Since it was installed in front of their home, at Lauder and Genesee Aves., about 10 years ago, the city has sporadically trimmed it, usually three or four times a year, said their son, J.P. Michelini.
He’s been asking the city for years to cut it regularly or pave it, like others in the area, sometimes with a push from their city councillor’s office. It’s been a source of frustration, which is apparent in copies of emails he provided us.
But something changed this spring. They got a “courtesy notice” on April 30, saying that “effective immediately, the City of Toronto will no longer maintain the municipal boulevard adjoining your property.”
A note to 311 from Dave Collins of transportation services outlines reasons for the new hard line, saying that a city bylaw states, “the property owner or occupier of lands abutting the street SHALL maintain the boulevard.
Then came the June 5 letter, with seven days notice to cut it. Their son noted in a reply to the city that if the island is theirs, “it’s news to us,” adding if that’s the case, they should be able to plant a tree on it or even pave it.
We went there and met up with Lina Michelini, who said her husband cuts the grass and does the yard work around their immaculately-kept bungalow, but “he’s not cutting their grass. It’s their job, not ours.”
While the city’s definition of what constitutes a boulevard may technically be correct, it is at odds with common sense, and a few other things.