Civitan _ Double Decker Arena Solution?

We support the quest for a better arena facility but not the use of Don East Parklands or any green space as the build site. We constructively point out to our elected decision makers that options better than the current "preferred" site exist. and provide supporting data.


Hello Don Valley Elected Representatives,

Last week we provided input (email) on why placing a new ice arena in the Don East Parklands would be a bad decision. We suggested a better "double decker" configuration/location that would be an instant Don Mills landmark if built at Don Mills and Eglinton on city land.. You might not know that one does in fact exist in the US. And the cost looks reasonable compared to numbers being discussed. When you read the 2004 "press release" below (golfing reference remarks deleted) you will understand that there are options in Don Mills that should fulfill the Civitan vision and need as well as those of other groups in Toronto. If you go to the Sports Center website you can watch a construction video. There is at least one better solution than using Don East Parklands. Let's see Toronto Build in action.

---

The Rinks at Shelton
"An 89,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art double-decker ice rink and sports complex
...$6 million-plus project "
http://www.allbusiness.com/north-america/united-states-connecticut/1002999-1.html


First double-decker ice skating arena opens in Shelton


North America’s first double-decker ice skating arena with two full-size rinks (NHL) stacked one on top of the other officially opens to the public Jan. 31 in Shelton.

The arena is an addition to a 15-acre complex for family fun that has been renamed Sports Center of Connecticut, evolving from Golf Center of Connecticut.
...
Principals behind the center are Howard Saffan of Weston and Alan Phillips of Westport who both grew up as with a passion for sports, ice skating and hockey. “Around the world,” Phillips says, “people are going to copy us.”

As far as is known by the staff at USA Hockey, the U.S. Figure Skating Association and Hockey Canada, the Shelton concept is a prototype, the only one of its kind in North America and probably the world. .

The two rinks­200 feet by 85 feet with Crystaplex dasher boards and seamless glass, all conforming to National Hockey League standards­are layered in a 90,000-square-foot arena overlooking the Housatonic River, embellished with a skylit atrium, limestone and maplewood décor and two, three-story elevators. Both rinks are lined by stadium seating, one accommodating 1,000, the other 500.

Even the rubber pucks are an advancement. They carry The Rinks crest and are coated with a composition that won’t leave black marks on the boards or the tempered glass girdling the rinks.

25 miles of tubing carry the refrigerant under the concrete that forms the base for the two ice surfaces, 7 inches thick, with independent computerized temperature controls.
Jay Fruzia, a Maine native, the iceman, is a Certified Ice Technician, an accreditation recognized by the NHL. For architect Joe Mingolello of Shelton, the challenge was to optimize the sight lines for spectators while amalgamating the steel trusses needed to support the upper rink and the four-ton ice-cleaning machines.

In the ice-skating off-season, April to August, the top rink converts to a all-purpose surface for inline skating­what used to be known as roller-skating­and can be used for activities like basketball, volleyball, arena football, indoor soccer and box lacrosse. Below it the ice surface remains year-around. .

The arena also incorporates:

• A 10,000-square-foot fitness center that becomes part of the World Gym network of 215 centers across the U.S. and around the world. The center overlooks the lower rink and offers a vista of the Housatonic River.

• A 4,000-square-foot conference center and banquet facility, also overlooking the lower arena. .

• A sports physical therapy facility operated by Rehabilitation Associates already based in Fairfield, Westport, Stratford, Milford and Shelton.

• A full pro shop operated by Sports Plus, one of the largest hockey/in-line pro shops in the Tri-State Area.

• An indoor-outdoor baseball academy with live hitting cages, pitching mounds and video analysis.

• An exhibition hall and a heated food court with Internet connections.

Like the Golf Center, the arena is open year-around. ...figure skating.... An extensive schedule of learn-to-skate instruction, hockey ­ competition and coaching--and public skating is already in place. ...

http://www.sportscenterct.com/press-releases_etc/press_release.htm

To Ottawa on Salvation Budget Day

In early January, your writer replied to a column in The Star by David Olive. Here is the message and Mr Olive's response. We hope H&F in Ottawa have made decisions appropriately. But we fear not.

Hello Mr Olive,

Your article contains a couple of points that I consider have been
overlooked and I appreciate seeing someone come forth with them.

Real and Financial Economies

Sometimes we might think we live in a set of parallel, detached
worlds. As you point out the real world doesn't look too bad. To me
and I hope more, it's the crisis mostly created by financial
intermediaries (FIs) trying to gain/engineer excess "middle man"
profits that has led to an image of financial detachment from the
real world and we suffer the negative impacts. (We also can't forget
irrational US behaviour of living beyond your means and using paper
real estate gains for consumption needs that contribute to the
current global correction/adjustment exercise)

The role of the FI as bringing Saver and Investor or
Supplier/Processor together in globally optimal/ economically
rational ways has lost its way. Pension funds playing commodities is
an example.

The disruptive and reckless role of the FIs almost broke the growth
potential of the global economy. That is, economic productivity of
the real side and the returns on money investment on the financial
side has been driven off off course but must stay together in a
balanced way like the corporate accounting balance sheet This key
economic principle has been lost by too many seeking to gain wealth
without real toil by using the worst drug of all, OPM (Other Peoples
Money) in very risky ways.

The corrective exercise in play for the developed economies should be
viewed as regressing to long term trends_ which point up but with
less slope than experienced in the Bush years, in terms of financial
performance. The financial economy will meet/interconnect with the
real economy again.

US Competitive Advantage (CA) Increasing

I have expressed this in a couple of article comments. It is
something that not many are discussing.

This CA phrase should be creating shivers in Ottawa. Harper may be
forced to re-invent Dion's "Green Shift" to stay ahead of the
imminent US wave that is building up. America, by placing a targeted
spending impulse (into areas you pointed out) that dwarfs anything
considered by all sides in Ottawa (after consideration of the
population ratio factor), should ramble ahead of the rest of the
world and move forward at a rate increasing our productivity gap.

We should expect to lose our auto production advantage (how can we
build 20% of NA vehicles much longer). Oil profits/dividends return
capital mostly outside Canada. We need to find investment
replacements that will close productivity gaps.

We will need to match the US dollar for dollar in new techs/R&D as
well as infrastructure.. We must realize that governments deficits
that are well conceived investments in people, things and ideas have
productivity payoffs.

If we don't move smartly and dramatically in 2009, we will move
ahead but as symbiotic followers, not evolving leaders.

Let's have hope and a happy new year.

Brian

Here is Mr Olive's response:

Dear Mr. Ralph

Many thanks for this superb essay. I appreciate the eloquence, and especially certain

crucial points you raise that I failed to do in my article. In particular, the disconnect

between the real and financial economies, and the origin of that destructive phenomenon,

I didn't convey with the cogency in your note. All of this makes great sense to me, and

I wish it were widely expressed. My only misgiving is the potential for the stimulus to be

misspent. If it's spent as you counsel, we have great hope of attaining leadership

positions in a wide range of policy areas, from environmental technology to taking better

care of our least-advantaged citizens. I just don't yet have the confidence we will spend

the money wisely. But I can hope for different. And your note helps me think that is

possible, if there are enough folks like you to raise red flags when the stimulus funds

are being mis-directed.

Thanks again so much for this remarkably perceptive view of where we are at this

fascinating moment.

Best regards, David

COLUMN REF: http://www.thestar.com/comment/columnists/article/561210

City Budget Priorities (NY Mirror LINK)

City's budget process must set credible priorities

Beyond the Headlines By DAVID SOCKNACKI

January 15, 2009 12:58 PM

http://www.insidetoronto.com/article/62250

Party Politics_ The Time Has Come in Toronto

Councillor Shiner indirectly by his actions on boycotting a committee brings to public attention the need for an urgent and important review of Toronto's governance. Councillors who disagree with his actions to not attend a committee meeting need to see a bigger picture. A picture that must talk about democracy and party politics for Toronto's City Council.

To those who say "in Opposition_ we've got to take what's given to us" that is misguided. It is time to put forth a clear model of who has what power and what responsibilities. It is time that when a candidate runs for municipal office to say whom he or she supports for the mayor's office. The election period is the time to make clear positions on programmes, policies and in what group or party you stand. It is time to have a clear statement of who is in Opposition and who is in Government.

This is not happening in Toronto. We no longer have a clear view of what city council (our city parliament) stands for and what powers it has.

We elect a strong, some say a mighty mayor. That office determines who sits on the elite Executive Committee or EC (that is, the mayor's cabinet) and who gets to control (chair) city committees (such as budget) or participate in the ABC's (agencies, boards, committees such as the TTC or TPS or Toronto Housing).

We also have a community council for each city district. While the mayor does not elect its chair, it is time for the chairs of these councils to sit on the EC. Members of the councils should do this and hopefully on a rotating annual basis. Being on the EC provides good training and awareness of broad city issues. So does being on some large budget ABCs. Maybe, we also need to have District Councillors who sit on the EC.

While council and committee votes are not always unanimously for the mayor's positions on issues and legislation, the mayor's office generally gets its way.

The best model might be for the Opposition to get representation based on a formula of number of councillors elected and let the Opposition work out/select who gets to sit where.

Yes, it's time to grow up, face the mature decisions and get party politics in Toronto.


See North York Mirror,

Councillor should find better way to criticize city administration

January 14, 2009 12:04 PM

http://www.insidetoronto.com/article/62198

Inside Dope for City Political Junkies _ Part 2

Meeting Monitor

Monitor the status of agenda items during City Council, Community Council and Standing Committee meetings

The meeting monitor service lets you monitor the status of agenda items that are being considered during Standing Committee, Community Council and City Council meetings. Near real-time updates are provided on the status of items. This includes: the title and reference number of item that is currently being considered, time-specific information for scheduled items with registered speakers (deputations), and the status of items that have already been dealt with (eg. adopted, amended, deferred, or referred). The meeting monitor also identifies items that have been held by committee members for debate.

The above is the city's description. For those lengthy agendas the items scroll like a stock market readout. A smart junkie would probably have used a different window for this but our blog link doesn't allow us this sophistication. Again, you find a link under our blogs' Access Points.

Inside Dope for City Political Junkies _ Part 1

Or, City Council Legislative Documents

Toronto compared to many other cities in North America has a relatively open government. And it is likely a little more open today based on a case reported in the Toronto Star (Jan 14,09 _see below). While most of us don't need to work out how to use "freedom of information" access procedures, some (with a trait of "political junkie") can find out much from tracking agendas, minutes and decisions on line for city council, community councils and committees. There are 12 committees reporting to council plus 10 others.

These official documents are generally PDF files that you can read online or even download. You can find them for the current year or previous years (about 3). The city clerk's office administers them.

Included in them you will often find background material (also PDF's or DOC files) that can be useful to understanding and getting more info on a local or citywide issue.

Files can run to many pages and contain a lot of stuff you likely don't want to know about_ a variance request, a tree cutting decision, a new sign location, ...

However, if you are tracking a development project, new city endeavours, city problems and solutions, citizen requests , for example, you can glean much insight directly online.

Under Access Points on both the Forum and Admin blogs, you will find direct links to the city web pages with these and other legal documents.

The Star recently pursued an access to information suit against the TPS. They initially lost at Divisional Court but won an appeal at the Supreme Court. Here is what the Star editors wrote, http://www.thestar.com/comment/article/571187

City Maps _ More Useful than Google's

Access to digital maps has changed how many of us find locations and directions. If you're planning a road trip, AAA/CAA have excellent online services. Or, while in the car you have a GPS assistant drawing your route map, or calling out turns and lane changes. The City of Toronto website has a Maps service that many city residents will find useful, maybe more so than those online from Google or others.

For example, you have a street address and need to see it on a Toronto map. Just enter the street number and you have it.

Or, you want to see a layout of streets in an area. Just block out the area on the city boundary map and you have them.

And in either case you can see an aerial photo view.

You can try it out under on the Forum or Admin blog under Access Points.

Snow Removal Bylaw Enforcement

The Jan 13,2009 InsideToronto website carries a story (see link below) on snow removal bylaw enforcement. It points out that placing snow on a roadway is a Highway Traffic Act offense. As well, Toronto has its own bylaw against placing snow on public property.

Snowfalls (almost record breaking) have accumulated this winter and last without many thaw breaks.

While the police seem to be aware of the law, why are so many private operators doing snow removal by pushing the snow from private property to public property and roadways?

It is obvious who is doing it. While going up George Henry Blvd towards Don Mills Rd today after the snowfall, you can see how much snow was plowed from the townhouse site onto the public roadway.

There are other instances from private homes throughout our ward on inner streets.

Your writer stopped and informed one operator to stop plowing snow unto the Shaughnessy Garden Island last week and was impolitely told what to do.

When a truck rams its blade into a roadway curb it can damage the curb that becomes a needed repair job for the city.

Shouldn't the city be pursuing such abuse of city law?

One solution might be to licensing and banning the fixed blade push-plough and only allow snowblowers that can direct the snow so it remains on private property.

Where do you stand on this?

http://www.insidetoronto.ca/article/62142

Smoking Ban in City Playgrounds

Smoking in indoor public spaces has generally been banned. But what about in public outdoor spaces. The city's Parks and Rec committee has received city staff input on the potential health impacts of smoking in playgrounds near children and the city likely will proceed to enact restrictive bylaws.

See this article for more background.
http://www.healthzone.ca/health/article/568608

Coupled with the recent news/discovery of "third hand" smoking/residue impacts, 2009 does not appear a good year for smokers.

Do you support banning smoking near children and other vulnerable people in outdoor places?

Rooming House Control

The issue of rooming houses in our ward has been discussed at several W33AC meetings. We have heard several attendees present their stories on the impacts of single family residents being used or modified to be a "rooming house". We have also seen front page stories in our local newspapers.

It appears that City Council will soon have to make some long term binding decisions on the control and allowance of rooming houses on a city wide basis.

The Saturday, Jan 10 Star carried this story
http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/article/568602

What is your opinion? We will return to this ward and citywide issue in future posts.

Update from NY Mirror,

Community council aims to simplify prosecution of illegal rooming house owners
By ERIC HEINO January 20, 2009 4:03 PM

http://www.insidetoronto.com/article/62485

SAY NO to USING GREENBELT IN TORONTO FOR NEW ICE RINKS

In the Dec08 W33AC minutes there is an introduction to an emerging issue on greenbelt / parkland use in Don Valley East. Goto Ward33 Committee blog to see minutes

The Civitan Don Mills Hockey group is proposing a new ice rink facility to replace the existing Civitan ice rink in the Don Mills Centre. The "preferred" location in currently the table land that sits south of the 401 and west of Don Mills Rd.

This Letter to Editor in North York Mirror, Jan 16, 2009 "New arena project would compromise Don River", Lou Wise provides a clear viewpoint from a longtime Don Mills resident
http://www.insidetoronto.com/article/62382
The letter also provides an aerial photo of the parklands.

The correct response we believe is,
SAY NO to USING GREENBELT IN TORONTO FOR NEW ICE RINKS

We will have more to say on this soon.

Here are links to NYCC November meeting documents,

Minutes NY20.24 (see pg 24 PDF)
http://www.toronto.ca/legdocs/mmis/2008/ny/minutes/2008-11-18-ny20-mn.pdf
Decision NY20.24 (see pg 21 PDF)
http://www.toronto.ca/legdocs/mmis/2008/ny/decisions/2008-11-18-ny20-dd.pdf

You must read this: preferred site, etc
Toronto Star "Red tape freezing Don Mills scheme for new arena"
http://www.thestar.com/News/GTA/article/558007

Need to Monitor All Strategic Sewers

Toronto's residents have recently heard about the Coxwell sewer line and the need for a $30 million emergency project.

The good news of this story is that a potential disaster will likely be averted by a bypass line solution. Just like many heart health cases. The bad news is that it took a special study to find that a problem exists. It should be self-evident to city managers and council that all strategic and aging infrastructure needs regular monitoring to avoid catastrophic consequences from component failure. The technology exists to examine and evaluate; city must allocate money to do the needed work as a reflection of good government and best practice city management.

The funding for this project will not delay or defer other important 2009 water works projects such as flood control/new sewer work in the Muirhead area of Ward 33. The General Manager has requested additional capital funds from the water/sewer fund that has been building up from the high single digital annual increases in water/sewer rates.

City Service, TTC Tokens, Seconds Signals, City Recycling

Note - Opinions expressed here only reflect the writer's viewpoint. They do not represent any decision or opinion expressed by others at a W33AC meeting or Councillor or Councillor's staff.

Are you a customer of the city or a user of a city service?

It irks this writer when I telephone the city about a city service matter and the person answering the phone starts with " Customer Service Rep ...". Word use can say a lot about how the person you are dealing with views you and the matters under discussion. In this case, the person who answers looks upon you, the citizen, city taxpayer and resident as a C-U-S-T-O-M-E-R. (In a store running a commerical business, I feel this can be a sign of respect but for a government, that provides services to it citizens, the opposite dwells.)

From almost all dictionaries the gist of a formal definition of a "customer" is "a person, who buys, especially a regular patron of a store" in short a "buyer". (We won't go into the derogatory informal use.)

In most dealing with the city you are not paying a "user" fee or acting as a "buyer". You and I call up and act as a user (potential or otherwise) of a city service. So why can't CSR stand for City Service Representative?

Why does the City use this abused word, customer when it can still refer to its front line telephone and counter staff as CSR's but let's focus why they are in place: CITY SERVICE.

TTC - Tickets, Tokens or Other Ways ?

While I don't need to use the TTC on a regular basis and can't justify using an adult fare pass (weekly or monthly), it confounds me that other cities have been able to find and implement better means to enter and use services offered by the TTC. They don't rely on a relic of the mechanical age, the metal TOKEN. Pieces of metal that are lost in your loose change, get lost in pockets and purses do not look smart in this century.

This summer the family on a road trip used the public transportation of Boston and Montreal as sightseeing visitors. Both of these urban areas have "GTA" wide integrated systems that have entered the DIGITAL age for the paying passenger. While Toronto and the GTA struggle with implementing Metrolinx other cities have got there already.

If your family has a student ticket based member who uses a subway station such as Leslie with 3 entrances, only the middle one provides entry: so much for the better way via the TTC.

Toronto needs to ask why.

Pedestrian Countdown Crossing ,& Left Hand Advanced Turning Signals

These two items impact the driving and walking public. Both have been introduced but we only see partial implementation. The second countdown from Green to Amber is a smart move_ both for those walking and driving.

The use of a standard green arrow signal for an advance left turn also makes good sense and conforms to broader practice.

But when is the city going to finish off the complete conversion. We need to see 100% done, not 45 or 55 or 65% but the total job. By not forcing itself to a definite deadline, the Mayor and City Council are delaying full benefits and increasing the displeasure about city operations performance.

On City Recycling and Provincial Programmes

The province (Ministry of Environment), Oct 16, 2008 announced a consultation on Waste Diversion Act Initiatives http://www.ene.gov.on.ca/envision/land/wda/ along with supporting documentation.

This review will include what is going/should go into the Blue Box/Bin.

Also, there is Waste Electronics and Electrical Programee study under the WDO with a final report due, March 2009.

While Toronto takes in much of your computer electronic stuff, it has a very limited programme for recycling your old TV. There are private facilities for doing this recycling. And the city uses one for its Environmental Day intake. But if you have something to get rid of, outside of your ward's ED programme, the city say but it out with your other garbage!

Surely, a city that is "environmentally"and cost recovery obsessed with definite goals can do better

Private TV recycling costs about $12-15 a set. If they city can administer tags for bags surely, it can do tags for TV's and other stuff under full cost recovery too. Does it have to wait for the province to kickstart a programme?

More Recycling - Plastic Film/Bag Stuff

You hopefully are aware that the city has just announced it is taking in styrofoam and some plastic bags. Make sure you bag your bags and select only those that make the grade for best market criteria for recycled materials. You might want to learn more at http://www.myplasticbags.ca/: look at the stuff under "plastic film" too.

But it has apparently excluded bags that are coded Type 4, LOW-DENSITY POLYETHYLENE and only wants Type 2, HIGH DENSITY . For a complete story on those plastic numbers, see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plastic_recycling

You will notice Type 4 on almost all your bread bags (or least, those in our household). While much plastic film is not coded, we would think that if a manufacturer does it is done for a positive purpose_ that is, recycling.

We would think (and hope) that the city staff who have written their website pages and news releases would use the standard industry numbers that we see on packaging. Instead they leave it to the householder standing in front of the big blue bin to almost guess what is good for city and was is not.

Check out what The Star's Royson James has written lately on this,
Testing our Recycling IQ & Patience, http://www.thestar.com/comment/columnists/article/536021