Identifying. Advocating and Acting on Neighbourhood Concerns in Order to Enhance Moore Park

IDENTIFYING. ADVOCATING AND ACTING ON NEIGHBOURHOOD CONCERNS IN ORDER TO ENHANCE MOORE PARK

PO Box 25, 1531 Bayview Avenue, Toronto, Ontario M4G 4G8 www.moorepark.org

Fall 2009 2009, Issue 1

President`s Message

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It has been another busy year:

·  We spent a great deal of time dealing with Councillor Rae’s proposal to narrow Jarvis St. from 5 to 4 lanes. We helped lead the opposition to this proposal. Contrary to the stories in the press this was never a “war” between bikes and cars, but rather a debate on the appropriate use of Jarvis St. as a major traffic artery. Although the narrowing of the street was approved by City Council the funding is not yet in place and the final environmental assessment is not complete.

·  We started the year with the proposal that we publish an open letter to the Premier in the Globe calling on the Province to take action to protect the public’s interest in the Mount Pleasant Cemetery. Our Board wrestled with the appropriate wording of this letter and the efficacy of this action. During these discussions Margot Boyd resigned from the Board. Her determination and energy are missed, but Margot has continued her fight in her personal capacity and is assisted by Brian Pel, who now heads up the Cemetery Committee.

·  We worked to get more information about the work Enbridge Gas is doing in the neighbourhood.

·  We worked with the City to monitor speeds on Inglewood and are reviewing the light at Moore and Mt. Pleasant to ensure pedestrians have time to cross safely.

·  We reviewed a range of Committee of Adjustment applications for variances; actively resisted some applications; counseled neighbours on others; and provided guidance when asked.

·  We participated in an environmental review related to the replacement of the high voltage transmission lines along the CPR rail corridor.

·  We helped concerned residents consider the installation of a guardrail to protect pedestrians walking along the eastern side of Mt. Pleasant from Garfield south to Mooredale house.

·  We raised concerns with the City related to the aging of trees in the neighbourhood.

·  We responded to many small questions, daily concerns and other inquiries of our neighbours.

I owe a huge thanks to the Board of Directors who helped accomplish this; especially as they did it all after family duties, work obligations and other volunteer roles.

This year the Residents’ Association has had challenges getting enough volunteer assistance to consistently move forward on a range of issues. We need your help. “Many hands make light work”… and accomplish great things. Board duties are not daunting. We meet once a month from 7:30-9:00 pm. We need your help to address upcoming issues such as:

·  The continued discussion related to Jarvis Street and the Mount Pleasant Cemetery.

·  The ongoing development pressures in our neighbourhood.

·  The revitalization of the Ravine and its paths down towards the Evergreen location.

·  City wide issues i.e. expansion of TTC services, construction; increased taxation from City Council.

·  The revitalization of our website and the regular publication of newsletters to the community.

Please consider helping. To learn more about the MPRA Board of Directors or volunteering please contact me (T: 416-932-8648; Email: ). I look forward to hearing how you want to help.

I hope you and your family have a great Holiday Season!

Tim Costigan - MPRA President

In this Issue
Enbridge Gas / 1 / Jarvis St. lane closure / 8
Cemetery Update / 2 / Lead in the water / 10
Park & Construction / 3 / Helping needy families / 12
Making Moore Park Greener / 4 / Deer Park Pool / 12
Hydro One – New Lines / 5 / Break & Enters / 13
Toronto Zoning By-laws / 6 / Membership Form / 14
City Planning / 7 / AGM Proxy / 15

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Enbridge Gas

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This year many residents of Moore Park received notices from Enbridge informing them that the work to cap the old gas lines in the neighbourhood was recommencing. This is a continuation of the work that was stopped after the explosion on Harper Gardens on February 14, 2007. The notices invited residents to contact Enbridge to schedule an appointment for the work in their house. Many residents have refused to respond to these notices and have simply ignored Enbridge’s request. Other residents have contacted Enbridge and asked questions individually.

Representatives from Enbridge will be attending the Residents’ Annual General Meeting on Wednesday November 25 to explain the work that they are conducting in the neighbourhood and to answer questions. They have been asked to explain what steps they are taking to ensure the safety of their work. They will not comment on the specific circumstances related to the tragedy on Harper Gardens. The meeting occurs at 7:00 pm at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church at 78 Clifton Road.

Mount Pleasant Cemetery

The issues surrounding the governance of the Mount Pleasant Cemetery remains outstanding.

The cemetery was created by the legislature of Upper Canada and paid for by the inhabitants of Toronto. The initial trust, created by Provincial statute in 1826, and amended in 1849, outlined how trustees were to be elected. A subsequent Act of 1871 vested the original trust, its assets, objectives, rights and obligations into a corporation, which is today known as the Mount Pleasant Group of Cemeteries.

The Mount Pleasant Group of Cemeteries (MPGC) marketing materials for the Visitation Centre declares that MPGC is a “commercial, privately owned cemetery.” This contradicts the original statutes and history.

The Moore Park Residents’ Association has consistently asked how this publicly created and funded institution, which owns significant property, has allegedly gone private.

We are also challenging whether the current board of directors can speak legitimately on behalf of MPGC. The Act of 1849 mandates the publication of newly elected trustees in the Official Provincial Gazette. Once the names are published any householder in Toronto can object to a trustee and begin a process whereby new trustees are elected from the majority of householders attending a public meeting. Up until approximately 1976 the MPGC regularly published notice of newly elected directors as required. We have found no such notice announcing the election of the current directors. If these directors were not elected properly – and not subjected to the legislated public review process –they may have no standing to speak on MPGCs behalf.

The Residents’ Association has been steadily pursuing the Provincial Government to respond to our questions:

·  “How did MPGC turn into a private corporation?”

·  “Do the current “directors” of MPGC actually have authority to act on behalf of the cemetery?”

·  “What action does the Government plan to take to return MPGC, a substantial public asset base, back to the citizens?”

The Government has not responded to these questions.

In early 2009 the Cemetery Committee, led by Margot Boyd, proposed to publish an open letter to the Premier in the Globe calling on the Province to take action to protect the public’s interest in the cemetery. Margot was able to raise most of the funds for the publication of the ad in the Globe & Mail through the generous pledge of one anonymous benefactor.

The Moore Park Residents’ Association Board of Directors had a number of concerns related to the proposed wording of the open letter to the Premier and the efficacy of this action. The Board indicated that they were not willing to add the Moore Park Residents’ Association’s name as a signatory to the letter unless the Board was happy with the wording of the letter. The Board’s concerns and the challenges in drafting the letter created significant frustrations. During these discussions Margot Boyd tendered her resignation from the Board. With Margot’s resignation the initiative to publish the letter ended.

Margot’s determination and energy will be greatly missed on the Residents’ Association, but her personal fight on this issue continues. With the assistance of a generous benefactor Margot retained the law firm of McCarthy Tetrault to provide a legal opinion related to the applicable statutes and the issue of whether the current Directors of the Mount Pleasant Cemetery are properly elected pursuant to their governing statutes. This legal opinion has been obtained and presented to the government by Margot. We understand that it strongly affirms the arguments that the MPRA has been making. The Resident Association has asked for a copy of this legal opinion, but has not yet received a copy.

The current Cemetery Committee is led by Brian Pel, who is in regular contact with Margot. If you would like to get involved please contact him at .

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Parks
/ Ice Rink - As the weather gets colder it is time for outdoor skating. Last year there was a group of local residents who volunteered to maintain an ice rink in Moorevale Park. The tradition continues!!! If you can help please contact Chris Thompson 488-8913 or (E-mail) .
Winter– Skating day - Sat. February 6, 2010 is the date for the Skating Day. This is a rekindling of an old tradition of skating, hot chocolate, hot dogs and community spirit. If you can help please contact Charles Zimmerman at or 921-1112 ext. 366
Dogs in the Moorevale Park
The City of Toronto has a process whereby communities can apply for an off leash free area for dogs. The process involves an initial application by interested citizens; an assessment by city staff to determine whether the proposed area meets the criteria for a leash-free area; a series of public meetings; and a final approval process. For more information visit the City website at: http://www.toronto.ca/parks/pdf/off_leashpolicy_dec2007.pdf.
A Moore Park resident initiated an application to create a leash-free dog zone area in Moorevale Park. City staff rejected the application at the assessment stage, as it found the area was not appropriate for a leash-free zone.
Moore Park Ravine
Jeff Cape, Director of Evergreen, and Chris Lowry of Green Enterprise Toronto are trying to improve the Moore Park Ravine. They want to improve the trail to make it pleasant in all weather and encourage local residents to visit Evergreen at the old Brickworks – which can be accessed via the ravine. They have had some initial conversations with the City but are looking to rally interested parties. If you are interested in this project or want to help be our Moore Park liaison with this group please let us know:

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Construction

The pavement on Moore Avenue is a mess!

The City of Toronto was supposed to repave Moore (from Welland to Bayview Ave.) this fall, but problems with the tendering process mean that this repaving won’t occur until next spring.

In summer of 2010 the City will also be repaving Moore Avenue (from Welland to Mt. Pleasant) and Welland Avenue (from Moore to St. Clair).

Don’t ask us to explain why it can’t all be done at once!

New City Website - Garbage

Toronto Solid Waste Management Services is pleased to introduce to the public a new searchable database tool available on the City's website.

Found at www.toronto.ca/recycling , and titled "What do I do with.?", this easy-to-use search tool helps our residents learn what to do with their waste materials.

Website Help

We are looking for some Moore Park residents to help fix our website: www.moorepark.org. We need to:

·  update contact information for City staff and other resources;

·  update contact information for current directors;

·  Post past newsletters to the website;

·  Create an interface that allows us to easily update current news articles and issues;

·  Create a blog or “bulletin board” for exchanging ideas; and

·  Add any other functionality or features to help serve our community.

We have a small budget and are looking your help. If you can help please contact Sandra Hamilton at .

Newsletter Help

We want to produce the newsletter three times a year. Are you able to help three times a year by gathering articles from Board Members and other community members, formatting them into a newsletter, and sending the document to our print/delivery company? If you can help please contact Tim Costigan at .

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Making Moore Park Greener

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The MPRA has added a new committee which is focused on promoting environmental initiatives– the Environmental Committee. The committee’s current objective is to increase awareness of ways to improve residential energy & resource efficiency.

There are plenty of opportunities to reduce building heat loss through better insulation, and reduce electricity and water consumption with modern appliances. Here are 11 tips to get you started:

1. Ontario home energy audit program. This program will test your home, provide a report on its current energy efficiency, and make a series of recommendations for improvement. The initial assessment costs from $300 – 400 (with up to $150 in rebates from the Ontario government). It can be performed by a number of qualified assessors: see www.homeenergyontario.ca . The final assessment also costs $150 and must be completed within 18 months. Only through participation in this program can you qualify for the federal and provincial rebates and incentive.