TORONTO EDITION FRIDAY, AUGUST 12, 2016 Vol. 20 • No. 31 North York planning update National climate framework TRANSIT TARGETING DRIVING THE BUILDING OPPORTUNITIES SECTOR By Geordie Gordon By Leah Wong North York planning district staff is working to leverage To reduce Canada’s greenhouse gas emissions, energy and large redevelopment opportunities and signifi cant transit building policy makers are calling on the federal government investment to create public spaces and a fi ner grain of streets. to include an aggressive action plan aimed at the building North York community planning director Joe Nanos told sector in its national climate framework. NRU that the land use patterns in the North York district are Th e energy consumption of buildings accounts for about very diverse, with urbanized areas along the subway, but more one quarter of greenhouse gas emissions in Canada. National traditional suburban developments in the outer areas. As more policies and fi nancial incentives targeted at the building transit infrastructure is built and reaches the outer areas, it sector is one of the quickest ways to achieve signifi cant GHG off ers an opportunity to accommodate further growth. He said reductions at a lower cost than other government initiatives, the subway extension to Vaughan, for example, is generating Toronto Atmospheric Fund policy director Bryan Purcell signifi cant development interest, both from the private sector told NRU. and educational institutions. “Th e building sector is one of the largest contributors “Up at York University, with two subway stops... it’s [of GHG emissions]. To have an eff ective climate strategy really positioning [York] University for further growth and nationally we really need to address it,” said Purcell. “It’s development,” he said. something that can unite people across Canada… it’s not Nanos said with transit infrastructure being built in North an area where we have regional divisions where certain York, including the Eglinton Crosstown LRT, and large private regions will benefi t more than others. Th ey have homes and sector developments—such as the recently CONTINUED PAGE 5 > buildings.” CONTINUED PAGE 8 > INSIDE Census for bees Condo Hack Destabilizing wave Citizen scientists City studies high City concerned get to work rise families about severance decision > > > p 2 p 3 p 9 2 CITY OF TORONTO EDITION FRIDAY, AUGUST 12, 2016 UPCOMING Tracking pollinator population DATES BUMBLE BEE COUNT SEPTEMBER 6 Government Management Committee, By Leah Wong 9:30 a.m., committee room 1 SEPTEMBER 7 Canada’s bee population has been in Etobicoke York Community Council, 9:30 a.m., council chamber, Etobicoke Civic Centre decline due to increased use of pesticides, Scarborough Community Council, 9:30 a.m., loss of habitat and the impacts of climate council chamber, Scarborough Civic Centre change. As scientists determine how best SOURCE: BOB YOUNG Toronto & East York Community Council, to reverse this decline, municipalities, 9:30 a.m., committee room 1 such as Toronto, are expected to play an Toronto Public Art Commission, CANCELLED important role in regenerating the bee SEPTEMBER 8 population. Planning & Growth Management Committee, 9:30 a.m., committee room 1 Over the summer Friends of the Earth SEPTEMBER 9 has been working to enlist Canadians to Parks & Environment Committee, 9:30 track the bumble bee population across a.m., committee room 1 the country to collect data about the SEPTEMBER 12 North York Community Council, 9:30 a.m., presence of diff erent species of wild bees. council chamber, North York Civic Centre Bumble bees refer to a type of wild bee, SEPTEMBER 15 and are most recognized by the public at City of Toronto Design Review Panel, time TBC, committee room 2 large. Th e Canadian count builds on work SEPTEMBER 19 Budget Committee, 2:00 p.m., committee by scientists from Bumble Bee Count— room 2 which developed a website to track bumble SEPTEMBER 20 bees across North America. Friends of Community Development & Recreation Committee, 9:30 a.m., committee room 1 the Earth chief executive offi cer Beatrice Toronto Port Lands Company Board, time Olivastri told NRU that there are few Bees documented through the Great Canadian and location TBC scientists dedicated to studying wild bees, Bumble Bee Count SEPTEMBER 21 so using “citizen scientists” can generate Waterfront Toronto Design Review Panel, 8:00 a.m., 20 Bay Street, Suite 1310 larger results and cover a wider area. Similar to the honeybee population, “In some cases the citizen science SEPTEMBER 22 the wild, native bee population in Canada Executive Committee, 9:30 a.m., committee projects fi nd, certainly in the states, the is facing decline caused by stress due to room 1 kind of bees that the few scientists we have pesticides, climate change, habitat loss just don’t see. Th ey’re not out everywhere and diseases. Th rough the count Olivastri in the fi eld,” said Olivastri. “Th ere is more said Friends of the Earth wants to educate possibility to fi nd rare and unusual bees more people about the importance of wild CITY OF TORONTO EDITION when you have more people involved.” bees and collect CONTINUED PAGE 4 > Ian A.R. Graham, Publisher Peter Pantalone SALES/SUBSCRIPTIONS NRU City of Toronto Edition NRU Publishing Inc. Billings Department [email protected] Planning Researcher [email protected] is not to be redistributed Editorial Offi ce 34B McMurrich Street [email protected] without the written consent 26 Soho Street, Suite 330 Toronto, ON M5R 2A2 Lynn Morrow, Editor Annual subscription rate is of the publisher. Toronto, ON M5T 1Z7 Tel: 416.440.0073 [email protected] Jeff Payette, Design/Layout $389 +HST (ON). Tel: 416.260.1304 Fax: 416.440.0074 [email protected] NRU City of Toronto Edition Fax: 416.979.2707 ISSN 1918-7548 Leah Wong Complimentary trial is published 50 times a Municipal Affairs Reporter Irena Kohn subscriptions are available. year by email by NRU [email protected] Sales and Circulation Publishing Inc. [email protected] Advertising rates available Geordie Gordon upon request. Planning Reporter Twitter @nrupublishing [email protected] 3 CITY OF TORONTO EDITION FRIDAY, AUGUST 12, 2016 Challenges of urban family living GROWING UP IN TALL BUILDINGS By Geordie Gordon As the fi rst phase of the city’s study on families living in tall buildings concludes, staff says it has gained a better understanding of the challenges faced by parents raising children in high-density, multi-unit buildings. Top SOURCE: CITY OF TORONTO SOURCE: CITY OF TORONTO concerns expressed by residents include number of bedrooms, amenity space, storage space and proximity to schools. Strategic Initiatives planner Andrea Oppedisano told NRU that the city is wrapping up the fi rst of three phases of the Growing Up: Planning for Children in New Vertical Communities study. Th e fi rst phase included background research and stakeholder consultation with families living in high rise buildings, developers, architects and landscape architects. Th e results off er insights into the challenges families have living in tall buildings. Growing Up study areas Th e study is focused on three diff erent scales: unit, building and neighbourhood. [See NRU February 12 Toronto edition.] where city staff connected directly with nine families. Th e idea Oppedisano said that based on survey results, the city was to give staff a more close up view of how families have found that 69 per cent of the high rise families interviewed adjusted to, or “hacked” their condos to make living in tall have changed something in their unit to accommodate their buildings work for them. Staff interviewed the families in their family, with the majority of changes being the use of a den homes and were given a tour, which sometimes included visits as a bedroom for those living in one-bedroom units. She said to the local playground. Oppedisano said that it was a unique that another common response was the lack of child-oriented approach for city planning. space in the building. “It’s one thing for people to come to a public consultation “Having somewhere for the children to run around and let and describe their lived experience, but we really wanted to try off steam was really important. Right now they’re just sort of to understand fi rsthand what that experience of living in a tall using exercise rooms or spaces that weren’t really meant for building with children is like,” she said. children as an [activity] place, because they don’t really have Staff met with families across the seven study areas—down- anything [else],” she said. town, Etobicoke, North York, Yonge Eglinton, Scarborough At the neighbourhood scale, Oppedisano said many of Civic Centre, Humber Bay Shores and Sheppard Corridor. the issues identifi ed concerned traffi c and safety, and parents’ Oppedisano said of the nine families, only one put a lot of degree of confi dence in letting children out on their own to money into renovating its unit to provide additional storage and play. Other issues expressed related to proximity to schools open up the kitchen. Other families, while having a list of things and childcare in the neighbourhood. they would change, were mostly making do with the layout. She In addition to the survey sent out to families, city planning said the families’ motivation to make the space work came from staff also pursued a novel approach—called a “condo hack”— a desire to live in their chosen neighbourhood. CONTINUED PAGE 4 > 4 CITY OF TORONTO EDITION FRIDAY, AUGUST 12, 2016 BUMBLE BEE COUNT CONTINUED FROM PAGE 2 information that will help scientists better understand their had citizen scientists submit around 1,000 bee pictures. She decline. said they will organize another count next summer and hope “Wild bees are an important part of our pollinator to get more citizen scientists involved.