During my run for City Council,
I made promises based on priorities
identified in each of the
neighbourhoods that comprise
Ward 20. Here is an update on
those promises and the achievements
that have been secured in
the first year.
1. SEATON VILLAGE: TAXES
The new Land Transfer and
Vehicle Registration taxes were
passed in October 2007. I supported
and fought for these new revenue
tools because they allow us to redistribute
the tax load currently
assessed against property value, so
that the city is not as dependent on
property taxes alone. No longer will
downtown residents be forced to
face all of the tax increases while
suburban homeowners see their
taxes cut. The Land Transfer Tax,
the Vehicle Registration Tax and
the new garbage user fees take more
than $400 million of pressure off
the property tax system. While you
can’t avoid paying some of these
taxes, your share of the new taxes
won’t be based on ever-increasing
real estate values in the downtown.
Instead, taxpayers across the city
will be treated more fairly. This is a
huge gain for all downtown residents,
especially those who live in
neighbourhoods like Seaton Village
where long-time homeowners have
seen their assessments rise dramatically.
Small business tax rates have
also been put on an accelerated pace
to receive tax relief.
2. HARBORD VILLAGE:
ROBERT STREET FIELD
One of the difficulties in trying to
improve the Robert Street Field, also
known as the Aura Lee Playing
Field, was that city policies have
prevented funds from flowing to this
green space in the community,
because the land is owned by the
university. These policies have been
changed, and now improvements
can go ahead. Work to re-examine
parking regulations and traffic
calming strategies is just beginning.
3. KENSINGTON MARKET: GARBAGE
Within weeks of my election, six
new city garbage cans were delivered
to the market. I have advocated
that new street furniture program
for the city must design and deliver
garbage cans that fit into older
neighbourhoods. A pilot will be
designed specifically for Kensington.
Besides garbage issues, two new
development proposals in the
Market will address alleyway concerns
and reclaim and reinvent the
laneways to make sure that they contribute
rather than threaten the
sense of community in the market.
4. ALEXANDRA PARK:
REINVESTMENT
This neighbourhood, although
publicly owned, has largely been
abandoned and ignored by successive
governments over the past
decade. Within a few months of
taking office, I was able to secure
on-going funding for a youth worker
in this community. I have also
convened a working group of local
residents and all of the institutional
stakeholders to begin a community
visioning exercise to set the
stage for a redevelopment to bring
greater economic independence
and vitality to the neighbourhood.
5. QUEEN WEST: HERITAGE
After the last council dropped
the ball by failing to declare Queen
Street a heritage conservation district,
we resurrected the fight and
won. The Queen West Heritage
Conservation District was
approved in July 2007. This designation
will protect the Victorian
builtform of Queen Street from
redevelopment that would compromise
heritage assets or the character
of the neighbourhood. Queen
Street is much safer now from bad
development.
6. KING SPADINA: DENSITY
This is a neighbourhood under
intense development pressure, and
we have enacted the new community-
based development model here
first (for more on my approach to
planning in Ward 20, see page 6). As
a result, dozens of pre-application
meetings and developer-community
consultations have taken place here.
Developers seeking higher and
higher density continue to present
challenges, but together we are
building better buildings with earlier
community consultation and
more neighbourhood intervention.
Park redesign continues despiteproblems presented by city staff. We
continue that work.
7. BATHURST QUAY: NEW SERVICES
For the first time since the school
opened, we have a crossing guard to
protect neighbourhood children.
The intersection at
Bathurst/Eireann Quay and
Queens Quay will be narrowed this
year and a new sidewalk to Ireland
Park will be built. The airport no
longer calls the shots – the community
is in charge.
8. TORONTO PORT AUTHORITY:
ACCOUNTABILITY
The Toronto Port Authority,
which operates the Island Airport,
is continuing in its old ways. They
are currently suing the city and
threatening to sue me too. This is
one in a series of lawsuits they have
launched against the city, the federal
government, and neighbourhood
residents. I will continue to fight to
get rid of this unaccountable federal
agency.
9. THE CP RAIL LANDS:
STREETSCAPES
Facing a neighbourhood where
high-density development has preceded
necessary amenities, my
office has fast-tracked the Toronto
Community Housing and library
projects for this site. We hope construction
will start six months earlier
than expected. New traffic lights
and streetscape improvements have
been delivered. The schools and the
community centre are next on our
agenda.
10. CENTRAL WATERFRONT: RESPECT
LOCAL NEEDS
We introduced new parking regulations
for the benefit of residents,
some of which have already taken
effect. Street access is being
improved with new PATH connections
to Union Station and regular
consultations with Waterfront
Toronto. In addition, recent student-
led planning studies are providing
new respect for local needs.
11. ANNEX: PARKS
Three park re-designs are in
progress, with community activists
now leading the way. Significant
consultation and resolution on the
difficult issue of dogs in parks has
put this dilemma behind us now.
The challenge ahead is to find new
park space for leash-free activity.
On the planning front, the Bloor
Street Visioning Study is underway,
leading to stronger development
guidelines that will protect the
neighbourhood. More planning
studies have been ordered for the
community.
12. HURON SUSSEX:
COMMUNITY INPUT
During the election campaign,
residents of Huron Sussex shared
with me their frustration at being
left out of local decisions made by
the University of Toronto. My goal
is to increase community input and,
to that end, I am helping to develop
a new relationship with the university.
The University of Toronto
Liaison Committee brings all parties,
including local residents, to the
table to discuss current and future
issues. Recently a heritage house,
owned by the university, was saved
from demolition through the combined
efforts of university staff and
residents and my office.
Neighbours, including some very
young residents, were part of a consultation
on the re-building of
Washington Street Parkette. The
neighbourhood children provided
us with their designs and wish list
for the new park equipment.
13. U OF T: DESIGN STANDARDS
Community-based planning is
taking hold here too. New plans for
the law library on Philosopher’s
Walk have involved neighbourhood
representation right from the start.
Other changes to the campus are
coming, but we’re optimistic the
liaison group between University of
Toronto and the area resident associations
can address them creatively
and constructively. The Royal
Ontario Museum’s redevelopment
plans for the Planetarium are a continuing
concern.
14. BALDWIN VILLAGE: PROTECT
NEIGHBOURHOOD’S CHARACTER
Pedestrian Sundays came to
Baldwin last year with funds
secured by my office. This project
was the result of collaboration
between Baldwin Village residents
and those in Kensington. For more
details, read the article on
Pedestrian Sundays on page 2.
A new basketball court for neighbourhood
youth was built at Heydon
Park Secondary School on D’Arcy
Street as recreational opportunities
for youth of all ages is expanded.
15. CHINATOWN: TOURISM
My focus on Chinatown is to
improve tourism. The newly
formed Chinatown Business
Improvement Association (BIA) is
off to a great start. Directional
signs for Chinatown on the
Gardiner Expressway that are close
to completion and the holiday festive
light celebration are all part of
a Chinatown resurgence. Stronger
relationships between the business
community and City Hall have led
to better strategies for garbage and
safer streets.
16. GRANGE PARK:
HERITAGE PROTECTION
The environmental and heritage
significance of Grange Park
remains a concern. Our office
helped area residents take matters
into their own hands by helping
people gain access to the city’s
water supply this summer to tend to
the turf and trees stressed by poor
maintenance. Our office is leading
the redesign efforts for Grange
Park. Watch for a new design and
management strategy to emerge
here with a new partnership with
the Art Gallery of Ontario forming
the basis for a brighter future for
the community.
17. ENTERTAINMENT DISTRICT:
PEOPLE LIVE HERE TOO
Nightclubs are closing with new
development coming into the area.
The vigilance of local leaders with
help from my office, in cooperation
with the Alcohol and Gaming
Commission, is putting restriction
on those that survive. Police cameras
and security lights are also
helping but a new licensing regime
is close to approval. Nightclubs
will now be regulated as entertainment
facilities rather than as
restaurants, and stricter rules will
be enforced. The overcrowded sidewalks
will be returned to the community
and the neighbourhood
will be respected again.
Homelessness and aggressive panhandling
will be tackled with a new
housing assessment and referral
centre being opened at 129 Peter
Street. The parkette and
streetscape of Richmond Street is
to be redesigned with work beginning
this year.
