Open Letter from the RoncyWorks Green Team

For close to 10 years, we, the undersigned volunteers,  have designed and maintained the 21 gardens along Roncesvalles Avenue, in partnership with the Roncesvalles Village BIA (RVBIA).  We embraced that task with enthusiasm after the street was redesigned and rebuilt, and at a time when the RVBIA did not have adequate funds to pay for the upkeep of the street beds. 

It is with great sadness, therefore, that we have chosen to leave that relationship, and end our commitment to create gardens that were diverse, environmentally friendly and increasingly filled with native and pollinator plants.  We believe our years of volunteer street gardening, which won awards, contributed to Roncesvalles’ unique identity as a community. 

Last December, the RVBIA streetscape committee hired a landscaping company, Urban Garden, to prepare a report for redesigning the gardens to create a uniform look, with repeating patterns and colours.  A small outspoken group within the RVBIA were pressing for a commercial style to fit with the street rebranding they were envisioning. 

We were not informed of these plans and were not invited to the table until January. By that time the clock was ticking, with the plant-ordering and planting season fast approaching. 

We prepared seven submissions for the RVBIA’s streetscape committee, including a recap of the gardens’ history and eco-friendly objectives, a description of changing growing conditions, suggestions for native and pollinator plants that would fulfil the RVBIA’s vision, a list of possible eco-friendly consultants who could work with us and the RVBIA to redesign the beds, and suggestions for the Request for Quote that the RVBIA streetscape committee planned to issue for the garden redesign and maintenance in March.  Our input was largely ignored or rejected, other than a concession to include pollinator plants.

In the end, no contractor submitted a bid to the first Request for Quote. In mid-April, a meeting was called to discuss a contingency plan. But, what was supposed to be the RVBIA’s first working committee meeting with us degenerated into a cascade of criticism of the gardens and an approach on the part of the RVBIA members present that made constructive discussion impossible. 

The joy and satisfaction we had felt as volunteers, contributing to the community, managing the Roncesvalles Avenue gardens and nurturing the plants, was shattered. We agreed unanimously not to continue with a partnership that was now so compromised. We informed the BIA that we would not continue.

Another Request for Quote was posted in early May. The contract, now awarded to Urban Garden, includes removing virtually all plant materials  “in all beds in order to achieve the desired uniformity and functionality.” 

The RVBIA let us know their decision and offered us a chance to come back and stay involved. But, given their plans to remove all of the existing garden plants; to impose uniformity; as well as the likely impact of their digging on tree roots in the ten large beds; and the lack of respect shown by members of the RVBIA’s Streetscape Committee for our work and advice,  the prospect of re-engaging as volunteers holds no appeal to us. We feel that having a mix of garden styles was a strength, not a weakness.

However, we are grateful for the many years that we have worked together to bring some beauty and interest to the street. We are also grateful for all the support, encouragement and praise we’ve received from the community and from the RVBIA in the past. And, of course, we will continue to shop locally to help Roncesvalles businesses survive and thrive. 

Sincerely,

RoncyWorks Green Team:
Ann
Bill
Catherine
Jackie
John & Hilary
Karen
Mary
Peggy
Peter & Corinne

WWF’s 10 Year Earth Hour Milestone on Roncy

Save the Date

Ten years ago, WWF initiated Earth Hour. It’s a symbolic time held worldwide to  encourage the global community to share the opportunities and challenges of creating a sustainable world. For one hour on one evening  in the month of March, we are all to turn off our lights and reduce our power draw, opting for candlelight instead.

In December of 2015, Paris hosted the United Nations Climate Change Conference or COP 21 in which, 196 representing countries or territorial parties agreed on a global commitment to reducing the effects of climate change. This agreement is intended to become law.

This past January, City Councillors Gord Perks & Sarah Doucette (representing Parkdale – High Park) held a “think tank” to get residents to weigh in on how they thought, we could work towards combating climate change. It was a packed house. I was there.

Supporting Earth Hour is one of my passions. In 2013 WWF Canada identified me as an Earth Hour Team Captain and I’ve been running with that moniker ever since. My name is Karyn Klaire Koski and my family has lived in Roncesvalles Village for 22 years.

Since 2010, I with other RoncyWorks members – and with the support of the BIA, have encouraged groups of Earth Hour Supporters to walk along Roncesvalles Avenue, in solidarity to represent our community’s voice. There are no protests. It’s just an ever increasing number of friends, families and neighbours, who walk together from the top to the bottom of “Roncy” holding lanterns or candles in jars, in the spirit of the occasion. Along the kilometre and a half stretch we pass candlelit restaurants, bistros and bars who signal their participation by turning off or dimming their lights.

Every year we try to do something a little different in the way of acoustic music, singing, art installations or give aways; and we invite the group to simply enjoy the experience. Many folks continue the celebration afterwards in one of the many participating “powered-down” businesses.

As more and more people recognize ways to combat climate change, the easier it will be to educate, guide and combine our efforts effectively, when Nationwide guidelines will be put in place. Please join us.

Saturday March 19th (8:15 pm – 9:30 pm)
* Gather at 8:15 pm at the Dundas Roncesvalles Peace Garden
(near Starbucks at 2201 Dundas West at Roncesvalles), where hot beverages will be offered.

* Walk starts promptly at 8:30 p.m.

* Participants walk along the commercial side of Roncesvalles, 1.8 km.

* Walk concludes at the Roncesvalles Footbridge, near Beaty Boulevard Parkette
(King/Queen/Queensway intersection)

* All disperse by the end of the Globally recognized Hour. Walk takes about 30 min.

Cancelled in the event of heavy rain
Roncy Earth Hour Walk website

Facebook Event

Taking it to the Street

It took a village to raise that baby!

With a team of many BIA members, TTC delegates, advocating residents, and City of Toronto officials, the long, arduous task of co – creating the Roncesvalles streetscape was a group effort.  The process was based on consultation, collaboration and transparency.

Several members of RoncyWorks were involved in the process and are pleased to report that Roncy’s development history is intact, safe and on the cutting edge of experimental projects.  For example the Greening of Roncy by local volunteers and the success of the Cigarette Litter Prevention Campaign is inspiring other neighbourhoods.

Creating an accessible street that people would enjoy for generations was the group mandate. And, if the TTC has to make some adjustments to get that perfect, well that’s OK with me.

The group had to scale their vision to budget and other limitations, while pursuing the common interests of all businesses, residents, motorists, cyclists, transit users and pedestrians of all ages — some with strollers, walkers or wheelchairs.

Roncy Works… because we all work together.

More on:  Community engagement with Roncesvalles Renewed

No rip ups planned along Roncy

TTC work anticipated for 2016

A step-free access ramp will be located at the second doorway of each new TTC streetcar. (Randy Risling / Toronto Star)

To accommodate the accessible ramps for the new streetcars that will be traveling along the 504 route, some minor adjustments will need to be made to TTC designed bump outs along Roncesvalles.

Correction: Back when the TTC bump outs were being installed there were still some unknowns. In fact, the ramp design for the bump outs was not finalized until 2013. [The original plans of 2011 were modified and finalized in 2013, before TTC had settled on the purchasing of the expected, new streetcars.]

According to TTC Executive Director of Corporate Communications, Brad Ross, “not the entire bump out will be adjusted, just a 4 square metre area of each bump out.  The work is slated for 2016 and will be done during non-peak times.”

There will be the odd lane restriction, but the road will not be closed, the track will not be ripped out along Roncy, motorists, pedestrians and cyclists will still be able to use the road, bike lanes and sidewalks.

When asked, Councillor Gord Perks commented that it is his understanding “the TTC will concentrate their efforts on Spadina, Bathurst and Dundas accessibility issues first. “Roncevalles will only experience minimal disruption during non peak hours and work will be done quickly in days, not months.”

In terms of timing, the TTC is aiming to co-ordinate this work with the City of Toronto and coincide construction with the already scheduled intersection rebuild at Queen-King-Roncesvalles-Queensway.  Streetcars will be out of service as a result of the intersection work, but will be replaced by scheduled buses.

“Rest assured, the TTC is sensitive to further disruption to the community and will do all it can to mitigate disruption,” says Ross. “There will be lots of signage and advance notice to the community and businesses”.

Earth Hour 2013 on Roncy

This gallery contains 5 photos.