 The St. Lawrence Neighbourhood Association announced on our social media platforms yesterday that the Association won a temporary injunction to stay the demolition of the heritage designated Dominion Foundry Buildings on Eastern Ave., until the end of February pending the court's decision at that time. From the Toronto Star: "The ruling will buy the City of Toronto time to convene next week to authorize its solicitor to attempt to stop the Province from tearing down the foundry permanently. “Had it not been for the swift action of this group [St. Lawrence Neighbourhood Association], there is every chance that these buildings would have been destroyed before legal proceedings were brought to identify the issues that will be decided in this application,” Corbett wrote in his decision. Next Steps: Here are some things you can do right now to help! 1. Use the Friends of the Foundry letter template to write to Premier Ford. Let him know this is unacceptable! Email the Premier 2. Legal work is expensive... consider giving $5 or more to help us cover our costs. Donate and share our fundraising campaign Here are some things you can do every day to help! Digital Activism Post pictures and videos on Facebook | Twitter | Instagram. If you live in a neighbouring building take and post pictures from your balcony. Hashtag your posts #SaveTheFoundry and #StopDemolition, and tag us in as well. Twitter @FoundryFriends Instagram @FriendsoftheFoundry Facebook Friends of the Foundry SLNA Comments on MZO and Planning Act Changes In a recent letter to Premier Ford, the SLNA expressed disagreement with certain changes to the planning Act and the expansion of Ministerial powers arising out of Bill 197, the COVID-19 Economic Recovery Act, 2020. Please click here to view SLNA's letter outlining our specific concerns.  Free Presto Card Distribution The St. Lawrence branch of Toronto Public Library is very pleased to participate in an initiative to distribute PRESTO cards to those who need it. Anyone may come to a Toronto Public Library branch to get a card. Please distribute the information widely to your contacts. The card is free, but has no funds loaded on it. Here is a link to Toronto's Fair Pass Transit Discount Program. https://www.toronto.ca/community-people/employment-social-support/support-for-people-in-financial-need/assistance-through-ontario-works/transit-discount/ If your agency or organization would like 20 or more cards to distribute, please contact me directly. Dulce Gomes Branch Head St. Lawrence Branch - 171 Front St. East Toronto Public Library  Let's Get "Moving in the Park" February 1-7th (Monday- Friday) Physical exercise for one household at a time. Local arts organization Jamii is inviting you and/or your household to join one of the upcoming organized 25-min movement-based sessions in the park, encouraging neighbours of all ages to keep physically fit as well as creatively active during the lockdown. Jamii has arranged to have professional artists/dancers guiding participants through a series of creative movements designed to insert some gentle but fun activity into your day. . WHEN: You choose! You can pick from the available pre-scheduled 25-minute times slots by clicking the following link: https://calendly.com/jamiiesplanade/movinginthepark?month=2021-02 Toronto Budget Town Hall - Invitation When: February 9, 2021 Time: 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. Where: Registrants will receive a link to the event The City of Toronto has launched their 2021 Budgets and we want to hear from you! When COVID-19 hit, the pre-existing cracks in our social safety net were laid wide open. We face a considerable fiscal deficit, and without further financial support from our Provincial and Federal governments, the Mayor and City Council will be facing impossible choices. We cannot afford service cuts to already underfunded and chronically overlooked programs. This autumn, Councillor Wong-Tam hosted Making Cents, a speaker series exploring and investigating the issues that matter most to you. We heard from advocates and community leaders about community safety, what it means to have a healthy neighbourhood, housing, homelessness, and next steps navigating a post-COVID world. On February 9, 2021, the SLNA is invited to our cumulative Toronto Centre Budget Town Hall. Councillor Wong-Tam along with special guest Anthony Ng will review issues that impact our communities, and breakdown Toronto’s 2021 budget. You will have the opportunity to ask questions and make your priorities known. This year my office has partnered with Ethelo, a Canadian organization that created a survey and participatory budget tool where you can experiment with your own tax dollars and design your own ideal municipal budget. This fast-paced virtual Town Hall event is free and will outline how you can get involved in the City’s budget process. RSVP and learn more here. Explore Ethelo’s Citizen Budget tool and start making your own ideal budget! Zero Waste High-Rise DEADLINE EXTENDED! Waste Reduction Micro-grant Applications Open Until Feb 15 The Toronto Environmental Alliance (TEA)'s Zero Waste High-Rise Project is supporting multi-residential buildings to reduce waste. Join a community of residents and staff from buildings across Toronto, and participate in a free online program with guides and tools to walk you through implementing a zero waste action plan for your building. Sign up here to join the Zero Waste High-Rise Project! [https://www.torontoenvironment.org/highrise_join] Until February 15th, TEA is offering micro-grants of up to $500 to help Toronto multi-residential buildings take action to reduce waste in winter 2021. Review the micro-grant details and complete an application form on TEA's website here [https://www.torontoenvironment.org/microgrant_application].
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 For your convenience the article below regarding the Foundry Demolition UPDATE has been converted to a PDF for easy printing and posting in condos/buildings/associations.
DOWNLOAD THIS ARTICLE In response to the call for action issued by the SLNA last week, and articulated in the media by our Past President and Development Chair, Suzanne Kavanagh, the provincial government announced on Friday that they would be pausing the demolition of the Foundry heritage buildings on Eastern Ave. until Wednesday, January 27. This is a step in the right direction and has happened because in less than a week over 19,000 concerned individuals signed the petition to stop this heritage building demolition and almost $13,000 has been raised to support the legal defence fund for this cause. We thank everyone who has given their support to date. Our Councillor Kristyn Wong-Tam is leading this advocacy work at the City and Mayor Tory has acknowledged the importance of halting this heritage building demolition. To succeed in this effort we need to increase the number of signatures on our petition and the Friends of the Foundry legal fund. The SLNA is a founding member of the Friends of the Foundry. Next Steps - This is an Ontario Problem The powers being used by the provincial government to demolish these designated heritage buildings in our area can be used anywhere in Ontario. We encourage you to share our petition and our funding links with your friends and family across the province. What we achieve here in our area of Toronto could help other areas of the province where conservation areas and heritage sites may be targeted by the provincial government utilizing these new overriding zoning powers. We urgently need our supporters to:
SLNA Position One of the SLNA’s key strategic mandates is to advocate for responsible development and preservation of heritage. In this context the SLNA Board, on behalf of its membership, objects most strongly to the demolition of the nearby Dominion Wheel and Foundries buildings ('The Foundry') on Eastern Avenue in the West Don Lands. This has been a municipally listed Heritage site since 2004. SLNA Community Meeting The next SLNA Community Meeting will take place on January 27, 7 p.m. on Zoom (see connection information below). Agenda:
Date and ime: Jan. 27, 2021 07:00 PM Join Zoom Meeting Link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88163151751?pwd=Yk5OYUV0V0hpVU05VHVtZVFJQVB5dz09 Connect by phone 647-374-4685 647-558-0588 Meeting ID: 881 6315 1751 Passcode: 615786 Stop the Demolition of The Foundry  RE: The Demolition of the Dominion Wheel & Foundries Buildings MEDIA RELEASE The St. Lawrence Neighbourhood Association (SLNA) represents the interests of over 30,000people who live in the St. Lawrence neighbourhood. The Association is also a member of theWest Don Lands Committee and an immediate neighbour to Corktown and the Distillery District. It is proud to be a founding sponsor of Friends of the Foundry. One of SLNA’s key strategic mandates is to advocate for responsible development and preservation of heritage. In this context the SLNA Board, on behalf of its membership, objects most strongly to the demolition of the Dominion Wheel and Foundries building(s) on Eastern Avenue in the West Don Lands. This has been a municipally listed Heritage site since 2004. The redevelopment of this site, under an October 2020 MZO issued by the provincial government (which permits a 40 story tower), is completely out of context for the West Don Lands and has been implemented by the Province with no consultation and completely without transparency. SLNA has written to Premier Ford and to ministers Clark and MacLeod calling on them to halt the current demolition process immediately, and commence a proper end-to-end planning process in its place. The community deserves a more inclusive and more respectful alternative. Contact Information: St. Lawrence Neighbourhood Association - [email protected] January 15, 2021 What Can You Do To Help Stop this Demolition? Take action and share this message through your networks 1. Check out the Friends of the Foundry Facebook page Like it and watch for updates 2. Sign the Friends of the Foundry petition to stop the demolition 3. Send a short email with the heading “Save the Dominion Foundry” to:
4. Follow the Friends of the Foundry on Twitter and Instagram
First Parliament Site Meeting From the City of Toronto: Please join the online virtual meeting for an update on the First Parliament Site Master Plan on January 21, 2021 from 7 to 9 p.m. The meeting will share the concepts for a long-range Vision for First Parliament, guiding development principles and a demonstration plan. At the meeting, an illustrated presentation will be given followed by a live question and answer period. Written comments are welcome and can be provided online between January 21 and February 1. You can register here and a link to the consultation meeting will be shared three days prior to the event, along with instructions to help you connect. SLNA Waste Reduction Group Update The SLNA-Waste Reduction Group is asking for your HELP! Name your favourite local repair shops for shoes, bikes, clothing, jewellery, computer, home, and more. The Old Town BIA is supporting this SLNA-WRG initiative in a planned February promotion in support of local small businesses. Get ready for a February Fix-it! Send your suggestions to the [email protected] before January 25. Jamii Year in Review  From Isorine Marc, Executive Director, Jamii
Click to View Year in Review It is with great pleasure that I share with the SLNA, Jamii¹s 2020 Year-In-Review and I would like to thank this Association for your continued support of our growing local arts organization. The support of the SLNA has been especially meaningful this year as that support helped us to feature local artists in our programming which contributed to enhancing a sense of social cohesion, community and togetherness during an isolating time for so many residents in our neighbourhood. During 2020 - the year the pandemic hit our society - Jamii organized 101 workshops with 166 participants and we produced 34 public events, with 91 artists and we counted 2300 audience members. However, beyond numbers, it is what we have shared with the Jamii family (artists, participants, audience and everyone connected to the programming) that matters the most. While memories are intangible, they last for a lifetime. In the Year-In-Review, you can see how the SLNA has specifically supported our Kisanii Hub Performances (featuring local artists) as well as our LAINI initiative (online workshops during the pandemic for young women from the community). The Community Arts Award we received from the Toronto Arts Foundation was definitely one of the highlights of 2020: it symbolizes an appreciation for the work we have accomplished these past 10 years. Next year is our 10th Anniversary celebration year: 2011-2021. This will be an exciting year and we look forward to continuing to partner with SLNA for the benefit of the residents in this diverse and thriving neighbourhood. I thank you in advance for sharing this review with the SLNA network. |
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