Make your voice heard tonight about issues in The Village

Do you live in The Village? You can make your voice heard tonight about local issues – including garbage, noise and property standards – in a public consultation at York organized by the City of Toronto.

Tonight’s public consultation will be held from 6 to 9pm in Curtis Lecture Hall F, Keele campus.

A second consultation will be held on Wednesday, Sept. 28, from 6 to 9pm in Stedman Lecture Hall A, Keele campus.

The consultation sessions were set up by the city’s Municipal Licensing and Standards division at the request of council’s Licensing and Standards Committee and Councillor Anthony Perruzza, who represents Ward 8 York West.

The committee has "requested that the executive director, Municipal Licensing and Standards, in consultation with post-secondary institutions, pertinent landlords, affected residents and other relevant agencies, including City Planning, Fire Services, Toronto Police Service, consider the options available to the City in dealing with the issues described and report back to the Licensing and Standards Committee on a strategy to more effectively and efficiently address them."

Here is the city’s summary of the issues:

"Neighbourhoods near major post-secondary institutions often experience unique challenges arising from the concentrated student population living in housing that is sometimes overcrowded and has a wide range of bylaw-related issues. Although most student tenants are responsible members of the community, some student housing is chronically plagued by garbage, noise and property standards issues. Other southern Ontario municipalities such as London, Oshawa and others face similar challenges but each have their own strategy in addressing them."

Perruzza’s original memorandum to the committee can be seen here. The Village housing development is located directly south of York’s Keele campus.