Saving Green Space Leaves Runnymede PS 5 classes short for September 2014.

Last Wednesday, the TDSB Trustees rejected a plan to generate $45million over three years to pay for necessary capital projects. This Five Year Capital Plan would sell 6 closed schools and severed land from up to 30 schools with large sites (> 12 acres). The failure of the Capital Building Program has a direct impact on Runnymede P.S.

 
Currently, our school enrolment of 1,130 students in a building with a capacity of 866 students places us at 130% capacity and our enrollment grows year-by year. In September 2014 the school is required to implement Full-Day Kindergarten needing 5 additional classrooms which we don’t have!

Boundary changes have been made to divert students to nearby schools. There is insufficient space on the Runnymede P.S. site to accommodate any more portables or an addition. The soil structure prevents any vertical additions. The only possible relief for the overcrowding at Runnymede is to build an addition at Keele St. P.S. (currently JK-6), so that they could retain the Gr. 7 & 8’s in their catchment area who currently come to Runnymede P.S. But, Keele St.’s addition was on the revised Capital Plan, which was voted out of existence. The project is now on indefinite hold until a new, funded Capital Plan is developed by the TDSB and approved by the Ministry of Education. In the meantime – 5 classes of Runnymede PS students will be without classrooms in September 2014.

If you are interested in participating in a discussion about the over-capacity at the school, and the imminent inability to accommodate all the children in the catchment area, please come to the School Council meeting on Thursday Nov. 29 2012 at 7pm in the Runnymede PS school library.

Please lend your voice and efforts to help us avert this situation!       

Aquarium of Canada

Coming soon, to the foot of the CN tower...

The aquarium, which is planned to open in just over a year, is coming along nicely. Apparently, there will be space for 13,500 underwater creatures with exhibits from Atlantic, Pacific, Great Lakes and Tropical habitats. There are plans for 'breed and release' programs for a number of endangered species including Sand Tiger Sharks. It sounds like it could be a great addition to downtown Toronto.

Sneak peek at Toronto's new Streetcars

This photo, taken at the production plant at Thunder Bay shows one of the first of the new TTC streetcars still in production. It is taken from behind and clearly shows a sign that will ward motorists not to pass to the right as the doors are open and passengers are alighting - great idea! I love the current ones which look so retro, but these are going to be much more practical.
The first car is due to be delivered in September 2012 and I am sure that we will see them flying up and down St. Claire - first for testing, and eventually revenue-generating.

email is sent on behalf of Trustee Irene Atkinson, Ward 7

Trustee Atkinson says...

Hello,

In recent days there have been a number of reports regarding facility services, the skilled trades and the cost of individual projects.

As trustees, we will be meeting on July 11^th at an Operations and Facilities Management Committee to be updated on the changes that have been made and the next steps that will be taken to address these issues.  

Over the past few years we have taken action and made a number of important changes such as hiring a new Chief Facilities Services Officer and a new Head of Construction from outside the Board. We are also holding staff accountable for their actions which has resulted in eight dismissals in the last six months.

As a Board, it is our responsibility to ensure that public money is respected and used to support our students and schools. I am committed to making the changes that are needed to build a system the public trusts to deal with issues before they become problems.

Moving forward, we will be working with the Ministry of Education on a deep operational review of Facility Services that will be conducted by Price Waterhouse Cooper. At the September 5^th Meeting of the Board we will report on the steps that are being taken to strengthen oversight and accountability in our maintenance and construction system.

Proposed Development: 441 Jane St.

 441 Jane St. Toronto
An application is going to be submitted to build a 4 story stacked townhouse development (24 units) on the site currently occupied by Yorkview Auto Service Centre. This is on the east side of Jane, on the corner of Haney St. and Jane St. This is in the current King George catchment area.

The photos below shows how the site has looked over the last 40 years. Ironically, we can probably confidently predict what it will look like with stacked townhouses on it for the next 40 years too.

This is an image of the building at 441 Jane St. taken sometime in the 1960's. Appears remarkably similar to this day. (Image source: City of Toronto Archives)

Aerial Photos for BWV

On April 3rd 1942, a series of aerial photographs were taken of the area around and including BWV. They are very cool to compare with the area as we currently know it, and I had fun having a quick spot-the-difference. Firstly, Runnymede PS is much smaller as the white extension hadn't bee built and the Portapaks are not there. I think that the church on the N. side of Annette St. at its junction with Willard Ave. is smaller too. The biggest difference is the lack of parked cars - where the streets are now packed with cars nose to tail, in 1942 they seem like they were still a rarity.

The aerial photographs themselves are posted on the City of Toronto Archives site. You can zoom in to backyard level. what a great way to introduce children to maps.

Summer Solstice Festival @ The Junction

The Junction Summer Solstice Festival, June 23rd, 10 am to Midnight! 

Great entertainment, circus acts, music, buskers, dance shows, family entertainment, movie screening of the Midsummer's Night Dream and more. 

The Junction businesses staying open late to bring you artistic workshops, games, info sessions, sales, giveaways, competitions, presentations, music performances, health activities, and delectable foods.

More info at http://thejunctionbia.ca/events/the-...tice-festival/

Franco-Fête June 22-24

Franco-Fête June 22-24

The annual French music and culture festival will be at Harbourfront Centre, 235 Queen’s Quay on June 22-24. For younger children, check out Mini TFO at 1 pm on Saturday for songs, games and nursery rhymes. At 3:30 and 5 pm teens take over the stage to perform in French. If you are trying to keep up with your kids, why not take a 30 minute free French lesson from the Alliance Française? Sunday at 2 pm master magician Ian Quick performs. Details are available in French and English at: www.franco-fete.ca

Open House Meeting about Development in Ward 13

Reported from Councillor Douchette's website

"Development 101 - A Town Hall meeting will be held on Wednesday, June 20th. City staff will be there to answer your questions on Planning and Urban Design rules and guidelines. This Town Hall is a way for us all to become more informed about the principles and policies that guide Planning decisions along the main streets, or "Avenues" as the City refers to them. The meeting will be held between 7:30 - 9 p.m. at St. Pius X School at Jane and Bloor."


Right, question 1 - Why does the city keep allowing densification in the area when there isn't infrastructure to support it? Why are more and more units created, without the creation of space in our public schools?

No Permitting of Runnymede School due to a shortage of coal!

The Toronto World March 12th 1920

This evening a special meeting of the Toronto District School Board is voting to increase permitting fees for community organisations wishing to use school facilities out of school hours by about 40%.
The permitting issue is very complicated because currently the TDSB makes a loss when they permit out school facilities. Money which could be used for other purposes e.g. textbooks is financially subsidizing users of school facilities, and placing a workload burden on the care-taking staff. In some cases, for example where non-profit organisations are providing extra-curricular activities which serve the children of the school's catchment area, this would seem to be at least consistent with the mission of the school board. In many cases though, the TDSB is financially subsidising companies who are making additional profit by virtue of renting space at below market values.

It clearly makes sense to increase permitting fees so that at least permit holders are not a drain on the school board.  There does seem to been a need for making a distinction between non-profit community users (who the TDSB probably should not be using as a source of income) and profit-making users who should be paying their way and then some!

As this piece from The Toronto world shows, tough choices have always had to be made about community users of school buildings. When the ratepayers of Ward 7 asked to use the building for a meeting they could not have it heated as there was no coal! More contemporary members of the Ward 7 Education Council will know, the heating goes off in Runnymede Public School in the evening, and by 9pm it can be really, really chilly in the library. Some things never change :-)

EYC Youth Sailing Program

One of the advantages of living so close to Lake Ontario is easy access to the lakeshore. Each summer Etobicoke Yacht Club (EYC) runs a youth sailing program, aiming to teach kids ages 7-17 years to sail and race out of their club on the west side of Humber Bay. Qualified instructors follow the Canadian Yachting Association (CYA) Learn to Sail program (CANSail) and the boats are acquired and maintained by the EYC. The program is man-powered by volunteers from the club and financially supported by Trillium grants and corporate donations which keeps the tuition fees within reach of mortals. We have heard good things about the program, so we have a child attending for the first time this year and we hope that she will love sailing as much as we do.

"The instructor staff and the program management staff will be holding an open house for parents and participants to meet prior to the upcoming 2012 program . This event will include a presentation by the instructors, a short tour of the facilities and an opportunity to see up close the boats and other equipment used in a particular course level. This is a great opportunity to meet the instructors and ask any further questions regarding our program. Registration is not a requirement to attend and if you are unsure about enrolling your child in our program, this is a great opportunity see the facilities, ask questions and address any concerns you might have." (copied from EYC's website)

Community Consultation for Development

Community Consultation meetings booked.

June 27th from 7 to 9pm at Swansea Town Hall, for the proposed development at 1990 Bloor St West.


June 28th from 7 to 9pm at Swansea Town Hall, for the proposed development at 2114 Bloor St West.
https://www.facebook.com/events/310449395709068/

French Homework Help Resources

Unsure how to help with French homework? - join the club! 

My French is very rusty, and was not extensive or grammatical when I got my "B" at O'Level in 1987! Now I have a child in the Early French Immersion program, and at the end of Gr. 1 her facility with the language outstrips mine!

There are resources to help parents of children who are in French Immersion programs though. A good place to start is the FSL Homework toolbox which promises to "enrich the FSL learning experience and will engage parents in their child's journey towards "la francophonie". I found the toolbox section useful as it includes lists of words under various categories, along with how to correctly pronounce them! There are also videos which explain how skills like writing are currently taught in elementary schools.

I need all the help I can get!
  

Mark your calendars for the Gardens of Bloor West Village on Sunday June 10th 10am - 4pm.
A self-guided stroll through 25 gardens whose proud servants have agreed to open to the public, organised by The Horticultural Societies of Parkdale and Toronto, is the perfect way to spend a June afternoon.
Tickets are $18 each and are available at a number of local stores including:
The Flower Room (776 Annette St.)
Windergarden (664 Annette St.)
A Changing Nest (572 Annette St.)

New condo developments planned for Bloor St.

New Developments on Bloor St. 

The renderings for the proposed development at 2124 Bloor W. (corner of Kennedy Park Rd.) are posted on Northdrive.ca and the zone planning amendment is on the http://www.toronto.ca/legdocs/mmis/2012/ey/bgrd/backgroundfile-47659.pdf The developer is seeking to increase density and the height to 10 storeys. The application includes 110 condo units ranging from bachelor to 3 bed, with the majority being 1 bed.

The same company also owns a site next to High Park TTC station (1990 Bloor Street West and 26 Parkview Gardens) and is seeking a zone amendment to 12 storeys (131 units) for that site: http://www.toronto.ca/legdocs/mmis/2012/ey/bgrd/backgroundfile-47658.pdf

These applications are on the agenda of the 13th June meeting of the Etobikoke-York Community Council.