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Our Roncesvalles
First photos from Polish Festival
Photo: Kevin Gonsalves
Toronto photographer Kevin Gonsalves captured some great images from this weekend’s Polish Festival. The photos were uploaded as part of his Project 60, a series depicting 60 themes each with 60 photos shot within 60 minutes over 60 days. The photos can be viewed as a Flickr slideshow here.
While the BIA is still crunching the attendance figures, the unofficial word is that the numbers this year are off the charts, no doubt helped by the weekend’s spectacular weather. The festival was a celebration of all things Polish and all things Roncesvalles, and featured more than a few “only-on-Roncesvalles” innovations! Spotted among the more traditional fare: pierogi pizza and pierogi poutine!
Taking Out The Trash
The garbage strike, now in its fourth week, has been hard on our businesses and on our street. Our businesses have made great efforts to keep Roncesvalles tidy. I’ve seen people tidying up in front of their stores, and tidying up around the trash bins on Roncesvalles. Your efforts are deeply appreciated!
The RVBIA has also made efforts to help, cleaning up the street and providing disposal bins for businesses to use.
Yesterday we had many helping hands from a crew of volunteers from the Keele Correctional Centre. They working incredibly hard, cleaning the street an emptying almost every trash bin on Roncesvalles. I told the men that they would be the heroes of Roncesvalles, and everywhere we went, people applauded and thanked them for their hard hard work.
So on behalf of the RVBIA and our neighbours, a great big thanks to the men of the Keele Correctional Centre for helping us keep Roncesvalles clean.
Toronto Star: Roncesvalles is “how a neighbourhood ought to be built”
Toronto Star columnist and neighbour, Joe Fiorito, has nice words for Roncesvalles, naming it as one of five things to love about Toronto:
“Old and plain and true, its butcher shops are reminiscent of the Poland of 100 years ago. If you live nearby and need a chop, or a loaf, or grapes, or stamps, you don’t need a car.
Along with the Danforth, Bloor West, and St. Clair, and a few other streets, Roncey is the template for how a neighbourhood ought to be built.”
Link: Toronto Star
Roncesvalles Construction Update
UPDATE August 21: The reconstruction of Roncesvalles is well under way. There is one through lane northbound on Roncesvalles, with limited local southbound traffic.
Please obey signage for safety. We have reports of some near-accidents and dangerous behaviour in the construction zones. Cyclists and pedestrians, please avoid the construction zones!
Contractors are now using chalk while drilling or breaking concrete to cut down on dust.
The west-side intersection of Pearson and Roncesvalles will open today or tomorrow. Pearson west of Roncesvalles is temporarily two-way traffic.
The west-side intersection of Galley and Roncesvalles is closed, but is expected to open approximately August 27. Galley west of Roncesvalles is temporarily two-way traffic.
The west-side intersection of Garden and Roncesvalles is closed for about two weeks while water and sewer work is being done there. Garden west of Roncesvalles is temporarily two-way traffic.
The west-side intersection of Fern and Roncesvalles will be closed starting about August 27.
The west-side intersection of Geoffrey and Roncesvalles is closed for several days. Geoffrey west of Roncesvalles is temporarily two-way traffic.
The east-side intersection of Grenadier and Roncesvalles is closed for several days. This should open up by August 23.
The west-side intersection of Grenadier and Roncesvalles will close about August 27. Grenadier west of Roncesvalles will be temporarily two-way traffic.
Sidewalk closures: The west-side sidewalk on Roncesvalles is closed between Fermanagh and Geoffrey, and also closed between Galley and Fern. There will be west-side sidewalk closures between Constance and Marmaduke when water main installation begins in the next day or two.
Parking is permitted outside the construction zones and on side streets; you can usually park within a block or two of your favourite shop! Put your money where your house is, and keep shopping on Roncesvalles.
Delivery zones are coned areas of the street, usually to the north of active construction.
Water main work will be continuing between Galley and Fern.
Please note that the Roncesvalles Polish Festival will be going ahead on September 19 and 20. The contractors will remove equipment from the street, clean up and pave what they can. We will have a very walkable and danceable street for the festival.
TTC Service Changes: The 504 King streetcar will turn back east at the Roncesvalles TTC yard during the reconstruction (until Fall 2010). Roncesvalles service to Queen Street and from the Dundas West subway will be replaced with shuttle buses travelling south along Lansdowne and then north up Roncesvalles. More details at Transit Toronto and the TTC’s 504 King service advisory webpage.
You can now follow us on Twitter for regular construction updates and other important news here: twitter.com/RoncesVillage
Corner of Roncesvalles and High Park
Photo linked from blogTO
Rick McGinnis follows up his interesting history of Roncesvalles/Queen with this post on the corner of Roncesvalles and High Park. (Could Roncesvalles/Howard Park be next?) (UPDATE: Try Roncesvalles/Dundas West!)
Here we learn that the apartment building at the northeast corner of Roncesvalles/Fermanagh was originally an office building, the headquarters of York County Savings and Loan, and it once had main floor storefronts.
Old Roncesvalles
Jason Crowtz, a volunteer with the Revue Cinema, was doing some historical research on the Revue and found this page from an old edition of the Toronto World from about 1923. I like it: it shows us that our neighbourhood spirit and co-operation is nothing new!
Of particular note is the ad for W.R. Willard, Barrister and Solicitor (115 Roncesvalles). Opening in 1915, this business ranks with the Revue Cinema as among the oldest businesses on our street.
A Note From the Board
To our neighbours, volunteers, businesses, sponsors, entertainers, vendors and visitors:
Despite the rain and clouds, we pulled together and put on one amazing two-day party!
We had over forty brilliant musical acts, over one hundred unique vendors, and well over 150,000 guests!
You all helped to make this event our most successful yet!
Thank you
Dziękuję Bardzo
Merci Beaucoup!
| Tony Cauch | Andrew Chomentowski |
| Chair, Roncesvalles Village BIA | Chair, Marketing and Promotions Committee |
| Vice-chair, Roncesvalles Village BIA |
Coming in August: Roncylicious!
We’re always thrilled with ideas to promote our neighbourhood and our businesses. And the latest great idea is: Roncylicious!
This idea was conceived by Chris Murie, owner of The Dizzy. A collaborative effort between Roncesvalles restaurants, other businesses, and the RVBIA, Roncylicious will promote our restaurants and our street throughout the month of August, typically a slow time for our restaurants.
Participating restaurants will offer discounts on a specialty item for the month, and will display a Roncylicious poster in their windows. So come out and support Roncesvalles’ wonderful food culture!
Who’s the “Best of Toronto”? We are!
Surfing the internet the other day, I was very pleased to see the large number of Roncesvalles businesses that are featured on various “Best of Toronto” lists at www.blogto.com/toronto 
Of course, we already know that we’ve got the best of Toronto in our neighbourhood, but it’s nice when other people notice!
Last day at Karl’s, as Province forces Roncesvalles business to close
After almost 46 years of service, Karl’s Butcher and Grocery (105 Roncesvalles) is closing today. On a street famous for its sausages, the closing is a major blow for Roncesvalles Village.
Karl’s is among the first of several neighborhood meat shops that may face closure following a recent decision by the provincial government to impose a strict interpretation of the 2001 Food and Safety Quality Act. Under the act, Karl’s is now considered a “freestanding meat plant” because it makes fresh sausages on site.
The act was created in the wake of the Walkerton health crisis, when concerns over food and water safety prompted officials to examine the numerous vulnerabilities of industrial slaughterhouse operations. In these large operations, there are often dozens of employees handling huge volumes of meat, and one mistake can cascade into a major public health crisis. Ironically, as the regulations become more strict, the only businesses large enough to comply with them all are those same industrial operations that created the problems in the first place.
At Karl’s, a small number of employees worked together, crafting each sausage carefully using the traditional techniques they learned from master butchers in Poland. These artisans knew they would look into the eyes of their customers when they sold them their finished product, so every sausage was handled with extreme care (Karl’s passed every municipal health inspection). This personalized attention to quality and safety is impossible in a large industrial operation.
Members from both the provincial NDP and the Progressive Conservatives have stood in the legislature to oppose the government’s policy. The Liberal minister in charge of these regulations, , has responded only to say that the province offers grants of up to $25,000 to cover compliance costs. The upgrades to Karl’s would have cost $200,000.
This issue has received extensive news coverage in the Toronto Star and the National Post. The Post article quotes several other butchers and meat shop owners who fear they will be next. Edward Rembacz, owner of Astra Meats in Bloor West Village, says he was advised by inspectors to stop making fresh sausages to avoid having to pay the costs of bringing his shop into compliance. Rembacz says he will never do this, since he would be unable to control his quality. He has not yet decided whether to close down.
“We should be proud to have [Karl’s] in Toronto,” says Marc Thuet, chef of Bistro & Bakery Thuet, who also makes fresh sausages and smoked meats. “We should be helping this guy. If you follow regulations to the book, everything will all taste like Kraft.” (quoted in the Post)
Fresh distinctive food and personalized service are among the reasons why consumers shop at neighborhood businesses in Toronto. These are not scaled-down factories, but specialized businesses creating a product that cannot be duplicated by an industrial food producer. In addition to fresh sausages, small neighborhood businesses produce fresh gelato, cheese, bread and other fine foods. If artisanal food shops are to be regulated the same way as industrial food factories, how will the smaller businesses survive?
See also: Province Forces Popular Local Butcher Out of Business After 46 Years (Dec. 7, 2007)
And a follow up: DiNovo demands changes to rules ‘butchering’ Roncesvalles meat shop (Dec. 12, 2007)
Email us: info@
roncesvallesvillage.ca
Thanks to everyone who made the 2009 Roncesvalles Polish Festival the best yet!
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