Volume 46 No. 17
November 15, 2016
Six months later, No Frills still closed By Lara O’Keefe
IT’S BEEN nearly six months since residents of the CoxwellGerrard area awoke to find themselves without a neighbourhood grocery store. The abrupt closure of Rocca’s No Frills in May left the community without answers and, more importantly, without easy access to healthy and reasonably priced food options. Kevin Groh, Vice President of Corporate Affairs and Communication with Loblaw Companies Limited – the parent company of No Frills – said following the closure that “Rocca’s No Frills has served the community for decades and plans to serve it for decades more. To do that, significant building improvements and renovations are required.” The company stated they – Dustin would be “making significant improvements to the building,” and yet months later the building remains empty and barren, stripped of its logo without any signs of improvements or return. Residents in turn have been left wondering when or if they’ll be graced with the presence of a nearby grocery store again. Standing outside the empty store with his wife and young child on November 10, Dustin Williams, a resident of the Coxwell and Gerrard area said that the closure of Rocca’s No Frills is, “a bit of a bummer...it’s the only one in the entire area. Other than that you’re going up to Pape and O’Connor.” In a statement last week, Lo-
blaw’s Groh said the company is still in the permit process of the renovation plan. “Starting early next year, we will begin demolition to parts of the store to create a new store that will provide a better shopping experience for our customers.” He said that the company plans to reopen Rocca’s No Frills but “at this time we cannot confirm the timeline as we are still in the process of receiving required permits from the city.” This statement was echoed by the tenants of the hair salon next door who indicated that, despite rumours to the contrary, they are not concerned about the building being torn down and had been told by the owners that the store was simply in the process of getting approval for renovations. The company has been offerWilliams ing a shuttle that runs every 15 minutes from the parking lot of Rocca’s No Frills to Dave & Charlotte’s No Frills at 449 Carlaw Avenue since the closure. But even when Rocca’s was open, the Coxwell and Gerrard area was defined as a “food desert”. Sarah Soteroff, speaking on behalf of Richard Florida’s research team at the Martin Prosperity Institute, part of the University of Toronto’s Rotman School of Management said that “means that people have to travel farther for fresh food, they may not have healthy options nearby, they may be unable to comparison shop when purchasing food.”
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“It’s the only one in the entire area.”
Continued on Page 5
PHOTO: ANNA KILLEN
We will remember them Flavio Morandin performs with the Ulster Accordion Band at the November 11, 2016 Remembrance Day ceremony at Kew Gardens, one of several events held throughout the day. For more Remembrance Day photos, see Page 27.
Council votes to increase wards By Anna Killen
TORONTO CITY council voted last week to increase the city’s number of wards and councillors by three – putting to rest fears by some that the Beaches-East York ward would be split in half. The 28 to 13 vote to increase the number of wards to 47 from 44 was in line with the recommendation by a team of consultants tasked with reviewing Toronto’s ward boundaries in order to achieve more effective representation. Some wards have a population of 30 to 45 per cent more than the average, meaning some people’s votes hold more weight than others. One of the ward options considered would have kept the current number of wards the same, but changed the ward boundaries. That option, the 44 ward option, would have split the Beach ward boundary in half, drawing a petition from concerned residents. At the November 9 council meeting, Ward 32 councillor Mary-Margaret McMahon voted in favour of the
47 ward option, reiterating comments she made at the October 26 executive committee meeting where she apologized on behalf of some residents who made “disparaging remarks about Scarborough” and was in favour of keeping neighbourhoods together. She noted that the 47 ward option sees Ward 32 lose Little India – the area north of Queen and east of Coxwell, which would become part of another ward. “Unfortunately, with the 47 ward option we will lose Little India, which is a fantastic pocket … it’s quite diverse and eclectic and interesting, and I am upset about losing it,” she said. “But that has the least impact on our ward.” Speaking to councillors who were advocating for fewer wards and councillors – some spoke in favour of reducing the amount of wards to 26 – McMahon said “I would challenge you to come down to a busier ward.” “I will tell you there are wards that are a heck of a lot busier than other wards, so come and check out a busy ward before you think you can deal with double the population,” she said.
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