Environment

On March 26, 2013, I co-hosted an event with the Green Team of First Unitarian Congregation on how to make your apartment or condo greener and more energy efficient, including strategies and resources that are available to you.

Please click on the image above to download a slide deck from the event, presented by Aderonke Akande from the City of Toronto's Tower Renewal Office.

The City of Toronto has made great strides to help reduce the incidence of smoking. Successive bans on tobacco smoke in workplaces, restaurants, bars and other public spaces have succeeded in reducing second-hand smoke and the social acceptance of smoking.

However, there are still a significant number of smokers in our city and these positive policies have created some unintentional negative consequences. The current by-laws do not address the reality that many smokers are now littering on our public sidewalks.

While some bar and restaurant owners provide cigarette butt receptacles for their patrons, this is done on an ad hoc basis. This motion requests that the City Manager work with representatives from the restaurant and bar industry to develop an appropriate solution to the unsightly problem of cigarette butts littered on Toronto's sidewalks and streets.

RECOMMENDATION:

1.City Council request the City Manager to consult with representatives from the restaurant and bar industry to develop an appropriate solution to the unsightly problem of cigarette butts littered on Toronto's sidewalks and streets; including receptacles.

2.The findings from the consultation requested in recommendation (1) be delivered in a report to Municipal Licensing and Standards Committee by July 2013

Dear Residents,

I would like to share the following Notice of Public Consultation with you. The City of Toronto needs your input on a proposed Home Energy Retrofit Program.

South Event Date: Tuesday, March 5, 2013

Time: 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.

Location: Metro Hall, Room 308

North Event Date: Thursday, March 7, 2013

Time: 7 p.m. to 9 p.m

Location: North York Civic Centre, Members Lounge

To learn more, you can visit the website of the Toronto Environment Office.

With the support of City Council, I have more than doubled the fines for drivers who stop or park illegally on arterial roads during rush hour. It is now a $150 penalty for "stopping, standing, or parking a vehicle during all or any portion of the general rush hour period(s) of 6:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. and or 3:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m., Monday to Friday except Public Holidays where official signs to prohibit parking, standing or stopping are displayed."

Far too often, entire lanes of major roads are blocked due to an individual pulling over to grab a coffee in the morning or a delivery vehicle choosing the afternoon rush period to drop off their goods. Drivers along arterials often use bicycle lanes as a parking lane, forcing cyclists to dangerously merge into traffic. During rush hour this creates very unsafe conditions for cyclists. Although this has never been permitted, it was clear that the old fines and levels of enforcement were not sufficient to deter such activities.

Dear Residents,

I'd like to share this news release with you from the City of Toronto. Now you can recycle plastic clamshell containers in your blue bin! To find out where to put all your other trash items, you can visit the Waste Wizard web tool.

The City of Toronto's Public Works and Infrastructure Committee received a report today from Solid Waste Management Services that will result in Toronto introducing the collection of mixed rigid plastics this fall through the City's Blue Bin program. The new items include clamshell containers, clear fruit and vegetable containers, clear takeout containers and molded bakery-item trays.

Until recently, the City could not recycle mixed rigid plastics. New developments spearheaded by the Canadian grocery retail industry, along with advancements in recycling and sorting technology, have removed the obstacles to recycling these plastic materials.

Solid Waste Management undertook a year-long pilot project at the Dufferin Material Recovery Facility (MRF), which currently handles about half of the City's recycling. The project confirmed that the facility now has the capability to sort the new plastics and meet the specifications to market the materials. In May 2013, when the City's new processing contractor, Canada Fibers Ltd., begins operating its new material recovery facility, all of Toronto's recyclables will be processed in state-of-the-art sorting facilities that can sort and prepare these new, mixed rigid-plastic items for end-use markets.

"This is good news for Toronto. Accepting this range of items in recycling will mean fewer materials going into the garbage and ending up in landfill," said Councillor Denzil Minnan-Wong (Ward 34 Don Valley East), Chair of the Public Works and Infrastructure Committee.

Solid Waste estimates the cost to collect and recycle the new plastic materials will be approximately $160,000 in 2013. The inclusion of mixed rigid plastics will result in the diversion of 2,000 tonnes annually from landfill. The recycled plastics will be manufactured into products for industrial and household end uses.

"We are excited about this next step in our recycling capability," said Jim Harnum, General Manager of Toronto's Solid Waste Management Services division. "So many foods and products that we use every day are packaged in this type of plastic. Residents can now feel good about putting these items in the Blue Bin instead of the garbage."

Residents should continue to perform current set out and recycling practices, such as emptying and rinsing food containers to remove residue. They can check Waste Wizard, the City's online search tool, if they have questions about particular items. If residents need more room to accommodate these new recyclables, they can call 311 to upsize their current Blue Bin or order an extra Blue Bin free of charge.

A group of students from Jackman Public School in Toronto attended the committee meeting today and were recognized for their avid interest in Toronto's recycling program. The students wrote to the City earlier this year inquiring about when clear clamshell containers could be recycled in Toronto.

Since taking office, I have been working with community members on an exciting proposal to transform the hydro corridor on Macpherson Avenue (between Spadina and Davenport) from a derelict eyesore into a usable public space. I was happy to support a local resident's application for a City of Toronto grant to build a demonstration "Ecopark" with solar panels, community gardens, native plants and an electric car.

This is an opportunity for the City to demonstrate its commitment to renewable energy, environmental stewardship and innovative public spaces. The new green space will also provide an educational experience for local schoolchildren from the Waldorf School, Huron Public School and Cottingham Public School.