Guest Speaker
Fitzroy Kelow, who is a Special Constable with the TTC gave an interesting presentation, which is available in the Minutes of Meeting section.  The primary duties for TTC Special Constables is crime prevention, customer service, enforcing transit bylaws, emergency response and community engagement.  Residents are warned not to go to track level and ask TTC staff for assistance if something is accidentally dropped on the tracks.  In the event of an emergency, there is an emergency power shut off station with a blue light at either end of the platform.  If residents need assistance on a busy or train, activate the yellow strip on the vehicle.  In subway stations, there are yellow intercom stations that can provide directions or assistance, as well as emergency response.  A Crisis Link button on payphones directly connects an individual in distress to a crisis counsellor.  Designated waiting areas and cameras provide security and residents are reminded to avoid distractions, keep phones/computers out of sight and shout if they feel uncomfortable.  The SafeTTC app provides the opportunity to take a photo and/or report incidents, or text 647-496-1940 to report a safety concern.  In 2023, fare evasion rates cost over $120m which could have funded operating improvements and hiring more staff.  Streetcars have the highest fare evasion rate over buses and stations.  The highest one day ridership happened on June 17, 2019 for the Toronto Raptors NBA World Championship parade with 2,153,600 riders.

Previous Meeting Items
No dogs/litter signs installed in St. Joseph community gardens and Bay Street bioswale have contributed to cleanliness improvements.

The Sidewalk Safety Committee is working with local restaurants and area buildings to display "Walk Your Wheels" informational signage.

The City will not pay for the required traffic flow study to convert St. Joseph from one way to two way.  We are working with the City and Councillor's office to develop a commercial loading zone in front of 11 St. Joseph for Canada Post, UPS and other delivery trucks to stop.  It would require the elimination of 2 street parking spaces.  A passenger pick up/drop off is proposed in front of 5 St. Joseph.

Neighbourhood
A bounty of new restaurants have opened up in the area.  Republique is a French brunch place on Irwin.  Vava offers gourmet cakes on Yonge at St. Joseph.  Petit Potato just opened on Bay, at Polo 2 Condos.  Beach Hill Smokehouse opened on St. Joseph, just west of Yonge.  Dopamina is a fine dining that offers Asian Mediterranean cuisine at Burano Condos, Bay and Grenville.  Nabulu Coffee has Persian style coffee and an upstairs music lounge on St. Joseph.

There is an opening for 2 directors on the board.  Eligible candidates must be nominated by the October meeting, be a building representative or individual member who lives in the Bay Cloverhill neighbourhood.

There are two proposals on Toronto Centre Projects.  In Breadalbane Park, no barking signs are being considered by the Parks Department, but pedestrian crosswalks can only be installed by the adjacent condominium buildings that own the driveway.  Residents are encouraged to vote for a commemorative plaque in Dr. Lillian McGregor Park to recognize the efforts of the community and local politicians to create the park. 

The three pedestrian crosswalks submitted to Toronto Centre Projects Traffic Review are under review, with traffic lights being installed on Yonge near Granby negating the need for a crosswalk at that location.

The St. Luke Lane murals selected in the Toronto Centre Projects Participatory Budgeting 2023 are in process with maintenance documentation being negotiated with the building owners.  Once that is complete, StreetARToronto will survey residents about the type and style of art preferred before installing the art.  The other project in the works is the curb extensions on St. Joseph, west of Yonge and east of Bay.

St. Mike's has relaunched their Continuing Education program and is offering courses this fall on Contemporary Issues Through Children's Literature, Irish Studies, Poetry and Prayer and Letterpress Printing.

Developments
A development is proposed for Loretto College at 70 St. Mary.  The original application was in 2016.  The University of St. Michael's College and a private developer will build a 40 storey structure with educational uses on the lower floors, then a residence for the Loretto Sisters, female university student residences and condominiums.  A meeting with the developers is being set up for next month.

Community Meetings
At the Community Police Liaison Committee on Wednesday June 5th, it was noted that the police force is understaffed and assigned to increasing protests.  As a result, police patrolling is limited to crime areas.  Residents are encouraged to report any criminal activity to police to get the required attention/patrolling.

FoSTRA's Advocacy and Activism Committee met on Thursday June 13th.  Key items were a letter sent to City Council on the impact of the Billy Bishop Airport impact.  A second City submission related to micromobility, including scooters.  The Community Consultation process as part of Development approval was discussed. A letter from the Alliance for a Liveable Ontario was  endorsed.  New litter/recycling bins are being tried out.  There will be changes to the blue bin program when manufacturers take over responsibility for recycling next year.

MPP Bell hosted a Town Hall on Thursday July 11th.  Key issues are the shortage of family doctors, a need for affordable housing to be built as well as a downtown seniors’ community centre.  The court system is overloaded and there is a lack of concern for environmental issues with the current provincial government.  Residents are concerned with the noise/swearing from long running anti-government protests, cyclist safety with bike lane blockage and micromobility devices.  There is a huge backlog in the Landlord Tenant Board, with the biggest issue being excessive rent increases.

Community Concerns
The speed limit on Queen's Park Crescent will be lowered from 50 km/h to 40 km/h, to be in line with existing speed limits north of Bloor and south of Gerrard.  Signage replacement is pending.

A letter in support of the Avenue Road Study was sent to the Toronto East York Community Council.  A letter expressing resident concerns about noise was sent to the Board of Health.

Joseph said he thinks any micromobility device with an engine should not be allowed in bike lanes, and required to use the street.  He also asked if parking and no left turn hours could be adjusted seasonally to facilitate traffic flow in the summer.

Al noted that the development at 95 St. Joseph has received approval for an additional floor and increased the number of suites by 100 at a recent Committee of Adjustment hearing.  He asked if there were any additional 45/9 community benefits that could be used to transform St. Joseph into a gateway into the university grounds.  Al has noticed that two trees on Irwin were broken, either by a vehicle hitting them or people maliciously breaking the tree trunks.  Plants have also gone missing from the Irwin community garden.

Beth noted damage on the skirting wall of Clover Hill Park.  

Upcoming holidays and special events were reviewed.  The next meeting will be on Monday October 21st.

The meeting and speaker's presentations are available in the Minutes of Meetings section.

The only off leash dog park in the Bay Cloverhill area is causing some discomfort for some residents, who hear barking at all hours.  Breadalbane Park is surrounded by thousands of residents who live in adjacent to the off leash dog park. In addition there have been some close calls with cars/trucks driving on the circular driveway that surrounds the off leash dog park conflicting with pedestrians accessing the park.

There are some straightforward improvements that could improve the situation and a proposal has been submitted to Toronto Centre Projects at https://torontocentreprojects.ca/en/initiatives/breadalbane-park-off-leash-dog-area-improvements.  Please vote in favour of the proposal, so that Councillor Moise's office can pursue these modifications to make the situation better for residents.

The first suggestion in the proposal is to paint pedestrian crosswalk lines from the lowered sidewalk curbs at the entrances to the dog park. There should be two crosswalks: one on the northwest corner of the dog park, and another on the east side that leads to Dr. Lillian McGregor Park. It would give vehicles a visual warning that people and pets are crossing, making for a safer pedestrian experience.

The second suggestion is to enhance signage. The Code of Conduct sign posted at both the north and south entrances does mention "Be respectful of the neighbours and deter your dog's barking", but it is rule #11 at the bottom of the sign and doesn't stand out.  If "no excessive barking" signs were installed midway on the east and west fences of the park. 

Thank you to everyone who was able to attend our virtual General Members' Meeting on Monday May 17th.

There was an informative presentation by Scott Mckean, Associate Director, Violence Prevention and SafeTO.  SafeTO is a ten year plan with the intent is to focus on well being, as crime is an inequity.  There are in the first phase of implementation.  The Toronto Community Crisis Service is free, confidential, in-person mental health support for people at least 16 years old by mobile crisis teams.  This program diverts calls from Toronto Police Services and is available in Bay Cloverhill on a 24/7 basis.  It will be expanded citywide by the end of the year.  Preventative community work is provided through the Community Crisis Response Program.  FOCUS Toronto works with multiple service providers for escalated and complicated situations and connects locally with the Downtown East Focus Table.  They also work with local Business Improvement Areas with the SafeTObia progam.  The SafeTO Collaborative Analytics and Learning Environment uses data/analytics in an accountable manner to build evidence to innovate services.  In the event of a mental health crisis, residents are encouraged to call 211 for access to city services, 311 for general information and to request the assistance of Streets to Homes and 911 for urgent situations like trespassing.

The signage that was used to discourage dog urine and excrement in the community gardens was not found to be effective and more permanent signage is being sourced.

The dedicated volunteers who participated in the Mayor's Clean Up Day on Saturday April 20th were acknowledged.  About 30 participants enjoyed the 3 hour 'Clock Tower Trail in Downtown Toronto' tour of the pedestrian walking route as part of Jane's Walk on Sunday May 5th.  The 'Clock Tower Trail' name is the former 'Green Loop' that goes through the Bay Cloverhill, Church Wellesley and McGill Granby neighbourhoods, as selected by individuals who voted in the City of Toronto's survey.  It is still in the planning stages, and work on signage and wayfinding is underway.  The Great White Oak bench was installed in Queen's Park on May 1st.  Toronto Star is writing an article about it, and a plaque and/or official opening ceremony is planned.

Two new traffic lights will be installed as part of Toronto Centre Projects Traffic Review 2023 at Breadalbane/Maitland and Yonge, and Grenville/Wood and Yonge.  Submissions for Traffic Review 2024 include crosswalks midblock on Wellesley between Yonge and Bay to Dr. Lillian McGregor Park; Yonge from St. Joseph to Dundonald, where the TTC station entrance is; and Yonge between College Park and Aura to Granby.  Residents are encouraged to submit any proposals that would contribute towards Vision Zero goals.

Three projects were chosen in Toronto Centre Projects Participatory Budgeting process for 2023.  Murals will be installed this year on the west facades of two buildings on St. Luke Lane with frontages at 530 Yonge and 556 Yonge.  Tree wells will be expanded and metal planter surrounds installed in front of the cottages on St. Nicholas and the townhouses on St. Nicholas and Irwin next year.  Bumpouts will be installed next year on St. Joseph, perhaps combined with traffic flow changes.  The right turn lane at Dr. Emily Stowe Way and Grenville is being removed as part of road resurfacing that will start this fall.  The improvements include seating, a new Bike Share station and a 3 oak tree bioswale with permeable pavers.

The status of area developments at 1075 Bay Street, 25 St. Mary Street, 646 Yonge Street, 95 St. Joseph Street, 510 Yonge Street, 8 Wellesley Street West and 10 St. Mary Street were reviewed.

Highlights from the April and May meetings of the Federation of South Toronto Residents' Associations, Councillor Dianne Saxe. 52 Division Community Police Liaison Committee and Sidewalk Safety Committee were discussed.  The preferred information sign for restaurants including the pictures of a bicycle, escooter and ebike was selected.  The idea of converting St. Joseph Street between Yonge and St. Nicholas from one way to two way to facilitate vehicle traffic from Five Condos was discussed.

Letters of Support/Opinion regarding the funding of renaming Sankofa Square, the City's Micromobility Strategy and Avenue Road Study were presented.

A police complaint was made about the weekly Saturday anti-government protests on Yonge Street, as southbound vehicles were observed driving into northbound lanes to drive around the obstruction caused by the small group of protestors walking on the road.

An animated discussion about excessive barking and dogs using the park that do not meet city requirements ensued. The City advised that all parks have standard operating hours of 5:30 am to 12 midnight.  The Ramsden dog park is open from 7:30 am to 11 pm and it is located in a densely residential neighbourhood similar to Breadalbane dog park.  Councillor Moise's office will coordinate bylaw enforcement including confirming dog licences and will review operating hours with Parks staff.

There is an inventory of existing trees that scored the neighbourhood with tree equity scores from 93 for the Queen's Park with low priority for improvements, south Bay Street corridor score of 82 with moderate priority, and 88 score with moderate priorit for the north Bay Street corridor.  There is also an interactive tool to increase tree coverage for specific areas. More information is available at  www.treeequityscore.org/analyzer/toronto.

Participants were asked if they wanted to participate in a Neighbourhood Streets Plan project to improve pedestrian and cyclist safety.

We are looking for volunteers interested in participating in a Yonge Street tour for Councillor Moise organized by the Church Wellesley Neighbourhood Association and Bay Cloverhill Community Association.  Buildings that are part of the Yonge Street Character Area, Historic Yonge Heritage Conservation District, owned by KingSett and approved/pending rezoning applications would be highlighted.
 
Community and special events for the next 3 months were summarized, with details available on the Special Events page on the website.  Councillor Dianne Saxe is holding a virtual Town Hall on Thursday May 30th where parking issues with Toronto Police Services and City staff.  A webinar on non-profit home opportunities is being hosted by FoSTRA on Thursday June 6th.  The 52 Division Community Police Liaison Committee is hosting a community event featuring various police divisions and sale of barbecued hot dogs/hamburgers, fundraising for Beverley House.  Pride parades will be happening on the last weekend of June.

The speaker's and meeting presentations are available on the Minutes of Meeting page.

Thanks to everyone who participated in selecting a new name for the pedestrian walk in the Bay Cloverhill, Church Wellesley and McGill Granby Village neighbourhoods.
​
The most popular name was "The Clock Tower Trail". It was inspired by the historic St. Charles Clock Tower at 484-488 Yonge Street that was restored as part of the Immix apartment building construction. Located near the centre of the pedestrian walk, as part of the St. Charles Tavern, it was a landmark in Toronto’s gay community.  It was a witness to much history and lgbtq discrimination over the years.

Toronto Fire Hall Number 3 was built in 1871 by architects James Grand and William Irving.  The clock tower provided a space for firefighters in horse drawn fire trucks to hang their rubber lined cotton fire hoses to dry.  It took a few days for the hoses hoisted by block and pulley to dry out, preventing rotting of the hoses.
 
The fire hall was closed in 1929 when a new fire station opened at 12 Grosvenor.  Ironically the lower part of the building burned in 1939.  In 1951, the St. Charles Tavern opened after some of the original building was demolished.  The Victorian style clock tower was relocated in 2018 as part of the redevelopment of the site, a short distance north and east of the original location.

Thank you to everyone who attended our virtual meeting.

Toronto Centre Councillor Chris Moise confirmed that three projects selected as part of 2023 Participatory Budgeting would be presented at City Council on March 20th for approval.  The projects are the curbside bump outs on St. Joseph Street at Bay Street and Yonge Street scheduled for installation Summer 2024 and two murals on St. Luke Lane that will be complete by September 2024.  The motion for up to 10 new tree planters on St. Nicholas Street at a cost of $10k each will be deferred to the April 17th to 19th City Council meeting.  Timeline and details will be posted on www.torontocentreprojects.ca.  The adjacent Norman Jewison Park and George Hislop Park will be closed during construction from March to August 2024.  The TPA lot at 13 Isabella will not be converted to parkland, but the TPA lot at 15 Wellesley Street East will become a new park.  Laneway lighting improvements requested for St. Vincent Lane, St. Luke Lane, Cottage Lane, Bistro Lane, Inkerman Street and Phipps Street will be investigated with Toronto Hydro.  It costs about $15k for each freestanding light pole and $20k to $30k for a new light pole.  Section 37 development funds working with private property owners.  There will be two Community Environment Days: Allan Gardens on Saturday May 18th from 10 am to 2 pm with free loose compost; Regent Park on Saturday July 13th from 10 a to 2 pm with free bagged compost.  Councillor Moise encouraged residents to complete the survey by March 25th for the renaming of the Green Loop.  The names under consideration are Clock Tower Trail, Clock Tower Green Loop, Historic Yonge Green Loop and Historic Yonge Parks Trail. Request for traffic control box artwork of $1,600 each (half going to the artist) has to be submitted as proposals on Toronto Centre Projects.  Section 37 development funds negotiated by Kyle Rae in 2003 and 2004 for almost $550k will be used to improve Yonge Dundas Square and renaming costs for Sankofa Square.  In response to a complaint about noise at Yonge and Dundas, Councillor Moise confirmed that new signage banning amplified noise was installed in the area and MLS bylaw enforcement was monitoring noise levels.  Construction for the first phase of YongeTOMorrow should start next year, and is complicated by the Metrolinx construction at Yonge and Queen.  Design and planning for the second phase is scheduled in two to three years.

Al R. reported that he had installed some plastic signs discouraging dogs from using the community gardens as a toilet, but metal signs seem to be more durable and visible.  Residents were encouraged to look out for suitable signs in local stores.

Christine D. introduced the Membership Guide which details responsibilities for building representatives.  All are encouraged to participate regularly in meetings and share information with fellow residents and their building board directors.  The opportunity to volunteer to help out on projects or committees, or serve on the BCCA board was emphasized.

The history of the Great White Oak Bench was given by Katherine H.  The location is close to where the original tree was, near the walkway to Victoria College.  The Parks Department installed a concrete pad base in February.  Installation will happen later this Spring.  We will look into a plaque or QR code to document the history of the tree and the community's efforts to reclaim parts of the tree for a bench.

Cathy C. summarized the February 7th CPLC meeting.  A member of the Sidewalk Safety Committee sent an email expressing concerns about bicycles riding on sidewalks to Mayor Chow, as well as Councillors Saxe and Moise.  There was a break and entry at Five Condos involving theft.  Local stores Rabba and Shoppers Drug Mart requested periodic police patrols in the Phipps Street and St. Nicholas Street area.
 
There will be a hearing on April 3rd related to the proposed development at 646 to 664 Yonge Street and 2 to 4 Irwin Avenue.  The Official Plan and Zoning Amendment will be presented, as well as Rental Replacement matters.
The plaque for 'Primrose' the donkey sculpture in Clover Hill Park is still in the procurement process by Toronto Parks.

The Federation of South Toronto Residents' Associations (FoSTRA) holds monthly meetings where issues of interest are discussed.  Regent Park operates a successful Social Development Plan that builds community.  Most residents' association were in favour of keeping Billy Bishop Airport on the islands rather than converting to parkland. The province overruled an Ontario Energy Board decision to have developers pay the cost of new connections, instead the charges will be allocated to all gas customers as outlined in Bill 165.  FoSTRA is in need of a webmaster if anyone is interested.  The frequency of MPAC property tax assessments are being reviewed, as are individual classifications such as Toronto Island homes that are on land leased from the City.

On February 22nd, Cathy C. attending a meeting regarding the city's approach to responding to encampments.  Third Party Public visited encampments and interviewed encampment residents, city staff and Toronto Police Services.  The main concerns were safety, waste management and loss of the use of green spaces.  Encampment residents have no other housing options and feel a sense of community in the tenter's group.  Solutions include swift response time for investigations and providing housing options.  A new City policy will be released in mid-March.

Michael noted that Canada Post is responsible for mailbox maintenance and issues can be reported through 311, who will connect complaints with Canada Post.

Al R. introduced the Neighbourhood Streets Plan introduced last year by City Councillors to encourage a holistic neighbourhood safety approach.  Any interested individuals can attend a session on March 20th and submit desired projects by June 30th. 

The Sidewalk Safety Committee noted that Sergeant Gall has been replaced by Office Kelly Munroe.  A meeting will likely be convened to review neighbourhood concerns.

Al R. talked about microgrants available for programming in City parks.  He also suggested that someone may want to organize a 1 to 1 1/2 hour neighbourhood tour for Jane's Walk on May 3rd to 5th.

Upcoming events and seminars were reviewed.  The next meeting will be held virtually on Monday May 27th at 7 pm.

The City of Toronto wants your input on a proper name for the Green Loop.  This is a quick and easy survey.  Choose your favourite name from the following list:

Clock Tower Trail
This name comes from The St. Charles Clock Tower at 484-488 Yonge St. This tower has been declared a heritage tower and is a landmark in Toronto’s gay community when it was part of the St. Charles Tavern. It was a witness to much history and 2SLGBTQ+ discrimination over the years. It is also located within the green loop not far from its centre. 

Clock Tower Green Loop
This name connects the original green loop name along with the Clock Tower heritage clock location identifier to make an all-inclusive name including both a local landmark centered within it and the original green loop name thus gaining the advantages of both.

Historic Yonge Green Loop
This name references the Historic Yonge Street HCD Study. It acknowledges the early settlement patterns in the area, which are linked to the establishment and subdivision of Park lots on either side of Yonge Street . It maintains the green loop name adding Historic Yonge as the location spine of the walk.

Historic Yonge Parks Trail
The name keeps the Historic Yonge designation feature from the Yonge Street HCD Study and indicates this is a walking trail between local parks centred around the Historic Yonge Street spine. HISTORIC YONGE acknowledges the age and importance of Yonge Street – PARKS references the division of the land into lots – TRAIL evokes Indigenous Peoples who inhabited this area.

Click on this link to complete the survey:
https://s.cotsurvey.chkmkt.com/?e=371222&d=l&h=B62120FD04B0791&l=en&fbclid=IwAR30oklmLmmBqnVecRBf01IcxJiYtyE1jRPI8u4I83m05CJsT-PXFGPX8eo

Dr. Michael Salvatori from the University of St. Michael’s College explained that the Continuing Education program consists of non-degree courses and programs offered in workshops, seminars and lectures were available for everyone, including Bay Cloverhill residents.  Continuing education is part of St. Mike’s strategic plan of Education, Community and Sustainability.  They will be relaunching community learning courses, to complement existing career progression courses that offer certificates for working professionals.  Residents are encouraged to think of general interest topics that are of interest, such as languages for travel, beginner Irish, social media literacy, art and architecture walks and printmaking in the Kelly Library.  The courses could be held in person or remotely in evening or weekend sessions.  A survey will be sent out shortly for course ideas and feedback.  It is expected course offerings will start later this year.  Any revenues will go to operating costs for the university.
 
Did you know that Toronto Life rated Bay Cloverhill the 8th best neighbourhood to live in the City in 2023? They conducted a survey with Environics to score neighbourhoods on 10 criteria: housing, community, safety, shopping, diversity, education, health, employment, entertainment and transit. We achieved a perfect score for the shopping, health and entertainment.  HGTV used the Toronto Life neighbourhood ranking for 2023 to figure out the best areas for new immigrants to live in the city. The criteria that is more important to new residents included housing, employment, diversity and health. With these changes, Bay Cloverhill moved from 8th to 10th as the best neighbourhood in Toronto.

The results are detailed in the attached chart.
 
Social Media activity over the past year was presented.  The website www.baycloverhill.com was created in 2015 and updated April 2021.  The Facebook group “Bay Cloverhill Community” was created in February 2021.  The @baycloverhill X (aka Twitter) account was created in 2015 and become actively used in May 2021.  The Instagram account @baycloverhill was started in 2021.  Statistics for January 1st to December 31st 2023 (compared to previous year) are in the attached chart.
 
Marilyn T. announced that membership invoices will be sent out to property managers shortly for January renewals. She has just taken over as Treasurer, so the invoices will contain all relevant details.
 
Cathy C. attended the 52 Division Community Police Liaison Committee Town Hall on November 1, 2023.  There was an interesting presentation of SafeTO, which is a 10 year community and safety plan.  This will be a future guest speaker at one of our general members meetings.  The Downtown Yonge BIA, Waterfront BIA and Queen Street West BIA spoke about their projects, including streetscaping and other programs.  The new Unit Commander, Superintendent Khan looks forward to working together with the community.
 
Members approved an amendment to Section 4.3 of the Constitution to expand Executive Officer positions to Individual Members and remove the requirement for candidates to have been a Building Representative for six months.
 
The renaming of Yonge Dundas Square to Sankofa Square was discussed.  A Recognition Review Advisory Committee selected the new name on December 12th and Councillor Moise made a motion that was approved by City Council on December 14th.  Several members of the Yonge Dundas Square Management Board resigned as a result.  The funding for the name change is going to come from Section 37 development funds.
 
The vehicle damage to the planters at St. Joseph and Bay was noted.  One of the main problems are the missing bollards, which Cathy C. has been trying to get the City to install for the past year.  Al R. suggested that the bollards on Emily Stowe could be relocated when the turn lane reconstruction takes place in the next year.  The Transportation Department will be asked if changing the bumpouts to widen the street for large trucks would be a viable solution.  The St. Joseph streetscaping is one of the selected Toronto Centre participatory budgeting projects, which should minimize future damage.
 
Beth H. reported that the Parks Department said that standard park operating hours are 5:30 am to midnight, so the Breadalbane Park dog off leash areas hours wouldn’t be shortened.  Al R. pointed out that some parks have shorter hours, so it may be possible to reduce opening hours to minimize disturbances from barking dogs.
 
Al R. noted that the linear parks east of Yonge has expanded areas.  14 Dundonald has been added to James Canning Park.  15 Charles and 6 Isabella will expand George Hislop Park on Isabella. He will follow up with the Church Wellesley Neighbourhood Association to ensure that the Green P surface lot will be eliminated as planned with the adjacent Charles parking expansion, and added to Norman Jewison Park.
 
Al R. has been trying for the past 5 years to have a streetlight on Charles Street West replaced.  It was removed as part of the Shoppers Drug Mart reconstruction and is located on the south side of the street, by the western side of the Shoppers building.  There is no street lighting on the north side of Charles Street West.
 
Nenke J. asked when the bus shelter on Bay Street on the north side of St. Joseph, adjacent to Clover Hill Park would be repaired after it was damaged in a motor vehicle accident.  Marilyn T. noted it was replaced last week.
 
Al R. noted that dog owners often lift their pets into the community gardens, especially on St. Joseph and Irwin, to defecate.  It was decided that Marilyn T. and Christine D. would look into no pet signs that could be installed into the planters.
 
The demolition of 95 St. Joseph has been delayed a year, to early next year.  The relocation of the chapel will take 3 months.  The developers are working on a site plan resubmission.
 
The proposed demolition of 25 St. Mary has also been delayed due to the economy.  There is no revised timeline.
 
Al R. noted that more planning staff have been hired for downtown Toronto planners and should result in a more reasonable planning workload.  There has been a drop in pre-application developments all over Toronto.  Gregg Lintern retired as Chief Planner and the hiring process for his replacement has not yet started.
 
Jack C. noted that there was a person living in a tent in Clover Hill park.  Cathy C. and Christine D. had previously reported this to 311 for action by Streets to Homes.  There was also someone in Opera Place Park.  Residents are advised to contact 311 to encourage any unhoused individuals to move to a shelter during the inclement weather.
 
The next virtual meeting will be Monday March 18th at 7 pm.

​What a year it’s been in Bay Cloverhill!  A staggering 60 events in the neighbourhood, from parades to protests to memorials. 1 building completed, 2 more under construction, 6 developments approved and 4 more projects in the planning process.  The highlight of the year has to be the opening of Dr. Lillian McGregor Park and Breadalbane Park off leash dog area in May made possible by the community’s tireless advocacy for green space for more than a decade.
 
In 2024, we are planning for more improvements for Bay Cloverhill.  We are excited to see the installation of murals, trees and planters and St. Joseph bumpouts as part of the Participatory Budgeting of Toronto Centre Projects. 

The obsolete fountain in Queen’s Park North could be reimagined to something that is both artistic and educational, like a sun dial.  Planning and research on this project are already underway, and will continue in 2024.

Lighting is important for safety and security.  We will be working with Transportation Services and Toronto Hydro in 2024 to improve street lighting, especially on Yonge Street.

The Green Loop prospective name is Twelve Parks Walk or Clock Tower Walk. There needs to be signage and wayfinding created in 2024.

We are working with the City to get plaques in 2024 to honour Dr. Lillian McGregor, the art sculptures and the community’s efforts to establish the park.

The Out of the Box is a City program that engages local artists to decorate the grey traffic control boxes.  We will apply in Spring 2024 to have 14 traffic control boxes in our neighbourhood included in the 2024 scope of work.  Only 4 have been decorated to date.

Our Gardening Committee is a small group of dedicated residents who take care of the 5 community gardens and the Bay Street bioswale.  The gardens and bioswale are due for some soil renewal in 2024.