Parkway Forest Redevelopment Meetings

Parkway Forest Redevelopment is coming back to the North York Community Council on April 4.

You have your chance to find out more and get involved on March 22 at a community meeting by the Henry Farm Community Interest Association

In February, the Parkway Forest owner presented a revised proposal, While it cut back on tower heights and density somewhat it still adds a lot of people to an already highly dense and congested area and builds a lot of towers higher than what is proposed in the Sheppard corridor to the west.

Traffic along Sheppard and Don Mills will increase substantially. There is a view that the Don Mills and 404/DVP Sheppard intersections are at capacity.

This proposed Sheppard Ave E redevelopment also has a community working group process running but without the SLHA. It is also at the OMB with a June hearing meeting scheduled. Our councillor is seeking intervention at the OMB by the SLHA and other community groups.

This next door project is huge, almost monstrous in relation to Bloorview. If it gets a go ahead as currently proposed, we will not likely see much change to Bloorview.

Our friends and neighbours in Henry Farm have been part of both the Parkway Forest and Bloorview projects. We need to join with them on Parkway Forest

For more information on the March 22 meeting and proposal check out the Henry Farm Website www.henryfarm.ca under Parkway Forest and Coming Events. You will find a flyer announcing the meeting and neighbourhood issues. You will also find documents outlining the current and previous proposals. A city staff report should be out near the end of March for consideration at the April NYCC meeting. (You can access the original staff report and council decision on the SLHA website under Bloorview, Other Developments)

Governing Toronto Recommendations - REACTION

We provide this to enhance our member awareness on a topic of profound signficance. Things are happening from April to May that will change how the municipal government operates for a long time.

City Council has recommended the acceptance in principle the report and recommendations submitted by the Governing Toronto Panel subject to a public review.

Many of the main recommendations listed in the report (see SLHA website - with Resources/Links and News & Events) are very contentious as evident from citizen feedback. Some of the recommendations appear to be just common sense and you wonder why council(s) have not been foll0wing them as good meeting conduct/ business practice. Others such as the nature and composition of the proposed Executive Committee might be contributing to a city "democratic deficit" as some have pointed out.

A couple of SLHA members attended the March 6 meeting for the NYCC at the North York Library. The meeting was reasonablyl well attended both by interested and concerned citizens and most members of the NYCC. Mayor Miller was also there with many city staff who facilitated discussions of groups at tables.

Some of the citizen attendees had been at the other community meetings and were familar with the list of recommendations, the report behinnd them and some of the councillors. One indicated that citizen feedback was generally consistent at each meeting.

The meeting essentially asked for feedback on the many recommendations with the following groupings under 3 seperate discussions: City Wide Decision Making, Local Decision Making and Civic Engagement.

REACTION POINTS

Enhanced Status Quo - in many ways the Governing Panel has recommended an enhanced status quo with a "muscular mayor". If you follow Canadian politics the expansion of the powers within the Premier and Prime Ministers offices has been a doubtful democratice benefit. Toronto mayor's will see his power expand similarly.

Mayor Appointed Executive Committee - Yes the mayor is elected city-wide and receives more votes than any other elected politician in Canada. But voter turnout in municipal elections tends to be low; what will guide his "appointments" from the ward councillors; how transparent will council be; do we have to wait 4 years to indicate our disfavour....

Under some previous city governance models Toronto has had 2 tiered elected municipal reps. Ward councillors from each ward and a small group of city or district wide "councillors" . The latter formed a board of control or executive committee ensuring voter accountability.


3 or 4 Year Terms - Encumbents already have a major advantage and their advantage will only increase. The argument given for a longer term relates to "there is a 1st year learning and final year running for election with only the mid year for real production" . The evidence is that most councillors win re-election and some are acclaimed. The argument for 4 years doesn't match the evidence. Maybe we need term limits to ensure new blood and ideas.


"Party Politics" vs In/Out of Favour - Toronto councillors and major don't run as party candidates or even with well-conceived election platforms or views on needed municipal policies and programmes. However, the Liberal/Conservative/NDP leanings of each tends to be expressed in the media. The "IN" group tends to be favoured with better appointments (ABC's - agencies, boards, committees) while "OUT" with qualifications and experience become an alternative view or unofficial/non-united "opposition"

Most citizens don't appear to want traditional parties within our municipal government. However, the reality is an "in/out" grouping.

A key aspect of the new governance is an executive with creating and following a city wide proirity plan (policies and programmes). This is the substance of election platforms.

Surely, we need to know where all candidates stand on city needs and who they would support once elected BEFORE making our vote!

Surely we need capable people leading all committees with relevant experiences.

We also need to see a system that develops councillors in office and mayoral candidates for office.

Community Council Power - some of the recommendations give the local councils more direct control instead of a submitting report to the total city council for its decision. Good.

Some citizens would also like local councils to have policy initiation (bottom up rather than top down) powers that also extend to some discretionary local budget spending. Surely, all programmes need not be city wide (should a community have a choice on city leaf pickup vs sidewalk snowclearing, for example).

The city is implementing something called Zero Base Budgeting (ZBB). ZBB creates decision making on bundles of activities and resource uses. It would make sense for the city governance to build up its budgeting by district and citywide.

Ward Councillors should also have some "line" control versus having to accept or reject a total budget framework as submitted by an Executive Committee.

Governing Toronto Public Consultation, Mar 2006

The following email on was sent out for the city in late Feb on "Have your say about the way Toronto is governed" : Note time line in last 2 paragraphs.

Plan to attend Governing Toronto public consultation in March 2006

Toronto City Council is making decisions about how it will govern with additional powers under a new City of Toronto Act. Mayor David Miller and Members of City Council invite you to learn about and discuss the directions Council is considering for governance and how they will be implemented after the November 13, 2006 municipal elections.

- For more information, visit www.toronto.ca/governingtoronto

In small groups, participants will share their ideas about the roles of Councillors, the Mayor, Committees, Community Councils and the public.

- Etobicoke Collegiate Institute: 86 Montgomery Rd. (n/e of Islington & Bloor), Thursday, March 2, 7 - 9:30 p.m. Transit: Royal York Station - west on Bloor, north on Montgomery

- St Lawrence Hall: 155 King St. East (s/w of King & Jarvis), Saturday, March 4, 2 4:30 p.m. Transit: King Streetcar

- Memorial Hall: 5100 Yonge St. below the North York Public Library (Yonge n/w of Sheppard), Monday, March 6, 7 - 9:30 p.m. Transit: North York Centre Station

- Scarborough Civic Centre: 150 Borough Drive (n/w of McCowan & Ellesmere), Wednesday, March 8, 7 - 9:30 p.m. Transit: Scarborough Centre Station

Registration begins on Tuesday, February 21, 2006. Please call Access Toronto at 416-338-0338. TTY Line 416-338-0889. Registration phone lines are open weekdays, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Seating at the consultations is limited.

Following these consultation sessions, each of Toronto's four Community Councils will consider governance recommendations on Tuesday, April 4, 2006. Members of the public may register to appear before the Community Council of their choice. Please call Access Toronto at 416-338-0338 for more information.

Finally, recommendations of the Community Councils will be considered together with a report from the City Manager on options for implementing governance changes at the meeting of the Policy and Finance Committee scheduled for May 16, 2006. The Policy and Finance Committee will then make recommendations to the City Council meeting of May 23-25, 2006.

Governing Toronto - Direct City Action

Direct City Action is a community organization interested in improved governance of, and financing for, the City of Toronto. See www.directcityaction.ca bulletins on "muscular mayor".

We have been following developments at City Hall and Queen’s Park regarding proposed changes to the office of Mayor, and are concerned with the changes and the haste with which they are being pushed to implementation.

We want to alert you to our concerns and to seek your assistance in ensuring that a better approach is adopted.

Toronto City Council has decided in principle that the best way to restructure Toronto is to give the Mayor substantially increased powers.

They have agreed, without adequate notice to the public that:

The Mayor would appoint the chairs of all Standing Committees and the TTC;

The Mayor would appoint the chairs of all Community Councils;

The Mayor would appoint the Deputy Mayor;

The Deputy Mayor, the Chairs of the Standing Committees and the TTC, and the Chairs of the Community Councils would form the Executive Committee. (So, the whole Executive Committee would consist of people appointed by the Mayor);

The Executive Committee would shape the city budget and agenda;

The Mayor would appoint the Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) who would be responsible to the Mayor.

The CAO would directly or indirectly appoint all other city staff.

This is the Strong Mayor Proposal, and the changes agreed to by City Council are mirrored in Section 151 of the proposed New City of Toronto Act, Bill 53, which gives the Provincial Cabinet the power to require the Mayor to make these appointments.

We believe there is a better way to restructure the city to improve governance.

The better way should not assume that whoever is Mayor is the person with the one true way to solve the city’s many problems. In fact, we know from the past that a Mayor can be the problem rather than the solution.

We also know that concentration of power defeats the principle of open and democratic government. The most recent commentator on this subject is Mr. Justice Gomery whose criticism of the concentration of power in the Prime Minister’s Office should give us serious pause, before adopting a similar structure in Toronto’s governance.

We believe compellingly, that the public deserves to be thoughtfully and carefully consulted, before far reaching changes are made to the structures by which we are governed.

Fortunately, the issue will be before each of the Community Councils on April 4, 2006.

If you wish more information on this matter please visit our web-site www.directcityaction.ca. Please contact David White at dvdwht@sympatico.ca if you wish to help us win this issue at City Hall and Queen’s Park.

We welcome you to our meetings, the time and place of which can be found on our web-site.

We would appreciate it if you would forward this notice to anyone you feel is interested in achieving an open and broadly democratic form of governance for our city.

Thank you,

David White

Leslie/Sheppard E Construction Work ( Public Notice)

A Public Notice has been delivered this month to all residences in our area describing construction work on Leslie from Sheppard to the 401 starting around mid Mar or April and ending about 9 months later.

Our website had announced this under Community Messages in December.

The work includes intersection bridge rehabilitation, NYGH bridge replacement, widening of Leslie.

What say (think) you?

Turn on Your House Lights for Neighbourhood Safety

One of our neighbours on Clovercrest has reported that car thieves have "stripped" stolen vehicles of their valuables in the darkness of the street.

She suggests turning on our house lights for neighbourhood safety to help deter such criminal activity and make our neighbourhood safer.

Comments?

Boulevard Trees

The boulevard (grass area between the sidewalk and road curb) is public property. Only the city can plant trees although you have grass cutting and weed control responsibilities for the boulevard abutting your property.

Along many stretches of our inner roads mature trees line the roads and sidewalks. They provide shade to the pedestrian and parked vehicle. Their leaves provide fall exercise before our winter hibernation. They break strong winds.

These public trees enhance our neighbourhood attractiveness and its natural environment.

Many of the plantings resulted from resident requests.

However, there are many stretches where there are few such trees. Filling in the gaps will be a neighbourhood improvement with benefit to all.

What do you think of a homeowners association campaign to fill in these public spaces with trees?

Shaughnessy Beautification North of Sheppard

During the community benefit discussions for the Bloorview redevelopment your community members identified the "beautification" of the north entrance to Shaughnessy from Sheppard as a significant and desirable neighbourhood improvement. While this community project did not make it into the final staff report on 25 Buchan Court, many in our neighbourhood feel that the city must do something.

On the south side , entrance to Henry Farm area, the city has invested in upgrading and improving this community entrance

On the north side entrance lining structures that have been forgotten and unmaintained. The median "islands" show similar neglect.

Concerns on traffic and pedestrian safety have also been raised.

What say you? Please submit your thoughts or suggestions (comments).

Break & Enters - Theft Prevention Tips

They come to your home when you’re not there. And that’s when they go in.

Some also enter when you’re sound asleep. And they go in then, too.

Toronto Police are warning homeowners about an increase in break and enters across the city that's leaving many families feeling insecure – and without some of their most prized possessions.

Break-ins more than doubled in the city’s Riverdale neighbourhood over the last year from 22 in 2005 to 47 in 2006. And it’s only the start of February.

Cops have made 26 arrests in the robberies, including the man they believe is behind most of the thefts.

A suspect is behind bars charged with 20 counts of break and enter after a rash of robberies in 55 Division.

"He is your quintessential cat burglar,” suggests Det. Sgt. Roger Keys. “On one occasion the lady heard a noise and went back to sleep. She woke up the next morning and realized that somebody had been [inside].”

But police suspect there are far more thieves out there and they’re warning you to take precautions.

Among them – if you have big ticket items, like a big screen TV, don’t leave your curtains open so everyone can see it. You might as well be blinking a neon sign for the thieves.

“If I'm a criminal, I want to know what is in that house,” explains Elizabeth Hawley of the Crime Prevention Society of Toronto. “I will look through the window and see if I can get a good haul.”

Another warning? Don’t leave errant opportunities like ladders lying around the side of your house. “This ladder can be used to gain entrance to your second storey windows,” she notes.

Homeowners should also make sure their doors and windows are in good condition. Bandits don’t want to break glass and make noise and if that’s the only option, it might deter them from trying to get in.

Trim your trees and hedges - they can provide a good hiding place for a thief to wait out of sight.

And don’t be shy about calling 9-1-1 if you think someone’s trying to get in.

Cops are also fighting back by putting you in the picture. Literally.

55 Division cops are offering to let homeowners borrow a digital camera so they can photograph their belongings, complete with serial numbers.

That way, if they do get taken, you’ll have a much better chance of getting them all back.

"We want to convince the public at large the time to identify your property is now,” affirms Supt. Wayne Peden. “Not after you've had your house broken into.”

It’s something tha t could have assisted Sutherland Snow, who was victimized four years ago.

"The doors (were) locked (but) they came through the windows," he recalls, adding that he’d catalogued his things, but "didn’t have insurance."

Peden points out keeping track of possessions is important.

"The amount of property that is stolen compared to the property that is returned to the homeowner not just in this recent project but historically across the city - it is staggering," he explains.

Theft prevention tips, courtesy Toronto Police:
• Maintain an inventory of all household possessions.

• Install dead bolt locks on all exterior doors and self-tapping screws in the upper track of patio doors and windows.

• Ensure that entry locks are changed or re-keyed, if you are a new tenant or owner.

• Secure all basement and ground level windows and patio doors. Use lexon glass or charley bars where appropriate.

• Make your home fire-safe, eliminate all fire hazards. Install and test smoke alarms and plan and escape route.

• Insure your home and contents, and store valuables in a safe and secure place.

• Give your home the lived-in look, with automatic timers.

• Have mail, newspapers etc., picked up, lawns cut or snow removed when you are away from home.

• Trim all shrubs, trees, etc., so that doors and windows are in clear view.

• Check references of all individuals you employ to work in your home.

Courtesy Toronto Police. January 31, 2006

Personal ID Safety Precautions

A friend recently forwarded two emails related to personal id security and safety precautions. We pass them on as "a word to the wise".

Credit Card Scams - 3 Scenarios

3 scenarios to read if you have a credit card. What they won't think of next! Be sure to read 'Scenario 3'

SCENARIO 1: this is a new one.
People sure stay busy trying to cheat us, don't they?? A friend went to the local gym and placed his belongings in the locker. After the workout and a shower, he came out, saw the locker open and thought to himself, "Funny, I thought I locked the locker. Hmmmmmm." He
dressed and just flipped the wallet to make sure all was in order. Everything looked okay - all cards were in place.

A few weeks later his credit card bill came to a whopping bill of $14,000! He called the credit card company and started yelling at them, saying that he did not make the transactions. Customer care personnel verified that there was no mistake in the system and asked if his card had been stolen. "No," he said, but then took out his wallet, pulled out the credit card, &!#%$^#, and yep, you guessed it - a switch had been made.

An expired similar credit card from the same bank was in the wallet. The thief broke into his locker at the gym and switched cards. Verdict: The credit card issuer said since he did not report the card missing earlier, he would have to pay the amount owed to them. How much did he have to pay for items he did not buy? $9,000!

Why were there no calls made to verify the amount swiped? Small amounts rarely trigger a "warning bell" with some credit card companies. It just so happens that all the small amounts added up to one BIG one!

SCENARIO 2:
A man at a local restaurant paid for his meal with his credit card. The bill for the meal came, he signed it, and the waitress folded the receipt and passed the credit card along. Usually,
he would just take it and place it in his wallet or pocket. Funny enough, though, he actually took a look at the card and, lo and behold, it was the expired card of another person. He called the waitress and she looked perplexed. She took it back, apologized, and hurried back to the counter under the watchful eye of the man. All the waitress did while walking to the counter was wave the wrong expired card to the counter cashier, and the counter cashier immediately looked down and took out the real card. No exchange of words - nothing! She took it and came back to the man with an apology.

Verdict: Make sure the credit cards in your wallet are yours. Check the name on the card every time you sign for something and/or the card is taken away for even a short period of time. Many people just take back the credit card without even looking at it, "assuming" that it has to be theirs.

FOR YOUR OWN SAKE, DEVELOP THE HABIT OF CHECKING YOUR CREDIT CARD EACH TIME IT IS RETURNED TO YOU AFTER A TRANSACTION!

SCENARIO 3:
Yesterday (originator of this e-mail) I went into a pizza restaurant to pick up an order
that I had called in. I paid by using my Visa Check Card, which, of course, is linked directly to my checking account. The young man behind the counter took my card, swiped it, and then laid it on the counter as he waited for the approval, which is pretty standard procedure.

While he waited, he picked up his cell phone and started dialing. I noticed the phone because it is the same model I have, but nothing seemed out of the ordinary. Then I heard a click that sounded like my phone sounds when I take a picture. He then gave me back my card but kept the phone in his hand as if he was still pressing buttons.

Meanwhile, I'm thinking: I wonder what he was taking a picture of; oblivious to what was really going on.

It then dawned on me: the only thing there was my credit card, so now I'm paying close attention to what he is doing. He set his phone on the counter, leaving it open. About five seconds later, I heard the chime that tells you that the picture has been saved. Now I'm standing there struggling with the fact that this boy just took a picture of my credit card. Yes, he played it off well, because had we not had the same kind of phone, I probably would never have known what happened.

Needless to say, I immediately canceled that card as I was walking out of the pizza parlor.

Alll I am saying is be aware of your surroundings at all times. Whenever you are using your credit cards, take caution and don't be careless. Notice who is standing near you and what they are doing when you use your card. Be aware of phones because many have a camera phone these days. When you are in a restaurant and the waiter/waitress brings your card and receipt for you to sign, make sure you scratch the number off. Some restaurants are using only the last four digits but a lot of them are still putting the whole thing on there.

I have already been a victim of credit card fraud and it is not fun, believe me. The truth is that they can get you even when you are careful, but don't make it easy for them.

Hotel - Credit Card Type Room Keys

DON'T HAND THEM BACK when you check out - DESTROY THEM

Here's why from the California Bureau of Investigation:

"Southern California law enforcement professionals assigned to detect new threats to personal security issues, recently discovered what type of information is embedded in the credit card type hotel room keys used throughout the industry.

Although room keys differ from hotel to hotel, a key obtained from a well known hotel chain that was being used for a regional Identity Theft Presentation was found to contain the following the information:

a.. Customers (your) name
b.. Customers partial home address
c.. Hotel room number
d.. Check in date and check out date
e.. Customer's (your) credit card number and expiration date!

When you turn them in to the front desk your personal information is there for any employee to access by simply scanning the card in the hotel scanner

An employee can take a hand full of cards home and using a scanning device, access the information onto a laptop computer and go shopping at your expense.

Simply put, hotels do not erase the information on these cards until an employee re-issues the card to the next hotel guest. At that time, the new guest's information is electronically "overwritten" on the card and the previous guest's information is erased in the overwriting process. But until the card is rewritten for the next guest, it usually is kept in a drawer at the front desk with YOUR INFORMATION ON IT!!!!

The bottom line is:
Keep the cards, take them home with you, or destroy them.
NEVER leave them behind in the room or room wastebasket, and NEVER turn them in to the front desk when you check out of a room.
They will not charge you for the card (it's illegal) and you'll be sure you are not leaving a lot of valuable personal information on it that could be easily lifted off with any simple scanning device card reader.

For the same reason, if you arrive at the airport and discover you still have the card key in your pocket, do not toss it in an airport trash basket. Take it home and destroy it by cutting it up, especially through the electronic information strip!

Information courtesy of: Pasadena Police Department