people plan toronto continued

1
Across 1 Dancing in drag is risqué? (6) 4 Heard about an occasional worker's efforts (8) 9 Dad's taste of dessert (6) 10 Tori & Erin redesign space within walls (8) 12 Getting to hurting again? (8) 13 Tablet shattered during struggle (6) 15 Clyde & Ian cope, using reference material (12) 19 Error is here, in loop — symbolizing something (12) 22 Tea set broken in family home (6) 23 Snoop ate, using kitchen implement (8) 26 Day of the week when Stu took in article and rearranged yard (8) 27 Aha! Wii is scrambled in this state (6) 28 Put down flower during crisis? (8) 29 Measure of distance for merest change (6) Down 1 Dear Edward picked up Page and left (8) 2 Investigation methods somehow scare her (8) 3 Heading a little downtown, or thereabouts (5) 5 Style or sound that's specific to Northeast (4) 6 Happiness involves couple of evenings at altitude (9) 7 Heard young ruler doesn't use cursive? (6) 8 Thoroughfare where saint displayed greenery (6) 11 Sir, do no dancing inside the house (7) 14 Fearsome as lesions, harboring disease (7) 16 Jagged fissure in remedies for animals (9) 17 Extinct beast is around, somehow (8) 18 Siege can disrupt some client servers, perhaps? (8) 20 One hundred backed off— and stopped altogether (6) 21 Best at useless situation, for the most part (6) 24 Lose drink? (5) 25 Call for piece of paper? (4) THE COFFEE SHOP CRYPTIC CROSSWORD BY KIMBERLY DARLINGTON Solution on Page 23 37 funds should only go towards capital facilities. But since there is no longer money in the city’s budget for heritage conservation district studies, communities need funds from Sec- tion 37 to ensure heritage zones will be protected, according to Sandra Shaul, member of the Annex Resi- dents’ Association and the city’s preservation panel. Preserving the Annex as a heritage district is as im- portant to its residents as building a basketball court at Jane Street and Finch Avenue is to its residents, she said. Heritage enthusiasts in the Annex are content because they already se- cured $70,000 of Section 37 funds for the current Bloor Corridor Vi- sioning Study from the One Bedford development, but under the new pro- visions the city would not direct the money to heritage studies. Summit participants spent much of the day discussing how the Ontario Municipal Board (OMB) should not have ruling authority over planning decisions made by the City of Toronto, and discussed alternatives to the controversial provincial board. “One of the solutions is to have some kind of planning committee that has an overview and isn’t just in- volved to mediate issues,” said Howard Cohen, former city planner, whose private Context Development business worked on numerous con- dominium developments in Toronto. “The way to protect neighbour- hoods is to get the development where you want it, not to stop it,” he said. There’s an increasing demand in Toronto for three- or more bed- room condominiums for families, and as a result, developers are shifting to meet those market demands, he added. Cohen spoke about the impor- tance of communication between different groups because most coun- cillors share an unspoken pact to avoid interfering with issues in each other’s wards. It’s also important for residents to understand how difficult it is for professional developers to at- tend community meetings because residents are often hostile towards them and eventually developers can begin to believe the groups, accord- ing to Cohen. “It’s like being kidnapped; people begin to fall in love with the kidnap- per,” he said. Matthew Blackett, publisher of Spacing magazine, addressed specific ways the city can help engage a wider variety of residents, especially a younger generation who will become the next urban leaders. “I firmly believe the city planning department needs to become a mul- timedia producer,” he said. He showed Councillor Adam Gi- ambrone’s (Ward 18, Davenport) Facebook page as an example of how to inform young residents about community issues and showed still images from the video game Sim City to illustrate how someone can learn about urban planning through a creative medium. “I think it’s much easier now be- cause of technology to reach out to people, especially those with disabil- ities who use the Internet as their major source of communication,” Blackett said. Traditional means of communication, like paper flyers in the mail, may not reach people who rent or struggle to read English. “If there’s a higher rate of tenant involvement and they’re considered a stakeholder in this, you’re going to be involved in a wider range of socio- economic and diversity [issues],” Blackett said. Although many summit attendees were tenants, the vast majority were white, which Cohen pointed out is not reflective of Toronto. PPT organizers tried to invite an assorted panel of speakers and are confident its membership will diver- sify as residents throughout the city network and inform others of the group and its mission, according to Shaul. “We’re not going to put in a quota system where you have to have x number of people of x number of shades in there, but what you have to have is people go back to their neigh- bourhoods and get more people out to these meetings and make more people active,” Shaul said. The next step for PPT is to organ- ize a database website for networking and information sharing so residents’ groups will no longer feel isolated and members from different wards will unite to support individual bat- tles, Shaul added. PLAN, cont’d from page 1 18 THE ANNEX GLEANER JUNE 2007 LIFE & LEISURE THE ANNEX GLEANER welcomes your letters 169 Brunswick Ave.Toronto, ON, M5S 2M4 [email protected]

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A group of diverse residents' associations across Toronto united to make a larger impact on the city's planning process.

TRANSCRIPT

Across1 Dancing in drag is risqué? (6)4 Heard about an occasional

worker's efforts (8)9 Dad's taste of dessert (6)10 Tori & Erin redesign space

within walls (8)12 Getting to hurting again? (8)13 Tablet shattered during

struggle (6)15 Clyde & Ian cope, using

reference material (12)19 Error is here, in loop —

symbolizing something (12)22 Tea set broken in family

home (6)23 Snoop ate, using kitchen

implement (8)26 Day of the week when Stu took

in article and rearranged yard (8)

27 Aha! Wii is scrambled in thisstate (6)

28 Put down flower duringcrisis? (8)

29 Measure of distance for merestchange (6)

Down1 Dear Edward picked up Page

and left (8)2 Investigation methods somehow

scare her (8)3 Heading a little downtown, or

thereabouts (5)5 Style or sound that's specific to

Northeast (4)6 Happiness involves couple of

evenings at altitude (9)7 Heard young ruler doesn't use

cursive? (6)

8 Thoroughfare where saintdisplayed greenery (6)

11 Sir, do no dancing inside thehouse (7)

14 Fearsome as lesions,harboring disease (7)

16 Jagged fissure in remedies foranimals (9)

17 Extinct beast is around,somehow (8)

18 Siege can disrupt some clientservers, perhaps? (8)

20 One hundred backed off—and stopped altogether (6)

21 Best at useless situation,for the most part (6)

24 Lose drink? (5)25 Call for piece of paper? (4)

THE COFFEE SHOP CRYPTIC CROSSWORDBY KIMBERLY DARLINGTON

Solution on Page 23

37 funds should only go towardscapital facilities. But since there is nolonger money in the city’s budget forheritage conservation district studies,communities need funds from Sec-tion 37 to ensure heritage zones willbe protected, according to SandraShaul, member of the Annex Resi-dents’ Association and the city’spreservation panel. Preserving theAnnex as a heritage district is as im-portant to its residents as building abasketball court at Jane Street andFinch Avenue is to its residents, shesaid.

Heritage enthusiasts in the Annexare content because they already se-cured $70,000 of Section 37 fundsfor the current Bloor Corridor Vi-sioning Study from the One Bedforddevelopment, but under the new pro-visions the city would not direct themoney to heritage studies.

Summit participants spent muchof the day discussing how the OntarioMunicipal Board (OMB) should nothave ruling authority over planningdecisions made by the City ofToronto, and discussed alternatives tothe controversial provincial board.

“One of the solutions is to havesome kind of planning committeethat has an overview and isn’t just in-volved to mediate issues,” saidHoward Cohen, former city planner,whose private Context Developmentbusiness worked on numerous con-dominium developments inToronto.

“The way to protect neighbour-hoods is to get the developmentwhere you want it, not to stop it,” hesaid. There’s an increasing demandin Toronto for three- or more bed-room condominiums for families,and as a result, developers are shiftingto meet those market demands, headded.

Cohen spoke about the impor-tance of communication betweendifferent groups because most coun-cillors share an unspoken pact toavoid interfering with issues in eachother’s wards. It’s also important forresidents to understand how difficultit is for professional developers to at-tend community meetings becauseresidents are often hostile towardsthem and eventually developers canbegin to believe the groups, accord-ing to Cohen.

“It’s like being kidnapped; peoplebegin to fall in love with the kidnap-per,” he said.

Matthew Blackett, publisher ofSpacing magazine, addressed specificways the city can help engage a widervariety of residents, especially ayounger generation who will becomethe next urban leaders.

“I firmly believe the city planningdepartment needs to become a mul-timedia producer,” he said. Heshowed Councillor Adam Gi-ambrone’s (Ward 18, Davenport)Facebook page as an example of howto inform young residents aboutcommunity issues and showed stillimages from the video game SimCity to illustrate how someone canlearn about urban planning througha creative medium.

“I think it’s much easier now be-cause of technology to reach out topeople, especially those with disabil-ities who use the Internet as theirmajor source of communication,”Blackett said. Traditional means ofcommunication, like paper flyers inthe mail, may not reach people whorent or struggle to read English.

“If there’s a higher rate of tenantinvolvement and they’re considered astakeholder in this, you’re going to beinvolved in a wider range of socio-economic and diversity [issues],”Blackett said.

Although many summit attendeeswere tenants, the vast majority werewhite, which Cohen pointed out isnot reflective of Toronto.

PPT organizers tried to invite anassorted panel of speakers and areconfident its membership will diver-sify as residents throughout the citynetwork and inform others of thegroup and its mission, according toShaul.

“We’re not going to put in a quotasystem where you have to have xnumber of people of x number ofshades in there, but what you have tohave is people go back to their neigh-bourhoods and get more people outto these meetings and make morepeople active,” Shaul said.

The next step for PPT is to organ-ize a database website for networkingand information sharing so residents’groups will no longer feel isolatedand members from different wardswill unite to support individual bat-tles, Shaul added.

PLAN, cont’d from page 1

18 T H E A N N E X G L E A N E R J U N E 2 0 0 7

L I F E & L E I S U R E �

THE ANNEX GLEANERwelcomes your letters

169 Brunswick Ave.Toronto, ON, M5S 2M4

[email protected]