DECA – Page 122 – Danforth East Community Association

May 25, 2013

Free two-hour art and meditation workshop – Sunday

Drawn Together: The Joys of Collaborative Art Making

Facilitated by Charles Hackbarth

Artisans At Work
Sunday, May 26, 2013
11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.

This is a pay-what-you-like event. Donations are accepted to help pay for supplies, rental of the studio and the facilitator’s fees.

A note from the facilitator:

Making art together in a collaborative setting is both exciting and challenging.
In this fun two-hour workshop, we will explore ways to make art together.
Working with the theme of interconnectedness, we will spontaneously create
large-scale drawings that incorporate the imagery, colours, mark-making and creativity of all the participants who come out and participate.

This is art-making as a social event. Stories are swapped, insights shared, friendships established.

This is an inclusive creative experience. Whether you are a professional artist, a hobby artist or someone who doesn’t consider themselves an artist at all, this is a fun and safe way to share in collective creativity. No previous art experience is necessary.

Please feel free to drop by anytime during the workshop. However there will be a guided meditation and brief explanation at the beginning of the session at 11 am.

Charles Hackbarth is an artist, writer, musician, Expressive Arts and Personal Transformation Facilitator. He’s been creating and showing his art since 1985. He’s been facilitating expressive arts workshops for 20 years.

RSVP to Charles Hackbarth at 416-691-7772 or chackbarth@sympatico.ca

May 24, 2013

1 more week until the #DanforthEast Yard Sale

We are eight days away from the first ever #DanforthEast Yard Sale. Modeled after the Great Glebe Garage Sale in Ottawa we are hoping for a critical mass of participants to bring out the more shoppers and to make everyone’s sale more successful. Currently we have nearly 60 participating households, 4 street sales and a rummage sale!

The #DanforthEast Yard Sale will take place rain or shine on Saturday, June 1st from 8am until 2pm. If you would like to register your sale, please contact us by email to let us know your address. We’ll also coordinate a donation pick up process with the Diabetes Association at the end of the day.

May 23, 2013

East End Tool Library – Please read and share

Tool Library and Maker Space coming to Danforth East!

Did you hear about the tool library that started in Parkdale a few months ago? Did you think it was amazing? Did you think “why don’t we have that here in the east end?” If so, here is some exciting news: the people who started it in the west end are bringing it to Danforth East! Please read the note below from Executive Director, Ryan Dyment so you can see how you can be a part of making this happen for our neighbourhood:

Dear Danforth East,

My name is Ryan Dyment and I am one of the co-founders of the Toronto Tool Library, now open in Parkdale. After a hugely successful grand opening of Toronto’s first Tool Library in March of this year, I am excited to announce the upcoming launch of our second location in the Danforth area – only this time with more tools and more options for the DIY crowd.

A Tool Library is very similar to a public library, however instead of only offering books to borrow, we offer a wide range of hand and power tools, gardening equipment and just about everything you need to renovate or beautify your home and neighborhood at a small fraction of the cost of purchasing or renting these tools yourself. People like the idea because it’s simple and just makes sense. After all, most people generally need a tool for just a short period so owning tools is expensive, increases clutter and is wasteful.

For just a $50 annual fee, the Toronto Tool Library in Parkdale now offers over 700 tools including power generators, hammer drills and router tables, most of which were donated directly by the community. Generous grants from the Ontario Trillium Foundation, The Home Depot Canada Foundation and corporate sponsors including the Salvation Army, Canadian Tire and Wurth Canada also helped stock our inventory. The project has garnered substantial press coverage including the Toronto Star, Globe and Mail, CBC, City TV and more.

For the East Side Tool Library, we are thinking even bigger. This time the project will also include 3D printers and a laser cutter as well as tools that are more difficult to transport such as a Band Saw and CNC Router for members to use on site. Workshops will be offered for members to learn how to use the tools and be part of the growing network of ‘Maker Spaces’ around the world.

For this exciting initiative to happen we do need your help. We are in the final stages of securing our location at Danforth and Coxwell and we will be renovating the space, building our furniture and stocking the shelves with a starting inventory for our grand opening this fall. If you would like to see this project happen please help us by doing one of the following:

Become a Founding Member: Founding Members will gain private access to in-house tools including 3D printers, a CNC Router, a laser cutter and more. Members must commit to monthly fees of $75 for 6 months along with a modest initiation fee. Tool Library membership is included. (Please note, Tool Library memberships alone are just $50 per year). Contact me to learn more.
Donate your tools: Help us stock the shelves for our East Side Library! If you have any lightly-used tools that are gathering dust at home, please let us know and we can pick them up and make them available to the whole community.
Volunteer: As we are building a DIY community, we want to renovate our new location ourselves. If you’d like to help with our renovations during July and August please contact us by clicking here.
Spread the Word! For this project to be a success people need to know about it. Please tell your friends and neighbours and let’s help build the sharing economy on the Danforth!

Many thanks,

Ryan Dyment

Executive Director
Institute for a Resource-Based Economy

To email Ryan with questions or comments, click here

May 21, 2013

Danforth Development Updates

Well, that wasn’t a very exciting title for this post, but here you are reading it so now you are validating my lack of creativity. The truth is that development along the Danforth is a topic that we all want to know about. Thanks to our most excellent City Councillors in Wards 31 and 32, we have lots of great info to share!

2362-2388 Danforth Avenue (formerly Status Auto, north side @ Westlake Avenue)

Since we have all had a chance to recover from the shock of losing our trusted mechanics at Status Automotive (they sold and closed up shop a few weeks ago), it’s time to start asking – what will become of the empty auto shop now? It appears that it will be used as a car wash! Thanks to Ward 31 Councillor, Janet Davis for this update and for organizing a community meeting about it:

The City Planning Department has received an application to construct an 8 bay car wash at 2362-2388 Danforth Avenue, on the north side of Danforth Avenue, west of Westlake Avenue. A car wash is permitted on this site, and no amendments to the official plan or zoning by-law are required. A site plan application and minor variances will be required.

While no community consultation is required, I have asked the applicant to meet with the community to provide neighbours the opportunity to ask questions and share their views. The Community meeting details are as follows:

Proposed Car Wash at 2362-2388 Danforth Community Meeting
Wednesday May 22, 2013 @ 7:00 PM
Danforth Mennonite Church, 2174 Danforth Avenue

Representatives for the developer will provide an overview of the design and substance of the proposed development. City Planning staff will be present to comment and answer questions.

2359 Danforth Avenue (Morris Auction building, south side just west of Sobeys)

We mentioned that this site had been bought by developers and Ward 32 Councillor, Mary-Margaret McMahon hosted a community meeting with them last week. Did you go? Well, about 40 people showed up and were able to chat about concerns related to noise, shadows, building height, parking etc. Generally, people were quite happy to hear that the site is being developed. The derelict, burned out lot will not be missed by those of us who live in this neck of the ‘hood.

Last week’s meeting was not part of the formal application process, but an attempt for the developers to proactively consult with neighbours and get input as early as possible in the process. DECA is not taking a position one way or another on this development at this stage, but as we’ve said before, we really appreciate the transparency and goodwill. Many thanks to Councillor McMahon for facilitating the conversation between the builders and neighbours. We are so glad to start this process off on such a good note.

The application will be submitted in the coming weeks, and then it will go through the wheels of City bureaucracy for a while. We are told that the mandatory community consultation will likely take place sometime in September. Stay tuned!

May 21, 2013

School’s (Almost) Out for Summer!

In a matter of weeks the school bells will ring one last time for the 2012-13 school year. But before then, the schools invite families and neighbours to join them in some good old fashion fun. Check out this listing of fairs and events at some of our local schools.

Earl Beatty Fun Fair – May 25th

Duke, Duke, Duke, Duke of Earl Beatty! This year, the 9th annual Earl Beatty Public School Fun Fair will be held on May 25th from 10 am to 3 pm The event is a partnership between the school, the Earl Beatty Community Centre, and Beatty Buddies Daycare. It is a day of family fun including a ball hockey tournament, inflatable games, face painting, kids raffles, a barbeque, and a bake sale. It is our hope that we will build on the success of last year and raise even more funds to help bring much needed resources into our children’s classrooms and playground. Earl Beatty is located at 55 Woodington Avenue.

Old School Community Festival at Earl Haig – May 30th

Jump! Jump! Rejoice! They’re takin’ it back to the old school! Earl Haig is hosting their community festival on May 30th from 3:30-7 pm. Glitter tattoos. Food. Crafts. Music. Lot’s of old school fun. The school is located at 15 Earl Haig Avenue, just south east of Danforth & Coxwell.

Family Fest at Gledhill – May 31st

Come together, right now, over at Gledhill Junior P.S. The Gledhill School and Community Association will be holding their annual Family Fun Fest on Friday May 31st from 3:30 to 6:30 pm in the schoolyard. On the docket this year are bouncy castles, pony rides, a petting zoo, carnival games, crafts, face painting, books and music! Gledhill is located at 2 Gledhill Ave, just north of the Danforth.

Fun Fair at St. Brigid’s – May 31st

We’ll have Fun! Fun! Fun! St. Brigid’s Catholic Elementary School is hosting their annual Fun Day celebration on Friday, May 31st from 5pm – 8pm! There will be loads of games, a bouncy castle and giant slide, popcorn, ice cream, raffles, and food trucks too. They hope you can support them and have some fun as well! St. Brigid is located at 50 Woodmount Ave., very close to Woodbine and Danforth Avenues.

Fun Fair at Secord P.S. – June 8th

Come on baby, learn about fire! Secord Public School will be having our Fun Fair on June 8th, from 11am to 4pm. There will be the customary bouncy castle, but also games, cotton candy and an appearance by a fire truck. Secord P.S. is located at 101 Barrington Ave.

Last Day Music Festival at St. Brigid’s – June 27th

Hey Kids, Rock and Roll, Rock On! St. Brigid’s School 7th Annual Last Day Music Festival will be held on Thursday June 27th in the school yard. Doors open at 6pm. This year will feature 9 amazing rock bands. Admission is $5 for adults, kids under 11 $2. All money is being donated to different causes and charities. Rain date Friday, June 28. Rock on!