Minutes

Wednesday, February 18, 2004
Manor Road United Church
7:00 - 8:30 p.m.

DRAFT MINUTES

Attendance
Present: Jim Walker (President), Josh Cobden, John Holland, Paul Pelton, Harold Pidduck, Dan Scott, Patricia Welsh (Vice-President), Murad Velshi, Margaret Walker (Secretary)
Regrets: Joseph Pacitti (Past-President)
Guests: George Milbrandt (Co-Chair FoNTRA), E. Galareau (Lillian St.) and 2 residents of South Eglinton.(not named)

  1. Minutes of the January 7, 2004 Meeting
    • Approved without amendment and the Agenda for March accepted without change.
    • Proposed: Patricia Welsh. Seconded: Paul Pelton. Carried
  2. Business Arising from the Minutes for January 7, 2004
    1. SERRA accounts
      • Report from Paul Newbigging (Treasurer)
      • a. General Fund or Operating Account
      • Balance = $1,413. 55 *
      • Revenue from Membership Fees and individual donations.
      • b. Legal Fund
      • Balance = $2,053. 21 *
      • Remaining portion of a larger sum previously gifted to SERRA, resulting from a Judgement decision, Designated for legal purposes ONLY.
      • * Both figures current to February 18, 2004
      • The principle signing authority for the General Fund is the Treasurer with co-signatures from the President OR Secretary. Approval is required from the Royal Bank of Canada branch at 2346 Yonge St. A meeting with the Bank will be arranged quickly.
    2. Accounts Outstanding year to date 2004
      • Four outstanding accounts to be paid when the bank notifies the Treasurer that the General Fund is activated. Two accounts have been paid by the Vice-President and the Secretary, to avoid loss of services. Re-imbursement checks will be issued. Renewal of CORRA Membership for 2004 is outstanding, also the $50 Fee for SERRA web site.
    3. Printing and Distribution of the Owl Winter edition 2004
      • Patricia Wesh projected that door-to-door delivery of the OWL by the distribution service would probably be the weekend of February 29. Envelopes and labels are ready for the individual mailing of the OWL to SERRA Members probably in early March.
    4. Articles for the Town Crier paper local editions
      • Josh Cobden and Patricia Welsh provided articles profiling SERRA; for publishing in various editions of the paper. It was planned to have a section focused on SERRA in all future editions of the paper.
    5. Future Board Meetings
      • The current site at the Manor Rd United Church (Fellowship Room) does not accommodate meetings of the larger 2004 Board of Directors when SERRA members and invited guest speakers also attend.
      • Harold Pidduck agreed to speak with TDSB past-Trustee Shelley Laskin and/or the current Trustee Josh Matlow to open negotiations for a return to the Community Centre at Maurice Cody School. A number of alternative sites were explored in Summer 2003 without any positive results.
      • The 2004 Board currently meets at 6-week intervals, this might be a problem for getting a regular booking at the Community Centre.
    6. Main Focus for SERRA in 2004
      1. Membership Campaign
        • A full discussion to be held at the March Meeting. Board members to bring innovative ideas for Fund Raising. Wendy Tamminen (Membership Chair) to be invited to attend.
      2. Communications and Public Relations
        • The website (www.southeglinton.com) Dan Scott (Fee = $50 U.S. outstanding )
        • E-mail address: (serra@southeglinton.com) Patricia Welsh (Fee n/k).
        • To be published in editions of the North Toronto Post and the Town Crier.
      3. Market Value Property Re-Assessments Meeting
        • Item for the Agenda received from Harold Pidduck. Further details were untraceable despite phone calls to Councillor Michael Walker's Office.
        • Note - this proved to be a "misreading" of an item from the CORRA Minutes promoting a Town Hall Meeting at the John Fisher School on March 2, called by Kathleen Wynne MPP and Michael Colle MPP, topic for discussion "The 2004 Budget".
      4. North Toronto Collegiate Institute proposed development
        • Harold Pidduck reported high local dissatisfaction expressed with the development proposals presented at the first Public Meeting in November 2003 and also those presented at the interim meeting in January 2004. The NTCI Alumni and the Student Council also expressed dissatisfaction with some of the proposals at both meetings.
        • Josh Matlow (New TDSB Trustee) will chair the third Public Meeting on February 19. FoNTRA representatives will also attend this meeting.
      5. Official Plan Appeal - CORRA directing this project
        • For an information update on the Appeal to the OMB, see the Minutes for the CORRA Meetings in January and February 2004, sent by e-mail to Board Members each month. The March Minutes will be available with the CORRA April Meeting Agenda Also see New Business item 3:1
      6. New Community Council
        • Since the Board Meeting of January 7, the SERRA mail box has received 15 Notices of Public Hearings at the Community Council (South) to review Applications to the Committee of Adjustment for variance(s) from the provisions of the Toronto Zoning By-law 438-96 by residents of South Eglinton. Harold Pidduck checked for any serious concerns by the local residents regarding the proposed development plans.
        • Information for the 15 Applications is on file, these can be reviewed any time.
  3. New Business
    1. City of Toronto Official Plan (Parts 1 and 2)
      • George Milbrandt, Co-Chair, Federation of North Toronto Residents' Association (FoNTRA), in pre-amble explained the necessity of forming an umbrella association with the 15 local associations who represent approximately 50,000 residents in a wide area of "north" Toronto.
      • FoNTRA's focus is on development issues, specifically on plans for the hyper-intensification of local residential areas and downtown Toronto.
      • George briefly reviewed the on-going activities of FoNTRA, following the presentation of a "Final Draft" of the Official Plan for the City of Toronto in May 2002, by Paul Bedford (the Chief Planner). A position paper prepared by FoNTRA and deputations by FoNTRA Representatives to Council at Public Hearings in May and September of 2002 were largely ignored.
      • The Official Plan with some amendments received "Final Approval" from Council in November 2002.
      • Note: In September 2002, the Ontario Municipal Board gave approval to the plans for hyper-development of the Minto site at 2195 Yonge St. despite a well-planned vigorous case presented by FoNTRA and massive local resistance to the plan.
      • FoNTRA lodged an Appeal against Part 1 of the Official Plan to the Ministry of Municipal Affairs, and currently to the Ontario Municipal Board. This has been presented by CORRA - an incorporated association with William Roberts, and the Willowdale Residents' Group with George Belzar. At the request of Councillors J. Fillion, C. Jenkins, K. Stintz and M. Walker, Mayor Miller agreed to resolve the problems associated with this Appeal to the OMB at a pre-Hearing in April 2004.
      • George provided further information on the Toronto Zoning By-laws set-up in the 1950s, the Official Plan Part 2 and Section 37 which "rewards" Council and the City if increased density above a Zoning By-law is given approval.
    2. Bethel Baptist Church - proposed Development of the site
      • SERRA received a request from the Pastor to support the Church Application for a development on the present site at the Public Meeting on March 9. Dan Scott and Harold Pidduck to attend this meeting and report back to the Board in March.
    3. Request for Sports Equipment from Police Chief Fantino
      • Paul Newbigging made a request on behalf of Chief Fantino for "used, good -condition sports equipment" that he would trans-ship direct to several youth groups in Jamaica.. This was a general request to Residents' Groups in Toronto. Paul offered his facility to warehouse any items collected by local residents during March. The Chief indicated that this would be an on-going programme. His request to be published on the SERRA web and included in the next edition of the OWL.
    4. Yonge-Eglinton Centre "Crystal Palace"
      • Greenwin plans to build a 2-storey glass enclosure of the NW corner of the Yonge-Eglinton Centre to improve external appearance AND increase retail business. The first Plan presented to the Committee of Adjustment in Summer 2003 was deferred pending a report to City Council by the Young-Eglinton Focus Review Group.
  4. Other Business
    • None presented.
  5. Date of the Next Board Meeting
    • Wednesday, March 23, 2004 at the Manor Road United Church in the Friendship Room starting at 7:00 p.m.