Page of 8 Fall 2007 HVRA Newsletter Fall 2007 Harbord Village Volume 5, Number 2 Residents’ Association Contents: Message from the HVRA chair ......... 1 Message from the Here comes the Chair of the HVRA Sun! .................... 2 Board Adopt a tree ............ 3 Dear members of our wonder- 16th], for which there will be a density, green space and Community Police ful HVRA: report at the AGM on October community amenities. You are Liaison Com- 16. ably represented in this exer- mittee (14th Divi- As usual, your board has been cise by Sue Dexter. sion) Priorities very active keeping things on The Bloor Corridor Visioning and Update ......... 3 the go inside our fabulous Study, ongoing since the be- Graffiti eradication has pro- neighbourhood and commu- ceeded at a great clip in the Our massive tree ginning of the summer, aims nity. Croft street area south of Ul- inventory ............. 4 to have all stakeholders – Annex Residents‘ Association, ster ... and this all under the New Sakuras for HVRA, Huron Sussex Resi- persistent and cheerful leader- Bathurst .............. 6 dents Organization, City Plan- ship of Michael Heydon. Go ning, University of Toronto, take a look – it looks wonder- Heritage Conservation City Council, inter alia – agree ful! District update ..... 7 on what Bloor Street should With all good wishes for a Bloor Corridor Vision- look like over the next 50 happy autumn, ing Study............. 7 years. Phase 1 involves Bloor Street/ Avenue Road to Your chair guy Construction update7 Bathurst, and the visioning Rory 'Gus' Sinclair More on the Annual involves such things as height, General Meeting . 7 Here are a few highlights: ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING: ALL ARE WELCOME HVRA Organization The Tree Inventory got off and Membership to an amazing start, with the 6:30 for 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday October 16, 2007 Stuff .................... 8 volunteer base reaching the Location: The Kensington Health Centre (25 Brunswick Avenue just 30-plus mark. north of College Street) in the main meeting room. The Solar Project has en- AGENDA tered the final phase where 6:30 - 7 pm – Registration and schmoozing the solar companies selected This newsletter is pro- by the HVRA Solar Committee 7:00 - 7:20 – Area caucuses and election of area reps duced twice a year by the as presenting the best deal for 7:20 - 7:30 – Caucus reports Harbord Village Resi- our members are now enter- dents’ Association (HVRA) ing into contracts with mem- 7:30 - 7:45 – HVRA committee and other reports serving the part of Toronto bers who have signed up. 7:45 - 8:00 – Election of officers for 2007-2008 fiscal year bounded by Bathurst, Bloor, Spadina, and By the time you read this, 8:00 - 8:10 – Councillor Vaughan: State of the Union College. See Page 8 for th the 15 annual HVRA Fall Fair 8:10 - 9:00 – Special Topic: Raising taxes versus cutting services: more information about will have taken place in Mar- the city’s financial future (see Page 7) HVRA or visit garet Fairley Park [September www.harbordvillage.com. HVRA Newsletter Fall 2007 Page 2 of 8 Here comes the Sun! The Downtown West Solar select the preferred vendors 17,000 flyers to all the houses Energy Project (DWSEP) has from a number of very high in the area bounded by Uni- been a great success! Over 80 quality bids. Eventually, we versity to Ossington, Dupont households have signed up for selected Goldwater Solar Ser- to Queen. Along with promot- site visits with the intent of vices for the solar hot water ing our public meetings, the “I'm happy to report installing over 130 solar en- systems and Solera Sustain- flyers included some general that I love my solar ergy systems, half domestic able Energies Company for information on solar energy panels. The installation hot water, and half photovol- the photovoltaic systems. systems, allowing us to raise taics (to produce electricity). the general understanding of We had four public meetings was painless, and my Vendor site inspections are in solar energy among many around Trinity-Spadina with array is making process, and a handful of sys- people, even those who could- total attendance exceeding tems have already been in- n‘t attend our meetings. electricity every day” 220 people. To publicize the stalled. meetings, about 40 volunteers Solera Sustainable Energies It was very challenging to hand-delivered approximately has installed four photovoltaic systems, and the homeowners are delighted. Jessy Kahn writes, “I'm happy to report that I love my solar panels. The installation was painless, and my array is making elec- tricity every day. I am using the power myself and am comfortable with this solution, Trees on Major preferring not to add any more complications to my tax return…. I highly recommend this purchase to other neighbours and hope that more people will want to jump on such a worthy bandwagon. Thanks again for organizing everything.‖ Jessy‘s point about using the power herself is a good one, because we are finding the process of signing up for the Standard Offer Contract, and then connecting to the grid, somewhat bumpy. (We under- stand that even Olivia Chow and Jack Layton are having trouble getting an SOC con- nection agreement for the PV Margaret Procter was the first Harbord Village resident to obtain a solar water heating system as part of the project Page 3 of 8 Fall 2007 HVRA Newsletter system they‘ve had for a num- change and making Toronto a you‘re interested in additional ber of years!). The SOP is greener place. information and project up- new, and project participant dates, or want your own solar It‘s still not too late to get Sue Dexter, by sheer persis- energy system, contact us. involved. Information on the tence, may have been the first May the sun continue to shine project is posted on the household in Toronto to get on us all! Downtown West page of the an SOC connection. The prov- OurPower.ca website, along - David Booz, 416.806.2669 ince, the utilities and the with the Solar Energy Project safety authorities are still - Tim Grant, page at working out the details on [email protected] www.harbordvillage.com. If how to make these connec- tions safely and according to all the appropriate codes and Adopt a tree requirements. We plan to use Toronto‘s trees suffered dreadfully during this tions of sidewalk, or, at least, to provide wa- what we‘ve learned to develop summer‘s drought, young trees in particular. ter to volunteers who are prepared to do so. tools to assist other people in Harbord Village property owners and tenants making their connection so If you think a tree is in distress or in danger are invited to ‗Adopt a Tree‘ to be ready, if they can start being paid of losing branches or falling down, call the such a calamity occurs again, to water the $0.42 per kilowatt-hour. City‘s Urban Forestry Services Division at trees in their front and backyards and trees on 416.338.8733. Goldwater Solar Systems have nearby city property (sidewalks, boulevards, completed a handful of instal- back lanes, concrete tree boxes). If you would like to ‗Adopt a Tree‘ or per- lations of solar hot water sys- suade others to do so, please contact: HVRA would also like to encourage anyone tems. Margaret Proctor was who is prepared to contact local business and the first HVRA resident to - Richard Longley,416.961.2766 home owners on College, north and south complete her installation and 68 Brunswick Avenue sides, Bloor, Bathurst and Spadina, where is very pleased to be reducing [email protected] trees are often neglected and suffering, to ask her natural gas use by getting them to water the trees located on ‗their‘ sec- hot water from the sun. A number of the DWSEP par- ticipants are considering pur- th chasing on-demand water Community Police Liaison Committee (14 Division) heaters to provide backup hot Priorities and Update water, thus reducing their gas consumption even more. The Community Police Liaison Committee the wheel nuts loosened such that the wheel Some people are also looking does not meet over the summer. Beginning in fell off in traffic. 60 Borden residents hurled at using their solar hot water September, the regular date of the CPLC an incendiary device onto one person‘s prop- systems to supplement their meeting will change to the second Wednes- erty, and repeated shouted taunts made space heating needs, for even day of the month. Please send any police- community members fearful within their own greater savings (and even related concerns to Margaret Beare in ad- properties. vance of these monthly meetings. greater reductions in green- Councillor Adam Vaughan convened a meet- house gases). While the HVRA area is considered one of the ing at City Hall on July 6th to attempt to de- Thanks to all of the people safest in the city, we are not immune to acts velop a plan to reduce the neighbourhood who supported the project, of violence and drug-related activities. Graf- concern. The Community Liaison police offi- including Olivia Chow, Deputy fiti and the destruction of personal cer attended the meeting, and HVRA mem- Mayor Joe Pantalone, Council- property continue to be neighbourhood bers emphasized to him the need for more lor Adam Vaughan, the On- concerns, and the efforts of HVRA mem- frequent patrols and more definitive police tario Sustainable Energy Asso- bers, together with police support, keep actions and presence to stop 60 Borden resi- ciation, and the residents‘ some of the graffiti at bay, but this con- dents from threatening citizens.