Pet store ban on cat and dog sales

A new proposal to make it illegal to sell these pets in stores
This issue will be debated by the city in new year
Kris Scheuer
(Written Aug. 13 for Town Crier.)

Dean Maher with his poodle Betty. Photo courtesy of Dean Maher.

If Dean Maher has his way, people won’t be asking, ‘How much is that doggy in window?’
The Ward 20 council candidate wants the city to ban the sale of cats and dogs from all Toronto pet stores. The issue is up for debate at city hall.

“The overall goal is to reduce unwanted pets,” Maher said Aug. 10.
Many unwanted animals end up in shelters and in some cases, if their health is particularly bad, they are euthanized.
In 2009, the Toronto Humane Society had 4,701 cats and 1,382 dogs and a total of 394 were euthanized, according to information Maher obtained from the organization.

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Bayview Broadway site headed to OMB

Former car dealership lot at 1860 Bayview could become retail complex
City’s Committee of Adjustment rejected plan, developer to appeal to OMB
Kris Scheuer
(Written for Town Crier July 21.)

Residents (L-R) Burt Rairamo, Gordon Deeks, Linda Deeks and Jesper Thoft among those opposed to current retail development plans at 1860 Bayview. Photo by Francis Crescia/Town Crier.

Community celebration over the rejection of an application to build a two-storey retail complex at Bayview and Broadway has been short-lived.
The developer, MJB Corporation, is now set to appeal to the Ontario Municipal Board after the city’s committee of adjustment refused an application to redevelop the former Brennan’s Pontiac site at 1860 Bayview Ave.
On July 6, the committee ruled the proposal was not desirable for the area and didn’t meet the city’s official plan or zoning bylaws.
“We are disappointed with their decision (to appeal). The city and community’s concerns have been clearly articulated, and the committee of adjustment agrees that the development is not minor in nature,” wrote Wayne Sliberman in an email.  Sliberman, a local resident, is part of a working group dealing with the proposal.
MJB Corp applied to build a two-floor retail store covering almost 90 percent of the site, along with 220 parking spaces. Currently the site is zoned to allow a structure that would cover one third of the spot and have a minimum of 242 parking spaces.
The developer’s lawyer Robert Kligerman said now that he’s received the committee’s refusal in writing, he can proceed with an appeal to the Ontario Municipal Board.