Richard Silver

Archive for July, 2009

Should Toronto City Workers Be Residents of Toronto?

I wonder if we would be moving in to the fourth week of the Toronto City Worker's Strike if all City workers had to be residents of the City of Toronto. If they all had the same services...or lack of...and also paid the ever-rising taxes of a City in deficit, maybe they would be less likely to strike or be more willing to settle. It should be a condition of employment that any City of Toronto employee have to reside within...Continue Reading...

Cabbagetown Alert: Sunday Clean Up of Parliament Street!

Come one, come all... But bring a broom, dustpan and gloves. Meet at the Jet Fuel Cafe' on Parliament Street at 10 AM on Sunday morning, July 12th, 2009!! 20 great souls came out last weekend and volunteered to help clean up Parliament Street and we were able to get a few blocks done. Please join us and spread the word so that we can expand the clean up. We promise not to keep you more than one hour but it makes...Continue Reading...

Toronto Real Estate Board: June 2009, Best June on Record!!

GTA Resale Housing Market Posts Best June on Record TORONTO, July 6, 2009 - In June 2009, Greater Toronto REALTORS® reported a record 10,955 sales, up 27 per cent from June 2008. The seasonally adjusted annual rate of sales in June was 100,700.* "The record result in June is testament to the fundamentally sound housing market in the GTA," said the Toronto Real Estate Board’s newly appointed President Tom Lebour. "An increasing number of households have been confident in purchasing a home...Continue Reading...

Garbage Strike Week Three Information!

As we start in to Week 3 with no end in site and our garage/garbage starting to smell, (not that it was not odorific at the best of times), here is some good information sent to me by my local area Ratepayers Association from Councilman Kyle Rae's Office. I must say how impressed I am with the way the Residents of Toronto are dealing with the Strike. Some are whining but most are becoming more resourceful. Yesterday about 20 of us met...Continue Reading...

Cabbagetown Cleanup: Many Thanks and Good Work!

Thanks to all those who showed up this morning  at 10 AM to hit the streets and do some cleaning up of Parliament Street. A BIG thanks as well for Johnny Jetfuel who took a full truckload to the dump. Drop in to Jet Fuel Cafe' this week and thank him!! A group of about 20 residents of Cabbagetown came together and spent one hour up and down the street picking up a lot of litter. It was fun to see...Continue Reading...

Cabbagetown Controversy: To Seat or Not To Seat!!

What would a community like Cabbagetown be like without a good controversy? Over the past few weeks there have been rumblings in the Cabbagetown Community about a plan being put forward by the Old Cabbagetown Business Improvement Area (OCBIA) called Cabbagetown 2.0. You can find the full report at Sunarts.ca (click on the Cabbage) but the discussion mostly seems to be centered mostly around a seating plan that would affect the east side of Winchester at Parliament (North and South), Carlton Street (North and South) east...Continue Reading...

Cabbagetown: Parliament Street Cleanup. Help get the word out!!

Tired of the garbage on Parliament Street? This Sunday July 5th at 10 AM, bring your broom, dustpan, kids, friends and family to help clean up Parliament Street. Let's all meet at the Jet Fuel Cafe'  (519 Parliament Street) before 10 AM. Johnny Jetfuel has agreed to have his truck out front and take the garbage collected to the dump.  I will happily provide Biodegradable Bags if you bring your own broom and dustpan. Please let all your friends and neighbors...Continue Reading...

When Toronto’s Green Roof Dream Becomes a Nightmare.

Toronto City Council has mandated that as of January 2010, all new construction must have a certain percentage of the roof designated as a GREEN Roof. While the idea sounds great at the onset, I am pessimistic...as usual: Developers are often short sighted. They know that they have a finite time to build and sell the property, making their profit as quickly as possible. Some are often known to take shortcuts and seldom see themselves involved in the property twenty years...Continue Reading...