-termsituations.

TheaboveillustrationisoneoftheMasterplan’sseveral“visualizations”ofhowitskitcanbeused.Italsoincludesmapsofshort-term,mediumandlong-termopportunities.MDCAisexcitedabouttheMasterplan,andthewayitrelatestoandexpandsonourownvisionforthefutureofWestonRoad.

To seeour seriesofarticlesonWestonRoaddevelopment inprevious issuesof thisnewsletter, aswell the fullBIAMasterplan,goon-linetomountdennis.caandfollowthelinks.

Mount Dennis Community Association

Mount Dennis Eco-Neighbourhood

Initiative

“Tobealiveable,net-zeroenergyneighbourhoodandinspireotherstodothe

same.”

BIKE LANES FOR WESTON ROAD?

BikelanesorpathswillsoonbebuiltonEglintonbetweenJaneandKeele,andMountDennisStationwillhavebikestorage areas. But despite claims of promoting “activetransportation” like walking and cycling, there are noplans tomake it safe and easy for people to bike alongWestonRoad toand from the station. Toomany cyclistsalready use our sidewalks, and theLRTwill likelymakethatworse!

MDCAbelievestheansweristoaddbikelanesonWestonRoadinourarea.WelookedelsewhereinTorontotoseewhatworks,andliketheexampleofHarbordStreetwhichhashadbikelanesformanyyears.HarbordSt.andWestonaresurprisinglysimilarfromatransportationstandpoint.Bothareminorarterialswithabusrouterunningonthem,similartrafficvolumes,on-streetparkingandstreetretailstores.Keydifferences?Harborddoesnotban rush-hourparking, has permanent bike lanes, and is two metresnarrower–whichmeansWestonRoadcanlikelycanfitall-hoursparkingonbothsides,aswellasbikelanes.

WebelieveHarbord-stylebikelanescouldbecheaplyandpainlessly installed onWeston Road. Harbord works bygivingdriversspacetogetaroundaparkedbusoraleft-turningvehicle(seeillustrationbelow).Andwherethereisno bus stop or need for vehicles to make left turns, itreverts to a single lane in each direction. This frees-uproom for a safe cycling lane as well as parking spaces.Wherevertwolanesoftrafficareneededinonedirection,the parking space is removed so the bike lane is notinterruptedandflowsaroundthevehicularlanes.

Theonlysacrificeinallthiswouldbelosinganextratrafficlane inrushhour.Butwehavenoticed,the inside lane israrelyusedforacontinuous-travellane,sothelosswouldbe minimal. And a slight slowing of rush-hour trafficthrough our neighbourhood should improve pedestriansafety.

Whatdoyouthink?Emailusatinfo@mountdennis.ca.

WHAT’S UP WITH SCOTIABANK?

NowthatCIBCisgone,ScotiabankatWestonandEglintonis the only bank inMountDennis. So,whenMDCAheardrumoursthatithadbeensold,wewereveryconcerned.Wewerealso confused.This is a smallproperty, thebuildingitselfispartoftheCityofToronto'sInventoryofHeritageProperties and the grassy area out front is designated“Public Open Space” in the City’s Official Plan – so whywouldanyonewanttobuyit?

Someresearchtoldusthat thiswaspartofasetofsevenScotiabankbranchpropertiesinToronto(andafewmoreinHaltonRegion) bought onMay 18th last year by SilverHotel Group (2629964 ONTARIO INC). The buyerconfirmedthepurchasewassolelyan investmentandnotintendedaspartofaredevelopment.

We asked Srini Iyengar, our local branch manager, toexplain,andhereiswhathetoldus.

Scotiabank’snewpolicyistorentratherthanownmanyofits bank branch properties. Selling off the propertiesprovides cash the bank can invest in otherways.Here inMountDennistheyhavesignedalong-termleasewiththenewowners,andasfarasSriniknowstherearenoplansto close the bank at the moment (though he cannotguaranteewhatheadofficewilldointhefuture).Srinialsopointedtotheongoingneedforlocalbankingserviceshere,and the likelihoodofnewcustomers fromLRT travellers,workersatthestationandrailyard,andasaresultofnewdevelopmentexpectedtohappeninourarea.

So,fornow,atleast,itis“businessasusual”atScotiabank,andwecanstopworrying.Whew!

Community Office:1965 Weston Rd.! 416-243-7984" fhassan-co@ndp.on.ca

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YONGE STREET MISSION: BRINGING PEOPLE AND COMMUNITIES TOGETHER

Coffee • Espresso • Hot Chocolate Fresh-Baked Pastries • Grilled Paninis

Communityissomuchmorethanasharedpostalcode.Itisasenseofbelonging,withawebofconnectedrelationshipsthatimpactourhealth,senseofidentityandvalue.YongeStreetMission(YSM)nolongerjustworksindowntownToronto.YSMworkswithcommunitymembersandorganizationsfromacrossthecitytoencouragepositivechangeandsupportthedevelopmentofstrongandthrivingcommunitiesthatarecommunity-identified,owned,anddelivered.YSMisexcitedtohaveestablishedtheirnewofficeservingtheneighbourhoodsofKeelesdale-EglintonWest,Beechborough-Greenbrook,Weston,andMountDennis.

YSM looks forward to workingwith both communitymembers and organizations in these neighbourhoods to createinitiativesthatwillhelpneighboursgettoknowoneanother,orthatwillhelpcommunitymemberstobemoreresourceful,moreresilient,ormorecontent.Ifyouhaveskillsorexpertisethatyouwouldliketosharewithyourneighbours–whetherit’sgardening, cooking, sewing,eventplanning,advocating for social causes,oranynumberof activities thatpromotewellness,safetyandequity-YSMwouldlovetohearfromyouandtohelpyouturnthosedreamsintoreality!

To learn more or get involved, contact Michael Caldara, Community Partnership Coordinator at 416-797-9939 ormcaldara@ysm.ca NEIGHBOURHOOD CENTRE MEALS, FACILITY RENTALS AND MORE Hungry? Come visit the Mount DennisNeighbourhood Centre (MDNC) at 1269Weston Road at Ray Ave. MDNC offers freedrop-inmeals on Saturdaysat 5:30 p.m. andSundaysat10:30a.m.Theyalsoofferhousingsupportandreferralsforhealthcareandotherservices.

Are you looking to host a party, or cookproducts foryour smallbusiness?Theyofferkitchen and venue rentals for all occasions!Calltoday!(416)572-0203.

UNIVERSITY STUDENTS HELP OUT

EverywinterasmallgroupofstudentsfromtheUniversityofTorontospendsthreedaysinMountDennis,aspartofanoptional “Alternative Reading Week” program. This getsthemawayfromthecampustounfamiliarpartsofToronto,where they do three days of voluntarywork for the localcommunity.

Thisyear’steamwasTahasun,AnthonyandJulia,seenhereoutside the LibrarywithMDCA’s Simon Chamberlain. Thegroupworked on three things for us: helping transfer theMDCAweb-sitetoanewsoftwareplatformanddoingsomerelated upgrades; staffing the Community Rink as skate-fittersandon-icecoaches;andupdatingourannualsurveyofWestonRoadretailers.Bigthankstoallthreeofthem,andtotheUniversityformakingitallhappen.

FIRE IN MOUNT DENNIS

On January 19th the house at 43 Lambton Ave. wasdestroyed by fire on one of the coldest nights of thewinter,as temperaturesdipped to-20C.The family inthe house escaped unharmed, but all their belongingswere destroyed and the family dog, rescued byfirefighters,laterdied.

Fireserviceshadahardtimeputtingoutthisthree-alarmfire, leaving extensive water and ice on neighbouringpropertiesandonthestreet.Thetwoadjoininghousessuffereddamageboth fromwaterand from the flamesandheat.

IfyoufollowMDCAonFacebookorsubscribetooure-blasts,you learnedof thisthenextday.Youalsoheardabout the fantastic work that followed, led by ErinRonningenof theBlackCreekAlliance,who launchedaGoFundMecampaignthatraised$10,575tosupportthefamily.Donationsofclothingandhouseholditemswerecollected at St. Mary and St. Martha’s, and those thefamilycouldnotusewenttoothersinneed.

Theextendedfamilyofsixadultsandeightchildrenwishto remain in Mount Dennis, and are looking forpermanentaccommodation.TOASTMASTERS CLUB COMING

MountDennis is about to get a Toastmasters Club. Itsstart-upmeetingwillbeattheChurchofSt.Mary&St.Martha(WestonRoadatEglinton)inmid-April.WatchfordetailsorcontactAlFarringtonat416-722-0254ur1withus1116@gmail.comorPaulFerreiraat647-290-3483-paulandtim@rogers.com.

Joining a Toastmasters Club can be a great way toimprove your public speaking skills, and is especiallyhelpful for thosewhomayfeel toonervoustospeak infront of large groups or strangers. ToastmastersInternationalhasexistedsince1924,hasnearly400,000members and a very solid reputation. Membership isopen to all those over 17, but anyone can attendmeetingsasavisitor.

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L-R:Anthony,Simon,Tahasun,Julia

LOST YOUR SPECIAL RING? If you think you may have dropped it in the Pearen

Park Skate Hut this winter, call 416-614-3371

GOODBYE ROSS – AND “THANK YOU”

Ross’NoFrillsopenedinearly2006inabrand-newbuildingnexttoPhotographyDrive.Mostpeople seemed to really like thenewstore. Someeven ranked itas“Toronto’sbestNoFrills”,andtherewason-linepraiseforitsmassivesize,widerangeofproducts, generouslywideaisles, and freshfishandmeat counters. Itssuccesssoonledtomoreandmorecustomersandhugeline-upsontheweekends,butoverallpeopleseemedprettyhappyaboutRoss’NoFrills.FewcustomerskneworthoughttoaskwhoRosswas,orwhatroleheplayedinmakingitworksowell.

Asthefranchisee,Rosswasresponsibleforallthedetailsofhowthestoreworked,including its staffing, and he was a startlingly “hands-on” manager. Regularshoppersgotusedtoseeinghimstackinggroceriesontheshelves,thoughmanyprobablyassumedhewasjustanotherstaffer.ButthisanonymousphysicalworkhelpedRossstayawareofwhatwasworkingwellandwhatwasnot.Occasionally,iftherewerenotenoughtellersavailable,Rosswouldbetheoneatthetilldoing the check-outs and accepting payment. He was also hands-on with his problem solving. When a customercomplained about aparticularproduct thatwas outof stock, Ross realised Loblaw’s computerised product-orderingsystemwasnotmeetingcustomerneedsforthisproduct,sodecidedthestorewouldstartorderingitdirectly.

WegottoknowRossalittlethrougharrangingadvertsforthisNewsletter(seepage7).Ourconversationswerealwaysbrief,becauseRosswasthekindofpersonwhoneverusedtwowordswhereonewoulddo,andhewasusuallymulti-tasking:stackingshelvesaswetalked!Hisdecisionswerealmost instant.Hewoulddecide immediately“Yes”or“No”whenaskedifwecouldrunhisadinthenextissue,andwouldwaitforustoaskhimaboutaddinganythingdifferent,usuallyexpectingustofigureouttheadvert’sslogan,suchas“GetyourFluShothere”.

Rosssurpriseduslastsummerbymakingacommitmentinadvance.Hetoldus“Youcanruntheexactsameadinthenextissue”.He’dneverdonethisbefore,but itmadesense laterwhenwediscoveredhehad left in theFallof2018,andatemporarymanagerwasrunningthestore.

AswegotopressweunderstandLoblawisabouttomakethedecisiononthenewfranchisee,sothe“Ross’NoFrills”signwillgivewaytosomethingdifferent.Butwethinkitisonlyrighttoacknowledgetheeffectivenessandhardworkofamanwhoservedmostlocalresidentsformorethantwelveyears.Inanon-lineforumdiscussingwhichNoFrillsstoreswerethebest,someonewrote:“Ithinkit’sallduetothepersonwhorunstheNoFrills,theproprietor”.Weagree.So,wethankRossforajobwelldone!Thenewfranchiseewillhaveahighstandardtoliveupto.

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WHAT WE CAN DO TO REDUCE FLOODING

As20-yearMountDennisresidents,wehaveseenfirst-handhowfloodingcandevastatehomes,especiallyinlow-lyingareas.Urbanfloodsaremostlyman-madeduetopoorlymaintaineddrains,plasticdebriscloggingsewers,shrinkingopenspacesandstorm-drainseasilyoverwhelmedbyheavyrainsandlargesnowmelts.Ourstormwatermanagementsystemsarenotbigenoughtohandlethemassivesurgesbeingcausedbyclimatechange.

WhiletheTorontoRegionConservationAuthorityistheagencyresponsibleforgivingmunicipalitiestheinformationtheyneedtopreventfloodsandrespondtothosethathappen,weaslocalresidentscandoourparttoreduceflooding.

Growgardensnotdriveways.Gardenscansoakuprain,butpavingandconcretecauserun-offtoflowontothestreetandintothestormwaterdrainswhichcannotalwayscopeandmaycauseflooding.ThesandysoilsofMountDennisdrainwellandareconducivetofarming.Wegrowourownfoodonourfrontyardeveryyear–vegetableslikezucchini, peppers, tomatoes, beans, cabbage, kale, swiss chard,wildflowers likemarigoldsandblack-eyedSusan’sandanassortmentofherbs. Beesfeastontheseherbsandflowersallday,pollinatingthevegetables for higher yield. We’ve connected more with ourneighboursastheystopbyandchatwhilewe’reouttheretendingourgarden,withparentsshowingtheirchildrenwherefoodcomesfrom.In our back yard, a black walnut tree helps prevent erosion andprovidescoolingshade,butalsoprovidesnutswhichwehaveturnedintodozensofbanana-walnutloaves.

“Rainwaterharvesting”referstothepracticeofcollectingrainwater fromarooforothersurfaceandusingittosupplementfreshmunicipalwater.Weuserainbarrelstocollectstormwaterfromourownroofwhichwethenusetowaterthegardens.Bydoingso,wehaverealizedwatersavingsby reducingtheuseof treatedmunicipalwater,whilealsohelping to reduce theamountof stormwaterrunoffontothestreetsandintotheundergroundsewers.Divertingstormwaterrunoffhelpstoreducetheamountoffloodingandghastlysewerback-ups.WehavefurtherreducedourimpactbyinstallingaFrenchDrainbeneathouryard,whichdivertswaterawayfromthehouseandslowlyreleasesitintothesoil.

Reduceplasticwaste.Drainagesystemsblockedbyplasticbagshavebeenidentifiedasamajorcauseofflooding.Plasticpollution also ends up flowing into the Great Lakes, and like the oceans, much of what remains as floating trashisconsumedbyfishandentersthefoodchain.Wehavemindfullyreducedourplasticwasteconsumptionby:

a) Carryingreusableshoppingbagssowedonotneedsingle-useplasticbagsforproduce,breadandbulkitems.

b) Saying“no”tosingle-useplasticcups,straws,platesandcutlery–webringourownceramicorstainless-steelcoffeecupswhentraveling,orminimizetake-outfromrestaurantsthatdonotuserecyclablepackaging.

c) Eliminatingplasticfoodwrapbyusingalternativessuchasglasscontainersorstainless-steelbowlswithmatchinglids,andre-usableandbiodegradablefoodclothmadewithrecycledcottonandcoatedinbeeswax.

Wehaveseenthat thesesmallchangeswe’vemadehavesomehowmadeadifference,andwehopethisarticlemightinspireyoutodosomethingsimilar.WhynotsendanemailtoMDCAtotelluswhatYOUhavebeenabletodotomakeourcommunitybetterandsafer?We’llbehappytopostthemon-lineorincludetheminafutureMDCANewsletter.

DonandJonaarelong-timeresidentsofMountDennisandaremembersofMDCA’sboard.Theycallthemselves“food-lovingecowarriors”.FollowthemonInstagram@ecojavafoodie

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UPCOMING EVENTS

MARCH&APRIL:MDCA/supercoffeeSPRINGCLEAN-UPS#MDSpringClean

Mar.30th–Jane&Pinehillravineedges.Meet10a.m.,endofBartonvillenr.Jane.Apr.6th–Somerville&Sunnybraeravine.Meet10a.m.WestendofGlenvalleyDr.Apr.13th–DoraSpencer&EmmettAve.Meet10a.m.WestonatDoraSpencerRd.Apr.20th–Lambton&Astoriaravineedges.Meet10a.m.LambtonatAstoria.Apr.27th–Eglintonsouthside.Meet10a.m.atSEFlatsPark,parkinglotentrance.

APRIL13thCOMMUNITYENVIRONMENTDAY,10a.m.–2p.m.SponsoredbyCouncillorNunziataandtheCityofToronto.EglintonFlats(N.W.quadrant),101EmmettAve.

APRIL20thMDCA’sCHILDREN’SEASTEREGGHUNT,2–3:30pm(childrenages0-8)S.E.EglintonFlatsPark,southoftheFieldhouse.MeettheEasterBunny!

TWOOPPORTUNITIESTOLEARNMOREABOUTMOUNTDENNIS&BEYOND

MAY3rd–5thJANE’SWALKWEEKEND(ledbylocalresidents)Fordetailscheckjaneswalk.org(ormountdennis.caforlocalwalks)

MAY25th–26thDoorsOpenToronto(20thAnniversary!).Guidedvisitstobuildingsnormallyclosedtothepublic.Detailsatdoorsopenontario.on.ca/en/Toronto(&mountdennis.caiflocal)

2018EasterEggHunt

SpringClean-uponAstoriaAve.

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