Posted below is a comment by Tim Topornicki Owner Topper Linen Supply concerning primarily his firms parking of trucks on the sidewalk. (original post click here)
As some readers of this blog state I often push just too much for industrial and residential mixed uses in the greater Junction area, something I feel is necessary for the complete success of of the community.
Well this author offers the comment posted by Mr Topornicki as a particularly good description and of just how beneficial to the greater Junction area this mix is.
From Mr Topornicki’s Topper Linen Supply and St Helens Meats – another family business, this works for the Junction, and his concern for the truck parking is great.
Yet I guess in my earlier post I should have thought (and added to the 1st post – sorry) that his lot would be used by residents for off business hours parking, after all I see it all the time at Canadian Eastern Rogers Ltd on Vine Ave.
He is also right in his indication that the Junction cannot afford to lose any more commercial or industrial business efforts and with it the local good paying jobs.
In his comment he writes…
If there is anything else I can do, just let me know. I will be glad to help
just great eh!
Thanks for the comment.
Posted in the comments by Tim Topornicki Owner Topper Linen Supply, moved up to a post to so it gains a wider readership.
I apologize for blocking the sidewalks. I speak to my drivers EVERY Tuesday about being aware of our situation. Also I ask them to be very careful, and watch for the elderly, especially the two German lady’s who have been on Mulock for many many years. The option for us to move is not available since an acre of land is about 750,000.00 to 1,000,000.00. We would require 2-3 acres, plus the building of a 25 million plant. We are a 56 year old family business, and simply cannot afford that kind of money. I like the Junction, since we are able to get workers to come to our plant easily. When my Dad opened his 5000 sq foot plant in 1968, he was allowed outside storage. Maple Leaf Mills across from us employed 750 plus people, but were driven crazy with there flour mill by residents and city officials. They left and went to Ingersol. So did the jobs. Benjamin Moore also had many problems with residents and the city. They left and went to Kitchener, with 300 plus jobs. Canada Bread is leaving for the same reasons, and going to Hamilton with 650 jobs. Topper Linen and National Rubber are the only ones left of any size in this area. I like the Junction area, and want to stay. Cleaning the streets and snow plowing is easy, and just the way I am. I like to see everything nice and neat. If there is anything else I can do, just let me know. I will be glad to help. We are neighbours, and I also never complain when my lot is used for residents parking after hours and on the weekend. I do not need it on the weekend, so parking is OK. I have also called the city on many occasions to have speed bumps put in, so the auto shops do not speed down our street. There are kids playing. Thanks for listening, Merry Christmas, Tim Topornicki
Topper linen
9 Comments
I agree with him… This business has been around longer than most people on my street and I knew what I was getting into when I bought my house 13 years ago.
I myself have no issue with Topper Linen, I do however have lots of issues with National Rubber and the smell that comes out of that facility. They really have no business running a tire recycling company and burning rubber in the city, a establishment like this should be in a area where no residential exists and only industrial, somewhere in the 905 region (suburbs). They might be doing some good for recycling tires but they do a lot of bad for people in the area who smell the burning rubber. In my opinion, they have stopped so much potential development for the area that would make the area much better then it is today. I have no clue how one company can influence the city so much as to get there way with everything at least this is what it looks like. I really hope the old Bengim Moore lands gets developed for Condo's and the open land at Junction rd where the silo was, does get developed
My house shares a lane with Topper Linen and they keep the area around their plant clean and well-maintained at all times. I have no issues with them at all.
But even the rubber plant has been where it is before most of the people in the area bought their homes. You buy a house in an industrial-zoned area (and pay accordingly) and you get what you get. I don't like the smell either, but I don't think we have the right to demand that they relocate.
You are correct Rebecca the Rubber Factory has been their for a long time but when they pretty much stop any new development for the future of the area then that is a problem. One company should not have so much power with the City and OMB. So is it o.k. if things just stay the way they are? Of Course not, all areas need to be developed to have a better city. Industry/Manufactoring will never come back to this area and the city needs to acknowledge/accept this so does NRT. There building a new mall complex, on St.Clair and Keele of course you need Condo development to go with that and not leave a empty lot at the Old Benjamin more lands for close to 10 years or so it seems. If it wasn't for Rubber Factory and Canada Bread( who will be gone the end of the year 2011) this would have already been developed but instead it's better to keep a concrete dump yard ?
If the Rubber factory wants to stay then they need to except Condo development in the area otherwise sell their land to some big developer and move elsewhere, they can not keep this up forever eventually the city/omb will give in to the developers and residents of the area.
Hi Manny,
you wrote..Industry/Manufactoring will never come back to this area and the city needs to acknowledge/accept this so does NRT.
Much to my chagrin the city does agree with you on the while, with the long time planner for this area, who now heads the citys BIA office telling this author about 2 and half tears ago that industry was done in this area.
Yet you have to remember the Junction was built by industry and the city keeps the core industrial employment lands because we need them especially in the Junction. What is lacking is the education of most of the elected employees – and yes the elected people are the employees of the people, although most of them forget it. [1. just listen to the number of "I's and we's" spoken by many councilors and MP's]. The education regarding the control and assistance of development to provide to companies such as NRT. (Nation Rubber Technologies), who must wiggle though the morass and thickets of the crush between commercialism and corporate responsibility.
NRT would fit well into one of the most expensive neighborhoods, where there is a garbage and incineration plant – the difference in the residents opinions on the plant and many peoples of NRT, well its night and day. Why the Paris plant in assisted by good sound government understanding of technology to mitigate the firms impact on the community.
although they have the problem in the EU they have taken direct action about it.
the competitiveness of recycling activities is hampered by:
the processing industries' lack of interest in recycled raw materials on account of their technical features, the limited possibilities for their use and the negative image associated with them;
the absence of pertinent industrial standards or the tendency for some standards or specifications to ignore or to discriminate against recycled materials or products. http://europa.eu/legislation_summaries/other/l28065_en.htm
Without a elected government well versed in the new technology, and the discipline to sit home at night doing the studying required to educate themselves and their-fore have the ability to work with the educated staff at city hall, instead of cutting a ribbon hear and there for a pic op, these problems will remain.
Your area has an excellent city elect rep, (Councillor Frances Nunziata) and you have a history of great works on environmental, this author work with her brother when he was the MP (cira 1996)for the area and he worked deeply and rough when needed to have population controls in terms of equipment and yard use with the CPR that the whole community still benefits from.
If the Junction does not get its share of the new light engineering business we all will suffer.
typed but not edited, will come back and do it,
agree so much, in my case you were born in an industry area, grew up and decided to stay, live in harmony with it.
I'm all for industry in the area, but lines need to be drawn. It doesn't matter who came first; when people are breathing in toxic fumes in their own homes, you have a social problem. Some industries should be more isolated than NRT. The people in the area shouldn't be defeatist if they moved in a few years ago. Also, planners note the toxic plume from the plant restricts mixed-use condo development in the Stock Yards area which is quite well suited to it.
It also strikes me as interesting to hear from junctioneer's comment above that the area had "long time planner" because the handful of ugly big-box stores replacing a large industrial district with half the land now being surface parking lots, the ongoing lack of plan for reconstructing the dated and impractical underpass on St. Clair, and the fact that the Keele Street jog wasn't eliminated when the land became available a decade ago never struck me as the work of any planner paying any serious attention to the area.
You guys are silly. Don't you realize that the pollution from the traffic on Keele will kill you long before the rubber factory? Lets get rid of traffic and trains too. Better idea would be for you lot to move to the country.
One might also champion transit, walking, and cycling for minimizing vehicular pollution and electrification of trains. If people move to the country to lower density housing, it will only exacerbate pollution problems due to increased transportation needs. Some can't afford to move, but it's also impractical and undesirable for those affluent enough to do so. The rubber plant produces very toxic emissions and does not invest in pollution control. Why should everyone breathe in its fumes and not develop their properties to accommodate it? I think that you assume that no one gets the bigger picture, except they do, with various pieces to the puzzle of a healthy environment in the city.