Volume 23 Number 2 Newsletter of the Swansea Area Ratepayers' Association MEMBERSHIP Please renew and encourage your friends to buy a 1997 membership. Membership Fees for 1997: Single membership ................. $8.00 Family membership ................ $10.00 Business membership ...... ... $12.00 Please contact L. Gris at 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. EXECUTIVE MEETINGS Please note that Executive meetings are public and held normally on the third Tuesday of each month. There may be seating limitations so please contact the Executive before you come to a meeting. Our Executive is: Ron Luft President; Ed Gaigalas and L. Clay, Vice-Presidents; L. Volpe, Secretary, J Oreto, Treasurer; L. Gris, Membership; G Martinsons, Past-President; Your Directors: Ritvars Bregzis, J. Bell, S. Campbell; Peter Chant, Tony Giniotis, Bill Gouweleeuw, W. Haines, 0. Iwanyshyn, D. Jennison, M. Rew, Wm Roberts, M. Robertson, G. Thede, R. Vaughan, and S. Wilkinson ELLIS AVENUE PROJECT In a recent development the owners of 225 Ellis Ave have made several different applications to the City of Toronto Committee of Adjustment to sever pan of the subdivision and include it with the existing house and a minor variance application to allow a house to be constructed on the to-be-created lot by the severance application It is our understanding that there is a question as to the calculation of the new building's density which needs to be clarified. Don Jennison appeared on behalf of SARA at the Committee of Adjustment The hearing was adjourned to June 3, 1997 at 6:30 P.M, at City Hall. For further information contact Oleh Iwanyshyn at 762-6724 or Don Jennison at 762 - 1132. SWANSEA MEMORIAL LIBRARY You can arrange for any movie, book or any other library material to be delivered to the Swansea branch for pick-up. The Town Hall has arranged for a computer to be available during Town Hall hours so you can order books, etc. when the library is not open. You can also order books, etc. through your home computer LIBRARY HOURS are: Monday: Tuesday: Wednesday. Thursday. Friday: Saturday: Sunday Closed 10:00 A.M. - 5:00 P.M 1:00 P.M. - 8:00 P.M. 10:00 A.M - 5:00 P.M Closed 10:00 A.M - 5:00 P.M. Closed SOUTH KINGSWAY- HUMBER BRIDGES We continue to monitor the progress of the bridges. Delays have occurred as a result of construction problems. For more information contact G. Martinsons at 766-1734 May 1997 BLOOR WEST PARKING STUDY Councillor Hutcheon has called two additional public meetings to deal with Bloor West Parking as it impacts on the Swansea Area and the West Toronto area adjacent to Bloor Street West. BLOOR STREET LIQUOR REGULATIONS Don Jennison attended the Ontario Municipal Board hearing commencing April 28_ 1997. The City had sought by motion to have the Restaurateurs' appeal dismissed. The matter has been adjourned for settlement. Glen Thede is monitoring this matter. At this stage it is unclear whether there will be public participation if you have concerns please contact Glen Thede at 763-5283. MEGA METRO SARA appeared at the Provincial Committee dealing with Bill 103 to express our concerns that the proposed legislation did not provide sufficient protection for neighbourhoods and suggested amendments. HIGH PARK ADVISORY COMMITTEE lames Bell sits on this body which advises the City on safety, use and design issues for High Park. GARDINER LAKESHORE TASKFORCE SARA continues to monitor this committee's work. NOTICE Swansea Area Ratepayers' Association ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING at the Swansea Town Hall 95 Lavinia Ave Agenda: Reports- Treasurer, Minutes President Planning Update Election of Officers Presentation of Life Memberships Special Guests: Swansea Public School Choir Light Refreshments will be served Bring your neighbours and friends All Welcome Please walk or bike - be a good neighbour to the residents of Lavinia and to the Environment -- Thank you SAVANNAH SARA continues to monitor this matter. The City has passed a by-law which removes the exemption for the Savannah. Bill Roberts is following this matter. 99 COEHILL DR. (1 RENNIE TERRACE) We are still monitoring this matter. SIGN COMMITTEE The City has a committee which reviews signs and the regulation of the same. Ron Luft and Don Jennison sit as our representatives on the Committee. Recently the City has amended the by-law to ensure the separation for signs on rooftops will also apply to pedestal signs or wall signs and that they must each be the same distance from the other type of signs. For more information contact Ron Luft or Don Jennison RUNNYMEDE HOSPITAL SARA supports Runnymede Hospital in its attempts to ensure quality long term, chronic care and its specialty programs continue on its site. Runnymede is one of the few Ontario hospitals to receive the highest accreditation that a hospital can receive. Its loss will severely impact on the quality of life for many of our aging members who live in Swansea and the adjacent community. BILLY BOB'S SARA was contacted by persons living in the City of York who had just fought an OMB battle successfully to block a patio on the roof of Billy Bob's in the City of York, only to find out the City was about to permit the rooftop patio on the Toronto side. For those who are not aware, Billy Bob's is located about one third in Toronto and about two third's in the City of York. The City of York portion is zoned low density residential. the City of Toronto portion is zoned commercial/residentia1 which prohibits patios adjacent to low density residential areas. It appears that someone was not taking into consideration the City of York designation. SARA wrote to the City in support of the City of Yolk residents on the basis that the City should not interpret its by-laws in such away as to ignore an adjacent municipality. It is likely this issue will be resolved in the courts. We continue to monitor this matter. Clearly there is a gap in the existing Bloor West provisions relating to restaurants on the north side of Bloor which needs to be addressed. Swansea Area Ratepayers' Association % Swansea Town Hall P.O. Box 103, 95 Lavinia Ave Toronto, Ontario, M6S 3H9 W. Roberts 63 South Kingsway Toronto, Ontario M6S 3T4 Mr. 63 TRAFFIC CALMING ON RIVERSIDE DRIVE SARA continues to follow this matter. SARA chaired a meeting so that the issue could be aired. Over 100 people attended the meeting. The vast majority of speakers opposed the proposal, and staff from the Ambulance and Fire indicated the changes would slow response times. A traffic engineer speaking on behalf of residents who did not support the proposed changes indicated he had concerns. Mr. Sabo of City Roads indicated the plans were still being developed. Councillor Hutcheon, when the matter came as a non-deputation item at a City Hall meeting, promised the persons who attended that before any plans are finalized that there would be further public consultation which would involve them. Petro Canada on South Kingsway A proposal by Petro Canada to expand the existing service centre went before the public at a meeting held on April 24, 1997. Some design changes have been made to take into consideration possible impacts on the Condominium at 1 Ripley Ave. The site is on part of the lands owned by the first permanent settler in the City of Toronto, Jean Rousseau and the southern start point for the Toronto Carrying Place (aail) that was used by the first nations, voyagers, explorers and settlers traveling to the north or to the south. thus one of the issues is the need to do archaeological tests to ensure the new station will not impact on any historical/archaeological sites. The city is considering a land swap. The City would receive part of the top of the bank and the rest of the bank to the river and would hand over in exchange about half of the existing Queen Sheet [used as a "parking lot" south of the Station] but which, in fact, is still an open road SARA his not taken a position on this matter yet. [Editorial note from Bill Roberts: I have some concerns about the land exchange. While the land received is about three times the size of the Queen Street land, it is under MTRCA control, mostly fill and near the cut slope of the River and so is probably not a suitable building site while the Queen Street land is more suitable. On the other hand, it could be used to calculate density. It should also be noted that the Humber River is a navigable waterway under Federal control, the MTRCA controls about 150 feet of table land beyond the top of the bank, Metro controls access and about 150 feet adjacent to South Kingsway, and the transfer of part of Queen Street requires a public process because it is the closing of public highway. We need to carefully examine the impacts on persons accessing the Humber from Queen Street, the location of potentially significant archaeological sites, and the possible impact the increased use of the station will have on South Kingsway and the adjacent residential lands.] Advisory Committee: Ron Luft Editor: Bill Roberts