News

Jane’s Walk heads to Bennington Heights

Front of gray stucco house at 30 Bennington Ave.

Join LRA President Geoff Kettel and Mitch Bubuji as they lead a Jane’s Walk through Bennington Heights.

When: Sunday, May 4, 2 p.m.

Where: Meet at Evergreen Gardens Park – just west of Bayview Avenue and south of Moore Avenue

Bennington Heights was first settled in the 1870s by John Cudmore and Daniel Ryan, who operated successful market gardens on their properties until the area was developed in 1889.

Today, Bennington Heights has the ambience of a mid-20th century residential neighbourhood, an enclave like a more modern Wychwood Park.

April 14 Annual & Special Meeting & Candidates Meeting

Audience of seated people (from back) watching political debate

Monday, April 14, 7 p.m.
William Lea Room
Leaside Memorial Community Gardens
1073 Millwood Road
Doors open at 6:30 p.m.

Agenda items include a resolution to expand the area served by the Leaside Residents Association to include the area bounded by Eglinton Ave. E., Laird Dr., Vanderhoof Ave., and the west edge of the Don Valley.

Following the (short) annual meeting, there will be remarks from our MPP and local councillor, and a federal Candidates Meeting starting at approximately 8 p.m. Questions may be submitted ahead of time via email or in writing prior to the meeting. No questions will be taken orally from the floor.

Provincial Election 2025

Voting screen used by Elections Ontario

Election Day: Thursday, February 27, 2025, 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Advance Polls: Thursday, February 20 – Saturday, February 22, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.

See ElectionsOntario to check voter registration, poll locations etc.

Unfortunately we did not manage to arrange a Candidates Meeting with a residents association interests’ focus this time. However there are two opportunities on February 18 and February 19 to meet your Don Valley West Candidates!

Ward 11 TDSB Trustee by-election

City of Toronto Vote sign

Election to fill vacant Ward 11 Trustee seat (same boundaries as City of Toronto Ward 15, Don Valley West)

Election Day: Monday, March 3, 2025, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Advance Polls:  Saturday, February 22 and Sunday, February 23, 2025, from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.

See more voter information and poll locations…

Concert Properties proposes 32, 37, and 43 storeys for former Sunnybrook Plaza site

660 Eglinton Ave. E. - Turner Fleischer proposal 2024.

Concert Properties has recently submitted a proposal to the City of Toronto for the former Sunnybrook Plaza site that greatly exceeds the size and density of the original proposals for the site prior to COVID.

In 2016, after much negotiation, an agreement was reached between the previous developers (RioCan), the City and the LRA, including mediation at the OMB, resulting in a plan for two mixed-use towers of 16 and 11 storeys, (reduced from the original proposal for 19 and 13 storeys) as well as addressing many other concerns and issues.

By 2023, the original plans were declared uneconomical due to increased construction costs and changes in the market, and the province had overruled the City’s Yonge Eglinton Plan, allowing greatly increased density. New plans were produced, significantly increasing the building density and height for the site. The original proposal called for 426 units – the new one has 1201.

Mayor Chow proposing big change that would see buildings go up all over Toronto

Paris street with mid-rise housing

Mayor Olivia Chow has proposed a major change to the process of how housing is built in Toronto, one that would allow a new generation of buildings to pop up on major streets across the city.

Chow is looking to implement sweeping as-of-right zoning on Toronto’s avenues that would allow for drastic changes in the city’s built form.

Toronto’s development scene has been dominated by tall towers in recent years, but Chow’s new push to change zoning regulations could result in a more Parisian style of residential density becoming the norm in town.

Rachel Chernos Lin Wins Don Valley West By-Election

Rachel Chernos Lin

Rachel Chernos Lin has won the Don Valley West by-election with nearly 55 percent of the vote, beating competitor Anthony Furey by more than 20 points in what began as a wide-open race, but had in recent weeks become a battle of political polarization between the two leading candidates.

Chernos Lin, a Toronto District School Board trustee and the current chair, ended the night with 12,899 votes, followed by Furey with 7,343. Sam Robinson, son of former ward councillor Jaye Robinson, came in third with 1,271 votes.

Vote November 4, 2024 – Ward 15 By-Election

City of Toronto Vote sign

The Ward 15 By-Election set for November 4, 2024, will decide on a candidate to succeed Councillor Jaye Robinson as Ward 15 representative on City Council.

Voting places will be open from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Voters can use MyVote to find their assigned voting place, access their voter card and more.

BEPC devised a short questionnaire to be completed by all registered candidates. Read on for survey responses and make sure you vote on November 4!

Province releases Therme deal details, while 865 trees are bulldozed at Ontario Place

Ontario Place after tree removal - satellite view

Under cover of darkness, Infrastructure Ontario began the removal of 865 trees at Ontario Place on the evening of Wednesday, October 2, 2024. Within a single day, workers had cut down the vast majority of those trees.

The work—which includes the removal of every single tree on the western portion of the waterfront site adjacent downtown Toronto—is part of the approximately $200-million in site preparations that taxpayers are funding to prepare the land for Therme, an Austrian spa company, to develop a stadium-sized indoor waterpark on the site.

The next day, October 3, the Province released the details of its 95-year lease with Therme, which journalists and grassroots organizations have…