Summerhill to Uganda

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Summerhill resident Sarina Condello travels the world through her Big Little Caravan of Joy arts-based initiative that brings educational programs to vulnerable, remote and orphaned children. The program’s impetus is to empower and engage children — using the arts (dance, drama, etc.) as a vehicle to do so.

Condello just returned from Burkina Faso in West Africa a little over a month ago but has travelled to Swaziland, Kenya, Uganda and seven First Nations communities in northern Canada this year alone. Condello has now educated 10,000 children throughout eight countries and 20 First Nations communities, and each child who has taken part in her program has received 20 to 40 hours of arts programming.

The Big Little Caravan is still just a small grassroots initiative that fundraises to help bring its curriculum to children in need all over the world — a cause close to her heart. The team of four to 12 people also collaborates with a number of foundations such as Right To Play, a sports-based initiative, to pay for supplies and travels.

Her next big project in February will focus on training in-area leaders to effectively mobilize and galvanize children through the arts. According to Condello, by training and hiring regional artists, child care workers and teachers with a specialized arts-based curriculum, this dynamic program has empowered educators and children worldwide.

“The training of these community mentors or leaders is where the sustainable aspect of these kinds of initiatives take hold,” she said.

Yet Condello is aware of the risks, especially with the Ebola virus epidemic currently in West Africa.

“I weigh what’s exaggerated in the media,” she said, “and do the research before going into each area. But I also go into areas where [drug] addictions are high, as well as cases of HIV. I’ve travelled to places throughout South Africa that have the highest percentage of HIV cases in the world,” Condello admitted. “There is nothing glamorous about the kind of travel I do, at all.”

But Condello says she feels a strong sense of inner satisfaction when she sees how happy and engaged the children become during the program.

“This kind of work changes you,” said Condello, “it’s stops being about you and really gets you to focus on the children and what they get out of it.”

Disused church is given new life in Forest Hill

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12:18 pm

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With congregations declining throughout Toronto, many are having trouble paying the bills, and old, decommissioned churches like Deer Park United are being put up for sale. This commonly causes strife between developers and residents (who aim to protect the churches’ historical and sentimental value) — but sometimes a collaboration pays off.

In the Blue Diamond development on St. Clair Avenue West, between Yonge Street and Avenue Road, Deer Park United (built in 1913) will become a different kind of community landmark — incorporated into a three-part development by Camrost-Felcorp and Diamond Schmitt Architects. The front, north-facing portion of Deer Park will likely be turned into a café, whereas the roof on the back of the church will be removed, allowing for an outdoor courtyard secured as a privately owned public space.

The inspiration for the project came to principal architect Donald Schmitt on a visit to London, England.

“The frame of Christchurch Greyfriars church, bombed in World War II, is now a rose garden in the heart of the city.” said Schmitt. “In this way, the social sense of communion and a vivid sense of history is preserved.”

The courtyard will be designed by landscape architects Janet Rosenberg Associates as a kind of sculpture garden, bookended with public art, allocated for an estimated budget of over a million dollars.

“In this way, a vivid sense of history is preserved.”

“That stretch of St. Clair is a bit of a dead zone — we wanted to animate it,” said Andrew Athanasiu, senior policy advisor to councillor Josh Matlow (whose ward encompasses the church). “And this was a really positive way of doing that.”

The three-part development at 101, 111 and 129 St. Clair Ave. W. will also include the Imperial Oil Building — to be retrofitted for residential use and a new state-of-the-art condominium (28 storeys tall). The public art plan intends to unify the three developments with $675,000 worth of art for each of the two sites (to be linked conceptually).

An artist selection team consisting of various art experts, such as Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO) board member Jay Smith and AGO curator of modern and contemporary art Kitty Scott, will shortlist three artists from an invitational competition. Tony Cragg and Anthony Gormley are just two of the artists expected to participate.

Janet MacInnis, a lifelong member of the church’s former congregation — which vacated in 2008 after they ran into some financial difficulties — is a fan of the development (slated to finish construction in 2016).

“It is a wonderful resolution to a difficult situation,” said MacInnis.

Local twins win with city-farmed chickens

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One rooster, two geese, 14 chickens and a dozen awards. Twin brothers Matthew and Andrew Patel’s hobby of raising chickens paid off at the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair this month, where the Grade 12 students at Upper Canada College showcased their prize-winning birds.

“We had a whole team of people,” said Andrew of the preparation process. Each chicken had to be washed and groomed for the fair. This involved slowly submerging every bird into a tub, massaging water through the feathers, blow-drying them and coating the legs in Vaseline. The brothers even borrowed their mom’s china teacup to put vinegar on the chickens for shine.

Andrew and Matthew originally got the idea to keep chickens as pets five or six years ago but waited until November 2011 to take the first steps. Matthew said they were always interested in animals and local food. They did extensive research on chickens before getting their first ones. When they decided to tell their parents, Matthew said, “I don’t think it shocked them too much.”

Part of their research was into Toronto’s bylaws on allowing animals to live in the backyard. Currently, residents cannot legally keep chickens within city limits — a bylaw the Patels unsuccessfully helped challenge two years ago. The twins appeared before Toronto City Council in 2012, asking a committee to reconsider the ban, but in a five to zero vote, councillors refused to study the idea further.

That didn’t stop the Patels. They have six chickens at their home, which the twins take turns feeding and cleaning up after. The brothers even collect eggs and gift them to the neighbours. One of their chickens won first place and best of class at the fair, among a slew of other first, second and third place prizes. Some of the birds were borrowed from Blue Haven Farm, where the brothers get their chickens and plan to leave them when they head off for university.

The Patels hope to enter more competitions before leaving home next fall. Although neither of them is looking for careers in the food industry or animal welfare, the brothers said they will continue to be advocates for the local food movement.

Andrew encourages everyone to learn more about it. “Get out and get reading, even if it’s just for five minutes,” he said.

New leadership for David Dunlap Defenders

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Astronomy fans and appreciators of public space in Richmond Hill are planning their next steps, with news that the David Dunlap Observatory Defenders has had a shakeup in leadership.

Chalk it up to old-fashioned tenacity, perhaps. Led until recently by Karen Cilevitz — freshly elected as councillor for Richmond Hill’s Ward 5, a post previously held by Nick Papa — the David Dunlap Observatory Defenders, established six years ago by Cilevitz and others, has had one goal in mind: the preservation of the David Dunlap Observatory and its surrounding parklands.

The University of Toronto sold it to Corsica Developments Incorporated in 2008. With a landmark victory following many long, agonizing years of heritage hearings and provincial petitioning, 111 acres of green space was ultimately saved, with it mutually agreed that the site’s heritage locations should be transitioned to public ownership.

“This is a most heartfelt, bittersweet moment for me.”

So with all this behind the David Dunlap Observatory Defenders and with the results from the recent municipal election, change is afoot for the organization that is now regrouping under new leadership.

“This is a most heartfelt, bittersweet moment for me,” Cilevitz recently said, noting the work that she and other members of the observatory defenders had been mutually involved with since 2008. “My position as chair of this remarkable organization has, without doubt, been one of my most meaningful achievements.”

Now, as councillor, Cilevitz finds herself on the opposite end of the spectrum — facilitating public advocacy rather than spearheading it. But facing this transition, she told Post City, with the selection of astronomer Dr. Ian Shelton as the David Dunlap Observatory Defenders’ new chairperson, she has nothing but confidence for both the organization’s and Richmond Hill’s future.

After all, she said, the observatory grounds — proposed as the new David Dunlap Observatory Park — are part of Richmond Hill’s backyard, and Shelton is the man to help make it a reality.

“On behalf of [David Dunlap Observatory Defenders],” Shelton said, “I wish to thank Karen for her remarkable leadership and vision.” Starting now, he said, begins the transition of the group into a new organization, called Friends of the David Dunlap Observatory Park.

Former trustee brought up on charges

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UPDATE: In June 2015 the charges against Howard Goodman were dropped and he was exonerated. Here is a Toronto Star story with more details.

A longtime Toronto District School Board (TDSB) trustee has been charged with criminal harassment and forcible confinement. Howard Goodman, a veteran TDSB trustee for Ward 8, Eglinton-Lawrence, who did not seek re-election, is facing the two charges with a court date set for Dec. 18 of this year.

The first charge is that Goodman allegedly “harassed a person from fall 2013 to present.” The police also allege that on one occasion Goodman forcibly confined the same person. Constable David Hopkinson, with the Toronto Police Service, said he could not elaborate on the incidents.

Councillor Sheila Cary-Meagher alleges she saw the incident leading to the forcible confinement charges.

It took place in January.

She had an appointment to see director of education Donna Quan. She alleges she saw Goodman prevent Quan from leaving the room, his voice abrupt and angry when he spoke.

“I think I broke his concentration and she was able to leave the room.”

“I think I broke his concentration and she was able to leave the room,” said Cary-Meagher. Goodman was arrested on Nov. 12 and later released on a promise to appear in court. His lawyer, William Trudell, said in a statement that Goodman is innocent and intends to “vigorously defend himself against these charges.”

“Mr. Goodman has a deep commitment to students and the education system and will continue to take his responsibilities as a trustee seriously,” reads the statement. “He has a great deal of respect for the criminal justice system and regrets that it is being misused for political purposes.”

Goodman has served on the board for over a decade. His term was set to expire on the last day of November. He is facing a maximum of 10 years in prison for each charge.

This is not the first time Goodman’s behaviour has been in the spotlight. Following a complaint against him after a recent meeting, the TDSB brought in an off-duty police officer for future meetings. TDSB refused to comment on the current case as the matter is before the courts.

Thornhill automobile exec imprisoned in Cuba

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Seventy-four-year-old businessman Cy Tokmakjian, who is currently being held in a military hospital in Havana, Cuba, due to failing health, was delivered a 15-year sentence for corruption-related charges on Sept. 26.

Tokmakjian, one of several foreign business investors who got swept up in an anti-corruption campaign in Cuba, was taken into custody in 2011 and spent the next two years at La Condesa Prison in a cellblock with 50 hardened criminals and similarly accused businessmen, before any charges were laid. The company’s Cuban assets, worth an estimated $100 million, were also seized by Cuban authorities.

Stephen Purvis, of British investment fund Coral Capital Group Ltd., spent eight months in the same cellblock as Tokmakjian, where he too went through what he calls “a Kafkaesque process of arrest on trumped-up charges” — in his case, revelation of state secrets, and in Tokmakjian’s case, tax evasion, fraud, bribery and economic crimes against the state. According to Purvis, the campaign was meant to hide a purge initiated by Raúl Castro’s interior ministry, to remove all high-ranking officials close to the former president, Fidel Castro.

Conservative party member of Parliament, Peter Kent, whose riding includes the company’s head office, called the conviction a “gross miscarriage of justice” and marvelled at what he referred to as the “kangaroo court” demonstrated at the businessman’s trial in June.

“Our hope now is that Mr. Tokmakjian will be sent home to Canada one way or another to be with his family,” said Kent. “A far from a satisfying end to this gross miscarriage of justice, but in the interest of his well-being, that’s what the family and his company hope will happen now.”

Canadians Claudio Vetere and Marco Puche, both friends of the family and Tokmakjian managers, were also sentenced to 12- and eight-year sentences, respectively. “These are good, hard-working people,” said Tokmakjian’s son Raffi Tokmakjian. “We want to get them home.”

The Tokmakjian Group is reportedly seeking $150 million in damages and another $10 million in punitive damages in a suit filed in April against the Cuban government.

Tokmakjian’s Canadian lawyers announced a decision to appeal to Cuba’s Supreme Court Oct. 15, despite previous concerns that it would impede the possibility of his release to Canada to serve out the remainder of his sentence.

North York hospital prepared for Ebola

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1:39 pm

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Ontario Minister of Health Dr. Eric Hoskins has announced a new directive for Ebola preparedness and has designated several Toronto area facilities as referral hospitals, including Sunnybrook, should any case emerge.

Meanwhile, North York General was recognized as one of the most prepared facilities to handle any cases of the disease.

The directive was designed to allay concerns about crisis preparedness including those voiced by the Ontario Nurses’ Association (ONA).

The other hospitals include Toronto Western Hospital, Hospital for Sick Children and St. Michael’s Hospital.

“Sunnybrook serves a very special role within the Ontario health care system, and Ebola preparation is no exception to that,” said Dr. Andy Smith, executive vice-president and chief medical executive at Sunnybrook. “One of our tag lines is ‘when it matters most.’ We’re set up to take on difficult situations.”

Smith stressed that Sunnybrook features an emergency medical assistance team and the expertise of Dr. Robert Fowler who has treated over 100 Ebola patients in Africa.

The Ministry directive has been met with approval by hospitals as well as the ONA. However, first vice-president of the ONA’s board, Vicki McKenna, did note in an interview that they remain concerned about the actual implementation of those recommendations in terms of supplies of protective equipment and staff training. She also made clear that the ONA wants to be part of the process of improving procedures for potential future incidents.

As a result of the directive, hospitals like Sunnybrook are now readily supplied with different types of personal protective equipment (PPE), ranging from that required for regular screenings to more dangerous tasks such as inserting an endotracheal tube into a possible Ebola patient.

At North York General Hospital, Dr. Kevin Katz, medical director of infection prevention and control, reiterated a definite confidence in their safety measures and the readiness of the hospital’s front line staff. He also wished to clarify exactly how Ebola is transmitted to the public.

“It’s not a highly transmissible disease, it’s not transmitted by air, and it’s not transmitted by food or water. It really is [only] blood and body fluids,” said Katz. At press time, none of the 10 Ebola tests carried out on patients in Ontario were returned positive.

Yorkville’s historic vanishing act

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That Yorkville has officially arrived is not in question. But whether or not that is a good thing is still up for debate.

The downtown neighbourhood runs along Bloor Street from Church Street to Avenue Road and from Charles Street to Scollard Street. It is undergoing a dramatic facelift with a multitude of massive and ultra-posh condo developments in the works, a newly established Four Seasons Hotel that is expected to receive five-star status and a growing supply of couture on Bloor Street’s Mink Mile. There is no denying that Yorkville now equals luxury.

The area has come a long way from its shabby, hippie roots in the coffee houses and folk music clubs of the ’60s where musical giants such as Neil Young (for whom a private room at One restaurant is now named), Joni Mitchell and Gordon Lightfoot all crawled along the bohemian blocks of yesteryear while imagining their art in the local cafés.

Some buildings in the neighbourhood date back to the mid-1800s and have been well preserved. Yorkville Fire Hall (which Lady Gaga recently strolled into with her dog for an impromptu photo op) was originally built in 1876. Across the street sits Yorkville Public Library, built in 1907.

Yorkville Town Hall, gone but now a public square, was built in the mid-1800s, and the entire residential area from Scollard Street north to Davenport has heritage designation.

Today’s Yorkville has also kept some its celebrity. The opening of the Hazelton Hotel in 2007 was the first five-star calibre hotel in Toronto (rooms start at $500 per night) and has been a passing home to the likes of Elton John and Madonna.

Instead of folk music and coffee houses, the area is now known for its $30 burgers and its haute couture boutiques such as Gucci. It is on Cumberland Avenue or Yorkville Road that one can find a limited edition Ferrari parked in front of a limited edition Aston Martin … on an ordinary Sunday afternoon.

“You’re looking at some of the most expensive real estate in the city; retail rents are the highest in the country,” said Briar de Lange, executive director of the Bloor-Yorkville Business Improvement Area (BIA).

But all this appeal has made Yorkville prime downtown real estate, and developers continue to swoop in and mark their territory amongst the real estate royalty of Toronto.

This has some area residents worried they are losing what has made Yorkville so great to begin with.

“The village of Yorkville is fast losing its Victorian charm and appeal to high-rise developments. The majority of developers show little interest in the preservation of our fast disappearing heritage assets,” Gee Chung, president of Greater Yorkville Residents’ Association said.

Chung pointed to York Square where the current development proposal would see the destruction of the seven semi-attached and row houses dating back to the 1900s.

Chung said that the city is doing nothing to help preserve the heritage of Yorkville and pointed to the Bloor-Yorkville community, which includes the BIA, as doing most of the work.

“The biggest threats are high-rise developments, especially those approved, but yet to be built, in culturally sensitive streets mid-block, especially Yorkville Avenue, across from the 100-year-old Yorkville lending library, the fire hall and the site of the Yorkville Town Hall. The scale and density of new developments [there] are completely insensitive to these heritage assets,” Chung said.

Several other projects will include massive towers slated at Cumberland Terrace shopping mall; the former home of the Cookbook Store on Yonge Street and Holt Renfrew on Bloor Street (though that is not expected for another 10 years). Also coming online is 94 Cumberland at Belair and York Square at the corner of Avenue Road. And a tower is already underway at Avenue and Cumberland.

“Further down the line the Stollerys building will become a condo at some point,” de Lange said. She also believes another potential site is at St. Thomas and Charles Street West.

Heritage experts in Toronto are aware of the problems that could happen in the area if there is inconsiderate or poorly managed overdevelopment.

“If Yorkville loses its heritage and character, then Yorkville is no longer Yorkville, it’s anywhere. And that’s the worst of what can happen to any neighbourhood in this city that has its own character,” said Gary Miedema, chief historian and associate director of Heritage Toronto.

However, Miedema believes there is a way to make it all work.

“What I would want to emphasize is, as the city grows, it is entirely possible and very important to build new with the old and not to erase the city that we have in order to build the future. And that’s going to make the city a much, much better place to live, and it can be done,” he said.

But the residential influx has already caused other problems, including a lack of parking and traffic congestion. Driving down Yorkville Avenue or Bloor Street at any time of day is difficult. And one of the last remaining parking lots — a Green P located between Yorkville and Cumberland — will also be taken down and redeveloped for condos.

“We have very specific needs in the neighbourhood, and businesses have told me that it is very important to keep parking in the neighbourhood,” said councillor Kristyn Wong-Tam.

“But I’m not a fan of above-ground parking. There is a human process of how the human form can interact with the storefront, and often the neighbourhood can be affected by above-ground parking.”

The BIA — whose annual budget is roughly $2.8 million — also say they are working to keep the essence of Yorkville alive and have a priority to preserve the heritage and walkability of the community.

BIA projects have included several reconstructions and refurbishings of area parks and boulevards. The Bloor Street Project, now complete, saw the investment of $20 million dollars into beautifying Bloor Street with the planting of 134 London Plane trees, widening of granite sidewalks and curbs, adding flowerbeds and 80 bike rings and the installation of 27 granite benches.

“We have a neighbourhood undergoing tremendous investments in the public realm, as well as the expansion of public park plan. There is a strategic plan on my part to make Yorkville the premier dining and park destination,” Wong-Tam said.

Forty more towers for Yonge and Eglinton?

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Concerned about population growth outpacing its infrastructure development, City of Toronto, City Planning urban planner Terry Mills has submitted a lengthy and somewhat dire forecast for the Yonge Street and Eglinton Avenue intersection.

With seven towers already under construction there and about 10 more in the approval stream at city hall, Mills said this is only the tip of the iceberg for potential development there. In his forecast he predicts another 40 towers or major developments in the vicinity over the next 20 years and an anticipated 30,000 more people living there.

“We’re seeing runaway development in midtown Toronto’s growth centre at Yonge and Eglinton,” Mills said. “We have to assess local issues using a planning approach based on complete communities.” He explained he came to his forecast by taking inventory of the lots suitable for intensification and those that are or may become available for purchase within the sector.

“The city needs to determine what the tipping point is: How do we accommodate for this population growth with the existing infrastructure? And how to ensure public realm is protected?” he said.

Ward 16 councillor Josh Matlow couldn’t confirm there might be 40 more projects to contend with in the next 20 years but did say it is an area facing unprecedented growth and pressure. “There certainly are a lot of applications going to the city from condo developers for that area, and it is incredibly important that infrastructure keeps up with that anticipated growth,” he said, adding the recently approved Midtown in Focus Plan, which sets guidelines for protecting public realm and improving park space in the area, is one way the city is addressing those concerns. “But there is so much more that needs to be done, and that’s why we’ve been fighting so hard for a [subway] relief line there to ease some of those infrastructure pressures.” He added that the next term of council will be vital in determining how the next 20 years of growth there unfolds, and one immediate solution he hopes will be in place shortly is a controlled turn at Yonge Street and Roehampton Avenue, synchronized with the Yonge-Eglinton intersection lights.

Joanne Kates reviews DaiLo, College Street’s Asian fusion destination

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When I was young, I bemoaned not being a beauty. It seemed the gorgeous girls had it so easy. Everything came their way, no sweat. But it turns out that while I was breaking sweat to make a life, some of the beauties I knew weren’t having it so good.

Not long ago, I ran into one of them. Two marriages down, she can still get any guy who gazes upon her, and she still jets, bejewelled, to global party places. But who needs it? I’d rather have my stable family life.

Which puts me in mind of Nick Liu. As chef of Niagara Street Café in 2008, he was the beauty. No matter what new act of culinary daring Liu attempted, we were putty in his hands. His fusion veered more towards the French than to his Markham Chinese heritage. After Niagara Street Café closed in early 2012, Liu put out the word that he was soon to open a restaurant called GwaiLo, Cantonese slang for “foreign devil.”

But two things happened. First, chef seems to have realized it’s not such a great idea to bite the hand that feeds, so he changed the name to DaiLo. And second, he got stuck in pop-up land. That’s where star chefs go to make twice the money with half the headaches. Liu did pop-ups in places like (the former) Senses — moribund restos that needed rent money. He popped around town for almost three years, getting a barrel of blog attention — being that beauty.

And now — finally — DaiLo is open, in the College Street space where Grace once lived. Why, you wonder, have I hemorrhaged so much ink on history and left so little space for the food?

Because that’s all this food deserves.

They’re calling it Asian with a French accent but I’m calling it confused and uncommitted. Does the world need Chinese food that re-invents the wheel mediocrely? Big Mac bao is steamed bun with hamburger meat and a pickle inside (!) and house-made processed cheese sauce outside. Yuck. Crispy octopus is deep-fried overcooked octopus with overcooked red braised pork saved (almost) by coriander and sweet spices. OK wontons come drowning in too much dark brown house XO sauce. Black bean chili Brussels sprouts are all right, but they’ve been browned so dark that their membership in the vegetable kingdom is unsure. As for Singapore curry cauliflower, think Singapore noodle spicing (commercial curry powder) gone thick and goopy. Not fun.

The smoked trout and the Peking duck tacos are both charming and properly done. But hey, in a town full of tacos, hardly special. For dessert, the coconut lime leaf rice cake (so-called) is dry and the advertised flavours are MIA

And yet DaiLo is super-cool and quite mobbed. Well, the beauties never had to do much either.

503 College St. / $80 Dinner for two

Ambience: Elegant yet bustling turn-of-the-century Chinese bistro
Signature Dish: Whole fried trout served with a trio of sauces: green curry mayo, caramel-soy glaze and nam jin

The Property Brothers: Five easy ways to give your home an autumnal makeover

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It’s a bit late in the year to start a roof-raising reno, but autumn is a great opportunity to do some simpler upgrades and get your home ready for winter. Here are some seasonal ideas to spruce up your nest:

• Extend the life of your outdoor parties. (Who doesn’t want that?) To cope with cooler temperatures, add an outdoor firepit. Even the simplest metal-bowl design (which can double as an ice-filled drinks cooler on hot summer days) can be a warming, festive focal point — and an invitation to toast s’mores! Propane space heaters (the kind used on restaurant terraces) are another option. Add to the cosiness with blankets. Autumn is also a great time to plan ahead. Remember that oxygen-giving trees and shrubs are good for the environment as well as your property value. Plant them in fall, and they’ll have time to settle in before the first freeze and be ready to flourish in spring.

• The interval between summer vacation and holiday entertaining is a good time to upgrade your kitchen. Before you tackle a total makeover, remember that smaller fixes also can make a kitchen look and function better: new drawer and cabinet pulls and sink faucets, fresh paint on walls and/or cabinets, more stylish lighting. Replacing counters can be a big plus (and cost), but even without doing that, putting in a new tile backsplash can have a striking impact. Make sure that all your choices harmonize with each other, and your kitchen will look better than ever.

• An affordable way to mark the change of seasons: new throw pillows or pillow covers and slipcovers. A palette of warmer, richer hues and patterns complements the shorter days and cosy nights of fall and winter. You can even add new accessories that complement the feel of the fabrics. This is a fun way to keep things fresh without tearing down any walls or committing to an entire design overhaul — store what you’re replacing, then swap it back into the mix to herald spring and summer.

• It’s a good idea to have your chimney inspected and swept periodically — something we tend to neglect because we don’t see the result. And consider upgrading what you do see: your fireplace surround. If it’s dated or discoloured, a new finish or cladding can really dress up the fireplace and the room. For a tired brick fireplace, this could range from painting it to resurfacing it with a surround of tile, stone, metal or whatever strikes your fancy (and conforms to code safety standards!). You can find good-looking prefab chimney surrounds in a wide array of sizes, styles and materials — or handsome vintage ones from architectural salvage dealers. Update your fireplace and you’ll enjoy it more this winter — and even without a fire, it will enhance the room. There’s nothing better than a round of board games with the fire crackling in the background!

• Now — before cold weather comes — is when you want to check for energy-wasting leaks around doors and windows and stop them with caulk or weatherstripping. Replacing a leaky, weathered front door is one of the most cost-effective changes you can make. The latest metal and fibreglass doors offer greater insulation and security without sacrificing style, and a well-crafted wood door has timeless appeal. Whatever the material, complement it with durable hardware that complements your home style.

Post City Magazines’ columnists Jonathan and Drew Scott host The Property Brothers, on the W Network, thescottbrothers.com.

Recent area tragedy sparks action on residential streets

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9:32 am

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The tragic mid-July death of six-year-old Georgia Walsh at the corner of Millwood Road and McRae Drive and a recent report by the City of Toronto’s chief medical officer on vehicle speed rates and fatalities have inspired a series of new potential policy changes by Toronto City Council.

Coun. John Parker and Coun. Josh Matlow brought forth a list of potential new safety measures for neighbourhood streets to the last North York and Toronto and East York community council meetings, respectively, in mid-August, and have directed city staff to investigate the potential of reducing speed limits from 40 kilometres an hour to 30 on residential streets throughout both of their respective wards. North York Community Council also approved prohibiting right-hand turns on red lights at that McRae intersection as well as the surrounding intersections of each elementary school in Leaside.

“We don’t want to have a knee-jerk reaction because of something tragic, but we do need to come up with meaningful ways to forward the cause of safety on our streets,” Parker said. “Even I had an initial impulse to see speed limits reduced, but I now think there are more dimensions to this that we need to study first before coming to that conclusion [to reduce speed limits].”

“We don’t want to have a knee-jerk reaction to something tragic.”

The report by the medical officer says pedestrians have a 20 per cent chance of fatal injuries with speeds of 40 km/h, while at speeds of 30 km/h, fatality rates drop to as low as five per cent. Parker said that although speed reduction is an option, he’s cautious as it could cause more frustration than it solves. Coun. Matlow said the speed reduction “could literally be the meaning between life and death” in pedestrian-vehicle collisions but agreed street-specific reviews and study need to take place before making sweeping changes.

“There needs to be an opportunity for consultation; we need the public to be involved in this discussion,” he said.

Parker also brought forth the idea of extending the dead-end Redway Road all the way through to the Bayview Avenue extension as an alternate thoroughfare for commuters to travel through Leaside. Other measures the councillors have asked staff to report on include the potential of new controlled pedestrian crossings along Bayview, increased police patrolling in areas of concern and right-turn restrictions to make using residential streets less appealing for non-local traffic, particularly in Leaside.