Update Regarding Humbertown Plaza Redevelopment

An updated provided from Councillor Gloria Lindsay Luby and sent to the KPRI:

"On May 15th, Etobicoke York Community Council met to deal with the
preliminary report regarding the Humbertown application.  At the March EYCC
meeting, I had asked staff to defer the matter and explore the possibility
of a Secondary Plan on the site.  Unfortunately, staff did not agree that a
Secondary Plan was necessary but fortunately we were able to pass motions
that would give the application the required scrutiny it deserves.  Humber
Valley Village Residents' Association President Niels Christensen spoke to
the Committee with concurrence of the HVVRA executive committee to proceed
with a more vigorous process.  Subsequently, I moved the following motions
in support of the Association's position:

1.       Request the Director, Community Planning Etobicoke York District,
to include in his review of the First Capital Realty application, a thorough
examination of the contextual surroundings of the Humbertown Shopping
Centre, considering all potential impacts on the community character, as
well as the need to preserve the unique character and long-term stability of
the residential communities that surround the site.

2.       Further requested that as part of this Review, potential
alternative development concepts be considered that may provide a more
compatible relationship between the development and the surrounding
communities in terms of height, density, land use mix, traffic impact and
overall urban design.

3.       Further requested that as part of this Review, a qualified
consultant be retained by the City in order to provide an independent peer
review of the "Retail Market Analysis" market impact assessment report,
provided on behalf of the proponent.

4.       In order to ensure a more thorough and productive process of
community consultation, the Etobicoke York Community Council re-affirmed its
support and further clarified the mandate of the Working Group to include
the active participation of the appointed City planners, the City, the
proponent and the designated residents' associations, with the intent that
issues and concerns arising from the application may be discussed and
resolved.

These motions will give us a planning framework for the working group.  The
group will now actively meet over the summer to discuss the application.
The developer has agreed to cooperate with the working group on a number of
these matters.

The broad community consultation will be held in September.  The date has
not been set; however there will be ample notice of this meeting.

I've made it clear that this current application does not fit with the
character of the community and we will fight the developer through all
avenues to get that point across.  In the meantime, we will negotiate in
good faith so the developer can come back with something more reasonable.


Please Mark Your Calendars for Environment Day:
Saturday June 16th, Richview Collegiate Institute, 1738 Islington Ave. (at
Eglinton)

My annual Environment Day can help you with your annual spring cleaning and
help you do your part in creating a cleaner, greener and more liveable
Etobicoke.  This is a chance to bring unused and unwanted household items.

.       Extend the life of a product by offering it to someone for reuse.
.       Reduce the amount of waste going to landfill and ensure that it is
properly recycled.
.       Ensure that hazardous waste materials are disposed of safely.

NEW: Residential cooking oil now accepted.

Pick up for FREE

.       Green Bin and Kitchen Container (with proof of new residency in the
last 90 days or in exchange for a damaged bin)
.       Leaf Compost (limit of one cubic metre per household)
Drop off for recycling or proper disposal
.       Computer Equipment & Peripherals
(e.g., desktops, laptops, hand-held portables, monitors, printing devices,
etc.)
.       Audio/Visual Equipment & Peripherals
(e.g., telephones, cell phones, pda's and pagers, cameras, small TVs,
radios,  receivers, speakers, tuners, equalizers, turntables, projectors,
recorders, DVD players and VCRs, etc.)
.       Household Hazardous Waste
(e.g., cleaning supplies and solvents, motor oil, paint, batteries,
old/unused medication, mercury thermometers/thermostats, pesticides,
fluorescent and compact fluorescent bulbs, propane tanks, etc.)

Items donated to local schools for reuse
.       Art supplies (e.g. pencils, markers, crayons, etc.)
.       Buttons, keys, and collectors' coins and stamps
.       Clipboards, corks and cork boards
.       CDs and cases
.       Children's books
.       Costume jewelry including broken/old watches and clocks with hands
.       Dress-up clothing (e.g. costumes, prom dresses, uniforms, etc.)
.       Fabric pieces, yarn
.       35 mm cameras and equipment

Items donated for reuse (please keep separate from others)
.       Sporting goods(e.g., skates, hockey equipment, bikes, rackets, etc.)

.       Books (excluding school/university curriculum books)
.       Medical equipment in good condition (e.g. eyeglasses, walking aids,
hearing aids, etc.)
.       Small household items (e.g., dishes, ornaments, kitchen utensils,
artistic drawings, games, etc.)
.       Textiles in good condition (e.g. clothing, linens, etc.)
.       Non-perishable foods will be donated to a food bank
Please do not bring: construction waste, garbage, gasoline, wood, cassette
and videotapes, commercial/ industrial hazardous waste and scrap metal.

* Note: You can recycle plastic shopping bags, foam polystyrene, empty paint
and empty aerosol cans in your blue bin.

I will be on hand to greet you and try to answer any questions you may have!
Look forward to seeing you!

Yours truly,
Gloria Lindsay Luby"

Dear Kingsway Park /Sunnylea Ratepayer,

An application has been filed for the redevelopment of Humbertown Plaza, the entire plaza is to be redeveloped including a 21 story building.

The KPRI have met with the Humber Valley Village Ratepayers in this regard. A computer model of the plans and precise details are posted on the web site below:

https://sites.google.com/site/humbervalleyvilliage/about

Recommendations:

The City Planning Division recommends that: 1.            Staff be directed to schedule a community consultation meeting for the lands at 259 and 270 The Kingsway, and 1144 Royal York Road together with the Ward Councillor. 2.            Notice for the community consultation meeting be given to landowners and residents within 120 metres of the site. 3.            Notice for the public meeting under the Planning Act be given according to the regulations under the Planning Act.

After the EYCC meeting on the 20th, Councillor Milczyn will advise in his Ward 5 news of the time, date and location of any community consultation as planned with Planning Staff and Councillor Lindsay Luby. Here is the link to the report and recommendations at this time:

http://app.toronto.ca/tmmis/viewAgendaItemHistory.do?item=2012.EY14.3

Montgomery's Inn, among other Toronto museums, are slated for closure...

Hume: City museum closures loom

November 12, 2011

In a city consumed by the cost of things, it’s easy to lose sight of the value of things.

Torontonians will be reminded of the difference later this month when Mayor Rob Ford unveils the city budget.

Among the measures included will be the closure of four of the city’s 10 museums. Sources tell the Star that those chosen to be shut are the Market Gallery, Gibson House, Montgomery’s Inn and Zion Schoolhouse.

The justification will be the nearly $1 million in savings, a tiny fraction of a city budget that in 2010 stood at $9.2 billion.

For thousands of residents who visit and use these facilities, the impact will be more about the quality of their lives than the depth of their pockets.

The 10 museums operated by the City of Toronto Culture Division cost taxpayers about $5.3 million yearly. The institutions themselves raise $1.3 million through rentals, admissions and gift shop sales.

Annual attendance is about 250,000.

Except for the Market Gallery, located downtown in the St. Lawrence Market, the venues slated for closure are in the former North York and Etobicoke.

Montgomery’s Inn has been a landmark in Etobicoke since the 1840s, when the current building was constructed. It is one of the former borough’s few surviving links to its past.

Zion Schoolhouse, which was built just two years after Confederation, remained in service until 1955. The modest but elegant structure on Finch St. E. was built by families in what was then the farming community of L’Amoreaux.

Gibson House, an impressive 1850s Georgian mansion west of Yonge St., north of Park Home Ave., is also in the former North York.

Though shuttering these attractions is unlikely to stir up the same sort of outrage as did Ford’s threats to close Toronto public libraries, it will inflict further damage on a sector already under pressure.

“Heritage is not gravy,” insists Councillor Joe Mihevc (Ward 21). “These museums are local community hubs. . . the unsung gems of our city. They offer vigorous programs for school kids. But this administration has made it clear it wants some very, very deep cuts to arts and heritage.”

As Mihevc also points out, the city has no plans yet about what to do with these historic buildings once they’re closed. Unless they are to be abandoned and left to fall apart, they will have to be sold to the private sector or maintained by the city, which costs money.

“I think the city will try to sell them,” says Mihevc. “But no one wants to see these iconic buildings turned into bars or restaurants. That would be disastrous.”

In the case of the Market Gallery, founded in 1979 as “the official exhibition space and storage of the city’s permanent art collection,” closure would mean significantly reduced public access to Toronto’s material history.

However, unless Ford is prepared to put city-owned artworks on the block, killing the gallery won’t leave the city with any saleable assets.

Culture has never figured prominently in official Toronto; the major arts institutions in this city depend on federal and provincial funding as well as private philanthropy and the box-office. Even the city’s museums receive $430,000 from Queen’s Park every year.

Perhaps the most serious long-term threat of closing these civic institutions is that Torontonians will lose faith in the city’s cultural sector, and stop contributing the cash and artifacts on which museums depend.

“It will breach the integrity of the city museums system,” Mihevc charges, “leading to a lack of trust among potential donors, funders and partners across the 10 sites.”

- Toronto Star, November 12, 2011

Library Closures: Action Needed!

Dear members of ABAC
Library and Archives Canada has now had no budget for the ten months, and been under a self imposed moratorium or has been reviewing its acquisitions policies since 2009, and more cuts are coming!
In the past few weeks this issue has been covered by CBC, CTV, The Globe and Mail and the National Post.  The issue is building momentum, but we need to keep pushing!
If your interested in helping save Library and Archives Canada, please visit the website www.savelibraryarchives.ca
On this website you can send an email to your member of parliament, download emails you can forward to customers, print off posters, and become more informed.
If you'd be willing to hand out bookmarks, or know of other stores who would be willing, please contact me directly.
Thank you,
Liam McGahern
President - ABAC

IL FAUT SAUVER BIBLIOTHÈQUE ET ARCHIVES CANADA!!
Les Membres ALAC durent souffrir d’un moratoire de 10 mois de la part de Bibliothèque et Archives Canada; cette institution nationale affirmait que, par la suite, les acquisitions reprendraient, laissant même comprendre qu’une amélioration nous avantagerait. Nous avons maintenant compris qu’il s’agissait d’affirmations fallacieuses car, depuis la levée du moratoire, les acquisitions sont demeurées nulles ou presque.
Il faut donc agir et appuyer la campagne lancée par l’Association Canadienne des Professeures et Professeurs d’Université visant à sauver Bibliothèque et Archives Canada. Il est extrêmement important de consulter le site webwww.sauvonsbiblioarchives.ca , de bien absorber le contenu et d’engager le combat contre la dissolution du mandat de BAC.
Dans ce but il serait très utile d’utiliser le marque-page suivant sur vos sites web, vos Courriels avec la clientèle ou les demandeurs d’informations, placer ce marque-page au dos de vos catalogues, les imprimer et les remettre en boutique si possible.
De plus, vous pourrez aider la campagne en communiquant le lienwww.sauvonsbiblioarchives.ca à vos élus provinciaux, fédéraux et même municipaux. Nous ne pouvons laisser quelques dirigeants de BAC ridiculiser ainsi les canadiennes et canadiens en détruisant littéralement la collection nationale, mémoire collective dont le but est de conserver précieusement l’histoire de ce pays, depuis les fondateurs jusqu’aux jours actuels.

Major Redevelopment Proposal for Humbertown

posted Oct 15, 2009 1:21 PM by chris kerrrigan   [ updated Aug 8, 2011 8:30 PM ]

First Capital Realty (FCR), the owner of Humbertown Shopping Centre, is planning a major redevelopment and expansion of Humbertown.  FCR recently provided a preview of the proposal to the HVVRA Board of Directors.  The proposal involves a complete redevelopment of the property, including a multi-stage  demolition of all of the existing shopping centre, and the construction of an entirely new “mixed use” development that includes substantially expanded retail and commercial/office space,  and multiple new residential condo buildings.  Nearly all of the surface parking would be replaced with two underground parking levels, and delivery and garbage services would be relocated to the underground.  FCR says that it wants to modernize Humbertown but maintain its character as a neighbourhood shopping centre.  FCR also says that it plans to consult with the community and seek input from residents who are ultimately its customers.  This proposal will clearly entail a very major change to Humbertown and the character of the neighbourhood.  Among the key issues are coverage, density, and the impact of the residential intensification – population growth, traffic, and pressures on local services.  The proposal contemplates the addition of 44,000 square feet of retail space and an expansion of 52,000 square feet of commercial/office space.  The property coverage would be 200%   The residential component includes the addition of 700 residential condo units, ranging in size from 700–1100 square feet, in TEN BUILDINGS around the property ranging in height from 4 to 21 stories.  The implications of this expansion for the neighbourhood are enormous.  This proposal will dramatically change Humbertown and the streetscapes along Royal York Road and The Kingsway.  While some residents may welcome the updating and modernization of the shopping centre, the scale of the proposal is overwhelming.  This is illustrated by the estimate provided by FCR that construction will take 6 years to complete!  The HVVRA is very concerned with the impact that this proposal will have on the neighbourhood.  We will carefully monitor the progress of the proposal, encourage FCR to remain in regular contact with us and our municipal representatives throughout the process, and ensure that residents have the opportunity to express their concerns.  FCR has committed to keeping the HVVRA fully informed as its proposal moves ahead.  FCR intends to file a formal application with the City in September.  Once the application is filed, Councilor Gloria Lindsay-Luby will be organizing a community meeting to seek neighbourhood feedback on this proposal.  It is imperative that you attend this meeting to see first hand the details of the project and raise your questions and concerns with FCR and the City.   Once the date of the meeting is set, it will be announced by Councilor Lindsay-Luby and the HVVRA.  Following the community meeting, City staff will review the application and provide comments.   FCR will then have the opportunity to make modifications to the proposal based on the comments from residents and the City.  The final proposal will then be submitted to Etobicoke York Community Council for approval.