Volume 2  No. 4   April 2005

2nd Annual Renforth Creek

and Community Cleanup….

Saturday April 23 at 10:00 a.m.

Rain or shine!

Meet at the back of Bloordale United Church.

SUSTAINABILITY

(CURIOUS? READ MORE INSIDE)

Taken from: http://ersserver.uwaterloo.ca/jjkay/ers218/CANENV2k.pdf

President’s Update

Greetings!

Here’s to springtime! The snow has finally melted and what is left on the ground is not a pretty site in many places. The normal array of discarded containers of all shapes and sizes litters the various lands adjoining commercial areas. 

As a community, we have the opportunity to directly do something about this by picking up the trash around our respective areas. We can also go one step further by cleaning up an area not necessarily within the vicinity of our own home. 

On Friday afternoon, April 22^nd, the City of Toronto is again designating a time in the afternoon to improve the environment by promoting a Clean Up The City Day. 

The following morning, Saturday April 23^rd, the Environmental Committee of the Markland Homes Association (MHA) is sponsoring our own clean up of the area. Last year’s event was very well received and the surrounding creek was the beneficiary after years of neglect. This year the creek should not take as much effort to clean up and we may be able to put our efforts toward other items of pollution, such as the graffiti problem. The Positively Promoting Markland Committee (PPM) will be working on matters such as this on that morning. 

You have likely seen write-ups from both of these committees in previous months here in the Marklander, outlining projects they are both working on. The tremendous work done on our behalf, by both of these committees, will benefit us all. Please give them your continued support by coming out and spending a couple of hours to help out. The graffiti removal program will take ongoing maintenance, but indications are that, with your diligence, we will probably see a decline in this activity. 

As you know, the MHA has been exploring a revised logo and slogan for the Markland community and hopefully you have submitted your idea or drawing for our review. If you have not done so, but still wish to participate, submit your entry immediately to receive consideration. The PPM Committee will be reporting to you in the coming weeks as to the input they have received and what changes to the slogan or logo have been considered.   

So that you can plan ahead, the Annual General Meeting of the MHA will be held on the evening of June 6^th. On that evening, we are planning to have a representative of the Ministry of Health address the Board and community at large on the recent Air Quality Study which was conducted with respect to the area surrounding Pearson Airport.  I believe it is a topic you will find both informative and enlightening and I hope you can join us for that question and answer presentation. 

Best regards,

Patrick Clifford

President

Markland Homes Association   

2004-2005 Board of Directors

EXECUTIVE:

PRESIDENT: Patrick Clifford, 8 The Green Pines  621-7695

VICE-PRESIDENT: Tom Napier, 1 Markland Dr.  622-9630

SECRETARY: Diane Mcleod, 15 Aymarn Crt.  622-2183

TREASURER: Gerard Betsch, 14 Winsdale Road   620-4896 

DIRECTORS

Richard Boehnke, 67 Markland Dr.  621-5089

Brian Brennand, 2 Markland Dr.    622-8011

Paul Cavanagh, 1 Mountain Ash Crt.    622-9546

Bev Evans, 8 Winsdale Rd. 621-2153  

Michael Georgopoulos, 21 Cosway Crt.    626-1061

Bo Lawrentiw, 110 Mill Rd, 622-9522

Paul Marano, 12 Markland Drive  626-8604

Don Matheson, 30 Markwood Cr.  621-4291

Graham Maguire, 2 Broadfield Dr.  620-4398

Greg Rohn, 102 Mill Rd.  626-0562

Anna Schaefer, 33 Cherry Post Cr.  695-3601 

Peter Sgro, 24 Arbroath Cr.  622-9930              

Romeo Sinopoli, 95 Mill Rd.  622-3839

Associate Directors

Stephen Blimkie, Helen Boehnke, Bob Cooke, Tamara Greene, Mary Lordan, Ian Sillars, Irene Sillars, Donna Sokic, MP (Pierina) Stokes, Anne-Marie Stoneburgh and Patti Thorne.

2005 Annual Renforth Creek and Community Clean-up

Saturday April 23 at 10:00 a.m.

Rain or shine!

The Second Annual Renforth Creek Clean-Up will be held on April 23, starting at 10:00 a.m.  Once again, it will be coordinated with the Mayor's Clean-Up weekend, which starts on Friday, April 22.

The community is invited to meet behind Bloordale United Church in the parking lot adjacent to the Creek. The event organizers will have coffee and goodies available for the early birds and the volunteers will be assigned their section of Renforth Creek, or one of the local parks to scour clean.

Taking a quick glance this year, it seems that the hard work done last year has left the Creek in relatively good shape and this may permit us to roam further upstream, joining with Borys Wzesnewskyj, as well as into some park areas. We are coordinating the work with Bev McHenry and her community group.

But that is getting ahead of the day.

We’ll also have St. John Ambulance ready to deal with any small mishaps and expect that Markland Wood Country Club will once again provide several golf carts. Arrangements have been made for garbage pick-up locations at the intersection of Burhamthorpe and Renforth Creek; Toledo Road and Renforth Creek; Bloor Street and Renforth Creek and the corner of Rickshaw Drive and Nielsen Road. To ensure that all the debris is picked up, these locations will be marked by stakes with balloons or little banners attached.

We are pleased to be able to sign high school students’ community credit notes, for the contributed time.

If there are any questions or suggestions, please call Richard Boehnke, Paul Cavanagh or Graham Maguire.

Greening our Watersheds

This is the first of a series of extracts taken from the May 2002 document of the Toronto and Region Conservation Authority entitled Greening our Watersheds 2002-Revitalization Strategies for Etobicoke and Mimico Creeks.  The full original document may be found on the TRCA website at http://www.trca.on.ca/water_protection/strategies/etobicoke/#restoring

”Restoring Etobicoke and Mimico Creeks”

In 1999, The Toronto and Region Conservation Authority (TRCA) created the Etobicoke and Mimico Creek Watersheds Task Force. Its mandate was to develop an ecosystem-based management strategy to help restore Etobicoke and Mimico Creeks.

The Etobicoke and Mimico Creek watersheds are two of the most highly developed, and therefore degraded, watersheds in the Toronto area. In 2002, the Etobicoke and Mimico Creek Watersheds Task Force released a strategy document detailing objectives, targets, and actions for their revitalization. The report will be reviewed every three years, and a report card on the watersheds' health will be issued. In 2007, 2013 and 2026, updated management strategy documents will be prepared and released.

Greening Our Watersheds is the culmination of two years of work and discussion by this multi-stakeholder task force of planners, biologists, engineers, heritage preservationists, naturalists, municipal elected representatives and watershed residents. It has been written to assist the people who can make a difference, including watershed residents, community, business, and environmental advocates and leaders, educators, elected representatives, and staff at the federal, provincial, regional and local levels of government.

Key Issues
The Task Force began its work with a review of the State of the Environment Report: Etobicoke and Mimico Creeks (December 1998). The report identifies and describes key issues related to the environment, society and economy in the watersheds.

Environmental issues include changes in ground and surface water volumes and flows resulting from water contamination, flooding and erosion; lack of stormwater control; loss of forests, tributaries and wetlands; impaired condition of flora, fauna and aquatic species; altered landscapes through settlement, urban development and aggregate extraction; degraded air quality; the creation of urban heat islands; and the potential impacts of global climate change.

Social and economic issues pertinent to the Etobicoke and Mimico Creek watersheds include loss of archaeological sites; loss of heritage sites and resources; lack of awareness regarding heritage, cultural diversity and identities; disconnected green open spaces and trail systems; limited angling and wildlife viewing opportunities; anticipated development in the headwaters of Etobicoke Creek; development of infill and brownfield sites; agricultural practices; the cost of rehabilitation efforts; lack of sustainable funding sources; and constrained legislation and planning tools."

Next Month - The Vision of the Etobicoke and Mimico Creek Watersheds Task Force

New Retirement Realities for Women

By Bev Evans, CFP, TEP, CIM

Successfully saving for your retirement involves more than just maximizing your RSP contributions every year. These days, you need a carefully considered retirement strategy that factors in changing market, economic and demographic conditions. Here are three important things to bear in mind as you update your personal retirement strategy:

1. Have realistic growth expectations

During the stock market boom of the late 1990s, double-digit returns became the norm. Often, it was assumed that you could reasonably expect long-term returns of 10% or more on your stock investments. But in today’s markets, it makes sense to assume more historically normal returns of 6%–8% for balanced portfolios with an emphasis on stocks.

2. Ensure you are saving enough

Receiving 6% instead of 10% on your investments will have a big impact on the growth of your retirement savings over time. Based on these more modest return expectations, are you saving enough to achieve your retirement goals? As the table below shows, your rate of return, without taking tax into account, will have a major impact on the growth of your retirement savings. In this example, we assume that you contribute $10,000 to your RSP at the end of every year for 20 years.

Value of your RSP after 20 years

Earning 6%                               $367,856

Earning 8%                               $457,620

Earning 10%                             $572,750

To put this in perspective, you may want to consider that you can expect about $10,000 in taxable retirement income for every $150,000 you have saved in your RSP.

3. Factor in a longer lifespan

Generally speaking, people are living longer, healthier lives and, in some cases, retiring earlier. That means your retirement savings will very likely need to last longer than they did in previous generations. Depending on when you retire, you may need enough funds for 20, 30, 40 years or more! This affects not only how much you need to save before you retire, but also how you will invest your savings once retired. In the past, most retirees would simply invest in guaranteed investments that generated a sufficient income during their retirement years. But now you may need a different investment strategy—one that includes an element of long-term growth to help maintain or even enhance the purchasing power of your retirement savings over time.

Retirement planning for women

The fact is women need to plan more carefully for retirement than men.

First and foremost, women live longer than men—seven years longer on average—so they will often have to fund a longer period of retirement. In fact, it is estimated that women are three times more likely than men to be widows at death. And yet, the cost of running a household for one is not significantly less than a household where the husband is still living and there are two incomes.

Comp