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Neighborhood News
Harbourfront, Toronto, Ontario
June 2011
Polluted stormwater tanks meet opposition
Waterfront residents are angered and surprised by Toronto Water’s proposal to use their parks to house huge storage tanks for polluted stormwater and raw sewage, connected by tunnels. The proposal comes from a genuine need to collect and clean excess water from the entire city before it goes into the lake. It appeared that the often dysfunctional planning in Toronto had forced Toronto Water (TW) into a tight corner, after most available city-owned lands have been developed or are spoken for.
The selected sites for stormwater/sewage treatment plans on the Waterfront are currently the parkland at the circular ramp at York Street and Queens Quay, the surface parking lot at Rees Street, and Little Norway Park at Bathurst and Queens Quay.
Citizens met TW at a contentious meeting on June 20th at Harbourfront Community Centre. They were invited to an “open house” to view panels of the plans, but – after much pressure – were given a presentation instead by TW and the opportunity to comment and ask questions.
This stormwater treatment site is on the Waterfront just south of the CNE entrance. The 20-meter ventilation shack is a necessary fixture.
The magnitude of this stormwater system is incredible. Tanks that are 30 meters in diameter will be buried 50 meters deep, connected by tunnels through bedrock the size of subway tunnels. They are supposed to hold and treat quantities of water that are based on the average rainfall in Toronto (not the maximum rainfall), before it is discharged into the lake.
To install these tanks deep into the ground requires two years of digging. All trees and plantings would be removed over a large area, which eventually could be planted with grass or shrubs. The site would need industrial buildings, such as a 20-meter long ventilation shack, and many metal grates in the ground for ventilating. Service vehicles would be needed for TW maintenance crews. This is not the picture of an urban park.
People were angered by this project suddenly being sprung on them, and TW announcing they expected city council approval in the fall. The large audience had many questions and objections. Why use precious parkland for industrial installations? The lands TW had earmarked are already in use – such as the popular Little Norway Park – or are in the planning stages as beautiful parks and Waterfront facilities. Industrial use is not suitable for the planning that is underway for the parking lot next to Rees Street. It will be developed to enhance the area as an important link to the Waterfront. The park at York and Queens Quay will be encircled by high-rises in the near future, and this priceless area is destined to be the green entrance to the PATH and the Waterfront.
Although TW said they had worked on this project since 2008 and had conferred with other parties at City Hall and Waterfront Toronto, these agencies didn’t seem well informed about it either.
About 20 people at the meeting spoke up, all in opposition. Some residents close to Little Norway Park were nearly in tears at the thought of yet another assault on their neighbourhood, after battling with airport noise and pollution and vehicle lineups. Questions about noise, vibration, odours and air quality were asked, but no definitive answers were given because the project is still subject to an environmental assessment.
The main question was: why wreck our parks? TW asked rhetorically: where else would you put these facilities? That cannot be a decision of ordinary citizens, though suggestions were made to place the tanks under Lake Shore Boulevard or another hard surface away from buildings where people live and work.
Toronto Water invites comments from the public, emailed to cleanwaterways@toronto.ca before July 15, 2011 to be part of the process.
Both Bathurst Quay and York Quay Neighbourhood Associations plan to send TW back to the drawing board and delay approval by city council. Even if the TW project will be built several years in the future, the current members feel responsible for protecting their already environmentally challenged neighbourhoods.
By Ulla Colgrass
YQNA
Waterfront speaks to Rob Ford
During the fall Mayoral campaign, downtown residents asked Rob Ford for his opinion on revitalizing the Waterfront. He would wait to hear from the people who live and work there and let them decide, he replied. With Queens Quay’s reconstruction ready to start this fall after the last couple of hurdles are cleared, the main stakeholders grabbed the opportunity to send their urgent messages to Mr. Ford through his director of stakeholders relations, Earl Provost.
Around the table at the Radisson Admiral Hotel on June 16 were representatives of York Quay Neighbourhood Association (YQNA), Radisson Admiral Hotel, Harbourfront Centre, Brookfield and Oxford Properties, Mariposa Cruises, Waterfront BIA and condo boards on Queens Quay.
Their united message to the mayor was clear: get Queens Quay reconstruction going this fall, from Spadina Avenue to Bay Street.
“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,” said Helder Melo, director for 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,” said 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,” said Robert Zeidler, senior property manager of Brookfield Properties, which owns the Terminal Building on the Waterfront.
YQNA and many others at the meeting had been stakeholders with Waterfront Toronto for five years of planning in public and private meetings. All the pieces have finally come together to start construction this fall. Most of the funds are earmarked for this high-priority project, while the remaining money – already in Waterfront Toronto’s budget – awaits city council’s approval to be allocated to Queens Quay. No new money is needed.
The pressure to start in time is growing because of TTC’s urgent need to rebuild the streetcar tracks on Queens Quay. They are crumbling and need to be located in a slightly different path to accommodate the grand design of a beautiful tree-lined boulevard.
May 2011
New neighbourhood patio
Restaurant E11even on York Street just north of Longo’s wanted to expand their business during the summer with a sidewalk patio. YQNA read the liquor license application and asked to view the patio plans. The sidewalk is seven meters wide to accommodate the crowds in the summer and growing pedestrian needs in the future. E11even wanted their patio over 30 meters long and five meters wide, which would narrow the sidewalk to two meters for pedestrians.
It is nice to animate the streets with patios, but this one was too wide and occupied an overhang with oscillating lights, a work of art that reflects the pedestrian activity below. With the help of councillor Pam McConnell and city planners, YQNA negotiated with the restaurant and Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment to reach a compromise. We arrived at sharing the sidewalk evenly – 3.5 meters for pedestrians and the same for the patio – on the condition that the permit is reviewed in two years. If it doesn’t create a bottleneck, the patio owner can apply for an extension.
The colourful new patio at restaurant e11even wraps around the corner of York Street and Bremner Boulevard.
Ontario’s Alcohol and Gaming Commission is working on loosening their outdated regulations for consuming liquor in public. YQNA is supporting these efforts, which might enable this patio to move to the curbside away from the building. That would return the overhang to its intended function – weather protection for pedestrians.
Free Waterfront shuttle bus
The Waterfront Business Improvement Association (WBIA) launched a free Waterfront Bus Shuttle on Victoria Day weekend. This service is for visitors and residents to easily explore all that the Toronto Waterfront has to offer, from key waterfront hotels, shopping, dining and attractions between Union Station and Ontario Place. The shuttle will operate between the hours of 10 a.m. and 7 p.m. seven days a week from May 21 to October 10 approximately every half hour, making stops at various locations. The cheerful-looking bus is easy to find, so hop on and enjoy.
April 2011
Road project stopped
YQNA and condo boards on Queens Quay vigorously opposed the City’s proposed new road through the parkland on the north side of Queens Quay at York Street. We have had public and private meetings to prevent this pointless road from being built. After a large public meeting on April 4th at PawsWay showed widespread opposition to the road, Transportation Services realized that there was no support and recently announced that they will not pursue building the road.
This result was entirely driven by condo boards and residents along the Waterfront, so a big thanks to all who participated! YQNA expects no change in Transportation’s decision, but we will continue to keep an eye on the their activities at City Hall.
A proposed four-lane road with parking meters and sidewalks through this parkland was defeated by residents. When the ramp is removed, this will park will be transformed into a green gateway to the Waterfront and the PATH.
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