Without fear of flavour
SoundCheck Youth Arts, a youth-led non-profit based in Toronto’s Weston and Mount Dennis neighbourhoods, is having a back-to-school backpack drive Aug. 31.
It is the first time the non-profit is doing it.
The event will happen between 4 and 7 p.m. at Weston Park Baptist Church, which is located at 1781 Weston Rd. near Lawrence Avenue West in Weston.
The organizers are giving away fully-stocked backpacks. There will also be a community barbecue.
However, the goods are first come first served.
Among other services, Weston King Neighbourhood Centre serves and helps people in the community who are coping with economic or social barriers. In this regard, WKNC provides housing support, harm reduction, hygiene wellness and counselling. Part of the WKNC vision is to have everyone (clients and community members) serve as a volunteer. Currently, they are looking for people to serve in the following roles:
WKNC provides clients with breakfast and lunch every day except Sundays and is looking for donations of plates, cups and cutlery.
Phone WKNC at (416) 572-0203 for more details.
Like Weston and Mount Dennis, Parkdale was devastated by changing circumstances in the 1950s and 1960s. Recently, Parkdale has been gentrifying and residents have formed the Parkdale Neighbourhood Land Trust in order to have some control over the current boom in development.
Last month using fundraising and grants, the trust purchased land that had been denied building permits. The Trust had already received permission to garden on the 5000 square foot site. Ownership will mean that future gardening at that location is guaranteed.
More details here.
The Victory Community Credit Union is raising money for the Weston Food Bank, whose “cupboards are bare”, according to the VCCU.
You can stop by the VCCU with non-perishables or to donate cash (and may I suggest cash, so the food bank can match hotdogs with buns?).
Weston has some old structures. Not that old compared to those in Europe, Africa or Asia but for North America, we have quite a few of historical interest.
Strictly speaking, Weston’s oldest structure is the Carrying Place Trail. This was used by First Nations people and explorers between 1615 and 1793. A plaque was dedicated by the Weston Historical Society in 2013.
Weston’s next oldest structure is the 1856 CNR (formerly Grand Trunk) bridge that crosses the Humber to the west of Weston and St Phillips. It was recently widened to accommodate the UP Express but the original structure still stands.
The next oldest structure is the long neglected Plank Road Building at Weston and St Phillips. This structure at 2371 Weston was built in 1841 and in recent years has stood abandoned. Someone obviously owns it and is paying (no doubt reduced) taxes on it.
Weston Presbyterian Church on Cross Street in Weston has an interesting history dating from 1847. The current version dates from 1880.
St John the Evangelist Catholic Church was established in 1853.
Weston Collegiate Institute has been going since before Canada was a country (not in the same building!) and is Toronto’s second oldest high school.
Weston Village is filled with fine homes and mansions, many dating from around the turn of the 20th Century. Generations of families have enjoyed these homes and their history once revealed can be fascinating.
The City of Toronto has a web page outlining some useful areas of investigation if you are researching the history of your older home. Weston Historical Society may also be useful in this regard.
Readers are invited to share their discoveries.
Ontario Minister of Environment and Climate Change, Glen Murray was the star attraction at a meeting held in Mount Dennis Library tonight. The meeting was hosted by Councillor Frances Nunziata and Ontario Minister of Citizenship and Immigration, Laura Albanese. Jim Baxter, director of Toronto’s Environment and Energy Division was along to add support. Over 40 people came out on a 34° evening to hear some details about Ontario’s five year Climate Change Action Plan and how it can be applied in Mount Dennis.
Highlights of the meeting:
Minister Murray promised to coax Metrolinx into approving the rail path northward expansion through Mount Dennis and possibly Weston. He applauded the net zero initiative being undertaken in Mount Dennis.
There will be energy retrofits available for social and rental housing.
Home energy saving upgrades will be subsidized.
The Ontario Government is very supportive of more bike lanes and better cycling infrastructure.
He thinks that bike paths along hydro corridors should be encouraged.
The province will be offering an incentive of up to $14,000 towards the lease or purchase of an electric vehicle and up to $1000 to install a home charging station.
Four years of free overnight charging for electric vehicles.
Rebates to help trade to an electric vehicle.
Before selling a home, owners will be required to perform an energy audit so that potential purchasers will know the home’s energy costs.
Encouraging words were said about the Black Creek channel and its possible naturalization.
The Green Investment Fund will provide money towards retrofitting low energy systems in homes, apartments and businesses.
Minister Murray was keen to return to meet with residents for a hike / cycle along the Humber to look at the weirs along the river.
Elliot Strashin owns and is renovating the old Cooper Canada sporting goods factory on Alliance and presciently enough has been renovating it, placing a solar farm on the roof, geothermal energy systems and better insulation. One of his tenants is a company called Dynacert which designs computerized on demand water electrolysis systems that feed the product (hydrogen and oxygen) into existing fossil fuel engines instead of using diesel or gasoline. This process reduces carbon emissions and increases efficiency. Container ship engines generate huge amounts of emissions are being considered for application of this technology. He was wondering about what support there would be for expanding the factory. Minister Murray promised to meet up with Mr. Strashin to see what can be done.
Mr Murray seems quite taken with Mount Dennis and mentioned that what people are looking for is a community with a history and unique businesses, restaurants and cafes. They don’t want to find chain businesses in their locale. Ideally the neighbourhood should be walkable and have good public transportation and cycling options. In 2021, once the Eglinton Crosstown is opened, and cycling infrastructure is improved, Mount Dennis will be well on its way to being such a community. The formal motion to declare Mount Dennis a net zero community will be presented to Council in July.
The meeting ended with an individual question and answer session.
The ever-excellent MDCA continues to press the pols to make Mount Dennis the first net zero neighbourhood. On June 12 13, Mount Denizens will have an excellent chance to make their case when the Ontario Minister of the Environment and Climate Change, Glen Murray; Frances Nunziata; and Laura Albanese will be presenting on the theme of “building green communities”.
The MDCA is pushing for home audits, energy retrofits, centralized neighbourhood heating from wasted energy, and, very importantly, a chance to get local people involved in job training through community benefits agreements.
The meeting will be held at the Mount Dennis Library on June 12 at 7 pm.