 A lot has happened with respect to our efforts to not only halt demolition of The Foundry buildings but preserve them as well. Due to the public engagement and advocacy of the residents of the St. Lawrence, Corktown, Distillery District and other communities across Ontario, we have made some advances but the challenge is not over. Following are details on the current status of our collaborative efforts to protect the Foundry and the impact we have had to date:
The AdjournmentAs agreed by all parties — the St. Lawrence Neighbourhood Association (SLNA), the City, and the Province — the February 26 has been adjourned (postponed) to give all parties more time to come to some kind of resolution. If they can’t reach a resolution, another court date will be set and the hearing will proceed. This is great news (for now) because the parties have also agreed that the Interim Order will remain in effect. In other words, the province can’t continue with the demolition while we are discussing resolution.In the meantime, the Province initiated a one-way “consultation” process which continues until March 4, with the province asking for community input. Please click here to write to the province today, letting them know this isn’t good enough. A regular two-way dialogue with the community must take place, something we have asked for since October. We must remember, the Province owns the land, and the Ministerial Zoning Order (MZO) allows them to bypass nearly all planning requirements set by the City. The Court ordered them to continue the pause on demolition because there is compelling evidence that they have not met their own standards under the Ontario Heritage Act and had breached heritage-related commitments in a subdivision agreement. The Province is attempting to fulfill those requirements now. Once they are finished, there is a risk we will no longer be able to stop them through the courts. So a mutually-agreed adjournment right now is a good outcome. What power do we have?
For more information (including background information on this attack on the preservation of heritage buildings in and around our neighbourhood) please visit friendsofthefoundry.ca or respectlocalplanning.com Download article Next SLNA Community Meeting - Feb. 24 The next SLNA Community Montly Meeting will include a presentation to honour Black History Month with guest speaker Rosemary Sadlier. Rosemary is an Order of Ontario recipient and the former president of the Ontario Black History Society. As an educator Rosemary has developed and contributed to African Canadian curriculum and was an appointed member of the College of Early Childhood Educators. As an author Rosemary has written 7 books on African Canadian history. Most recently Rosemary was appointed Equality Lead for the Americas and the Caribbean with the Royal Commonwealth Society. This neighbourhood is historically where Toronto began and where many Black Canadians and Black Americans made their mark in history (to name a few: Thornton and Lucie Blackburn who escaped slavery in the United States to establish themselves as community leaders and activists in Toronto and well known anti-slave activist and publisher Mary Ann Shadd...). We look forward to the highlights of those historic profiles during Rosemary's presentation on February 24th - see you there! SLNA February 24 Community Meeting Agenda: Meeting Begins at 7:00 p.m. on Zoom - see link below.
Zoom Link (click to open) Or copy link below to your browser: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88163151751?pwd=Yk5OYUV0V0hpVU05VHVtZVFJQVB5dz09 Support our Local Businesses 
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 If you find you are always pleasantly learning new things about our historic St. Lawrence neighbourhood and enjoy the experience, or if you simply want to learn about the iconic places in the neighbourhood we call home, click on the link below to begin a self-guided online tour prepared by historians at the City of Toronto's Market Gallery (located in the St. Lawrence Market South Building):
St. Lawrence Self-Guided Tour  Community Support for Heritage Protection On February 14, residents of the St. Lawrence, Corktown (and possibly other communities) came out to walk around the Dominion Foundry heritage designated buildings on Eastern Ave. in the Canary District and to show their love of our neighbourhoods, our shared history, the preservation of our heritage architecture and inclusive development that provides real, diverse and needed housing while respecting our local planning priorities! To learn more about the history behind the St. Lawrence Neighbourhood Association's involvement in helping to pause this demolition, the next steps and how you can help, please click on the following link: https://www.respectlocalplanning.com/donate Thanks to all our political representatives who showed up to vocalize their on Feb. 14 especially our Councillor Kristyn Wong-Tam, leader of the Green Party Annamie Paul, and MPPs Suze Morrison and Chris Glover #friendsofthefoundry Next Important Step - CONSULTATION We need you to participate in the provincial government's recently announced consultation for the use of this "heritage" site. Please note the key issues with this consultation pointed out by the Friends of the Foundry in the comments below. We hope you can use their commentary as advice when submitting your feedback to the government. The Foundry Consultation Process: From the Friends of the Foundry The Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing announced that "new public consultation would be posted on the government's website." This has now appeared: a single web page with the title "Crown land for affordable housing on Eastern Avenue (Toronto)" two sentences of background information, and an email address. Words conspicuously absent from the page include"heritage", "building", "demolition", and the name of the site, "Dominion Wheel & Foundries Company". It is clear to us that the Ministry is trying to play "catch up" in the most minimal way possible: to "tick the boxes" on the things they didn't do before demolition, so that in court on February 26 they can say "we made a mistake, but all better now so there's no case." If we give feedback, they can say they received input from the community. If we don't, they can say the community's “stop demolition, start consultation" stance is insincere. This "consultation" looks like a one-way trip into a black hole. So, how to respond? We can resist by repeatedly asking for dialogue: showing an interest in the issue, but persistently asking them for clarification on how they will evaluate and use the input.Your task today, then, is to consider how you, as a citizen of Ontario, choose to respond to this call for consultation. Our suggestion:
Plus we'd love you to bcc us on your correspondence. Here is a link to their web page. Friends of the Foundry http://www.respectlocalplanning.com/ Download following article Next SLNA Meeting - Feb. 24 The next SLNA Community Montly Meeting will honour Black History Month with guest speaker Rosemary Sadlier. Rosemary is an Order of Ontario recipient and the former president of the Ontario Black History Society. As an educator Rosemary has developed and contributed to African Canadian curriculum and was an appointed member of the College of Early Childhood Educators. As an author Rosemary has written 7 books on African Canadian history. Most recently Rosemary was appointed Equality Lead for the Americas and the Caribbean with the Royal Commonwealth Society. This neighbourhood is historically where Toronto began and where many Black Canadians and Black Americans made their mark in history (to name a few: Thornton and Lucie Blackburn who escaped slavery in the United States to establish themselves as community leaders and activists in Toronto and well known anti-slave activist and publisher Mary Ann Shadd...). We look forward to the highlights of those historic profiles during Rosemary's presentation on February 24th - see you there! SLNA February 24 Community Meeting Agenda: Meeting Begins at 7:00 p.m. on Zoom - see link below.
Zoom Link (click to open) Or copy link below to your browser: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88163151751?pwd=Yk5OYUV0V0hpVU05VHVtZVFJQVB5dz09 Download the following article SLNA 2021 Annual General Meeting The SLNA will be hosting our next Annual General Meeting on Wednesday, March 24 at 7 p.m. on Zoom. Link will be provided in the coming weeks. MOTION FOR APPROVAL: That the SLNA appoint Hogg, Shain and Scheck as accountants to perform the financial review for fiscal 2021. Vacancy on the SLNA Board of DirectorsDue the expiry of the term of one of our Board Members there will be an opening on the SLNA Board of Directors. All SLNA building/condo/home association delegates are eligible to submit a nomination for this position. The election will take place during the March 24th SLNA Annual General Meeting. The Board vacancy is for a 3-year term of service. Board Member Responsibilities In addition to managing the affairs of the Association, SLNA Directors are required to attend the SLNA monthly Community Meeting which takes place ten times per year. Board members are also expected to participate in the monthly SLNA Board meeting which is held the second Wednesday of each month from 6:30 – 8:30 p.m. DOWNLOAD NOMINATION FORM (NOTE: deadline for submission of nominations is March 17, 2021 ) Download the following article Major Changes: The Esplanade & Mill Streets FROM THE CITY OF TORONTO: The Esplanade and Mill Street are two important streets in the east part of downtown Toronto. They connect people to iconic destinations like the St. Lawrence Market and Distillery District, as well as parks such as Corktown Common, and David Crombie Park. Parliament Square Park is vital pedestrian connection between the two streets. Today, walking, cycling and transit make up nearly three-quarters of the trips in the St. Lawrence and Distillery District neighbourhood, yet there have been more than 340 collisions on this corridor in the last five years, 10 per cent involving people walking or cycling, and one per cent leading to serious injury or death. The Esplanade is also being used as a bypass to Front Street and Lower Jarvis Street. This non-local traffic leads to congestion, pollution and noise, and delays to TTC service. The City of Toronto is recommending changes to the way people move through and experience The Esplanade and Mill Street. These recommendations are based on Toronto City Council-approved policies and plans and data analysis. They are also informed by input from local stakeholders, including community groups, businesses, institutions and property owners along the corridor. The project’s goals are to:
View the video Participate in the Consultation Community residents, businesses and organizations are invited to a public consultation event on February 25th, 2021. The consultation will be an opportunity to learn about the proposed changes, ask questions and provide comments. Sign up for the Consultation Saving Canada's First Parliament Site Did you know some of the most historically significant buildings and sites in Ontario are located in and around Front St. in our St. Lawrence and Corktown neighbourhoods? So many buildings have already been destroyed over the decades. What we have left of Canada's First Parliament Site here in our neighbourhood needs to be protected from recent announcements indicating that the province may be taking over the land for varioius developments including transportation (Ontario Line). The following article by Rollo Myers (former manager of the Architectural Conservancy of Ontario) is a must read on the significance of this heritage site. Click to read article or copy this URL to your browser: http://spacing.ca/toronto/2021/02/08/op-ed-why-we-have-to-save-the-first-parliament-site/  For more information (including background information on this attack on the preservation of heritage buildings in and around our neighbourhood) please visit friendsofthefoundry.ca or respectlocalplanning.com Download poster Next SLNA Meeting - Feb. 24 Download article The next SLNA Community Montly Meeting will honour Black History Month with guest speaker Rosemary Sadlier. Rosemary is an Order of Ontario recipient and the former president of the Ontario Black History Society. As an educator Rosemary has developed and contributed to African Canadian curriculum and was an appointed member of the College of Early Childhood Educators. As an author Rosemary has written 7 books on African Canadian history. Most recently Rosemary was appointed Equality Lead for the Americas and the Caribbean with the Royal Commonwealth Society. This neighbourhood is historically where Toronto began and where many Black Canadians and Black Americans made their mark in history (to name a few: Thornton and Lucie Blackburn who escaped slavery in the United States to establish themselves as community leaders and activists in Toronto and well known anti-slave activist and publisher Mary Ann Shadd...). We look forward to the highlights of those historic profiles during Rosemary's presentation on February 24th - see you there! SLNA February 24 Community Meeting Agenda: Meeting Begins at 7:00 p.m. on Zoom - see link below.
Zoom Link (click to open) Or copy link below to your browser: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88163151751?pwd=Yk5OYUV0V0hpVU05VHVtZVFJQVB5dz09 St. Lawrence Market Online Ordering and Delivery Download the following article Toronto residents can now enjoy products from the St. Lawrence Market delivered directly to their homes. St. Lawrence Market has partnered with Toronto-based online ordering and delivery service Inabuggy to offer customers additional ways to shop with the small business merchants of the Market. The partnership offers consumers access to the freshness and variety of produce, meats, fish, grains and bulk foods, baked goods, dairy products and specialty items that the Market is known for, in as little as one-hour delivery for residents who live within five kilometres of the Market. Customers can conveniently shop from Market merchants, including more than 25 specialty merchants, all in one place through https://www.inabuggy.com/ and the Inabuggy app in minutes. Inabuggy’s personal shoppers will handpick and pack orders to ensure the quality and freshness of the St. Lawrence Market are delivered. The Inabuggy partnership enables St. Lawrence Market to meet the shifting purchasing habits of customers and the increased demand for home delivery. As the City continues to work through the challenges of the COVID-19 health emergency, the Market is eager to offer this additional service that will allow customers to get the food that they need while staying at home more. The service also allows customers to support the small businesses of the Market during this challenging time. Delivery is available Tuesday to Friday, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Saturday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. throughout downtown Toronto. Online prices are the same as in store and customers can shop with no minimum order size at up to 10 vendors per order with a pick, pack and delivery fee of $19.99 for the first five vendors, and an additional fee of $2.99 for each additional vendor. Further information about the Inabuggy partnership can be found at http://www.stlawrencemarket.com and the list of participating merchants and their products are online at https://www.inabuggy.com/ St. Lawrence Market is a renowned international food market featuring 120 merchants, vendors and farmers, offering fresh produce, meats and specialty items. Serving Toronto residents and international visitors since 1803, the market is regularly recognized as one of Toronto's most popular destinations and was ranked the number one food market in the world by National Geographic. The St. Lawrence Market Complex consists of St. Lawrence Hall, the South Market and the North Market – the latter now in its temporary home at 125 The Esplanade. Toronto is home to more than 2.9 million people whose diversity and experiences make this great city Canada’s leading economic engine and one of the world’s most diverse and livable cities. As the fourth largest city in North America, Toronto is a global leader in technology, finance, film, music, culture and innovation, and consistently places at the top of international rankings due to investments championed by its government, residents and businesses. For more information visit www.toronto.ca or follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/CityofToronto, on Instagram at www.instagram.com/cityofto or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/cityofto. Saving Canada's First Parliament Site Did you know some of the most historically significant buildings and sites in Ontario are located in and around Front St. in our St. Lawrence and Corktown neighbourhoods? So many buildings have already been destroyed over the decades. What we have left of Canada's First Parliament Site here in our neighbourhood needs to be protected from recent announcements indicating that the province may be taking over the land for varioius developments including transportation (Ontario Line). The following article by Rollo Myers (former manager of the Architectural Conservancy of Ontario) is a must read on the significance of this heritage site. Click to read article or copy this URL to your browser: http://spacing.ca/toronto/2021/02/08/op-ed-why-we-have-to-save-the-first-parliament-site/  By Sharon McMillan, SLNA VP Marketing
As countries around the world celebrate Black History Month right now, we have the distinction of welcoming to our upcoming SLNA meeting, the woman who took the lead in pushing for a Black History Month commemoration here in Canada. We are pleased to be welcoming Order of Ontario recipient and Past President of the Ontario Black History Society, Rosemary Sadlier as our featured speaker at the Monthly SLNA Community Meeting on Wednesday, February 24 at 7:00 p.m. on Zoom. As an educator Rosemary has developed and contributed to African Canadian curriculum and was an appointed member of the College of Early Childhood Educators. As an author Rosemary has written 7 books on African Canadian history. Most recently Rosemary was appointed Equality Lead for the Americas and the Caribbean with the Royal Commonwealth Society. This neighbourhood is historically where Toronto began and where many Black Canadians and Black Americans made their mark in history (to name a few: Thornton and Lucie Blackburn who escaped slavery in the United States to establish themselves as community leaders and activists in Toronto and well known anti-slave activist and publisher Mary Ann Shadd...). We look forward to the highlights of those historic profiles during Rosemary's presentation on February 24th - see you there! For more information contact us. |
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