LOCAL/CITY NEWS
OUR HOLIDAY LIGHTS WENT ON AND ON AND ON AND ON…!
With Spring now firmly on the horizon, we want to thank everyone for heeding our call to keep their holiday lights twinkling a little longer this challenging winter season and also thank you all for participating in the 2020 Holiday Lights Competition. It was the most successful year for the competition to date, with an amazing 17 homes nominated across Cabbagetown and a record 2,300 votes cast, from all over the city, country and globe, as word spread enthusiastically! We celebrate the broad exposure that it gives to our neighbourhood. A special (and somewhat belated!) congratulations to the Slight family from Spruce St. who were this year’s winners, garnering just over a third of the total vote. We look forward to everyone’s participation in next year’s competition!
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LOCKDOWN RESTRICTIONS PUT IRV GASTRO PUB AT RISK
Regan Irvine, the owner of Cabbagetown’s Irv Gastro Pub and part-owner of the bar Super Bargain released a public letter on Wednesday evening calling out Premier Ford, Mayor Tory, and Dr. Eileen de Villa for prohibiting dine-in, report by Tanya Mok at BlogTO.
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DIXON HALL WANTS TO HEAR YOUR VOICE
Dixon Hall’s Rooming House Project Team, has put together a community survey to better understand and define what is important for the Cabbagetown community. Your feedback will be important for helping Dixon Hall plan out future community services and offerings, while enhancing community culture and well-being.
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LOCAL MPP SUPPORTS AMMENDMENT TO CANNABIS ACT
MPP Suze Morrison wants to give cities more say on cannabis retail licensing through Bill 235 which amends the Cannabis Licensing Act. You can find out more on Suze Morrison’s web site.
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CATALYTIC CONVERTOR THIEVES TARGETING CABBAGETOWN
A Cabbagetown resident posted on Life in Cabbagetown that her car’s catalytic converter and oxygen sensor had been cut out a few nights ago. Apparently it can be done very quickly and thieves often do more than one car to make it worthwhile, she reports. Our investigations show that these sorts of thefts are on the rise, unfortunately.
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IN MEMORIAM – GERRY GRAVES
From the Cabbagetown BIA:
It’s with a heavy heart that we share the news that Gerry Graves of RE:Print on Parliament St. passed away on February 16th. His obituary appeared on the Globe and Mail last weekend.
Gerry was a lifelong entrepreneur. He founded two companies, Re:Action Marketing Services in 1977 and Re:Print Copy and Printing in 1978, both of which have served a wide range of clients here in North America and in Europe over the past 40 years.
Beyond being a businessman, Gerry was a great supporter of our community, his friends, and his family and he truly enjoyed helping others. He sat on the boards of the BIA and the Cabbagetown Youth Centre, while also contributing to a number of other community causes; Re:Print has been a long-time sponsor of Blair’s Run.
He was a kind, sincere, and generous man.
Please take a moment to leave a message here. Those who wish to remember Gerry with a memorial donation are asked to consider the Trauma and Neurosurgery Program Patient Comfort Fund at the St. Michael’s Hospital Foundation.
Our sincere condolences to his family, friends and the entire Re:Print family.
Gerry will truly be missed, but never forgotten.
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TORONTO SPEED CAMERAS ARE ON THE MOVE AGAIN
The City of Toronto’s 50 Automated Speed Enforcement (ASE) devices will begin rotating to the third round of locations in May to reduce speeding at more areas with safety concerns. New locations in our neighbourhood are:
- Homewood Avenue, near Maitland Place
- Parliament Street, north of Oak Street
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LEARN HOW TO COMPOST – ON-LINE!
Local Charity Green Thumbs is running a FREE virtual workshop on March 15 covering why and how to bring your soils to life indoors and out. Explaining how healthy compost helps our planet in three ways for a WIN WIN WIN.
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CABBAGETOWN SOUTH – SPRING NEWSLETTER
Our counterparts in the Cabbagetown South Resident’s Association just issued their Spring 2021 Newsletter for everyone to enjoy.
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CITY TO REVIEW NATURAL GARDEN PERMITTING REQUIREMENTS
Do you think residents in Toronto should be able to grow a natural garden without applying for a permit? Share your point of view by March 31.
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BEWARE – RACCOON BITES ARE ON THE RISE IN T.O.
City officials are warning residents to avoid contact with raccoons after an uptick in reported raccoon-related injuries.
Between January 2020 and February 2021, Toronto Public Health saw a 62 per cent increase in reports of people bitten or scratched by raccoons compared to the two-year average between the years 2018 and 2019, reports CBC News.
Read the City news release about the issue
More about dealing with City wildlife from the City of Toronto.
PANDEMIC UPDATES
TORONTO MOVES TO GREY ZONE ON MONDAY
Toronto and Peel Region will move into the grey zone of the province’s COVID-19 reopening framework Monday, lifting the stay-at-home order and allowing some businesses to open their doors for the first time since last November, reports Sean Davidson at CTV News.
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MAJOR UPDATE IN VACCINE ROLL-OUT TIMING
An update on Ontario’s vaccination timeline has been released showing details on who can expect a vaccine as part of Phase 2, including, but not limited to, secondary and elementary school staff, seniors 60 and up and COVID hotspots, reports Lucas Casaletto at 680 News.
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WHY CANADA IS DELAYING THE SECOND DOSE OF VACCINES
Experts say efficacy of 1st COVID-19 vaccine dose is a ‘game changer,’ but critics call delay an ‘experiment, reports Adam Miller at CBC News.
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PHARMACIES WILL SOON ADMINISTER COVID-19 VACCINES
Ontario pharmacists will soon be able to administer the COVID-19 vaccine after the Ford government signed an agreement to harness the reach of 4,600 pharmacies across the province, reports Colin D’Mello at CTV News.
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MAP SHOWING DIFFERENT RESTRICTION LEVELS ACROSS ONTARIO
The most recent colour coded framework helps Ontarians navigate the rules, restrictions, and zones for every region throughout the province based on how they are faring with the virus. This handy interactive map visually helps you understand the designation for each region.