Saving our Toys

The toys in the park are a big part of what makes our little neighbourhood special. This photo comes from last winter but I'm using it to exemplify a problem. I was walking by the park last week when I came upon the City Maintence Crew busy collecting all the toys in our park to throw them away. Apparently there has been an accident elsewhere in the city where a child fell off the climbing apparatus and cut their head on a toy in the sand. Therefore the City has decided that all toys have to be taken out of the sand area.

HERE'S WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW:
Children can play with the toys in the park, but once you are finished please gather the toys together and put them at the edge of the path - keeping the path clear.

If we don't do this, the toys will be taken away by the city.

If any one else has a suggestion of creating areas that are marked for toy storage, please bring them forward.

Photos from our first summer party

Thank Kimberly and Silvano for taking a camera to our first ever Green Belt Home Owners Association Summer Party


We all had a great time. The weather was perfect. Next year we need even more people and we'll make sure the firemen show up again.

Monday is vote day

This is just a quick reminder that Monday is voting day in our municipal elections.

Everyone needs to vote.

In case you haven't received your voting card, the Polling Station for Ward 24, Subdivision 31 is at

Greenland Public School
15 Greenland Road,

The Polling Station will be in the GYM which can be accessed directly from the parking lot. Polling is open from 10:00 am to 8:00 pm. You'll need ID, go to toronto.ca/elections for information on what is accepted.

Petition to oppose the size of development proposed for Green Belt Drive

The Don Mills Residence Association has developed an online petition to present to the city regarding the proposed development for Green Belt Drive. At the moment the plan presented to the city has been for a ten story condo. Although the developer has attended meetings with area residents, alter plans have not been presented to the citizens. If you would like to appose the size and plan of the development click on the link and add your names to the list.
http://www.thepetitionsite.com/828/560/286/redevelopment-of-moccassin-trial-and-greenbelt-drive/

The fish are back

We went for a walk through the valley today, just to see if the salmon had started their run. And they have. It's early days yet. We say a few ripples that seemed out of place and then managed to get these pictures from the main bridge just past the Rainbow Tunnel. It's an incredible sight to see. The fish are about 2 and a half feet long (and we've seen larger in other years). The whole walk was lovely. The sun shone, couples, families and dog-walkers abound. Chatting with each other as they pass, even if it's just a simple "nice morning".

Take the time to go for a little walk and look at the surface of the water. It doesn't take too long to see the silvery sides of a rather large salmon making its way up river.

Summer Party a Huge Success

The day was perfect. The sun shone, the company was excellent, the children were running around and even the fire department showed up. By all standards, the first Annual Green Belt/Don Mills Home Owners Association community party was an all out success. Over 30 families congregated in the park to share lunch and introductions to one another. To make the event fully memorable, the fire department showed up with the community truck to give the kids a chance to climb in and through a real fire truck.

All in all, a great day for one and all. Next year, we hope there will be even more neightbours out to meet each other. We live in an awesome neighbourhood - let's celebrate it.

Any body who took photos, please share them.

Community Picnic - September 7th

It's really exciting when we walk around the neighbourhood and people start asking when the community picnic is going to be? So we picked a day -
When: Sept 7th
Starting: at 1:00 pm.
Where: our little park
We'll make it a picnic. Bring a blanket and a picnic lunch for the family and an extra dish to share.

If you have a folding table, bring it along. We'll set them up with the food.
We'll set up a Bocce Ball tournament.
If someone with children has some ideas for kids, please make suggestions.
Anything else, please make suggestions.

On the day of the picnic, we'll have stick-on nametags so we can get to know each other.

Of course everything is weather dependent.

Redevelopment Proposed for 60-Acre Celestica Site in Don Mills

reposted from http://urbantoronto.ca/news/2014/08/redevelopment-proposed-60-acre-celestica-site-don-mills

The largest redevelopment proposal triggered to date by the construction of the Crosstown LRT has been received by the City of Toronto. Electronics manufacturer Celestica International Inc. is looking to amend the Official Plan for its 24 hectare/60 acre headquarters property at Don Mills Road and Eglinton Avenue East to allow for the redevelopment of the under-utilized land; the company's low-rise buildings only occupy 27% of the property while much of the rest is currently used as surface parking lots. With an underground LRT station opening here in 2020, market forces will undoubtedly drive up the value of the land, potentially making the low density use of it financially unsustainable and undesirable from a broader planning perspective.

The proposed redesign of the area would transform the plot into two zones that would include residential units, office space and retail space. The final product would be based on seven development blocks served by new public streets and open space. The property at the northwest corner of Don Mills and Eglinton is bordered on the northwest by Canadian Pacific Railway tracks.

During its December 2013 meeting, City Council considered a request to convert the Celestica headquarters, which were originally designated as employment lands, for non-employment purposes. The City decided to designate them as General Employment Areas instead, zoning which permits places for business and economic activities generally located on the peripheries of employment areas, and which also permits retail and service uses such as restaurants, fitness centres and ice arenas. This zoning does not include residential uses.

This new application hopes to amend the status of the land as employment areas, splitting it into a general employment area and mixed use areas, which would allow a substantial amount of residential housing. The area of the plot located to the far southwest, designated as Natural Area, has had no amendments proposed.

If this amendment is approved the residential conversion proposal would accommodate 2,897 dwelling units, 77,136 m2 of office space, and 9,105 m2 of retail space. In this plan Wynford Drive is proposed to be extended westward and southward through the site to connect to an existing interchange at Eglinton Avenue. A new public street would begin at the existing right-in-right-out driveway from Eglinton Avenue and extends northward beyond the proposed Wynford Drive extension, turning eastwards to another right-in-right-out outlet at Don Mills Road. This street would divide the mixed use portion of the west and central areas from the employment uses on the east side of the site. A second new public street would run east-west through the central portion of the site and provide access to the residential, retail and office spaces.

The conceptual site plan of the mixed use areas includes eight high-rise buildings, ranging from 24 to 40 storeys, stacked townhouses, convenience retail, open spaces, and community uses. A hockey arena along with below-grade and at-grade parking to accommodate approximately 930 vehicles has also been proposed. The general employment area uses include two retail buildings and two office buildings ranging in height from two to eight storeys. Celestica does intend to lease back office space for headquarters use and potentially some research facilities as well.

The existing buildings, which contain 113,248 m2 of office and manufacturing space, are proposed to be demolished. However, there is a chance that portions may be retained for posterity's sake; a Heritage Impact Assessment was completed for the 844 Don Mills Road headquarters, a former IBM plant. ERA Architects, who prepared the assessment, indicated that the building's the primary facades and landscape elements could be recommended for restoration where opportunities exist to to re-integrate original features. The former IBM plant is listed on the City of Toronto's Inventory of Heritage Properties.

Properties on the other three corners of the Don Mills and Eglinton intersection are City holdings and have recently been turned over to Build Toronto for redevelopment, while the Crosstown LRT station will impact them. The main entrance for the station is currently planned for the southwest corner, closest to the Ontario Science Centre to the south. A secondary entrance with bus platforms are planned for the northeast corner. The southeast corner is currently a parking lot.

The City's greatest concern with the proposal is that such a large amount of space would be removed from the city's inventory of lands designated for employment, while many other issues must also be assessed. They include the proposal's conformity to applicable provincial legislation, traffic impacts on the existing road network and intersections, conservation of the heritage resources at the site, and the general viability of a new community in this area. We will keep you updated on how the City responds to this proposal and what that will mean for the Don Mills and Eglinton intersection and surroundings.

Another great reason to live in Don Mills and not Leaside

I know this is a quick jab to the ever popular Leaside neighbourhood, but when you read the exciting news about what's happening with the crosstown LRT, you'll understand why we're much luckier. We will get all the benefits with very little pain.

To quote the local news: the Elington Crosstown is the cornerstone of the Toronto LRT projects. Starting at Mount Denis in the west and traveling underground from Black Creek Drive to Laird Avenue, the new LRT train will link to 54 bus routes, 3 TTC interchange subway stations and GO Transit.

This is where we get off so much better than our neighbours in Leaside. Don Mills residents can avoid much of the construction pain by staying away from Eglinton.

The big dig has begun. Commuters can expect a traffic nightmare for a while. Daily lane restrictions on Eglinton between Leslie and Laird have already begun as crews clear utility lines and trees in an area on the south side of Eglinton to make way for a massive excavation shaft.

Parts for the next two tunnel-boring machines - nicknamed Don and Humber - will arrive this summer and be assembled in the shaft before they start drilling the 3.25 km section heading west to Yonge St.

Many will have already experienced the lane reductions as traffic squeezes from 3 lanes each way, into 1 lane in each direction. In a couple of weeks, traffic will also be tied up around Laird as Metrolinx begins building the below ground walls that will form the ends of the subway station there. Work will continue on the station for 6 to 8 months. And it will take 2 years to build an emergency exit for the line close to Leaside High School.

For all the latest information check out the website http://www.thecrosstown.ca

Plans to extend our piece of natural paradise in the heart of Don Mills

Exciting news about the natural woodland in our neighborhood - The city is planning to extend the trail system through the Charles Sauriol Conservation Reserve all the way to Wilket Creek Park and then down to the waterfront.

Part of the city’s ten year capital works project is to develop a network of off-road paved trails throughout the city including a trail that will link the Charles Sauriol Conservation Reserve to the network of trails running south to the lakeshore and east from the Forks of the Don at Don Mills Road and the DVP, and will also link to interregional trails east of Toronto.

The plans are in place and the money ear-marked for the project. Completion is planned for 2019.

The Charles Sauriol Conservation Reserve is really like a private reserve just for our neighborhood. It’s an amazing space that can only be accessed via the park that lies south of Lawrence Avenue just east of the DVP or via Moccasin Trail Park. As you walk under the ‘rainbow bridge’ – visible to anyone who’s driven up the DVP just north of Wynford Drive – and wonder across the bridge you will find the main trail. If you turn left you’re heading north and will ultimately run into the Milne House – an abandoned, historic Gothic Revival farmhouse at the north end of the reserve.

On the way you’ll pass by one of the City’s Bird Flyways sites, a project created to enhance bird habitat along migratory corridors, and a small pond that is home to raccoons, beavers, mink, rabbit, fox, blue herons, turtles, salmon, deer, and a myriad of other native wildlife.

If, instead, you have turned right and head south you would follow the river through natural wetlands, past river views, under train trestles and around woodland until you wind up at the Wynford-Concorde neighborhood. There is a challenging trail here that will lead you up to the Tim Hortons at Wynford Drive and Concord Place.

Stop aggressive driving - you have the power

This is personal (I almost got hit backing out of my driveway this morning) but I have heard many other neighbours issuing the same complaint - there are too many aggressive drivers in our little neighbourhood.

You have the power to stop it!

We are a small neighbourhood, the posted speed is 40 km/hr. We, the community, asked for that. There are many children playing in the park and out and about on the roads and sidewalks. Lots of people walk around the neighbourhood, with and without dogs. It's what makes our neighbourhood great. We are also densly populated and need to make accommodation for each other. Running stop signs, whipping around corners, or just being a little too pushy are all asking for trouble.

Take the time to allow your neighbour to back out of a driveway. Tight parking situations mean that people are manouvering around tight corners and dealing with blind spots. Remember that the next time you see someone inching their way into traffic.

What to do if you spot aggressive driving

If you spot aggressive driving, the Toronto Police Service does have a way of reporting it. Go to https://webapp1.torontopolice.on.ca/dors/hit-run.html and follow the steps.

To report illegal parking, call 416-808-2222 (24 hours-a-day, 7 days-a-week).

What's going on with area developments?

Just a quick update. There are two active development areas in our little neighbourhood: Green Belt Drive and Nob Lane and the Ghod's development on David Dunlap Circle. Everything is quiet right now but there have been small developments.

Ghod's development did take their plans to the OMB on May 20th. The OMB decided to postpone the hearing until the autumn to allow the city to prepare its case. Ghod's has proposed a townhouse development that the city feels is too densely populated and has proposed fewer homes.

As for the second proposed development at Nob Lane and Green Belt Drive, the city has hosted two working group sessions with representatives from the neighbourhood and the developer. After consultation, the developer appears to be modifying his plans to accommodate neighbourhood concerns but to date no official proposal has been presented to the city. Until something is officially introduced, everything is hearsay.

That's it for now. The current municipal elections mean that nothing will be done until city council reconvenes after the election.

Summer is not so far away

Summer is just around the corner and I, for one, can't wait to spend lazy hours sitting in my back garden sipping some wine and chatting with friends.

I've been getting a lot of lovely comments on my backyard (from an earlier post called Small Space Oasis). Although I would love to accept all the compliments, I feel it's only fair to point out that one of the four photos in the earlier post was my backyard, but the rest are other neighbour's.

Our backyard is our sanctuary. We had a patio installed with a hard top gazebo. Along the back wall we put up a privacy fence which allows for a clematis to grow. On the wall beside the door we've put up a fountain which really does limit the amount of noise from the Don Valley. Every year we do something a little different. Drop around sometime to say hi.

The patio was installed by:
Landscaper/patio stones/drivesways
Neale Nicholes
C: 416-886-2578
W: 416-688-2578
Neale also errected the gazebo.

The second backyard is from neighbours Sid and Chris on Green Belt Drive. They also have a hard top gazebo on a cement patio with oodles of flowering plants.

The third patio is Kim Fraser's from Humphrey Gate. Now instead of a large patio, Kim has chosen to create a shaded retreat surrounded by annual plantings of hostas and trees. The perfect place for two to toast the setting summer sun.


There are many more gardens in our little part of Don Mills, post your pictures and share your private space.

Curb Appeal: the easiest way to add value to your home

Boulevard garden at the corner of David Dunlap Circle and Jessie Drive

Shanta Maraj, local real estate expert was asked what affect curb appeal has on the value of homes. She said, “adding curb appeal is the easiest way to add value to your home.”

Studies confirm that curb appeal has a huge influence over how quickly your house will sell, and for how much. According to the National Association of Realtors, "curb appeal" sells 49% of all houses. But it’s not just your house and garden area that’s important, the condition of your neighbors' houses and yards can affect the curb appeal of your own home.

How do you improve curb appeal?

You don’t need to do a major landscaping renovation! In fact, small improvements often make the biggest difference… improvements you can easily do over a weekend. Here are some suggestions:
· Remove weeds and other unwanted growth.
· Prune shrubs and trim trees.
· Keep lawns mowed.
· Re-sod or re-seed bare spots on the lawn.
· Edge the lawn. (A simple task that can have a dramatic visual impact.)
· Sweep the walkway and driveway. Rake the leaves.

In small space communities such as ours, what you do with your outdoor space affects everyone one of your neighbours. There are minimum standards that the city has established for maintenance of outdoor spaces (see below for the actual wording of the bylaw). What many may not be aware of is that homeowners are responsible for all boulevard areas adjacent to their properties. This means as a homeowner of a house that has a boulevard, it is up to you to maintain that area as if it were your own.

City Bylaw
Article V of Chapter 743 of the Toronto Municipal Code requires that all property owners in Toronto:
Sustain all vegetation planted in the boulevard in a state of healthy growth, with boulevard sod kept trimmed to a height less than 20 cm (8 inches);

Maintain all private encroachments, including stairs, landscaping, fences, retaining walls or noise barriers in a state of good repair and free of graffiti and posters;

Maintain driveways, parking areas and walkways in a state of good repair;

Keep the boulevard and sidewalk clear of noxious weeds, litter, rubbish, brush, leaves, lawn and tree trimmings;

Keep an unobstructed two metre radius around fire hydrants;

Keep bushes, hedges and gardens trimmed at a height of less than 0.85m (2.5 ft), measured from the travelled surface of the adjoining road;

Prune and trim hedges, soft landscaping and private trees to ensure that they do not obstruct sidewalks and bicycle paths.

The City does not repair any private encroachment, such as a fence, stair or retaining wall, damaged as a result of road repair, reconstruction or snow removal and street cleaning. Property owners who do not maintain the boulevard are subject to a $200 fine as well as any costs incurred by the City to perform any required repairs or alterations.

Community Clean Up a Success

It was a successful clean up of the whole community. Although we all thought dog poop would be the biggest problem (it was pretty awful), cigarette butts were the most prevelant debris. Remember, this is your community, keep it clean.

Next on the agenda is a Welcome Summer BBQ. As soon as the weather starts to stabilize, we'll pick a date and plan a "Getting To Know Your Neighbours" afternoon event.

We also need to plan a gardening/weeding party, probably for 2 seperate dates through the summer to keep the garden around the children's play area in the park free of weeds and prickle bushes.

Community Clean Up

Everyone is needed to help

Winter has been really hard on our little neighbourhood. And no one can wait until its warm enough to be outdoors and enjoying our community but the place needs a serious tidying up.

It looks like we'll be getting some dry weather next week so let's plan a firm day for our community clean-up.

WHEN: Sunday, May 4th at 1:00 pm.

WHERE: We'll meet in the park.

WHAT: Plan to pick up garbage. Denzil Minnan-Wong's office will supply gloves and garbage bags.

WHO: Everyone plan to be there.

Serious Roofing Issues

The following is a post from a neighbour who lives on Dallimore Circle. Please read.

They are going to have their roof replaced and suggest that anyone else who may be having problems to contact The Cutting Edge Roofing company for a possible discount.

I will also add that I have heard from other neighbours in the Camelot Townhomes and they have told me that they need to have their dryer vents professionally cleaned each year. The vent cleaner of choices is Magic Touch at 416.425.6864. Cleaning involves going onto the roof and cleaning the vent each year.

I know from our own personal experience in our townhouse (one of the English Lane Townhouses) that the dryer vent had blown apart in between the floor joists and had distributed dryer lint (think massive fire hazard) between the floors. We knew the dryer didn't seem to work properly and took several cycles to fully dry the clothes, but we only discovered the reason when we renovated.

Hello Neighbours,

We live in one of the townhomes on Dallimore Circle and, unfortunately, have recently learned of potentially serious issues with our roof. As you can see from the pictures, there are issues with leaking water and mold. We have had two different roofers investigate and both have reached similar conclusions about the causes.

First, it appears the original roof consists of shingles put down on plywood, without a proper ice guard, water barrier, etc. This causes snow melt and rain to seep through into the plywood underneath. Second, it appears that some of the connections to bathroom fan and dryer vent exhausts are not properly connected - this results in moist air flowing directly into the attic. Over time, both of these causes have lead to a build up of mold.

We are therefore proceeding with a new roof, including plywood underlay as well as reconnecting all vents to the exterior. We are planning to use Cutting Edge Roofing, but also had a good experience dealing with Metro Roofing. The contact details are below.
http://www.thecuttingedgeroofing.com/

http://homestars.com/companies/2777450-the-cutting-edge-roofing

http://www.metroroofing.ca/

http://homestars.com/companies/2715075-metro-roofing-inc

The estimate, including HST, for a standard roof replacement is $4585 and a complete roof replacement including all plywood and vent connection is $7830. If several houses go in, the price may be reduced. Robert from Cutting Edge Roofing says to contact them directly if you are interested and he will coordinate. Since all of the townhomes of Dallimore Circle and Haldenby Terrace are the same, the price should be the same or at least very close. Finally, we will re-post with an update on the colour and brand of shingles in case you wish to try to match in the future – for the record, our plans are to try to match as close as possible to the existing colour.

Small Space Oasis

Spring is finally here and we're all getting ready to go out-of-doors.

Space, or the lack of it, doesn't need to confine us. Small spaces can provide a heavenly escape from the turmoil of urban living. The townhouses in the English Lane and Camrost developments are perfect examples of tiny spaces that can be made BIG with the right choice of design elements. Many of our neighbours (your author included) spend most of their time outdoors as soon as the weather permits.

All of the photos above are taken in our neighbourhood. Our "backyard" is our outdoor kitchen, diningroom and entertaining space - all 15 ft x 20 ft. Summer here in Ontario is so short, we seldom use our diningroom for the duration of the season, even stretching into the Fall with blankets and sweaters. Whether your garden is for the pleasure of the neighbourhood, or it's your tiny private oasis to toast the sun going down, take the time to make it your space. Smaller city spaces, although small in square footage, have the capacity of offering the urban homeowner access to a precious and scarce commodity: personal space!

Developer working with community

Last night was the first working group meeting regarding the development of the property on the north side of Green Belt Drive.

Just a little background: After the full community meeting held at the Don Mills School, Councilor Denzil Minnan-Wong's office offered to host working group sessions where the community's concerns could be reviewed with the developer.

The Results: the discussion was soley about the east parcel of land. No discussion was entered into regarding the west parcel. The developer presented a modified planned footprint for the proposed new condo building on the east site that would reduce the massing and density on the site by taking away the formerly proposed 8-story wing of the building that fronted directly on Green Belt Drive. This adjustment was met with enthusiasm by the community, however there were still strong concerns with the proposed overall height of the main building (sitting farther back on the site closest to the ravine area) - 10 stories.

The Follow-up: there will be a second meeting to specifically address traffic, parking and other concerns arising from extra density. Date and time to still be confirmed.

Watch out for the MELT

As winter slowly lets go of it's bone chilling grasp, we will be facing new challenges as all that snow and ice begins to melt. To help your house stay safe from potential flooding follow a few simple steps:
1) clear drains, make sure that melting water can access the drains on your property and on the road
2) for front balconies/porches, ensure that the drain is not plugged with ice. It may take a few kettles of water, but poring boiling water down the drain should open up frozen drain pipes.

Good luck and stay dry.

Dog walker/Pet Sitter/House Sitter

Dog walker/Pet Sitter/House Sitter who lives right in your neighbourhood....on Humphrey Gate. Can't say enough good things about her but that would be tacky as her is me!!! You can check out my website Pawsalot.ca

Sara Pardy (Rogue's mom) on Haldenby Terrace added this comment
Magic Touch is great for cleaning dryer vents, Magictouch.to, 416-425-6864

The unspoken rules of dog etiquette

The following post is here under request from multiple neighbors including dog owners (and will probably be reposted several times until the message gets through). Just to set the record straight, I'm Molly's mom. I love dogs but we need to step up our etiquette skills.

We have a fantastic, inclusive neighborhood with great friends that include dogs. But to maintain friendliness, we need to restate some basics of dog ownership.

RULE # 1: PICK UP YOUR POOP
The following image came from a campaign in the UK but it is something that we need to be aware of in our little neighborhood. We have a great park that is actively used by children everyday the weather accommodates. And children will pick up everything.

This should not need to be written down. Picking up your dog's poo should be dog walking etiquette 101, yet we have a huge problem in our little neighborhood. It doesn’t matter that there is snow on the ground, we need to pick up the poo. That includes in our lovely wooded areas. If your dog likes to relieve themselves in the local wooded areas you still need to pick up after them. The smell can be intense and other neighbors are all around.

RULE # 2: WATCH WHERE YOUR DOG PEES
People work hard on their gardens (and we want them to, well presented gardens increase property values), don’t let your dog pee on someone’s lawn or garden. The nitrogen in urine kills grass.

Comments and contributions are welcome

This is an email received. Please feel free to add all your comments. And if you know of someone that is not on the email list, please forward their email address. We need everyone to be included.

My mother lives at 76 David Dunlap and she’s been talking about having some type of community forum for people to share ideas and help improve the neighborhood. The blog seems to have more of a home improvement theme at this point but I was wondering if it would spread out to other areas.

We have a diverse neighborhood with families, professionals, first-time owners, renters, from all different backgrounds. With the end goal being a communal understanding of what it is to be a good neighbour and how to improve our surroundings, this blog seems poised to do both.

Here are a few blog postings I would be happy to contribute to if you deem them appropriate. I’m happy to elaborate on any of them and get your feedback.

1. Snow Removal
2. Property Maintenance/Landscaping
3. Mocassin Trail Park
4. Humour/Anecdotal

Colour match for the English Lane Townhouses

Colour matching our Exterior Paint

This article comes from Kim Fraser on Humphrey Gate

Our townhouses are of the age where they all are in need of some touch ups and a tour of the neighbourhood will show that many of us have attempted and failed miserably in the colour match department. Now trying to get a colour match truly is a pain in the you know where. It will be slightly different for all of us due to weathering, sun discoloration and just plain dirt, but the closer we can get the less our homes with look like a hodge podge of splotches. Here is the closest I have found after upteen attempts. (I covered up some crack repairs and if you don’t know where to look they blend in very nicely). First off you don’t need stucco paint, a high quality exterior paint like Behr’s from Home Depot does nicely. I experimented with their sample sizes (about $5 each) . I had them colour match a piece of stucco which is not fool proof due to the texture. The colour match is : Base UL 204: CL 23 , LL 110, RUL 1. I then had to add the colour Spanish Tan (MS-21) in a 2:1 ratio to get a good match. E.g 2 tsp’s of the colour match mixed with 1 tsp of the Spanish Tan. That ended up being a good match ( that is what I used for my repair. I then painted that onto a stir stick with the intention of getting that colour matched in the future when I need to paint a larger space e.g the underside of my car port. If you find something better please let us know.

Kim

Suggestions for Contractors

Over the years both Joe and I have been asked by various neighbours for the names of contractors that we have used for different renos and repairs. So here's our list. I encourage everyone to add their suggestions to the list. I know several people have done upgrades and repairs. We need suggestions for roofers, window repair/replacement, colour matches for outdoor house paint. We'll keep a running list so that it can be refered to:

General Contractor
Craig Newtown
City Renovations
647-295-0551
cityrenovations.ca

Plumber
Max Tremblau
647-889-7585

Electrician
JTL and Sons Electricians
647-294-7500

Marble and Granite
Sinco Marble and Granite
Artoush Sinani
905-477-7002
sincogranite.com

Painter
Mario Persechini
Lakehurst Decorating
416-414-2309
lakehurstdecorating

Airconditioning and Heating
Dwayne Culzac
Culzac Heating and Airconditioning
416-805-5941
http://www.culzacheating.com

Landscaper/patio stones/drivesways
Neale Nicholes
C: 416-886-2578
W: 416-688-2578

WE HAVE OUR OWN BLOG

It's finally done, we the residence of this little enclave of Don Mills, have our own blog. Created to help build neighbourhood spirit and cohesiveness, we'll add to the BreenBeltDonMillsHOA.blogspot.ca as often as we can. We'll use this spot to talk about neighbourhood events, updates on city planning for the undeveloped elements and general good news that will help make us a community.

Anyone can add to the conversation, so please post your thoughts and comments, just remember this is about positive spirit and cohesiveness. We want to build our community and make it the best place in the city to live - WHICH IT ALREADY IS!!!

Waiting for Spring in Don Mills

“In a city with so many great pockets, and many more improving faster than you can say "gentrification", the competition for the title of Number One Neighborhood is cutthroat…” That’s the opening line from Toronto Life’s recent listing of preferential neighborhoods in the city. With an overall rating of 70.0 (only really loosing points to a lack of effective transit – which many could argue applies to most of the city), Don Mills Branbury outshines all but Rosedale as the neighborhood of choice.

But ranking a community by arbitrary (albeit measureable) standards such as Entertainment, Health, Environment, Shopping, Housing, Crime and Transit doesn’t really tell the story of the neighborhood. It doesn’t talk to the community and the people who inhabit it. Our community toy chest does.

Instead of seeing the toys, neatly stacked under the community play set as plastic awaiting recycling, see instead a totally voluntary, non-orchestrated community toy chest. What started as a way for a young mother of three to reduce the chore involved in getting her children and their toys to and from the local park, she chose to leave the toys in the sandbox. Quickly the idea caught on. More and more families added to the growing supply of toys. And nothing makes a toy more interesting than it be something you haven’t played with before, something that didn’t come from your own home. Now, on any day when the temperature is above freezing, tiny hands swarm the play area gleefully running to find their favorite plastic treasure.

The small community park is the centre of the neighborhood. This is a neighborhood made up of all kinds of people who have arrived here from other parts of the city and other parts of the world. This is a community of people and families that enjoy the close living of urban life and enjoy watching the smallest of the community drive plastic trucks through the hills and valleys of the local sandbox.