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News from the Water’s Edge

by YQNA

YQNA meets at the Radisson

Visionary architect Michael Conway was the guest speaker at a recent YQNA meeting at the Radisson Blu hotel, presenting urban landmarks by Hariri Pontarini Architects, such as the unique King Portland Centre and The Well. Both were awarded for vibrant mixed uses and interesting designs. Other speakers were Cathy Loblaw, CEO of Harbourfront Centre, and our elected politicians for the city and province. YQNA also introduced new co-chairs Ed Hore and Neal Colgrass along with a dozen fresh volunteers covering areas, from parks and the environment to police and the Island Airport. See full video or read the minutes, both by volunteer Didi Wu. A big thanks to the Radisson Blu and their friendly staff!

Ontario Place outflow

Good news from the meeting: the provincial government needs new sewage infrastructure to serve the private Terme Spa that is taking over a large part of Ontario Place. Their initial plan would have discharged sewage overflow inside the break wall, polluting waters for swimmers and boaters. Ontario Place for All, YQNA and other civic groups fought against this Waterfront pollution, which caught significant media attention. As a result, the plans changed, which Tom Davidson of Deputy Mayor Ausma Malik’s office announced at our meeting. 

Spadina 510 Streetcars resume

The TTC is pleased to report that work is completed at Spadina Station, and 510 Spadina streetcars should be back in service between Spadina and Union stations on Sunday, March 30. See their project page.

Chris Glover re-elected

Our very popular MPP, Chris Glover, was re-elected in the recent provincial election. It was no surprise but so appreciated by his constituents on the Waterfront. His focus on social issues is a necessary balance in the government.

Clean Up on Earth Day

Join Waterfront BIA for Waterfront Community Cleanup on Earth Day, Tuesday, April 22. Participants are meeting in Love Park or at the foot of the RBC WaterPark Place building at 10am. See more at Waterfront BIA’s homepage, or see the BIA’s full guide to everything happening on the Waterfront this spring.

Music and Dance

Harbourfront Centre is hosting Nagata Shachu and Haneum for Korean music, jazz influence and percussion on Saturday, March 29. BOW’T TRAIL Retrospek is an interdisciplinary dance piece by RD Créations on April 4 and 5. Objects for Adaptation and Resilience, curated by Kate Tessier, continues until Sept. 7.

Coffee with a Cop

Coffee with a Cop brings police officers and the community members they serve together over coffee to discuss issues and learn more about each other. April 3, 11am – 1pm, Union Station Great Hall. Hosted by 52 Division.

YQNA on BlueSky

YQNA has opened its BlueSky account to keep people updated on Canadian and Waterfront news.

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transitTTC

Streetcar Disruptions on Queens Quay

by YQNA

Streetcar riders, take note: your Queens Quay travel may be affected by major repairs starting Feb. 17. The intersection of Bathurst St., Lakeshore Blvd. W. and Fleet St. will be ripped up to replace streetcar tracks and an old watermain, forcing the TTC to find alternate streetcar routes. 

To quote a summary in BlogTO: 

   On February 17 and lasting until March 29, 509 Harbourfront streetcars will only serve the stretch between Union Station and Spadina Ave. The rest of the route will be covered by 509B Harbourfront replacement bus service.

   And it will only get worse from there, with service on the 509 to be halted altogether from March 30 until June 21, leaving the 510A Spadina streetcar as the primary option to travel between Union Station and Spadina Ave.

The repairs will also affect 511 Bathurst streetcars, which will run on a modified route until June 21. See more at the TTC’s website. 

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New Waterfront Tower Opposed

by YQNA

Kings Landing is among the few architectural gems on Queens Quay, with 11 storeys tiered towards the Music Garden across the street. Now this beautiful 1981 building by Arthur Erickson might get a jarring neighbour. Arkfield Development plans to erect a 49-storey ordinary condo tower at the foot of Spadina and Queens Quay that will overwhelm the neighbourhood. The application is for 511 units, nearly 75% of which are 1-bedroom at a time when such condos already glut Toronto’s housing market. There is no mention of affordable housing. Please sign this petition to oppose the development. 

Repair Café Returns

Once again, Waterfront Neighbourhood Centre is hosting a Repair Café — this one on Saturday, February 15 from noon to 4pm. Volunteers will help reduce waste by fixing clothing, jewellery, computers, household appliances and books. Get details here or join Repair Café Toronto as a volunteer.

Malik Helps Bring $1B to the Waterfront

Deputy Mayor Ausma Malik announced that the City, Province and Federal government are investing $1 billion in Waterfront Revitalization. “I have been proud to work with you and advance this plan as the Mayor’s designate on the Board of Waterfront Toronto,” she said. Highlights include funding for Waterfront Toronto, affordable housing and completion of Biidaasige Park. Share on Instagram or read her op-ed in Spacing.

New YQNA Volunteers

YQNA is excited by the influx of new volunteers eager to help on many levels — from chairing meetings to connecting with police, Harbourfront Centre, Waterfront Toronto, the Island Airport and more. Additional volunteers are welcome by contacting us here. 

Minutes of our January Meeting

YQNA’s recent meeting looked at the threat of Ultra Fine Particle Pollution along the Waterfront, where we are sandwiched between the Gardiner Expressway and Island Airport. Read the Minutes by Rosemary Fleming or watch it on YouTube.

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Urgent Need for YQNA Volunteers

by YQNA
Love Park was created with the help of YQNA.

YQNA has existed for 22 years and is right now in jeopardy. It started with three residents having coffee at a Starbucks, when the Waterfront was quite unattractive and facing major developments. We were new to the area and wanted a say in the future, so we decided to start a neighbourhood association.

The timing was right. We soon attracted residents to YQNA and had plenty of volunteers. They were active in major decisions about buildings, parks and the design of Queens Quay. We all learned from working closely with politicians, planners, developers, Waterfront Toronto, the Waterfront BIA, Harbourfront Centre, the media and many other civic organizations. We watched the Waterfront grow, and many friendships were formed.

Why is this history important now? YQNA appears to have reached an impasse in active membership. People attend our meetings and are clearly interested in our neighbourhood, but hardly any volunteer. At this point, we really need more people to participate or YQNA could fold.

Our wonderful Chair Angelo Bertolas resigned after 7 years, and we are still looking for two co-chairs to replace him. They will take turns chairing our 5 public meetings each year, and talk to media when needed. We also need volunteers to meet every two months with Toronto Police 52 Division; the parks designers at Waterfront Toronto; a support group for Harbourfront Centre and FoSTRA (a coalition of downtown neighbourhood associations). A secretary is needed to create minutes of our public meetings helped by AI. These tasks are interesting and do not require much time. No expertise is needed, just an open mind.

If we want to keep YQNA alive, I urge you to pitch in. YQNA has a great track record and is respected by our many collaborators. Those interested in volunteering or getting more information, click here.

Ulla Colgrass
Planning Committee Chair
YQNA

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Harbourfront Centremeeting

Rare and Lively In-Person Meeting

by YQNA

YQNA had its first in-person meeting on Nov. 12 since Covid and drew a big crowd (read the minutes or see on YouTube). For years, we have met on Zoom, but thanks to the generosity of Harbourfront Centre we met in their Lakeview Terrace. We looked forward to meeting their new CEO Cathy Loblaw. She spoke about fresh initiatives, such as the return of a skating rink and the installation of KidSpark exhibit on loan from the Science Centre. We were impressed by Loblaw’s energy and optimism.

City Councillor Ausma Malik spoke about her efforts to get a new skating rink in place at Harbourfront this winter. She is also helping residents to establish a liaison committee with Harbourfront Centre’s staff. Malik reported on the City Council’s vote to approve the smallest RESA extensions to the runways at the Island Airport — not a happy outcome for Ports Toronto, which aimed for much larger RESAs with big lakefill. They did get a 12-year extension to the Tripartite lease of the airport land though.

The YQNA meeting, chaired by Interim Chair Ryan Singh, had a full agenda, including a surprise performance from Second City by actor Gavin Pounds as a hilarious motivational speaker. We are offered 15% discount on tickets Tue-Wed-Thu at their 1 York Street stage until Dec. 31 by using code: YQNA15.

MPP Chris Glover agonized over the 234,000 homeless living rough in our Province and their need for housing. New details were revealed in the contract that the provincial government signed with Therme, the Austrian spa company taking over Ontario Place land. If their business fails, they can sell the lease to anyone with two months’ notice, an outlandish condition in Glover’s view.

Police Constables Barry Bates and Pankaj Kasturi from the Waterfront Neighbourhood Community Program said they were gearing up for the Taylor Swift influx and reported on the growing traffic of cars, e-bikes and motorized devices. Theft is likely to become more common in convenience stores selling alcohol. Issues of concern can be directed to the community constables.

YQNA’s annual general meeting took place under Ed Hore’s direction. Ryan Singh resigned as interim chair, and two co-chairs are taking his place. Eight additional posts were filled by returning volunteers or new faces. Several new volunteers joined us, and more are welcome.

Next meeting will be on Zoom, Tuesday January 14, 2025. All are welcome.

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