Flooded beach attracts rare bird By Phil Lameira
Volume 46 No. 5
May 2, 2017
THE RECENT high water levels at Woodbine Beach may have raised concerns for some in the community, but for enthusiastic birdwatchers it has raised interest in the wildlife that has found the flooded areas to be the perfect spot for a migration pitstop. The flooded area to the west of the beach has been attracting many gulls, particularly some that are somewhat rare. The majority of gulls seen in our beaches are ringbilled gulls (Larus delawarensis), easy to identify by their black “ring” around their bill. The other species
often seen is the herring gull (Larus argentatus), a larger gull often with a red subterminal spot on its bill. The ones in least numbers are the Iceland gulls (Larus glaucoides), which are officially split into two subspecies, the Kumlien’s (L.g. kumlieni) and the nominate glaucoides Iceland gull (L.g. glaucoides). It was the nominate glaucoides that had birdwatchers from Toronto and afar coming down to the Beach for a closer look. This subspecies breeds in Greenland and is a very rare visitor to southwestern Ontario. Continued on Page 2
Church-based artist residency gets creative with space By Anna Killen
WHEN MATT Adams, associate priest at St. Aidan’s in the Beach, first began Creative Space, a monthly open house that invites artists to use the church sanctuary as a studio, he thought it would be a relatively low-key way to give back to the community. “We wanted a way to connect with artists,” said Adams, of the program that began last fall. “And I kept hearing that there are a lot of artists, but there’s not a lot of space.” But after several Saturday sessions and a conversation with participant and artist Diana Bahr, Adams realized that while the once a month drop-ins worked as workshops, they weren’t going far enough to address the underlying issue of a lack of studio space for artists across the city. “If you could offer space more frequently and you could offer storage space, then I would come here more often,” Bahr told Adams. The two began brainstorming and, without wasting any time, drew up plans for a pilot project – a six-month artist residency for emerging artists, now underway. Called Creative Space Residency, the project works to revitalize the artistic heritage of the church – prominent Canadian visual artist Doris McCarthy was a member – and offer affordable and accessible studio space to artists at the beginning of their careers. The inaugural class includes Bahr, and three of her former classmates, recent graduates of OCAD. The four work out of the newly-christened Alan Dodds Studio, which for years was the residence of the late Alan Dodds, the church’s longtime caretaker and a fixture of the church community. “He was very much a part of the church,” said Adams. Dodds will be honoured by the church later this month on May 13, the same day the artists open their bright, airy, top floor Silver Birch studio for the Akin Collective’s East End Gallery Crawl. Akin operates several affordable studio spaces throughout the city, and the team at St. Aidan’s looked to Akin as a model when drafting out a plan for the residency. “Akin has grown by securing 12 commercial spaces in four buildings across the city,” explained Akin Collective’s Oliver Pauk, of how the group is trying to meet the demand for suitable studio workspace. “It’s great to hear of other organizations pursuing the same goal by making use of, in some cases, under-utilized buildings.” Continued on Page 11
PHOTO: PHIL LAMEIRA
Shake it off Notre Dame’s Avidity perform at the 11th annual Dance Off competition at Notre Dame Catholic Secondary School on April 21. After much deliberation by judges Diana Reyes, Apolonia Velasquez, and Ofilio Sinbadinho, Chaminade’s Vivacious Dance Crew was crowned the winner. Father Henry Carr’s FHC Cyphers came second and Senator O’Connor’s Synergy finished third.
Nine-storey condo proposed for Kingston Road By Anna Killen and Lara O’Keefe
ANOTHER NEW condo could be coming to Kingston Road. This one is a nine-storey development for 507-511 Kingston Road, proposed by Vista Nova Development Ltd., and located on the south side of Kingston Road backing onto Wheeler Avenue. The proposal is for 57 one, two- and three-bedroom residential units and 72 underground parking spaces with a vehicular elevator. Two four-storey townhouse units would face south onto Wheeler Avenue.
The proposed building’s height would be 30.5 metres from Kingston Road and a 14-metre high structure, stepped to 40 metres as viewed from Wheeler Avenue. “City staff have identified the proposed height as an issue,” said community planner Derrick Wong. A March 9 staff report on the proposal notes significant concerns with the “height, transition to the south, and frontage” and notes that “the proposed building height plus the grade difference is not acceptable.” The front of the development
would face Kingston Road, while the rear would face Wheeler Avenue, which is identified as part of a low-rise neighbourhood. Wheeler Avenue is 9.5 metres lower than Kingston Road at this location. “The proposed development must have an appropriate transition to the neighbourhoods in the rear,” reads the report. While staff write that they could not support the application as proposed, they note they have communicated their concerns to the developer over the past several months and the applicant has “indicated a
willingness to work with staff to achieve a more appropriate development.” They recommend that the application continue to be processed “notwithstanding that the original proposal would merit refusal, as it is possible that review and revision will result in a supportable proposal.” To that end, the city will be holding a community consultation May 4 from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. at the Beach United Church at 140 Wineva Avenue to discuss the planning application.
The development would require the demolition of the buildings currently in place which include two existing detached dwellings and a two-storey apartment building. The staff report notes the proposal will be considered in context of other buildings in the area, including recently approved developments that are six, seven, and eight storeys tall. Zoning permissions on the site are split, with greater density and height allowed along Kingston Road and much lower density allowed fronting Wheeler Avenue.