Category Archives: Uncategorized

Spring into Parkdale Festival – Cheese, Exploration, Sistema, Horses & Rock!

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There’s so much to do at our 2nd Annual Spring into Parkdale Sidewalk Sale & Festival on Saturday April 26th 10am-6pm!

To continue our weekly countdown we’re delighted to share a sneak peak at some additional attractions and hope you’ll be enticed to re-explore, re-discover and support all that Parkdale Village has to offer. As you stroll the strip, be sure to stop by Triller Avenue, Sorauren Avenue, Cowan Avenue & Dufferin Street for free attractions.

Say Cheese: Need some professional photos of the little ones, then head over to This Little Piggy for their Photo Day! Book a time to say cheese at kat@thislittlepiggyshop.ca and visit them at 1594 Queen St W @ Sorauren.

Feminine Chic: Step into your dream closet at Women’s Boutique Sylvie and Shimmy and let them dazzle you away with an additional 30% off sale items at 1640 Queen St W @ Wilson Park Rd.

Rock: Come Rock out to the Jolly Roger Band and Mr. Bitter Sweet at the Parkdale Activity-Recreation Centre (PARC), enjoy snacks, meet community members and learn about poverty & mental health at 1499 Queen St W @ Sorauren.

Sistema: Be dazzled by the sounds of Parkdale Public School’s Children’s choir through Sistema Toronto who provide free music lessons to children, learn about their Symphony Gala Concert and be inspired by song and drums at Queen St W & Dufferin.

Exploration: Did you know Scouts have been a part of Parkdale for over 100 years, learn about the world around you through camping and outdoor adventure with Scouts Canada & enjoy some popcorn at Queen St & Cowan.

Funtastic: Need a new look, let “Shy Shy the Clown” paint your face at Queen St W & Sorauren.

Red: Meet the horses, fire trucks, men & women of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and Toronto Fire Services at Cowan and Sorauren.

Spring into Parkdale Attractions 3 - 2014
Check out last weeks announced activities by clicking here & here. Stay tuned for more details as we continue to announce over 50 wonderful partners, entertainers and businesses who can’t wait to see you Spring into Parkdale! Follow us on Facebook, Twitter & Instagram #springintoparkdale

Restaurant Study Supplementary Report – April 8 2014

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You are invited to attend a public meeting and take part in the decision making process regarding the Queen Street West Restaurant Study.

On April 8th 2014 starting at 9:30am The Toronto and East York Community Council will meet in Committee Room 1, 2nd Floor, City Hall, 100 Queen Street West to discuss Item TE31.41 – Queen Street West (between Roncesvalles Avenue and Dufferin Street) – Restaurant Study – Supplementary Report.

For more details visit: http://app.toronto.ca/tmmis/viewAgendaItemHistory.do?item=2014.TE31.41

To read more about the study visit these recent posts:

Spring into Parkdale Festival – Pride, Treasure, Superman & Eagles!

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With this weeks weather improving, things look a little more promising for our Spring into Parkdale Sidewalk Sale & Festival on Saturday April 26th 10am-6pm! We would like to acknowledge the many business owners, residents, volunteers and partners who are helping support and grow this little community event into something of a must attend down the road. After such a difficult winter, supporting local, shopping local and fostering our local community is so much more important and we thank you.

To continue our weekly countdown we’re delighted to share a sneak peak at some additional attractions and hope you’ll be enticed to re-explore, re-discover and support all that Parkdale Village has to offer. As you stroll the strip, be sure to stop by Triller Avenue, Sorauren Avenue, Cowan Avenue & Dufferin Street for free attractions.

Pride: Excited about World Pride Toronto from June 20-29 – here’s your chance to visit the Pride booth & learn about one of the largest Pride celebrations in the world, its diversity, history & activities! Visit them at Cowan Ave & Queen St W.

Treasure: Step right up and spin the wheel for your chance to win a treasure trove of jewellery at Made You Look Jewellery 1338 Queen St W @ Brock. Diamonds and bracelets and rings oh my!

Superman: Get lost in the world of vintage comics, graphic novels, action figures, robots and DEALS at West End Comics 1590 Queen St W @ Sorauren.

Eagles: Enjoy the colourful folk sounds of the White Eagles Polish Song and Dance Ensemble as they fill the Queen Street strip with song!  

Buttons: Plain and simply, everyone loves Parkdale Buttons. Grab a stencil, markers and make your own buttons @ Triller & Sorauren.

Spring into Parkdale Attractions 2 - 2014

Stay tuned for more details as we continue to announce over 50 wonderful partners, entertainers and businesses who can’t wait to see you Spring into Parkdale! Follow us on Facebook, Twitter & Instagram #springintoparkdale

Spring into Parkdale Festival – Art Market, Spa Deals, Portraits & Tours !

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Although Spring is here, its clear she has yet to grace us with her presence. We certainly hope she’ll make an appearance for our 2nd Annual Spring into Parkdale Sidewalk Sale & Festival on Saturday April 26th 10am-6pm!

With over 50 businesses and community partners participating, lots of giveaways and numerous free activities for kids, we’re sure they’ll be enough to warm your hearts and help you forget about this years gruelling winter.

To kick off our 5 week countdown we’re delighted to share a sneak peak at some attractions and hope you’ll be enticed to re-explore, re-discover and support all that Parkdale Village has to offer. As you stroll the strip, be sure to stop by Triller Avenue, Sorauren Avenue, Cowan Avenue & Dufferin Street for free attractions.

Art Market: Explore numerous local crafts, artisans and vendors at the Spring into Parkdale Art Market brought to you by Parkdale Flea and Goodfellas Gallery. This indoor market at 1266 Queen St W @ Dufferin/Noble is free & still accepting submissions for local artists.

Spa Package: Get pampered at Red Carpet Queen with a special 1 day only Spring Pamper Spa Package, including facials, body treatment, massage, product discounts and more! Contact them at 1291 Queen St W @ Brock for more details!

Food Tour: Start & end your Parkdale experience with Foodies on Foot and the 501 Streetcar Food Tour!

Portraits: Step right up and get your free caricature portrait from local artist Cat Reyto  

Picasso: Select your free bird feeder at our craft table and paint away!

Stay tuned for more details as we continue to announce over 50 wonderful partners, entertainers and businesses who can’t wait to see you Spring into Parkdale! Follow us on Facebook, Twitter & Instagram #springintoparkdale Spring into Parkdale Attractions - 2014

Call for Volunteers – Festivals, Ambassadors, Gardeners & more!

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Do you love Parkdale & want to support your community by Volunteering? Contact us today for volunteer opportunities at our Spring into Parkdale Sidewalk Sale and Festival on Saturday April 26, 2014!

Up to 30 Volunteer positions are available for a series of five (5) to ten (10) hour shifts, between 8am & 6pm. Duties may include assisting with:

  • Booth set up & heavy lifting
  • Street décor
  • Craft Workshops
  • Cleanup crew
  • Booth tear down

If you love Parkdale, are friendly and excited to support the community and local businesses, please email director@parkdalevillagebia.com and briefly share your availability.

Random Acts of Kindness 2 - Winter 2013

We’re also looking for volunteers for the following:

CONTACT Photography Festival, Lab Cab Festival, Random Acts of Kindness Ambassador Team, Gardening Team and so much more!

Contact us today!!

Parkdale Village BIA supports Vintage Crawl!

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The Parkdale Village BIA is delighted to announce its sponsorship of the Vintage Crawl on April 17, 2014! Vintage Crawl Toronto is a late-night party across the city’s west end. Shops from Kensington Market to Roncesvalles keep their doors open from 7pm til midnight with treats, sales and deals. It’s a great opportunity to explore neighbourhoods while enjoying your love of vintage fashion and finds!

Explore over 30 vintage venues including Parkdale’s House of Vintage, Public Butter, Three Fates, Common Sort, Frou Frou & more!

For more information, contact us at info@vintagecrawltoronto.com

Vintage Crawl NEW Logo - 2014

Join the “Business Tools for Today” Workshop – it’s free!

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You’re invited to attend a free Workshop on Wednesday April 2nd 8pm @ The Mascot Café presented by Offshoot Inc & Vend. Learn more about POS, E-Commerce, Websites and Social Media.

If you think a POS system is too expensive, or that you don’t require inventory management or reporting – think again!

Today’s cloud based systems eliminate the upfront costs of traditional POS systems, giving you the inventory visibility & reporting to make informed buying & selling decisions for your business. For more details & to attend this free workshop, click here.

Offshoot Logo - POS workshop - 2014

Spring into Parkdale on Sat April 26, 2014

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The Parkdale Village BIA is delighted to announce the 2nd Annual Spring into Parkdale Sidewalk Sale & Festival on Saturday April 26th 10am-6pm!

Put on your best sneakers, grab a friend and take a stroll down Parkdale Village’s Queen Street West this Spring for a day filled with free kids activities, sidewalk sale, giveaways, buskers & so much more!Spring into Parkdale Sidewalk Sale & Festival - 2014


Meet the shop owners and community groups that make up our thriving neighbourhood and enjoy a wonderful day exploring Parkdale Village! For more details on how to participate as a vendor, entertainer or volunteer, email director@parkdalevillagebia.com and click below for an update on activities & entertainment:

Cheese, Exploration, Sistema, Horses & Rock!
Pride, Treasure, Superman & Eagles!
Art Market, Spa Deals, Portraits & Tours!

Boulevard Cafe & Marketing bylaws public consultation Feb 6-18, 2014

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The City of Toronto Municipal Licensing and Standards (ML&S) Division is undertaking a review of the existing Boulevard Cafe and Marketing bylaws. The goal of the review is to consider a harmonized boulevard cafe and marketing bylaw which will apply to all areas of Toronto. The review includes in-depth research, analysis and consultations with business operators and the public. ML&S will submit a staff report with recommendations for the industry to the Licensing and Standards Committee in the first half of 2014.

Boulevard cafe:  In the former municipalities of the City of Toronto (except in Scarborough), restaurant/cafe owners can apply for a “boulevard cafe” permit, allowing them to operate a “cafe” or patio on the public right-of-way (boulevard/sidewalk). Boulevard marketing: In the former municipalities of the City of Toronto (except in Scarborough), retail business owners can apply for a “boulevard marketing” permit, allowing them to operate a stall outside of their business on the public right-of-way (boulevard/sidewalk) to offer their goods and merchandise for sale.

For more details click here, contact Olga Kusztelska, Senior Policy and Research Officer at City of Toronto,  416-392-7964 okuszte@toronto.ca or attend one of the following public consultations:

Public Thursday, February 6, 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. City Hall Committee Room 2
Public Tuesday, February 11, 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. East York Civic Centre, Council Chambers
Public Thursday, February 13, 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. Etobicoke Civic, Main Boardroom
Public Tuesday, February 18 from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. North York Civic Centre, Committee Room 3

Restaurant Study Pre-hearing February 14, 2014

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A hearing for the Ontario Municipal Board (OMB) challenge of a City of Toronto bylaw limiting the concentration of bars on Queen Street West in Parkdale takes place Feb. 14. City council adopted the bylaw last summer after the planning department completed a restaurant study of the strip. The bylaw included a cap on the number of bars along Queen West between Dufferin Street and Roncesvalles Avenue to 25 per cent. It also had a number of rules around size of dance floors, patios and prohibiting bars on second floors of buildings.

During that study a moratorium was placed on new bars, restaurants and bakeries opening. Since the bylaw was appealed by the Ontario Restaurant Hotel and Motel Association, the moratorium has remained in place.

An OMB pre-hearing is the first time those involved in the hearing meet. Pre-hearings are held to help identify issues, parties and participants; to determine what documents should be exchanged; and determine procedures before and during the hearing. They are also a time to set future hearing dates. For more details about this Parkdale Village article click here, and for case study details click: OMB Restaurant Study Pre-hearing – Feb 2014.