40 Oaks nears completion
A 15-year redevelopment of the Regent Park community in downtown Toronto is well underway. Included in Phase 1 of the initiative is the construction of a new multi-use facility on Toronto United Church Council's property at 40 Oak Street. The design is a building with 87 units of affordable housing on the top four floors. Effective partnerships with social service agencies will ensure that each tenant at 40 Oaks will receive assistance that will enable them to sustain their housing. The lower levels of the new building will provide 15,000 sq. feet of space for a community "hub". This will provide accommodation for The Toronto Christian Resource Centre (CRC) of the United Church and other social service agencies and grassroots groups. In keeping with the responsive and flexible approach of both Council and the CRC, the space is designed to respond to the changing needs of a changing community. This area, therefore, will be open concept, which is adaptable for multiple uses. A multi-faith worship centre is included. The building is designed to be environmentally friendly and is being developed to meet the City of Toronto's Green Development Standards.
Larry Webb, the Project Manager for the 40 Oaks Project, is maintaining a superb photo gallery of this major redevelopment beginning with the demolition of Council's old building on the site and continuing throughout the construction of the new housing/community complex. You are invited to look through the several hundred excellent photos currently in the collection and to return often to 40 Oaks Photo Gallery .
July 2011
Sustainable Energy Loan Fund established
Toronto United Church Council has established a new fund to be known as the Sustainable Energy Loan Fund (SELF). The fund will assist congregations and mission units to overcome the hurdle of upfront costs associated with energy saving retrofit projects or those included in a larger redevelopment initiative.
The SELF will provide eligible applicants low interest loans from $5,000 to $250,000 per project, to a maximum of 50% of total eligible project costs. It will be governed by Council's Loan and Restricted Funds Management Policies except that the interest rates will be favourable in order to promote energy retrofits.
Toronto Conference Executive has endorsed the Fund as an important partner in its efforts to ensure that our churches move toward energy saving retrofits as soon as is possible. Ten percent of proceeds from the future sale of Conference properties will be assigned to the fund.
Loans will be made available, when possible, to finance a variety of energy saving retrofit measures. The maximum repayment term for a SELF loan is negotiable, based on the expected payback period achieved through energy cost savings, but such term shall not exceed 15 years. Preferential interest rates start at 0% for the first five years, increase to 1% for years 6 to 10, and 2% in years 11 to 15. Full details of the terms of SELF operations, when it is operative, can be obtained from Council offices.
January 2011
Announcing the new James Baillie Helping Others Fund
Toronto United Church Council has received a generous bequest from the estate of the late James Baillie of Ottawa. In addition to caring for his extended family, Mr. Baillie has left two gifts, each valued at approximately $500,000, for the establishment of charitable funds to offer a “hand up” to young people. He arranged for those funds to be set up to serve the City of Ottawa and south central Ontario.
Mr. Baillie’s life interests were wide spread, and he named a multitude of purposes that his gift might be used for – from formal education expenses to church camping experiences. He left it to Council's Board of Directors to arrange the details for the gift that will serve south central Ontario. As a result, an endowment has been established, the income from which will serve to improve the lives of children and youth.
For the first three years of Fund disbursements (2011 – 2013), Council will make grants to campers requiring financial assistance to attend summer United Church camp programs. These grants will be administered by the Boards of the camps.
Council’s oldest fund, the Community Relief Fund, was established 118 years ago with a gift from the Massey family. Since then, many other funds have been established within Council funds by faithful church people, perhaps most notably, the Armstrong Fund, which since 1938 has contributed to the construction of 26 churches within Toronto Conference.
In the past few years, Council has established eleven new funds like the Baillie Fund, each of which is fashioned to meet the needs of church members whose passionate care for their church is matched by a “bias for action” – the future growth of important spiritual and social programming.
July 2010
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