Category: Recent News

A reminder that our Annual General Meeting will be held on Monday, Apr 3, 2023 at Hirut Cafe + Restaurant. 

Don’t forget to let us know if you are coming to the meeting! RSVP form

One of the key parts of the AGM is the election of the board for the 2023-2024 year. This year we are looking for a few folks to join us

Board Member Eligibility and Term 

To be a Board member, individuals must be members of DECA. Board members are elected for one-year terms.

Application Process

If you’re interested in being considered for a position on DECA’s Board, please submit a short blurb about yourself, that articulates your motivation for joining DECA and your ties to the community to info@deca.to by Mar 27, 2023. We we will introduce you at the AGM and members will vote at that time.

Visit DECA’s full constitution here:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1teLElTu7KrI52cwhVus733ZmmEoo7oGvj8fWad5d_7o/edit

We are very excited to announce that this year’s Annual General Meeting will be held in person again at Hirut Cafe and Restaurant at 2050 Danforth on Monday, April 3 at 7pm (doors open at 6:30). A light buffet will be provided.

Please let us know if you can make it by clicking on the link to fill out the form below, where you can also tell us about any accessibility requirements. And if you can’t make it, the form has options for you to submit questions or comments that we can share at the meeting.

RSVP form for the AGM 

A reminder that as this is our AGM, you must be a member to attend. You can get or renew your membership at deca.to

As we near this annual general meeting, we thought it a good time to revisit and share DECA’s mission and guiding principles. From our constitution:

Mission: The Danforth East Community Association (DECA) mission is to build a stronger, more vibrant and walkable community, and to empower residents of our neighbourhood through community involvement.

Guiding Principles:

• We are non-partisan;
• We are inclusive and respectful of our diverse communities;
• We strive to make our community safe for everyone;
• We make efforts to participate in planning that affects this community;
• We encourage revitalization that values inclusivity, diversity and environmental responsibility 
• We will be a responsive, credible and representative voice for the community;
• We work to protect the natural beauty of the neighbourhood; and,
• We will facilitate the dissemination of important information to the community.

As always, we love to hear from you! email us at info@deca.to with any comments or questions.

It’s been a little over two months since we last posted here — apologies for the radio silence as day jobs, holidays and other responsibilities got in the way! We are back and really excited to share a community opportunity with you: a fundraising walk for Kennedy House as part of the Coldest Night of the Year nation-wide fundraiser.

You can register for the walk and join the Danforth East Community Team here:

Toronto Danforth Coldest Night of the Year  (click “join a team” at registration and search for DECA)

Here is the press release from Kennedy House:

Kennedy House staff, friends and family are walking to raise awareness and funds for youth experiencing homelessness

(February 7, 2023) Toronto, ON – On Saturday, February 25, 2023, staff, family and friends of
Kennedy House will be raising money for programs and services by walking in the Coldest Night
of the Year. This is the 7 th annual Kennedy House CNOY event and it will be hosted on the
Danforth, Toronto at 4pm. This fundraiser, held in more than 130 communities nationwide,
aims to raise funds and awareness for programs and services that support populations
experiencing homelessness, or at-risk of experiencing homelessness. Kennedy House walkers
and teams will be walking 2 or 5km to support the Kennedy House youth programs.

Together, we will brave the cold and walk with family and friends as advocates for youth who
not only need our support, but deserve it. We want to see leaders come out of this community
and show the next generation that forging a positive path can be done.
To walk, donate, or volunteer, visit https://cnoy.org/location/torontodanforth.

About Kennedy House
Kennedy House is a non- profit organization, which has been providing essential services to
youth and Families in the Greater Toronto area since 1971. We support, care for, and raise
youth up to become healthier and stronger individuals, which is achieved through a variety of
residential and community based programs. Our aim is to work with youth, and enable them to
grow as individuals whilst contributing and becoming active members of the community. Since
its inception, Kennedy House has helped over 14,000 youth through our programs.

For all CNOY updates, check us out on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter and follow the #CNOY23
conversations online!

Tis the season for song and snacks!

Next public board meeting: Dec. 6

Festive Singalong – Volunteers wanted

Hey friends, don’t forget to come out to our festive singalong and tree-lighting this Saturday, December 3 at 530. Also, if you are available to volunteer for setup at 430 (and don’t mind lifting some heavy things) email us at info@deca.to.

From the DECA Visioning Committee:

DECA Community, miss the ULI TAP Danforth Garage Webinar?

Earlier this month the Urban Land Institute (ULI) held a webinar to summarize their recommendations for the Danforth Garage (SoDa Barns) project at Danforth and Coxwell Avenues after holding a ULI Technical Assistance Panel (TAP) focused on this project. DECA finds their insightful review of the site a valuable contribution to the evolving vision for this city building project and the discussion as to how to get there!  The ULI TAP contribution reflects the expertise of a wide range of professionals involved in the building industry and the arts community. By providing a financial lens, among others, to this project they explored how to create a vibrant and sustainable project. Steve Wickens, the DECA Visioning Chair, provided a long and local perspective on the project having been in discussions about the site since initiating the event, “Imagine the Danforth” in 2014 with DECA Visioning members.

The ULI TAP provided five recommendations to direct the project moving forward (taken from the ULI report):

#1 Look at the project as a district to better use land and unlock potential funding sources beyond the 5-acre site. (see report for photos & similar scale maps)

#2 Increase the allowed density on the 5-acre site as well as on city-owned properties within the district. Add 750,000 sq.ft. of market residential housing to achieve the vision of a community hub for the Barns.

#3. Just start! Treat the Danforth Barns like a business incubator and start introducing interim uses.

#4. Future-proof the site by testing the circulation network in and around the site and
find out what works and what doesn’t, with different uses in mind.

#5. Attract a creative, long-term developer and funding partner to kick start the
revitalization of the site, help unlock potential city-owned real estate value, and phase
and maintain the project over time.

DECA also agrees we should get those interim uses going ASAP!

Peruse the report and watch the webinar for more, great information!

Below are the details from the webinar:

• Missed the Program: View the Webinar Recording
• View the TAP Report here
• Attached are the slides from the speakers.

We will keep you posted on this project in our community!

ULIToronto_DanforthGarageWebinar_Nov92022