Welcome to THE SPIRIT OF LAKESHORE

Richard Harwood's words were so appropriate and inspiring I had to copy them. It reflects the goal of "The Spirit of Lakeshore".

Building Community Spirit (Excerpt)
Posted at January 17, 2006 05:10 PM in Public Life
by Richard C. Harwood

Community Spirit is not something to be relegated to the margins of our civic lives. Nor is it some theory to be expounded upon in academic papers, or an outcome to be delivered by public relations experts. Instead, community spirit must be both real and authentic. Authentic community spirit is vital because it reflects the true sense of connection people have to one another. It is the belief that there are issues, challenges, and opportunities that can only be met when we act together. It is a desire to know what exists beyond oneself – how others think, what they do, what they need – how we can live and act together.

Bricks and mortar can give us places to eat, meet and play – all vital to a community; but alone they cannot create the spirit that must fill those places in order for there actually to be a functioning community. For that we need citizens and leaders alike to find what gives them the will not just to survive, but to thrive and to take steps together to forge an authentic community spirit.

Residents upset by swingers clubs, Globe and Mail

Revival of dormant licences skirts new rules and brings sex businesses to west end

JEFF GRAY
From Wednesday's Globe and Mail
June 25, 2008 at 5:14 AM EDT

Just weeks after residents of a gradually gentrifying west-end neighbourhood protested against the surprise appearance of a strip club on Toronto's Lake Shore Boulevard, they are now aghast that two so-called swingers clubs have recently set up shop nearby.

Mark Grimes persuaded his fellow councillors to pass a motion yesterday ordering city bureaucrats and police to "act on the mechanisms available" to stop the establishment of swingers clubs, some of which advertise "on-premise" sex.

Mr. Grimes's motion also calls for the city manager to "act on the mechanisms available" to stop the reissue of adult entertainment licences that have not been active for years.

It was this situation that sparked residents' anger in the Lake Shore Boulevard West and Islington Avenue areas last month, after a country-and-western bar used a "grandfathered" adult-entertainment licence that dated from the 1990s to reopen as a strip club called Jay Jay's Inn, despite new rules barring new establishments near schools and residential areas.

Mr. Grimes said he was having trouble getting answers from city bureaucrats about what powers the city has to stop owners of dormant strip-club licences from opening for business once again. He also said the city does not appear to know how many so-called "sleeping" strip-club licences exist.

Now, residents are upset about a swingers club almost across the road from the strip club, called Menage a Quatre. Mr. Grimes's motion, passed by council, said the club is meant "to allow swingers to engage in multi-partner sexual acts."

Another club in the area, called HERS Night Club, advertises itself on its website as a venue for customers, who pay $5 to $60 admission, "to get away from the hypocrisy and double standards of the outside world and come live out sexual dreams and desires." (It also says on its site that it is moving to a new location.)

Local resident Scott Waddell, who started a Web petition to fight the strip club, said he moved to the area with his wife and young son last year before these businesses came to light.

"I wouldn't buy a house around the corner from a swingers club, just because I don't want to raise my kids there," Mr. Waddell said.

Swingers clubs that encourage members to participate in group sex acts have been emboldened in recent years by a 2005 Supreme Court of Canada ruling, and others exist elsewhere in the city.

End

How to get rid of STUFF

Our household recently joined the "Freecycle Network" to help us get rid of our precious "stuff". Yesterday we gave our first bundle of freecycle content to someone who really wanted it. It felt really good. Someone is also coming to pick stuff up on Friday. You can offer spare wood, plants, nails, tools, paint, furniture, clothing, kitchen items, magazines, paper, craft supplies, fax machines, computer parts, cables and much more. The idea is to keep as much as possible out of landfill. You can also make requests. Someone on the network is building a shed with free recycled building supplies.

We are also attempting to see if we can launch a neighbourly recycle effort called "Cycle Twice" using this blog. Please let me know if you have anything you would like to part with (for free) and we will happily post it for you.

The benefit of a neighbourhood recycling effort is distance, neighbourliness and environmental stewardship; you may be able to recycle within walking distance and simultaneously meet someone new.

Learn more about the official Freecycle network below:

The Freecycle Network (TM) is open to all who want to "recycle" that special something rather than throw it away. Whether it's a chair, a fax machine, piano or an old door, feel free to post it. Or maybe you're looking to acquire something yourself! Nonprofit groups are also welcome to participate too!

One constraint: everything posted must be free. The Freecycle Network is a nonprofit organization and a movement of people interested in keeping good stuff out of landfills.
Check out freecycle.org for other cities and information!




Click to join FreecycleTO

Skating Trail--An email to Mark Grimes and Lura Consulting

I thought the outpouring of negative sentiment on the skateboard park in Sam Smith would have been a clear signal but obviously it fell on deaf ears.

I have numerous objections. First and foremost is that the community fought and worked hard to have Sam Smith a naturalized environment. Humber College is a gem in that it integrates with this concept. But there are no shortages of people who have little respect for community needs, urban ‘wildlife’ and most of all democratic principles. Not long ago it was a wind power generator next door and then the skate board park with a concession stand. Now it’s an energy intensive intrusive skating trail promoted as a ‘destination’ by those who have little knowledge of what and how a ‘destination ‘ is created.

Now I wish to point out that the city seems to have to spend my money on this while absolutely neglecting most of the installed recreation facilities it already has. Case in point, the Prince of Wales Park with its winter skating rink and a summer tennis court, both in destitute condition. No funds to revive it? None to keep it open? Rumor has it that the city will be closing this. And for good reason, the tennis court looks like rolling countryside and the nets are an embarrassment. The chain link fence is an eyesore as is the building with the fascia torn off. And the parking lot? Looks like Verdun after an artillery attack – you need 4WD to drive in and out! And it has no lights at all (although the city spent bundles to light a walk way across the park) and without lights anything goes there at night – I guess the city didn’t want to disturb the drug deals and happy hooker curb service that goes on there. And don’t get me started on the lack of management of the work done on 2nd street and the entrance to the park. If this were private industry there would be one black listed contractor and a city project engineer looking for work – both out the door due to blatant incompetence.

So you can pony up with $2M for something we as a community do not want and further neglect our needs. If one wishes to launch a tax payer revolt, this is a good start.


W. R. (Bil) Thuma, Geophysicist

Opinion about the Skating Trail proposal

Hello Everyone:

Mark Grimes' office and Lura Consulting are collecting comments about the proposed skating trail in our community.

Ensure your voice is heard and counted by emailing:

sobright@toronto.ca
shall@lura.ca, and/or
councillor_grimes@toronto.ca

For more information on this Skating Trail, please follow this link:

http://www.ccfew.org/html/proposed_skating_trail_at_sam_.html

Revitalization Tactics / Planning Meeting

Please join us at the following meetings:

Revitalization Tactics / Planning Meeting

When: Monday June 23rd. 7:00 pm
Where: Lakeshore Store Front Police Station

Please come with ideas you have on how to improve the Lakeshore.

We would like to talk about short term area improvement tatics that we can work on similar to the fantastic online video profiles. Some examples that have been mentioned include:

• shop local flyers
• neighborhood wide garage sale
• neigbourhood bbq or day at the park
• fundraiser,
• raise $$ and work with government for a new third street park, and
• your ideas.

There are a number of things we can do. Working together, we can make a difference.

The purpose of the meeting is to prioritize some of the ideas and start organizing to work on them, building on the momentum from the video's and community meetups. Given that everyone has busy schedules, we are seeing benefits of working in small teams that can co-ordinate their own schedules and then getting back together to discuss what is going on.

Please reply and advise if you will can attend.


Thanks

Scott Waddell
Adam Hughes

OurLakeshore.net

Sunday Drive

When I was a little girl my father took the whole family for a Sunday drive. I loved these Sunday drives. My husband now takes me for drives.

Here is a slideshow of our last drive. This is beautiful Dundas Ontario. Turn on your sound.

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Would you like to see a slideshow of our area? Use the Comments below and tell me.