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MDCA monthly meeting
Youth Programs in Mount Dennis Open House
Wednesday Nov 11, 7- 9 pm Mount Dennis Legion 1050 Weston Road (south of eglinton)
Come out an find out what free programs are being offered for children and youth in our neighbourhood. Bring along your suggestions for new or additional programs in the area.
Groups who would like to present or participate please contact mountdennisra@hotmail.com MDCA monthly meetingWhat’s happening in the City today
Wednesday October 14, 7- 9 pm Mount Dennis Legion 1050 Weston Road (south of eglinton)
Guest Speaker, Frances Nunziata speaks about many items of interest to Mount Dennis. Information on the Community Centre, Arts Project, proposal for Kodak lands, TTC Eglinton LRT, Protech Media Centre.
Come out to learn more, or ask your own questions.
Refreshments provided, activities for the children, all are welcome
Photo highlights of the Party in the Park, Human Train and Community play project will also be displayed Human Train & the Mount Dennis WhistlestopMDCA is advocating that the regional transit expansion on our rail corridor use electric trains, not polluting diesels. There has been a lot in the newspapers recently with confusing information about health concerns, and Metrolinx is to have issued a household newsletter saying there is nothing to worry about. The Toronto Medical Officer of Health, contrary to the Metrolinx stories, is concerned and wants the trais to be electric. For more info on this, check out www.cleantrain.ca.
Heres a view of the train as it made its way south from the Junction along the rail path and into Sorauren Park: http://gallery.me.com/bdsstudios#101299 The Human train and the Whistle stop in Mount Dennis event helped to build the momentum and connect our neighbourhood, and people could not miss banner stretched across the corner of Weston and Eglinton. The crowd singing to Lin Cheong's remix of Do The Locomotion was a hit, and we now have our Mount Dennis Theme Song. Guest speakers Councillor Frances Nunziata, MP Alan Tonks, Public School Trustee Chris Tonks and Mike Sullivan from the Clean Train coalition were all great! All of this plus the greetings by the Community Theatre folks at LEF and Coffee Time corner along the way gave everyone a real boost as the Human Train gained energy and length in our way down toward the Junction. The Human Train moved through events at the Junction, at Wallace Bridge and to the Main Rally at Sorauren Park where Louise gave greetings from Mount Dennis and we heard Toronto’s Medical Officer of Health say he recommends electrification. I estimate we had between 1200 and 1500 people were at the rally (don’t believe the newspaper count). About 600 of us continued along Queen street to the finale at Trinity Bellwoods Park, with drummers and the signing of a large message to Premier McGuinty. Again, thanks for an amazing effort to all involved and I look forward to us all continuing to get the community engaged in the Clean Train campaign. Ps. Heres a couple of utube videos and the more coverage on the event. Party in the ParkWow what a great Party - check out the pictures
The Mount Dennis Community Kitchen provided hamburgers, hotdogs, fruit, snacks and drinks for all those who attended. Noticable in the their chef hats and aprons - and their great big smiles. Thanks so much to this great group. Want to find out more - stop by on Friday evenings 6 - 9pm at Mount Dennis United Church (guestville and dennis ave)
The Community Play project gave us two sneak peaks from their planned fall performance (Sept 19/20/26/27). The turtles showcased the eglinton flats and some of the local children who are very 'green' aware. The kitchen & vegetable parade provide a great opportunity for the audience to participate and highlighted the talent of local musician Obie who is the youth musical director for the play. The play project team meets on Friday nights along side the community kitchen. Contact Dale Hamilton if you are interested.
b-current dancers - with their 'nancy spider' faces, great music and dance moves provided lots of excitement and once again got the whole audience participating. A surprise visit by a Moko Jumbie that got a mini caribana style parade started in the park. Thanks to the new to us group - check out thier website or their
Arts in your Backyard BBQ on August 15th in Weston-Mt. Dennis (in partnership with Toronto Community Housing) 30 Denarda Street 12:00 to 5:00pm.Dave the turtle guy and Amanda one of our local youth environmentalist / activists lead groups on a tour of the pond area. If you have never been into the flats you are missing out on prime urban oasis with more than 100 bird species (spotted during one of the tours was a blue heron), turtles, fish, foxes amongst lots of trees and green space hidden behind soccer fields and tennis courts. Also thanks to Dave for providing fishing rods and help for all the children who wanted to try and catch something - no fish, but lots of fun was had. Thanks to YCS who provided had washing stations and information. The Clean Train Coalition had an info table with an update on efforts to get electric transit running on the rail corridor by 2014. We want to see this happen instead of the current plan which will have our neighbourhood polluted by increased diesel train traffic. As part of this, a Speak Out Poster Art station attracted local several sign artists for signs to use at future events. Also, a petition to the Province was signed by a number of party-go-ers. See CTC for further details Finally thanks to all the Mount Dennis community for coming out on a beautiful summer evening and celebrating all that is good about our neighbourhood. Jane's WalkJane’s Walk
On Sunday May 3, members of the MDCA and community participated in the 3rd annual Jane’s walk. This walk celebrates the life and philosophy of renowned Toronto based urban planner – Jane Jacobs. This year there were two walks in Mount Dennis. The Secret Garden and Riverbank tour included a visit to one of Toronto’s oldest private cemeteries with a spectacular view of the Humber River, through to the peaceful riverbank and ponds below, a peak at a secret garden built over the years by an anonymous newcomer. Walk the Talk gave participants a unique birds-eye view of what remains of the former Kodak factory (once employing 4,000 people), now the subject of passionate public discussion regarding possible redevelopment of these 50-plus acres. On both walks there were sneak peaks of the planned Mount Dennis Community Theatre project. Spring Clean-upsMDCA Clean-up program 2009
Saturday April 4 - Jane & Lambton (along the ravine to the park entrance at Bayliss)
Each would run from 10am – 12. Snacks & drinks provided, prizes for children, offer community hours for high school students, and encourage residents in the immediate area to participate in the specific clean-up. We would also support additional clean-ups that were hosted by street volunteers. Hot Topics in Mount DennisHot Topics for Mount Dennis Wednesday February 11, 2009, 7 – 9pm Mount Dennis Legion 1050 Weston Road (2 blocks south of Eglinton)
Metrolinx and the GO and Air Rail Link expansion within our Community (check out metrolinx.com to get more information and provide your input) Metrus application for development of the former Kodak lands Habitat for Humanity Introduction of Action for Neighbourhood Change’s (ANC) new coordinator
All Welcome, Refreshments provided Gateway to Mount DennisOn Thursday September 11 the gateway to Mount Dennis and the MDCA signs were officially unveiled. Thanks to Councillor Nunziata and the city who provided this attractive welcome to our community. Check out Weston Road and Eglinton (north west corner) the next time you drive or walk by. Blue 22The “Blue 22” proposal for a rail link from Pearson Airport to Union Station was made public in December 2004. (It was the federal government’s response to a 1998 request from the city of Toronto for assistance building a subway line to the airport after the cancellation of the Eglinton subway.) This proposed:
· a privately run service by SNC Lavalin on lines presently used for public rail service and one CN freight per day. · service provided using refurbished Budd diesel self-propelled railcars, originally built about 50 years ago; · an SNC Lavalin-built spur-line into the Airport that would join the existing rail corridor, where the service would use a combination of existing rail tracks and 2 new tracks within the corridor; · to make the journey to Union Station in 22 minutes, and charge more than $20 per one-way trip; · trains leaving about every 15 minutes between 5 a.m. and 1 am (thus passing Weston and Mount Dennis every 7.5 minutes in each direction); · no stops along the line (except at Bloor Street near Dundas West, and perhaps at Woodbine Racetrack).
Reaction to the proposal from residents along the route was overwhelmingly negative, especially in the Weston area where the frequent high-speed service would eliminate four level crossings and split the community in half. More than 3,000 people showed up to attend a public meeting in April, 2005 (many were turned away as the hall held 2500). Subsequently, GO transit representatives agreed to carry out a full environmental assessment, and the provincial government promised to explore other alternatives in that assessment. GO Transit is to be the recipient of $200-$300 million in federal/provincial/municipal tax money to install infrastructure for this new service. CN will receive the money from GO, and install rails, bridges, tunnels, etc. CN will own the tracks and lease them back to GO at market rates. GO will then lease the tracks to the private operator for $1 per year.
There is widespread agreement on the need for rail access to Pearson airport, but objectors point out that:
· airport passengers going directly to downtown Toronto number 17% of total passengers using Pearson, and ‘Blue 22’ wants to capture only 3-5% of the airport passengers; · a system that provided airport access using the GO system or TTC could connect to the local transit network and help address the need for improved public transit in north-west Toronto, rather than catering only to business travelers; · modern electric railcars would create far less noise and pollution than the proposed Budd cars; · vibration and noise from increased rail traffic will affect homes near the rail corridor, affecting the area’s livability and property values (the rail corridor will become the busiest in Canada, by far). · A significant amount of public money is being spent to install this infrastructure, so the resultant transit system should be a public, not private system.
Currently, local residents are still awaiting a decision from the provincial minister of environment on the terms of reference for the Environmental Assessment. They were filed with the ministry in October of 2006, and the minister had 12 weeks to make a decision. There are rumours that the original Blue 22 proposal (or something very like it) has support from all levels of government and may now be back on track. Some have expressed concern that changes to EA procedures will be used to overrule residents’ concerns and allow Blue 22 to be railroaded through. Meanwhile there has been no decision on proposals to extend the new Eglinton LRT out to the Airport. And Metrolinx, which is responsible for coordinating GTA-wide transportation planning from Burlington to Oshawa, has yet to produce an overall plan. So a decision may be made to go ahead with an airport rail link to downtown Toronto in the absence of any cohesive approach to the whole transportation picture. 4 AstoriaMarch 2009 update: Unfortunately the OMB ruled against the city and our neighbourhood - demolition of the site is now underway. Much appreciation to the local neighbours who did their part to try and save this home.
An application was made to the City of Toronto, Committee of adjustments to sever the property at 4 Astoria.
Councillor Frances Nunziata arranged for a bylaw representative and the developer to discuss the proposal, which included 4, 2 story houses of approximately 2000 square feet all with entrances from Elhurst Court. Three of the houses would have approx 8.5M frontage, and the 4th (closest to Astoria) would have approx 10M frontage, keeping all existing trees. The area is zoned R2, and the proposal met all the current bylaws associated with the zoning. About 25 residents attended the meeting expressing concerns from various aspects including: change in neighbourhood character: impacts to storm sewers: proximity to neighbours: and building height.
The committee of adjustments hearing was held on August 7. Many residents of both Astoria and Elhurst sent in letters, faxes or attended in person to express their concerns. The committee of adjustment ruled against the severence, clearly demonstrating that the community has a voice. Of course there is an appeal process, so we need to wait and see what happens next.
Regular Activities in Mount DennisFree Yoga Classes in Mount Dennis Friday evenings 7 – 8:30pm Instructor comes with incredible credentials and will focus on meditation and the spiritual aspects of yoga as well.
Mount Dennis Community Kitchen Friday 6– 9pm Drop in for some fun, food and friendship every Friday night. Contribute to the preparation or clean-up and eat for free, otherwise $3.00
Mount Dennis United Church
71 Guestville Ave
(entrance and parking on Dennis Ave)
Newcomers Multicultural Community Kitchen Cooking and preparing a meal ; Enjoying a meal and socializing; Learn about healthy, nutritious, economical meals Wedesdays 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. Cost: $2.00 per session Newcomer youth Summer club Every Saturday, 11:00 - 4:00pm 11am Drumming Circle; 1pm Photography Club; 2pm Art Exploration; 3pm Hip Hop Dance club For more info: rgoller@lefca.org or 416-769-0830 x2043
Learning Enrichment Foundation (LEF) 1267 Weston Road (Across from Coffee time at the intersection of Ray Ave and Weston Rd)
York Community Services Weston - Mount Dennis Healthcare HUB In preparation of the opening of a Healthcare HUB opening to serve Weston and Mount Dennis later this year, YCS has begun accepting applications for Medical and Social Services. Over the phone and onsite assessments will be performed prior to making an appointment. Please call: 416-653-5400 ext 1332 for Medical intake (includes nurse practitioners and chiropody) 416-653-5400 ext 1334 for Social Programs intake
Emmett Ave Community Garden Join local residents and gardeners every Wednesday from 6-8pm at Emmett Ave Community Garden, Northwest quadrant of Eglinton Flats. For more information contact Rebekka at Evergreen, 416.596.1495 ext 244. rhutton@evergreen.ca Community Stewardship Program Interested in helping maintain the natural environment at Eglinton flats? Meet up with your neighbours and our friends from the City of Toronto's Natural Environment and Community Programs section in partnership with Evergreen. Meets Tuesday’s at 6pm in Southeast Eglinton flats
For more information, please contact Cheryl Post at 416-392-LEAF or greentoronto@toronto.ca. A Soccer Bubble in Eglinton Flats?Attendees at the May 22 public meeting were overwhelmingly opposed to a soccer bubble being built in one of the Eglinton Flats parks. By the end of the meeting, Councillor Frances Nunziata stated that while many people liked the idea of making soccer more available, including through year-round bubbles, “We’ve heard you loud and clear that Eglinton Flats is NO for a bubble, and that’s what it will be”.
The meeting, organized by Councillor Nunziata along with Parks & Recreation staff, was attended by about sixty people. It was called to consider an unsolicited proposal made to the City by the Toronto Soccer Association in partnership with a private company. They proposed to spend about $3 million to lay down an artificial turf soccer pitch covered by an air-supported roof structure, similar to the tennis bubbles in Eglinton Flats South-East. The Soccer Association would be the prime tenant, but the field could be made available free-of-charge to the City at specified times, during which the Association could provide free coaching to children who could not afford to play. If the City decided to pursue this proposal, it would issue an open Request for Proposals, but would allow the original proponent the opportunity to match any lower bid. The City would not sell the land, and would eventually become the facility’s owner.
The bubble would be located either in the SE or (preferably) NW Flats, adjacent to the existing change room building to which it would be connected. It would replace an existing grass playing field. The lighting would be inside the structure
Most attendees came from Emmett Avenue, but there was also a strong Mount Dennis contingent. Residents’ concerns focused on noise, traffic congestion (especially on Emmett Ave. and at the Eglinton turn-off) and the other disruptive effects of heavier year-round park usage. There was also concern about building in the flood plain, converting precious parkland into “hard” urban space, impacts on wildlife, effects of year-round lighting, and the aesthetic impact on enjoyment of the parks. Some speakers pointed out that this is a poor community and would receive very little benefit from the proposed facility.
Some soccer representatives spoke to the pressing need for more soccer fields, though others deplored converting a grass field to artificial turf and expressed sympathy for local residents’ concerns. Several attendees encouraged the City and proponents to look at other possible sites for a bubble, including industrial areas such as the Metrus (former Kodak) lands, the area near Rockcliffe yards, or a site beside the new community centre.
MDCA Executive members Lin Cheong, Noni Damolidis and Simon Chamberlain all spoke on behalf of MDCA, expressing many of these concerns.
At the end of the meeting, Parks spokesman Kevin Bowser noted that Toronto is short of 81 soccer fields, and that a year-round bubble would help meet that shortfall. Councillor Nunziata concluded that the bubble is a good idea in principle, and stated “we should be supporting the idea on another site”.
Simon Chamberlain, Secretary Mount Dennis Community Association Community & Mobile KitchenAction for Neighbourhood Change with Mount Dennis Community Kitchen Faculty of Architecture, Landscape and Design, University of Toronto
Architecture students and community group partner to create a mobile community kitchen
Mount Dennis Community Kitchen has joined forces with Masters of Architecture students at the University of Toronto to design and build a mobile community kitchen for the historic Mount Dennis neighbourhood at Eglinton and Weston Road. Following nearly four months of design and review meetings, construction is scheduled to end April 26nd with a launch at Gladhurst Park.
This is the first collaboration of this type between the Faculty of Architecture, Landscape and Design and a community organization. Professor Adrian Blackwell introduced the course entitled “Assembling a Molecular Architecture” in early January. Since then, 13 students have established contacts with Evergreen, and most closely with the Mount Dennis Community Kitchen, regularly attending meetings and meals with drawings and models in tow. The final design includes three mobile carts calibrated to the activities and site conditions of Mount Dennis (a neighbourhood that has struggled with the disappearance of industrial jobs, such as the Kodak plant) that aim to intensify community collaboration through the simple pleasure of sharing food outdoors.
While it is unusual for a burgeoning community group to receive weekly architectural presentations, it is equally unusual for architectural students to have to interact with a real client in the form of a working community organization – and then deliver the project at full scale. This new kind of dynamic has produced a simple architecture of mobility and variability based in the social realities of Toronto. The mobile community kitchen carts will facilitate community activities ranging from clean-up initiatives, a food market and communally prepared meals.
The project is currently under construction at the University of Toronto, Faculty of Architecture, Landscape and Design and will be launched at noon on Saturday April 26th at Gladhurst Park (Eglinton and Jane) with a meal prepared in the new kitchen. The process has been documented and published online at http://moleculararchitecture.blogspot.com/.
ARC3016 “Assembling a Molecular Architecture” is a 3rd year option studio for Masters students at the faculty. Instructor Adrian Blackwell; Students Luke Stern, Pamela Tung, Giampaolo Mancuso, Nicko Elliott, Graham McNally, Jesse Jackson, Pamela Choo, Harry Teng, Larry Mac, Jamie Lennox, Scott Keyes, Gene Mastrangeli, Cara McKibbin
Partners and Collaborators: Action for Neighbourhood Change Mount Dennis Community Kitchen Evergreen Emmett Ave Community Garden Punchclock |
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