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Topics - romank

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16
General Discussion / Rally for housing Sat. Sept. 9
« on: September 08, 2023, 09:02:54 pm »
Hands off the Greenbelt! Rally in front of Christine Horgarth’s office, 195 Norseman St. tomorrow, Sat. September 9, 2-3 p.m.

Copy of the rally flyer: https://25problems.com/images/christine-hogarth-rally.jpg

17
General Discussion / New jargon! ‘Multi-use’ paths vs. side *WALKS*
« on: August 23, 2023, 05:48:39 pm »
At several purported ‘consultations’ in my neck of what's left of the tree canopy, I have noticed that developer's are starting to use the term ‘multi-use paths’. Seems kind of odd, eg. an implication that it's somehow a good idea to encourage more vehicular traffic on what used to be called the side *WALK*. Walk. The thing that you used to do with your legs, remember?

Yesterday I saw an adult male (mid-40's?) ride his racing bicycle at speed full on through the automatic doors of the supermarket. Excuse me, automatic doors were put in for the benefit of people who use canes and wheelchairs or who are carrying groceries. Not cycling!

I said something like "that looks safe" to which I think he replied "yes I know" or some similar inane "me first, I/Me/Mine" comment.

*Here's a recent picture* of the bus stop at the south-west corner of Mount Pleasant and Eglinton Avenue East.

In this new design the bus stopped approximately where the black car used to be; the green dotted line roughly represents my path to the door of the bus's on ramp. The black dotted line stretches across the "bike path" - and so woe to the errant pedestrian or wheelchair user who gets in the way of a busy Uber driver.  I suppose that an interesting discussion of the "air rights" over the bike path as you try to board the bus is pending.

I'm not sure what the bumpy yellow things are for as they sort of parallel the multipath before doing a left into the roadway!

En route to the bus I of course had to dodge zig-zagging Bird scooters which have taken over the multipath. (Careening red arrow)

It has only recently occurred to me that perhaps the reason we are replacing actual public meetings with fly-by-night ‘consultations’ is that the former might invoke some sort of adherence to the Rules Of Order.  >:(

Related CBC news item: pedestrian struck by e-scooter includes a viewer comments section.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/escooter-regulations-toronto-1.6942906

19
General Discussion / Rally for affordable housing
« on: July 26, 2023, 12:16:01 am »
I saw this flyer posted on the street the other day. I took a picture with my cell phone and cleaned it up a bit.

Tap or click the image to enlarge it to a printable version.


[size=25].[/size]

On the down side, I live near the rally site and I can say that although there were a couple of hundred people at a recent planning town hall “style”  event — lots of luck getting their notes on what was said or implied, and their general reactions — overall *very few* people take part in the development process.  :(

I don't understand why tall condos are so... popular. Is it because affluent investors like them? You don't have to look very far to see reports of problems... no-one can say that the list of regulatory tribunals isn't growing!

https://www.ola.org/en/legislative-business/house-documents/parliament-42/session-1/2021-04-12/hansard#P249_15129

21
General Discussion / Toronto Mayor, Who to Vote For?
« on: June 26, 2023, 09:19:34 pm »
Heh heh... there is a bit of a logic bomb happening with the display of the message about Mark Saunders and imagined cuts to city services to fund the $1,000  tax break.

In the list under "Announcements" it says there are "zero replies" to the Saunders message. Um, that's because Jo Average user *can't* directly reply to it!!!

Just saying.

22
General Discussion / Rent strike item Sat June 3
« on: June 03, 2023, 04:34:15 pm »
According to an Op/Ed item in the Toronto Star today (Saturday June 3) some people living at 71, 75 and 79 Thorncliffe Park Drive are on a rent strike

23
General Discussion / Mayoral by-election
« on: June 01, 2023, 06:38:26 pm »
I guess this has been eclipsed by coverage of the security threat and the cancellation of Thursday's "debate", but several dissenting mayoral candidates and their supporters took to the sidewalk outside the Ted Rogers school of business WEDNESDAY night.

https://25problems.com/images/20230531_2102h-1024x.jpg
 

24
General Discussion / Lily Cheng event May 30
« on: May 29, 2023, 09:06:35 pm »
Further to my mention of The Edge Becomes The Center: An Oral History Of Gentrification by "DW Gibson", this thing that Toronto city councillor Lily Cheng is doing tomorrow night sounds really on the ball.

If I'm not mistaken the... featured guest at a Jack Astor's bar location in the 5,000's on Yonge St. will be Teardown author
Dave Meslin. Woah! It's a very, very readable analysis for those of us who don't live at Queen's Park or on Parliament Hill, 24/7.

It's available on Google Books and I assume at major booksellers. Published by Penguin Random House.

Way to go, Councillor Cheng!

25
General Discussion / Venice Architecture Biennale
« on: May 21, 2023, 10:07:28 pm »
There was a rare mention on the radio, Sunday evening, of alternative housing and construction concepts - way different approaches to what you usually see and hear about in this neck of the woods. The item by CBC correspondent Megan Williams on the 6 p.m. news (“The World This Weekend”) was about an event in Italy - the Venice Architecture Biennale - and it actually mentioned calls for "intensification" and gentrification taxes!!!

Although I was able to grab the audio from the internet, I had a bit of difficulty tracking the rest of piece down... ok, here is the web page, and I'm still working on the transcript since the text and the audio report that was on the radio are not exactly the same thing.

I did post a short audio clip: https://25problems.com/audio/venice-outtake.mp3

The 6 p.m. radio program mentioned CBC's presence on Youtube, but (again) I wasn't able to locate the specific audio report. There was a related interview with Lesley Lokko though: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5KTNPh0EH4Q

26
General Discussion / Climate action debate June 5
« on: May 19, 2023, 08:00:34 pm »
Climate discussion for mayoral candidates at the University of Toronto, downtown campus.

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/630417314157

27
This is a long shot but there is a thing on where - after they put an end to the wasted green space that is the golf course! - as many as four condo towers are going up adjacent to the S-K building (formerly Minto) at 35 St. Dennis Drive.

The “public consultation” for this (four new towers bearing the address of 155 St. Dennis Dr.) is Wed. May 3rd

Contact planner Marian Prejel 416-392-9337. Lots of luck getting her notes about this, other than the mess that has been the A.I.C. (see https://25problems.com/app.php/aic3) to date... also with getting any real sense of how many folks participated in this sham and who they were. All notes are a part of the public record and are only for internal consumption - eg. the planning dept.!!! Citizens keep out!! Thanks for participating!


Btw, what happens here when a building flips? I tried searching "Minto" via the search box and it came up empty - https://25problems.com/images/minto-gap-torontorenters.jpg

28
General Discussion / Candidates Meet & Greet Tuesday evening?
« on: April 24, 2023, 10:07:42 pm »
Nobody tells me anything... apparently there is some sort of 'meet the candidates' event happening tomorrow evening at Jack Astor's at 580 Progress Ave. in Scarborough... Scarborough Town Centre maybe? Just NE of Kennedy and Ellesmere?? I have never been to the STC... no, that's wrong - I went there once to buy pond supplies and we would pass it I think, on the way to the zoo.

The meet the candidates event is hosted by something called "Connecting GTA".

It's apparently free but there's limited seating so you have to register to get a wristband etc. Actually what they give you is something to show to the usher using your mobile device. Lot of assumptions there.

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/601531596197

29
General Discussion / Bye bye Science Centre, local ecosystem
« on: April 18, 2023, 02:45:04 pm »
Doug Ford was adamant at a press conference this afternoon that was streamed by Global TV news via Youtube (www.youtube.com/watch?v=wj9VUiRIke0) The current Ontario Science Centre location is dust and the entire attraction will be moving to Ontario Place on the lake shore.

Say you're pleased!



...and kiss good-bye to any hope of restoring the environment in that neck of the Don Valley woods.



Roman K. • "admin" at 25 Problems dot com

30
Evictions / Toronto Star LTB item mentions virtual hearings
« on: April 12, 2023, 11:42:00 pm »
An April 5 item in the Toronto Star said Jessica Bell M.P.P. is concerned about the online hearing process at the Landlord and Tenant board.

“If you do not speak English well, if you don’t have access to a reliable internet connection or a computer, you could be removed from the online hearing process and be evicted just because you ran out of cellphone minutes” Bell was quoted as saying. See www.thestar.com/politics/2023/04/05/ontario-to-beef-up-tenant-protections-housing-minister-says.html

See also www.jessicabellmpp.ca/ford_s_latest_housing_bill_doubles_down_on_bad_planning

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