Corktown board ratifies 5-year term for newly elected slate

Siobhan Geary — 

Planning community-building events, maximizing community benefit from local film shoots, and engaging in neighbourhood development are just some of the initiatives the newly elected Corktown Residents and Business Association (CRBA) board will tackle in the coming year.

After electing a new board and voting to amend the bylaw restricting term lengths, the CRBA is bracing itself for growth and activity.
Board members, previously limited to serving for a maximum of three years, will be allowed to serve for up to five years following a near-unanimous vote by the CRBA.

“We had a high turnover. By the time someone got their feet wet, they had to leave the board,” said CRBA president Sandra Iskandar.

“It’s in the interest of efficiency, and for the board to grow, mature, and actually execute some of the mandates that are set.”

The Underpass Park pillar murals and holiday events ranging from a community Easter egg hunt to a vibrant Christmas party were among the CRBA’s successes in the past year.

With the low loonie luring film shoots into Toronto, the CRBA hopes to ensure this activity will benefit Corktowners. The CRBA aims to establish dialogues with film studios before and during production and use the resulting buzz to engage the community in celebrating their neighbourhood on film.

The CRBA will also continue to advocate for the neighborhood as the Queen River Secondary Plan OMB hearings continue to unfold.
Ultimately, the CRBA will continue to fulfilling a wide range of responsibilities as it grows and develops along with its neighborhood.

“There’s not enough of a business density in Corktown to fulfill the requirements of a BIA, so the CRBA is acting as that unofficially,” said board member Tom Junek. “A lot of people on the board, like myself, are new to the neighbourhood and there’s a couple of people who have been on the board for a while, but the neighbourhood has changed so much and everyone’s still finding their feet.”