On February 4th, Corktown hosted its annual Annual General Meeting at the Cooper Koo YMCA.
The event kicked off with an update from Toronto-Centre City Councillor Kristyn Wong-Tam. She gave an update to the community on a number of projects her office is working on. If you need to get in touch with the Councillor’s office, reach out to Corktown’s lead contact Megan Poole.
New Business: Seventy Seven Park
Our newest business in Corktown (and Canary District!) is Seventy Seven Park – a Brokerage company run by Eduardo Pontes and Marianne Radman. Their doors are always open, so make sure you give them a visit at 455 Front St. East, Unit S116.
Toronto Centre Cyclists
Our friends at the Toronto Centre Cyclists are working on a number of projects in our neighbourhood and the wider area. One exciting project they’re working on right is advocating for a Complete Shuter Street.
Construction starts on Shuter later this year and will feature bike lanes and traffic calming measures.
Dianna English from WE
One of Corktown’s new neighbours is the WE Global Learning Centre. WE Director, Dianna English, was on hand at the AGM to talk about the organization. Part of their plan is local outreach and Dianna has joined our newly formed Queen Street Revitalization Team.
If you’d like to find out more and help us, contact us here.
Working Groups Update
In 2018 we started laying the groundwork for a new Corktown vision. We spent 6 months gathering feedback from businesses and residents in the area. The results have helped guide us toward the types of projects that the community has asked us to pursue.
Starting this term, our Board and Working Groups will be incorporating short-term goals and long-term planning. We’re confident that our new direction will prove positive results in the future year and years to come.
If you’d like to get involved in any of these Working Groups, contact us by email.
Corktown News
Editor To Be Determined
Business Success Working Group
Will Meneray – Team Lead
Events Team
Aaron Binder – Group Lead
Queen St. Working Group
Team Lead – Lisa Bugelli
Heritage Working Group
Team Lead – Cory Lemos
Development Working Group
Team Lead – Socrates Apallas
Foundry Working Group
Team Lead – Ann Summers-Dossenna
Board Election
For the 2020 Term, the board is, as voted on February 4th:
President – Aaron Binder
Vice-President – Njeri Rionge
Treasurer – Sanjay Vakani
Lisa Bugelli
Cory Lemos
Tom Junek
Ann Summers-Dossena
President and Treasury Update
Our Treasury is sitting at about the same level as prior years and we’ve begun to explore additional revenue streams.
Many businesses in the area are interested in Corktown and the Board has an opportunity to develop a BIA Lite style of outreach. We’ll be organizing Marketing Campaigns along with special events throughout the year. While Corktown’s King St. strip is beginning to gain a measure of popularity, we want to ensure the rest of the neighbourhood receives attention as well.
We’re excited to continue pursuing the opportunities in front of us. Toronto’s tourism industry is projected to continue growing over the next decade. We want to make sure Corktown’s business community is able to capitalize on these visitors. Highlighting parts of our neighbourhood like Canary District, Underpass Park along King + Queen St. will give us an incredible opportunity to attract many different types of visitors too.
We’re very much looking forward to working with you all in 2020 and beyond.
-Team Corktown
