News and Updates

Ralph Thornton Centre seeking board members

The Ralph Thornton Centre is seeking energetic individuals who want to help improve our community to stand for election to the board of management or to participate as committee members.  Here are the details on who they are looking for:

The Ralph Thornton Centre (RTC) is an inclusive community centre affiliated with the City of Toronto that is dedicated to community development & capacity building in South Riverdale.  RTC works collaboratively to create a healthy, inclusive and vibrant community, offers a variety of programs that engage & assist residents, and provides space and support for a wide range of community groups & activities.

Social Fabric - A Gerrard St East Community Project

Social Fabric is a Community Quilt – a unified whole made of patches created by businesses, community groups & families in the Gerrard East neighbourhood.

Here are some details assembled by the creators of this project:

What is the Purpose? Social Fabric symbolically, emotionally and socially brings together the various groups in our community. Social Fabric will bring positive press to our neighbourhood. Social Fabric will be an example to our youth of how society can work together to create beauty and positive change.

City Council votes to waive the sports field fees

Over the past six weeks I and other Councillors have been working with sports field users to solve the problem of the unexpected new sports fees. Working together we were able to hit the ball out of the park and get a unanimous backing by City Council to waive the sports field fees for 2012.

All Councillors sincerely appreciate the thousands of volunteers hours community members put in to make sure that Toronto's children and youth have great sports programs.  Many of us have learned the intricacies of the operation of recreational sports leagues in our city and other key issues that concern the leagues and clubs. Thank you!

May 5 & 6 - Jane's Walk

Explore our city and celebrate the legacy of Jane Jacobs. On Jane's Walk weekend there will be exciting and interesting walks across Ward 30. Here are the walks organized in our area:

A Fresh Look at Social Housing Guided by Joy Connelly Sunday, May 6, 2012, 2:00 pm

Meeting place: The courtyard, 1555 Queen Street East at Craven End location: Project Amik, 419 Coxwell Avenue

Spacing: The two Gerrard St. Easts

From Dylan Reid of Spacing:

Walking down Carlaw after I moved to the east end not long ago, I noticed something very strange - just south of Gerrard St. East and Carlaw, you pass ANOTHER Gerrard St. East, this one a little residential road.

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But, according to a letter from local Councillor Paula Fletcher (PDF) to Toronto and East York Community Council considered this month, it still causes confusion as drivers going north on Carlaw turn onto the wrong Gerrard St. E. and find themselves trapped, having to circle around the residential neighbourhood to get out again. TEYCC agreed to ask staff to look into the matter.

April 24 - Our Changing Neighbourhood

On Tuesday April 24th, Ralph Thornton Centre is holding a community discussion on "Our Changing Neighbourhood."

Our neighbourhood has been changing rapidly – and there’s more to come! Join neighbours from across the ward to hear about the issues and discuss what might be done. It will be a panel presentation and discussion moderated by Christopher Hume, architecture and urban issues columnist for The Toronto Star.

April 24 - Small business arts forum

What helps an arts-based business grow? Answers to that question and other key business questions are the focal point of the City of Toronto's sixth annual Small Business Arts Forum.

What: Small business arts forum on creatively financing growth in the arts Where: North York Civic Centre When: April 24, 9 a.m. – 4 p.m.

The event will feature a full day of free seminars, presentations and information sharing among arts-business professionals. Subjects will range from grants and contracts to business planning and social media.

April 21 & 22 - Community Clean-Up Day

On Saturday April 21st and Sunday April 22nd join friends and neighbours for Community Clean-Up Day. Groups are gathering around the ward to restore our parks after the winter.  Please come and join us to do some spring cleaning.

Here are the clean-ups that have been organized:

Cherry Beach                                              Rail Path Saturday - 10am to 1pm                             Sunday - 11am to 2pm

Beach Metro: Youth sports permit fees: shoot first, ask questions later

From Phil Lameira of Beach Metro Community News:

On March 22 an overwhelming 60 or more volunteer representatives of various youth sports leagues and organizations came together at a forum at Sherbourne Community Centre to discuss the newly implemented outdoor field permit fees for child and youth sports leagues.

These attendees represented almost all of the youth sports leagues in Toronto, from netball to baseball, from lacrosse to cricket.

Inside Toronto: Discussion on new user fees set for April 3

From Joanna Lavoie of Inside Toronto:

A town hall on the city's newly instituted permit fees for those using its sports fields will be held on Tuesday, April 3 from 7 to 9 p.m. at Toronto City Hall Council Chambers, 100 Queen St. W.

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These new user fees for sports fields came as a surprise to many as they were essentially buried in the 2012 budget, said local Councillor Paula Fletcher.