Neighbourhood Safety Survey from Toronto Police Services

A message from our friends at Toronto Police Services 42 Division:

Neighbourhood Safety Survey

The Toronto Police Fall Safety Initiative called Project Neighbourhood Safety, began on October 15th 2012 and was intended to be an extension of the Service’s successful Summer Safety Initiative. It will wrap up on January 31st.

The goal of ...the Project Neighbourhood Safety is to prevent violence. To do this 42 Division has extra officers deployed to areas where there is a greater potential for gun and gang violence to occur. These areas were identified through crime analysis as well as officer and community input.
In order to determine how effective this initiative has been, we are soliciting feedback from the community in the form of an online survey. We are looking for you, members of the community, to tell us how you feel about safety and policing in your neighbourhood.

Go to: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/NeighbourhoodSafetySurvey. 42 Division’s boundaries are Steeles Ave to the North, the 401 to the South, Victoria Park to the West and the Scarborough/Pickering town line to the East. A map can be found on the TPS website.

Let It Snow

From the City's Transportation Services Division:

Let It Snow… Let It Snow… Let It Snow

It’s that time of the year again – winter!

A Canadian winter can sometimes mean a lot of snow, and the City of Toronto is ready!

Here are a few things that you can expect as we gear up for another winter in Toronto.

As soon as the snow begins, Transportation Services sends out its fleet of salt trucks to the expressways, main roads and local roads. If the City receives 2.5 centimeters of snow, the plows go out to the expressways. When we get five centimeters of snow, they start clearing the main roads. Plowing then takes place for the duration of the storm.

When the snow stops and if the snow accumulation reaches eight centimetres, plows will be sent to the local roads. Normally, local road plowing will be completed between 14 and 16 hours after the storm has ended.

The City will clear snow from sidewalks on local roads where it is mechanically possible to do so after eight centimetres (five centimetres in January and February) of snow has fallen. In the central core of the city, property owners are required to clear their sidewalks of snow 12 hours after a storm has taken place.

The City of Toronto’s levels of service for snow clearing meet those set by the Province of Ontario for municipalities and road authorities. These levels of service were adopted by Toronto City Council in 2009.

Residents who have questions about snow clearing efforts in their area can call the City at 311.
If you need more information about the city's plans for snow clearing, visit toronto.ca/transportation.

Here’s an important tip about shoveling snow. Please don’t push snow back onto the road. It’s against the law, hampers snow clearing efforts and is very dangerous for motorists.

Winter, and the snow that comes with it, is a part of what makes us Canadians. By working together, we can make sure that Toronto continues to be a safe and accessible city in which to live, work and play.

Video showcases need for new surgical suites

From The Scarborough Hospital:

Video showcases need for new surgical suites

The Scarborough Hospital is proud of its history of providing excellent surgical care to patients. But aging operating rooms at the General campus are limiting the hospital’s ability to introduce new technologies, and to ensure they are recruiting and retaining the brightest surgeons and nurses.

Ironically, the operating rooms at The Scarborough Hospital are some of the busiest in the province. More than 45,000 procedures are performed each year, and the surgical team is highly respected in the healthcare community for its innovation and excellent patient outcomes.

Scarborough residents deserve access to the very best surgical care, right here in our own community. The hospital has produced a short video that takes you behind the scenes to demonstrate the need for new surgical suites. Please share this video with your own friends, family and colleagues in an effort to build awareness of the need for this important project.

The video is available online at http://youtu.be/__bkfhBM1cI

Agincourt Library: Short Closure for 2 weeks

The Agincourt Library will be closed for 2 weeks beginning at 5 p.m. on Sunday November 25 in order to install an automated self serve check in sorter.

The sorter processes a large volume of materials returned by our customers to the branch efficiently, while also enhancing service by providing customers with a receipt for their returned items.

Given that Agincourt branch has the highest use of materials borrowed for a district library in the City of Toronto with a circulation of 1,188,128 materials in 2011, the sorter is both an innovative and efficient use of resources.

Please view the attached flyer for more details

Toronto Hydro - Save ON Energy

Toronto Hydro has sent out an e-newsletter to let residents know about some of its latest developments and programs, as well as for providing some tips on how to save energy and money in your household. Click here to view the newsletter.

Fact Sheet on Parking in Driveways and the New Zoning Bylaw

The topic of the new zoning bylaw and how it affects driveway parking has been receiving a lot attention in the media as of late. In response, the City has put up a fact sheet clarifying some of the issues involved. The fact sheet can be downloaded here (.pdf format).

TTC service change to 39 Finch East routes

A variety of service changes are coming to the 39 Finch East TTC bus routes, effective October 12th, 2010.

• General increase to 39 Finch East local non-express service.
• A brand new 199 Finch Rocket route, which stops at major express stops between Finch and Scarborough Town Centre.
• Some changes to the 139 Finch-Don Mills, which will now serve Senaca College westbound.

For more information, visit the TTC's website, or read on below.

Washing wisely - what you need to know when washing your car this summer

Before you wash your car this summer, you should know that the City of Toronto has by-laws regulating what can and can't be done to wash your vehicle. Read on to find out how you can avoid a stiff fine.

June 15, 2010

Washing wisely - what you need to know when washing your car this summer

With the warm weather upon us, many Toronto residents are taking the opportunity to add car washing to their list of weekend chores. Unfortunately, the water that comes from washing your car often contains dirt, oil, grease, heavy metals, hazardous chemicals and soaps - all of which enter local streams, rivers and Lake Ontario and can then harm aquatic habitat.

It is important to be aware that there are two types of sewer systems in the City of Toronto. The sanitary system takes the used water from homes and businesses to a wastewater treatment plant for cleaning. The storm sewer system - the square grates on the side of the road - takes rainwater and melted snow from the streets and releases it, untreated, into local streams, rivers and Lake Ontario.

To avoid having dirty water run into the storm sewer system, consider these options for washing your car:
• Use a commercial car wash facility. These facilities are required to follow a set of practices determined by the City, including treating wastewater and discharging it into the sanitary sewer system where it will receive further treatment.
• Find a location where the wastewater won’t flow into the storm sewer. For example, washing cars on a grassy lawn or gravel surface allows the wastewater to be absorbed by the soil. Washing the car on your lawn doubles the water use by giving your lawn a good watering at the same time.
• Dispose of the wastewater into the sanitary sewer. By using a pail, washcloth and only a small amount of water, and then wiping the car dry, the waste water can be contained in the bucket and disposed of into the sanitary sewer through a laundry sink or toilet.

When choosing one of the above car washing options, here are a few tips to stay green:
• Don’t use soap. Instead, use a small amount of environmentally friendly water-based detergent that is phosphate and NPE free. Many other car-care products also contain harmful chemicals which should be avoided.
• Don’t wash your car during drought conditions.
• Re-think the need to wash your car if rain is in the forecast.

The City of Toronto has a Sewers Bylaw that prohibits the discharge of any water other than storm water or melted snow into the storm sewers.

For more information, visit http://www.toronto.ca/water or call 311.

Toronto is Canada's largest city and sixth largest government, and home to a diverse population of about 2.6 million people. It is the economic engine of Canada and one of the greenest and most creative cities in North America. Toronto has won numerous awards for quality, innovation and efficiency in delivering public services. Toronto's government is dedicated to prosperity, opportunity and liveability for all its residents. For information about non-emergency City services and programs, Toronto residents, businesses and visitors can dial 311, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

City of Toronto reminds residents about its level of snow clearing service

Though it's been a relatively mild winter, we should never forget that snow is a fact of life here in Canada. The City of Toronto has issued this press release to let all residents know exactly when it will deal with snow on streets and sidewalks.

News Release
February 24, 2010

City of Toronto reminds residents about its level of snow clearing service

With a sizeable snowfall expected over the next few days, the City of Toronto is reminding residents and businesses about the levels of snow clearing the City provides.

Large snowfalls require a coordinated approach by the Citys staff and contractors to ensure that City streets and sidewalks are safe.

As soon as the snow begins, Transportation Services sends out its fleet of salt trucks to the expressways and the main roads. After this, the salt trucks will then move on to the local roads. If the City receives five centimetres of snow, the plows are sent to the expressways and main roads and plowing will take place for the duration of the storm.

When the snow stops and if the snow accumulation reaches eight centimetres, plows will be sent to the local roads. Normally, local road plowing will be completed between 14 and 16 hours after the storm has ended.

The City will clear snow from sidewalks on local roads where it is mechanically possible to do so after eight centimetres (five centimetres in January and February) of snow has fallen. In the central core of the city, property owners are required to clear their sidewalks of snow 12 hours after a storm has taken place. To learn more about sidewalk snow clearing in Toronto and to view a map of where the service takes place, click on http://www.toronto.ca/transportation/snow.

The City of Torontos levels of service for snow clearing meet or exceed those set by the Province of Ontario for municipalities and road authorities. These levels of service were adopted by Toronto City Council in 2009.

Residents who have questions about snow clearing efforts in their area can call 311.

The City has 600 snow plows, 300 sidewalk plows and 200 salt trucks ready to tackle the winter season.

If you experience any additional difficulty with your snow removal service, please feel free to give our office a call at 416-392-1372.