Ward 27 News

CEOs spend night on street to support T.O. shelter

on November 19, 2012

November 16, 2012, CP24. TORONTO — Some hardy CEOs and other notable figures traded in their comfy beds for sleeping bags on pavement overnight to raise awareness about homeless youth in Toronto. Brian Burke, the Toronto Maple Leafs’ general manager, police Chief Bill Blair and Arlene Dickinson of TV’s “Dragon’s Den” fame were among the [...]

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Hardy CEOs, celebs go homeless for a night to support Toronto youth shelter

on November 19, 2012

November 16, 2012, 680 News. TORONTO – Some hardy CEOs and other notable figures traded in their comfy beds for sleeping bags on pavement overnight to raise awareness about homeless youth in Toronto. Brian Burke, the Toronto Maple Leafs’ general manager, police Chief Bill Blair and Arlene Dickinson of TV’s “Dragon’s Den” fame were among [...]

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‘Celebrate Yonge’ Gives Pedestrians More Of Toronto’s Main Street

on August 22, 2012

August 22, 2012, Urban Toronto. Several blocks of Toronto’s legendary main drag, Yonge Street, have been partially reclaimed from the car for a four week long installation of patio space and greenery. We met up with Evan Weinberg, Planning and Development Manager for the Downtown Yonge BIA to talk about the event. “Over the past few [...]

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Hume: Can old Toronto survive the new?

on August 31, 2012

August 31, 2012, The Star. If things are looking up in downtown Toronto, it’s largely because of the towers that seem to appear weekly. Many have been built; more are in the works. So many, in fact, one can’t help but wonder what the city’s main street will look like in a decade or two. Read [...]

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Jarvis cycling lanes run out of road

on September 19, 2012

September 18, 2012 Toronto Star The Ontario government has rejected an appeal by Cycle Toronto to stop the removal of the bike lanes on Jarvis. Legally it’s the end of the road for Jarvis, said Jared Kolb of the cycling advocacy group, formerly known as the Toronto Cyclists Union… Read the complete article here.

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Jarvis lanes not dead yet, says councillor

on September 20, 2012

September 20, 2012, NOW Magazine. The fight to save the Jarvis bike lanes is not over, according to Kristyn Wong-Tam. The councillor for the ward which contains the disputed bikeways says that despite the failure of a last ditch legal gambit by Cycle Toronto, she and several of her colleagues are continuing “very active and [...]

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Schrödinger’s bike lanes: Jarvis bike lanes not dead yet?

on September 21, 2012

September 21, 2012, Openfile. Kristyn Wong-Tam (Ward 27, Toronto Centre-Rosedale) would not reveal any details of strategies being considered or name which councillors she is working with, but did say that several council members who voted to scrap the Jarvis lanes last summer have since told her they regretted their decision. Read More…

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Toronto city council rejects bid to keep Jarvis bike lanes

on October 3, 2012

National Post October 3 Toronto city council on Tuesday rejected a bid to maintain the Jarvis Street bike lanes, which almost certainly will lead to their dismantling before the year is done. The controversial corridor, approved under the David Miller administration, has long been used to fuel the war of words between the city’s cyclists [...]

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Toronto’s Jarvis Bike Lanes to be Removed by End of the Year

on October 3, 2012

Globe and Mail October 2, 2012 Toronto’s Jarvis Street bike lanes will be ripped out as planned after a last-ditch attempt to save the controversial cycling route failed at city council Tuesday. Council voted 19-24 against a motion that would have spared the lanes. Read the complete article here.

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Last-Ditch Bid to Save Jarvis Bike Lanes Fails

on October 3, 2012

Newstalk 1010 October 3, 2012 What could be the last attempt to save bike lanes on Jarvis has failed. A motion from Councillor Kristyn Wong-Tam to keep the lanes was defeated during Tuesday’s city council meeting, setting the stage for the lanes to be removed from Jarvis by the end of the year. Read the [...]

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Justin Robertson: Removing Jarvis Bike Lanes is Unprincipled

on October 3, 2012

Toronto Standard October 2, 2012 The Jarvis Street bike lanes have exactly two city meetings left before they turn to dust. In those two meetings (today and October 30) city councilors will hear deputations and have letters read to them from members of Cycle Toronto, local Jarvis Street residents and bike enthusiasts. Read the complete [...]

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City Life: Opening Doors

on October 3, 2012

City Life September 28, 2012 By: Councillor Kristyn Wong-Tam I’d like to introduce you to a man that I never met. In fact, few have ever met him. Yet sadly, we all know who he was. This man was forgotten by a world fast moving. Read the complete article here.

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Press Release: Councillor Wong-Tam on the George Street Fire

on October 5, 2012

It is with great sadness that I look back on the preventable fire that broke out at 301A George Street yesterday. By the time it was brought under control, several residents were displaced and significant property damage had occurred. Five individuals were identified at the scene as displaced by the fire. The City of Toronto’s [...]

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Demolition By Neglect

on October 9, 2012

October 9, 2012. Matt Galloway spoke about what a cash-strapped Toronto can do to preserve old buildings, with Toronto city councillor Kristyn Wong-Tam. Listen here…

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Fire marshal investigating downtown blaze

on October 9, 2012

CTV News Oct 4, 2012 The Office of the Ontario Fire Marshal is investigating after a vacant rowhouse went up in flames overnight. Toronto fire crews battled a four-alarm blaze through much of Thursday morning after the fire broke out rowhouse on George Street, between Dundas and Gerrard Streets, at about 4 a.m. Read the [...]

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Wong-Tam says community losing patience over vacant buildings

on October 9, 2012

CBC News October 4, 2012 A dangerous fire that erupted in a rowhouse near Jarvis and Dundas streets is just the latest in a series of problems with vacant properties in the area, a local councillor says. Crews first heard about the four-alarm fire at the abandoned house at 301a George Street at about 4:20 [...]

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Councillor’s call for a Bank of Toronto sparks debate

on October 18, 2012

October 18, 2012, Globe and Mail. Picking up on the cries of Occupy Wall Street protesters, Councillor Kristyn Wong-Tam ignited an online debate Wednesday by musing that the City of Toronto should get into the banking business. In a sense, it’s already there – both municipal employees and TTC employees have members-only credit unions. Read [...]

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Downtown councillor fights for green space

on October 19, 2012

October 18, 2012, CBC. Kristyn Wong-Tam, the city councillor who represents Yonge Street south of Bloor, is fighting to save a piece of green space slated for condo development. The province is in negotiations with a developer to sell a parcel of land at 11 Wellesley St. W. Read More…

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Councillor gets cash for downtown park

on October 19, 2012

October 18, 2012, The Sun. TORONTO - Councillor Kristyn Wong-Tam’s fight for the last major piece of bare land in Toronto’s downtown core got a cash infusion Thursday. After some political sparring, councillors on the government management committee agreed to give Wong-Tam money from the downtown’s parkland dedication fund to spend towards acquiring some or all of [...]

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City earmarks funds to negotiate for Wellesley Street parkland

on October 22, 2012

October 19, 2012, InsideToronto.com. Toronto’s government management committee has given the go-ahead to start talking about buying a portion of the long-empty lot at 11 Wellesley Street for local parkland. The committee authorized the use of Section 37 funds to buy a portion of the 2.1 acre site — one of the last sizable sites [...]

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TTC Granby Sub-station Property

on October 23, 2012

 Beginning week of October 22, 2012 Beginning the week of October 22, 2012, the TTC will start to install a 1.8 metre high chain-link fence along the south (rear) and east (side) property lines of the existing parking lot adjacent the TTC Granby sub-station located at 21 Granby Street, just east of Sheard Street. The [...]

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Ottawa nixes Toronto’s bid for 2025 World Expo

on October 24, 2012

October 23, 2012, Globe and Mail. Toronto’s quest for the 2025 World Expo is over now that Ottawa has confirmed it will not support the city’s bid. In a letter sent to Mayor Rob Ford and circulated to city councillors, Heritage Minister James Moore said his government has decided to end Canada’s membership in the [...]

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Planning application for: 64-70 SHUTER STREET

on October 24, 2012

 The City  of Toronto is holding a Community Consultation meeting where you can learn more about this application ask questions and share your comments.  Details are as follows: Date: November 13, 2012 Time: 6:00 pm to 7:00 pm – Open House 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm – Presentations, Question & Answer + Comments Place: City [...]

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Toronto refines no-touch rule for strippers

on October 31, 2012

October 31, 2012, The Star. After strip club dancers reported that the current rules don’t prevent unwanted touching, city councillors have amended the no-touch rule by spelling out body parts that are off limits. Under the changes approved Tuesday, council changed the bylaw to specify there be no physical contact with “uncovered breasts, buttocks, genital, [...]

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Toronto council to end early for Halloween

on October 31, 2012

October 31, 2012, The Star. Toronto city councillors voted themselves a treat first thing Tuesday: they’re leaving early for Halloween. But like every vote at city hall, the debate was heated and council was divided. Read More…

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OMB Approves Tower

on October 31, 2012

Novae Res Urbis November 26, 2012 By: Jake Tobin Garrett Another one bites the dust. With OMB board member Reid Rossi’s approval of a 26-storey tower with three-storey podium on Church Street, another of the city’s surface parking lots is about to be transformed by a tall, mixed-use development. However, ward councillor Kristyn Wong-Tam is [...]

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“No Leadership” on Emergency Planning for Homeless

on November 4, 2012

November 4, 2012, Torontoist. Advocates say City officials and politicians failed to communicate a strategy to protect homeless residents from Monday night’s severe weather. City councillors, outreach workers, and anti-poverty activists are outraged that the City of Toronto failed to consider its most vulnerable residents during emergency preparedness planning in advance of Monday’s storm. They [...]

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Nevermind the condo construction behind that fancy hoarding

on November 4, 2012

November4, 2012, The Grid. Toronto has more high-rise construction than any city in North America, and councillor Kristyn Wong-Tam’s downtown Ward 27 has among the most in the city. But now, when she walks through her neighbourhood, some of the construction sites are looking a little bit sexier. Wong-Tam recently launched her latest urbanist project, [...]

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Mural celebrating Aboriginal life to be unveiled at Allan Gardens Park

on November 13, 2012

November 7, 2012 Mural celebrating Aboriginal life to be unveiled at Allan Gardens Park Councillor Kristyn Wong-Tam (Ward 27, Toronto Centre Rosedale) will be joined by First Nations artists and representatives from First Nations organizations in unveiling one of the largest outdoor murals in Canada, on the construction fencing around the watermain construction project site [...]

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College Park Revitalization Community Meeting

on November 13, 2012

Councillor Kristyn Wong-Tam (Ward 27 Toronto Centre-Rosedale) and City of Toronto staff will be reviewing the preliminary design concepts for proposed improvements to College Park. Local residents are invited to provide input in the design process and the shaping of the future of the park. Date: Thursday, November 22, 2012 Time: 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. [...]

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Jarvis Street Should Be Safe for Everyone

on November 13, 2012

November 13, 2012, Torontoist. Arts and culture writer Steve Fisher explains why he sat down in the middle of a bike lane yesterday. When I left the Jarvis Taskforce‘s emergency meeting this past weekend, I was fairly convinced that I wanted to protest the removal of the Jarvis Street bike lane in some way. It [...]

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Toronto Hydro- Electrical Service Upgrade: Project Collier

on November 13, 2012

 November 13, 2012 Re: IMPORTANT NOTICE FROM TORONTO HYDRO: Overhead Construction  Project Collier (X13481)  Toronto Hydro-Electric System Limited (“Toronto Hydro”) is planning to rebuild the aging overhead electrical system in your community. The rebuild includes the replacement of low voltage electrical cables and hydro poles within the City of Toronto’s public property allowance in front [...]

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A pillar of municipal support

on November 14, 2012

November 14, 2012, The Eyeopener. When Kristyn Wong-Tam defeated Kyle Chan in the hotly-contested 2010 race for Ward 27, she inherited the seat of the deeply beloved yet controversial Kyle Rae, who had held the ward for 19 years. In doing so, she took the reins of one of the most diverse areas in of [...]

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Pilot project to improve safety for visually impaired pedestrians

on November 14, 2012

November 14, 2012, CTV News. Torontonians approaching the Victoria and Shuter Street intersection will notice something different lying under their feet. The city is participating in a pilot project testing different sidewalk surfaces so visually impaired pedestrians will know they are approaching an intersection. Read More…

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Kristyn Wong-Tam’s Deputation to the Ontario Commission on the Proposed Federal Electoral Boundaries

on November 15, 2012

November 15, 2012 (Please check against delivery) Good afternoon Commissioners.  My name is Kristyn Wong-Tam and I am a City of Toronto Councillor representing Ward 27, Toronto Centre-Rosedale. Toronto Centre-Rosedalehas 14 distinct residential neighbourhoods and 5 business improvement areas. It is not only the second most populous ward but also the most development heavy in [...]

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Schoolhouse shelter may be saved, but without the booze

on November 16, 2012

November 16, 2012, The Star. The Schoolhouse Shelter may stay open, but it will probably lose its designation as one of the city’s few “wet” shelters, where residents are allowed to drink alcohol on site. Following a campaign by anti-poverty advocates to keep the George St. facility open, the Community Development and Recreation Committee this [...]

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The Masonic Temple is the latest heritage building to face an uncertain future. Why can’t we get our (Ontario Heritage) Act together?

on November 19, 2012

November 19, 2012, National Post. Woe is the heritage-designated property in this city. With alarming regularity, Toronto is seeing structures that have been ignored for years suddenly whipping communities and councillors into a frenzy if someone tries to knock them down and rebuild on the land. Toronto tends to demonize the land owners, but what [...]

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Construction Notice: Pears Ave Laneway

on November 19, 2012

As part of the 2012 Capital Works Program, the City of Toronto, Technical Services will be reconstructing laneways at various locations in the Toronto & East York District. The locations of these laneways are in Wards 19, 27 and 31. For information and details, please review the attached Construction Notice which will be delivered to local residents this week. [...]

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