Hi Neighbour,
Summer is officially in full swing and I hope that you’ve been able to get out and enjoy the beautiful weather we’ve been having.
Kathryn, Briar and I had a wonderful time seeing so many families, friends and neighbours out at the annual East York Canada Day parade. It was so great to be out at Stan Wadlow and Woodbine Park to join once again in the exciting festivities, and to drop in to say hello to the folks at each of the Legions.
I want to extend a warm congratulations to Mayor Olivia Chow as she took office this past Wednesday. I look forward to working with our new Mayor and all of Council as we continue to work together to tackle Toronto’s problems head on.
It’s been a busy couple of weeks as I jumped back into City Hall with meetings of both the Planning and Housing Committee and the Executive Committee.
I’m looking forward to next week’s City Council meeting which will be the last one before Council breaks for the summer and reconvenes in September.
Read on to find out what’s happening in the ward over the coming weeks and reach out to my office with any questions or concerns.
Wishing you a fun and safe weekend!
See you out there,
– Brad
In This Issue
Updates & Announcements from City Hall
- City Hall Updates🆕
- Planning and Housing Committee Updates🆕
Local Events
- Harmony Good Food Market
- Antonio’s lemonade Stand: Supporting Michael Garron Hospital
- The 35th Annual Beaches Jazz Festival –July 6-30
Community Programs & Employment
- BCCS Girls Sports Initiative
- Centre55 Seniors Summer Courses🆕
Neighbourhood News
- Bob Acton Park Improvements
Work in the Ward
- East-end Transit Changes, including 501 and 503 service 🆕
- O’Connor Construction
- Hydro Work 🆕
Thanks for taking the time to read my bi-weekly newsletter! If you have any events, news, or ideas to share for our next one – please reach out to my office. Send me an email at [email protected], and we can get you included in our next issue.
Updates & Announcements from City Hall
City Hall Updates 🆕
This week’s meeting of the Executive Committee also came with big news on the housing front: an update on the Beaches-East York Missing Middle Pilot Project! Last term, I raised my hand to host a missing middle pilot project. We simply need more options “in-between” the multi-million dollar house or high-rise condo that dominate the landscape of our city. The project will be designed to meet the City’s highest standards for environmental sustainability and will help to identify the different barriers that exist to building low-rise apartment buildings across our city.
Planning and Housing Committee Updates 🆕
The Planning and Housing Committee met to discuss a number of important topics this month. We talked about the importance of preserving lands that provide much needed space for the operation of essential industries – from food manufacturing to concrete mixing – that are a source of jobs to Torontonians across our city. We also continued progress on the City’s Housing Action Plan by looking at ways to simplify our complex rules here at City Hall and make it easier to get shovels in the ground on new homes for those who need them.
Local Events
Harmony Good Food Market
Harmony Good Food Market is organizing an affordable and fresh produce market from now until October 2023. This great initiative, led by Harmony CFC, is promoting an affordable farmers market to shop for fresh local produce and a space to socialize and meet others in the neighbourhood.
This summer, visit the Harmony Good Food Market on Tuesday afternoons from 3pm-5pm! You definitely do not want to miss it.
Antonio’s Lemonade Stand
Feeling thirsty? Come out to Antonio’s Lemonade Stand this weekend and grab yourself a glass of lemonade. At 13 years old, Antonio has already raised thousands of dollars for Michael Garron Hospital over the years. All proceeds from this event go to support Michael Garron Hospital. July 14th 3:00-7:00pm, July 15th 10:00am-2:00pm at 1019 Coxwell Avenue. Show your support!
35th Annual Beaches Jazz Festival
The Beaches International Jazz Festival is back and better than ever as it celebrates its 35th anniversary. From humble beginnings in Kew Gardens to a now four-week run across the East End of Toronto, the Beaches Jazz Festival promises to impress audiences with its all-star line-up. From soul to big band to funk to rock to R&B, this year’s Beaches Jazz Festival has something for everyone.
Kicking off this year’s Festival is the much-anticipated Sounds of Leslieville & Riverside July 6th-9th at Jimmie Simpson Park. Opening night will feature Vancouver’s horn-powered, percussion-fueled sonic and visual assault, Five Alarm Funk. The funkin’ good music doesn’t end there – the weekend line-up promises to show you the very best of Toronto’s music scene with performances featuring big bands, swing lessons and more.
After a weekend of indie rock, the Festival will take a turn with its popular, crowd-favourite, TD Salsa on the Beach, July 14-16th at Woodbine Park (Coxwell Ave. and Lakeshore Blvd. East). Showcasing energetic Latin melodies of salsa, merengue and cumbia, including Mauro Mosquera all the way from Colombia, this is the perfect event for anyone looking to dust off their dancing shoes.
New this year, the Beaches Jazz Festival presents the ultimate throwback with 90’s Night, July 20th as part of the TD Weekend Series at Woodbine Park, July 20 – 23rd.
The ultimate Festival favourite, StreetFest returns to Queen Street East, July 27-29th, spanning two kilometres along Queen Street East from Woodbine Avenue to Beech Avenue, transforming the Street with over 40 live bands performing everything from classic blues to indie rock to Latin to R&B, and more.
The 2023 season will conclude at Woodbine Park from July 28 – July 30 with the return of Groovin’ in the Park on July 28 & 29th featuring a showcase of Toronto’s Funk, Soul & House music scene at the OLG Main Stage. Don’t miss performances from house legend, Mark Farina, as well as 14-piece brasshop funk beast, My Son the Hurricane.
The countdown is on and the Festival can’t wait to play its vital role uniting our local community while celebrating and showcasing the incredible talent Toronto has to offer. Here’s to another 35 years of making amazing memories through music and culture.
Community Programs & Employment
BCCS Girls Sports Initiative
Bangladeshi-Canadian Community Services (BCS) presents Girls Sports Initiative this July on Tuesdays and Saturdays from 4pm to 7pm at Dentonia Park and other local parks.
Working to reduce the gender-gap in sports activities in the South Asian community, girls are encouraged to attend. For more information about weekly details, please register here.
Centre55 Senior’s Summer Courses
Don’t let the summer heat get you down. Centre 55 is offering two courses for Seniors running from July to the end of August. Contact info below!
Neighbourhood News
Bob Acton Park Improvements
The City is improving Bob Acton Park and adding a new playground! Community feedback collected during the community engagement process will help determine the park improvements and new playground design. The project is organized into two phases. In order to not delay construction of the playground, community engagement will happen separately for each phase. Take the survey here! Closes July 17th.
Work in the Ward
East-end Transit Changes🆕
In response to customer feedback, the TTC has restarted 503 replacement bus service along Kingston Road and Queen Street East. This takes the place of the 501 replacement bus service. 501 streetcar service continues to operate.
Currently, the 503 service is running every 10 minutes seven days a week until 8 p.m. After July 30, this route will return for all day service seven days a week. Until July 30, these vehicles won’t appear on your transit apps or the service schedule.
As of May 2023, the City of Toronto and Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) started work on infrastructure upgrades at the intersection of Coxwell Avenue and Lower Gerrard Street East/Eastwood Road. As of May 7, the bus/streetcar loop at Main Street Station will be closed for construction to repair structural pavement and the concrete bus platform on the south side of the station. Beginning June 18, several construction projects in the east end of the City will affect TTC bus and streetcar service including the 504 King and 505 Dundas. Starting June 29, sidewalk replacement and road reconstruction will begin on O’Connor Drive from St Clair Avenue East to Bermondsey Road. The TTC is working hard to ensure that customers have as many options as possible to get to and from their destinations.
The impacted stations include Broadview Station, Coxwell Station, and Main Street Station. Please visit TTC’s website for a list of affected routes for more information.
Coxwell Avenue and Lower Gerrard Street East/Eastwood Road Construction
Main Street Station Service Changes
O’Connor Construction
Starting June 29, sidewalk replacement and road reconstruction will begin on O’Connor Drive from St Clair Avenue East to Bermondsey Road. As part of the work, the contractor will replace sections of damaged sidewalks, excavate the road, and install a new concrete road base. Work will begin on the west side of O’Connor Drive and move over to the east side afterwards. This will see Pedestrian Improvements, Vehicular Traffic Improvements, Sustainability/Green Features, and Underground Infrastructure Improvements.
Hydro Work: Danforth Overhead Rebuild Phase 2A🆕
Toronto Hydro is currently doing some upgrades on Danforth. The boundaries for the project include Dentonia Park Avenue (North), Thyra Avenue (East), Danforth Avenue (South), and Avonlea Boulevard (West).
Thanks for taking the time to read my bi-weekly newsletter! If you have any events, news, or ideas to share for our next one – please reach out to my office! Send me an email at [email protected] and we can get you included in our next issue.
Have questions, comments or concerns? Just hit reply to this email and get in touch with me.
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About Brad Bradford - - -
