Hop to it On Page 14, gardening columnist Mary-Fran McQuade breaks down everything you need to know about hops: 2018’s herb of the year. PHOTO: ONTARIO MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE, FOOD AND RURAL
Volume 46 No. 21
January 23, 2018
Birch Cliff residents call for calm on Kingston Road By Josh Sherman
BIRCH CLIFF resident Amy Corcoran was already worried about children getting hit by motorists in her area. Then one struck her four-yearold daughter, Violet Graham, as she crossed Warden Avenue at Freeman Street on her way to school on Nov. 3, 2017 with her caregiver. “We were extremely lucky that it didn’t result in death or more severe trauma,” she said at a community meeting hosted by Ward 36 Coun. Gary Crawford on Jan. 18 at St. Nicholas Anglican Church on Kingston Road. At the meeting, which representatives from Toronto Police Services and Transportation Services attended, Corcoran and other locals got the chance to share their stories and comments as well as learn what plans the city has to improve safety on local streets. The meeting was held in the wake of a pedestrian death at the hands of an alleged drunk driver on Dec. 21 at the intersection of Kingston Road and Warden Avenue, which, according to material provided at the meeting, has been the site of 42 reported collisions, seven involving pedestrians, in the last seven years. To improve safety in the area, Corcoran said she’d like to see flashing signage, crossing guards, displays that show motorists how fast they are driving, and stop signs before school zones. These were all measures that Myles Currie, the director of Transportation Services who was on hand, said were possibilities for the area. In addition, Currie suggested “advance greens” for pedestrians could be added to the Kingston and Warden intersection. “What we’re starting to look at is giving pedestrians the walk signal before the signal turns green,”
PHOTOS: JOSH SHERMAN
Above, Ward 36 Coun. Gary Crawford, at right, addresses attendees at a Jan. 18 meeting about road safety on Kingston Road in the Birch Cliff-Cliffside area. Below, Birch Cliff resident Amy Corcoran speaks at the meeting.
he told the about 50 in attendance. “The pedestrians get into the roadway, they become a lot more visible earlier as opposed to entering the road at the same time as a car.” Staff are mulling adding more time for pedestrians to cross the intersection as well. Meantime, the city is looking at reducing the speed limit to 40 kilometres an hour on Kingston Road from Victoria Park Avenue to Birchmount Road. “I’m really not sure if 50 kilo-
metres an hour is the appropriate speed along that section of the road anymore,” Currie said. Seven per cent of all collisions in 41 Division over a three-year period occurred in the Birch Cliff-Cliffside area, according to TPS. However, 41 Division Sgt. David Liska said 11 per cent of the division’s enforcement was dedicated to the area. “There is a significant amount of enforcement that goes on here,” he said.
Danforth site recommended for new cop shop By Josh Sherman
THE SITE-SELECTION process for a new, amalgamated 54 and 55 Division police station is moving one step further to completion. On Wednesday, Jan. 24, city council’s executive committee will hear the recommendation that the city choose the TTC garage at 1627 Danforth Ave. for the new station
site rather than two other options, the existing 55 Division headquarters at 101 Coxwell Ave. and the East York Civic Centre at 850 Coxwell Ave. The three finalist sites were selected from a list of approximately 550 potential sites that Toronto Real Estate Services compiled last year. If executive committee approves
the recommendation, city council would then have to make a decision. Ward 32 Coun. Mary-Margaret McMahon noted the executive committee decision had been deferred previously, dispelling the notion that the city had settled on the TTC site from the start. “It was supposed to go to executive committee in November
[2017],” she said. “It’s not the case—they were explored, several sites.” Community consultations concerning the site-selection process have wrapped up, but McMahon suggested the plan is to continue to speak with local residents about what the future site will look like with a police station. “It’s a colossal conversation,”
she said. “We’re hoping to still continue the conversation.” Toronto Police Services has earmarked $37.3 million for the design and construction of the new station. The division amalgamation is part of a $100-million budget containment plan. For more on this developing story, visit www.beachmetro.com.