News and Events

We’re Hiring: Forester – Urban Forest Inventory

If you are a student, between the ages of 18 – 30 years old who loves trees; would like to work in Long Branch this summer and is going back to school in the fall we would like to hear from you!

You will be assisting the LBNA (Long Branch Neighbourhood Association) in developing an inventory of the trees in Long Branch, and educating the community on the benefits of preserving and growing our Urban Tree Canopy.

This neighbourhood was an exclusive cottage community in the late 1800’s featuring densely treed lots. Many of these trees survive today. This project will include identifying Heritage Tree nominees to join the first three which are now officially recognized by Forests Ontario in Long Branch; assisting with the Long Branch Remembers program to plant 100 trees for our Veterans in Long Branch and assisting in the preparation of displays and other educational materials about the benefits of our Urban canopy for community events including the 1st Annual Long Branch Tree Festival.

As a member of two, 2 person crews, you will accurately record the Long Branch urban forest inventory, including species and tree health data on public & private land using digital recording and mapping software. You will also identify strategic areas to plant trees. You will assist in analyzing the tree inventory data collected and prepare reports on the findings. Training and technical support / mentoring will be provided through community partnership with the Faculty of Forestry, University of Toronto.

This project is funded through two Grants, one of which is from the Toronto Parks and Trees Foundation and the City of Toronto and the other from a Federal Summer Student grant to the community. The LBNA encourages students in forestry-related or arboriculture programs or environmental sciences or other related programs to apply, including applicants who are women, indigenous students; members of a visible minority and new immigrants/refugees.

Interviews have begun, but it’s not too late to apply.

Position start date will be Monday, June 3 for University/College students with one position available for a high school graduating student starting beginning of July.

If you are passionate about conserving and expanding urban forests, please email your resume and cover letter with why you are interested in one of these positions as soon as possible to Judy Gibson, Chair, Tree Canopy Preservation and Enhancement Committee, Long Branch Neighbourhood Association via email: longbranchnato@gmail.com

Weekend Runway Alternation Program: Summer Trial 2019

Last year, as part of their commitment in the Six Ideas, the GTAA tested Idea 5: Summer Weekend Runway Alternation Program. This summer, they are moving forward with a trial of the Summer Weekend Runway Alternation Program from May to September on Saturdays and Sundays only.

This program should give residents some relief from aircraft overhead every other weekend. This means that one weekend, communities may see fewer airplanes while the next they will see the same or a few more airplanes than they currently do.

Trial Details:

When: Weekends (Saturdays and Sundays) from May 25/26 to September 7/8, 2019
Time: 6:30 a.m. to midnight
Scope: East/West runways only; the North/South runways are not part of the trial but will be used if weather or safety dictates

Learn if your community will be part of the trial

The East-West runways will alternate to give respite to the east/ west communities except during weather conditions that force North/ South use for safety.

Long Branch residents will be most affected at the downwind leg where they turn over us, and 4 other downwind legs: Don Mills, Vaughan/Richmond Hill, and Georgetown/ Halton Hills, and the surrounding communities.

The LBNA Airport Noise Committee is only one of several community groups that have decided to monitor this summer alternation and have people complain, when their weekend is inundated by airplane noise during those times periods of respite.

HERE’s WHAT YOU CAN DO

Contact the noise complaint office at Toronto Pearson.

The GTAA has an online tool called Webtrak that gives a near-real-time view of the sky above the GTA. Residents can use it to identify the aircraft that affected them and can make a noise complaint directly from the platform.

Submit the complaint so GTAA has the data for our neighbourhood during Summer Weekend Alternation.

Get a decibel meter app for your smartphone so you can actually measure the loudness of the airplanes going overhead. This can add invaluable data to your complaint. Some options are Sound Meter Pro for Android and Decibel X for Android or iOS.

Send emails to our MP, James Maloney, every time – day or night – that you are affected by airplane noise regardless of weather conditions. Mr. Maloney’s office will gather this information to submit to Transport Canada, on our behalf.

Contact our Provincial and Municipal representatives to include them in this process. We are told that by their offices they have no say, but when we asked the GTAA, NAV CDA and Transport Canada, we were told that they are included and informed and our input to the Province and the City is recommended.

Thirdly, ask elected officials to create an Ombudsman, as other countries have, to arbitrate noise complaints. This could be modelled after the Australian Airport Ombudsman

Last, say No to night flights during the hours of at least 12am to 6:30am. As other major airports have done.

Here are links for you to reach noise complaint sites and our elected officials

Noise Complaints

GTAA Noise Complaints https://www.torontopearson.com/en/community/noise-management/noise-management-program/noise-management-office/noise-complaint

Webtrak Reporting Service https://webtrak.emsbk.com/gta

Elected Officials

James Maloney, MP James.Maloney@parl.gc.ca

Christine Hogarth, MPP christine.hogarth@pc.ola.org

Mark Grimes, Councillor, Ward 3 councillor_grimes@toronto.ca

Jane’s Walk 2019

Jane’s Walks are citizen-led walking discussions that encourage people to build stronger neighbourhoods through conversation. Named for Jane Jacobs, an urban activist who was extremely vocal in protecting the needs of city-dwellers, Jane’s Walks provide a closer look into communities from the vantage point of the people who live there.

This year, the walk will actually be a ride led by David Juliusson from the Etobicoke South Cycling Committee and Long Branch Neighbourhood Association. David will be in a blue bike jacket.

In 2018, City Council adopted special guidelines to preserve the unique character of Long Branch. We will look at some of the historic sites and events. Long Branch has a rich heritage, ranging from Colonel Sam Smith building his home in 1797 to Hurricane Hazel to the first Heritage tree being declared. We will stop at those sites. In addition, the ride will go through Marie Curtis Park, pass historic cottages, and go to the border of Mississauga. We will pass murals, visit a cenotaph and enjoy the beauty that is Long Branch.

NOTE: This is a cycling tour.

Ride begins and ends at Colonel Samuel Smith Skating Trail on May 5 at 11 AM (65 Colonel Samuel Smith Park Dr, Etobicoke).

Here is the itinerary.

Colonel Sam Smith Park.
Long Branch Park. The site of the old Long Branch Hotel, with historic cottages nearby.
Marie Curtis Park at the cannon. Hurricane Hazel
Mississauga border.
Across from TTC station to look at the murals painted at the Long Branch loop.
Sid Cole Park
The Long Branch Cenotaph.
Return to Colonel Samuel Smith Skating Trail

It’s all free. Just be sure to wear comfortable shoes and dress for the weather.

Preventing Basement Flooding

Long Branch is no stranger to flooding. Part of our history is the catastrophic flooding that came from Hurricane Hazel in 1954. Seven residents of Long Branch lost their lives and many more homes were destroyed or washed into Lake Ontario.

With more modern storm sewer systems and flood control, it is much less likely that we will see residents lives at risk from storms and flooding. More likely is that flooding will rear its head in our basements, where it can be an expensive nuisance.

Many residents of Long Branch are aware of the network of underground streams in our neighbourhood and we have frequently warned developers about the potential impact on residents by taking down trees and reducing soft landscaping that soaks up storm runoff.

A recent article in the Globe and Mail suggests that the cost of a flooded basement can be as much as $43,000, and this may not be completely covered by household insurance. in some cases, insurance companies are refusing to offer flood damage coverage on household insurance policies.

What can you do?

Fortunately, preventing basement flooding is not outrageously expensive and can cost less than $250 as the Globe article suggests.

Clearing out eavestroughs helps ensure your downspouts will be able to direct runoff from your roof away from your foundation. In some cases, you can do this yourself with a ladder, a trowel and a bucket.

Installing a backflow preventer will cost more that $250 but insurance companies will often give you a reduced rate for flood damage that will help you recover the cost over time. Also the City has a program of giving rebates to homeowners who install them.

A backflow preventer is a valve installed in your sewer line that only allows flow in one direction – to the main sewer line. It is intended to help prevent sewer backups which are far more messy to deal with than water coming in through basement walls and windows.

Waterproofing your foundation usually involves excavation around the foundation, replacing damaged weeping tiles and installing a waterproof membrane around the foundation to prevent groundwater from getting through your foundation and directing runoff to the weeping tiles that direct runoff away from your foundation.

It’s not cheap to do this, but it is better than seeing furniture or other valuables get damaged by flooding.

Installing a sump pump in your basement is a way of collecting groundwater and pumping it away from your house. New homes are required to have a sump pump installed.

We hope we’ve given you some tips you can use. Please let us know how else we can help you.

The 2019 Long Branch Garden Tour is Coming Up.

Attention all gardening enthusiasts! Saturday June 22 is the date for the 2019 Long Branch Garden Tour. Mark your calendars.

This year marks the 135th birthday of this beautiful community, and the 2019 garden tour promises to be better than ever.

If you would like to have YOUR garden included as part of the tour, it’s not too late to register. We have to close registration soon to allow us time to design and print the brochure and map showing the participating gardens, so register yours by contacting us.

Then on June 22nd, come visit Long Branch between 10 am and 4 pm and enjoy over 3 dozen beautiful gardens. Best of all – it’s free!

To learn more, visit our website longbranchgardentour.ca

Tree For Me

On-line Registration for your Free Trees is Now Open!

The LBNA is pleased to bring you Tree for Me this spring. On-line registration is now open by clicking on this link www.lbna/tree

Native Tree species, suitable for all yards, will be distributed by the LBNA on May 25th from 10 – 1:45pm in Samuel Smith Park during this year’s Spring Bird Festival.

If you have the space, we would encourage you to opt for the trees that will will grow into beautiful Large Canopy Tree species. Choose from the following:

Large Canopy Trees	Red Maple Bur Oak
Medium Size Trees	White Birch Northern Hackberry
Small Trees / Shrubs	Serviceberry White Cedar Red Osier Dogwood (NEW) Black Chokeberry (NEW)

We all have a role to play in making Toronto greener.
Let’s get planting Long Branch!

Pre-registration is required.

Each private property in Toronto with suitable plantable space is eligible for two trees – even if you received some already last year from the Tree for Me program.

If you prefer to register for your trees in person, we will be hosting a Tree for Me registration at the Long Branch Library on Saturday, May 4th from 10am – 1:00pm. Stay tuned for more information soon.

The LBNA is able to bring you the Tree for Me program thanks to a Grant from the Toronto Parks and Trees Foundation. Tree For Me grants support the City of Toronto’s 40 percent tree canopy cover target by encouraging tree planting and tree care on private property.

We all have a role to play in making Toronto greener.
Let’s get planting Long Branch!

Click here to register now for a Free Tree