HVRA's Patio Protocol was approved at the HVRA's Annual General Meeting held October 21, 2008 at Kensington Gardens, 25 Brunswick Avenue.

Download HVRA's Patio Protocol (pdf version) here.

HVRA Protocol for Patio Applications in Harbord Village

Patios contribute to the ambience of Harbord Village. They can also be a source of concern to residents. The Harbord Village Residents’ Association (HVRA) wants to ensure representation of residents’ interests in patios, as well as good communication among applicants, residents, City staff, and the ward councillor. HVRA thus proposes the process set out in the following paragraphs.

HVRA-Harbord Street BIA Joint Conflict Resolution Protocol

Following some unfortunate interactions between some businesses and some residents during the period 2000-2002, the Harbord Street Business Improvement Area and HVRA agreed informally to set up a structure involving both organizations that could act as a form of hearing to air arguments from both sides of emerging conflicts between residents and owners of businesses. Representatives of the HBIA and the HVRA met over several months and came up with the following protocol.

HVRA’s role at the Committee of Adjustment, the Ontario Municipal Board, and on zoning issues generally

When applications for variances to the zoning bylaw are made to the Committee of Adjustment, or decisions of the C of A are appealed to the Ontario Municipal Board or there is an application to the City for a bylaw change, there is a role for a good and active Resident's' Association but it may not always be that of leading  a charge either for or against the proposal.   Put another way, there is just not enough time or resources for a volunteer board take on the task of researching and  actively fighting  such matters in behalf of our members.

Buildings Inventory of Harbord Village and City Planning Study

It is a truism to say that the City of Toronto will be under enormous pressure to make room for a large increase in population during the next few decades.

Where will they all go? Intensification is going to affect all the downtown core for the foreseeable future. We will see more applications at the Committee of Adjustment asking for variances that will almost always involve ‘higher, bigger and more' and applications for bylaw revisions will be the same but only on a grander scale.

Several years ago, Croft Street resident Michael Heydon did something remarkable. He organized a partnership between local volunteers, Toronto Police 14 Division and Crime Stoppers, community mural artists, and residents whose properties border on Croft. He did so with the able assistance of Scott Mills, who is probably the best community-minded police officer in Toronto. Scott solicited donated paint and the manpower of dozens of volunteers. The result was a wholesale attack on vandalism graffiti on Croft Street, adding numerous murals, and transforming a scarred alley into a welcoming urban path adorned with public art.

Living next to the University of Toronto is like being in bed with…

Remember Varsity Stadium? 25,000 seats, rock concerts? Stopped.
Remember ROM South condo tower? Stopped.
Remember the historic house at the Bahen centre on St. George? Preserved.
Want the green spaces preserved and enhanced at the university? We’re doing our level best.