FYI: Poisonous Giant Hogweed spotted in Toronto

A noxious invasive plant has been spotted in the Don Valley: the sap can cause burns. If you see one of these plants, please contact 311 and let us know immediately as well. The links at the bottom of this message have good photos and links on how to safely remove the plant and treat burns.

 

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680 news has reported the Giant Hogweed has been spotted in Toronto:

http://www.680news.com/news/local/article/76833--poisonous-giant-hogweed-plant-spotted-in-toronto

 

TORONTO, Ont. - The highly poisonous plant, the giant hogweed, has been identified for the first time in Toronto.

The giant umbrella-shaped toxic plant can grow to six metres tall and has white flowers.

It's been spotted in the Don Valley.

The sap from a single broken stem or crushed leaf or even a seed can burn the skin and lead to large blisters.

Even getting a tiny amount in your eyes can cause blindness.

The invasive plant has been found near Ottawa, the Maritimes and British Columbia. 

 

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Kings County website with good collection of photos of the plant and info for identifying it:

 

http://www.kingcounty.gov/environment/animalsandplants/noxious-weeds/weed-identification/giant-hogweed.aspx

 

Info on Hogweed burns and treatment:

http://www.kingcounty.gov/environment/animalsAndPlants/noxious-weeds/weed-identification/giant-hogweed/hogweed-burns.aspx

TEAs Mid-Election Re-cap

The Toronto Environmental Alliance’s recent “report card” on the mayoral candidates’ public comments re: the 6 environmental priorities that TEA has proposed and NNN has endorsed can be found here:

http://nnnow.ca/TEA_Report_Card_July_7.pdf

You can find out more about the group and their report card at: http://www.torontoenvironment.org/.

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we have released a mid-campaign report card on Toronto's top five mayoral candidates, and the results show that there is much work to be done.  The report card evaluates candidates on what they have said publicly about our 6 priority environmental actions identified in February.

By knowing what they are doing well and where they need to improve, we hope this evaluation will motivate candidates to work hard through the summer to develop excellent environmental platforms. Our goal is to get every one of the top 5 mayoral candidates to become an environmental leader.  We garnered quite a bit of media attention around this report card, with articles in The Star, The Globe, CBC radio, Newstalk 1010, BlogTO, Torontoist, National Post, and Inside Toronto. (All of these articles are linked through our website at www.torontoenvironment.org/newsroom/teainthenews)

I have attached a pdf version of the report card to this email, and you can also find it and more details on how we came up with the grades at www.torontoenvironment.org

Watch for the final report card prior to the October 25th election that will grade each candidate on their responses to a comprehensive environmental survey.

Community Meeting Regarding CAMH Development

The City of Toronto will be holding a Community Meeting for neighbouring residents and CAMH liasons to review the site plan application for the 8 storey affordable housing project proposed for the C1 Phase of the CAMH redevelopment plan.

 

Attached is a copy of the meeting notice outlining the purpose, date and location of the meeting.

 

Feel free to pass on to any other interested community members.  Copy of the notice has been mailed to residents within the surrounding CAMH neighbourhood.

 

Full text is also below – if you have further questions, please contact:

 

Jeff Markowiak, Planner
Community Planning, Toronto & East York District

City Hall, 18th Floor, East Tower

P: (416) 397-4647
F: (416) 392-1330
jmarkow@toronto.ca

 

City Planning Division

                                                                                                                                      Meeting Notice

Community Consultation Meeting

July 6, 2010

 

 

Monday, July 26, 2010
7:00 to 9:00 p.m.
CAMH Queen Street Site, Cafeteria - 1001 Queen Street West
(enter through the main entrance at Unit 4 and follow west along the hallway to the Cafeteria)

 

 

Planning application for: PHASE C1, CAMH QUEEN ST. SITE 

Site

The Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) lands are located on the south side of  Queen Street, west of Shaw Street and east of Dovercourt Road.  The Phase C1 site fronts Queen Street West and will be located on the west side of the future Ossington Avenue extension south through the CAMH lands.

Proposal

An Official Plan and Zoning By-law Amendment were approved for the site in 2004.   As part of the approved application, CAMH put forward a Master Plan which provided an overall concept for the redevelopment of the lands.  This redevelopment is to occur in phases to ensure minimum disruption to the hospital operations.

This meeting is in regard to the Site Plan application and construction of the previously approved 8 storey affordable housing building on Queen Street.  The meeting is to allow residents to review and comment on the architectural design of the first non-CAMH owned building on the lands.

Purpose of the Meeting

The meeting will provide an opportunity for the community to have input on this project, view the plans and ask questions.  If you cannot attend the meeting, you can still make your views known by sending a fax (416) 392-1330 or by writing to Raymond David, Director, Community Planning, Toronto and East York District, City Planning Division, 100 Queen St W Floor 18 E Toronto On, M5H 2N2.

If you would like further information about the proposal, please contact Jeff Markowiak, Planner, at (416) 397-4647, or by e-mail at jmarkow@toronto.ca.

You may also contact Councillor Joe Pantalone, Ward 19, at (416) 392-4009.

Notice to correspondents:

Personal information received at the community consultation meeting or contained in your correspondence to the City, is collected under the City of Toronto Act, 2006, the Planning Act, and the City of Toronto Municipal Code.  The City collects this information to enable it to make an informed decision on the relevant issue(s).  Individuals who submit correspondence should be aware that any personal information in their communication will become part of the public record.  The City will make it available to the public, unless the individual expressly requests the City to remove the personal information.  Questions about the collection of this information may be directed to the Planner listed above.

Compliance with City Council policy respecting Notice may result in you receiving duplicate notices.

Attendant Care Services can be made available with some advance notice.

Independent Civilian Review of the G20 Summit

From: Councillor_Vaughan@toronto.ca [mailto:Councillor_Vaughan@toronto.ca]
Sent: July 7, 2010 9:20 PM
To: Councillor Vaughan
Subject: Independent Civilian Review of the G20 Summit

Dear Residents,

At yesterday's meeting of the Toronto Police Services Board, the Board formally established an Independent Civilian Review of the G20 Summit.

This review will identify and study the issues raised by the Board and the public regarding the oversight, governance, accountability, transparency, communications, and supervision.

Within the next two weeks, the Board will finalize and present the Terms of Reference for the Review. We invite the public to make recommendations on the Terms of Reference.

With the release of the Terms of Reference, the Board will also announce the individual who will lead the review. The Board is currently pursuing a person to lead the Review who has a high level of experience and skill in reviewing complex matters such as this, and whose neutrality and support from all sides will be above reproach.

The Review will last about 8 to 12 weeks. The Review will conclude with a report to the Board with recommendations regarding policy and structural issues.

Individual complaints should be forwarded to the Office of the Independent Police Review Director, Gerry McNeilly. The website is www.oiprd.on.ca.

The public submissions with regards to the Terms of Reference can be made to the Board Office at board@tpsb.ca. For further information and updates, follow the Chair's blog at www.tpsb.ca.

The Board believes that this Independent Civilian Review is the most appropriate way forward, allowing us to review the oversight and policy aspects of policing at the G20 while not jeopardizing ongoing investigations or individual or policy complaints.

If you have feedback on the Terms of Reference for this Review, or suggestions on who would be a good reviewer, please forward this to me as I can share this with the Police Services Board.

Sincerely,

Adam Vaughan
City Councillor, Ward 20 – Trinity-Spadina

Councillor Adam Vaughan

Ward 20, Trinity-Spadina

416-392-4044

Toronto City Hall
100 Queen Street West
2nd Floor, Suite C50
Toronto, ON      M5H 2N2

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visit us online at  www.ward20.ca

Call for Website Volunteers

Thanks to the work of dedicated community members, our website (http://www.nnnow.ca) looks great, and our blog is easy and quick to update. But the content on the main site is woefully out of date, and we need some help getting it up to snuff.

We’ve also discussed moving to a content-managed system like Ning (http://www.ning.com) – moving to this kind of system would allow non-techies to update the site fairly easily, but it would require some technical legwork upfront to get the look and feel right.

So we’re re looking for someone who can either tackle getting the site updated with current issues, developments, and changes, and who can put in the time to maintain it as changes come along, or who can help us move to something like Ning. A knowledge of HTML / CSS and some time to dedicate to getting us rolling is all that’s needed.

If you’re able to help out or have any suggestions, please contact me directly. Thanks in advance!

Georgetown South Project Update - Strachan Overpass

Updates below from GO Transit on the upcoming rail line changes, including some upcoming information sessions.

Subject: Georgetown South Project Update

Georgetown South Project Update

What’s New

Since our last email update, we have launched an updated Georgetown South (GTS) Project Website to better reflect the upcoming work.

Currently, you will see an overview of the project, including a design and construction outlook for the next 18 months.

In our Neighbourhoods section, you can review the story boards and presentation made at our recent Open Houses for the Denison Road Underpass.

Community Relations Offices to open in the Summer of 2010

The Georgetown South Project has a dedicated Community Relations Team to keep the community informed on the project progress, to invite feedback on the look and feel of the design and to address community issues and concerns.

Located in the Weston and Strachan neighbourhoods, these offices will be the first points of contact to ask questions, share concerns and learn more about the project.

Ambient Air Monitoring and Reporting Plan Approved

On June 2, 2010, GO Transit received provincial approval for the Ambient Air Monitoring and Reporting Plan.

The monitoring process will begin within three months of the approval date. GO Transit has already commenced this process and anticipates having a consultant on board by September 2010. The air quality monitoring is scheduled to begin in the fall. Please continue to check the GTS Website for updates on the plan’s progress.

Stanley Park Pool Open!

Summer's here - the Stanley Park Swimming Pool is open! Hours are 12pm - 8pm. Go have a dip and enjoy.