Renaming Shuter-Sumach Parkette

Posted on July 4, 2025 by Trefann Court

We were surprised to learn on May 22 that our City Councillor Moise renamed Sumach-Shuter parkette, without consulting with Trefann Court residents. Persons who grew up in Regent Park and Trefann Court and who are familiar with its long history of community activism, were also shocked by this stealth renaming. No chance to voice our input, since no deputations on this motion were allowed at community council. The city ignored its own “Property Naming Policy” and “Guiding Principles for Commemoration“. No signs were posted at the park to inform the neighbourhood of this potential name change.

Media reports by CBC, Toronto Sun, 740AM Zoomer radio and The Bridge Community News all question Moise’s lack of local community consultation. When we met him on July 2, Moise admitted he knew nothing about Trefann Court or its 1960s fight to create this park. Dubiously Moise claimed that he hasn’t had any influence in this park renaming process. Apparently he assumed, without any consultation with persons who live near this park, that the Mothers of Peace (MOP) petition spoke for the entire community. Moise must realize his lack of local consultation is indefensible; at our July 2 meeting and in the June 26 Toronto Sun article, Moise relied on MOP to defend his mishandling of this process.

Moise says he will not re-open the park renaming issue at city council. So express your displeasure: phone his office (416-392-7903) and visit his Centre Constituency Office in person: 329 Parliament (1/2 block N of Dundas). Our petition is still growing; we will submit it to City Council soon. Remember the next city election is Oct 26, 2026.

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Welcome!

Posted on July 1, 2025 by Trefann Court

Welcome to the website for the Trefann Court Residents Association. Trefann Court is the area bounded by Queen, Parliament, Shuter and River streets, and has a long and colourful history. To the north is Regent Park (69 acre site owned by the city); to the south is Corktown. Trefann Court neighbourhood is recognized on the city’s wayfinding maps. Unlike Corktown or Regent Park, Trefann Court is designated by the city as a neighbourhood area: lower scale buildings such as detached houses, semi-detached houses, duplexes, triplexes and townhouses. Taller buildings are permitted along Parliament and Queen streets.

This website is maintained as a historic record of developments and changes affecting this neighbourhood.
Scroll down to read the newest posts, or use menu links:
– to choose posts for a particular category eg. Shuter St, or
– for a list of all posts, by year (“latest posts“).
For most images on this site, clicking will display a larger version.

The Trefann Court Association was quite feisty in the 1960s as it fought for its survival; read the 1967 newsletter. The Association was restarted in 1995 and again in 2008, but hasn’t been active recently; it could be re-started anytime there are several local residents who are interested and want to get involved. Some new items of local interest are still being added to this site.

Email us with your comments or questions.

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origin of Trefann

Posted on June 8, 2025 by Trefann Court

From her 2018 book “Corktown: The History of a Toronto Neighbourhood and the People Who Made It“, Coralina R. Lemos (historian, author and heritage advocate) wrote about the origin of Trefann St:

“When John Hugh Roberts came to Canada he settled in Toronto with his wife, Ann, and their children, working as a tailor as he had done in his native Wales. Located east of Parliament Street, Trefann was initially a narrow road that ran north from Queen Street. At its northernmost exit, the road took a westerly bend and connected to Robert’s Place; ending near John Roberts’ residence on Sydenham Street (now Shuter Street). The name, which is of Welsh origin, came about as part of Mr. Roberts’ lot purchase on either side of this street and written similar to the county borough of Torfaen, where the town of Pontypool is recorded as his birthplace.
Considering that early land records note this street as “Tref-Ann,” it may be an indication that Mr. Roberts wanted to grace this road using his wife’s name while adding his own to Robert’s Place farther north. Although historically the word ‘Tref‘ in Welsh has a few different definitions, its origin is associated with property.”

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Section 37 spending – 2025

Posted on March 31, 2025 by Trefann Court

Here’s a summary of approved Section 37 spending in Ward 13 during 2025. Total for the year to date: $1.77 million. (This entry will be updated through the year.) (Learn more about section 37.) Section 37 spending in 2024 in Ward 13 was almost $5 million.

  • Mar: $330,000 ($300k) for Verner Lane and Drovers Lane laneway improvements
    $113k for plaques for 1841 Shoreline Interpretation
    $10k for plaque at North Star Way Lane
    $10k for plaque at Henry Box Brown Lane
    $10k for plaque at Colonial Tavern site
    $10k for plaque recognizing Sam Ching at 9 Adelaide Street East.
    $1.1 million for Heritage Lighting at the Young People’s Theatre
    revising $80k for mural at Wellesley Station, previously approved in March 2024
    $51k for Accessibility Improvements for Casey House at 119 Isabella Street.
    $133k for 519 Church improvements
    $200k for mid-block curb extensions, seating on Maitland, Alexander and Grosvenor St (not listed in Moise’s March 2025 newsletter, but mentioned on his website)
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The BIA that wouldn’t die

Posted on February 1, 2025 by Trefann Court

The Old Queen Street Business Improvement Area (BIA)
was established in Sept 2006, and was renamed the Historic Queen East BIA on Jan 2008. The process that spawned this BIA was somewhat murky.

This BIA has never approved a budget; their Jan 2008 AGM approved a motion to dissolve the BIA. Sixteen years (and 3 local councillors) later, Chris Moise, in his July 2024 newsletter states he was “working to restore the Historic Queen Street East Business Improvement Area (BIA). Many Queen East addresses are either residential, institutional, or vacant storefronts (see inventory), so it’s perplexing why Chris Moise thinks that the few active commercial properties on this stretch of Queen E could sustain a BIA.

A 5 person board (Mandrozos, Mark, Silver, Wells, Wong) was appointed in Oct 2024. City Council approved a totally different 6 person board in Jan 2025: board members are Julie Conte (also on this BIA board in 2007), Adam Damelin (Eggplant Music and Sound), Victoria Frans (Allied Properties), Jim Giontsis (pharmacist), Devin Glowinski (realtor) and Claudia Mac (Downtown Camera).

The Feb 2025 Bridge reported that the BIA met Dec 2024 and turned down a proposed $130,000 budget; the Bridge questioned why Christ Moise clearly intends to ramrod the BIA through and ignore ob­vious signs of local opposition. The Dec BIA meeting was also reported in torontotoday. Apparently no one has seen written minutes from that Dec 2024 AGM. Chris Moise shared his version of the Dec 2024 BIA AGM. In Feb 2025 City Council approved annual BIA budgets, omitting Queen E since that BIA didn’t approve a budget. More sparks to fly …

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Ward 13 – City Council items of interest

Posted on January 31, 2025 by Trefann Court

E-newsletter “City Council – Items of Interest” sent by Councillor Moise a few days before each month’s City Council meeting (these PDFs include links to each listed council motion):

2024: Feb | Mar | Apr | May | June | July | Oct | Nov | Dec
2025: Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | June

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Regent Park, phase 4 and 5

Posted on November 4, 2024 by Trefann Court

The final parts of Regent Park to be redeveloped are phases 4 and 5: the area just south of Gerrard. Plans will be discussed at the Dec 4 meeting of the Toronto and East York Community Council; see supporting documentation.
The 2024 diagrams show the permitted building heights which are proposed for the area. Diagrams are from the draft bylaw.

 
For comparison, here are permitted building heights for all of Regent Park, from the original 2005 plan, which is summarized here.
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developments – Oct 2024

Posted on October 13, 2024 by Trefann Court

Currently, two active development sites in/near Trefann Court: 187 Parliament and 252 Parliament. Other previously approved developments are apparently waiting for the market to improve. The diagram below shows heights of a number of existing/planned towers in the north part of Queen-River area.


building heights in the north part of Queen-River area.

252 Parliament

187 Parliament (viewed from Trefann St)

Building heights as shown may have been approved by the city or the OLT, but in the future, the developers may ask for further height increases. For example, 307 Sherbourne (SE corner of Gerrard) got OLT approval in 2019 for a 15-storey building with 112 residential rental units. Now the developer wants permission for an 18-storey, student residence containing 223 units on that site.

The distinctive Watt Group office (300 Bayview), designed by architect Barton Myers in 1984, was visible from the Queen St bridge over the Don Valley; the Watt building was demolished last year, to provide parking for the Audi dealership (328 Bayview).


Audi dealership parking

Watt Group (aerial)

Watt Group, ,300 Bayview
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Section 37 spending – 2024

Posted on October 10, 2024 by Trefann Court

Here’s a summary of approved Section 37 spending in Ward 13 during 2024, totalling $4.93 million (funds meant to be spent on public art, parks, housing and heritage conservation). There is no longer any annual reporting to summarize Section 37 spending by ward. Approval of individual amounts is recorded in innumerable City Council motions; notifications of these expenditures are buried in an e-newsletter “City Council – Items of Interest” sent by Councillor Moise a few days before each month’s City Council meeting. (Learn more about section 37.)

  • Jan: $300,000 ($300 k) to rename Yonge-Dundas Square
  • March: $230 k in community improvements: $80 k for Corktown-themed tree guardstree guards and $150 k for planters to enhance disused parking laybys on Bayview Avenue
    $3.2 k for bike parking, $1.8 k for heritage street signs and $205 k for St. Lawrence Market Neighbourhood BIA projects (planters, street banners, street furniture)
    $660k for
    bump outs on St. Joseph St ($150k), $350k for Barbara Hall Park Dog Off-Leash Area ($350k), mural above Wellesley Station ($80k), and two murals on St. Luke Lane ($80.5k)
    $40 k for painted pedestrian crossings (rescinded in June)
  • May: $375 k for Dixon Hall, 58 Sumach (apparently, in addition to the $500 k given in March 2023)
    $500 k for Elizabeth Fry, 215 Wellesley E
    $433 k for a Regent Park Storage Shed and Zamboni Storage Hut
    $850 k for public realm upgrades and park expansion into the Labatt Avenue Right-of-Way, see note 1
  • June: rescinded $40 k to Revitalize Trans Flag-Coloured Pedestrian Crossings
    $315 k to shift 519 Church garbage storage from north side to the back of the building (modifying previous 2021 motion)
  • July: $816 k for Inglenook school streetscape improvements
  • Oct: $20 k for custom vinyl-wraps on 6 garbage receptacles in Old Town Toronto BIA
  • Nov: $707 k to help pay for rebuilding the Glen Road Pedestrian Bridge
    This seems like a large sum of money which doesn’t appear on the city’s annual budget; are there any rules limiting how Section 37 money is to be spent? There was previously a bridge at this location; the city decided to replace it – does that qualify as a “community benefit”?

(See Ward 13 spending in prior years.)

Participatory Budgeting allows Ward 13 residents to suggest and then vote on how funds are spent within their community. In 2024, the Councillor decided to make $750,000 available for neighbourhood enhancements within each of the 6 zones in Ward 13. This is funded via Community Benefits Charges (CBCs), which replaced Section 37 density bonusing, effective August 2023.

As of Jan 2020, Ward 13 had a Section 37 unspent balance of $84 million! Since then, substantial (but unknown) amounts have been added to this balance, as developers started work on previously approved developments. Ward 13’s large Section 37 balance also earns interest each year. From 2020 to 2023, developers continued to sign more Section 37 agreements, as new projects were approved. Some (unknown) amounts of Ward 13 Section 37 funds have been spent. But no consolidated reporting of amounts collected or spent, since 2020. In addition to Participatory Budgeting projects voted by residents, Councillor Moise also requests City Council approval to spent Section 37 funds on projects that he decides.

Notes

  1. From 1-25 Defries St planning report: “The proposed public park on the south side of the site adjacent to Labatt Avenue will be connected with a planned public park on the Labatt Avenue right-of-way, which is a currently a dead-end. These two connected parks will connect to a public open space area on the east side of the building, which provides a required 10-metre buffer from a proposed long-term stable top-of- bank of the Don Valley. This open space buffer area will be publicly accessible and include a pedestrian/cycle path that will lead to a path down the slope of the Don Valley to Bayview Avenue where it will connect with a planned sidewalk along the west side of Bayview Avenue that will extend south approximately 300 metres to an existing sidewalk on Bayview Avenue south of Queen Street East.”
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BIA on Queen East? Again?

Posted on July 6, 2024 by Trefann Court

The north side of Queen St is part of Trefann Court, so rumblings about yet another attempt to resurrect a BIA are of interest to us. Chris Moise’s July 2024 newsletter states he is “working to restore the Historic Queen Street East Business Improvement Area (BIA)” by Dec 2024. He’s soliciting property or business owners to get involved.

The June 2024 Bridge article questions whether there are sufficient commercial properties along Queen E to make this BIA viable. As previously explained by a Queen business owner, a 2007 attempt at a Queen East BIA didn’t succeed because of insufficient # of retail businesses along Queen East. The BIA’s 2008 AGM minutes gives details why it failed. Although notified in 2008 that the BIA was dissolved, the city pretends that the BIA is simply dormant.

Corktown Association has discussed BIA for ages:
• “It’s time for a Change on Queen Street East – We Have a BIA” (2006)
• “There is no BIA for Corktown and, with the exception of one or two business owners who are active in the CRBA, the local businesses are not engaged in the community.” (2015)
• Many businesses in the area are interested in Corktown and the Board has an opportunity to develop a BIA Lite style of outreach. (2020)
• started discussions to form a Corktown BIA (2021)

Take a walk along Queen St today, from Parliament to River to see how few retail businesses exist (see below). Many Queen St addresses (the majority of street frontages) are either residential, institutional, or vacant storefronts. It’s perplexing why Mr. Moise thinks that the few active commercial properties on this stretch of Queen E could sustain a BIA. Higher taxes to pay BIA fees would make it even harder to rent out the many vacant storefronts.

Here is an inventory of “non-retail” frontage (or vacant stores) on Queen (“retail” includes restaurants). On the south side of Queen, east of Parliament:
Parliament to Power: # 351-373 (vacant stores)
Power to Sackville: church, school (entire block)
Sackville to St. Paul: 423-439 (retail), 441 (office)
St. Paul to Bright: 443-463 (residential), 465 (office)
Bright to Sumach: 467 (retail), 469 (residential), 471-477 (empty lot / future condo), 479 (vacant), 481 (retail)
Sumach to River: 489 (office), 491-501 (retail), 503-509 (residential), 511 (gallery), 513-517 (vacant), 519 (office), 521 (vacant), 523-527 (office), 529-531 (retail), 533 (office), 535 (condo), 541 (office)

North side of Queen, east of Parliament:
Parliament to Trefann: # 348 (retail), 350 (vacant), 352 (retail), 354 (vacant), 356 (retail), 358 (vacant), 360-364 (retail), 366 (vacant), 368-372 (retail), 378-392 (vacant)
Trefann to Tracy: 388-392 (vacant), 394-404 (retail), 412 (men’s shelter)
Tracy to Sackville: 418 (residential), 420 (gallery), 426 (condo), 428-438 (office)
Sackville to Sumach: 440-459 (residential), parking lot, 468-478 (office/vacant), 496 (retail), 500 (vacant bar)
Sumach to Fee Pl: 502-508 (vacant), 510 (retail), 512-522 (residential), 524-534 (office)
Fee Place to River: 540 (senior’s home), 500-554 (office)

Quoting the Bridge article: “”If the city is interested in re­vitalizing the Queen East strip, why not invest $300,000 itself [eg. using Section 37 funds]. … If Dixon Hall, a large non-prof­it organization, can receive $500,000 to subsidize renova­tion at its Sumach Street loca­tion, then businesses at Queen and Sherbourne, fending off drug dealers daily, are deserving of city support.”

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