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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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developmentyqna

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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yqna

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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meetingyqna

September Community Update

by YQNA
by Ryan Singh

Earlier this year, I had the unexpected opportunity to become the Chair of the York Quay Neighbourhood Association (YQNA). It is an exciting role with a lot of potential. After attending a YQNA public Zoom meeting last year, I offered to volunteer and was welcomed into the YQNA by our former Chair, Angelo Bertolas. He was leading a keen group of residents for several years and had built a robust foundation for YQNA. 

As the new Chair of YQNA, my priority is to listen to our neighbours and focus on developments that could affect us in positive or negative ways. We live on a fast-growing Waterfront, and our aim is to make it the best place to live, work, and play. 

Just over nine years ago, I moved here from the suburbs. I feel at home in this dynamic neighbourhood that accommodates an influx of workers and tourists, unlike my previous suburban community. We must continue to build and protect the Waterfront by working with community partners, like the Harbourfront Centre and Waterfront Toronto, to ensure a balance of attractions for visitors and amenities for residents.

I look forward to serving YQNA and working with all of you. 

September Community Meeting

Join us on Tuesday, September 17th, 2024 for a YQNA Community Meeting. Invitation to follow.

This upcoming event will include presentations by the Waterfront BIA and Gerstein Crisis Centre. Representatives from the TTC will be present and take questions about the ongoing maintenance to the 508 Harbourfront streetcar and improvements to the bus replacement service. Cathy Loblaw, new Harbourfront Centre CEO, will introduce herself to the community.

Meeting with Deputy Mayor Ausma Malik
City Councillor Ausma Malik (third from right) and her senior staff member Tom Davidson (left) met with YQNA members (from left) Ulla Colgrass, Rosemary Fleming, Ed Hore and Ryan Singh in August 2024.

Last week, representatives of YQNA met with our deputy mayor and city councillor, Ausma Malik. We appreciated the invitation to discuss pressing issues like Harbourfront Centre and plans for Runway End Safety Area (RESA) extensions at Toronto Island Airport. We also discussed upcoming work on the Rees Street Park project and temporary closure of the 509 Harbourfront streetcar.

Volunteer with Us

Give back to our community. We are seeking interested volunteers to participate in our ongoing work in this vibrant neighbourhood. If you are interested, please contact our Chair Ryan Singh, at [email protected].

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meetingyqna

Changes in YQNA

by YQNA

YQNA held its 100th meeting May 14, 2024, a milestone also because Angelo Bertolas stepped down after seven years as our highly skilled and popular chair. We are fortunate to welcome Ryan Singh as our new chair — the two are seen here side by side. 

YQNA meetings will from now on be available as videos on YouTube, with Minutes of the meeting as usual posted in the Documents section of our website. See the meeting on YouTube and read the Minutes here. Guest speaker was Nerys Rau, project director of George Brown College’s Limberlost Place, the newest addition to their fast-growing waterfront campus.  

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