Canada embraces 'love exiles' in the Junction

Today in the Toronto Star ther is a local story that relates to the Junction.

from the story...

[caption id="attachment_2757" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Photo credit Toronto Star"][/caption]

"Canada has a very inclusive immigration system and you get a lot of good people here," said Batchelder, who has a doctoral degree in linguistics. "But you just can't drop them into the country and there's nobody to follow them up and track them."

Eleanor Batchelder, an American, and Fumiko Ohno of Tokyo lived that reality for 22 years until a year ago January, when the lesbian couple landed as permanent residents in Toronto {in the Junction} – one of many "love exiles" settling here.

link to Toronto Star Article link  [full story opens in new window]


Eleanor has been very helpful in the Junction residents Association working to get the associations Wiki up and filled. Any recently encouraging the opening up self registering on the wiki so anyone can contribute.

Junction Residents Association wiki

MARCH 5TH AT THE TROUBADOR

That had a good long... long-standing dry status, which was lengthened by the communities fear of what would come in with the liquor. It probably would not have been so long if people new places such as  The Troubadour could have been foreseen. This establishment puts a lot of interesting items on it's entertainment bill and many people like the food and community air in the place.

...and they also provide work for the local festival director between festivals

Richard Khal and

Michael Menegon (festival guy)

are playing at this great little bar on Dundas West called The Troubadour ( just west of High Park, a few doors east of Quebec Ave. on the south side of Dundas West)  It's very cosy and warm and seats about 25 people.

The Troubadour Thursday March 5, 2009 9pm It is free.

no picture? they did not send one,  that is the performers didn't

Business Improvement Areas expenditure requests and levy for 2009

[caption id="attachment_1774" align="alignnone" width="444" caption="BIA approved budgets"][/caption]

Council approval is required to permit the City to collect funds through the tax levy on behalf of the local BIAs. Approval is goverened under The City of Toronto Municipal Code Chapter 19 and the City of Toronto Act, 2006.

This blogs past post on What is a Business Improvement Area?

Selected Comments from the cities report with some highlights.

The Bloor West Village BIA 2009 Operating Budget was approved at meetings of the
BIA’s Board of Management on September 17, 2008 and its general membership held on
October 7, 2008. The balanced budget of $386,665 in capital and operating expenditures
will be funded by a levy requirement of $338,851 and the appeal provision surplus of
$38,814, plus other anticipated revenues of $9,000 from festival events, GST recovery
and interest. The 2009 expenditure budget provides for a similar level of general BIA
administration, maintenance and promotion/advertising activities as budgeted in 2008. A
proposed increase in capital expenditure in 2009 is required to complete the gas lamp solar
conversion capital project. Blog Comment {interesting and thoughtful project in many ways} In 2008, the BIA had to reduce spending in BIA
administration, capital projects, advertising and promotion, so that current funds can be
used to cover the 2007 operating deficit. It is recommended that the Bloor West Village
BIA’s 2009 budget of expenditures totalling $386,665 and a BIA levy of $338,851 be
approved.

The Corso Italia BIA 2009 Operating Budget was approved at meetings of the BIA’s
Board of Management on August 11, 2008 and its general membership on October 6,
2008. The BIA proposes to increase the levy by 30% to $214,951 in 2009 after reducing
Staff report for action on 2009 BIA Operating Budgets 7
the levy by 20% in 2008 to assist the local merchants through the TTC construction
period. With its accumulated surplus funds used up in 2008, the BIA has to rely on new
levies to fund operating expenditures in 2009. Other revenue sources include the appeal
provision surplus of $15,741, expected GST recoveries of $10,000 and other income of
$259. To offset the negative impact that the TTC right-of-way and roadwork
construction along St. Clair Avenue has on the area, the BIA will increase advertising and
promotion of the area; the BIA expects a grant of $30,000 from the City’s “Shop Local”
campaign on St. Clair Avenue West to assist in this endeavour. The BIA proposes to
maintain the same spending level as in 2008 for BIA administration, promotion and
advertising, and capital maintenance. Capital projects planned for 2009 include new BIA
banners and flower planters. The pedestrian lights capital cost-share project is expected to
be completed by the end of 2008. It is recommended that the Corso Italia BIA’s 2009
budget of expenditures totalling $270,951 and a BIA levy of $214,951 be approved.

The Junction Gardens BIA was called to action in their management report for errors and was recommended to hire a part time bookkeeper or train their coordinator


The Junction Gardens BIA 2009 Operating Budget was approved at meetings of the
BIA’s Board of Management on September 9, 2008 and its general membership held on
October 2, 2008. The balanced budget of $282,123 in expenditures will require a levy
requirement of $259,904. In addition to the BIA levy, other revenues include the appeal
provision surplus of $21,969 that the City will be returning to the BIA, and interest
income of $250. Now that the 2008 centennial celebrations of the Junction are over, the
BIA proposes a 27% reduction in the expenditure budget in 2009 Blog Comment {why is the BIA in a developing area  reducing the levy by 27 percent? All it does is lessen the amount  the business owners can use for  joint development and marketing ?}, comprised of a reduced budget of $128,245 for marketing and promotional initiatives, fewer capital maintenance activities requiring a budget of only $27,000, and undertaking three small capital projects
totalling $15,000 as a trial to see which one the BIA will choose to do on a larger scale in
2010. It is recommended that the Junction Gardens BIA’s 2009 budget of expenditures
totaling (sic)$282,123 and a BIA levy of $259,904 be approved.

The Parkdale Village BIA 2009 Operating Budget was approved at meetings of the
BIA’s Board of Management on September 8, 2008 and its general membership held on
October 6, 2008. The balanced budget of expenditures totalling $546,410 calls for a
similar levy requirement as in 2008. In addition to the levy, the BIA expects to receive
grants totalling $15,000 from the City’s Commercial Research Investment Program and
Mural Program, $9,000 in interest income, and an appeal provision surplus of $13,068
that the City is returning to the BIA. A major capital cost-share project for pedestrian
lights, deferred from 2008, will be undertaken in 2009 with $300,000 of BIA funds
already accumulated for this purpose. Besides capital spending for pedestrian lights and a mural, the BIA proposes to increase the maintenance budget by $24,000 for a new graffiti
removal program, and increase advertising and promotion in 2009. The BIA is projecting
an operating surplus of $65,799 in 2008 resulting from the deferral of the pedestrian
lights capital project and development of a Strategic Plan. As well, some 2008 proposed
promotional initiatives were deferred until 2009. It is recommended that the Parkdale
Village BIA’s 2009 budget of expenditures totalling $546,410 and a BIA levy of
$209,342 be approved.

The entire long list can be viewed in this report [Full report [opens in new window]

Posted by Robert

CPR Canadian Holiday Train Visits Junction

Tomorrow Today December 2  2008

The train which is traveling across the country will to raise food, money and awareness for local food banks. Bring your cash and food donations and support your local food bank.



Just remember these are very short stops being 30 minutes only

Tuesday, December 2

• 
  

  Junction stop Toronto – 6:15 to 7:15 p.m. – 87 Ethel Avenue, adjacent to RONA

  
  and if you cannot make that the closest next stop is
  
  Vaughan – 9:00 to 9:30 p.m. – Northwest corner of CP Vaughan Intermodal Yard andNashville Road

CPR Holiday Train comes to the Junction

From what we have gathered this is the ONLY City of Toronto Stop.

In addition it's an all Junction event, just think... stand next to a train.. what else is the Junction lore about?

Posted by Robert

Picture credit junctionartsfest blogspot and

with informaton provided by Councillor Bill Saundercook's office

How to live in a WTO house flip - REPAIRS

The above image highlights what can happen when a person flips a house and the new buyer - who really wants to live in  WTO for a long time, has to repair the flippers work.
It used to be that a lawyer working for a prospective buyer would obtain a certificate of clearance, from the city - proof the house has no outstanding work orders, permits etc.
Well with the advent of  title insurance, that doesn’t happen all time, in fact you probably need to ask your lawyer to do it or they won’t.
The image above details one Junction  nightmare as his shower in the seond floor washroom started to leak in a newly purchased flip, on inspection it became known that the flipper had built one shower stall which failed and then without removing the one he had built, that had failed, installed another right over it. So now the new owner has to remove all that work and put a new one in.

Posted by Robert

Vine parkette wood chips delivered

A large D class truck full of wood chips with an internal pusher to get the chips out of the truck has dropped off two loads by 12.30 pm Wednesday.

Toronto parks which is having Lowes stores employee volunteers and the community assist in the spreading of these chips, better have quite a number of shovels.

Posted by Robert

Village by the Park demo moves fast Friday Sept 19th

Village by the Park demo moves fast Friday Sept 19th with a 3 larger backhoes working against the building. One backhoe has a clasp grapple, while another has a metal shear and a third has concrete demo/crusher attachment.

Most interesting is that they have removed the hoarding from the Keele St. side of  the lot, which great views at the present time.

a few weeks of Junction park watch

Today we start a new experiment on this blog,

…with all the happenings at various parks in the Junction area, much of it happening without the knowledge, let alone the input of the  people who use the parks and consider them an important part of their lives. It was thought, the time to watch the parks a lot more closely is now.

To do this we gave 5 people who live across or near some parks in the Junction, and are home most days, - some who work from a home office and others who are stay at home parents disposable cameras (all cameras paid for my a Junction industrial business. Thanks) and asked them to take pictures of work being done to their park.

We will collect the images and their reports and post them on the blog, and see what comes of it.

If you want to include a few of your park pics just email them to thejunctioneer@gmail.com (we like pics of big parks department trucks)

Posted by Robert

Section 37 Community Benefits - Options for Homes

Get your opinion in on probably the largest

influx of public space cash coming into

the junction for the next few years.

Option for Homes is now consulting with the Junction Business improvement area (BIA) and the West Bend Residents Association about the use of the Section 37 funds the developer must contribute to the community. Hopefully the new Junction Residents Assoc. will quickly get it's foot in the door.

Section 37 of the Provincial planning act authorizes a municipality with appropriate Official Plan provisions to pass zoning by-laws involving increases in the height or density otherwise permitted by the Zoning By-law, in return for the provision by the owner of community benefits. The community benefits must be set out in the zoning by-law. The community benefits maybe secured in an agreement which may be registered on title.

Link to the cities section 37 info.

Protocol for Negotiating Section 37 Community Benefits (City of Toronto)

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In another issue related to the Options for Homes project, their seems to be a lot of Junction bashing on a purchasers discussion board. Scroll down after the reprint of the Toronto Star article for their comments, maybe these are just a few opinions, and the rest of the buyers are happy to move into the Junction. Lets remember the the Junction is a residential and industrial community, if you move here you must accept that.