Volume
29 Number I, Newsletter of the Swansea Area Ratepayers' Association January 2002
EXECUTIVE
MEETINGS
Please
note that Executive meetings are public and held
normally
on the third Tuesday of each month, excluding
July
and August. There may be seating limitations, so
contact
the Executive before you come to a meeting.
Your executive is: V. Masnyk - President; G.
Dubauskas"
Vice-president
& t.ouis Gri~ - Viee-presidoot ~-
Membership;
J. Oreto - Treasurer; V. Vancas - Secretary;,
Peter
Chant - Past President; Directors: Jamie Bell, R.
Braun,
Ritvars Bregzis, L. Clay, M. Fenner, Bill Haines,
M.
Hudson, Peter Keefe, M. Lalonde, J. McMullen,
William
(Bill) Roberts, L. Volpe and S. Wilkinson. John
Meijer
is helping out as our web-master.
GARDINER
LAKESHORE TASKFORCE
SARA
continues to monitor this committee's work. Bill
Roberts
is our contact on this body, and S. Wilkinson is
the
alternate. SARA has written the City wondering why
this
body that has over a decade's experience with
transportation
issues along the waterfront has not been
called
to meet and discuss the "Part II Plan" for the
waterfront.
The task force was supposed to hold a public
meeting
this past summer at the CNE to get input from
the
public on burying the Gardiner. Since last Spring the
committee
has not met. This resembles the worst days of
Harbourfront
when the City did not call meetings of the
Harbourfront
Review Committee. Is this an issue of no
one
wanting an experienced committee questioning the
"experts"
and testing the theory? We have already seen how
well
the City did with its computer deal.
Who knows, but
SARA
has written to the City asking "Why.. (Ed. note:
Strangely
enough, after SARA wrote, a meeting was called.)
MEMBERSHIP
If you
have not done so yet, renew your membership for
2002
now.
THE
FOLLOWING ARE THE FEES FOR 2002:
Single
membership $10.00
Family
membership $12.00
Business
membership $14.00
Please
contact L. Gris at 416 - 766 - 2792 to renew."
Membership
inquiries may be sent to Swansea Area
Ratepayers'
Association, c/o Swansea Town Hall, Box 103,
95
Lavinia Avenue, Toronto, Ontario, M6S 3H9.
FUND
RAISER
Once
again several members attended the Village Players
Play
and the event helps to generate some income to assist
our
ongoing operations.
HOURS
OF OPERATION OF GAS BARS
SARA
continues to press the City to enforce its bylaw.
There
are settlement discussions going on at this time that
may
produce a resolution on the reduction in the hours
of the
operation of the gas station at 8 South Kingsway.
MEGACITY
COMMUNITY COUNCILS
SARA
continues to press the issue of why City staff does
not
hold public meetings at the Humber York Civic centre.
It
seems the politicians have failed to notice the staff is
manipulating
the public hearing process by holding
City-wide
public meetings at only four of the old civic
centers
(Toronto, North York, Scarborough and
Etobicoke)
which clearly means they continue to favor
four
departmental divisions instead of divisions based on
the six
community councils approved by Council, thereby
undermining
the role of council and setting de facto
policy.
HIGH
PARK ADVISORY COMMITTEE
Jean
McMullen is our representative.
STELCO
SARA
has three representatives on the WINDERMERE
BY THE
LAKE COMMUNITY LIAISON COMMITTEE.
The
committee is structured to allow communications
between
Reon and the community. SARA, before
becoming
part of the committee, insisted that the
committee
not be a decision making group, but be in
addition
to any Public Hearing process.
MEOW
CLUB
We
remain concerned that there may be an attempt to erect
high-rise
condominiums on this site. In that light we
supported
the Friends of Fort York who were left on their
own
without support from the City to protect the Official
Plan
policies, not five years old, that stated buildings
around
Fort York should be of a lower scale. In light of
the new
corporation and the proposed Waterfront Plan,
there
are no assurances the City will not support 30 plus
towers
from Yonge Street to the Humber River. For
updates
please contact J. Bell at 416 - 604 - 7421.
TRAFFIC
CALMING.
We
continue to follow this matter.
COMMUNITY
POLICE LIAISON COMMITTEE.
Bill
Haines is our representative on this committee. We
express
our condolences to Bill, and to L. Volpe who each
have
lost a parent recently.
JOY OIL
STATION
SARA
continues to watch this situation. It appears that
toxic
soil remains under the gas station which is preventing
the
project from going forward. One solution is to move
the gas
station and the other is to sell the land and use the
monies
therefrom to find a different and better site for the
social
housing (perhaps as part of the Reon project).
HUMBER
RIVER PEDESTRIAN/CYCLING
TRAILS
It
appears the City staff has agreed to have a pedestrian
trail
by the Swansea side of the Humber and the bicycle
trails
further west and east. It is likely the funding for this
will be
in the next year with construction sometime in the
Spring.
1947
BLOOR STREET WEST.
The
Humber-York Community Council approved the site
Plan despite
serious concerns raised by the community and
the
fact there appears to have been major changes done to
the
plans that were approved by the Ontario Municipal
Board.
Those changes should have required further
approvals
by either the Board or the City not just site plan
approvals.
61
KENNEDY AVE.
SARA
was contacted by a former executive member and
agreed
to support the concerns of the area residents. Several
meetings
were held and a settlement was reached that
protected
the spirit of the by-law while allowing
development
of the site with variances the neighbors could
live
with.
47 ST.
OLAVES
SARA
was contacted by a neighbor who did not support
the
proposal. The item was adjourned because, in part, of
the
short notice given by the Committee. A meeting was
held at
David Miller's office to see if there could be a
resolution.
SARA continues to support the neighbors.
SWANSEA
MEMORIAL LIBRARY
We
continue to keep an eye on the Library.
Please
remember
if we do not use it we will lose it. Remember it
is as a
living memory to the Village of Swansea soldiers
who
served in the First World War - the 22 who did not
come
back and the 150 who did.
Also do not forget you can arrange for any
movie, book
or any
other library material to be delivered to the Swansea
branch
for pickup.
LIBRARY
HOURS ARE NOW:
Monday:
.......... Closed
Tuesday:.
...... 10:00 A.M. - 6:00 P.M.
Wednesday:
..... 10:00
A.M. - 6:00 P.M.
Thursday:
...... 10:00 A.M. - 6:00 P.M.
Friday:
........... Closed
Saturday
...... 9:00 A.M. - 1:00 P.M.
Sunday:
.......... Closed
Please
contact G. Dubauskas at 416 - 762 -6413.
CITY
PLAN.
SARA
supports the Confederation of Residents and
Ratepayers
Associations and the Federation of North
Toronto
Ratepayers Associations, whose concerns parallel
ours,
that the proposed plan simply transfers powers to
the
staff and the developers and excludes the citizens from
the
process.
MUNICIPAL
SHELTERS
SARA,
while supporting the concept finds the proposal
poorly
drafted. However, the majority of the members of
two
committees at a joint committee meeting of Planning
and
Transportation and of Social Services refused to meet
with
concerned business and ratepayers groups to see if the
wording
of the proposed by-law could be improved.
OUR WEB
SITE
It is
still being created. However, thanks to John Meiier
who is
helping out as our web-master, it is looking "good".
You can
view our site at WWW.Swansearatepayers.ca.
PUBLIC
ACCESS
SARA is
pressing the city to return to the previous policies
that
guaranteed participatory planning.
SWANSEA
TOWN HALL A. G. M.
The
Annual General Meeting is scheduled for Monday,
February
25/02 at 7:30 p.m. at the Swansea Town Hall.
There
will be an election to fill two vacancies on the Board
of
Directors, and an update on the building extension
WE HOPE
THE NEW YEAR FINDS
YOU
HEALTHY, HAPPY
AND
PROSPEROUS!
