Join us for the grand opening of the new Finch Hydro Corridor multi-use trail. This fantastic new path runs from Dufferin Street to Yonge Street just north of Finch Avenue West. Bring your bike and take part in a community bike ride to officially open the trail. Enjoy light refreshments and enter a raffle for great prizes.

When: Sunday, June 10, 2012
1:00 PM – Ribbon Cutting Ceremony
1:30 PM – Community Bike Ride

Where: Esther Shiner Stadium Parking Lot
5720 Bathurst Street (Just North of Finch Avenue West)

For more information, please contact us at 416-392-1371 or councillor_pasternak@toronto.ca.

Presented in conjunction with the 

Map:

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We paid tribute to Russian World War II veterans by hosting a Victory Day event at Toronto City Hall. Thirty-five members of the Canadian Association of World War II Veterans from the Former Soviet Union were in attendance as they were recognized by City Council and during a reception in their honour.

We are honoured to be able to pay tribute to these brave veterans and their families. We must never forget the courage and sacrifices that were made to bring peace and freedom to Europe and beyond. The liberty we enjoy today in Canada is made possible by the legacy of Victory Day.

We were joined by Mayor Rob Ford, Vladimir Pavlov, Consul General, and Igor Kiykov, Senior Consul, from the Consulate General of the Russian Federation, and Councillors Josh Matlow, David Shiner, Norm Kelly and Raymond Cho. The young singers from the Cool School Academy performed several songs for the veterans.

My office hosted an Israeli flag-raising ceremony at City Hall in celebration of Yom Ha’atzmaut, Israel’s Independence Day. Representatives of the Israeli government, Toronto City Council, The Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs, UJA Federation of Greater Toronto, B’nai Brith and members of Toronto’s Jewish community attended the event.

Today we reaffirmed our bonds with the State of Israel, that remarkable land that defies imagination. As Torontonians, our connections with Israel have never been stronger. We share the values of a democratic society and links through popular culture, the arts and commerce.

Toronto is home to the world’s largest ex-patriot Israel population and on a per capita basis Canada remains Israel’s highest foreign investor. Tens of thousands Torontonians visit Israel every year; have bought property there and Canadians give to hundreds of great Israeli charities that do fantastic work a world away.

We also paid tribute to outgoing Israel Consul General Amir Gissin for his 5 years of exemplary service to the State of Israel and Toronto. I presented Mr. Gissin with a congratulatory scroll on behalf of Mayor Rob Ford and the City of Toronto.

Thank you to me colleagues Councillors David Shiner, Josh Colle, Karen Stintz, Joe Mihevc and John Parker for joining us.

Everyone is invited to bring their dogs and join me at the Earl Bales Park dogs’ off leash area this Sunday, April 29th from 10am – 12pm. Enjoy a free coffee while your dogs play in this fantastic facility. 

The dogs’ off leash area is south off Sheppard Ave. east of Bathurst St. near Don River Blvd. You can get there off Sheppard Avenue or walk from the Earl Bales Community Centre. View a map of the off leash area here: http://g.co/maps/38z3k.

Dog treats will be available while supplies last.

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Do your part in creating a cleaner, greener and more liveable Toronto by joining us for a Community Environment Day on Thursday, May 3rd at Esther Shiner Stadium, 5720 Bathurst Street, between 4pm and 7pm. Please contact us with any questions or comments.

Bring in your unused and unwanted household items and you will help to:

• Extend the life of a product by offering it to someone for reuse.
• Reduce the amount of waste going to landfill and ensure that it is properly recycled.
• Ensure that hazardous waste materials are disposed of safely.

Items available for purchase

• Backyard Composter ($15)
• Green Bin ($18)
• Kitchen Container ($5)
• Indoor Water Efficiency Kit ($10)
• Rain Barrel ($85)

FREE items available for pick up

Green Bin and Kitchen Container (with proof of new residency in the last 90 days or in exchange for a damaged bin)
Leaf compost (limit of one cubic metre per household)

Drop off for recycling or proper disposal

• Computer Equipment & Peripherals (e.g., desktops, laptops, hand-held portables, monitors, printing devices, etc.)
• Audio/Visual Equipment & Peripherals (e.g., telephones, cell phones, pda’s and pagers, cameras, small TVs, radios, receivers, speakers, tuners, equalizers, turntables, projectors, recorders, DVD players and VCRs, etc.)
• Household Hazardous Waste (e.g., cleaning supplies and solvents, motor oil, paint, batteries, old/unused medication, mercury thermometers/thermostats, pesticides, fluorescent and compact fluorescent bulbs, propane tanks, etc.)
• Gas-powered lawn and garden equipment (mowers, leaf blowers, trimmers and chainsaws)

Items donated to local schools for reuse

• Art supplies (e.g. pencils, markers, crayons, etc.)
• Buttons, keys, and collectors’ coins and stamps
• Clipboards, corks and cork boards
• CDs and cases
• Children’s books
• Costume jewelry including broken/old watches and clocks with hands
• Dress-up clothing (e.g. costumes, prom dresses, uniforms, etc.)
• Fabric pieces, yarn

Items donated for reuse (please keep separate from others)

• Sporting goods (e.g. skates, and jerseys)
• Books
• Medical equipment in good condition (e.g. eyeglasses, walking aids, hearing aids, etc.)
• Small household items (e.g. dishes, ornaments, etc.)
• Textiles in good condition (e.g. clothing, linens, etc.)
• Non-perishable foods will be donated to a food bank

Toronto City Council has confirmed my appointment to the city’s Budget Committee.   This committee is responsible for balancing a $10 billion budget.

I am adamant about being a strong voice for Ward 10 on the Budget Committee. As a member of this Committee I will be working with my colleagues to ensure that Ward 10 receives the resources it needs.   This would include affordable housing, rent subsidies, cultural grants and park enhancements and improvements.

I am also determined to keep property taxes under control and ensure that there are new investments in public transportation.

The City of Toronto budget is bigger than 6 provinces and several American states.    The budget is made up of thousands of pages and takes about 8 months to prepare.   It is expected that the 2013 budget will be approved by December 2012.

I look forward to this exciting opportunity and urge all residents of Ward 10 and other parts of Toronto to call my office with suggestions.

The City of Toronto is currently in the process of replacing the existing dasherboards at the Herbert H. Cernegie Centennial Centre ice rink. Construction at the arena is expected to start on May 1, 2012 and be completed in mid July. I look forward to enjoying these improvements with the community in the fall at one of the great treasures of Ward 10.

In an effort to recognize the 40th Anniversary of the historic September 1972 Canada-Russia hockey series,  I am asking my colleagues to have Toronto celebrate this transformative sporting event.

I will be presenting a motion at Toronto City Council on April 10, directing the city’s economic development and culture department to create a strategy for hosting celebrations, seminars and other recognitions of the series that changed hockey and relations between Canada and the USSR.

This hockey series played a transformative role in internationalizing the game of hockey. Both countries adopted many of the strategies that were previously unknown to one another. North American hockey shortly thereafter included the players, style and strategies of the Russians.

Canada won the series with 4 wins, 3 losses and one tied game.

The series, which occurred during the “Cold War” dramatically, warmed relations between Canada and the Soviet Union. It launched a new generation of international hockey between the two countries and provided for the exchange of ideas, the building of friendships and the eventual reduction of international tensions.

It is my goal as City Councillor to recognize the great importance of how hockey brought Canada and Russia together. We shared a border, the northern hemisphere, and the great love of the world’s fastest team sport.

The motion before City Council will ask the General Manager, Economic Development and Culture report back to City Council on a strategy such that facilitates Toronto’s hosting of events, ceremonies and recognitions of the 40th Anniversary of the Canada-Russia Hockey Series that took place in September 1972. Councillor Pasternak is also asking city staff at the City of Toronto Partnership Office, to assess the degree to which these series of events can be funded in whole or part by corporate partners in the Greater Toronto Area. The motion also asks for the establishment of a strategic working group and for the event to leverage the cultural exchange and economic opportunities that this great sporting event started as an enduring legacy between our two great countries.

The eight-game series consisted of four games in Canada and four games in the Soviet Union, all of them held in Moscow at the Luzhniki Ice Palace.

I attended the first game of the series in Montreal when I was 13 years of age and watched the rest of the games on television, most of which were shown in his middle school during class time. My parents were part of the 3,000 strong contingent of Canadians that travelled to Russian to watch the four games there.

There is much to learn and celebrate by this 40th Anniversary. It will be a great time to look back and compare what was with what might have been. But most important, it is a lasting tribute to the enduring friendship between Canada and Russia.

My office is working with City Staff on playground equipment improvements in Harryetta Gardens that are scheduled for this summer. Staff are moving forward with a site design for the revitalization which will also include relocating the playground in the park. Your feedback on the design of the playground is vital and we will be holding a community information session shortly. Also, please contact my office with any suggestions for what you would like to see included in the playground.

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