South Junction Triangle

So are third party signs – those that do not advertise the business at the local an acceptable addition by a business owner? COMMENTS The property is located in the former municipality of Toronto which is subject to the Zoning By-law No. 438-86, as amended. Based on the Zoning By-law No.438-86 the property is zoned IC Zone. The proposed roof [...]

Transportation Services recommends that Etobicoke York Community Council approve: 1.            Removing the “No Right-Turn Anytime” prohibition for southbound traffic on Old Stock Yards Road at West Toronto Street. ISSUE BACKGROUND Transportation Services received a request from Maple Leaf Foods, through Councillor Nunziata, to have the existing southbound right turn prohibition removed at the north approach to the Old Stock Yards Road /West Toronto [...]

10 am to 11 am (please come a few min early to park your stroller and get rid of all the winter clothes :)

Find out what the pros and cons of Term vs. Universal Life policies. Find out what the tax implications are and how you can benefit by planning your financial strategy in advance. How much insurance should you have? Should you have insurance in addition to your work coverage? What are the pros and cons of mortgage insurance vs. other types of insurance products? What are the benefits of having a Critical Illness policy? What if you don’t get sick? Can you get your money back? These and other issues will be covered in this session.


Please feel free to stay and play after the session ends (really great play area!), our unlimited play group fee is $5 per family, great deal!

Earthstones Workshop & Play Centre
3082 Dundas Street West
Toronto, ON M6P 1Z8
(416) 769-6318

At the March 09 2010 Etobicoke York Community Council Transportation Services recommends to Etobicoke York Community Council that: 1.            Traffic calming not be installed on Medland Street, between Dundas Street West and Annette Street. This report summarises the results of an investigation into installing speed humps on Medland Street, between Dundas Street West and Annette Street.  The staff review shows that the criteria for installing speed humps are not satisfied.

Suburb Slum Urban Village Transformations in Toronto’s Parkdale Neighbourhood, 1875-2002 From the publishers site… Table of Contents List of Maps and Illustrations Preface Introduction 1 A Good Place to Live? Perceptions and Realities of Suburbs, Slums, and Urban Villages 2 The Flowery Suburb: Parkdale’s Development, 1875-1912 3 “Becoming a Serious Slum”: Decline in Parkdale, 1913-1966 4 From Bowery to Bohemia: The Urban Village, 1967-2002 5 Why Does Parkdale [...]

Just north of St Clair Ave on Gunns Rd a packing firm has opened a factory outlet on its property.  A good sign that current Junction packing businesses hold on to some of  the old style Junction packing district business ways. yeh!

The above two images taken seconds apart and  within the time range of a west/east red light show the characteristic traffic congestion at  Keele St and Dundas St West. While the pass though traffic is simply a fact of inner city life,  this author is wondering about the effects of this intersection on the Junction community. Do many people find it troublesome to cross? Does the traffic volume and way [...]

Each day now work proceeds on the restoration of the gates- it is quite dramatic, although slow to watch as it seems each step takes hours or rigging and careful attention to the process. from wikipedia… The gates are made of a mix of stone and concrete. The statue at the top of the arch is the “Goddess of Winged Victory,” an interpretation of the original [...]

Today at 2 p.m., I attended an extraordinary rally at Queen's Park organized by the Citizens for Clean Air (C4CA). Thousands of people protested the proposed construction of a 900-megawatt natural gas power plant in Oakville, slated to be one of the largest in Ontario. They arrived en masse in 42 yellow school buses, with their mayors from Mississauga South, Oakville, and King Township leading the charge, to point out the flawed decision making process of TransCanada Corporation, and the Ontario Power Authority, which has permitted them to build this gigantic plant within 2 km of 5000 homes, and 16 schools. Why was I there? I care about clean air in Ontario, I teach at one of those nearby schools, and my brother's family lives near this area. The world is small and interconnected, and the Liberals, in their mad rush to grow an electoral empire, are putting this world I know at grave risk. My beloved Ontario is being threatened by those claiming to lead it. As I walked away from the rally, one of my students reached out their hand from a bus to wave good-bye.

This megawatt power plant is being fast-tracked, without a full federal Environmental Assessment process, which the Mayor of Oakville, Rob Burton, promises to pursue with all his formidable might. The C4CA might be gravely disappointed to find out, as I did in our case with Metrolinx, that TransCanada Corp., a private company, and the Ontario Power Authority, an arm's length agency, will collude with the federal Minister of the Environment to refine data during the Environmental Assessment process to avoid air quality exceedances and provide the go-ahead for construction. Most likely, the EA will say that the airshed in Oakville is already so highly polluted- what is a bit more 2.5 particulate matter added to the mix?

It is the same argument that I have heard from Metrolinx to rationalize the Georgetown South Service and Air Rail Link expansion, that CommunityAir has heard from the Toronto Port Authority, and most likely, that the C4CA will hear from the Ontario Power Authority. The pivotal question that must be answered is whether private companies, in this case, TransCanada Corp., have the best environmental interest of residents in mind as their highest priority due to their corporate mandate. In fact, is there not an intrinsic conflict of interest between a private company and residential communities when the objective of a company is to provide specific services for profit, vetted by a provincial arm's length agency? And when the mandate of the provincial and federal levels of the Canadian government, apparently, is to ensure that our infrastructure is dependent on fossil fuel, when the rest of the world is turning away from this dirty habit?

A public relations thorn in McGuinty's side is that two gas-fired power plants have blown up, one very recently. On February 7th, five people have died in Middletown, Connecticut, and twelve were injured, with a blast emanating for 48.2 km. The plant was run by Kleen Energy Systems (sic). The GO train serving Lakeshore West is within 50 metres of the proposed site for this plant, and its pipeline, and this gas powered plant will emit a vapour cloud, which will ice the tracks, and decrease visibility. If you were worried about Lakeshore West GO service before, you really should be now.

Premier Dalton McGuinty, and the Liberal Party, are directly responsible for this project, through faulty rationale enabling a false timeline. Our population is simply not growing that quickly, and Ontario has more than enough energy, a significant proportion of it renewable energy generated by Niagara Falls. In fact, as we speak, Ontario is selling off its surplus to the United States, and buying it back at a loss. NDP environment critic Peter Tabuns has revealed this information, published in a series of articles in the Star this summer. There is no other government in the world who would issue permits to build gas-fired power plants when they do not have a critical need of electricity, especially when they have surplus, renewable sources at their fingertips. This is part of the aggressive expansionist policy of Premier McGuinty, and he should prove the need for this plant to the opposition, and all Ontario residents.

Who is used to enforce these aggressive, fossil fuel guzzling decisions for unsustainable infrastructure? The Ontario Port Authority, the Toronto Port Authority, and Metrolinx are used to be the enforcers of these outdated projects. I am becoming very leery of any arm's length agency with the word "authority" as part of their title - it is guaranteed not to be one. There is simply no need to build this fossil fuel plant at $1.2 billion, there is no need to build a fossil fuel driven air rail link at $1 billion, and there is no need to expand fossil fuel short haul flights, with donations from the federal government rising to almost $600 million. In addition, all of these infrastructure choices have security risks associated with their operation as they are situated in the center of heavily populated regions. Premier McGuinty is leading us toward not only climate change, and environmental degradation, through heavily polluted air, but adding to this possible, future security breaches.

In the words of the assemblers, "It's not fair, we want clean air." This constitutional right extends to all residents of Ontario. There is no greater birthright, and no politician, or political party, who has the right to take this from us. Everyone who breathes should unite to say "We do not need to build fossil fuel based infrastructure for generations to come". The Liberals will feel the loss of these votes during the next federal election - they are angering enough ridings in the GTA. These constituents will become a critical mass as they form a coalition to fight for better air quality in the GTA. It is Premier McGuinty's job which might not be safe, although in his interview responding quickly to the rally, he guarantees that the gas-fired power plant will be.

There is an excellent documentary, 'Stop The Oakville Power Plant', at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wUcVB0UgSmQ for more information.

References:
Citizens for Clean Air at http://www.c4ca.org/
Ontario Power Authority at http://www.powerauthority.on.ca/
Surplus Electricity in Ontario at
http://www.thestar.com/business/article/649763 and http://www.thestar.com/article/621552
At least 5 dead in Connecticut gas plant blast at http://www.canada.com/news/least+dead+Connecticut+plant+blast/2534227/story.html
Toronto Port Authority and Air Quality Measurement at http://www.torontoport.com/airport_facts.asp
McGuinty promises Oakville power plant will be safe at http://toronto.ctv.ca/servlet/an/local/CTVNews/20100302/plant_protest_100302/20100302/?hub=TorontoNewHome

NEW! Pre-natal Yoga with Paluna Santamaria
Tuesday Evenings: April 6th – May 11th
6:30 – 7:30pm
$120 6 Week session
(Please register by April 2nd)

For expectant mothers, the pre-natal classes are an opportunity to prepare your mind and body for the changes and challenges of pregnancy and labour. Connect with other expecting mothers as you are taken through safe and gentle yoga postures and breathing techniques that will not only keep you in shape while pregnant but will help you release tension and reduce anxiety.
Classes are designed to not only open, but strengthen your body, letting you meet the ever, changing challenges and transformations of your body during pregnancy. Appropriate modifications provided for each trimester.

Benefits of Pre-natal Yoga during your pregnancy:

Promotes and improves strength, flexibility and endurance – which will prove to be helpful during the physical demands of labour and childbirth
Helps to reduce joint inflammation and swelling. As an expectant mother, you may experience water retention and poor circulation. The pre-natal class will provide yoga poses which are effective at preventing or reducing the swelling which occurs in hands, ankles and feet.
Helps to alleviate back pain. Yoga helps to maintain proper posture by bringing awareness to proper body alignment and placement.

You will leave the class feeling relaxed, rejuvenated and completely rested during this very important time in your life.

NEW! Mom n' Baby/Post-natal Yoga with Lisa Antozsek

Every Monday – 1:00 – 2:00 pm
March 22nd – April 26th 2010
Cost $120 for 6 Week Session
(please register by March 17th)

Post Natal Yoga is a fun, energetic class that helps you de-stress and enjoy some time with your new bundle of joy! Perfect way to connect with your baby while moving deeper into your Yoga practice. The class focuses primarily on rebuilding deep abdominal muscles and the muscles of the pelvic floor. Emphases will be put on stretching out tight shoulders, backs and legs.

Come with your baby, or just you! Newborns to pre-crawlers are welcome. No yoga experience necessary.

Green Lavender
2842 Dundas St West (Just East of Keele on the North side)

Phone #: 416 792 2447
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www.greenlavender.ca

Tuesdays from March 2 to April 13 @ Fit2Dance, 406 Pacific Ave (by Dundas St W)
80s Babies is a super-fun dance/exercise class for moms and babies. It's a chance for moms to get their groove-on-up and for babies to get-on-down together! We do a warm-up, a strengthening warm-up, WE GROOVE! to simple/demonstrated choreography, then it's a gentle cool-down- all to 80s tunes that are guaranteed to give you goosebumps! -
www.80sbabies.ca laura@80sbabies.ca

Please click on image to enlarge :)
Junction Parents members are kindly offered a 10% sales discount every Wednesday!

Very nice building right in middle of the Junction – nice. In disclosure the blog has no connection to this building the author just likes it

After about a month the mostly idle site of the former Handyman Shop was full of activity today asImar Steel Ltd of Etobicoke began erecting a steel framing structure. The position of the vertical members indicates the curved architectural detail of the old building is being incorporated into the new design.  This is great news to many [...]

Taylor’s Shoes and its magnificent storefront has been an icon in the Junction for over 40 years. The new owners of 2934 Dundas Street West are undergoing a preliminary project review, Application #10 119908 BLD 00 BA.  They wish to extend the front entrance, add a new elevator and roof top garden with patio.  The work includes “interior demolition [...]

Having the waste removed from a renovation project in the Junction, can be daunting. Using a steel bin requires city approval if it is to be set on city property. Placing it on your property can destroy the lawn of the small front lots of  Junction houses.  For the small footprint options – using the Rhinobag and [...]

MONDAY, MARCH 1st!

10 am to 11 am (please come a few min early to get your child acclimated before the seminar.

Find out all the in’s and out’s of RESP’s. What are all the government rules? How much grant are you really eligible for? What happens if one of your children doesn’t pursue post secondary education? How much should you save? What are the pros and cons of group RESP’s vs. individual plans? Which educational institutions are covered? Can my child study abroad? All these and more will be answered in this short, but informative session.

Earthstones Art & Play Centre has a great play area and refreshments!

3082 Dundas Street West
Toronto, ON M6P 1Z8
(416) 769-6318

Stay and play after the session with your kids for as long as you like, our group rate (Junction Parents members) is only $5 per family!!! It is free to become a member :)

RSVP HERE

At Pacific Ave and Dundas St West in the building on the north east corner which has three retail spaces on the ground floor, a new womens gym (where members spouses will be welcomed) is going in. In the past few weeks the removal of the old Scotiabank service counters has occurred. With all the text this author puts on this blog about the [...]

It’s  the most obvious location for what type of  retail operation? –  a restaurant, a clothes cleaner, a convenience store, a flower store, a dollar store, a hobby store or art store.  But someone or some corporate entity probably is  planning on making a go the ground-floor space at the The Village by High Park, aka the old Canadian Tire Keele St [...]