Thursday, March 11, 2004
Back To Normal
The fence came down yesterday at the north end of Withrow Park. Kids and dogs swarmed in. The park was back to normal. Too bad. Normal included many dogsÛbig dogsÛrunning free as their owners walked along tens of metres away. In a period of a few minutes we saw five unleashed dogs two of which relieved themselves well away from owners who were unconcerned about their pets' behaviour.
We know from scientific studies that the pesticide carbofuran is a relatively toxic substance but one that was used for years to produce the food we ate. The park was closed at great expense for what turned out to be a few milligrams of the substance. Dog waste, on the other hand, contains Campylobacter and Salmonella, proven killers. It also contains Toxocara Canis a parasite that is a serious health threat to children. We know that Riverdale's Dog Owners' Association has worked hard to promote responsible dog ownership. It is a very small minority of owners who choose not to care about how their dogs impact other park users. If the fence has not changed their ways what will? Is it time for the City to begin ticketing inconsiderate dog owners?
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Posted by Editor on 03/11
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Wednesday, March 10, 2004
Fence Finished . . .
Three weeks after spending $25,000 to build the one kilometer long fence, work crews were at the park this morning tearing it down. As we've come to expect, television trucks and reporters were there covering, one of them said, the "good news" aspect of the story (by the way, have these tv stations heard of the no idling bylaw?). The many people who have come to this site in the last twenty days have posted opinions both for and against the fence. One message is clear. An undesigned 19th. century park in a 21st. century world is no longer serving the community. We applaud Paula Fletcher's call for neighbourhood involvement in ideas for the park and ask that everyone participate. Please see the following message from Fletcher's office:
The ordeal this community has faced in the past few weeks has generated much needed discussion and ideas about the character and form a multi-use park in a downtown urban setting should take. Toronto Parks and Recreation are beginning an operational review of Withrow Park that will include consultation with the community. By mail, fax or email (see form below) please feel free to forward your suggestions and indicate your interest in being involved. I will be happy to pass these along to Parks and Recreation.
Paula Fletcher
Toronto City Councillor, Ward 30, Toronto-Danforth
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Posted by Editor on 03/10
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Tuesday, March 09, 2004
Party Time!
Friday March 12, 2004, 6-8 pm
Open House @ the
Withrow Park Field House
Good news!! Please join Marilyn Churley, MPP and me, along with your neighbours and staff of Toronto Parks and Recreation and Public Health for hot chocolate and cake to celebrate the full reopening of Withrow Park.
Public Health has now given Withrow Park a clean bill of health. Beginning Wednesday, March 10, the process of dismantling the fence will begin. Daily sweeps of the park, the removal of any found poisonous substances and the recent snow melt all combined to allow city officials a strong degree of confidence that the park can be reopened. To continue to protect people and animals, twice-daily sweeps of the park will be maintained for some time. Park users can also help by being vigilant when using the park.
The ordeal this community has faced in the past few weeks has generated much needed discussion and ideas about the character and form a multi-use park in a downtown urban setting should take. Toronto Parks and Recreation are beginning an operational review of Withrow Park that will include consultation with the community. By mail, fax or email (see form below) please feel free to forward your suggestions and indicate your interest in being involved. I will be happy to pass these along to Parks and Recreation.
But for now÷ it's time to celebrate the reopening of Withrow Park. We hope to see you there Friday evening.
Best wishes,
Paula Fletcher
Toronto City Councillor, Ward 30, Toronto-Danforth
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Posted by Editor on 03/09
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Monday, March 08, 2004
When Is The Park Reopening?
Does anyone know when the park will reopen?
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Posted by Editor on 03/08
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Sunday, March 07, 2004
Shakespeare In The Park
I just wanted to thank you for your most informative and insightful website. The level of concern and debate certainly is testament to the passion the community has for the Park. I am artistic director for "Shakespeare in the Rough", and this summer will mark our tenth anniversary of performing professional Shakespeare in Withrow Park, our summer home. Our performances are offered every summer free of charge to the community and our audiences continue to grow every year.
On a personal note, we embrace all the community members who make up our
audience: including families children and dogs! Our "lobby" area always has fresh water for passing dogs and our front of house staff always have a doggy treat at the ready. I wanted to let you know that our summer production this year is "The Two Gentlemen of Verona" and it is one of those comedies that actually needs a dog on stage.
Shakespeare in the Rough hopes to engage the business and the dog-friendly
community to work together later this summer when we have "doggy" auditions, our very own Canine Idol. We will be working with Gillian Ridgeway from Who's Walking Who among other community, business and political leaders.
When I have more details I would love to let you know and be able to post it to your website.
In the meantime if you can think of anyone that you know of who might be
interested in collaborating on this healing, feel good, community event
please feel free to pass my contact info on to them.
Congratulations again on your terrific web site and keep up the good work.
Sincerely
Kevin Hammond
(If you want to contact Kevin please send an email to the editor)
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Posted by Editor on 03/07
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Friday, March 05, 2004
Where Should Our MVA Tax Dollars Go?
Why should Riverdale and the City redesign Withrow Park? Toronto Parks has said that even the low cost addition of logs used to define the perimeter of the off leash area resulted in a reduction in the number of dog complaints over previous years. Imagine what a more comprehensive redesign might achieve not only for dog owners but for neighbourhood kids. We all know that dog ownership is on the rise. We also know that the population of Riverdale is going to grow given the cityÌs plan to increase the density of the central core. If we amortize a park redesign over twenty years, solve some of the dog-no dog conflicts, and provide better facilities to accommodate the growing population and changing use patterns, Riverdale will be better off.
For the past few years since amalgamation our inner city tax dollars (based on MVA) have gone to pay for the paving over of the Oakridge moraine which extended Toronto's infrastructure far beyond the point of economic viability based on density. Is it unreasonable for Riverdale residents to want more of their tax dollars plowed back into the community from which they came. Economically and socially the prospect of a long term investment in our local infrastructure makes sense. What do you think?
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Posted by Editor on 03/05
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Wednesday, March 03, 2004
Good Park Design = Good Neighbours
One of the canons of community design is that the intended use of an area must be obvious but not necessarily rigidly controlled. A well-designed courtyard or plaza, for example, will allow for members of the community to assemble for a variety of purposes but, by the nature of its planning and relationship to other functions, will discourage destructive uses.
Withrow Park is the centre of Riverdale. It is a plaza, playground, recreational area, theatre, dog zone, and nature preserve. Time and societal change have made its present design obsolete. In fact, the way the park is now being used has turned members of the community against one-another and allowed a criminal to disrupt the way we live. There is an answer to the problem. We can take what is great about the park and add to it. We can design areas for dogs that don't interfere with areas for children and other users. We can design and build new playgrounds that are more than just some level ground with swings and slides dropped on top. This will take money and time and commitment and political will. But what is the alternative, a community living with unresolved conflict?
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Posted by Editor on 03/03
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Monday, March 01, 2004
A Better Withrow Park?
First a madman and then a fence took our park from us. HereÌs one way we can get it back: Rally around a campaign to make Withrow better. Even before this incident, Withrow suffered from a playground gap. The cityÌs most kid-intensive neighbourhood has an outdated and small playground. Worse yet, it has little shelter from the sun.
The new, and evolving, KewPlay in the Beach can inspire Withrow. More modest and suited to the neighbourhood, it is nestled among mature trees and is easily accessible on foot, even if youÌre four years old. It was built with help from the city, residents and even corporate largesse (note that commercial logos seem to be restricted to promotional materials). Go to
www.kewplay.org for a template of how a community can come together to build an ambitious project.
Such a project could be built in the area in and around WithrowÌs second
playground, straddling the walkway that heads northeast off Logan Avenue at
the parkÌs top end. The area is surrounded by trees and is visible from the
street. Also useful would be an enhanced dog run Û one that helps prevent dog-people tensions. WithrowÌs water playground also badly needs a facelift. Can Riverdale residents find a silver lining to the dark cloud that descended on our community? This may be the way.
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Posted by Editor on 03/01
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