We’ll be following up on snow clearing issues
By Kathy Rowe
The CCRA has had an unprecedented number of emails and phone calls from justifiably disgruntled residents unnerved by the damage done to properties in our community by the sidewalk snow plows. I fully intend to meet with staff at our councillor’s office about this issue. The CCRA wants to work with our elected officials so that we can better understand what is behind these problems with snow clearing. We hope to be part of the solution next winter.
Join Us on April 22
April is Earth month. I hope that our residents will attend our Community Earth Day
Events on Saturday, April 22 in the Centennial and West Rouge areas and take part in all there is to learn about looking after our greatest resource. Our front-page story gives you all the details about our events.
If you are unable to attend, I hope you will be mindful of the many things you can do that will help keep our natural surroundings healthy and vibrant for generations to come.
Paying Homage to our Past President
On behalf of the CCRA I’d like to extend a message to Ward 25 Deputy Mayor
Jennifer McKelvie. Many of you may not be aware that Jennifer served as CCRA president from November 2015 until November 2017. Jennifer handed the torch to me at the 2017 AGM so that she could run for municipal office in 2018.
I knew I had big shoes to fill. Jennifer was a hardworking, effective and well-respected
CCRA president. Now all of Toronto knows this about our councillor. She has moved up to oversee the Office of the Mayor until the by-election in June. This is a monumental task that she is handling with poise and dignity. Jennifer, please know that the CCRA is proud of you and all you have accomplished.
Lawrence Ave. Speed Camera
By now you have probably seen the speed camera located on the north side of Lawrence just west of Centennial Plaza. You have also likely noticed the black spray paint on it. Many drivers are clearly not happy with the speed camera.
Residents have been getting speeding tickets for driving as little as one kilometre over the speed limit. The fine is $5 for each kilometre over the maximum limit. There are no demerit points for driving over the limit by just a few kilometres, but drivers still find this annoying. Judging by these speed camera designs, I’m guessing that this camera is going to be very successful.
Because this camera is so new, there are no statistics available on the number of tickets that have been issued. There is a link that displays speed camera statistics on a spreadsheet should you want to check out other speed cameras in Toronto. See open.toronto.ca/dataset/automated-speed-enforcement-ase-charges/. Click on the section Download Data and download the Excel Spreadsheet. Some cameras in the city will have updated data until January 2023.
What are your thoughts about our new speed camera? Will it stop drivers from speeding and keep our roads safer? Or do we need to change the structure of our streets to create more shared space for bikes and pedestrians? Other communities across Toronto are fighting for improving streets to make them more pedestrian friendly as a way to combat speeding. Let’s keep this conversation going! We’d love to have your feedback. Email editor@ccranews.com or mail your letters to CCRA, 5450 Lawrence Ave. East , Scarborough M1C 3B2, to share your views.