Upcoming Meetings:
Meetings are held the last Tuesday of each month at Fern Avenue Public School, 128 Fern Ave. (east of Roncesvalles), starting at 7 pm.
May 26, 2009
Those strawberries were very tasty!
NEWS
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June 2009
TOTSTOCK '09
Who says it’s not easy being green?
- Don Kerr & The Blue Bin Band host ‘totstock 09’, an afternoon of songs, stories and crafts designed to make eco concerns fun and accessible for curious minds aged 2-8.
Don’t miss the musical stylings of
- Claire Jenkins, Garden Jane and Jerome Godboo’s Cirque D’irt and, I Eat Kids.
Come, watch
- David Wall perform The Lorax by Dr Seuss,
- Claudia Deybring to life Kerr’s Sniffing Princess & The Sweet Toothed Prince,
- illustrator Irene Luxbacher & author Andrew Larsen paint The Imaginary Garden,
- Peggy Collins present In The Garden, and
- Barbara Klunder share her new book, The Animals Day.
And you can make history: join
- David Bruins & Hilary Leung as they stage the world’s largest ever Cowboy Ninja Bear tournament.
- Paint the park - with RMRA- help us decorate the ugly fence by the Fieldhouse - painting activity for small tots big tots, & in-between tots
- Roncydad - Roncydadt-shirts $15 special limited edition for dad's day - only available at Totstock
Chris Reed will be Master of Ceremonies.
All proceeds go to The High Park Nature Centre, who will run eco-craft stations throughout the park.
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The Clean Train Coalition is a group of citizens from Weston to Liberty Village who are concerned about Metrolinx’s proposed increase of rail traffic along the Georgetown Corridor. Our main concern is the damage to people’s health that will likely occur if as many as 400 diesel trains a day travel this route, which is what Metrolinx is proposing for our neighbourhoods. We support the use of trains for public transit and believe our community and the City as a whole would be served best by an expedited plan to electrify both commuter trains and the Union-Pearson link.
A visit to, www.cleantrain.ca will provide more detailed information about this issue and offer you the opportunity to get involved.
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May 2009
The April 28th meeting was very successful with about 80 or more residents attending. The RMRA believes that this initiative is very good for our community but it must be planned and executed properly.
The meeting was organized to allow our community direct access to Metrolinx staff and have a direct opportunity to discuss their concerns about the following issues:
- Electrification of the line;
- Noise and vibration along the line;
- Air Quality and Human Health impact and
- West End RailPath.
Metrolinx had an extensive display about the rail line and associated issues. They also had many of their staff from various areas of expertise ready to discuss any questions posed by our residents.
Metrolinx were very impressed with the quality of the dialogue coming from our very well informed residents.
There is a community coalition called Clean Train Coalition (CTC) that sent a representative to our meeting. They were given an opportunity to address the meeting with their positions about the project. "The Clean Train Coalition includes people living in all the communities along the rail corridor. They believe that a healthy environment and vibrant neighbourhoods depend on smart investment in public transit infrastructure".
While the RMRA is fortunate in that our community will not suffer any division of its parts for the rail line, the RMRA certainly supports CTC's position of the use of clean running, quiet electric trains and accessible and affordable transit for everyone. More information about CTC can be found at their link: www.cleantrain.ca
The RMRA has been working with Metrolinx to help provide an easier and more effective dialogue with ouir community. More information can be found about the Metrolinx project at their web site: www.metrolinx.com
Given the success of the April meeting, the RMRA has asked the Metrolinx people to return for another meeting in June to report about the results of the information that they gathered during the April meeting. A time and date is now in the works and should be ready for announcement at our May meeting.
Stay tuned.
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Spring Fever
The 2009 Spring Fever event is back! Saturday May 9 from 10am - 6pm. Our friends at the Roncesvalles BIA are organizing this great event for our neighbourhood. Be sure to check it out!
http://www.roncesvallesvillage.ca/?page_id=425
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April 2009
The 2nd annual Roncesvalles Area Yard Sale (RAYS) is coming!
Saturday May 23, 2009 from 9am-3pm
(rain date: May 24, 2009).
Brought to you by the Roncesvalles-Macdonell Residents' Association in conjunction with the High Park Residents' Association and the Sunnyside Community Association.
Sell your stuff from the comfort of your front yard (or garage)! Buy things from your neighbours! Bring your friends and let them explore one of the city's best neighbourhoods!
Please register your yard sale by contacting Chris, via email, at ronces.yardsale@gmail.com or
go to the official 2009 RAYS blog: roncesvalles-area-yard-sale.blogspot.com for complete information or
call Chris at 647-233-6875.
February 2009
The Metrolinx Virtual Open House for the Georgetown South Service Expansion and Union-Pearson Rail Link is now live.
You can review project details, Open House storyboards and submit your comments to the project team. This site is accessible 24/7 for your convenience.
Visit metrolinx.com for more information.
The proposed Georgetown South rail corridor expansion and new rail service between Union Station and Pearson International Airport is one of the first projects to be implemented from “The Big Move”, Metrolinx’s Regional Transportation Plan for the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area (GTHA).
This service expansion will make it easier to get around the region, create construction jobs, spur economic growth for businesses and communities in the GTHA, ease the social and economic burdens of traffic congestion, and reduce air pollution.
We want to get your feedback about the project proposal before issuing the formal Notice of Commencement for the Transit Environmental Assessment Process (TEAP).
Please submit your comments by Monday, March 16, 2009 at 5pm EST for inclusion in the draft Environmental Project Report (EPR).
Comments received after March 16th will be included in the final EPR.
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The Soft City
...will be exhibited and workshops will be held at City Hall this weekend and next.
as part of The WinterCity Festival A Celebration of Culture, Creativity and Cuisine
January 30 to February 12, 2009
Discover Soft City, a whimsical plush mini Toronto created by hand with felt, fabric, stuffing and your imagination.
Kids can join in workshops to make their own mini creations to take home or add them to the growing cozy, architectural wonder.
Try your hand at creating mini city blueprints, or send your friend a postcard from the Soft City.
The Soft City installation will be on display all day in the Toronto City Hall Rotunda both weekends.
In the Rotunda – Toronto City Hall
Soft City Workshop
Toronto City Hall Rotunda
Saturdays, Jan 31 2pm–7pm
Feb 7 2pm–7pm
Sundays, Feb 1 2pm–6pm
Feb 8 2pm–6pm
For more on the Soft City...
http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http://www.thesoftcity.org
For more information about the Wintercity event:
> http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http://www.toronto.ca%2Fspecial_events%2Fwintercity%2Findex.htm
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A New Community Arts Festival is being organized to debut in April 2009
Kiteworks
KiteWorks is an ad hoc, not-for-profit collective that believes art can work to build stronger communities and bring about meaningful social change!
With your help, KiteWorks aims to coordinate an interdisciplinary community arts festival in Parkdale called KiteSite: Ronces-dale / Park-valles.
The festival is scheduled for the first weekend of April 2009.
We believe that the ideas driving the festival must come from community members like all of you!
Our workshop series invites community members to explore local history through storytelling and arts-based activities. By sharing stories about local history and community development, KiteWorks hopes to spark dialogue about local issues that resonate among Parkdale's residents. This dialogue will then inform the collaborative creation of artworks that speak to these issues.
Committed to community engagement, KiteWorks strives to impart the value of community custodianship, teaching how small actions can make big differences and be catalysts for meaningful social change. KiteWorks believes that our responsibility to our local community and our immediate environment is directly linked to our sense of allegiance to place. By celebrating stories of local history and social justice, KiteWorks hopes to honor a diversity of neighbourhood experience and affiliation.
Arts-based workshops will be held at the
High Park Library in the
Community Room on
Mondays, 6.15p.m -8.00 p.m.
the following dates:
January 19
January 26
February 2
February 9
February 23
March 2
March 9
March 16
March 23
March 30
Be Involved!
Be Inspired!
More:
see: www.kiteworks.blogspot.com
contact us: kiteworks@hotmail.com
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Volunteers needed!
We need help with everything from posting flyers, to making telephone calls, to serving on the executive. In particular, if you walk your dog or go for strolls in the neighbourhood and can post flyers for us on that route, please let us know. This month we need help with our annual flyer drop. Please call if you can spare even half an hour, it is appreciated. Many hands make light work.
Call Meghan at 416-534-6720.
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The RMRA is a volunteer- run organization. Our volunteers do a variety of jobs, ranging from delivering flyers, putting up posters, staffing events, to planning and design. We bring a variety of expertise and experience to our tasks, united by our love for this neighbourhood, and our dedication to its’ healthy future. Without many hours of volunteer support, we would not be able to achieve a third of what we do each year.
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