The Pocket SNAP News and Events
Pocket SNAP Community Workshop
Thank you to all who attended our workshop on November 30, 2021! We are grateful for the insights shared by members of the amazing Pocket community!
We are currently working to synthesize and analyze the information we gathered and will post the final workshop report here early in 2022. Please check back soon!
For those who were unable to attend, or who would like to review the information provided at the workshop, we’ve made the presentations available for download:
First Community Co-Planning Workshop: Report
The final report from our May 17 Community Co-Planning Workshop is now available.
With more than 100 participants, this inaugural event was informative, exciting, and successful. The input and engagement from the attendees, and the incredible insights gleaned from the conversations, revealed the passion and dedication of The Pocket residents to making their community an even more socially and environmentally conscious, beautiful, green and peaceful place to live!
About the Pocket SNAP Program
Toronto and Region Conservation Authority (TRCA), the City of Toronto and the Pocket Community Association (PCA) have come together in a new and exciting collaboration to bring the Sustainable Neighbourhood Action Program (SNAP) to The Pocket neighbourhood.
SNAP is a program for climate action that makes older neighbourhoods better and more sustainable places to live. It looks at opportunities for things like energy and water conservation, native species plantings and habitat creation projects, and recreational, arts and cultural activities.
Each SNAP plan is tailored to the community.
Together, we work to help the community build on initiatives already underway, as well as to explore new opportunities for improving sustainability in the neighborhood.
About The Pocket Community
The Pocket is a neighbourhood in Toronto’s East End, bounded by Jones Avenue, the rail tracks, Greenwood Avenue, and the Danforth. Primarily developed in the early 1900s, it has 773 houses and five multi-unit residential buildings containing 583 units.
Institutional properties located within the neighbourhood include:
- Greenwood TTC Subway yards
- Phin Park
- Toronto Fire
- Toronto District School Board’s Kapapamahchakwew – Wandering Spirit School (formerly Eastern Commerce Collegiate Institute)
The Pocket is home to a highly connected and dedicated community with a passion for environmental improvement. Community members have volunteered hundreds of hours, researched, educated themselves, and mobilized in an effort to make their neighbourhood more sustainable.
The Pocket SNAP Action Planning Process
The action planning process follows a three-phase approach — each phase containing extensive community and multi-stakeholder engagement, as well as quick-start events and programming, and scoping and technical analysis.
THE POCKET SUSTAINABILITY FRAMEWORK
Working goals and targets were developed across various sustainability themes (see below) based on technical neighbourhood conditions and community interests.
These goals and objectives were customized to the neighbourhood, but also respond to bigger-picture municipal, regional, and TRCA strategies.
To provide comments on our draft motivating themes and project ideas (below), please email Lisa.Roberti@trca.ca.
Explore the Motivating Themes – Click to open
Five key draft motivating themes emerged from the community engagement undertaken in Phase 1 and 2 of the Pocket SNAP planning process. These themes will inform the development of project ideas in Phase 3 of our action planning process.
1. ECOLOGICAL HEALTH: How we allow the environment to function here
INCLUDES:
- Urban Forest, Biodiversity, Habitat
- Stormwater Management
GUIDING PRINCIPLES:
- Improve habitat and connectivity of greenspaces
- Manage stormwater sustainably
- Enhance/develop green streets and paths that connect and wrap around the community
- Improve park infrastructure and create additional accessible greenspace, integrating human enjoyment with nature needs
- Enhance and celebrate Hastings Creek
2. ENVIRONMENTAL CONSCIOUSNESS: How we act and demonstrate sustainable behaviour in our built environment
INCLUDES:
- GHG Reduction/Net Zero
- Water Efficiency
- Waste Management
GUIDING PRINCIPLES:
- Support home and building retrofits
- Support renewable energy and district energy
- Develop accessible/communal EV charging
- Manage waste sustainably
- Develop opportunities for gardening, permaculture, food production, and sharing
- Develop more bike lanes and protect walkability
3. SOCIAL CONSCIOUSNESS: How we live together here, our code of conduct
INCLUDES:
- Community cohesion and inclusion
- Representative civic engagement
- Hyper local movement
GUIDING PRINCIPLES:
- Support community connections (neighbourly spirit, local artists’ shops and restaurants)
- Support inclusivity (of all ages and abilities, cultural and religious, Truth and Reconciliation)
- Support the spirit of sharing (local services, resources, expertise, spaces, food, etc.)
- Support community events and gatherings (Christmas events, parades, fireworks, food fests)
- Support vulnerable neighbours, especially seniors
4. UNIQUE CHARACTER OF THE POCKET: How we honour and respect the sense of place
INCLUDES:
- Community ownership
- Local identity and pride
- Sense of place
GUIDING PRINCIPLES:
- Maintain the “Pocket feel” — green and serene, an escape from the busy-ness of life
- Support the Pocket’s sense of community togetherness
- Maintain safe and quiet streets (no “through” streets)
- Support volunteers and develop new opportunities for youth
5. ARTS AND CULTURE: How we celebrate culture, living and the compelling role of art in communicating/sharing our messages
INCLUDES:
- Local art
- Sharing culture
GUIDING PRINCIPLES:
- Implement more public art/murals
- Support local artists
- Support Indigenous artists
- Use local, public art to tell a story (history of the Pocket, natural features, Truth and Reconciliation)
Explore the Draft Integrated Project Ideas – Click to open
The Pocket SNAP Action Plan will be anchored on the following draft Integrated Project Ideas:
1. Home Retrofits
- Energy conservation/net zero
- Eco-landscaping/urban forest
- Multi-objective indoor/outdoor actions
2. Greenwood TTC Yard (Project from Institutional Working Group)
- Exploring opportunities for renewable energy options
- Exploring opportunities for creating additional community greenspace
3. Phin Park Revitalization
- Improvements to (and more) amenities:
- Playground and wading pool improvement
- Fitness circuit installation
- Washroom installation
- Fire pit or pizza oven installation
- 24/7 basketball nets
- Repurposed shipping container (clubhouse)
- Additional/integration of park space through TCHC adjacent land
- Increased biodiversity, plantings, art
- Tiny (Pocket) forest, pollinators habitat
- Art and celebrations (music, installations, events)
- Farmers’ market
4. Celebration of Hastings Creek
- Finding ways to bring the buried creek to life in the community
5. Streetscape
- Greening and stormwater management opportunities
- Active transportation (bike lanes, pedestrian enhancements)
- Road safety/speed calming
- Improve the path from Condor to Chatham (art/beautification, lighting, levelling, etc.)
- Supporting a sense of place
6. Sharing Economy
- Tool library
- Garden sharing
- Repair fairs
- Local knowledge sharing
- EV Charging
7. Art
- Indigenous mural in Phin Park (Laneway project)
- Increase public art within community
Image courtesy of Peter Gappmayr, Plaston Architect
8. Programming
- Develop programs to foster Truth and Reconciliation in connection with The Wandering Spirit school
- Events to celebrate community connections
- Programs for teens
- Emergency preparedness programs (heat waves, electricity fall out)
- Neighbourhood support system for vulnerable residents (seniors, disabled)
- Support to the local Mosque
9. TCHC Revival (Project to be coordinated with Institutional Working Group)
- Revitalization of outdoor spaces (community garden, eco-landscaping, beautification)
- Privacy of units with land dedication
- Energy efficiency/comfort actions (building temperature, efficient appliances, bulbs)
- Programming for tenants (gardening, waste management, community building)
Contact Information
Is this your neighbourhood? Get involved in local change!
We want to help get residents, local organizations, and businesses involved! Join us and meet your neighbours at community events, workshops, and fun local activities.
Check back regularly for information about news and events taking place in The Pocket SNAP.
Got questions? Contact:
Lisa Roberti, Project Manager
Toronto and Region Conservation Authority (TRCA)
(416) 661-6600 ext. 5702
lisa.roberti@trca.ca
In Collaboration With:
