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York Quay Neighborhood Association
Harbourfront, Toronto, Ontario
Press and Media Releases
JUNE 19, 2011
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
QUEENS QUAY STAKEHOLDERS MEET WITH MAYOR FORD’S OFFICE
TORONTO - A dozen key stakeholders on the Central Waterfront met this week with staff from Mayor Rob Ford’s office to discuss the urgency of starting the Queens Quay reconstruction. Leaders from Harbourfront Centre, Brookfield and Oxford Properties, Radisson Admiral Hotel, Mariposa Cruises, Waterfront BIA and condo boards were convened by York Quay Neighbourhood Association to show the Mayor their solid support for a revitalized Waterfront.
QUOTES FROM THE MEETING:
- “We have 4000 events every year and attract 12 million people. Queens Quay looks really decrepit. If we don’t complete it now, we will all lose.” ...Helder Melo, director of site operations at Harbourfront Centre
- “The Tall Ships festival last summer had one million people spilling out into the street. It is not functioning and we are anxious to get the beautification started,” ...Carol Jolly, executive director of the Waterfront BIA
- “Queens Quay is in organized chaos right now. The time has come to turn it into a beautiful boulevard that functions for everybody. It simply can’t be delayed,” ... Robert Zeidler, senior property manager of Brookfield Properties, which owns the Terminal Building on the Waterfront.
- “Let’s get this project going!” ...Don Cooper, president of 55/65 Harbour Square, with more than 600 condos.
At the meeting, many other eloquent and passionate comments were received by Earl Provost, the Mayor’s director of stakeholder relations. Although Mayor Ford was unable to attend, Mr. Provost assured the group that the Mayor has a personal interest in the Waterfront.
Everyone who attended the meeting agreed that rebuilding Queens Quay must start this fall if the waterfront is to be ready for the opening of the Pan Am Games in 2015. The next few weeks are crucial to get funds – already in Waterfront Toronto’s budget – earmarked for Queens Quay. It is also time to coordinate the rebuilding of TTC streetcar tracks with the Queens Quay restructuring.
The Waterfront is already an important economic engine for Toronto. Making the bleak Queens Quay a beautiful and functioning tree-lined boulevard will bring new energy and revenues to the city at large.
Media contact: James Russell, 416-575-4894
Do join YQNA. Only the residents can make the Waterfront a meaningful and thriving neighbourhood.
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