humber happenings magazine (spring 2016)

8/17/2019 Humber Happenings Magazine (Spring 2016)

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SPRING 2016

LOOK FOR MORE UPDATES AND INFORMATION ON OUR NEW WEBSITE HUMBERBAYSHORES.ORG

A C O M M U N I T Y P U B L I C A T I O N B Y T H E H U M B E R B A Y S H O R E S C O N D O M I N I U M A S S O C I A T I O N

WELCOME

B ACK

SPRING!IN THIS ISSUE:

• COMMUNITY ACTION – NEWS & UPDATES

• FINANCIAL PLANNING

• HEALTH & WELLNESS

• AND MORE


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HUMBER HAPPENINGS | SPRING 2016 3

IN THIS ISSUE

LIFESTYLE10 GO FASTER AND GO FURTHER

WITH AMEGO ELECTRIC BIKES

By Virginia Block

20 HBSCA Bike Trail

By Don Henderson

24 THE GEM OF RETIREMENT LIVING:

HEARTHSTONE BYTHEBAY

30 CONDO CONSIDERATIONS:TRANSITIONING PETS TO CONDO LIVING

By Dr. Farzad Ghazi

COVER PHOTO:

Tree Swallow in Humber Bay Park.

Copyright © 2016, Art Lupinacci.

4 PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE

COMMUNITY NEWS & EVENTS6 MINUTES FROM THE TRANSIT

TOWN HALL MEETING

MPP Peter Milczyn

8 AN UPDATE ON TRAFFICAND TRANSPORTATION

By Jim Reekie

12 FAUNA IN OUR PARK By Irene Jardine

16 THE NEED FOR A NEWCOMMUNITY CENTRE

By Don Henderson

26 PAVILLION CANCELLATION By Councillor Mark Grimes

HEALTH & WELLNESS14 MOVEMENT MOTIVATION By Shayne Henderson

MONEY MINDED22 FINANCIAL PLANNING By Darren Clark

PROFESSIONAL INSIGHTS18 COURTS CAN EVICT CONDO OWNERS

FOR BAD CONDUCT

By Martin Rumack

28 ELECTRICITY BILL CHANGES By Murray Johnson

BUSINESS INSIGHTS27 INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS SPEAKER &

MANAGEMENT COACH LOVES

RETURNING TO HUMBER BAY SHORES

By HBSCA

10

14

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A Community Publication by the Humber Bay Shores Condominium Association

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Humber Bay Shores is becoming an enviable lifestyle community for

home-owners and visitors alike with its large clean parks, water-

front, multi-use trails and event-based attractions. This is a large

part of the reason condo owners who may outgrow their current lodgings

often decide to re-buy in the very same community. Added to this allure are

the expanding retail offerings making it easy to stay/shop local (markets,

grocers, restaurants, health services, etc.). As Harry Chapin once crooned:

where we love to hang out really becomes ‘a better place to be.’

As a cherished community, we

rely on quality infrastructure and

maintenance services that are, in

large part, provided by our own

condominium corporations and

the municipality. However, keeping

our local public park property clean

and tidy is an everyday custom that

we should all be part of. A great

community depends on volun-

teers. I often see people picking up

refuse (wrappers, bags, cigarette

butts, coffee cups and even dog droppings). Our good neighbour, Verena

Unger is an inspirational example picking up garbage on our collective behalf

(see photo). Verena is a member of the “Friends of Humber Bay Park” group

and loves her daily walk along Marine Parade Drive armed with garbage bags

and a pick-up tool. She affirms, it’s against her aesthetic values to leave the

garbage people toss away uncaringly. She often fills as many as three large

bags during her walk. She wishes others would come and help and appeals

to HBS residents and visitors to pick up after themselves and toss refuse in

the 100 or so adjacent and well-spaced receptacles. To quote Verena, “We are

proud of our parkland and lake front and I feel privileged to call this area myhome. Let’s take care of it!”

Another wonderful anonymous

resident also posted a sign along the

trail (requesting dog owners to pick-

up)! The Friends of Humber Bay Park

and HBSCA have asked the City for

more signage along the trail to remind

us all to keep our parks clean. For

condo owners, the amazing green

space is an extension of their living

space; a backyard they get to enjoy

and share with neighbours. Let’s take

care of it.On May 28th, HBSCA will host its 20th Annual Parkland Clean-up and as

with prior years about 200 volunteers will help clean-up our waterfront park-

land. This one day is merely symbolic of our united need to pick up garbage

daily, or better still, avoid littering our parks with cigarette butts, refuse,

water bottles and dog droppings in the first place! This annual cleanup day

is also about paying homage to our volunteers over many years that under-

stand and value the beauty of our parks and waterfront. To all of our

volunteers, you are a beacon of respectful pride and altruism in our com-

munity. Thank you!

Don Henderson has lived and volunteered in the HBS for nearly 20 years. He currently

serves as President of HBSCA.

4 HUMBER HAPPENINGS | SPRING 2016 HUMBERBAYSHORES.ORG

HH

PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE

BOARD OF DIRECTORSPRESIDENT: Don Henderson, Bal Harbour

VICEPRESIDENT: Jim Reekie, Palace Place

TREASURER: Tom Arkay, Palace Pier

SECRETARY: Laura Nash, Marina del Rey, Phase III

PASTPRESIDENT: Jim Reekie, Palace PlaceDIRECTORSATLARGE:

Jim Faichnie, WaterfordKathryn Winter, Grand Harbour, Bldg A & B

Tim Owen, Grand Harbour, Bldg C

DIRECTORS:

Toni Lisi, Marina del Rey, Phase I

Horst Richter, Marina del Rey, Phase II | Nico Rogers, WaterfordLinda Dakin, Explorer at Waterview | Beth MacNab, Voyager 1 & 2

Beth MacNab, Voyager 2 | Mike Adamovich, NautilusMarion Crewe, Hearthstone by the Bay

Wayne Lakey, Grenadier Landing | Lida Preyma, Newport BeachMario DeSantis, South Beach, Green Tower Irene Nordlander, South Beach, Blue Tower

David White, Beyond the Sea, Star Tower Joyce Luesink, Beyond the Sea, Phase I

Sherali Najak,Waterscapes

| Mike Kavanagh,Palace Place

Dina Godinko, Lakeside Place

CONTRIBUTORSDon Henderson | Peter Milczyn | Jim Reekie | Martin Rumack

Darren Clark | Shayne Henderson | Irene Jardine

Friends of Humber Bay Park | Mark Grimes | Murray Johnson

Norma Jean Sittler | Dr. Farzad Ghazi

PRODUCTIONDESIGN: Markintosh Design | Mark Tzerelshtein

PUBLISHING CONSULTANT: Fred Sanders

MANAGING EDITOR: Monique Charbonneau

EDITORIAL ASSISTANT: Laura Keeler-Lavin

ADVERTISINGFor advertising inquires please contact HBSCA:

[email protected] or call ..

Humber Happenings Magazine is published 4 times a year by MJRochester Publishing Inc. St. Clair Ave East Suite , Toronto, ON.

All rights reserved. No part of this magazine may be reproduced in

any form without the consent of the HBSCA. The HBSCA, MJ

Rochester Publishing Inc. or any member of the production team is

not responsible for any errors, omissions, facts or representation in

editorials or advertisements in this publication.

OFFICE: 2240 Lake Shore Blvd West, Unit M-227,Toronto, ON M8V 0G1 • Ph: 416-792-4964

CONTACT INFORMATION: email: [email protected]

WEBSITE: www.humberbayshores.org

Have ideas to share, feedback or wish to volunteer?

Reach us at [email protected] or 416-792-4964

ABOUT HBSCA: The Humber Bay Shores Condominium Association(HBSCA) was established and incorporated in 1997. HBSCA is a vol-unteer-based, not-for-profit corporation representing the interestsof the residents in the Humber Bay Shores community.

WHAT WE DO: We supply representation of the community to all

levels of government for the enactment, amendment, or repealof legislation dealing with, but not limited to, all aspects of condo-minium ownership, real estate development, and usage of realproperty in the area. In addition to the above we conductresearch and provide awareness and education to our communityon issues related to ownership, development, management,financing, and promotion of real estate property in the area.

MISSION STATEMENT: Provide strong leadership for the deve-lopment, preservation and beautification of the vibrant, valued,sustainable condominium community in which we live, work, and play.

SPRING 2016 VOLUME 20 , ISSUE 2A BETTER PLACETO BE?

A HBS resident, frustrated by dog litter, makesa novel plea to un-cooperative dog-owners.

Humber Bay Shores resident Verena Unger

routinely picks up Park litter on her daily walks.

BY DON HENDERSON


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This Park

etiquette litter

poster to be installed

along the HBS

Board walk

and park.


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Minister of Transportation

Steven Del Duca (right)

attended the Town Hall

meeting to discuss Etobicoke transit

priorities. The meeting was hosted by Eto-

bicoke-Lakeshore MPP Peter Milczyn (left)

and Etobicoke Centre MPP Yvan Bake.

Leslie Woo, Chief Planning Officer of

Metrolinx, was also present.

ON FEBRUARY 3, 2016 Minister Del Duca

related that “We find ourselves in an era

simultaneously trying to catch up and

keep up, because for too long... govern-

ments at all levels and of all stripes didn’t

make the difficult decisions to make sure

that we continue to build the road,

highway and bridge infrastructure, and

continue to expand our public transit to

give people options with respect to

leaving their cars at home.”

TO THIS DON HENDERSON, President of

HBSCA remarked that one of the results

of that indecision, is the “terrible”

gridlock around the Humber Bay Shores

community — a 2.5-km strip of “crun-

ching roadway” that will likely house up

to 35 condominiums and 30,000 people

before its development boom is over.

“Knowing the tax base of 2.5 km of ver-

tical living, I just wonder if we really have

a GO stop in mind as a priority for this

area (Park Lawn)?” Henderson asked Del

Duca. “We’re terribly under-serviced

there, and we really sorely need a better

transit system in the area to get people

out of their cars. I know every jurisdiction

has their own wish list, but I’m expecting

that a serious look is given to Humber Bay

Shores area.”

THAT SENTIMENT was echoed by bothMichael Olivier, head of the transit sub-

committee with Our Place Initiative, and

Craig White, managing editor of urban-

toronto.ca; “I know there cannot be

enough speakers lined up here tonight to

underline how important a Humber Bay

station is for GO,” White said. “There is no

potential site along the Lake Shore West

GO line that has more density already

added to it, with more still coming, than

this one spot.”

IN RESPONSE, Del Duca said he’s well

aware of the dramatic changes that have

taken place in that pocket of Etobicoke in

recent years, and noted that Park Lawn is

on an “immediate shortlist” of 50 sites

Metrolinx is currently analysing as poten-

tial new GO stations. MPP Milczyn has

assured HBSCA that he will be working on

securing a Park Lawn Station.


COMMUNITY ACTION

TOWN HALLMEETING MINUTES

HH


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SAMPLE OF MEETING NOTICE

WHEREAS, the Humber Bay Shores(HBS) area surrounding Park Lawn Road

and Lake Shore Boulevard has experi-

enced rapid residential development in

the last decade.

WHEREAS, the area has approximately

28,000 residents currently living in

the densely-populated HBS and sur-

rounding area.

WHEREAS, the estimated potential

population from current development

applications will increase the area’s

population to approximately 40,000

new residents.

WHEREAS, in 2013 the Toronto Board of

Trade estimated that traffic congestion

costs Toronto’s economy $6 billion a year.

WHEREAS, low occupancy vehicular

traffic congestion becomes an alternative

to unreliable public transit resulting in

elevated air and noise pollution.

WHEREAS, there is critical demand for

public transit for this part of Etobicoke.

Currently, public transit services are con-

sistently congested, inefficient, and at

times unreliable.

WHEREAS, a new GO Train station

at Park Lawn Road would assist with

relieving congestion and pressures on

overburdened transportation infra-

structure by providing easily accessible

rapid transit for thousands of area res-

idents from Humber Bay Shores,

Mimico, and the south Etobicoke com-

munities.

WHEREAS, there is an opportunity to

purchase land along the rail corridor

at Mondelez/Christies’ site; currently

vacated and for sale.

WHEREAS, an additional new GO Train

Station at Park Lawn would also be

aligned with the province’s stated poli-

cies to improve quality through the

reduction of traffic on provincial high-

ways by the provision of mass transit.

Be It Resolved, for the aforementioned

reasons Humber Bay Shores Condominium

Association representing Condominium

Corporations in the Humber Bay Shores

area petitions Metrolinx and the Ministry

of Transportation to approve an addi-

tional new GO Train Stop/Station in the

vicinity of Park Lawn Road and Lake

Shore Boulevard.


TO METROLINX AND THE MINISTRY OF TRANSPORTATIONFROM THE HUMBER BAY SHORES CONDOMINIUM BOARD

HH


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W e have been working with

our City Councillor and

Traffic and Planning Depart-

ment to resolve ongoing traffic issues in

the area. Resolving congestion and

restricting outside traffic are on the ticket

for this round of updates.

PARK LAWN AND LAKE SHORE

RESOLVING CONGESTION

We know there have been particularly

frustrating times with drivers running

red lights and blocking lanes as well as

congestion in the intersection. We haveasked that there be no right hand turns

onto Park Lawn south Monday to Friday

mornings from 7am-9am.

Transportation Services would like to

try Bluetooth technology to post real

travel times on the Gardiner Expressway

to downtown (Yonge Street) via Park Lawn

Road to Lake Shore compared to staying

on the Gardiner Expressway, however,

this has been tested with less than satis-

factory results. We propose Park Lawn

South Bound should be closed Monday to

Friday 7am to 9am.

MARINE PARADE DRIVE

LOCAL TRAFFIC ONLY

As you may have noticed we have tried

implementing “local traffic only” signs

and this has not been effective. Traffic is

getting worse on Marine Parade Drive. A

simple solution would be pay duty police

on Marine Parade Drive Monday to Friday

from 7am to 9am. Only local traffic wouldbe let through, while the rest would be

turned around and sent back to Lake

Shore. If this is not effective, we propose

closing Marine Parade Drive Monday to

Friday 7am to 9am.

City Council approved restricting right

hand turns onto Marine Parade Drive

from eastbound Lake Shore Monday to

Friday from 7am to 9am. Signage will be

installed within a few weeks, however

what remains to be seen is whether or not

the city will provide police to ticket those

who make the turn regardless.

We continue to experience frustrations

with regard to the relentless traffic flow on

Park Lawn that impedes residents’ ability

to enter and exit their building. Trans-

portation Staff are looking into replacing

the current “Yield” sign on the Park Lawn

off ramp with a “Stop” sign, which should

create breaks in the flow of traffic.

THE HBSCAIS WORKING HARDTO KEEP YOU MOVING

BY JIM REEKIE

An Update on Traffic and Transportation in Humber Bay Shores

COMMUNITY ACTION

Jim Reekie

Vice President, Humber Bay Shores

Condominium Association Board of Directors

HH

HBSCA CALL FOR VOLUNTEERS

We are seeking community volunteers to assistwith the magazine and other committees.

HUMBER BAY SHORES

CONDOMINIUM ASSOCIATION

Email: [email protected] • Message: 416-792-4964


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Absorb that vitamin D, help our planet,

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while saving your time and your money!Offering stylish and high performing

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Equipped with pedals all Amego bikes

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that require no insurance, no licence and

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market. Amego gives you the freedom to

park and drive where a bicycle can, costs

cents to charge, and you will never get a

parking ticket!

Visit Amego Electric Vehicles,

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free e-bike test ride and for advice on

the best electric bike for you. Amego

carries its own line of electric bicyclesand electric scooters, as well as top

electric bike brands such as Stromer,

Bionx, Evo, A2B, Shimano Steps, and

Haibike.

Let’s get more gas driven cars off our

roads! Join the electric movement today!

For more information visit amegoev.com

or its dealership located at 533 Richmond

St. W., Toronto.


LIFESTYLE

BY VIRGINIA BLOCK

HH

GO FURTHER AND

GO FASTER FOR LESSGO ELECTRIC!

AMEGO BOLD5W V3AHKM/H | KMS

AMEGO FOLD5W 3VAH3KM/H | 5KMS


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FAUNA

IN OUR PARK

Friends of Humber Bay Park

(FOHBP) are concerned with many

aspects of the park, among them

the co-existence of humans and wild ani-

mals. It is such a privilege to live in the

Humber Bay Shores community, which

offers us the joys of what nature has to

offer right outside our homes.Those of us who walk in the park may

have seen signs cautioning not to feed

the animals. Feeding animals human

food (e.g., bread, crackers, popcorn, etc.)

can seriously harm ducks, geese and

other natural wildlife. One side effect of

this results in the development of angel

wing, an incurable condition leaving the

birds flightless, the result of being fed

high amounts of carbohydrates.

In addition, wild animals who become

accustomed to being fed lose their fear of

people, which may become a nuisance

and larger animals, such as coyotes, may

threaten the safety of pets and even

humans as they encroach further into

residential communities.

The Toronto Wildlife Centre points out

that whereas feeding wild animals can be

rewarding for the person doing the

feeding, it can be very dangerous for these

creatures when they start to associate

humans with food. Since many people will

be irritated or frightened by the aggressive

behaviour of wild animals (when they

come to expect food from people) they may

act in ways that can harm the animal.

Allowing wild animals to find their own

natural food will benefit us all.

FOOD FOR THOUGHT FOR FANS

OF THE HUMBER BAY BUTTERFLY

HABITAT (HBBH)

I recently came across an interesting

website which talked about predators of

butterflies. In particular the following

statement struck a nerve, “Throughout

the world, adult butterflies are killed in

vast numbers by birds, including spar-

rows, tits, thrushes, robins, orioles and

jays. Others fall victim when basking onthe ground or visiting flowers, although

many are lucky to escape with nothing

more than a peck taken out of a wing.”

I was reminded of last summer when

many people who were looking for butter-

flies in the Humber Bay Butterfly Habitat

(HBBH) area voiced their disappointment

that they could not find many butterflies.

Within the HBBH are several bird

feeders being maintained by kind-

hearted residents year-round. The bird

feeders attract great numbers of spar-

rows, starlings and pigeons. Despite

these kind efforts, it might be advisable

to remove the bird feeders during the

warm season to provide the butterflies

with a healthier environment.

TREE SWALLOWS

Tree Swallows arrive in Toronto in April,

after a winter in Central America and the

southern US. They come with the return

of their food source, flying insects. The

swallows need an enclosed nest to raise a

family. Since appropriate tree cavities are

not common enough in the big city,

people often put out boxes for them.

FOHBP wants to help the birds, and of

course provide an opportunity for resi-

dents to enjoy their acrobatic flying andinteresting behaviour, which is why David

Creelman is working with the Toronto

and Region Conservation Authority to

bring back Tree Swallow nest boxes.

David requires volunteers to help with

the installation and maintenance of the

nest boxes. Please contact David at

[email protected] if

you are interested in participating.


COMMUNITY ACTION

HH

BY IRENE JARDINE

For more information or to become a

member visit us on twitter @FOHBP or

Facebook (Friends of Humber Bay Park)

E-mail: [email protected]

P H O

T O : F A I T H M C A S K I L L

P H O T O : D A V I D C R E E L M A N


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W hat does being healthy mean

to you? Is it an hour a day at

the gym? Eating salad with

your dinner? Being a week-end warrior

golfer? Is it simply not being sick? Health

and being healthy can and does mean dif-

ferent things to different people based on

many factors: age, family history, activity

level, education, financial stability and

environment (work and home) can allcontribute to a healthy lifestyle and your

ability to live life to the fullest.

It can be overwhelming to know where

to start on your health journey. While it’s

good to set goals, the key to getting your

health to where you want it to be is to

simply start moving. Today.

Focus on your habits and how you

move. Ask yourself: Do you sit for

extended periods? Do you slouch/have

poor alignment? Are you stressed from

work or commitments? Do you drive

instead of walk to the Rabba/Valumart/

Metro? Are you unable to reach up over

your head to get something? Is it diffi-

cult to bend or squat to put on your

shoes? If you answered yes to any or all

of these, then you might want to con-

sider changing your movement and

lifestyle habits.Losing your ability to move unre-

stricted has a great impact on the health of

your muscles, bones and joints. This in

turn can affect your heart and lung func-

tion, circulation and overall health. Lack

of movement in an area of the body leads

to lack of circulation to feed important

nutrients to the cells, organs and tissues;

and in the body, if something isn’t

building or growing, it is deteriorating.

Take osteoporosis as an example. It is a

process where the bone-destroying cells

override the bone-building cells due to

lack of physical load. To create strong

healthy bone this process needs to work

in harmony and be balanced. Nutrition

plays a part, but if you are not providing

the bones with load-bearing activity then

there is no stimulation for growth. This is

a huge issue as we age, especially for

women. People often go on medication to

help with their osteoporosis, but this

medication simply stops the bone

destroying process, it does not stimulate

the bone building process. The result is a

system out of balance. You need good

alignment, activity and proper nutritionto make this system work.

At Kingsway Health by the Lake our goal

is to optimize your physical function so

you enjoy everyday life unrestricted. If you

want to put your body back into balance,

and rejuvenate your cells for a long and

healthy life, we can help you do that. We

have been helping patients in Etobicoke

for over 40 years and we are continually

committed to furthering people’s health

on the whole. We want to see you walking,running and enjoying the beautiful Water-

front Trail as this amazing community

continues to grow.

MOVEMENT

MOTIVATION

HEALTH & WELLNESS

BY SHAYNE HENDERSON, R.KIN, RMT

Shayne Henderson is a

Registered Kinesiologist,

Massage Therapist and Move-

ment Specialist at Kingsway

Health by the Lake. She can

be contacted at 416-231-9502

or [email protected]

HH

The Importance of building health, muscle and bone as you age


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BACKGROUND

In the Winter 2014 issue of Humber

Happenings, residents may recall that

the Humber Bay Shores Condominium

Association announced that Empire Com-

munities Development had donated their

6,000 square foot Presentation Centre to

HBSCA. Once decommissioned as a sales

centre, the building would be re-designed

to function as a community centre. Coun-

cillor Mark Grimes and then President Jim

Reekie made this announcement in

Humber Happenings though further meet-

ings were necessary to work out structural

and functional details in order to make this

conversion happen. It was hoped that as a

non-profit organization, the building’s

operational and maintenance costs could

be negotiated in the same manner as other

non-profit, city-owned properties are sub-

sidized (e.g. leasing for $1 per annum for an

X-term lease).

Subsequent to these discussions with

Empire Communities and Councillor

Grimes, city staff raised a number of con-

cerns that would create obstacles to

permanent use of the building by the

community; notwithstanding the builder

agreeing to a number of structural re-fit

modifications (lowering the building

onto a new foundation and other

interior alterations). City engineering staff

appeared to be adamant that future use of

Empire’s Presentation Centre as a Humber

Bay Community Centre would not be pos-

sible without renovation expenditures

amounting to over $4.4 million.

Discussions culminated at the Ward 6

Announcement of a Public Information

Meeting held on February 16, 2016 at the

Mimico Centennial Library. This public

consultation meeting was called to dis-

cuss the Humber Bay Parks Project as part

of a construction master plan of a parks

pavilion or Community facility near the

ponds at Humber Bay Park East targeted

to open in 2018. Projected cost of this

project would be about $7 million.

HBSCA in meetings with Councillor

Grimes and Empire Communities had

hoped to direct funds to the re-purposed

Presentation Centre renovations given

that a building opportunity was already

available in a central location, albeit with

the need for recommended alterations/re-

positioning. Funding for the renovations

could be, in part from the benefactor, and

the City (Section 37 funds).

REQUISITES FOR CONSIDERATION

The HBSCA has maintained that an acces-

sible and local community centre for its

current and future residents was sorely

needed. It is expected by 2017 once cur-

rent condo construction is completed,

there will be in excess of 28,000 residents

living in 30 plus hi-rise condominiums

within a small community footprint des-

ignated as Humber Bay Shores. In

looking at principles that would support

the need for a community centre, a 2005

study concluded that the following

essential elements should exist; popula-

tion base and resources support, a

community image or identity, area attrac-

tions or events and location availability

as a central ‘hub’ of residential, business

and recreational activity.

What is lacking is a structural facility or

gathering place for community stake-

holders (public meetings, police stop,

indoor events, and special-interest func-

tions, etc.); in essence a formal community

management centre. With many public

centres, the municipality provides essen-

tial funding assistance in the way of

operational subsidies. Additionally other

local non-profit organizations pay the City

$1/year for facility use with lease assurance

of long-term ‘proprietorship’.

PURPOSE OF A COMMUNITY CENTREA community Centre is a public location

where members of a community gather

for group activities, social support, public

information or other socio-recreational

events. Not unlike a public park,

a community centre serves the local pop-

ulation’s need for an educational,

recreational and social resource.

The Community Centre could be com-

munity-owned in partnership with the

COMMUNITY ACTION

THE NEED FOR A COMMUNITY CENTREFOR THE HUMBER BAY SHORES’ COMMUNITY BY DON HENDERSON | POSITION APPROVED BY HBSCA

Presentation Centre Announcement,Humber Happenings, Winter 2014


17/32


municipality and operated by a desig-

nated community group (volunteer

ratepayers, resident-business associa-

tion). Funding for centres often come

from donations or benefactors (builders),

Development Charges for infrastructure

and Section 37 funds for community ben-

efit, event-rental and City funding (or

waiving of rent and maintenance costs.).

In other jurisdictions re-purposed

schools, churches or other large facilities

are often acquired by the City to subsi-

dize a community centre.

In the planning rationale over many

years that crafted Humber Bay Shores,

there can be no dispute that the City,

builders and Ontario Municipal Board are

the architects of our urban intensifica-

tion; the good or bad effects of this

planning thrust upon our residents andbusinesses. Consistent with the 2005

‘Places to Grow Act of Ontario’ customary

tax-based services provided in urban

sprawl are withdrawn in areas of intense

condominium growth, leaving this

unique populous to double-down on

municipal service fees. This municipal

tax gain, as well as taking into account

Development Charges and Section 37/45

contributions passed on to buyers, ought

to be ceremoniously returned to the com-

munity. A subsidized HBS Community

Centre would be an appreciated start.

Previously Proposed Location of

The City’s Pavilion in Humber Bay Park

East (HBPE):

The HBSCA is not in favour of the natu-

ralized HBPE site and would prefer the

current Empire Presentation Centre loca-

tion for use as a Community Centre. The

Presentation Centre structure had been

‘gifted’ to the community Association in

2014. This building is central and within

walking distance to the Condominiums.

This site is of modest size, has a small

parking lot and is close to larger public

parking lots within the Humber Park. If

this site is deemed to be unsuitable as a

Community Centre, there are other loca-

tions that could be considered as

alternatives to the City-proposed

HBPE site; including Humber Bay Park

West and the employment-designated

Christies’ parcel (negotiated with future

purchaser by City).

In consideration of the foregoing,

Be It Resolved that:

In conclusion, with the Empire Commu-

nities gifting of a multi-million dollar

(presentation) centre to the non-profit

Humber Bay Shores Condominium Asso-

ciation and the availability of a small park

to house such a facility, it is the HBSCA’s

position that the City commit to funding

the renovation/re-positioning and main-

tenance of the presentation centre as

publicly announced in the winter of 2014. Alternatively, if both the Humber

Bay Shores community and municipality

find that this is not a viable option, that

the needs of the Humber Bay Shores com-

munity be identified and accommodated

within a HBS Pavilion, through an open

process coordinated in collaboration

with the municipality and representa-

tives of the Humber Bay Shores

community.

Both options would result in the

establishment of a community centre

similar to other community-based cen-

tres in Toronto and consistent with the

City of Toronto Parks and Facilities

Master Plan.

HH SURVEY QUESTIONSTO BE PROCESSEDON HBSCA WEBSITE(SEE HUMBERBAYSHORES.ORG):

Given the prior announcement byHBSCA and Councillor Grimes in the

2014 Winter Issue of Humber Hap-

penings and further discussed in the

2016 Spring issue, and assuming ren-

ovation funding by the developer

and the City, are you in favour of

re-purposing the Empire Presenta-

tion Centre located behind the Lake

Shore/Marine Parade Esso Station to

become a HBS Community Centre?

Are you in favour of the HBS commu-

nity operating the Centre to allow for

various public functions as described

in the Spring 2016 Humber Happen-

ings issue, including HBSCA offices?

Do you feel it reasonable that opera-

tion of a Community Centre be

subsidized by the City with negli-

gible cost to the HBS Community?

Do you feel that building a Pavilion/

Community Centre in Humber Bay

Park East next to the ponds/parking

lot is unreasonable?

HH

Don Henderson is

HBSCA President,

having formerly

served as the board’s

Vice President. He has

been actively involved

in the community for

almost two decades.

Public Information Meeting Notice

on Proposed Pavilion


18/32


If you are the owner of a condo-

minium unit you may feel secure in

the knowledge that you own title to

your little piece of the building and can

do as you wish, subject of course to cer-

tain reasonable rules and general

constraints on both use and behavior

that apply to all owners, found in the

Condo Corporation’s governing docu-

mentation (namely the Declaration,

By-laws, and Rules).

It may surprise you that in more than

a few cases, condo unit owners have

been forced against their will to vacate

and sell their units, under powers

granted to courts under the Ontario

Condominium Act, 1998. While the cir-

cumstances are admittedly unusual, the

common thread among them is that

courts were forced to take drastic meas-

ures against one misbehaving owner inorder to effectively keep peace and har-

mony amongst the others.

COURT REVIEW AND REMEDYIn these kinds of cases – which typically

involve egregious, dangerous and disrup-

tive owner behavior over a period of time

— the courts’ intervention will be

prompted by an application by the con-

dominium corporation itself, almost

always after it has given the offending

owner ample warning to stop.

Courts must evaluate the behavioragainst the provisions of the Condominium

Act, 1998, to see whether it is “oppressive

and unfairly prejudicial” towards either the

corporation itself or the other owners. They

will also scrutinize the provisions of the

particular corporation’s Declaration, By-

laws, and Rules, and will also consider

whether the offending owners’ conduct

poses a health risk.

Once it has concluded that a particular

unit owner is disruptive, unruly or

unmanageable, the court has a spectrum

of remedies at its disposal. While not the

most common, the most drastic is for the

court to force the intractable owner to

vacate and sell their unit, almost always

after several prior requests and warnings

by the Condominium Corporation have

gone unheeded.

Even where the court-ordered remedy

falls short of forcing the owner to sell

their unit, courts will frequently force the

owner to pay for any remediation or

clean-up costs arising from their miscon-

duct and may even require payment of

the legal costs incurred by the condo cor-

poration to bring the matter before the

courts in the first place.

A PARADE OF TROUBLEMAKERSSo what kinds of situations will attract

the courts’ intervention? On the serious

end of the spectrum there have beencases involving physical and verbal

assault, intimidation and vandalism.

This may not surprise you, since the

owners’ misconduct clearly put the safety

and right to peaceful enjoyment of other

owners in jeopardy; it seems only fair

that the collective rights of all owners

should outweigh those of the individual.

However, courts will readily step in even

where the conduct is not so egregiously

harmful to others.

For example, in a case called York Con-

dominium Corporation No. 41 v. Schneider,2015 ONSC 3919 (CanLII), the problem

entailed an infestation of cockroaches

and a pair of unit-owners who refused to

comply with a prior court order requiring

them to facilitate access to their unit to

allow for clean-up.

Specifically, the court had previously

ordered the owners to allow condo corpo-

ration representatives and extermination

crews to enter and clean the unit, and to

carry out pest extermination measures.

They were also ordered to keep the unit

clean to avoid future infestation and

foul odours (which they refused to

acknowledge, and indeed blamed on the

neighbours’ cooking). Despite these meas-

ures the owners refused to cooperate. Faced

with this impasse, and since the owners had

received numerous warnings in the past,

the court had no choice but to order them

to vacate and sell for the overall good of the

owners and the corporation.

WHAT’S THE BOTTOM LINE?What these cases illustrate is that Ontario

courts are more than willing to take

drastic steps in the face of unreasonable,

dangerous, and intransigent misconduct

by owners, particularly where it impinges

on safety, or on the enjoyment by others

of their individual units or the condo

development as a whole.

More to the point, the decisionsimplicitly acknowledge that while condo

unit owners have defined legal owner-

ship rights, they still remain subject to a

certain level of restriction on their con-

duct. These two competing rights and

interests must sometimes be re-bal-

anced; the Condominium Act, 1998 allows

courts to step in and do so, when the

greater good is at stake.

For more information contact Martin Rumack at [email protected]

COURTS CAN BOOT OUTCONDO OWNERS

FOR BAD CONDUCTBY MARTIN RUMACK, B.A., L.L.B.

PROFESSIONAL INSIGHTS

HH


19/32


20/32

A s most people in the Humber Bay

Shores area are aware, there are

growing conflicts between the

various users of our local park-side trail

between the Humber River and Grand

Harbour. This is exacerbated by the mul-

tiple types of users. A major source of

conflict is that some people want to use

the park to get through our community as

quickly as possible (transit corridor),

while others want to slow down and

enjoy the view. As our community grows,

users of both the trail and the sur-

rounding park will increase significantly,

as will the potential for user conflict.

Our Humber Bay Shores trail users

include: recreational cyclists, high speed

transients, pedestrians, rollerbladers,

runners, dog-walkers and moms with

strollers. We all have a view on how our

trail should be shared, which varies with

the opinions of others. Perhaps we can

agree on the need for safety?

Conflict is compounded by the growth

of the Toronto bike network that will

funnel increasing volumes of traffic

through our community. Toronto Trans-

portation Services and Toronto Parks,

Forestry and Recreation recently published

a document entitled “Toronto Multi-UseTrail Design Guidelines”. Based on this doc-

ument, it appears that the City of Toronto

views the multi-use trail passing through

our community as a “high-capacity trail”.

According to the document:

“High-capacity trails provide a special

function in the network. In the simplest

sense, they accommodate the highest

number of users, and can be compared to

the expressways in the road network or to

large “City Parks” in the park network.

High-capacity trails address a broader

concept of “capacity” than simply greater

size or volume, however, and they do not

imply greater speed. They connect to sig-

nificant destinations within the city and

can be utilized to accommodate a wider

range or unusual distribution of user-

types, to perform special functions, or to

address particular site conditions. Notably,

high-capacity trails may be destinations or

attractions themselves.”

To deal with some of the conflicts,

there are plans by City staff to have a sep-

arated pedestrian and multi-use trail.

However, this will not resolve all of the

conflicts: there would still be a need to

cross the multi-use trail to get to the

pedestrian trail and the park, there would

still be conflicts between slower recre-

ational bike riders and those who choose

to travel at speeds far in excess of 20

km/h, and there is a question as to

whether the space allocated to either trail

would be adequate to meet the future

demands on a sunny Sunday afternoon.

Our local park by-the-lake is a public

park — it is not for the exclusive use of

our community. However, it must be rec-

ognized that the park is located in what

is becoming one of the most densely

populated residential neighbourhoods in

the City. Between Park Lawn and the

Humber River, there will soon be 12,000

to 14,000 people within 200 metres of

the park, plus another 10,000 in the rest

of the community (not to mention the

population outcome of the Christies’

property). With the growing demands on

the park from both our HBS neighbour-

hood and surrounding communities, the

focus should be on having people enjoy

the park, not getting through it as quickly

as possible.

City staff conducted a study of the Col-

lege Street bicycle lanes to develop a

speed profile for cyclists. Speed data for

1,058 cyclists was collected using radar


L I F E S T Y L E

WHAT IS YOUR VIEW?

HUMBER BAY SHORES

MULTI-USE TRAIL

Humber Bay Shores signage.

Cyclist-pedestrian accident on July 27, 2015 on HBS

multi-use trail. Photo: Robin Clay


21/32

detectors with the assistance of the

Toronto Police Service. The results of the

study indicated that about 80% of cyclists

were going over 20 km/h. It might be

argued that speeds in the Humber Bay

Shores Park would exceed those on Col-

lege Street — i.e., flat straight path without

any cross streets, stops or traffic lights.

In dealing with the interests of the var-

ious users, the City should find

reasonable accommodations that allow

for the safe enjoyment of the park —

accommodations that recognize the legit-

imate interests of all the various users. It

should also be remembered that many in

our community are bike riders and their

interests should not be ignored. Reason-

able accommodations may includemeasures to slow the speed of the bike

traffic, especially at major crossings/nar-

rowing of the trail; and finding

alternative paths for those who merely

wish to quickly transit though our com-

munity rather than enjoy the park.

HBSCA has continued to recommend

Lake Shore for this latter purpose (high-

speed cyclists).

To help ensure that the interests of our

community are recognized, the Humber

Bay Shores Condominium Association isforming a committee. The focus of the

committee will be to address issues

related to the safe enjoyment of the

Humber Bay Shores Multi-use Trail and

surrounding park by our community, and

to help the Association in working with

the City to resolve these issues. It is

expected that the committee will con-

sider all the various uses of the multi-use

trail and park by all members of our com-

munity, as well as the legitimate use of

the trail and surrounding park by those

outside our community. For purposes of

the committee, the Humber Bay Shores

Multi-use Trail will be defined as the

multi-use trail from Grand Harbour in the

west to the Humber River in the east.


HH

San Diego multi-use trail signage.

Photo: Don Henderson

We are seeking volunteers to join the

committee; time and effort are needed

to resolve these issues. A specic email

account has been set up for this pur-

pose. If you are willing to help out,

email [email protected]. Thanks to

John Browne for his contribution and

willingness to work on this committee.

A CALL FORVOLUNTEERS


22/32


Most Canadians don’t consider

themselves “wealthy” — even

when they have a relatively

high net worth and own million-dollar

investment portfolios. Surveys of Cana-

dian millionaires reveal a modest attitude

towards wealth, with most respondents

viewing themselves as financially secure,

rather than wealthy. Regardless of how

you view your financial status, there are

some unique financial planning strate-gies to consider when you have $1 million

or more in investment assets.

If you are in this category, your finan-

cial situation is more complex than the

average Canadian. You pay higher taxes

and have a higher standard of living.

Maybe you are an executive with a com-

plicated compensation package or a

business owner with an interest in a pri-

vate corporation. Perhaps you own or

plan to own more than one real estate

property and likely have larger goals for

estate transfer and charitable giving. Fur-

thermore, with long work days and a

busy family life you may not have the

time to determine if you are on track to

achieve important financial goals such

as retirement, minimizing taxes or plan-

ning for the eventual transfer of your

estate. If this sounds like your situation,

a formal financial plan can help ensure

you are positioned to achieve your

family’s goals.

CREATING YOUR FINANCIAL PLAN

One of the best ways to start mapping out

your financial planning strategy is to step

back and look at your overall financial

situation by having a comprehensive

written financial plan prepared for you

and your family. This type of financial

plan addresses all aspects of your finan-

cial affairs, including cash and debt

management, tax and investment plan-

ning, risk management and retirement

and estate planning. It can help ensure

that you leave no stone unturned related

to your financial situation and potential

strategies to enhance your wealth. A com-

prehensive financial plan can address the

following questions:

• Can I retire when I want to and main-

tain my desired retirement lifestyle?

• How can I ensure that I don’t outlive

my money?

• How can I minimize the taxes I pay

each year?

• Is my investment mix appropriate?

• If I were to die unexpectedly, would

my family be taken care of?

• How can I protect the value of my estate?

A HIGHER LEVEL OF CUSTOMIZATION

In many cases, the key to a comprehen-

sive financial plan is the level of

customization it offers. A customized,

comprehensive financial plan should

involve the following:

• In-depth discovery discussion to ensure

that your goals, aspirations and objec-

tives are clearly identified.

• Projection of your financial situation

(investments, retirement income and

estate value) based on your current

strategies and savings rate.

• Recommendations of key investment,

tax, estate planning and retirement

planning strategies that are aligned

with your goals.

• Projection of your financial situation

if the recommended strategies are

implemented.

• An action plan that summarizes the

key recommendations and a clear

guideline for you and your advisor to

help monitor their implementation.

Speak to us if you require more

information about having a comprehen-

sive financial plan prepared for you.

Depending on your situation, you may

only require a simple retirement plan or

projection to determine if you are on track

for meeting your retirement goals.

FAMILY WEALTH MANAGEMENT TIP

A comprehensive financial plan is essen-

tial if you are a business owner as you

have more complex financial issues,

including business succession, with-

drawing money from the corporation

tax-effectively, the taxation of the corpo-

ration at death and more. Like many

business owners, you may not have a

retirement savings strategy since you are

relying on the equity in your business to

fund your retirement. A financial plan

can help integrate your business and per-

sonal needs into a plan to ensure you are

able to meet your goals. Confidence in

your family’s financial future is only a

few short steps away.

Financial planning services are available

through RBC Dominion Securities Inc. RBC

Dominion Securities Inc.* and Royal Bank

of Canada are separate corporate entities

which are affiliated. *Member-Canadian

Investor Protection Fund. RBC Dominion

Securities Inc. is a member company of RBC

Wealth Management, a business segment

of Royal Bank of Canada. ®Registered

trademarks of Royal Bank of Canada. Used

under license. © 2015 Royal Bank of

Canada. All rights reserved.

Darren Clark is an investment advisor at RBC

Dominion Securities, and holds over 24 years

of financial experience. For more information,

or to inquire about offered financial planning

se rv ic es , ca ll 416-231- 6920, or contac t

[email protected]. www.darrentclark.ca.

FINANCIAL PLANNINGFOR YOUR FAMILY’S FUTURE

MONEY MINDED

HH

BY DARREN CLARK


23/32


Harmony Management proudly manages

condominiums in the Humber Bay Area.

Thank you to the board members, owners,residents and contractors that have helped

harmonize our managed communities!

NevisLakeside Place

NautilusBal HarbourHearthstone

The Dalesford

w w w . h a r mon y mgmt . ca


24/32


HEARTHSTONE

BY THE BAY A GEM OF CONDO RETIREMENT LIVING!

LIFESTYLE

BY NORMA JEAN SITTLER

HH

Tucked away on the shores of Lake

Ontario, is the unique, luxury re-

tirement residence: Hearthstone

by the Bay. Although part of the expansive

Humber Shore community, it really is a

world unto its own. At Hearthstone by the

Bay, we understand the key to retirement

is maintaining one’s independence.

Suites with one or two bedrooms plusden with two bath suites, in suite washer

and dryer, and full kitchen are highlights

of the property.

At one’s fingertips are all the services

one could ever need. A quick phone call to

the 24 hour wellness desk gives you access

to the hair salon, massage, on site physio-

therapy, optometrist and more. Plus a

team of professionals waiting on your

every need from making you breakfast,

changing your linens, bathing assistance,

wound care management, as well as post

operation tender loving care.

For those who require a little more help

with their health, a seasoned team of

Personal Support Workers, coupled with a

registered practical nurse, are on duty 24/7

to provide the hands on care required by

residents on a daily, weekly or monthly

basis. On-site care is provided in the privacy

of one’s suite, for as little as 15 minutes daily

or up to 24 hours a day for those requiring

close supervision and companionship.

Also unique to this retirement community

is the availability of palliative care with a

fully trained team including access to the

community palliative care doctor.

Boredom is not a word used at Hearth-

stone. Residents sometimes joke that they

need a personal assistant to help them

keep their schedule straight. One can jointhe book club, a knitting group, tai chi,

yoga, bridge, fitness classes, monthly

church services or enjoy monthly enter-

tainment by a variety of lively and fun

entertainers, Wii bowling or weekly movie

matinee in Hearthstone’s beautiful 32 seat

movie theatre. If you feel like getting out,

afternoon trips often include a shuttle trip

to the Shaw festival in Niagara on-the-

Lake, a downtown trip to the symphony or

Ripley’s Aquarium, or perhaps a country

drive to the St. Jacob’s Market.

With such a packed social schedule

you can really work up an appetite, and

with that comes the choices to eat in the

beautiful appointed Lakeview Dining

Room, cook your own meals in your suite,

or even have your meal delivered by our

friendly dining staff. The culinary services

are led by a talented Red Seal Chef, with

assistance from their very own in house

pastry chef who bakes everything from

traditional apple pies, chocolate crème

brulee to custom birthday cakes.

Community and quality of life are

top of mind at Hearthstone. With endless

amenities and health care options

Hearthstone by the Bay is a wonderful

place to call home.

Hearthstone by the Bay is proudly

managed by Harmony Management Ltd; aboutique condominium management firm

that provides specialty service to over 50

Condominium Corporations with over

10,000 residents. True to their name, Har-

mony’s focus is to create a harmonious

environment among all stakeholders

(residents, boards, trades, staff, and man-

agement). Harmony also manages the

following Condominium buildings in the

Humber Bay area; Nevis, Lakeside Place,

Nautilus, Bal Harbour, and Dalesford.


25/32



26/32

CANCELLATIONOF THE HUMBER BAY PARK EAST PAVILION


Iwant to thank everyone who has

taken the time to provide feedback

and suggestions on the Humber Bay

Park East and West Master Plan and

Pavilion project. I have read each of your

emails and as many comments as I can

on social media.

I’m here to work with — and on behalf of

— the community. If the community does

not want a new facility built in Humber Bay

Park East, I will cancel the project.

I can’t speak to each and every one of you

individually, so I meet with the Humber Bay

Shores Condo Association regularly as they

are a strong link to this community. I havebeen hearing for years that Humber Bay

Shores needs a new facility and meeting

space to serve the community.

In 2013, I moved a motion at City

Council requesting that the City develop

a comprehensive plan detailing the

necessary capital and operating changes

needed for Humber Bay Shores Park,

Humber Bay East and Humber Bay West

Park to meet evolving community

needs resulting from local intensifica-tion and growth.

My original plan had been to repur-

pose the Eau Du Soleil sales centre

building as a new community facility, but

the City Parks staff’s assessment was that

the building does not meet the City’s

standards. While this could have been the

end of the project, I worked with the City

and developed a different proposal,

replacing the old buildings in Humber

Bay Park East with a brand new, purpose-

built facility to serve the community.

Humber Bay Park East is a man-made

park that was always intended to be a

vibrant destination on the waterfront.

However, the ponds and amenities sur-

rounding them are currently in a state of

disrepair. Where there was once scenic

ponds with lights and music for people to

enjoy while ice-skating in the winter, there

are now rotting boardwalks, cracked and

broken lights, and desolate abandoned

buildings. The goal was to have this new

pavilion replace the current run-down

buildings and help bring vibrancy andcommunity back to the ponds.

When I was elected in 2003, I quickly

realized we had fantastic community

spaces and buildings, but absolutely no

capital funding allocated to maintain

them. For years I have been fighting for

every possible development dollar to fund

these projects. The Mimico community

also desperately wants and needs a new

community centre. The proposed location

of the pavilion on the Waterfront Trail,would serve both Humber Bay Shores and

Mimico while we work towards a new

facility for that community.

Both locations, the current sales centre

and Humber Bay Park East, are Toronto and

Region Conservation Authority (TRCA)

land, and the TRCA has actively supported

the pavilion in its proposed location in the

park. The proposed site would comple-

ment increased use of the ponds, is

accessible via the Waterfront Trail, and has

ample access to existing parking.

While the city was clear that the sales

centre was an unsuitable building, I

moved a motion at Etobicoke York Com-

munity Council requesting City staff

from all departments assess the viability

of the sales centre, in its current location,

as a City-owned community facility.

It is clear that a vocal segment of resi-

dents do not want anything built in

Humber Bay Park East. I am here to tell

you that if it is the will of this community

to cancel the pavilion project — I will

cancel the pavilion project. The HumberBay Parks East and West Masterplan can

continue without the pavilion.

Please visit www.markgrimes.ca to

sign the petition letting Metrolinx know

we need a GO Stop at Park Lawn.

BY MARK GRIMES

Mark Grimes is the Councillor for Ward 6

Etobicoke-Lakeshore. He is a life-long resident,

activist and businessperson in south Etobi-

coke. He can be reached by email at

[email protected], or by phone

at 416-397-9273

COMMUNITY ACTION

HH


27/32

A

s a business speaker and man-

agement coach, Donald Cooper,

travels the world working with

business owners and managers in over

40 different industries. He has spoken

and coached at Management Conferences

on every continent, except Antarctica but

it is his time at home in Humber Bay

Shores that is most precious to him.

Donald who, with his wife Wanda,

lived for several years at Grand Harbour,

then moved along the shoreline to Palace

Place, says “One of the perks of my job is that

Conferences are never held at Motel 6. I get

to work and stay in some of the world’s nicest

places. But it’s always wonderful to come

home to our ‘place on the lake’.“Humber Bay

Shores really is a special part of this world-

class and wonderfully diverse city.”

Earning an undergraduate business

degree and an MBA from the University

of Western Ontario, followed by 18 years

at Cooper Canada, the family business,

Donald fostered the business to becomeone of the world’s leading makers of

sports equipment and a Canadian brand

icon. The company had 70% market

share globally in hockey equipment, 30%

market share in major league

baseball...and never paid an athlete a

penny to use their equipment.

The main factory was near Jane and

Eglinton in Toronto’s west end, with

additional facilities in Cambridge,

Ontario and Bridgetown, Barbados. As a

growing family business, Cooper Canada

bought competitors, went public, became

unionized, imported and exported to

over 20 countries.

Following the decision to sell the family

business in 1987, Donald reinvented him-

self as a visionary fashion retailer. In just a

few years his 13,000 sq. foot Alive & Well

Warehouse Boutique in Markham, Ontario

fundamentally redefined the customer

experience, for which he received seven

Awards of Excellence for marketing,

service and business innovation.

Thousands of women drove up to three

hours for a unique and totally human

shopping experience. Alive & Well

became known for honest everyday sav-

ings on a huge selection of casual and

career fashions, kids clothing and gifts.

But it was the service and amenities that

blew people away. Alive & Well offered

unlimited free drinks, electric reclining

massage chairs for husbands andboyfriends, a huge pirate ship play area for

kids, customer washrooms with change

tables and free diapers, wipes and cream

for mothers in need. A big sign at the front

door that read, “Our staff are not on commis-

sion. They treat you this well because they

love what they do!’ No other store in the

world offered this kind of experience.

Now, based on that real-life business

experience, Donald helps business

people around the world to sell more,

manage smarter, grow their bottom

line...and have a life!

“Every industry and every market is over-

served and under-differentiated. One of

the biggest problems in most businesses

today is a lack of clarity, commitment and

accountability. Businesses talk about ‘goals,

targets, aims and objectives.’ Says Donald.

“They should be talking about clear commit-

ments to the value and experience that

they’ll deliver. Value and commitments that

will ‘grab’ their target customers, clearly dif-

ferentiate them from their competitors,

make them ‘famous’...and grow their bottom

line. Mediocrity is no longer an option!”

HOME IS WHERE THEHEART IS


BY HBSCA

BUSINESS INSIGHTS

HH

TWO GIFTSFROM DONALD As a special gift to all business people

living in the Humber Bay Shores area,

Donald is sharing his set of 36 copy-

righted ‘Business assessment and

management implementation tools’that he uses when coaching his clients

around the world. To access these Biz

Tools, simply contact Sharen Skene at

[email protected].

To receive Donald’s free, monthly

‘straight talk’ Management E-Newsletter,

go to donaldcooper.com to sign up.

Thousands of clients around the world

are kind enough to say that it’s a

thought-provoking, helpful and semi-

entertaining 8 minute read.

Donald Cooper: International Business Speaker andManagement Coach loves coming home to Humber Bay Shores


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There are two regulatory changes that came into

effect January 1, 2016 that will have a significant

impact on your condominium’s electricity bill.

Firstly, the Ontario Clean Energy Benefit (OCEB) ended at the

close of 2015. Secondly, regulatory changes to the Debt

Retirement Charge (DRC) came into effect at year-end. This

is a relatively new change and I will try to illustrate how theregulations will impact condominiums.

With the dual support of Brookfield and the Canadian

Condominium Institute, a team has worked directly with

the Ministries of Energy and Finance since the 2014 Ontario

Budget announced the government’s intent to remove the

Debt Retirement Charge (DRC) from all residential user’s

electricity bills. While the recently adopted regulations do

not reflect everything the group argued for, they were able

to achieve changes to the draft regulations that will result

in annual savings of more than $24 million for the entire

condominium and residential sector!

WHAT HAS CHANGED WITH

THE ONTARIO CLEAN ENERGY BENEFIT (OCEB)?

The OCEB that provided condominiums with an up to 10%

rebate was instituted on January 1st, 2011. This benefit

ended as scheduled December 31st, 2015. That said, we

expect that many of our members will likely still be taken

aback by this change as it causes an instantaneous 10%

increase to their electricity budget expense line (for those

that were receiving the OCEB).


UPDATE ON UPCOMING

ELECTRICITY BILL CHANGES

PROFESSIONAL INSIGHTS

P H O T O : K E L L Y V E R D E C K / C R E A T I V E C O M M O N S / F L I C K R

BY MURRAY JOHNSON, RCM

BROOKFIELD CONDOMINIUM SERVICES LTD.

Debt Retirement Credit and Ontario Clean Energy Benefit


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WHAT HAS CHANGED WITH

THE DEBT RETIREMENT CHARGE (DRC)?

To reduce the impact of the OCEB’s conclusion, the 2014

Ontario Budget announced the government’s intent to

remove the Debt Retirement Charge (DRC) from all residen-

tial users’ electricity bills after December 31, 2015. The

removal of the DRC for most condominiums reduces their

budget lines by roughly 5%.

HOW DO THE REGULATIONS IMPACT CONDOMINIUMS?

Similar to the OCEB, the impact of the DRC regulations is

dependent upon how electricity is metered at your site:

Bulk-Metered Condominiums:

These sites receive one bill from their local utility to

account for consumption in the suites and common

areas. These sites will pay the DRC only on consumption

above 1,500 kWh per suite per month. Approximately

95% of the bulk metered condominiums will avoid

paying DRC entirely — the exceptions are some electri-

cally heated sites.

Condominiums Individually Metered

by a Sub-Metering Provider:

These sites have individual bills sent by a sub-metering

provider (e.g. Carma, EnerCare, Intellimeter, Provident,

Wyse) to each suite and one bill sent for the common areas.These sites will be treated the same as a Bulk-Metered site

and will thus only pay the DRC on consumption above

1,500 kWh per suite per month. Ninety five percent of these

sites will avoid paying DRC entirely.

Condominiums Individually Metered

by the Local Utility (Suite Metered):

These sites have individual bills sent by the local utility

(e.g. Toronto Hydro, Enersource, Powerstream) to each

suite and one bill sent for the common areas. Most of

the suites will avoid paying the DRC entirely — they willonly pay the DRC on consumption over 1,500 kWh per

suite per month. However, the common areas at these

sites will be treated as a commercial entity and will be

required to pay the DRC as they always have.

The Canadian Condominium Institute will continue to work

with partners such as Brookfield as further changes are iden-

tified in the billing structure for Ontario hydro accounts and

will continue to seek out partners to strengthen our position

on your behalf.


HH


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CONDOCOURTESIES:WHAT TO CONSIDER WHENTRANSITIONING YOUR FURRY

FRIENDS INTO CONDO LIVING

BY DR. FARZAD GHAZI


LIFESTYLE

Some of our long-term Mimico

Lakeshore residents may recall the

transformation our neighbour-

hood has undergone in the last several

years. The waterfront trail has been

expanded, new small businesses have

come in, and highrise condo complexes

have replaced the old motels.

Condo ownership for many peopleentails condensing our whole lives into

a smaller space. This is a lifestyle adjust-

ment that pets have to make with us. For

birds or reptiles, inhabiting a small unit

does not usually pose a problem, larger

animals however, find the transition

more difficult. While it is certainly pos-

sible for animals to thrive while living in

condo units, extra care must be taken to

ensure their needs are met.

The first of these obstacles is legal innature. It is not unusual for condo corpo-

rations to have some restrictions

surrounding pet ownership. One of the

things you may want to investigate prior

to moving into a new building is whether

pets are even allowed. If they are, is there

a limit to the number of animals per-

mitted? Are some varieties of pets or

certain breeds prohibited? Is there a

weight limit (and with a puppy, will the

weight limit be surpassed as it grows)?

Will you be held responsible for any

associated “nuisance” behaviours such

as barking? Make sure that the building

you live in meets your expectations for

pet accommodation.

Next, consider how a condo environ-

ment will impact your pet’s quality of

life. Each breed has different mainte-nance requirements, and some are better

suited to condo life than others. Regular

outdoor activity is a must for all dogs,

large and small. Try to imagine whether

living two storeys or thirty six storeys

away from the nearest patch of grass will

influence your willingness to maintain a

regular exercise schedule.

A decline in activity for high-energy

pets often results in boredom, destruc-

tive behaviour, health related issues(such as obesity) and/or other behav-

ioural problems such as separation

anxiety. Your neighbours may not appre-

ciate if your dog starts to bark in distress

while you are away from home.

Inappropriate elimination (in your

unit, hallway or lobby) is another one of

the more unpleasant side effects of

increased stress and overeating. Multi-pet

households are particularly prone to inter-

pet tensions as they negotiate their hierar-

chical status. Spaying or neutering your

animals decreases their sexual hormones

and thus reduces their territoriality, urge

to mark, or display dominantly aggressive

behaviour.

Lastly, be conscientious about how

your pet utilizes the property and inter-

acts with other residents. Scuffles in theelevator or park can happen on occasion

and cannot always be anticipated.

Protect yourself and your pet from

legal consequences by keeping their vac-

cinations up to date, and remember that

persistent, consistent training is invalu-

able for maintaining good relations and

good health!

Dr. Farzad Ghazi is a veterinarian and owner

of Marina Animal Hospital. For more infor-

mation visit marinaanimalhospital.ca.

Marina Animal Hospital, 2442 Lakeshore

Blvd. West, ph: 416-255-277

HH


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