With a shutdown of the Better Living Centre for the homeless, many have taken to sleeping on neighbourhood streets, including right here in our community.

Hundreds of students and others are forced to walk over a homeless man who has taken refuge at a bus stop in New Toronto.

The man can be seen wrapped up in blankets at the north-east corner of Lake Shore Blvd. W. and Kipling Avenue.

Residents said he has been sleeping there since February 18.

Resident Bruce Bradshaw, who is almost 80, said students from Humber College and Father John Redmond Catholic Secondary School travel by bus and have to sometimes step over the man.

“It is not right,” Bradshaw said. “I saw a mother with a baby stroller having a hard time trying to get by the man on the sidewalk.”

He went to police and called 311 to try and get help for the man without luck.

“The officer went over and checked out the man and said there’s little she can do,” Bradshaw said. “Even the 311 operator said their hands are tied as far as what they can do.”

The pastor of a local church said she has to turn away the homeless nightly because of a lack of overnight warming centres in the community.

“It breaks my heart,” said Pastor Jacqueline Daley, of St. Margaret’s New Toronto church. “When it’s freezing cold we have to turn them away due to a lack of resources.”

Daley knows of homeless people sleeping in cars, bus shelters or in the stairs of buildings.

She cannot send the mostly men to downtown homeless centres or shelter because they are all filled with many refugees.

Social workers worry about what will happen with the homeless when the Better Living Centre is fully closed next month.

“There is a homeless crisis in the City and something has to be done to help those in need,” Daley said.

Toronto shelter officials said they plan to move the homeless to other facilities when the Better Living Centre shut its doors.

The City is considering the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and other technology to tackle frustrating traffic congestion issues in Toronto.

A City Traffic Congestion Management Plan (CMP) said AI can be used for coordinating traffic signals, detect motorists making illegal stops and a host other uses.

The City said it will cost $1 million daily to Toronto’s economy when the Gardiner Expressway is reduced to two lanes in each direction between Dufferin Street and Strachan Avenue from March to December due to road repairs.

The loss comes from motorists staying away or using other roadways when the Expressway is reduced.

Officials said based on computer simulation it costs an average road user $20 an hour to use a major street.

A Transportation Services Committee said AI can be used to detect parking in intersections and other illegal parking, including stopping or parking in bike lanes. The technology can also be used to monitor traffic lights and movement patterns.

“It will require to test the technologies so it does not negatively impact traffic,” according to the Committee.

The CMP was presented at the Infrastructure and Environment Committee last year and then to a Council meeting last November. It is under study.

To battle traffic congestion the committee is looking at having major construction on roads or highways conducted overnight from 11 p.m. to 7 a.m., to lessen inner-city noise and for deliveries to take place off peak during early hours or late at night.

The measures were conducted during the 2015 Pan Am Games and there are plans to repeat them for the upcoming FIFA World Cup Soccer in 2026.

The City has established a Transportation Innovation Zone (TIZ) for the testing of transportation and other technologies in a real-world environment at Exhibition Place. The zone has been working on measures as a moving, self-cleaning sidewalk or QR codes on talking signs at construction zones for those with visual challenges.

“Envisioned is an application that is GPS-based, developed for the blind, deafblind and partially sighted that will voice construction work zone details once the user is in relative proximity to the work zone,” according to the CMP.

Information on the construction signs would include the contractor’s name, duration of the project and wayfinding details if there is a need to divert traffic, pedestrians or cyclists.

Also proposed are traffic red light cameras being used to detect motorists stopped in intersections, no standing or stopping zones, for which fines would increase from $90 to $450 and $500.

The City also wants construction companies to pay more for blocking lanes of traffic or sidewalks during their builds.

“After a major complete street design project is installed, Transportation Services will publish data on completion and feedback from the public for residents and other stakeholders, including emergency services,” the Committee was told.

City officials said they plan to increase construction efficiency while mitigating congestion and inconvenience to the public.

 

The City of Toronto is looking at having parking enforcement officers issue $75 tickets to motorists illegally parked in electric vehicle charging zones.

The Infrastructure and Environment is considering a penalty for motorists who park in electric vehicle charging stations in municipal, on-street and off-street electric parking facilities.

A Transportation Committee has recommended that signs be erected stating Electric Vehicle Parking Space, which will make it a ticketable offence if used by motorists who are not charging their vehicles.

The Committee is seeking to have parking by-laws amended to include electric vehicles.

“No person shall park a vehicle in an electric vehicle parking space in a car-park unless the vehicle is an electric vehicle that is actively connected to the electric vehicle charging station,” according to the proposed bylaw.

The change will be considered by the Infrastructure Committee on February 27 and full City Council on March 20.

Council is also being asked to authorize the City Solicitor make necessary changes so the ticketing can be carried out legally.

Transportation Services has been working with City agencies to review the parking violation notices issued by the City of Toronto and has looked at several Canadian municipalities to compare similar offences and their penalty amounts to those of Toronto.

Transportation officials recommend Council increase the penalties for 123 offences associated with no ‘parking, stopping and standing’ violations.

The penalties will ‘match those of other jurisdictions, encourage compliance, reflect the seriousness of the offence and that all penalty amounts for the violation remain consistent.’

Currently, Parking Enforcement officers cannot ticket or penalize motorists for parking improperly in electric charging stations due to a lack of municipal or provincial regulations.

“This absence of regulatory provisions restricts parking facility operators from ticketing non-electric vehicle’s parking in designated electric vehicle charging spaces, or ticketing electric vehicles parked in designated electric vehicle charging spaces that are not actively charging,” according to the proposal.

It is estimated the City can collect up to $62 million in revenue yearly from tickets issued to motorists illegally parked by not charging in electric vehicle charging stations.

“The Parking Enforcement Unit (PEU) of Toronto Police Service will experience additional financial and operational impacts when the implementation of the parking penalty increases come into effect,” according to the proposal.

The proposal said the PEU will require $150,000 from City funds this year to purchase about 400,000 updated parking tickets as the current stock will be outdated with old penalty amounts.

Proposed is a $75 ticket for a new offence of parking of a vehicle in an EV parking space other than a vehicle not actively engaged in a charging session.

The City of Toronto has about 2,200 public Level 2 and 3 charging station ports. Some 96 per cent of the ports are Level 2 and 39 per cent offer free charges for your EV.

A new baseball hub and pickle ball courts are being proposed among the many changes upcoming for Centennial Park.

Ward 2 Councillor Stephen Holyday in a letter asked the Infrastructure and Environment Committee at its February 20 meeting to consider the baseball and pickle ball amenities to fill the vacancy of a Mini Indy amusement complex that ceased operations late last year.

“The former Mini Indy amusement complex was privately operated for profit, and contained a go-kart track, beach volleyball, and batting cages where visitors, for a fee, could take swings at pitches delivered by a machine,” Holyday told the Committee.

Dozens of workers were laid off and a petition with more than 1,000 signatures were collected to prevent the closure of the Mini Indy, which had been there for decades.

Holyday said park users and residents wanted their batting cages back at the park.

“Public input, including feedback at the consultation in January 2024 for the next phase of park improvements, indicated an interest in seeing the batting cages portion of the Mini Indy amusement complex return to the park,” the Committee was told.

“The batting cages were an enjoyable compliment to baseball and softball players, and the former location was a unique opportunity within the region to practice batting,” Holyday wrote.

The matter will be considered by City Council on March 20 and is subject to actions by the Committee.

His motion requests that staff explore the technical and business potential of reintroducing an amusement type batting cage to the baseball hub within the park.

The removal of the Molson Indy and batting cages were part of a Centennial Park Master Plan ‘for complimentary and supporting amenities that ensure a successful user experience in both the short and long-term’ use of the park.

Also being added to the City’s second largest park is a new water play area, pathways, lighting, cricket pitches and park furniture.

TTC passengers using the Lake Shore streetcar may have to leave a little earlier than normal.

The 508 Lake Shore streetcar, which travels to the Long Branch Loop, may not always be on time in the coming months due to a watermain replacement and TTC track renewal in Parkdale.

The streetcar runs across the City to Neville Park. It travels along King Street and will divert via Queen and Shaw streets, and back to its regular route, due to the construction.

The TTC said the changes are required to replace an aging water main and streetcar tracks along King Street W. between Shaw Street and Dufferin Street.

The TTC said construction is expected to be complete by December 2024.

The 508 Lake Shore streetcar will divert onto Queen Street between Roncesvalles Avenue and Shaw Street.

This work will affect the 63 Ossington, 501A/501C Queen, 504/304 King, and 508 Lake Shore routes.

The 504B King route will run between the Humber Loop and Broadview Station before 10 p.m., and after that time operate between Roncesvalles Avenue and Broadview Station.

In March 2020, the 508 Lake Shore route was discontinued due to the COVID pandemic.

With the completion of infrastructure work west of Roncesvalles Avenue, the TTC scheduled 508 Lake Shore to resume between Long Branch Loop and Parliament Street in October 2023.

The route, one of the longest in the city, began as an experiment in June 1992 to test how attractive it would be to riders. By February 1994, the experiment was deemed a success and additional afternoon rush-hour trips were added. In March 1995, the 507 Long Branch was merged into 501 Queen, the route received its 508 number.

Drivers can expect traffic reduced to a single lane in each direction while the water main is being replaced.

The section of King Street West where crews are working will be closed to through traffic during streetcar track renewal in phases two, four, and five.

During phase three, the intersection of King Street W. and Dufferin Street will be fully closed in all directions while the streetcar tracks are being repaired.

Parking will not be permitted within the work zones.

The TTC said that WheelTrans service will remain accessible in all areas where local traffic is permitted.

By TANYA VIVIDLY

What does local live entertainment look like in our neighborhood. Well for starters it depends on where you go and the vibe of environment that you are looking for.

For February, which is Black History Month, my space of choice was Humber College Lakeshore Campus, at 3199 Lake Shore Blvd. W., in the auditorium of Building A.

I attended an event called Reverberations ll, a celebration of music of the Black diaspora.

The show was divided into three student ensemble sets, the first being a gospel choir performance directed by Natalie Stewart.

The set list included seven songs that uplifted, embraced and enlightened the audience. One patron described it as “high energy church and orchestra with a 3-D audience.”

The band included drums, guitar, keyboard and a choir of 16 singers.

The song that stood out fort me was “He’s not Worthy“ by Sandra Crouch.

The second act was called African rhythm and jazz directed by Waleed Abdulhamid. The set included five songs that combined modern and traditional sounds of calypso, reggae, Congolese rumba, Afro & Latin jazz and funk.

The seven-piece band included a bass guitar, standard guitar, piano, vocals, horns, percussion and drums.

The performance echoed the blending of the old and new world projecting a need for current awareness of times past. As the melodic vocals vibrated with the notes of the bass guitar riffs, many audience members were grooving in their seats. A song that still resonates is “Na -R – Na”

The final set was called rhythm and soul with director Will Jarvis. The band was filled with brass and horns.

This finale was a wave of cool soulful-funk grooves that celebrated the roots of African music.

The band was eager, energetic and free-forming. They embraced the fun and love of music and its beautiful accents. A great classic choice of song was “Move on Up,“ by Curtis Mayfield.

The three ensembles of sound brought an extravaganza of live music to the neighborhood. The music united the masses and lift every voice.

To stay informed about upcoming events at Humber Lakeshore follow them on Instagram or check out their website and look for the media arts calendar.

It is getting closer to that time of the year when people start to frequent garage sales and craft markets again.

Some South Etobicoke residents have issued an online warning of a scam targeting vendors of craft markets.

The concerns surfaced after administrators of the South Etobicoke Community Group refused to post a listing for vendors for craft markets because it looked suspicious.

Due diligence showed there were many of the same posts for vendors for the same type of events on the same dates across North America.

“For any small business owners who participate in markets do your due diligence when seeing these posts online,” Graham Rowlands wrote. “Ask for references.”

He said to ask them to ‘show that that they have done markets and have permits or leases to do so.’

Rowlands urged vendors to do Facebook checks to “make sure they have social profiles to back up their claims. If they don’t proceed with caution.”

He said there are many online scams to be wary off including those for duct cleaning, cleaning, car cleaning or rental scams.

“Scammers are getting smarter so just be careful when conducting business or buying” from people online.

He reminds vendors and others to vet everyone they plan to do business with and never send money without being sure they are legitimate.

Threatened by plans to build large towers and a subdivision in Mimico, a survey is now underway for residents to share their thoughts on the development.

The Mimico Development Survey has been launched to obtain feedback from residents on the proposals that are underway.

The survey has been launched online by the Mimico Residents Association (MRA), who said “real estate developments in Mimico are an important issue for many residents of this community.”

“We are working to create a position and approach to ensuring that community perspectives are captured by developers and the City,” the survey said. We hope “that Mimico continues to grow as a community that works for the people that live here.”

“We are looking for feedback from all residents of Mimico who would like to share their perspectives and be part of this work by the MRA,” the survey state.

The survey asks if those taking part are homeowners, how long they have been living in Mimico and what their top issues are.

Some of the issues listed incudes community engagement, livability and character, growing density, housing shortages, housing affordability, community spaces and parks, traffic congestion, bike lanes, environmental and construction impact, safety and infrastructure  improvements.

The area will soon become a hive of activity as a plan to build a 33-storey, 10-storey towers and new roadway in Mimico is moving ahead with many residents expressing displeasure of the proposal.

A large sign has been installed in front of 2405 Lake Shore Blvd. W., notifying residents that ‘change has been proposed on this site.’

The proposal will be heard by the Ontario Land Tribunal in a 10-day video hearing on July 8.

The signage shows an outline of the towers planned and state notifications will be posted of public meetings of the proposed mega development.

The proposal if approved will lead to the demolition of 2405, 2407, 2409, 2411 and 2417 Lake Shore Blvd. W., between Mimico and Superior Avenues to construct a 33-storey and 10-storey towers that will contain 471 residential rental apartments in mixed sizes.

There would be retail space at the ground floor level, residential uses above, and two underground levels of parking, according to the proposal.

An east-west roadway is also planned behind the towers that will end at Superior Avenue. It will separate the lakefront from Lake Shore Blvd. W., and more towers are planned for the lakefront area.

 

 

The City was defrauded of at least $495,000 and another $100,000 in potential loss was flagged from calls coming into its Fraud and Waste hotline last year.

About $31,000 was recovered according to the City’s Auditor General 2023 report on the hotline activity.

A report was released on February 8 to members of an Audit Committee. It stated that almost 14,000 complaints were received on the Fraud and Waste hotline since 2002.

The report by A-G Tara Anderson said the City suffered $27.7 million in losses, and $1 million in potential losses, stemming from complaints to the hotline from 2019 to 2023.

It said five City workers were disciplined last year and there were 25 instances where actions were taken against vendors, employees or members of the public, who may have been subsidy recipients.

The report said 125 complaints from previous years were closed last year and 31 of those were substantiated in whole or in part.

About 52 per cent of those defrauded ever recover any of their losses, according to the association of Certified Fraud Examiners.

The Auditor General said last year there were 1,450 allegations received on the tip line that led to 1,054 investigations. The report said some 144 of the complaints were investigated by Auditor General’s staff or the City’s Divisions, agencies or corporations.

Some 30 of the 144 complaints investigated were substantiated in whole or in part and eight of those were made by anonymous callers.

It was “the highest in a year since the launch of the Hotline Program,” the report stated. “The Hotline Program has helped to reduce losses and resulted in the protection of City.”

The office said the ‘complaint data is used to identify trends, address risks, make action oriented recommendations to management, and inform our Audit Work Plan.’

The information is also used to deter fraud or wrongdoing, strengthen internal controls, improve policies and procedures and increase efficiencies.

The Fraud and Waste Hotline Program began as a six-month pilot program in March 2002 and was made permanent in November that same year. The Auditor General is required to make a report yearly to the Audit Committee.

The Hotline is managed by the Auditor General’s Forensic Unit, whose members collectively possess the expertise to resolve a range of complaints and conduct investigative work into complex allegations. Due to the small size of the team, the Unit occasionally leverages audit staff or outside experts to assist in complex investigations.

All City employees who are aware that wrongdoing has occurred are required to immediately notify their manager, their Division Head, or the Auditor General’s Office. The allegations of wrongdoing are to be immediately reported to the Auditor General.