Very much looking forward to seeing garbage trucks rumble down my street once again. Will happily drag the empty bins back up the driveway, even when I’m in a real estate rush out the door.

Yet as aggravating as the strike has been to Torontonians, especially those long-suffering folks living next to temporary dump sites, I have to disclose a little something here. No apologies. It was kind of … easy … to simply toss everything into a big green garbage bag (double-bagged, of course) without having to figure out what goes where.

Because I can never keep that recycling stuff straight. Green Bin? Recycling Bin? Garbage Bin? It’s getting complicated. And I suspect I’m not alone. So in light of the lengthy absence from recycling decisions, and possible memory loss of acceptable practices, click here to retrieve the appropriately-titled “What Goes Where” document that will help us all get back on the recycle track.

Welcome Back To The World Of Recyling!

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Some of North America’s best ribbers will be bringing their game, competing for “best ribs” and “best sauce”, with winners being announced daily. Trophies, too. All you need to bring is your appetite. And, of course, a toothpick.

Lots of music, singing and dancing. Daily karaoke contests! Be sure to check out the vendor booths for unique wares and product services.

Here’s what you need to know:

Dates & Times:

Friday, July 31: 11:00 am to 11:00 pm
Saturday, August 1: 11:00 am to 11:00 pm
Sunday, August 2: 11:00 am to 11:00 pm
Monday, August 3: 11:00 am to 6:00 pm

Location:

Thomson Memorial Park (east side of Brimley Rd., north of Lawrence Ave.). For a map to the park, click here.

For complete details about Scarborough Rotary Ribfest 2009, click here.

A couple of pre-Ribfest photographs taken inside the park earlier this week:

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Toronto City Council has established its first Ombudsman, whose job is to investigate complaints about the administration of City government including its divisions, agencies, boards and commissions. A few notable exceptions are the Police Services Board, Board of Public Health and Board of the Toronto Public Library.

Torontonians who have been unable to resolve their grievances regarding city services through regular channels (i.e., the complaints process of the city service or program) are now able to bring their complaints to the attention of the Ombudsman. In other words, it’s a place of last resort. No guarantees.

If you believe you have a complaint that merits such consideration, go to the new Toronto Ombudsman web site, where you can find important information regarding jurisdiction, how the Ombudsman operates, and the complaints process.

I hope a satisfactory resolution is in your future!

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But not any more. Now when I grab one of those convenient single-serving cans of tuna for my lunch, I think it just might be easier to eat the can as well rather than deal with recycling.

Toronto Garbage and Recycling

Whether we are philosophically on-board or not with the program, the City of Toronto has detailed information as to how we are to handle our garbage, recycling, green bin and yard waste for both single-family residences and multi-unit dwellings. It’s actually very useful information, especially with respect to the disposal of items such as computers, appliances and hazardous waste.

And for all of us who are losing the battle of the green bins to midnight “hit-and-runs”, check out how some Toronto residents are (trying to) outsmart the irrepressible raccoon.

Toronto Waste Collection Calendars

Would you like a copy of the “2008/2009 Garbage, Recycling & Green Bin Collection Schedule”? Send me an email, be sure to indicate your collection area (1. West of Humber River or 2. West of Yonge St. or 3. East of Yonge St. or 4. East of Victoria Park Ave.), and I would be happy to send you a copy.

Till we meet at the curb!

Be sure to bring your appetite!

Yes, some of North America’s best ribbers are In The House and there will be great food for everyone. Ribbers are competing for “best ribs” and “best sauce”, with winners being announced daily.

Lots of music and singing; you’ll have a chance to become Scarborough Idol if that is your destiny. Enjoy the midway rides, skill-testing games and be sure to check out the unique wares offered by vendors and crafters.

Dates & Time:

Friday, August 1: 11:00 am to 11:00 pm
Saturday, August 2: 11:00 am to 11:00 pm
Sunday, August 3: 11:00 am to 11:00 pm
Monday, August 4: 11:00 am to 6:00 pm

Location:

Thomson Memorial Park (east side of Brimley Rd., north of Lawrence Ave.). For directions to the park, click here.

For complete details about Scarborough Rotary Ribfest 2008, click here.

But what you really need is … insider information. As a native Torontonian, I’m happy to oblige.

Before we begin, a nod to Dustin Luther of Rain City Guide, who inspired this post during his informative blogging seminars at this week’s Realtor Quest 2008, Canada’s largest real estate tradeshow. I go for the information, of course, but you’ve gotta love the trade booth jelly beans and bubble gum.

Useful Things To Know
About Moving To Toronto

And now I offer you my Top 10 Toronto jelly beans in no particular order of delicious:

1. Pronunciation is everything. How you pronounce the city’s name will identify you as a local, or not. A pronunciation of “toe-RON-toe” or “tuh-RON-toe” pegs you as a visitor. Locals have several slurry options such as “tuh-RON-oe” or “TRON-oe”. Mine’s in bold. But no matter how we say it, we all call it Home.
2. It takes 12 coats to live in Toronto. No kidding, I can’t stress this enough. On any given day, your coats and jackets will be either too warm or not warm enough. And you can’t prepare in advance, you’ll simply have to live in Toronto for a year and collect the outer wear that works for you as you go along. You can resist, but you WILL be a member of the “Coat of the Month” club.
3. The Leafs fall in the spring. No, not those leaves, the ones that lace up in the fall and break our hearts EVERY spring. It’s been 41 years since Lord Stanley’s Cup came home to Toronto; you wanna be a Maple Leafs fan, you’ve gotta want it bad. But, on the bright side, you will never be alone in Leafs Nation. Oh, what the heck: Go Leafs Go!!
4. Toronto is magnetic and attractive, and there’s a study that proves it. The Conference Board of Canada study looked at the features that magnetize or make cities attractive to workers. Because if you can’t attract, you struggle. Toronto scored an overall “A”, second only to some other city in the overall ranking of attractiveness. So if you’re not magnetic, you better be good looking; no bringing down our stats, eh!
5. Torontonians love their bikes. We must; there are over one million cyclists in the city. All wearing Spandex. If you’re into bikes, a great way to familiarize yourself with the City is to ride with the Toronto Bicycling Network (TBN). With over 900 members it’s Canada’s largest recreational cycling club. This club is serious about the cycling and serious about the fun. I’m a native Torontonian, and I’m amazed at some of the streets and trails I’ve discovered while on some of the rides.
6. Torontonians can’t stop talking about the weather. See Item #2. Master the following two mandatory phrases and you’ll be able to carry on a casual conversation anytime, anywhere: “It’s Not the Heat, It’s The Humidity” and “It’s Not The Cold, It’s The Damp”. My out-and-about observations indicate we can take the cold better than the heat, but that could just be my personal bias. Which reminds me of my Grade One teacher who said that Canadian children should be used to the cold and able to walk to school (as she pulled into the teacher’s parking lot in her Buick).
7. It always rains on Victoria Day.
8. Torontonians also talk about taxes. A lot. And with good reason. On a positive note, Toronto home owners pay the lowest residential property taxes in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) and we get quite a bang for our buck. However, our lower tax rate causes upset in other areas, and plays into that whole Toronto as Centre of the Universe thing. On the downside, there is a newly-introduced Toronto municipal land transfer tax that has caused controversy. Toronto real estate agents lobbied aggressively against this tax, and we were able to get a break for first-time home buyers. If you are thinking of buying a house in Toronto and would like more information on these taxing matters, click here, here and here.
9. We’re no longer blase about the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF). In the early days of the TIFF, we were pretty laid back about the actors and celebrities who’d show up to promote their work. The focus and interest related to the WORK. No big (or excessively big) fuss was made over the Hollywood stars; Torontonians took it all in stride and I kinda think the artists liked it that way. But today’s warped culture of celebrity has changed everything. So if you plan on taking in some of the festival events, be prepared to get caught up in some crazy.
10. Toronto is close to other interesting places. Drive about an hour-and-a-half in any direction (except due south, think about it!) and you will be in some of the most beautiful areas in the world: Niagara Falls, Niagara-on-the-Lake, Hockley Valley, Village of Elora, Kleinburg, Prince Edward County, and on and on. People come from around the world to enjoy the autumn colours and it’s right in our backyard.

You know what, we just MIGHT be the centre of the universe! What are you waiting for?? Start packing!

Toronto Leaf Collection Nightmare

Residents are beside themselves over this year’s City of Toronto leaf collection efforts. A late drop of leaves (those leaves really stayed on the trees this autumn!), early heavy snowfalls and the warmest January thaw on record combined to create quite a mess of rotting leaves.

Although yard waste collection for Toronto neighbourhoods that “bag it and drag it” to the curb was extended by a couple of weeks, the leaves weren’t falling. And no sooner were the leaves on the ground before the heavy snowfalls arrived. Toronto residents simply had no time to bag them up or sweep them to the curb (for the mechanical street sweepers) before the snow arrived.

Toronto Stuck With Leftovers

Heavy snowfalls meant out of sight, out of mind. Until the thaw. When huge piles of rotting leaves were exposed to the world. Many residents feel the City of Toronto should take another go at leaf collection, but the City advises this will not happen until the spring.

So my January bags go into the garden shed until yard waste collection begins again. But what happens to leaves left at the curb or otherwise blowing around? Although a lot of work, it’s best to bag these, especially those gathered at the catchbasins. Otherwise, these leaves will find their way to the storm sewers and clog the system, possibly causing overloads and basement flooding.

And as much as we all have better things to do, I’d rather rake leaves than mop out my basement any day of the week!

Toronto Waste Collection Schedule

Would you like a copy of the latest “2007/08 Garbage, Recycling & Green Bin Collection Schedule”? Send me an email, be sure to indicate your collection area (1. West of Humber River or 2. West of Yonge St. or 3. East of Yonge St. or 4. East of Victoria Park Ave.), and I would be happy to send you the pdf.

And now I’m off to get my rake; a new delivery of leaves has landed at my back door.