President's Report
Jeff Forsyth
Posted Mar. 05
This past month has seen a number of activities and events take place in our community.
In late January I attended the Port Union Waterfront Trail Working Committee meeting. Two of the 4 headlands and 3 of the 5 beach cells (fill areas that protrude into the lake) between Port Union Rd. and Highland Creek are complete. Work on the remaining headlands and beach cells are continuing throughout the winter. Due to environmental requirements, placing of fill in the lake will cease between March 31 and July 1 to protect the fish habitat. Work on other areas of the trail not involving placing lake fill will continue during this period. The Toronto Region Conservation Authority is planning an Open House for the community on the evening of Thursday April 7th at Port Union Recreation Centre.
Also in late January I attended the second open house for the expansion of the F.G. Horgan Water Treatment Plant located on the waterfront near Manse Road. The City have concluded that the best way to meet the increased demand for water in the city and Region of York is to expand the existing plant as opposed to building a new plant in a different location. The city will now be examining water treatment processes to determine the best one and the new facilities to be built within the existing plant property. The next open house to advise us of the recommended process and facilities to be built will be held sometime in April.
On January 29th Kathy Sullivan, 2 area residents and myself attended a Toronto Region Conservation Authority board meeting to request that the Authority look into the storm water wetland issue on the Wanita School site. Although we were prepared to make a delegation to the Authority it wasn’t necessary. The board agreed to pass a motion to look into our concerns regarding the school site. Kathy Sullivan has prepared a full report on this meeting and a subsequent meeting at Toronto
City Council where the City has agreed to discuss the disposition of the Wanita site with the school board. Kathy’s report is elsewhere in this newsletter.
This will be Kathy’s last report in the newsletter. Unfortunately she will be moving out of our community at the end of March and is resigning from the executive. Kathy has done an outstanding job since joining the executive in managing planning issues that have faced our community recently, especially the Wanita School site. Kathy has remained on top of this issue and maintained constant communications with the city and school board to ensure they considered the concerns of our community. We have been successful in delaying the school board’s sale of this land and engaging the city in discussions with the board to acquire this land. Kathy was also instrumental in pulling together the association’s response to the Government of Ontario review of the Planning Act. We will miss Kathy on the executive but wish her well in her new home. From all of us on the executive and community “Thanks Kathy” for a great job. Gayle Gibson will be taking over as Planning Chair.
Another of our executive, Events Chair, Jennifer Fitzgerald, has found it necessary to resign due to time pressures with her family. She assisted in ensuring the success of last summers Concert Series and represented CCRA on the Winterfest Committee. Thanks Jennifer.
We are now looking for someone to join the executive as Events Chair. If anyone is interested in becoming part of an active, dynamic executive and contributing to making our community a better place to live, please get in touch with me.
Every April, the association has held a 50’S dance. Last years dance was cancelled due to a lack of ticket sales. This year we have once again cancelled the dance as the executive felt is was too difficult to have a dance without an events chair to take the lead. Our neighbouring West Rouge Community Association has recently found it necessary to cancel some dances they have held for a number of years due to a lack of community support. We think it is important to hold at least one community social event each year. We are open to suggestions of what you would like. Contact anyone on the executive and let us know your thoughts.
Looking ahead to April, make a note that Earth Day will be held on Saturday April 23rd. There will be more details about this community event in our April newsletter.
Jeff Forsyth
President