Let’s hope the cold is behind us as we head into March
By Kathy Rowe
I’m crossing my fingers hoping that the coldest part of this winter is behind us. March is a tricky month so no guarantees on that one! We can all look forward to putting our clocks an hour ahead on March 14. As you can see in our front-page photo, February’s cold temperatures and generous snowfalls really helped with a variety of winter activities in our neighbourhood.
In the photograph on this page, I am holding my winter craft. It’s an ice suncatcher that I made a couple of weeks ago. They are super easy to make and they are beautiful to watch as the sun shines through them on a cold day.
All you need is a pie plate or cake pan. Fill the pan with water and drop bits of pine needles, red berries from trees, cedar clippings or tiny pine cones into the water. If you have food colouring you can add that, too. Experiment with different amounts of greenery and don’t forget to place a string long enough to extend beyond the pan for hanging it up later. Leave the pan out overnight and in the morning the icy creation will lift out easily. Hang it from a branch or a hook near a window so that you can enjoy it. This is a perfect project for children, too. See our centre pages this month for more activities for the kids.
470 Coronation Drive
I recently participated in a virtual meeting regarding the proposed expansion of the Digital Specialty Chemicals plant. The meeting was organized by the company. A few key employees, a representative from our Councillor’s office and the team of residents who have been monitoring the 633 Coronation proposal joined in to learn more about the plans for 470 Coronation.
We were pleased with the transparency displayed by Digital Specialty Chemicals and as a result of this meeting, the deadline for public commentary on this application has been extended from February 17 to March 18. This will give the team time to review forthcoming information from the company.
Shadow study
According to a shadow study submitted by Altree Developments, certain mixed use and selected neighbourhood areas will experience limited shadowing from their proposed condo development on Military Trail. This condo proposal has not yet been approved by the City of Toronto. Contact our Councillor’s office with any questions on this issue.
Here is the detailed shadow breakdown from Altree Developments:
March 21
South of Highway 2A/Kingston Rd at some point after 4:18 p.m. (no shadows at 4:18 pm; shadows visible from 5:18 p.m. onward). Properties impacted would be those on the north side of Colonel Danforth Drive (likely 4, 8 and 10) at 5:18 p.m. and the rear portion of some backyards along Bonacres Ave. at 6:18 p.m.
June 21
South of Highway 2A/Kingston Rd: At 6:18 p.m., it looks like there may be only one property affected (3 Colonel Danforth Trail). This property is also well treed, so the shadows are not likely to have a significant impact.
December 21
North of Old Kingston Rd at 9:18 a.m. (first few properties along Military Trail and 2 Watson St.): By 10:18 a.m., only 2 Watson St. is partially shadowed.
South of Highway 2A/Kingston Rd later in the afternoon/evening (the sun sets at 4:43 p.m.): It’s hard to discern the extent of the shadow at 4:18 p.m. as they are very long. They may only affect the Lawson Road City lands (Mixed Use Areas) and St. Dunstan of Canterbury church lands (which are designated Neighbourhoods but zoned Institutional Place of Worship), although it’s possible that shadows at this point in the late afternoon may continue to some residential properties further east along Lawson Road.