LeasideLife issue 27 draft 2_LeasideLifev1 14-03-19 7:54 PM Page 1
No. 27 • April 2014
Leaside Life leasidelifenews.com
An extraordinary woman Page 22
SUE BYFORD
‘Surely it is not a function of Rotary to stimulate owners on the strip’
Last year’s Bits and Bites on Bayview Ave.
OMB okays old PO plans By Geoff Kettel, Co-chair LPOA A proposal to permit the building of a seven-storey (plus mechanical penthouse) at the corner of Malcolm and Millwood (the site of the former post office) was approved when the Ontario Municipal Board allowed an appeal on March 7 to permit the zoning by-law to be amended. This was a disappointment, but not a surprise, to residents of the area and members of the Leaside Property Owners’ Association. The die was cast when the OMB chair determined that because Deni Papetti, a registered architect, had a home immediately adjacent to the subject property, he must present solely technical, rather than opinion evidence in making his case against the building of the structure. OMB, Page 8
Rotary Club gives up on helping Bayview By PATRICIA PHENIX The Rotary Club has cancelled a second Bits and Bites on Bayview because of lack of merchant response, says club member Peter Bennett, the driving force behind last year’s street party. The taste-fest, held June 21 and 22 last year, was designed to publicize the street’s restaurants and retail stores, as well as raise funds for the club’s community fund. A year later, Bennett wonders why he bothered. “Only four or five merchants went to great lengths to support the concept, and only one or two people, non-restaurateurs, have indicated an enthusiasm for a repeat,” says Bennett. The profit generated was a disappointing $1,800-2,000. Bennett, the owner of Hearthstone Property Management on Bayview at Belsize, concludes that Rotary cannot act “as a cheerleader for the area” and that “those at financial risk have to come forward and organize to protect and grow their futures.” Sue Byford, of Bonnie Byford Real Estate Ltd., who designed a website and poster to promote the day, empathizes with Bennett’s struggle to unite store owners in a common project. ROTARY, Page 2
Request to demolish Elgie House
Renaissance Fine Homes, developer of the heritage Elgie House on Bessborough, is asking for permission to demolish the home at the same time that it is waiting for an Ontario Municipal Board hearing on its desire to just move the house on the property. This latest request was to be heard by the Toronto Preservation Board in March, after our deadline. ELGIE, Page 2