Forest Hill Daily Updates
The latest news, views and things to do in Forest Hill neighbourhoods
Preview of Crosstown stations shown on Instagram
Joanna Kervin, vice-president of Crosslinx Transit Solutions, has posted on her Instagram page images taken in unfinished stations of the Eglinton Crosstown LRT. They include inside views of Cedarvale (featuring “Super Signals” artwork by Douglas Coupland), Avenue, and Forest Hill stations.
View this post on Instagram
Water shut-off scheduled for Eglinton-Oriole Parkway
Water is to be shut off for some homes tomorrow night to facilitate work on fire hydrants at Avenue Station, Metrolinx has warned.
Properties expected to be affected are 191–263 Eglinton Ave. W. (odd numbers only), 162–166 Eastbourne Ave. (even numbers only), and 500 Oriole Pkwy
The shut-off is to start at 9 p.m. and last eight ours, although this may change due to unforeseen circumstances, Metrolinx says.
New kind of thrift store aims to create happiness
You can feel good about regifting — or being regifted — when the gift is from The Friendly Company, a thrift home goods store that opened recently on Eglinton Avenue West. The store is full of beautiful items donated from Forest Hill homes and all proceeds go to charity.
Local resident Shayna Mandel says that after a tragedy in her own life she opened the business as a “happiness project” to put smiles on people’s faces. Read Andrea Martin’s story in Streeter.
Matlow reprimanded by integrity commissioner, remains unbowed
Just days after announcing he was running for mayor, Toronto-St. Paul’s councillor Josh Matlow has been censured by the city’s integrity commissioner for twice breaking city council’s code of ethics.
Complaints had been made against Matlow for tweeting a city staff member lied about the opening of public washrooms in spring 2022 and for calling interim city manager Tracey Cook “the very wrong person” for the job.
The integrity commissioner recommended Matlow’s pay be suspended for 10 days. Several Toronto media, including CTV News and the Star, broke the story this morning.
Matlow appears unrepentant, recapping online the two charges from his point of view and repeating he had acted in the interests of the residents who elected him.
Elected representatives have a responsibility to put residents we serve first. That includes taking a stand against violent encampment clearings, advocating for functioning park bathrooms & demanding that billion-dollar projects are never approved based on misleading figures…
— Josh Matlow (@JoshMatlow) March 24, 2023
Streeter news:Matlow going for the top job
Promising to “fix our city,” Toronto-St. Paul’s councillor Josh Matlow announced today he is running for mayor.
If elected, his first act would be to raise property taxes by an average of $67 to create a fund to make the city work better, Matlow said in a statement today. See the story and the full announcement in Streeter news.
Public meeting to be held on Roselawn development
You can register now to take part in the community consultation March 28 on a highrise development about where the North Fairbank neighbourhood meets Forest Hill North.
A 35-storey building is proposed for the block including 836 Roselawn Ave., 838 Roselawn and 131 Lyon Ct., currently occupied by two low-rise apartment buildings and a convenience store.
For more information about the development and registration for the virtual meeting, see the Streeter Things To Do listing.
Weekend subway closure postponed to April
The subway is now scheduled to be shut down between Bloor-Yonge and York Mills stations on April 1 and 2, rather than for this coming weekend as originally reported, the Toronto Transit Commission has announced.
The closure is for work on the signal system on Line 1.
Shuttle buses are planned to operate along the route on those days and stations are also to remain open, the TTC says.
Tenants’ rights town hall organized
Toronto-St. Paul’s MPP Jill Andrew is joining with Parkdale-High Park’s Bhutila Karpoche for an online town hall on March 24 for the rent control act proposed by the Ontario NDP.
The act is being proposed after the provincial government ended rent control for all new units first occupied after Nov. 15, 2018, meaning rents could now increase by any amount every year, the NDP says. Their Rent Control for All Tenants Act is intended to reinstate rent control for new units, bringing all rental units back under the protection of rent control without exception.
You can find more information and RSVP for the Zoom meeting on Andrew’s website.
Construction may cause noise and vibrations
Residents near the new Cedarvale Station at Eglinton Avenue West and Allen Road may notice periodic noise and vibrations over the next two weeks, Metrolinx warns. Starting as early as March 17, crews are constructing a parking lot north of the station’s secondary entrance.
The work, related to building the Eglinton Crosstown LRT, is expected to take place between 7 a.m. and 5 p.m., for about two weeks.
Tattoo removal brought to midtown
Regret that “True Love Forever” tattoo you got for your ex? Or the facial tat that makes it look like you’re always crying? Or that scary design on your arm you’ve been hiding under long sleeves even in summer?
Now there’s a place in midtown where you can get rid of or fade your unwanted tattoos.
Removery tattoo removal studio recently opened at Yonge and Eglinton. Read all about it on Streeter.
Outdoor skating continues to Sunday — if the ice holds up
The city is encouraging skaters to enjoy the last few days of the official outdoor skating season at our local rinks. However, the weather seems poised to end the season earlier than the scheduled March 19 deadline.
Sunday evening is when the city starts to close its outdoor artificial ice rinks, natural ice rinks and skating trails and begin its annual conversion of spaces into skateboarding parks, tennis courts and pickleball spaces.
Meanwhile the forecast for the next four days calls for rainy and overcast days with temperatures mainly above zero.
Subway line to be shut down for one day
If you’re planning travel about the city on the weekend, be aware the TTC is advising Line 1 of the subway will be closed between Bloor-Yonge and York Mills stations on Saturday, March 18. The closure is for scheduled work on the automatic train control signal system.
Summerhill Station will also be closed, but all other stations are to stay open for loading PRESTO cards, buying PRESTO tickets and connecting to surface routes.
Shuttle buses will operate on the route. For more details see the TTC service advisory.
Gunfire heard in attempted robbery
Police reported a firearm was discharged and robbery attempted this afternoon near Eglinton Avenue West and Avenue Road.
A police tweet first reported they were investigating reports of shots fired at 1:20 p.m. A followup post confirmed the shooting and added attempted robbery.
No injuries were reported. Police say they are still investigating.
City called negligent after man falls on uncleared snow, breaks ankle
Casa Loma resident Alvin Rebick slipped on a snowbank yesterday near Tweedsmuir Avenue and Heath Street South and broke his ankle, according to media reports today.
To make it worse, an ambulance that came to Rebick’s aid got stuck on an unplowed street, his family posted on social media.
@cityoftoronto @JoshMatlow @judyrebick @CityNewsTO My dad fell and badly fractured his ankle yesterday trying to get over an uncleared snowbank. The ambulance got stuck on the unplowed street and could barely get to him with the stretcher. Unacceptable! pic.twitter.com/Uddx2xMDRA
— kael rebick (@punkodelish) March 6, 2023
The incident has led his family and at least one city councillor to criticize the city for its lack of snow-clearing two days after the recent storm.
Munsch stage performance is back — and selling out
Fireside Munsch is returning to the Wychwood Theatre for a run from March 11 to 17.
The high-energy performance of four favourite Robert Munsch stories all in one play, starring actor M. John Kennedy, has thrilled family audiences.
But you’d better hurry to get your tickets as shows are already selling out.
See the Streeter Things To Do listing for more details.
Soup meals to be delivered or picked up
The For Youth Initiative is collaborating with Toronto Soup Co. to offer weekly soup meals to anyone around the Oakwood and Vaughan community in need of a fresh warm meal.
Soup “served by the community for the community” is to be delivered by volunteers or made available for pickup at 504 Oakwood Ave. between 3 and 5:30 p.m. every Tuesday.
For more information, email Natalia@foryouth.ca.
Summerlicious applications open
Winterlicious seems barely over and it’s already time for local restaurants to sign up for the summer edition of the fixed-price dining festival.
Applications to participate in the Summerlicious program will be accepted from today to March 22, the city has announced.
This year’s Summerlicious runs from July 7 to 23 and there’s good news for participating restaurants: the fees have been cut to less than half the pre-pandemic rates. The new fee is $550. The city says this reduction should “make it easy and affordable for restaurants to participate and will encourage more Toronto residents to dine out and celebrate Toronto’s diverse culinary scene.”
Restaurants can find more information on the City’s Summerlicious 2023 Restaurant Participation webpage.
Hot wings coming to St. Clair
Just opening is Spicy 6ix Wings, a new eatery at 813 St. Clair Ave. E. where thee Korean restaurant Sushi Kizoku once operated.
The new place promises to give you a choice of more than 125 flavours of wings for dining in, takeout and delivery. In addition to the “best wings in town” also offers wraps, quesadillas, salads and loaded fries.
Walkers brave the winter cold to help the homeless
Trees to be replaced for Crosstown LRT today
Two trees are scheduled to removed today from Eglinton Avenue West, east of Highbourne Road, to make way for a new streetscape and cycle track, according to a construction update for the Crosstown LRT.
New trees are to be planted to replace the removed trees, Metrolinx says.
Local home prices dropping, real estate board says
Home prices are down by eight per cent from last year in this area, according to figures recently released by the Toronto Regional Real Estate Board. The report indicates the year-over-year decrease for the real estate “E03” area, including Forest Hill South, Humewood-Cedarvale, Oakwood-Vaughan, and Yonge-Eglinton.
As of January, the average home here is now about $1.6 million, TRREB reports. Single-family, attached houses have taken the biggest hit, dropping about 11 per cent to $1.2 million.
Group helping the homeless prepares for the Coldest Night of the Year
The Jewish non-profit group Ve’ahavta is dedicated to helping the homeless in many ways — one of which is its participation in the Canada-wide fundraising event, the Coldest Night of the Year walk. This year it is hosting the local walk to take place Feb. 25, starting at 7 p.m. at Beth Tzedec, 1700 Bathurst St.
For more about Ve’havta and its work, read the full Streeter story.
To donate to, volunteer for or register with Ve’ahavta, see the group’s Coldest Night website.
Parking restrictions eased for Family Day
Police have announced they will not be ticketing vehicles parked on the street on Feb. 20 on rush-hour routes and in areas with posted Monday–Friday regulations.
Family Day fun planned at Spadina Museum
Spadina Museum at 285 Spadina Rd., is one of seven Toronto History Museums planning Family Day activities on Feb. 20.
For information about the Family Day programming at history museums across Toronto, see the Streeter Things To Do listing.
Report our potholes to be fixed
You may see repair crews out on the roads today as the city launches its first pothole-fixing blitz of the year.
Chances are, though, plenty of Forest Hill-area potholes will remain unless they are reported. To get those car-wrecking eyesores filled, report them via the 311 Toronto mobile app, online at Toronto.ca/311 or by calling 311.
The city says most repairs are carried out within four days of potholes being reported.
Toronto-St. Paul’s soon to have three cameras to catch speeders
The city is adding 25 automated speed enforcement cameras, one for each ward in Toronto. The most recent ASE site in Toronto-St. Paul’s is on Davisville Avenue east of Yonge Street.
The new camera will join two existing speed cameras in the ward.
See the full Streeter story on the new cameras.
Start making reservations for Winterlicious
Winterlicious is back, set to offer prix fixe lunches and dinners from Jan. 27 to Feb. 9 including several restaurants in the Forest Hill and North Toronto area.
You find the entire Toronto list on the city’s Winterlicious page.
CampTO registration set to open
It’s time to start planning the kids’ summer camp activities at local parks and centres this summer. The city has announced its CampTO programs are online for your consideration, ready for registration beginning Feb. 11.
Some new programs have been added to the CampTO lineup for the programs that run from July 4 to Sept. 1.
For more information on the program and registration, see the Streeter calendar listing.
Letter to Ford opposes ‘strong mayor’ bill
Toronto-St. Paul’s councillor Josh Matlow is among 15 city councillors sending a letter today to Premier Doug Ford opposing the province’s Bill 39, the so-called Better Municipal Governance Act.
The act would, under certain conditions, let the mayor of Toronto propose and pass bylaws with support of only one-third of city council, a move that critics have called undemocratic.
See full text of letter at Progress Toronto.
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