Doly Begum MPP for Scarborough Southwest
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Volume 49 No. 19
BEACHMETRO.COM
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416-690-1032 • beyrima.ca RBerns-McGown-CO@ndp.on.ca
December 15, 2020
It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas
Donations still much needed by Share a Christmas By Alan Shackleton
PHOTO: ALAN SHACKLETON
Mattie Thornley, and her dad Tyler, take in a Christmas lights display on Unity Road in the Greenwood and Danforth avenues area late last week. There are lots of great lights displays on streets all through the East Toronto area this year. If you would like to share some of the displays with the readers of Beach Metro News, please send us photos by email to editor@beachmetro.com.
COMMUNITY CENTRE 55’s Share a Christmas campaign is in its final push for donations as it works to help more than 1,000 local families who are in need this holiday season. The COVID-19 pandemic has delivered this year’s campaign a double-whammy as it increased the number of people seeking help while also severely limiting the number of volunteers Community Centre 55 can utilize and completely ending donations of non-perishable food items. Debbie Visconti, Executive Director of Community Centre 55, said the cost of replacing what was traditionally a flood of donated food items is a challenge for this year’s Share a Christmas. “My biggest ask is for financial donations,” she said. “We have had to replace thousands of pounds of food donations with cash purchas-
Height of proposed Housing Now building on Queen Street East a concern for residents By Ali Raza, Local Initiative Reporter
Journalism
AS THE City of Toronto moves forward to build affordable housing in the Beach, residents raised several concerns at a Housing Now project’s first community consultation meeting. Housing Now is an affordable housing initiative from the city and CreateTO aimed at using cityowned lands to build mixed-income and mixed-use development. Many sites across Toronto have been con-
sidered for new affordable housing developments. The focus of the online community consultation meeting on the evening of Dec. 7 was the site at 1631 Queen St. E., a small block of land between Queen and Eastern Avenue, just east of Coxwell Avenue to Kishigo Lane. The 1.19-acre site is the current location of the Beaches Employment and Social Services offices and the Coxwell Early Childhood Centre. The childhood centre is set for expansion, while the employ-
ment office will be relocated as part of the Housing Now initiative. At the online meeting, residents joined Beaches-East York Councillor Brad Bradford, and other staff from CreateTO and the city, to go through a brief presentation on the project and discuss concerns with the community. “We have to find the right balance, we need reasonable density, we have to respect to the planning framework, and we want to make sure this project is livable, a welcoming community to contribute to
the vibrancy of Queen Street East, but also push the envelope to meet our affordable housing goals,” Bradford said. Residents were concerned that the development would exceed six storeys - the current bylaw restriction on Queen Street East. They also raised concerns regarding the childcare centre during construction, and the increased traffic and congestion that may follow. “It may well be over six storeys,” city senior planner Paul Mule told Continued on Page 4
es.” Instead of packing Christmas hampers full of food and other items to last recipients for a number of days over the holidays, Community Centre 55 is now giving out grocery store gift cards for those in need to use. That’s because COVID-19 has put a stop to the traditional gatherings of large groups of volunteers over the past 39 years at the centre who spend evenings packing up the hampers with donations. “Our volunteers want to help but they just can’t,” said Visconti of the packing and delivering of hampers. Since many families are scaling back their holiday celebrations due to the pandemic, Visconti said some of those savings are finding their way to the Share a Christmas campaign. “So instead of spending it on themselves, they are helping others in the community,” she said of Continued on Page 4 HAPPY HOLIDAYS!
FRONT PAGE
FLASHBACK
FROM Community Centre 55 Please Donate, visit centre55.com
Community Centre 55 wishes you and your family a safe and happy holiday season. Please Donate. Visit centre55.com
Front Page Flashback to Dec. 18 of 2007. Please see Page 19