Jim Hart, councillor Ward 44

City Council votes to appoint a new councillor for this ward

By Cal MacMillan

As many of you are already aware, on April 18 our City Councillor Ron Moeser passed away after a hard-fought battle with lymphoma.

As his staff, and on behalf of the Moeser family, we would like to thank the many residents who contacted our office to offer condolences and those who took the time to attend the service.

During the transition period, our office will remain open and the Ward 44 staff are here to serve the residents should you require assistance on municipal matters.

Many people have also inquired about the process to fill the vacancy left by Councillor Moeser. The choice for Toronto City Council was to either hold a byelection or appoint someone to represent the ward for the remainder of the term. The matter came up at the council meeting on May 26 and the vote was 24-13 in favour of appointing.

The City Clerk will now advertise the vacancy inviting interested and qualified applicants to seek appointment to City Council. The deadline for submitting the required forms will be Monday, June 19 at 4:30 p.m. Each applicant will then go through an interview process by addressing City Council and answering questions from councillors. This will happen at a special meeting of City Council on Wednesday, June 28 at 9:30 a.m. Council will then vote on the appointment and the successful candidate will serve for the remainder of the term. The next municipal election is scheduled for October 22, 2018.

Rooming House Zoning Proposal

In October 2016, the Municipal Licensing & Standards Division along with City Planning released a report entitled “Proposed Regulatory and Licensing Strategy for Multi-Tenant Houses & Consultation Plan.”

It recommends initiating a pilot program in five areas across the city that were identified as having a higher concentration of rooming houses. The city would enact a temporary bylaw to allow rooming houses to operate for a set period of time with the intent of analyzing the effects and report back on a strategy at a later date.

One of the five consultation areas identified for the pilot study includes a large section of Highland Creek in the vicinity of the university campus. The area boundaries are Morrish Rd., Highway 401, and Military Trail from Highway 2A to Morningside Ave.

The proposals put forward in this report, if eventually adopted, could have a significant impact on the character of our single-family communities, not just in Highland Creek but all across Scarborough.

You can learn more about this proposal by attending a public consultation meeting on Tues., June 6 from 6:30- 8:30 p.m. at University of Toronto Scarborough Campus, 1265 Military Trail, Room HW305. The full report and background information can be viewed at: www.ronmoeser.ca/COMMUNITY-MEETINGS.php

Wishing everyone a safe and great summer. Please stay in touch.