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Toronto Police Services has released information about crimes in 52 Division. The report was released at the Community Police Liaison Committee meeting this month. 
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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. Thank you to everyone who was able to attend our Annual General Meeting this week at the Central YMCA. Special appreciation to our guest speakers: MPP Kristyn Wong Tam, Councillor Dianne Saxe, MPP Jessica Bell and Constable Anthony Lamanna. There was an interesting display of developments in the area, a positive Treasurer's report and an update on the past year's activities in the neighbourhood. The priorities for 2024 and board vacancies were discussed. Toronto Centre MPP Kristyn Wong Tam explained she moved from her former position as Toronto Centre City Councillor to the provincial level since many of the decisions affecting the City were made at Queen's Park. In addition to being a resident of Bay Cloverhill neighbourhood, anything relevant to residents is important to them. The provincial budget consultations are ongoing in the province with no date yet set for consultations in Toronto. MPP Wong Tam is the critic for
University Rosedale Councillor Dianne Saxe comes from a background in provincial politics. She recognizes that City Hall faces many financial and legal obstacles from the current Ford government that doesn't care about Toronto. Councillor Saxe works with a collegial group of Councillors to get things done, including more than 59 motions in the past year from issues such as hate speech, parking, heat control in rental housing. She is also on many boards and participates in 20 resident associations and 18 BIA's. Councillor Saxe advised there are three major city consultations ongoing about the budget, micro mobility devices and main street density (as of right zoning to increase the missing middle development). As an avid cyclist, she noted that the city's cycling network continues to grow. The City's Official Plan Amendments, including affordable housing requirements for developments are on hold, as the provincial government has delayed review of the changes. University Rosedale MPP Jessica Bell started as an environmental activist when she came to Canada around 2009. MPP Bell encourages residents to be active, and have hope and faith.
Constable Anthony Lamanna is our neighbourhood Community Relations Officer from Toronto Police Service. He believes the City is a safe place, despite media coverage of specific crimes. Constable Lamanna acknowledged the tragedies in the Middle East and the many protests that are ongoing in the City. He explained that hate motivated crime includes an element of hate to an identifiable group such as race or religion. Constable Lamanna apologized for the long wait times for non-emergency calls caused by understaffing. He encouraged residents to let the police know about any issues of concern. Constable Lamanna is a Crime Prevention Officer who shares his know how about how to navigate the city safely. He conducts a safety street walk for residents where he is not in uniform and gives tips on how to avoid confrontations, talk to the street involved community. His advice is to have a plan and plan your outings. Personal safety presentations are available at 52 Division and on site risk assessments are offered for condo buildings. The Fall 2023 update presentation was made, see the following file at the end of the post. Norm Waite has decided to step down from the Board, after many years of service to the community, including as Treasurer and President. Meetings are held with politicians, the City's Planning Department and developers to improve the neighbourhood. We are part of various advocacy efforts, including FoSTRA, Avenue Road Safety Coalition, Ontario Place etc. The current and planned public realm improvements were reviewed, including the four Toronto Centre participatory budgeting projects for 2024. A review of completed buildings, projects under construction, approved and proposed developments for the area, and adjacent to our neighbourhood, was presented. The MacDonald Block reconstruction is over budget and completion has been extended by two or three years. Our 2023 accomplishment and 2024 priorities to make the Bay Cloverhill area better were detailed. There are two vacant executive positions. Currently building representatives with six month's service are eligible to be nominated for the board. In order to increase the pool of possible candidates, we may expand the eligibility to include individual members. Anyone with particular interests or passions is encouraged to volunteer to serve on a committee or help with a special project.
Effie Slapnicar of the University of St. Michael’s College spoke at our last General Members' Meeting about their plans to rezone the property in order to add student residence beds, study areas and redesign the Kelly Library at 113 St. Joseph Street. The use will remain institutional, and the early concept is to add floors. The building will remain part of the university campus.
Currently there are about 5,000 students with only 700 residence beds available, which is a low ratio for student housing for post-secondary education campuses. The existing study areas are in high demand and need to be expanded. The use of library space has changed dramatically since the building was constructed in 1969, and needs to be modernized. The creation of a event and/or classroom space is being considered. The University of St. Michael's College looks forward to consulting with the community on how best to proceed with this major project. Bill 109, More Homes for Everyone Act was introduced by province in 2022 to eliminate red tape and accelerate development timelines. It mandates a maximum period of 60 to 120 days for the City to approve developments in order to retain application fees. These fees pay for the City's planning department staff, about $70m annually. Toronto has 10x the volume of development applications than next closest municipality, Mississauga. The City approves twice as many units than are actually constructed. As of June 2023, there were about 500 active development applications. The Neighbourhood Safety Walkabout and Community meeting originally planned for September or October has been delayed due to staffing shortages at the Toronto Police Service. Residents have until Tuesday October 31st to vote on Ward 13 Toronto Centre Projects Participatory Budgeting projects. $750,000 is available in Section 37 development funds for neighbourhood projects in Zone 1 (Bay/Bloor/Sherbourne/College) for Bay Cloverhill, Church Wellesley and Upper Jarvis areas. More information is available at https://torontocentreprojects.ca/en/folders/pb
Cathy C. reported on the Night Economy Review and that it was not about ambient late noise from parties, but focused on the differences between restaurants and bars having the ability to stay open late and play music. The TTC is mandated to ensure all stations are accessible by January 1, 2025 to comply with Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2005. The second entrance and station construction at Museum station has resulted in lane restrictions that have reduced the traffic and bicycle lanes on Queen's Park Crescent. There is a secondary exit being built at north end of Queen’s Park North. There will be temporary station entrance closures for elevator construction. It appears the existing stair entrances at Museum Station will be closed when secondary exit is complete in 2025. A letter of support to keep the Ontario Science Centre in its existing location instead of moving to Ontario Place was sent out. The centennial project has provided generations of visitors with a spectacular location and innovative, interactive exhibits. It is an important part of an established neighbourhood, providing educational and employment opportunities. Norm W. is retiring from his position as Treasurer on the Board. There will be two director positions available January 1st for 3 year terms. To be on the board, an individual must be a Building Representative in good standing with a minimum of 6 months experience. They must be nominated by two Building Representatives. Beth H. reported that the existing signs for the Breadalbane Park off leash dog area showed inconsistent signs. She spoke with the City who will be replacing the signs with the standard opening times of 7 am to 11 pm daily. The malfunctioning gate latch will also be fixed. There was no positive or negative experiences reported with the recent Drinking in the Parks pilot project at Queen's Park. Concerns were raised with the lack of public washrooms and possible conflicts with the frequent protests in the area. Al R. inquired if Seeds of Hope at 6 St. Joseph Street were relocating, as it appeared contents were being moved out. He also wondered what the status of the Yonge Street Environmental Assessment was for the second phase of the YongeTOmorrow project from Davenport Avenue to Carlton Street . It was originally scheduled for 2023, but has been delayed by the City. Construction was scheduled to start this year on the first phase on Yonge Street from Carlton Street to Queen Street. The ActiveTO Complete Streets pilot project on Yonge Street from Davisville Avenue to Bloor Street was made permanent earlier this year. Local special events and announcements were made. Everyone was encouraged to attend the Annual General Meeting to be held on Monday November 20th at 7 pm at the Central YMCA at 20 Grosvenor Street. The Bay Cloverhill Community Association needs you to vote on neighbourhood projects, through the Toronto Centre Projects Participatory Budgeting program. Please vote by October 31st on your preferred projects from the following list, to a maximum total of $750,000 available for all projects in Zone 1, which includes the Bay Cloverhill neighbourhood.
Your Vote Matters! Thank you for your support. It is important to stand up for important issues around the city, like keeping the Ontario Science Centre in its current location. Learn more about local advocacy from Save Ontario's Science Centre at https://savesciencecentre.com/ and sign their petition at https://www.change.orwww.change.org/p/save-the-science-centreg/p/save-the-science-centre. We support them in their fight to retain the uniqueness of the Flemington Park neighbourhood.
Thank you to everyone who was able to attend the virtual General Members' Meeting on Monday August 21, 2023. A special welcome to our newest member, St. Nicholas Housing Cooperative! The Neighbourhood Projects division of the City's Transportation Services introduced a wonderful re-imagining of Breadalbane Street from Yonge Street to Bay Street. Streetscaping improvements will be done in conjunction with scheduled capital resurfacing in 2025. The project is budgeted to cost $390,000 and will be funded from Section 37 development fees from 11 Wellesley Street West. The objectives are:
 The BCCA Executive will approach the owner of the Ethiopian Restaurant at 4 Irwin Avenue to see if any assistance is needed with finding another location, due to a development proposal that would demolish the building.
Event coordination continues to be a challenge when there are road closures on Yonge Street or Bay Street that affects St. Joseph Street. Residents are encouraged to support the signage proposal for the North Downtown Green Loop on the Toronto Centre Projects website from Ward 13 Councillor Chris Moise - www.torontocentreprojects.ca. 11 projects from the Bay Cloverhill neighbourhood were submitted for consideration of $750,000 in participatory budgeting. The City is undertaking feasibility and costing of the projects, when residents get to vote on their preferred projects in October. The June meeting of the 52 Division Community Police Liaison Committee included an interesting presentation on car jacking. High end vehicles are targeted and immediately sent overseas. Some vehicles are stolen for use in other crimes, especially pharmacy robberies. Police recommend drivers park in well lit areas, pay attention to their surroundings and check their mirrors. Traffic safety is prioritized in 'Project Beeline' which uses Special Constables to ensure critical intersections are kept free from gridlock during rush hour. 'Project Safeguard' builds on the success of last year to educate and ticket cyclists on the sidewalk and vehicles parked in bike lanes. The Wednesday August 9th community event and barbeque was a success with funds raised for Contact Alternative School. The addition of online CORE reporting for cyclist incidents has been requested and increased police patrols at Bay Street/St. Joseph Street due to disturbances from street people. A new Care Program will be launched this fall that partners a roving team of police, city and health care services that will respond to homeless/mental health/addiction issues. 7 new officers were hired at 52 Division. There was an increase in the number of crimes compared to last year. Details available at www.data.torontopolice.on.ca. Police Constable Anthony Lamanna is available for building safety audits and will be scheduling a safety meeting for building representatives and property managers. In addition, a neighbourhood safety walkabout will be scheduled in September or October. Residents are encouraged to sign form letters to support a federal assessment of Ontario Place and demand increased consultation for the proposed Ontario Place redevelopment by the province at www.ontarioplaceforall.com. Key items from the FoSTRA General Member's Meeting in June included work from the Advocacy and Activism, Parks, Affordable Housing, Intensification and Environmental Committees. There was an illuminating presentation on Bill 109 Act, More Homes for Everyone Act, 2022 which involves massive shortening of development approval timelines and potential loss of almost all development fees. The informative and educational Meet Your Next Mayor event was held on June 22nd with Brad Bradford, Chloe Brown, Mitzie Hunter and Josh Matlow attending. There is a vacancy for a Director on the BCCA Executive. Any candidate must have been a Building Representative for 6 months and be nominated by 2 Building Representatives by the October 16th General Members' Meeting. One individual has expressed interest and will be acclaimed if no other candidates come forward. Councillor Dianne Saxe requests that residents email any complaints about noisy gas powered leaf blowers to [email protected]. Upcoming community and special events were reviewed. The next virtual meeting is Monday October 16th at 7 pm. The Annual General Meeting to be held in person at the Central Toronto YMCA on Monday November 20th at 7 pm. Let the federal government and provincial government know if you think more action is needed for the proposed Ontario Place redevelopment. Use these form letters from advocacy group Ontario Place For All. https://ontarioplaceforall.com/takeaction/ The Bay Cloverhill Community Association feels strongly and wrote to the Premier, Minister of Infrastructure and Mayor to let them know the concerns expressed by residents.
Toronto has a new mayor! Congratulations to Olivia Chow, who wants to "build a caring city where everyone belongs". 724,638 votes were cast in Toronto for a 26% voter turnout. In University Rosedale Ward 11, 34,804 votes represented 33% participation. In Toronto Centre Ward 13, 31,387 votes resulted in a 26% voter turnout. An improvement over the 20% voter turnout for the 2022 mayoral election. From Thursday, June 8 to Tuesday, June 13, 2023, 129,745 eligible voters attended one of 50 advance voting locations across the city to vote. This represents an almost 12% over the October 2022 elections. Both wards also supported Olivia Chow more than the rest of the city and Ana Bailao less than Toronto overall. Toronto overall 269,372 votes for Olivia Chow (37%) and 235,175 votes for Ana Bailao (32%). University Rosedale cast 16,307 votes for Olivia Chow (47%) and 10,188 votes for Ana Bailao (29%). Toronto Centre cast 17,142 votes for Olivia Chow (55%) and 6,498 votes for Ana Bailao (21%). To see the votes cast for all candidates, or specifically in University Rosedale or Toronto Centre, please see the attached files. Thank you to everyone who took the time to vote in the by-election. And special thanks to those volunteers who campaigned for the candidates and organized mayoral community events.
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