Tuesday, November 20, 2012

? Junctions long-term success depends on the triumph of community-ship and the old police station

Does not the Junctions long-term success depend on the triumph of community-ship – not industrial or retail businesses - successful communities no longer come form large firms putting down factories and the building of homes for workers following, nor will a slew of great retail shops maintain our Junction. A greater Junction will come from mainly an involved populace of residents contributing thought, time and effort to ensure the terrific elements of the Junction are maintained such as our parks - the friendliness of neighbors to each others, continuing the great consideration for children throughout the area and community spirit that drives people to put time and effort in creating and running community events.

We live in a wonderful community where most people articulate those attitudes.

;

Rather than asking residents, “What can we do


for you?” they asked, “What can we do together?”


;

Yet we have no place to gather and be responsible for as a community. To enhance and grow the best of our community efforts and design, originate, discover, and produce. A place with meeting rooms for all of this and for everyone. A place for doing, production. A place for meetings and drop-ins a place for a settlement house activities, The Sorauren Ave. area has the field house at Sorauren Avenue Park while the lower part of ward 13 to the west has the Swansea Town Hall where now a renovation adding a new lower wing with roof top patio is being added at city cost.

;



Above is the building - city owed that can we as a community can create the entire spectrum of what a community place in the Junction.

We need a ‘can do’ attitude among us all who value our Junction and the determination above all else to achieve local control over the old police station property.

Tonight the group looking to spearhead the effort has a meeting at SMASH (2880 Dundas St West) at 7:30pm (kids welcome). Where they will meet and discuss a strategy going forward.

 

Finley W McLachlan Construction a west Toronto industrial gem site

The industrial site Finley W McLachlan Construction Co Ltd at 195 Fairbank Avenue, in the old municipal area of York has recently become the blogs current fav industrial site.

Located just west of the design district centred around the Castle-field area, this site has a great representative modernist office building and great yard housing a mix of wonderful equipment .

Monday, November 19, 2012

The Junction - small AND recessed for sale

The entire Greater Junction Area has a limited number of small houses. When they do come up for sale they allow purchasers who could not afford to purchase from the standard stock of 1100 to 1500 square foot houses that dominate the housing size in the Junctions.

Right now on Maria St there is a small house for sale that is also recessed from the street by the double the amount of common Ju area front yards.




Junctioneer.ca

Location:Gilmour Ave,Toronto,Canada

Rear section of 1 St Johns Rd getting a great looking new railing




1 St. John's Rd the former office building which was converted to condos years ago is getting a railing upgrade to a section if its second floor rear balconies.

What's so terrific about this new railing is the low height rather than a standing height fence.

Always great to have people care for the rear of their buildings. They get ignored too often.


Junctioneer.ca


The last part above the rails open for development

St Clair Ave, north of the CPR tracks - and only north side as the south side is already populated by brand retailers such as Walmart really will be the last developed as part of redefining of old stockyards area.

It is quite a page area extending from and including the old New York Pork property all the way to Scarlet Rd.

Although it will be a few years away as a community we should be aware it is going to happen, and give some thought to community input.








Junctioneer.ca

Location:St Clair Ave W,Toronto,Canada

Sunday, November 18, 2012

Dollar store crush - updated Nov 19 at 9:59pm


Efads on Keele St. Just below St Clair Ave. West. Is closing. Many may have noticed during the last few months a much lower volume if goods in the store.

Cannot figure why a dollar store is closing.

 

Update: as to ink provided by blog reader Rhain

[caption id="attachment_13890" align="aligncenter" width="481"] www.calgaryherald.com click image to read full story.[/caption]

 

 

[caption id="attachment_13891" align="aligncenter" width="477"] www.calgaryherald.com click image to read full story.[/caption]

 

 

Location:Keele St,Toronto,Canada

Friday, November 16, 2012

Technology Harvests Energy from Railroad Train Vibrations

Stony Brook University engineers have won a national award. The award was entitled" Energy Harvesting" at the Energy Harvesting and Storage USA 2012 conference.

The group researched process and equipment to create an energy harvester that converts the irregular, oscillatory motion of that trains make as they travel over rail track. The system converts the vibrations into regular, unidirectional motion, in the same way that an electric voltage rectifier converts AC voltage into DC.


Top savings from the installation and use of the new invention...according to the researchers...,

save more than $10 million in trackside power supply costs for railroads in New York State alone.

along with a reduction of 3000 tons per year of CO2

and a half million dollars of electricity savings.

"With the MMR design, the technology advances the traditional energy harvesting, including directly generating high-quality DC power without an electrical rectifier in the vibration environment; enabling an electrical generator to rotate in one direction with relative steady speed in a more efficient speed region; and changing the negative influence of motion inertia into positive, thus reducing the mechanical stress and increasing system reliability," he said. "Such a design not only avoids the challenges of friction and impact induced by oscillation motion, but also enables us to make full use of the pulse-like features of track vibration to harvest more energy."says Professor Zuo

Here's the abstract of the presented paper. The blog will finish reading the paper and update this post with images and extracts.

ABSTRACT

Anelectromagnetic energy harvester is designed to harness the vibrational power from railroad track deflections due to passing trains. Whereas typical existing vibration energy harvester technologies are built for low power applications of milliwatts range, the proposed harvester will be designed for higher power applications for major track-side equipment such as warning signals, switches, and health monitoring sensors, which typically require a power supply of 10 Watts or more. To achieve this goal, we implement a new patent pending motion conversion mechanism which converts irregular pulse-like bidirectional linear vibration into regulated unidirectional rotational motion. Features of the motion mechanism include bidirectional to unidirectional conversion and flywheel speed regulation, with advantages of improved reliability, efficiency, and quality of output power. It also allows production of DC power directly from bidirectional vibration without electronic diodes. Preliminary harvester prototype testing results illustrate the features and benefits of the proposed motion mechanism, showing reduction of continual system loading, regulation of generator speed, and capability for continuous DC power generation.

Junctioneer.ca

Location:Quebec Ave,Toronto,Canada

Cavalcade of Lights and Santa parade this weekend

Cavalcade of Lights


The 46th annual Cavalcade of Lights kicks off the holiday season at Nathan Phillips Square on Saturday, November 17 at 7 p.m. Great Gulf joins the celebration as the new presenting sponsor of the event and of Toronto's magnificent official Christmas tree.

The evening begins at 7 pm with live musical performances by pop/rock vocalist Suzie McNeil, R&B artist Sean Jones and rising star Alyssa Reid and the first lighting of the Cavalcade of Lights display, followed by a breathtaking fireworks display at 8 p.m.

The celebration continues from 8:15 – 10:30 pm with the Sno-Ball sponsored by Timothy's World Coffee® featuring a concert by international recording artists Dragonette, a fiery pyrotechnic performance by Circus Orange and an open-air DJ dance party with JJ Rock under the glow of thousands of twinkling lights.

Throughout the celebration, the public can visit the 100th Grey Cup Festival tent to have their photo taken with the Grey Cup.


Santa parade







Junctioneer.ca

Thursday, November 15, 2012

Space station visible in Junction sky Fri Nov 16 5:08 A

Time: Fri Nov 16 5:08 AM, Visible: 3 min, Max Height: 50 degrees, Appears: ESE, Disappears: ENE






Location:McMurray Ave,Toronto,Canada

Articulations the art store east of Pacific Ave wins hands down for the most interesting and exciting window displays

[caption id="attachment_13817" align="aligncenter" width="475"] Click image to visit their site[/caption]

 

Best viewed at night a stroll

Clendenan Ave multi truck hydro repairs today





View of hydro truck
Just south of Annette today .

Location:Dundas St W,Toronto,Canada

A Great lot double use and activation of lane way by Bloor West Village retail building










At Bloor St. to the west of Durie Ave on the north side a retail building is until using the buildings lot in a manner more building owners should consider.

The top image highlights the separation by a yard if the rear garage with its additional upper floor and the main Bloor St. West building.

The middle is a image if the exciting bit of this property - currently the bottom half is simply a garage - yet imagine it as low cost business space or artist co location space. (If city bylaw would allow it)

The bottom photo is the Bloor St. Front if the building.




Tuesday, November 13, 2012

SHINE Cabaret Frid Nov 23rd & Sat Nov 24th at 8pm in DANZoN Studio 104-2480 Dundas Street West





Canadian Comedy Legend Sandra Shamas will be performing along with some of Toronto's hottest talent:


Miko Sobreira
Paul Hutcheson
Christopher Sawchyn
Natalia Arbouzova
Sifu Gu's Tai Chi group
Golden Harmony Kung Fu
Shane Walters
Toronto Niten Kai
Hanna Neuman
Veysel Simsek
and
Cleopatra Williams


Frid Nov 23rd & Sat Nov 24th
at 8pm in DANZoN Studio
104-2480 Dundas Street West
$15 advance tickets
$20.00 at the door

Limited seating
For more show info email: crowningmonkey@yahoo.ca


Junctioneer.ca

.... looking for inspiration and the info on getting the resourcefulness and creativity for a green roof project

 

[caption id="attachment_13807" align="aligncenter" width="309"] Small Green Roofs: Low-Tech Options for Greener LivingTimber Press | Edmund C. Snodgrass | 2011 | | ISBN: 1604690593 ...click image to visit publisher site[/caption]

 

.... looking for inspiration and the info on getting the resourcefulness and creativity for a green roof project here is a book the blog has been reading that can really help.

There us great advise for starting small, with a shed, garage or even a portico.



 

Publishers txt below

Until now, the green roof movement has been limited to large-scale, professional endeavors and public buildings. But homeowners everywhere are catching onto the benefits of a green roof—water conservation, energy savings, and storm water management. In Small Green Roofs authors Dunnett, Gedge, Little, and Snodgrass profile ordinary homeowners who scaled green roofs down to the domestic level.

Small Green Roofs is the first book to focus on small-scale and domestic green roofs. More than forty profiles of small and domestic-scale projects of all shapes and sizes include green roofs on sheds, garden offices, studios, garages, houses, bicycle sheds, and other small structures, as well as several community projects. For each project, details are given for design, construction, and installation, as well as how-to tips on how the roof was planted and cared for.

For readers looking for inspiration when hiring a contractor or taking the adventurous step of building their own, Small Green Roofs provides the knowledge and encouragement to make it possible.

Ombudsman and Integrity Commissioner Public information session - Thursday, November 22

Ombudsman and Integrity Commissioner


Public information session - Thursday, November 22



 

Shout out to real old Junction businesses

Some Junction businesses were here before the 12 year retail disaster of closed shops along Dundas St. W. and stayed throughout it all.








Here are two of them.

StereoKing (was a Pacific and Dundas for years)

And

Dencan books (was on the other side if the street for decades)

.thanks



Junctioneer.ca

Forever Interiors still open during building repairs




One of original retro-Reno retailers in the Junction this store which opened selling neat retro finds and has bloomed into a maker retailer is undergoing repairs to its building.

Apparently part of the stores interior which appeared to be fully build building was simply a roof make over a outside yard. Placed on the building on conjunction withy the buildings on either side in the 20's this roof was leaking and repairs are being made to the building to correct the issues.






Junctioneer.ca

Monday, November 12, 2012

The Junction attic access problem




People who have houses in the Greater Junction Area that are composed of two stories and a basement, rather than those likely enough to have the attic as a third floor often use the space for storage.

Rarely accessed storage because of difficulty accessing the area.


Pls remember to uses www.junctioneer.ca to visit this blog.


winter ice and broken legs

Weather people are rumouring rain this afternoon and negative temperatures tonight. This could mean the 1st ice covered sidewalks and the slips and falls that accompany them.

Sidewalk snow and ice removal can save someone a lot of trouble and pain.

Cheese company definitely occupying part of old Canada bread plant

The cheese company here to stay and prosper, looks more like as they have expanded into part of the old bread plant.



Simple thought on why the community needs the old 11 division lot

Has anyone else noticed, the amount of community happenings at the 3030 restaurant on Dundas St.W. at High Park Ave. what 2 in past week?

Which is great, but it tweaked the blog again on how much this area needs the old police lot in the Junction as a community place.

Conversion of the current building or demo and build of a new building - which is probably the least costly choice.

Malta Bake Shop and Gilmore Ave

Walking throughout the Junction can be swift when on errands, but if walk slowly and look at the many of the buildings forms you can see interesting histories build from people's efforts.

The Malta Bake Shop store is one - a rectangular store sat in front of an existing building. The addition is one story in height and provides space for the seating area of business as well as the cash and serving areas.

Whilst the baking area is within the old building.

Situated out if the main Junction retail strip this bakery often is missed by new comers to the area. Offering great and authentic Maltese bakery items and legendary Pastizzis.

Also it is one of last aces in the Junction retail rep where you can experience the Junction of old while having a snack or making a purchase.


20121112-133926.jpg

Ritchie Parkette improvements meeting today.





Today November 13th, 2012 a second meeting anout design possibilites and improvements to Ritchie Parkette is happening

The meeting will be from 6:30-7:30 p.m. in Ritchie Parkette. Councillor Perks, Ray Stukas (Parks Manager) and one of the City’s landscape architects will be on hand.

rain or shine....

From Gord Perks below

draft some potential landscape design options we can talk about (although additional ideas are more than welcome).


Junctioneer.ca

Location:77 Ritchie ave

Thursday, November 8, 2012

First commercial vertical farm opens in Singapore



SINGAPORE: Singapore now has its first commercial vertical farm, which means more local options for vegetables.

The technique uses aluminium towers that are as tall as nine metres, and vegetables are grown in troughs at multiple levels.

The technique utilises space better -- an advantage for land-scarce Singapore.

Sky Greens farm first started working on the prototype in 2009, and has opened a 3.65-hectare farm in Lim Chu Kang.

3030 Dundas partners with market group to have regular craft market




101 Markets is bringing their unique blend vintage and artisanal goods to the Junction! With the aim of providing an experience beyond the typical pop-up shop, these markets bring together vendors of varied backgrounds and products.

And for other exiting news

..the Annette St. Public school kindergarten area has gotten a new sandbox cover!


Junctioneer.ca

Location:Evelyn Ave,Toronto,Canada

Nice brickwork repair on this building

On the north side of Dundas St. W. just west of the coffee corner a three story building has its brick false top repaired.

Heintzman place condos have a storefront community place - how lucky they are

Who would though with all the great stuff the Heintzman place condos came with...

Tuesday, November 6, 2012

very eccentric rear commerical lane in west Toronto

This rear of a commercial strip is very visual

Groups wants to retain old Police Station for Community

 

We are a group of residents, organizations and businesses in the Junction who are interested in converting the old Division 11 building on Mavety and Dundas West into a community centre. We have provisionally named this the Junction Commons Project.

Monday, November 5, 2012

Frances Nunziata Councillor, Ward 11, Requests study of Junction Rd

Request for an Area Study of Junction Road

Origin

(October 25, 2012) Letter from Councillor Frances Nunziata, Ward 11 - York South-Weston

Updated: info moved from comment post from Manny Dec 1st 2012

CPR Canadian Holiday Train will be in the Junction Saturday, December 01, 2012

 



 

The Canadian Holiday Train will be in the Junction



Saturday, December 01, 2012


5:30 p.m., 750 Runnymede Rd,


in front of CP Lambton yard office,


Entertainers on the Canadian train include Doc WalkerMiss Emily, and theBrothers Dube.


 

 

The services and retail options at the Cango Gas are not few.




This just renovated gas station across from the Shoppers Drug Mart and near the intersection of Jane St. and Dundas St. W. is quickly going to become gas hub with all the services and retail choices it has.

Junctioneer.ca

Sunday, November 4, 2012

The new forest on Old Weston Rd. Lets keep it as long as we can.

[caption id="attachment_13614" align="aligncenter" width="490"] The lot as it sits currently sits[/caption]

 

Nature does not do a weak-kneed stagger as she tries to reclaim ground for plants, bugs, water, animals, and even humans. This powerful growth of plants and animal life is very evident at the old Nina Ricci jewellery factory on Old Weston Road. It’s location at the intersection of Old Weston Rd. and Junction Rd is filled with small ground-cover plants and trees that have grown to over 6 feet in just over a year.

It’s wonderful to walk by right now, but, and it’s a big but, the city has bylaw regarding empty lots becoming that become overgrown. This growth could lead to an order publishable by file for the developer if people complain and an order is given.

This blog, for its simple opinion, would like to see the lot continue to be the natural oasis that it has become, and remain so until the commercial development that is planned for he site gets underway.


The site is in Carleton Village, Ward 17. The Councillor of the ward is Cesar Palacio.


If you are a supporter of natural life - rather than a mowed down empty lot please write him about keeping the vegetation in place until the development proceeds.




A sample...



[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="500"] The site in July 21st of 2012[/caption]

Councillor Gord Perks gets control by-law passed to mitigate impacts of the high concentration of restaurants and bars in Queen St area

 

This post is about the Control By-law for Queen Street West, between Dufferin Street and Roncesvalles Avenue, an Interim Control By-law for a period of one year to prohibit (new) restaurants and similar uses in the study area, to prohibit these uses above the ground floor of buildings, and to prohibit rear yard and rooftop patios associated with these uses.

the motion for the study

[caption id="attachment_13641" align="aligncenter" width="500"] Click Image to view full motion[/caption]

 

Below are highlighted text outtakes from the Now Magazine article on the ban,

click image to visit their site to read the entire article.

[caption id="attachment_13642" align="aligncenter" width="500"] Text outtakes from the Now Magazine article on the ban, click image to visit their site to read the entire article.[/caption]

 

Outtake text from the Motion without Notice as passed

Similar restaurant studies conducted further east on a portion of Queen Street West, on a portion of College Street, and on a portion of Ossington Avenue all identified conflicts between restaurants and the surrounding neighbourhood areas. All of these studies resulted in zoning by-law amendments that limited restaurant and related uses to the ground floor of a building and prohibited rear yard and rooftop patios in the study areas. As a result of these studies City Planning recommended that restaurants be restricted to the ground floor of buildings and that rear yard and rooftop patios should be prohibited in commercial residential zones in the former City of Toronto south of Bloor Street and Danforth Avenue within the enacted and repealed City wide comprehensive zoning by-law.

To view complete City final report about the issue click text  below.

Queen Street West – Interim Control By-law – Final
Report

TTC text of explanation for improper bus rerouting




To pick up Mayors football team... Why they simply could not go into the school and wait for their regular school bus that was to ..and did arrive with a half hour.


The release in full

Last Thursday, November 1, the Toronto Transit Commission’s Transit Control Centre received a call from the Toronto Police Service requesting a shelter bus. The TTC took immediate action to accommodate the request, dispatching an in-service bus from the 36 Finch West bus route. The bus operator was having difficulty finding the location it was asked to attend. After further inquiries by police to the control centre about the whereabouts of the bus, staff dispatched a second bus, this one from the 46 Martin Grove route, also in service. Eventually, the 36 Finch West bus operator found the school and the 46 Martin Grove bus was returned to service.

At no time did TTC CEO Andy Byford order a second bus or give direction to TTC staff. And at no time were TTC frontline personnel aware of why a shelter bus was required, a request the TTC receives, on average twice a week, from police and Toronto Fire. Typically, the TTC tries to send shelter buses from a terminal location (subway station) or bus garage, minimizing the impact on customers. Given the urgency of the police request, operations personnel at the TTC made the decision to utilize buses from nearby routes to meet the request as quickly as possible.

Since this incident, a number of questions about the need for a shelter bus on this occasion have arisen, as well as the reasons why fare-paying customers were displaced from two in-service buses to accommodate the request.

Below is the text of an email sent by Mr. Byford to all TTC Commissioners on the morning of Nov. 3 in response to questions from them about this incident, including whether or not TTC policies and protocols should be changed and/or reviewed.

TTC staff will report to the Commission, and the public, once it determines whether its protocols need to change or if they require strengthening. The TTC will not be providing further comment on this matter until that time.

-30-

Commissioners,

I will dig out the policy and, if you would like, make a proposal to strengthen it.

(Legitimate) requests come in at any time, often at extreme times of the day. As such, operational staff are best placed to handle them. More senior (TTC staff) oversight/approval may be needed though.

The most unfortunate thing about this episode is the damage done to our reputation after more than a year of careful, painstaking steps to improve it. I am not happy about that and I am certainly not happy that fare paying customers were inconvenienced under these circumstances.

For the record: I had no idea that two buses were used nor that customers were inconvenienced.

Rest assured that I am following this up with TPS and the Mayor’s Office.

Regards

Andy

Andy Byford
Chief Executive Officer


Junctioneer.ca


Friday, November 2, 2012

- Junction's well represented in Now Toronto poll..best cappucino, best chocolate, best dessert shop

- see: best cappucino, best chocolate, best dessert shop, best bakery, best snow board shop, best unique gift store

Link to article click here




Pls remember to uses www.junctioneer.ca to visit this blog.

Mr. Christie’s Bakery in Etobicoke set to close sadly




Excerpts from the Toronto Star article.

Mr. Christie’s Bakery in Etobicoke set to close next year, throwing 550 out of work, after decades of operation in Toronto’s west end, as condo development surrounds it.

Councillor Peter Milczyn, chair of the city’s planning and growth management committee, said it’s his priority to ensure the land remains zoned for employment to retain jobs.
“It’s such a huge loss of jobs all in one swoop,” he said. “It has huge implications for the city in terms of jobs and protecting lands for employment.”

Councillor Mark Grimes, whose Etobicoke-Lakeshore ward is home to the factory, also expressed concern over job loss Thursday.
“I was deeply disappointed upon hearing this sad news,” Grimes said in a release. “While this comes as a deep loss to the community, I am committed to doing whatever it takes to keep high-quality jobs and high-quality employers in the South Etobicoke community.”


H
Full article at the site click here




Junctioneer.ca