S.A.R.A. Executive Meeting Minutes – June 15, 2004

Present: Tamara Bernstein, Ron Braun, George Dubauskas, Louis Gris, Merle Hudson, Frances Labelle, John Meijer, Pat Reavy, Bill Roberts, Nick Singh, Sybil Wilkinson

Absent: Bill Haines, Vicki Vancas, Ritvars Bregzis, Marianne Fenner, Peter Keefe,

Guests: Helen Berezansky-Wagner, Ubbo Wagner, Karl Schmed

1. Call to Order and Declaration of Conflicts of Interest:

The meeting began at 7:40 p.m. at the Swansea Town Hall. There were no declared conflicts of interest.

2. Approval of Agenda:

The agenda was approved.

3. Approval of Minutes:

Upon motion by Ron Braun, seconded by John Meijer, the minutes of May 18, 2004 were received and approved as presented.

Upon motion by Frances Labelle, seconded by Ron Braun, and carried, the minutes of the special meeting held on May 31, 2004 were approved, and Frances Labelle was authorized to forward them to Councillor Saundercook for his comment.

4. Membership Report:

Louis Gris reported that the membership details remain the same as he reported at the Annual General Meeting on June 8^th.

5. Treasurer’s Report and Approval of Expenses:

John Meijer presented the Treasurer’s Report as of June 15^th , 2004, noting that the details remain the same as presented to the AGM on June 8^th. John Meijer reported on the alternative vehicles for investing SARA’s funds he had explored and his conclusion that the ING rates were still more favourable for SARA.

Upon motion of John Meijer, seconded by Frances Labelle and carried, the Treasurer’s report was accepted.

Upon motion by George Dubauskas, seconded by John Meijer and carried, $57.69 in expenses for the AGM and the payment of $45 for SARA’s membership in CORRA were approved.

6. In Camera Session:

Before the meeting went In Camera Ms. Berezansky asked and was granted permission to address matters in the letter dated May 19, 2004, that she had sent to all members of the Executive.

The meeting then went in camera to discuss actions to be taken in regard to the Letter and to discuss the Committee of Adjustment application for 43 St. Olaves and the upcoming OMB hearing with respect to 337 Windermere.

Actions taken as a result of the said discussions outlined above were: 1) Frances Labelle was authorized to acknowledge Ms. Berezansky’s letter; 2) a subcommittee of Ron Braun, George Dubauskas and Frances Labelle was formed to investigate the allegations and prepare a formal response; 3) the retention of Bill Roberts to represent SARA at the OMB hearing on 337 Windermere; 4) $2,500 was authorized for legal fees and $2,500 for planning fees.

Upon motion by Ron Braun, seconded by Sybil Wilkinson, and carried, the above actions were approved.

7. City Communications and Provincial Legislation to Reform OMB:

City Hall received our report and will study it and reply. Ritvars Bregzis had previously suggested that in view of upcoming changes to the OMB a copy of our report should be forwarded to them. Frances Labelle suggested that our response must reply to the issue of OMB reform. A copy will be sent to Gerard Kennedy requesting the opportunity to speak on this issue at the appropriate forum. A Committee consisting of Ron Braun, Bill Roberts, Louis Gris and Sybil Wilkinson was struck to prepare a submission on the OMB.

8. Land Use Matters:

a)1947-1997 Bloor St. W. – Context Development: Concerns were expressed with the amount of vibration being felt in the area as a result of the driving of piles and the fact that the city had given the developer permission to work on the weekends.

b)Windermere by the Lake:– Frances Labelle reported that RARG had made a submission to today’s Community Council on a proposal to change the phasing for the daycare facility that was intended to be in the first phase (3 Windermere). Frances noted that the premise for changing the phasing was not supported by the documentation, but in spite of this Councillor Saundercook moved a motion that the proposal be approved in spite of the concerns expressed by SARA and other members of the community that there was an urgent need for the daycare right now. Frances reported she has prepared a follow-up letter to the Mayor asking for his intervention. She also expressed concern that when Councillor Saundercook met with the Executive on May 31^st he made no mention of this matter even though the planning report was dated May 21^st.

It was agreed that the letter to the Mayor dated May 15, 2004, be posted on the website.

Frances noted the open house in process on the proposal for the town homes on 6 Windermere and the concern that there will need to be changes to the towers and the developer will provide no information as to their plans.

c)Southport Plaza Redevelopment: Frances Labelle reported that as authorized at the last SARA meeting she had asked the Committee of Adjustment to defer the proposal to sever the site as it was premature. She noted the Committee did approve the severance as expected but that there had been two conditions placed on the approval resulting from communications from the City’s development engineering department.

d)1900 Lake Shore Blvd. W. (former Meow Club site) – nothing to report. Continue to monitor.

e) Committee of Adjustment

Nick Singh reported that all cases of interest to SARA that were brought before the Committee of Adjustment are being appealed to the Ontario Municipal Board.

337 Windermere - discussed above

15and 17 Lavinia - to be followed up re OMB date

47 Mayfield - to be followed up re OMB date

2525 Bloor - date set For August 5^th

f) Municipal Shelters – Continue to monitor

g) Gardiner Lakeshore Task Force - nothing new to report

h) Toronto Official Plan and Swansea Part II Plan – Bill Roberts reported that a number of errors have been identified in the new map of Swansea. The maps do not show side streets, but in spite of discussions with city staff, the maps have not been corrected. CORRA is asking its members to depute re the skewed maps or any matters relating to the Official Plan, at the Planning and Transportation Committee meeting on June 28^th. Moved by Bill Roberts, seconded by George Dubauskas, and approved, that SARA/ RARG write a letter expressing our concerns re maps.

i) Fred Victor Centre/Joyco Station - Councillor Saundercook reported to the meeting on May 31 that he requested a report on the site cleanup and the construction schedule, and will update SARA

j) Humber Cinema –Louis Gris reported that another public meeting will be held in September

5. Liquor Licenses:

a) Billy Bob/The Fan – Nothing to report.

b) Dark Horse –Nick Singh has requested clarification from David Miller re signoff on sound barrier.

6. Humber River:

a) Humber Pedestrian Trail – continue to monitor

b) Humber Bay Treatment Facility - Ron Braun reported on the seven month odour study. Apparently the scrubbers are from the 1930’s. Residents are encouraged to call in complaints re air quality.

7. Neighbourhood Issues:

a) Petro Canada Station – 8 South Kingsway - to be discussed at next meeting with the councillor

b) Community Council – nothing to report

c) Traffic calming – scheduled for Riverside Drive

d) Second Suites – Nothing new to report. Continue to monitor.

e) 258 Windermere – Nothing new to report

f ) Swansea Mews – Sybil Wilkinson reported that the Chetwynd funding for children’s camps will stop this year. Alternative funding is being sought. Maintenance is still an issue. Funding has been approved for City Homes who have requested a prioritized list of maintenance needs.

g) 47 St. Olaves – Nothing new to report.

8 Other Organizations:

a) Community Police Liaison Committee – Merle Hudson reported graffiti is still the biggest problem on Bloor West. She also reported that the Police will hold a Community Appreciation Picnic on June 19 in High Park near Bloor St. entrance ( 10:00 to 3:00 p.m)

b) High Park Community Advisory Council – Merle Hudson reported that the Parks and Recreation Department is seeking input from the public re needed improvements and the future priorities for their department There are three sections on this Reactivate Toronto survey-a) Forestry Services- trees (planting and pruning), b)Recreation Facilities c) Recreation Programs. The survey is on line at www.world19.com.

c) Swansea Community Recreation Centre & Rennie Park – Merle Hudson reported 1) that the Rennie Park Community Garage Sale was a great success - 60 tables sold- $1800:00 raised

2) that the Octoberfest dinner/dance with silent auction will be held Saturday, October 23^rd. Based on the evaluation of last year’s event, improved timing of dinner and silent auction have been taken into account in the planning for this year’s event.

d) Swansea Historical Society – Bill Roberts reported that the city was still working on the issue of duplicate street names. Changing names from, for example, Swansea’s Morningside Avenue to Morningside Hills would appear to be a good solution. Moved by Bill Roberts, seconded by George Dubauskas and approved, that a letter be written to the clerk of the Administration Committee requesting that SARA receive the committee’s reports and notifications of committee meetings, in order to appear before the committee. SARA would support the Committee’s decision to defer the matter.

e) Swansea Memorial Library and Friends of the Swansea Memorial Library – no report

f) Swansea Public School – no report

g) Swansea Town Hall Board of Management – There were some construction problems related to connection to the city sewer but they have been remedied

h) Confederation of Resident & Ratepayer Associations (CORRA) – Bill Roberts reported that CORRA continues to deal with issues relating to the Part I Plan ( as above under Toronto Official Plan)

1 )World 19 – Louis Gris reported that World 19 will host an all candidates meeting June 21 at Runnymede United church

10. Other Business:

a)Website – nothing to report.

b)Fundraising – Louis Gris reported we will continue with the Village Players, returning to a fall date

c)Social – George Dubauskas working on

11 New Business Visioning Study Nick Singh reported that the workshop organized by Office for Urbanism (OFU) for the Bloor West Village Visioning Study was held on June 22. Many guests, few from the immediate area, were invited to participate. The workshop was well directed towards identifying opportunities for development and improvement. No time was spent on what developments or improvements would be unwelcome or problematic for the community. OFU will now produce a preliminary report that will be refined with our feedback and then be mounted on panels for an open house presentation to the public for further comment before the final report is produced.

12 Next Meeting/Adjournment-The next meeting is scheduled for Tuesday September 21, at 7:30 p.m.

Moved by Nick Singh, seconded by George Dubauskas,and adopted, the meeting adjourned at 10:00 p.m