Some upcoming events

A few upcoming events passing through my in-box. If you catch wind of something, let us know!

1) Lawrence-Allen Revitalization Open Houses

The next round of meetings in the Lawrence-Allen Revitalization project begins next week with two open houses on

Wednesday June 10th and Thursday the 11th.   Wednesday's meeting will be at Bathurst Heights Secondary in the evening.  On Thursday we will be at the Lawrence Heights Community Centre in the afternoon and evening.

 

We will be presenting and discussing detailed option plans for the neighbourhood, which have been put together since our last meetings in March.  Following the meetings, this information will be posted on the project web site and at the library, community centre and other locations.  There will also be further opportunities to discuss these plans in the weeks to come.

2) Eglinton LRT Open Houses

The next round of public consultation including updated designs will occur in June.  There will be six open houses between June 15 and 25 from 6:30 to 9:00 pm:

• June 15: William Lea Room, 1073 Millwood Rd
• June 17: Eglinton Public School, 223 Eglinton Avenue East
• June 18: Richview Collegiate, 1738 Islington Avenue
• June 23: York Memorial Collegiate, 2690 Eglinton Avenue West (at Keele Street)
• June 24: Beth Sholom Synagogue, 1445 Eglinton Avenue West (at Allen Road)
• June 25: Don Montgomery Community Recreation Centre (formerly Mid Scarb. CC), 2467 Eglinton Ave East

If anyone wants to join me for a visit on June 24th, just leave a comment or send an email.

3) Open Internet Town Hall
 

SaveourNet.ca is partnering with Rabble.ca for a very special event. Held during Net Change Week in Toronto, SaveourNet.ca and Rabble.ca will present Toronto's Open Internet Town Hall, which will be filmed by TheREALNews.com.

Where:

Live from the Gladstone Hotel in Toronto, 1214 Queen St. West

When:

Monday June 8, 2009 at 7pm

Featured speakers for the Town Hall include:

*Mark Surman (Executive Director of the Mozilla Foundation)

*Olivia Chow (Member of Parliament (NDP))

*Rocky Gaudrault (CEO of Teksavvy Solutions Inc.)

*Steve Anderson (Co-founder of SaveourNet.ca)

*Derek Blackadder (National Representative with CUPE)

Special Guests:
* Olivia Chow – MP
* David Skinner – Prof, York U
* Kim Elliot – Rabble.ca
* Mark Kuznicki – remarkk consultant

Until now, Canada's Internet has been an open network and a level playing field for free speech, innovation, and consumer choice. All that is now under threat.

Being held during Net Change Week in Toronto, Toronto's Open Internet Town Hall is designed to give local citizens the chance to shape Canada's broadband future. As Canada falls behind other OECD countries on Internet speed, cost, and openness, SaveourNet.ca will host a lively discussion guided by panelists representing web innovators, social change leaders, and public policy gurus.

We will gather citizen testimony that SaveOurNet.ca's Steve Anderson will use to guide his presentation to the CRTC at the July 6 "Traffic Management" hearing. We will also record the town hall meetings and present video testimonials to the CRTC and share them online. Information gathered at the town hall meeting will also help us develop the "Open Internet Declaration" which we will put before MPs and policy makers.


We want to engage the public in discussion on what the future of the Internet should look like by addressing the following questions:

* How can we ensure Internet services for everyone in Canada?
* How do we expand consumer choice and lower costs for Internet services?
* How can the Internet be a catalyst for economic growth, jobs, and prosperity?
* How do we preserve the Internet's level playing field so everyone can access the content, applications, and services of their choice?
* What roles should the federal government, local governments, private industry, and everyday citizens play to build a better Internet?
* What can and should citizens do right now?

Toronto's Internet Town Hall will be held in the historic Gladstone Hotel Ballroom

1214 Queen Street West, Toronto

Monday 8 June, 2009

7 - 10pm

$10 – the associated cost will cover venue rental and production costs.

For more information about the campaign, visit http://saveournet.ca/

Doors Open

This weekend is Doors Open, always a neat opportunity to see what's inside some of Toronto's historical buildings. In case, say, you've had a hankering to go to the Don Jail.

I haven't done a hard count to compare, but it looks like venues north of, say, St. Clair are a bit thinner on the ground this year. Still, worth a subway trip to investigate a few places.

The Star has some articles and handy maps here.

Policy Wiki

Now here's a cool idea. Did you ever think that you could write a better law than what's out there already? The Globe and Mail has started a Policy Wiki where you can collaboratively do just that:
 

What is this site for?

We want you to help us send the government a message about what you think federal policy should look like, and the principles it should be based on. But we don't just want you to give us your comments (although that's fine too, and you can do that in the forum). We'd also like you to use the wiki's built-in tools to help us create a series of positions on policy issues, which we can pass on to the government as a tangible sign of what you think must be done. Although we are asking for you to rate the positions and rank? the issues you care about, however, it is not meant to be a simple popularity contest

Issues such as Immigration, Climate Change and Afghanistan are currently featured on the front page.

(Another similar wiki can be found at OpenPolitics.ca)

Toronto Civics 101

A new initiative from the City of Toronto:

Welcome to Toronto Civics 101 - the new public learning
series offered by the City of Toronto!

Do you wonder how decisions affecting your neighbourhood are made?

Do you wish you were more involved in your community and the city?

If you have questions, we have answers.

Mayor Miller invites you to get involved You'll need the Window Media Player. If you don't already have the player, you can safely download it for free.

The City of Toronto invites you to learn about your City government through the first Toronto Civics 101 program, starting this fall. In just six sessions you can find out how decisions are made, what's behind the numbers and news, who-does-what, and take a peek into the City's future. The sessions are free, and include visits to interesting City sites.

Toronto Civics 101 is for people who are interested in learning about how the City works, and want to make a difference in Toronto. The sessions are designed to be interesting and informative for people with little or no previous experience or knowledge of City government. Participants will represent a diversity of backgrounds and come from across the city.

To attend in person, you must live or own a business in Toronto and be at least 18 years of age. Space is limited but each session will also be posted on-line and archived for those wishing to follow along at their own convenience.

Full information here.

AGM and other news

Minutes from our AGM are here.  We elected a new executive, which is listed here.

 

Resolutions on "Israel/Palestine" and "Internal Organization" were passed at the AGM and will be sent to the federal convention.

We are still looking for potential delegates to the NDP Federal Convention (to be held in Halifax, August 14th to 16th 2009). Get in touch ASAP if you are interested.

The members of the executive are doing our best to maintain all the bureaucratic infrastructure required of a riding association. We always want to do more things, and have more meetings that don't revolve around agendas and committees. If that sounds like a good idea to you, we need your help! If there's a kind of event you think we should be holding, and you have a little time to help us get it organized, please let us know! Just leave a comment - even if you just want to pass along some ideas.

Keep an eye out in this space for (almost) up-to-the-minute news and notes. If you know of something going on in our neighbourhood, or if you're involved in activity you want people to know about, or just have an interesting link to share, just drop a note and I'll get it posted.

Hearts & Minds Online - Second Issue

Our friends in the Parkdale-High Park NDP (check out their stylish new website!) have the second issue of their snazzy, informative magazine online:

Hearts & Minds Online - Second Issue

After the positive comments received for the first issue of Hearts & Minds, we are pleased to announce the second issue of Hearts & Minds. We hope that you will find the articles both informative and a stimulus for discussion. Indeed, we soon hope to launch an online forum so that you will be able to share your feelings and opinions on individual items.

Start Reading Now

Fundraiser for Toronto Centre NDP

Sunday May 24, 2009

The Toronto Centre NDP Present:

Raoul and the Big Time

The evening will feature the music of acclaimed blues artists Raoul and the Big Time and a live auction. Tickets are $40 (with a tax receipt for $25)

Location: The Berkeley Church 315 Queen Street East

Auction items include tickets to Soulpepper Theatre, unique jewellery by designer Anita Agrawal, dancing lessons with Johnny A. Wright - star of Dirty Dancing, and much much more.

For tickets visit www.ticketbreak.com/event_details/2856

A Portion of the proceeds from this event will go to the Stephen Lewis Foundation.

Lost River Walk

from today's Star:

Ancient rivers, streams gone but not forgotten
North Toronto walk helps explain the vital role of underground waterways, investigates long-gone systems that served Huron tribe hundreds of years ago

More information, including a printable guide for this walk, can be found at the Thirsty City Walks website.

Reminder! AGM on Thursday

EGLINTON-LAWRENCE NDP

Provincial/Federal Riding Association

Annual General Meeting

Thursday, April 30, 2009                 

Registration: 7:00 pm

Meeting starts at 7:30 pm

Barbara Frum Library

20 Covington Road

North York

 

(just west of Bathurst and north of Lawrence)

We will be electing a new executive, including: President, Vice-President, Secretary, Financial Agent, Membership Officer, Youth Officer and Women's Representative. Any member in good standing is eligible to run.

At our meeting we will also be preparing for the NDP's national convention, to be held in Halifax,  August 14th to 16th 2009

 

We will be discussing policy resolutions and electing delegates to attend the convention.

---

Is there anything you would like to see discussed at this meeting? Are you interested in what happens there but can't make it out Thursday night? Feel free to send us an email or leave a comment!

Hope to see you there!

Jane's Walk

Urban guru Jane Jacobs was noted for remarking that the best way to get a feel for a neighbourhood and how it works was to get out there and walk around in it. The ever-growing numbers of "Jane's Walks" are offered in that spirit:

Jane's Walk is a series of free neighbourhood walking tours that helps put people in touch with their environment and with each other, by bridging social and geographic gaps and creating a space for cities to discover themselves.  Since it's inception in 2007, Jane's Walk has happened in twelve North American cities: Toronto, New York, Ottawa, Calgary, Edmonton, Vancouver, Winnipeg, Halifax, Guelph, Charlottetown, Thornbury, and Salt Lake City. More partner cities and towns are being added in 2009 including Montreal, Regina, Boston, Chicago and New Orleans.

Jane's Walk honours the legacy and ideas of urban activist and writer Jane Jacobs who championed the interests of local residents and pedestrians over a car-centered approach to planning. Jane's Walk helps knit people together into a strong and resourceful community, instilling belonging and encouraging civic leadership.

All Jane's Walk tours are given and taken for free. These walks are led by anyone who has an interest in the neighbourhoods where they live, work or hang out. They are not always about architecture and heritage, and offer a more personal take on the local culture, the social history and the planning issues faced by the residents. Jane Jacobs believed strongly that local residents understood best how their neighbourhood works, and what is needed to strengthen and improve them. Jane's Walks are meant to be fun, engaged and participatory - everyone's got a story and they're usually keen to share it

This year there are over 90 taking place in Toronto on May 2nd and 3rd. Lots of them look very interesting! Looking at the map, it seems that two of them are in Eglinton-Lawrence:

Jungle Jaunt: Lawrence Heights is Not What You Think

• Students of Sir Sanford Fleming Academy
• Saturday, May 2, 2009
• 2:00pm
• Walk: 1.5 hours

Students of Sir Sanford Fleming speak to the paths, patterns and people of the Lawrence Heights community named 'Jungle'.  From community gardens, townhouse courtyards, waterparks, malls, shortcuts and secret hangouts, the student guides will open your eyes to the warm welcoming people who call this neighbourhood home. Performers and contributors frrom the award-winninng play "Jungle Baby", featured in this years Sears Drama Festival, will be on hand to reprise some of their provocative and engaging material about growing up here.

Lawrence West: The Stories of Lotherton

• Lotheron Community Residents
• Saturday, May 2, 2009
• 12:00pm
• Walk: 1 hour

Defined by high rise towers and wipe open spaces, Lotherton is a unique neighbourhood filled with a diverse and engaged community. The stories here speak of adaptation, from the rabbits and gophers that have made a home in the neighbourhood to the senior citizens who have begun climbing over a fence - complete with groceries in tow - to save a few minutes off their shopping commute! Come hear these and many other stories in this dynamic and exciting neighbourhood!

If you're a good walker, it looks like you could those both in back-to-back!

Canada's Quiet Bargain: The benefits of public spending

A thoughtful new report from the Canadian centre for Policy Alternatives people, asking the question: which is actually a better value, tax cuts, or paying taxes and getting services?

The Report

Our taxes fund a wide range of public services that help make Canada's quality of life better than many other nations.

In fact, middle-income Canadian families enjoy public services worth about $41,000— or 63% of their income.

Even households earning  $80,000–$90,000 a year enjoy public services benefits equivalent to about half of their income.

This study adds a dimension that has been missing to the public debate over taxes and public spending in Canada. It weighs the benefits of public services provided by federal, provincial, and municipal governments against the benefits of recent tax cuts. Click here to download the full report.

Find it here.

Toronto Environmental Alliance: Dig Conservation, Not Holes

A new report from TEA today, linking the destruction of precious greenbelt space to our ravenous need for the raw stuff of infrastructure, and asking if there is a more sustainable way:

Dig Conservation, Not Holes

Over the next 25 years, the GTA will need to renew its urban infrastructure. At the same time the GTA will need to house millions more new Ontarians. This will mean building new urban infrastructure to accommodate a larger population while trying to minimize development that destroys our remaining natural spaces. Aggregate will be required to meet these pressing needs.

The question GTA residents – in particular elected officials – need to ask themselves is whether they want this aggregate demand to be met by destroying precious ecologically-sensitive land and farmland, much of it in the Greenbelt?

• Read more

Annual General Meeting

Provincial/Federal Riding Association
Annual General Meeting

Thursday, April 30, 2009                 

Registration: 7:00 pm

Meeting starts at 7:30 pm

Barbara Frum Library

20 Covington Road

North York

(just west of Bathurst and north of Lawrence)

Guest speaker: TBA

We will be electing a new executive, including: President, Vice-President, Secretary, Financial Agent, Membership Officer, Youth Officer and Women's Representative. Any member in good standing is eligible to run.

At our meeting we will also be preparing for the NDP's national convention, to be held in Halifax,  August 14th to 16th 2009

We will be discussing policy resolutions and electing delegates to attend the convention.

Climate Justice - Celebrate Earth Day

Here's an Earth Day event being put on by the folks at Greenpeace:

 

April 14, 2009 Climate Justice - Climate Action! Celebrate Earth Day. Join us on April 22nd for an evening on solutions to climate change. Climate Justice Climate Action! When: Earth Day, Wednesday April 22, 2009 Where: Steel Hall, 25 Cecil St., Toronto Time: 7 to 9pm Who: Organized by Climate Action Network Canada, Greenpeace Canada, and the Toronto Climate Campaign. Support from the Heinrich Böll Foundation and the United Church of Canada is greatly appreciated. Admission: Free. All are welcome! Contact: RSVP to Montana Burgess The world needs urgent action now to prevent catastrophic climate change. Without effective action, people will suffer. Governments are negotiating an agreement to strengthen and extend the Kyoto Protocol. They need to be pushed into action. We need to stabilize the Earth's climate and preserve the right of all people to reach a dignified level of human development. Big Questions: In a world of extreme poverty and great wealth, what should Canada do? How can we get Canada to kick-start a clean energy revolution? The Speakers: Tom Athanasiou, director of EcoEquity; on ecology and social equity. He'll examine what a fair global climate change agreement means to Canada. Dave Martin, Greenpeace Climate & Energy Coordinator; on how Ontario's nuclear plans will block green energy and meaningful action on climate change. He'll use the new Canadian "Energy [R]evolution" to outline a clean energy strategy for Ontario. .
Take action  | Support Greenpeace

Greenpeace Canada - 33 Cecil St., Toronto, Ontario, M5T 1N1
(416) 597-8408 or 1-800-320-7183

Free Toronto premiere of Downstream

Free Toronto premiere of the oilsands documentary Downstream

Short listed for an Academy Award, Downstream is a short documentary about a Canadian doctor who raised concerns about the alarmingly high rates of rare cancers amongst Aboriginal peoples in Fort Chipewyan, downstream for Alberta's oilsands developments.

 

Tuesday, April 14^th, 9 pm

Innes College, 2 Sussex Ave at St. George Street

(Subway: go to St.George Station and walk south to Sussex)

 

 Panel Discussion

 Moderated by Olivia Chow, MP

 

Panelists include:

Jack Layton, MP, Toronto-Danforth

Christie Ferguson, Greenpeace Climate and Energy Campaign Coordinator

Leslie Iwerks, Academy Award and Emmy Nominated Director

Philip Alberstat, Emmy-Award Winning Producer

Food for Thought – Toronto

 

As seats are limited, please RSVP to info@jacklayton.ca or call (416)405-8914