[fiendishlibrarian]

Bring back the light blue shirts. They looked much friendlier.

Agreed. And the traditional caps as well. They adopted ball caps for patrol officers a couple of years ago and I think it's ugly, unprofessional and hard to spot in crowds. The "nightclub bouncer" look is now the predominant aesthetic.

 

[afransen]

I'm not opposed to the model you're advocating above, though I would point out, that to staff a mini-station with 2 officers, 24/7 would equal 12 officers, The City recognizes 158 neighbourhoods, is this represented 100% new deployment, that's 1,816 additional officers, who, factoring for uniforms, rent, kit, hr/back office support, will cost about 200k a pop to deploy. That's well over 300M in additional costs each year.

Why should it be incremental? I have the sense that a lot of police resources are used very ineffectively. If you take care of the small stuff, that may have a bit of a trickle down effect of less escalation to major crime.

 

[afransen]

One thing the City could/should do is to encourage ALL City staff to report problems when they see them driving or walking around. There are Transportation and "Public Works" staff outa ll them time, they need a way to encourage them to report problems. Ideally they could use 311 but if you phone 311 you waste what seems like 2 minutes getting messages on No swearing at staff, warning your personal info may be requested and PSAs how wonderful life is here or special items.

In this day and age, why can't we have a 311 app with a call-back feature for further clarification if required. Snap a photo, drop a pin using GPS. A little bit of AI chatbot magic and you could handle 90% of issues and escalate the rest to humans to dig into further. I have done it myself with a few things in Mississauga and describing the what and the where would be so much easier with a photo and a geotag.

 

[evandyk]

We had a hornets' nest hanging off a limb right in the middle of the sidewalk last year and I reported it (with photos) to 311 online and it was taken care of within a day or two.

 

[Towered]

We had a hornets' nest hanging off a limb right in the middle of the sidewalk last year and I reported it (with photos) to 311 online and it was taken care of within a day or two.

Only because that's a liability

 

[DSCToronto]

One of the constant complaints around here is utility cuts and the City Auditor General has just published a Report - which provides some scary numbers:

See: https://www.toronto.ca/legdocs/mmis/2025/au/bgrd/backgroundfile-256795.pdf

 

[otto]

Every garbage pickup always results in a percentage that falls onto the street during the pickup process. Does this happen everywhere or just my street?

 

[Monarch Butterfly]

Every garbage pickup always results in a percentage that falls onto the street during the pickup process. Does this happen everywhere or just my street?


View attachment 675301

But the squirrels will get a day-time meal and raccoons get a night-time meal.

 

[otto]

But the squirrels will get a day-time meal and raccoons get a night-time meal. View attachment 675302

it happens with the other bins too

 

[turbanplanner]

Not sure if this is the responsibility of the land owner of the empty lot on Eglinton, but it looks absolutely shit.

The torn banner on the pole is the piece de resistance

 

[Northern Light]

Not sure if this is the responsibility of the land owner of the empty lot on Eglinton, but it looks absolutely shit.

The torn banner on the pole is the piece de resistance

View attachment 679973

Try the City first...........

Here's the 311 page for a request for the City to the cut the grass in a boulevard for they are responsible. If its not them, they'll tell you and can still act on it via by-law enforcement:

Service Request

www.toronto.ca

Where is this btw?

Not sure about the banner. But it would be City.

 

[picard102]

So I just got a call from 311 today about an overgrown lawn I reported, and apparently the bylaw was changed a few years ago to allow longer growth to promote pollinators so long as it's not obstructing sightlines for vehicles and pedestrians. Or so I was told.

 

[Northern Light]

So I just got a call from 311 today about an overgrown lawn I reported, and apparently the bylaw was changed a few years ago to allow longer growth to promote pollinators so long as it's not obstructing sightlines for vehicles and pedestrians. Or so I was told.

There is a natural garden by-law. It does not apply to city-maintained property at all.

In respect of private property, it permits an intentionally naturalized garden. There are some guidelines on what that means. It doesn't come with a specific plant list; but it is not a blanket pass for neglect.

The City absolutely have power to take action where it poses any risk to the public. That certainly includes sight lines, but is not limited to it. A woman was cited not so long ago for leaving a dead racoon carcass on her lawn.

In general, if a private owner keeps a clear edge/border (not necessarily mowed, just a defined limit such that the nature does not encroach the public ROW and there are no other issues with it from a public safety stand point, they will get fairly wide latitude.

Again, all of that is for a private lawn, not a City boulevard.

 

[evandyk]

Our neighbour's back yard is left completely wild. It is quite nice. Tons of goldenrod, some small bushes. Lots of raccoons, of course, but as far as I know, no dead ones. And I believe a skunk lives back there, but we've only ever seen it skulking around next to their garage.

 

[Monarch Butterfly]

Our neighbour's back yard is left completely wild. It is quite nice. Tons of goldenrod, some small bushes. Lots of raccoons, of course, but as far as I know, no dead ones. And I believe a skunk lives back there, but we've only ever seen it skulking around next to their garage.

Before lawn mowers, the rich and elite used sheep & goats to eat or "mow" their lawns. And also fertilized their lawns by the natural way. High Park was a sheep farm before John Howard donated it to the city. Churches used to ask permission from Mr. Howard to use his sheep pastures for church picnics and sports.