The City is ploughing ahead with plans to convert a New Toronto parking lot into a shelter for unhoused seniors.

The property at 66 Third Street is one of six across the City in which zoning by-law amendments are being sought to build the residential shelters.

A motion to proceed with the zone changes will be considered by a Planning and Housing Committee and then by City Council at its July 23 to 23 meeting.

The amendment will apply for the construction of a four-storey residential building at the Green P lot on Third Street.

The facility when completed will accommodate 50 unhoused seniors chosen at random, who are over the age of 55.

A City report said the shelters will provide 420 beds in total and are being designed for use as supportive or affordable housing in the future if the need arises.

City council is seeking to add 1,600 log-term and permanent shelter spaces to the system by 2033 for the homeless, according to the report.

“This plan focuses on developing purpose-built shelters, increasing permanency across the shelter system, and a gradual transition out of temporary shelter hotels in response to the growing need,” according to the report .

It said the purpose-built shelters will save the City money, improve the stability of the system and    respond to the growing need for emergency shelter and wrap around services.

There was a great anxiety and uproar in the community after the City at first said the shelter was for the homeless.

City officials changed their mind to make it a seniors-only facility due to a fiery debate in the community.

The shelters are part of a Homelessness Services Capital Infrastructure Strategy approved by the City that is estimated to cost $674.5 million over the ten-year  period  from 2024 to 2033.

A Toronto paving contractor who was banned  from City work for defrauding the TTC of $150,000 in a bribery scheme is getting another chance to return to the public payroll.

The paver, and three companies he owned, has been banned from City subcontracting jobs since 2012 after pleading guilty to a charge of paying secret commission to a former TTC employee to obtain lucrative paving work.

A June 27 report of the City’s Procurement Officer said the paver can only be suspended for a maximum five years and recommended  that he and two of his companies be eligible to submit bids to obtain City contracts.

The issue will be considered by a General Government Committee and then by City council at its July 23 to 25  meeting.

This is “sending a clear message to any vendor who attempts to manipulate the procurement process through criminal activity such as bribery or offering to pay a secret commission that the City will take steps to ensure they do not do business with those types of vendors in the future,” according to a report by City staff.

It said it is the first time a contractor or supplier has been banned from  bidding on City contracts. They have to apply to be reinstated for work from the City.

Police in a release then said Sebastien Corbo, 63, billed the TTC of $198,619 for work from June 2009 to July 2010 that was valued at $54,087, for a total fraud of just over $149,000.

Police said a TTC project manager, his wife and son were also charged  with fraud-related offences for creating bank accounts to funnel funds from shady companies.

“The City of Toronto’s Charter of Expectations for its employees sets out that  employees are to act with integrity, to avoid conflicts of interest and report instances of fraud,” according to the report.

The TTC employee was fired and received a conditional sentence and had to repay $30,000 in restitution.  All charges were withdrawn against the TTC employee’s wife and son.

“The contracts and the work that was done were not in line with the fee invoices that were submitted and paid,” a TTC spokesman said then. “We have very strict, very tight controls around contract management and how invoices are handled.”

The paver plead guilty in 2012 and was convicted of paying a secret commission and sentenced to a four month conditional sentence, one year probation and ordered to pay $30,00 to the TTC.  He has since applied to be reinstated.

Under City rules suppliers must disclose any past convictions or those of an affiliated person for offences such as collusion, bid-rigging, price fixing, bribery, or fraud under the Criminal Code or Competition Act unless a pardon has been granted.

 

More than 1,500 people have signed an online petition calling for the City to refuse the renewal of a long-term lease with a west-end yacht club.

The Toronto Humber Yacht Club  (THYC) has been located at 101 Humber  Valley Road, for about 70 years and some residents want to reclaim the land for use as a park or paddling club.

A group called the Revitalize the Humber (RTH) in a petition said the club’s lease expires on July 31 and a City staff report on the use of boat club lands is expected by the end of the year.

The report will first be considered by a General Governance and Licensing Committee and then City Council for a vote.

“… we are still fighting an uphill battle with the city to reject THYC’s 20-year lease request,” group member Jason Sills wrote. “It’s always easier for City staff and the bureaucracy to go with the status quo vs working to create something wonderful for the general public.”

The RTH claim marine life are in jeopardy from pollutants  as dirt and unburned fuel from boat;  many which create a wake that erodes the shoreline.

The group said online that personal water craft, as jet skis, stir sediment in the shallow river, ‘introducing pollutants such as unburned fuel.’

The RTH said construction of 60 gazebos along the shore has degraded the riparian zone, displacing native species and disrupting natural habitats.

Sills said the river is being used as a private playground “with little regard for the impacts on local residents and those who come to enjoy the peace the river provides.”

They are suggesting the City grant the lease to an Indigenous-led group for ecological restoration, for use as a park or motor-free paddling club.

You can check out Revitalize the Humber on Facebook or sign their petition on change.org

Concerned Toronto residents have made thousands of donations worth more than $1 million to help improve City services or programs.

Almost 6,400 citizens donated more than $1.06 million last year, according to a Summary of the City’s Donation Activity for 2024 in a report for the Executive Committee.

The report will be considered on July 16.

The City said donations were made by individuals and organizations mostly from Toronto, but some funds came from across Canada and the U.S.

City officials do not send tax receipts from donations under $20 and gifts from foundations or in-kind donations or when a tax receipt is not requested, according to the report.

The City said most of the donations are for use with specific programs, services or City initiatives. City officials will accept donations up to $500,000 once it is reported to Council.

“Most donations were received from individuals,” the report stated. “While several individuals and organizations have donated on more than one occasion, donors usually give once to a particular cause.”

The report said more than 5,100 of the donations were for $100 or less, about 11 were for more than $5,000 each, five for $15,000 each and two with a value of more than $50,000.

Most of the donations, almost  5,800, were directed to Municipal Licensing & Standards, primarily Toronto Animal Services, which obtained more than $250,000 in donations.

The City’s Parks and Recreation Commemorative Tree & Bench Program racked up $380,698, the  City of Toronto Archives $248,370, followed by Toronto Paramedics Services Safe City Program.

More than $840 was donated to help the High Park Zoo and more than $11,000 to the Toronto Police Mounted Unit.

The City is moving ahead with plans to hire a Chief Congestion Officer to tackle traffic and other mobility challenges to keep Toronto moving.

Officials said the position is required as Toronto is the busiest city in North America due to increased development, infrastructure and public transit renewal activity.

A report by the Deputy Manager of Infrastructure Services, said the Congestion Officer will oversee a Strategic Capital Coordination Office.

The issue will be considered by an Infrastructure and Environment Committee on July 10.

City staff said the largest contributor to traffic congestion stems from construction activity and the person selected must be able to work with all City agencies.

“While the creation of this role will not eliminate congestion, the leadership it will provide will help to enhance how the City actively manages congestion against the ongoing pressures of growth and development,”  according to the report.

The incoming congestion czar will provide  advice and guidance to the City’s leadership team, the Mayor, City Council and relevant committees, enabling evidence-based decision making to reduce traffic congestion.

Video of Toronto’s congested streets have gone viral after a number of sports teams disembarking from their buses to walk to hockey arenas due to the traffic standstill.

Toronto has been deemed by studies to be among the worst cities in the world for travel congestion.

One of our longest-serving malls with an abundance of parking may soon be gone for what is being called one of the largest redevelopments in the area.

An application has been filed to redevelop the Kipling Queensway Mall, at 1255 The Queensway, into one of the largest construction zone in the area with 13 towers ranging up to 65 storeys tall.

A company called Figtree Holdings Limited has proposed what’s described as ‘one of the largest redevelopments’ on the 7.4 hectare site, that contains a Sobey’s grocery store and Ontario licensing office.

It will be the second Sobey’s store the community stands to lose, as another in the Park Lawn Avenue and The Queensway mall will be shut for another mega redevelopment. The company is building a new ground-level store just east of the Kipling and Queensway area.

Plans filed called for mid-rise buildings to line The Queensway, stepping up to taller forms toward Kipling Avenue and the Gardiner Expressway ramps.

A large section of the mall parking lot is slated for use as a large ramp that will lead to and from the Gardiner Expressway.

The project, which is in the planning stage, when completed will bring about 7,400 residential units, with the ground floors being used for commercial uses. There are also plans for a new elementary school to service the incoming population.

Two new public parks are planned, along with a green corridor and space to serve as a school yard should a school be built.

Plans show there will be about 4,200 parking spots, including 370 for visitors, 119 for retail and 23 for school use. There will be more than 5,000 spaces for bicycles.

The proposal joins a growing list of Toronto malls and shopping centres being redeveloped in a shift from  brick-and-mortar retail.  Among those being developed are Sherway Gardens, the Cineplex Queensway complex, Cloverdale Mall, Dixie Outlet Mall, Yorkdale Mall and many others.

The complex will bring large-scale intensification and congestion along The Queensway. There are more than a dozen condo mega-projects being built or planned within blocks of the Kipling Queensway mall site, in which about 25 towers are being constructed.

A local youth who mentored young people about life and skateboarding before being violently killed is being remembered with a popular Eighth Street skatepark named after him.

The skatepark at 160 Eighth Street is being renamed the Jordan Carter Memorial Park, according to a July 3 decision by Etobicoke York Community Council.

The City in a Parks and Recreation report said the park will be in recognition of Carter’s ‘life and lasting impact.’

More than 9,000 people signed an online petition calling for his name to be immortalized on the skatepark he frequented.

More than $15,000 was raised in a Go Fund Me page to help with his funeral services after the 15-year-old was shot and killed by a 13-year-old in East York.

The arts student from Lakeshore Collegiate Institute was shot in an apartment parking garage in the Gamble and Pape Avenues area around 11:30 p.m. on January 19, 2022.

The report said “Carter’s meaningful contributions to Toronto’s skateboarding community and the neighbourhoods in which he lived.”

“ Mr. Carter was a well-known and respected member of Toronto’s skateboarding community,” according to the report.

“Mr. Carter demonstrated a strong passion for skateboarding and was frequently seen at local skateparks, where he not only honed his own skills but also encouraged others to participate in the sport.”

City staff said more than 9,000 people from around the world signed an online petition calling for the park to be named after Carter. Six community groups also sent letters of support.

“Mr. Carter played in helping build their skills, confidence, and self-esteem through skateboarding,” it said.

The report said the change is culturally relevant in that it ‘honours a Toronto youth who demonstrated peer-mentorship skills and an unyielding enthusiasm for the sport of skateboarding.’

A commemorative bench is also named after the skater at the park.

A second woman in the community has been struck by a vehicle and left with life-threatening injuries in less than a week.

The woman, in her 20s, was struck in the Park  Lawn and Berry Roads area, just north of The Queensway, in the Humber Bay Shores area.

The incident occurred around 10:30 p.m. on July 5, police said.

She was transported to a trauma centre with critical injuries and remains in life-threatening condition.

There is no word on any charges, but police said roads in the area were briefly closed.

Four days earlier in Long Branch, another woman, also in her 20s, was taken to hospital with serious injuries after being struck by a motorist near Marie Curtis Park.

Police said that incident took place around 7:30 p.m. on July 2 near Forty Second Street and Lake Shore Blvd. W.

In both cases, the motorists involved remained at the scenes.

Toronto Police Traffic officers are warning e-bike riders to be extra careful when riding their devices close to heavy machinery.

The alert stems from the July 3 death of an e-bike rider who reportedly hit a dump truck in the North Queen Street and Atomic Avenue area around 3:15 p.m., according to police.

Police in a release said a 56-year-old man was operating an e-bike east on North Queen Street as a blue dump truck was making a left turn from Atomic to North Queen.

“The e-bike driver struck the side of the dump truck,” according to the press release. “The e-bike driver was transported to hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries.”

Police say the City is witnessing a rise in the use of various forms of electric vehicles, including e-bikes, electric kick-scooters, and electric one-wheeled devices (unicycle and hoverboard).
Motorists have to be doubly vigilant as these e-devices can travel quite fast and some riders dodge in and out of traffic.

Police remind users that e-kick scooters, e-skateboards, e-unicycles and e-hoverboards are prohibited on the road in Toronto.
There were more than 20 people killed or seriously injured while operating a micromobility vehicle last year, according to police records.

Local residents, businesses, and drivers who may have security or dash camera footage of the area, or incident, are asked to contact investigators.
Anyone with information is asked to contact police at 416-808-1900, Crime Stoppers anonymously at 416-222-TIPS (8477), or at www.222tips.com.

A handful of vandalized high-profile traffic speed enforcement cameras have not slowed down a record amount of tickets issued by City staff last year.

The City issued a record 2.2 million parking violations last year generating almost $150 million for its coffers, according to a report.

City staff issued some 2.15 million parking violations in 2024,which exceeded an estimated number of two million, according to a report before the General Government Committee on June 16.

It will be considered by City Council at its June 25, 26 and 27 meeting.

This report does not include activities related to automated speed enforcement or red light camera tickets, which are now part of the administrative penalty system.

The Toronto Police Parking Enforcement Unit  issued most of the City’s Parking Violation Notices (PVNs) in 2024. The balance, or about 13.14%  were issued by trained Municipal Law Enforcement Officers (MLEOs).

There are about 2,500 MLEOs working for 115 different agencies that can issue violations.

The report said the most tickets were issued for parking in “No Parking” zones, followed  parking in private property.

It stated almost 60 per cent of the parking violations issued were paid last year, with many motorists, having to pay up before their license plates are renewed. The final collection rate is about 83 per cent.

About 100,000 of the violations are cancelled on appeal last year due to a range of reasons.

The report said there are less ticket cancellations by motorists who speed off before a ticket can be served.

It said the City now mails tickets to parking offenders who drive away before they can be ticketed. The ticket is mailed to the vehicle providing there is enough information to mail and process the violation.

The cash to the City continues to flow despite a number of speed traffic cameras that were vandalized, including one that was cut down several times on Parkside Drive.