The Cabbagetown Residents Association is looking for new volunteer board members. If you have a passion for the neighbourhood and wish to contribute to our community, we’d like to hear from you.
Alternatively, please forward this to someone you think might be a good fit. Please contact us at info@cabbagetowner.com for more information.
F’Amelia, Cabbagetown’s cozy and sophisticated Italian eatery, on 12 Amelia Street, is hosting their second annual MINGLE WITH F’AMELIA Fundraiser on Monday January 20, 2020 to benefit the Winchester Public School. It’s a super fun night that provides opportunity for the community to come together in support of their local French Immersion school to enjoy some delicious pizza and aromatic wines. Todd Vestby and Tanya Grant generously donate the proceeds from ticket sales to Winchester PS, helping fund its art, music, sports and science programs.
Tickets cost $100 and include wine, beer, pizza and canapés. The evening starts at 6:30 and goes till 9 pm. Be prepared for fantastic door prizes and lots of mingling with Cabbagetown neighbours and friends . Charitable tax receipts will be provided for the full amount of the ticket cost.
Tickets can be purchased by RSVPing to Todd todd.vestby@gmail.com or Tanya at info@famelia.com
The City circulated a flyer to Cabbagetown residents this week, containing details of a Community Forum, planned for January 21, at 5-8 pm. Location: Cabbagetown Youth Centre, 2 Lancaster Avenue. In case you missed it coming through your mailbox, here’s a copy :
In the discussions with City consultants before the holidays, the CRA, along with local residents associations, the BIA and the CPA recommended that, first and foremost, any such meeting should focus on bringing residents up to speed on where things are at with this project, most specifically:
The City has chosen to take a hybrid approach, more closely aligned with their existing community engagement playbook. Notwithstanding this, we strongly encourage you to attend this session, as it will provide a welcome forum for residents to:
After the forum all the ideas and concerns raised by attendees will be compiled by the City to help inform the future of the service and will be shared back with the community.
Please share details of this event with interested friends and neighbours in Cabbagetown.
The City of Toronto’s enhanced Vehicle-for-Hire Bylaw took effect on January 1 and is intended to improve the safety and accessibility of taxicabs, limousines and the vehicles of private transportation companies such as Uber, Lyft and Facedrive.
Yes folks, it’s that time of year again. The Holiday season has snuck up on us and it’s time for our FIFTH annual Cabbagetown Holiday Lights contest!
In what has become a popular Festive Season tradition, Cabbagetowners get to see our neighbourhood’s houses in all of their illuminated glory and vote on which one they think is best. We get hundreds of votes for this popular contest, and look forward to you joining in the fun!
You can enter your own home or nominate one of your neighbours. And it’s so easy to do, with three ways to enter:
– Post a photo to Twitter or Instagram with the hashtag #cabbagetownlights;
– Post a photo to our Facebook page timeline with the hashtag #cabbagetownlights;
– or email us your photo at info@cabbagetowner.com
Please include the street name of the home in the photo so we can include the location on the voting website.
Your skillfully taken photos can be submitted anytime between now and and Friday, December 27. (Note: Photos will be identified on the voting site by the house’s street but no names or other personal identifying details will be published.)
The voting website will go live on Friday, December 13 (So as to not give too much of an advantage to those who submit early!) However, don’t wait too long to enter!
Here’s the all important link to the voting website.
The three photo submissions that have the most votes by the end of the day on December 27 will each win a trophy, a one-year membership to the Cabbagetown Residents Association (CRA), and, of course, fully justified bragging rights! The winners also get to display a lawn sign marking their achievement.
For the purpose of determining winners, if the same house is photographed more than once, total votes will be counted. Only one vote will be allowed per IP address; however, you can switch your vote anytime up until the deadline.
As always, by submitting a photo, you consent to that photo being reproduced on our voting website that will contain all of the submissions.
Check out our gallery of photos from last year’s submissions.
Cameras in Ward 13/Cabbagetown will be located at Prospect Street between Rose Avenue and Ontario Street and Spruce Street between Gifford Street and Nasmith Avenue
Along with other local resident’s associations and the BIA, the CRA has maintained a dialogue with the City regarding the plans to locate a 24-our women’s respite and drop-in centre* at 233 Carlton Street.
For those of you that have perhaps not read it yet, this fact sheet provides more details of these plans.
This dialogue originated with Councillor Wong Tam and the SSHA. Recently the reigns have been taken over by the third-party consultants hired by the city to engage with community stakeholders.
At the meeting with these consultants yesterday, it was made very clear that continuing to try and oppose the location of this service centre at 233 Carlton Street is a non-starter. Instead they urged those present to embrace the engagement process that they have been hired to facilitate. They want the community to help shape the success of this centre and to help identify any and all provisions that the City needs to adopt to minimize any negative impact on the community, especially in the areas of safety and security.
The Consultants also confirmed that a public meeting will likely be organized for late January. In this meeting they plan to share the details of the engagement process, so people can better understand what steps the SSHA might consider taking to address resident’s concerns that have already been communicated to them.
If you still wish to have your own voice heard directly, you can email Mayor John Tory (mayor_tory@toronto.ca), City Manager Chris Murray (chris.murray@toronto.ca), Councillor Wong-Tam (councillor_wongtam@toronto.ca), and/or the SSHA (SSHA.Homeless@toronto.ca). Please feel free to cc info@cabbagetowner.com on such communications.
*What exactly is a 24/7 women’s respite and drop-in centre?
The City describes it as ‘a centre that operates on a 24/7 basis providing essential services to women and transgender or gender-non-binary people experiencing homelessness, in an environment that prioritizes ease of access to safe indoor space. Services provided include resting spaces, meals and service referrals’.
This year we had nearly 300 entries from Sprucecourt Public School – that’s almost one entry for every child that attends the school!
After much deliberation , our judges selected four winners and 15 honourable mentions. All 19 get an official CRA certificate and the four winners get their picture framed, plus a pizza party for their whole class.
The winners, in alphabetical order are:
Their work has been framed and is on display over the holidays at Epicure shop on Parliament Street.
Many thanks to CRA Member Lindsay Matheson, and CRA Board Chair Sam Richardson for managing this years competition. And of course to our two judges, Karen Whaley and Betty White, for working so diligently to select the winners.
Karen Whaley has 1.5 degrees in Art History and her favourite job ever was teaching arts and crafts at a day camp. She’s a full-time parent to Elizabeth, age 5 and Alexandra, 14 months. In her spare time, she volunteers on the Board of Heritage Toronto, where she is the Jury Chair of their annual Awards gala.
Betty White is a professional artist and art teacher. She taught art to children for 28 years at Montcrest School and continues to teach children in her Cabbagetown home since her retirement. She also actively exhibits her art work and had her last show in June 2017 at Teodora Art Gallery. You can see here artwork online here.
These artworks have been made into holiday cards , which will be printed and distributed to member households within the CRA boundaries of Gerrard (south), Parliament (west), St. James Cemetery (north) and the Don Valley (east).
Council Highlights is a summary of a selection of the decisions that Toronto City Council made at its recent business meeting. The City Clerk’s full, official documentation is available at http://www.toronto.ca/council.
Impact of the provincial budget
Council supported a motion to request the Province of Ontario to reverse its announced retroactive cuts that result in the loss of about $178 million that was included in the City of Toronto’s balanced budget for 2019 as adopted in March. Council will also convey the willingness of City officials to meet with the province to discuss both governments’ budgets and the impact the province’s retroactive 2019 funding cuts will have on the residents of Toronto. A series of actions approved with this item includes a public information and education campaign.
Funding of Toronto Public Health
Council voted to express its strong opposition to funding cuts to Toronto Public Health for this year as communicated by the Ontario government, and to urge the province against making the proposed cuts. In addition, Council agreed on using advertising locations to inform Torontonians about the health impacts if the funding cuts to Toronto Public Health proceed.
Ontario government’s Bill 108
Council adopted a series of recommendations and motions addressing the Ontario government’s Housing Supply Action Plan and proposed Bill 108 (More Homes, More Choice Act). Council is asking the province to extend the June 1 timeline for comments from municipalities and other stakeholders. An initial assessment indicates that changes associated with Bill 108 would significantly affect the City’s finances, its ability to secure parkland and its capacity to provide community facilities, as well as significantly affecting the evaluation process for development applications.
Affordable housing opportunities
Council asked staff for a report on whether more affordable housing units should be required in future Toronto Community Housing revitalizations, based on a site-by-site evaluation. That is one of several recommendations adopted as part of an agenda item involving an audit that produced recommendations to help achieve broader city-building objectives and improve accountability in Toronto Community Housing’s revitalization projects.
Adequate housing as a right
Council agreed to ask the City’s Affordable Housing Office, as part of current public consultation on Toronto’s housing plan, to include a rights-based approach to housing (as advocated by the United Nations) in policy areas that fall within the City’s jurisdiction. Staff are to report on possibly making “adequate housing” a basic right in the Toronto Housing Plan that is now in the works.
Apartment building maintenance
Council approved amending the Toronto Municipal Code to require building owners/operators, under the RentSafeTO program, to develop an electrical maintenance plan with a licensed, certified electrical contractor and to maintain records showing compliance with that plan. Among several other requirements, building owners/operators will now need to maintain a list of volunteered contact information identifying tenants who may need assistance during building evacuations or temporary shutdowns of vital services.
Ontario Place and Exhibition Place
Council directed staff to work with the Ontario government on a strategy for the future of Ontario Place and Exhibition Place. The undertaking is to involve consultation with all stakeholders and focus on the original goal for the two sites – that is, providing attractive settings for festivals and other events for all Ontarians. A series of guiding principles that Council adopted for Ontario Place’s revitalization presents the principles in the context of the City’s Central Waterfront Secondary Plan. Work already taking place on a master plan for Exhibition Place continues in line with guidelines and a study framework that Council approved.
Rallies promoting hate
Council voted to reaffirm its unwavering opposition to hate speech, and directed staff to inform organizers of events that occur in Toronto regularly without a permit of the City’s policies on hate speech and hate activities. In addition, where possible, the City is to issue trespass or trespass warning letters to identifiable participants engaged in hate activities at rallies taking place on City property. The response to such activities also involves the police.
Security at places of worship
Council voted to ask the Toronto Police Services Board to consider and report back on the feasibility of creating a task force to examine security and public safety in Toronto’s places of worship. The report is to include terms of reference for working with City divisions and agencies as well as with the federal government and the Ontario government on this matter.
Tree planting and maintenance
Council adopted recommendations aimed at improving contract management, customer service and operational efficiency in the City’s tree planting and tree maintenance programs. A recent audit indicates there is room for improvement, notably in overseeing work carried out by contracted tree service companies.
Bike lanes on Richmond Street
Council directed staff to investigate all options to ensure the safety of cyclists along Richmond Street from John Street to Bathurst Street for the duration of watermain reconstruction work along Richmond. Transportation Services was also asked to investigate safe detour routes and improve alternative cycling routes that parallel Richmond Street.
St. Lawrence Market project
Council approved the awarding of a contract for the construction of the new St. Lawrence Market North building at 92 Front St. The City is redeveloping the property with a new, multi-story building that will include a ground-floor market space, Court Services offices and court rooms, and an underground parking garage. The former one-storey market building at the site has been demolished and an archeological assessment conducted.
Bryan Hewitt and Steffen Ploeger were tied for first place in the 2018 Cabbagetown Holiday Lights Contest. (Paloma Ellard and Matthew Scott also came in first.)
Best place in Cabbagetown for a bite to eat … That’s a hard one! But Cranberries is our go-to! Love Ruth and the Team!
Cabbagetown needs … A bigger and better LCBO! 🥂
Favourite block … Sumach, across from Riverdale Farm. 🐄
Best public space … Riverdale Park West—an amazing view and great place to social with others in the ‘hood.
Favourite store … Mikasa—best home decor selection and prices.
Cabbagetown pet peeve … When people park improperly on our streets and cause there to be less street parking than we already have. 🤣
Cabbagetown’s best kept secret … The Necropolis—explore all of the nooks and crannies.
Best reason to join the Cabbagetown Residents Association (CRA) … To stay connected to our special and unique community.
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