Unfortunately, while the weather was co-operating with vacationers, things around here were less than ideal. There was no respite from issues and some new ones have come along to add to our concerns.

The Brumwell development is turning into a nightmare. To refresh your memory, the initial application was for the construction of 19 new single-family dwellings with access through 76 Brumwell. Since then, an application to sub-divide and develop 80 Brumwell has been made with two of the three subdivided lots being within the By-law limitations for both frontage and square-footage. The third lot proposed had less frontage and unfortunately the requested variance was granted.

Julius DeRuyter, the representative of/ developer for both properties has decided to bypass the normal process and has gone directly to the Ontario Municipal Board (OMB) to try to gain approval for this development and has indicated that he will also be asking for variances on both the frontages and areas of the lots in order to squeeze even more lots out of this parcel. Some area residents look at this favourably because they want to sell all or part of their properties for a large profit and then move out of the Centennial area. For those of us who have no intention of leaving the area, this is a disaster.

For those of you who have visited this area, which the developers want so badly to destroy, you can see that it is unique. There are wetlands at the north end and part of Adams Creek/Highland Creek watershed runs through it. There are flora and fauna in this pocket that are disappearing from the rest of Scarborough and Toronto. This is a unique green space that should be preserved for the whole Community.

The OMB pre-hearing is scheduled to be held on August 29th, so by the time you read this, the process will be underway.

Some of your neighbours have been doing a tremendous amount of work to muster support from not only other neighbours but from the City, the Ministry of the Environment and Energy (MOEE), the Toronto Regional Conservation Authority (TRCA), City Councillors and others. Please support them and do want your conscience dictates to prevent this development from severely damaging the fabric and character of the Centennial Community.

The CCRA has requested the assistance of Councillor Moeser and our MPP, Steve Gilchrist, to ensure that no short cuts are taken and no environmental legislation is side-stepped. I know that Councillor Moeser opposes this development and is trying get approval from Council to purchase and preserve this entire tract of land.

As I said in my June report, this is only the tip of the iceberg. Other developers are watching what is going on here and if we do not clearly deliver the message that we do not want development at the expense of what makes this Community unique, then we are in for sorry times.

The Manson/Yellow Moon situation is also unresolved. Despite the efforts of concerned residents and the three area Community associations, there remain serious breaches of public trust if not outright lawbreaking. You are by now aware that for years we have tried to prevent development from taking place on this site without proper procedures and controls in place to protect area residents as well as those who will eventually buy these homes and become part of our community. You have read here about the finding of toxic and suspected toxic materials and yet the situation at this site remains unresolved. We were told by the developer through its consulting engineers that the property was clean. This was untrue. We were told by the MOEE that everything was under control on this site because procedures were being followed. We know this was untrue. We were told that the developer could not perform any further actions on this site without the on-site presence of the Ministry of Labour and the supervision of the MOEE. We know this is untrue. We’ve received so many calls from residents who have witnessed violations of the so-called “established procedures” and there has been no accountability by the developer. No penalties, no fines and no punitive measures have been imposed against this developer. Mr Gilchrist has stated that this is the most inspected land site in Ontario. So what, Mr. Gilchrist? What good has that done us? We still have to pay from our own pockets to hire a law firm to ensure that any future protection for residents that can be forced upon this developer (which has clearly proved itself to be a lousy corporate citizen) is incorporated in the decision of the OMB. No doubt, Mr. Gilchrist will say that he has no influence over the OMB. From this vantage point, it appears his influence over the Ministries he should be able to influence is also subject to speculation.

Most of you are familiar with the apple orchard between Centennial and Acheson. Mr. Watson, whose family has owned the property for more than 130 years, has decided to develop part of it. He is examining the possibility of building a seniors residence and is very interested in working with the community to develop a plan that the community will be happy with. I will keep you informed as things progress.

There will be a public meeting to discuss the new Official Plan and once a date is confirmed, we will work with the city to advise you when that will be. In discussions regarding the format with Councillor Moeser, it was proposed that the meeting would include city staff who could provide answers about how the process will work and how appeals, etc. will now be handled.

Our Annual General Meeting will take place on Thursday, October 17th at the Port Union Community Centre. The meeting will start at 7:30 pm and will include on the agenda, such items as changes to the existing CCRA bylaws and the election of officers for the coming year. Historically, the president has remained for a two year term. For me, the two years end December 31st. I would encourage you to attend and to offer to get involved. There are a number of issues very important to our community that will not be resolved by the time my term is up. We, as a community need caring individuals to volunteer their time and effort to keep the Centennial Community great. Please give serious consideration to helping out. You won’t be alone.

The Summer Concert Series was a terrific success. It looked touch and go for a while with the strike by city workers but the Legion jumped right in and helped save the day. Thank you to the Legion and to the community organisers. Once again, you have done a marvellous job.

Last June, I informed you that we were losing our webmaster, Andy Bowers. Actually, Andy was the one who proposed having a CCRA website, has developed it and maintained it for a number of years. Not satisfied to simply provide technical support, Andy has been just as ardent with the content on the site. As an example, our website contains the most comprehensive record of what has transpired on the Manson site. No government or other agency has provided as complete information. Andy has accommodated all the requests we have made of him, no matter how naïve, and has worked tirelessly into the night to ensure that changes, information and surveys were on the web when they were supposed to be, regardless of how little time we allowed him. Thank you for a great job, Andy and for so often doing way more than should reasonably be expected.

I am pleased to inform you that we have been very fortunate to find a new webmaster. He is Michael Marriott. Some of you may remember that it was Michael’s vigilance that in part prevented Yellow Moon from sweeping the asbestos issue under the rug. Great to have you on board, Michael. I’m looking forward to working with you.