Rameses Shrine Temple
3100 Keele Street, Toronto Ontario
May 19, 2012
10 am to 4 pm
Click for map

Community Meeting on Projects, May 31 @ 7pm
Staff will be on hand to answer questions about various community projects and developments occurring around the ward. Come, ask questions and learn more.

Thursday May 31, 2012
Downsview Secondary School
Auditorium – 7pm

Anthony Road Park one step closer to being saved!
Last week, monies to save Anthony Road park and Muki Baum School was successfully shepherded through the City’s Executive Committee. When our community received news that the Toronto District School Board intended to sell the Muki Baum School and adjacent park site on Anthony Road we acted fast. I worked closely with community members and formed a panel to save the park. We brought together city Staff to find the necessary resources to save the park and we are almost there. The plan will come to City Council on June 6 and 7, 2012 where I will work to get it passed.

Troutbrooke Stabilization – Homes saved from destruction!
When homes along Troutbrooke Drive were built decades ago, building standards at the time did not account enough for soil erosion next to ravines. Since then, standards have been revised to account for erosion. However, some houses along Troutbrooke  were at risk and needed stabilization because part of these properties was eroding into the adjacent ravine. As vice-chair of the Toronto and Region Conservation Authority (TRCA) I acted quickly to initiate a project to secure the resources necessary to stabilize these properties and save these homes. The stabilization of the affected properties will  soon be complete. In addition to new reinforcement, each of the properties will be restored with a chain link fence across the rear yard, and sod/pea gravel. TRCA anticipates the restoration of the construction stockpiling area located in the parkette at the corner of Troutbrooke and Jane by June. Check out this month’s paper newsletter for photos.

Wilson Avenue
Money for the next phase of Wilson revitalization passed its last hurdle at Council at last week with the support of all Councillors. Download revitalization history and plans package here. Meanwhile I assembled a City sign and By-law inspection team to do a walkabout survey of Wilson Avenue to ensure area retailers and property owners are staying in compliance.

Hydro Park
Work should begin this summer to transform this derelict former Hydro transfer station at Jane and Wilson to a new vibrant park space for our community’s enjoyment. Check out the location here.

Are you an artist and want to participate in North York Culture Days?
North York Art is hosting a Culture Days information session which is open to artists, professional and volunteer-run cultural groups, libraries, museums, schools and anyone else wishing to participate in the third annual pan-Canadian celebration of arts and culture taking place on September 28-30, 2012. More info here.

Metrolinx approves Council’s plan to bring $1 billion worth of transit to Downsview
On April 25, 2012, I attended the Metrolinx board meeting where it was announced that the Province will be moving forward with $1 Billion worth light rail for Finch. As a TTC Commissioner, for the last year and a half I have been working vigorously to bring the funding and plans for rapid transit along Finch back on the table after it was suddenly “cancelled” in 2010. I am proud to say that due to our hard work at the TTC, plans and the funding are back and province-approved. Construction of the rail line from the new Finch/Keele subway station to Humber College will begin in 2015. Click here for more details. Until then, we will also be looking at enhanced bus options to improve service on Finch.

“Why don’t people get screened for cancer?”
A team of researchers from the University of Toronto, York University, and Cancer Care Ontario need help from the people of Ontario to answer this question. Take this 5 minute on-line survey to find out more about the cancer screening practices and beliefs of all Ontarians. Click here to take the survey.

Dog Owners!
Looking to create an off-leash area for dogs? Want to create a Dog Owner’s Association? Get in touch with my office and we will help connect you to like-minded folks and take you through the next steps! Email us here.

Sponsored by the Grand Lodge A. F. & A. M. of Canada in the Province of Ontario, the MasoniCHIP Ontario (Child Identification Program) is deemed “one of the most comprehensive child recovery and identification programs in the nation” by The National Center for Exploited and Missing Children, and brought to Downsview families by dedicated Masons free of charge.

The kit will take about 10-15 minutes to assemble and will include digital photographs; digital video; digital fingerprints; vital child information; and a dental bite impression or Intra Oral Swab for DNA.  The photographs, video, fingerprints, and child data are burned onto a C.D. that is compatible with Amber Alert. This kit provides a dramatic, time-sensitive recovery tool for authorities.

Security and privacy are of utmost importance.  All information and specimens are collected on site, processed, and provided to the parent or guardian in an envelope—along with the sentiment of all the Masonic volunteers – “We hope you never need to use it.”  After each child is processed, the data is deleted from the software.  The only item retained by MasoniCHIP Ontario is the signed permission slip.

Rameses Shrine Temple
3100 Keele Street, Toronto Ontario
May 19, 2012
10 am to 4 pm

Contact our office for more info or click here

Saturday April 21, 2012
Downsview Park, 35 Carl Hall Road
10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
Click for map

Downsview Poised For Revitalization
The Financial Post recently featured Downsview as a community poised for revitalization. Decades of work have gone into ensuring our community’s revitalization is carried through with care and focus. Read the article here for all the details.

Seniors Admitted Free to Black Creek Pioneer Village – May 1
If you’re a senior, mention you are part of Councillor Maria Augimeri’s Community on May 1 at Black Creek Pioneer Village, and you will be admitted Free! Details on Black Creek Pioneer Village.

Children Admitted Free to Black Creek Pioneer Village – July and August
I am pleased to announce that Black Creek Pioneer Village will be admitting children free of charge in July and August during week days and will be given a meal to boot! I will provide more details as they come.

New Protégés – Gloria Antwi and Anne-Marie Croce
I am pleased to welcome my new protégés Gloria Antwi and Anne-Marie Croce who will be learning about and assisting me in my duties as a Councillor. They come to me as part of the City of Toronto and FCM’s Protégé Program which aims to engage young Canadian women (ages 18 – 28) interested in becoming leaders and decision-makers in municipal government.

SaveONenergy Spring Coupon Event
April 29th, the saveONenergy SPRING COUPON EVENT program will be taking place at participating retailers for customer discounts on eligible energy-efficient products for the home. The saveONenergy SPRING COUPON EVENT is funded by the Ontario Power Authority and offered by Toronto Hydro. Click here for details.

Community Developments

Anthony Road Park one step closer to being saved!
When our community received news that the Toronto District School Board intended to sell the Muki Baum School and adjacent park site on Anthony Road we acted fast. I worked closely with community members and formed a panel to save the park. We brought together City staff, the School Board, the Muki Baum treatment centre, and the community. I also worked closely with City staff to find the necessary resources to save the park and the panel met regularly to stay up to date. Last week, a motion passed Government Management Committee bringing us one step closer to saving this crucial peice of green space for our community. I will keep you posted on further developments.

877 Wilson Avenue being redeveloped
A proposal has been made for the redevelopment of the former vacant bowling alley located on the south side of Wilson Avenue, west of Dufferin Street. A plan for approximately 75 multiple attached dwelling units with street-front retail space on Wilson Avenue is proposed.

Downsview Park Development, Stanley Green Neighbourhood
Urbancorp is the company which has been awarded the contract for developing the Stanley Green Neighbourhood in Parc Downsview Park. They have been working with the Downsview Lands Community Voice and other community residents to come up with the best possible concept for the area. The development will include single family homes, semi detached homes, and freehold and stacked townhouses.

The New Humber River Regional Hospital
Developments at the Provincial Quadrant where the future new Hospital will be built are moving fast. Click here for the latest information through the HRRH Blog. You can also sign up to their newsletter and get the latest developments as they happen.

2800 Keele Street – former Canada Post site
This is the former Canada Post building on Keele Street. The City’s Planning Department has taken a number of phone calls from parties interested in the purchase/redevelopment site, but a formal application has not yet been submitted. Zoning allows many possibilities. Technically, the property is zoned Multiple-Family Dwellings “Fifth Density Zone (RM5)”. That means that anything from low density residential such as singles, semis, and townhouses, as well as apartments to a maximum height of 11.5 metres and a maximum density of 1.0 FSI (floor-space-index) is allowed. The site could also be used for a hospital, nursing home or religious institution.

Update on re-zoning panel
In August 2010 I sent out a letter asking residents if they would be interested in being part of a panel that would look after areas in the ward that should be re-zoned. The Official Plan review which occurs every five years gives us opportunity to review current zoning in the City and to have it reconsidered for re-designation. I, along with City Staff, have been working with a panel of community residents and business owners who have expressed interest in participating in this panel. One of the major projects being look into is re-zoning the former Sunrise Propane site.

Wilson Revitalization
Revitalization through streetscaping and resurfacing is about to begin this summer. This will represent phase II of Wilson Avenue’s revitalization plan. As with all progress involving construction and road repair, this will create some inconveniences. We will keep you updated on the progress.

Canadian Tire Site – 2699 Keele Street (Keele and Wilson)
The development just received a Site Plan Approval for construction of a new gas bar with accompanying canopied pump island, convenience store and restaurant.

3621 Dufferin Street
The Canada Lands Company has submitted an application for re-zoning of 3621 Dufferin Street from employment lands to residential. This would permit a mixed use development consisting of a 207 unit, 11-storey residential building with 672m2 of at-grade retail and six blocks of 4-storey stacked townhouses containing 186 units. The application is currently on hold as the official plan process that occurs every five years is currently underway. A policy report should hopefully be ready in the Fall.

Geek out on the City!
In addition to our regular e-newsletters, you can also follow City of Toronto events, news and developments at City Hall more closely with E-Updates. Click here for more details.

City Council’s approved plan is as follows:

1. Build the Finch West light rail line from Keele and Finch to Humber College.
2. Build the Eglinton Crosstown light-rail underground from Black Creek rising to street level east of Laird Dr.
3. Convert the Scarborough rapid transit line to a light-rail system
4. Create an expert panel on Sheppard transit that will determine the most effective means of delivering rapid transit to the greatest number of riders with the funds currently allocated. The panel must report back by the end of March on the best option for Scarborough: Subways or a light-rail will be decided then.

As well as look at the future feasibility of five transit projects including:

1. Extending the Sheppard subway west from the Yonge line to Downsview Station
2. Extending the Sheppard LRT to the Toronto Zoo
3. Extending the Bloor-Danforth line from Kennedy subway station to the Scarborough Town Centre
4. Extending the Eglinton Crosstown line from Jane St. to Pearson Airport
5. The construction of a Downtown Relief Line.

I was intimately involved in the consensus-building efforts to approve this plan with Council. I was pleased to see that the majority my Council colleagues understood the transit needs for all of Toronto, including the needs of our community and voted to approve the above plan.

Prior to Wednesday’s Council meeting, there was no prospect for a rail line on Finch. It is a huge success that light rail will be now built along Finch and make our communities more accessible. In addition, we set in place a priority for a Downsview-Yonge subway link.

Given the limited funds available, and the necessity for Toronto to have a workable transit expansion plan, I believe the above is the best plan for our community and for Toronto’s transit future.

The first four items will be built with the $8.4 billion in Provincial money committed in 2009 to Toronto’s transit expansion. We do not have control over the amount of money we can dedicate as it is Provincial money, we can only decide on how it is allocated. Council decided on the above plan because it is the most cost-effective solution to bringing the most rail lines to all corners of the City. It serves 120,000 more people than any alternative proposed.

An alternative suggestion for “subways” spearheaded by the Mayor unfortunately did not come forward as a comprehensive plan. So the option to divert available funds to contribute to building a few subway stops in Scarborough was rejected by Council. The mayor commissioned a report on the feasibility of building subways in Scarborough and even this report did not come back with terms favourable to building them.

While I admire the Mayor’s steadfast dedication to subway expansion, the reality is that even if public money were devoted to his plan, heavy tolls on drivers, parking taxes, property tax levies, and massive development along any new subway corridor would still be required to see the plan through. Increasing taxes, fees, and promoting heavy development is something I believe our community has little tolerance for. Moreover, the plan had unclear private financing sources, introduced complicating factors like developer stakeholder relationships and complex partnerships will only serve to slow down expansion plans, if not causing them to collapse outright. TTC riders can no longer afford more delay.

Additionally, going with the Mayor’s vision would cost Toronto taxpayers at least $65 million in unnecessary “sunk costs” related to breaking contracts currently in place. This would be a great waste of money given Toronto’s need to be careful with expenditures.

From experience, I can tell you that expanding Subways is no easy task. For example the current Toronto-York-Spadina extension now under construction in Downsview is a project I advocated and voted for in the 1980’s. Construction only began a few years ago. 25-30 years is not untypical for subway expansion projects and is the time-frame Scarborough residents would likely face to see any Subway project there completed.

Alternatively, the above light rail plan approved by Council is a slightly adjusted plan that has been in place in different forms since 2007-2009. It can be entirely completed with the $8.4 billion currently dedicated. It also has all the necessary environmental studies and consultations completed. In other words, it is a fully-funded, shovel-ready plan and will serve 10’s of thousands of more people across the City than any uncertain subway proposal would. Construction has already started on the Eglinton portion at Black Creek so only a fraction of the $8.4 billion is available to divert elsewhere. This was to go to an unproven subway plan for Scarborough but now due to our efforts at Council, that money will now go into Finch West. The Finch West communities can look forward to greater integration and community renewal when the Finch West light rail line arrives.

Toronto’s transit expansion choice was never one between light rail and subways. This was a choice between building a city-wide light rail plan immediately, versus an idea for subways that had no plan, incomplete funding, required extra taxes levies and tolls, would require decades to build, and only service a small portion of Scarborough residents.

The above plan also sets in place priorities so that when more Provincial or Federal funds become available, a Yonge-Downsview subway link will be built. In other words, Council set in place a plan that is immediately executable, as well as a long-term vision for Toronto’s transit.

Building affordable transit that reaches all corners of Toronto is the most cost effective use of your tax dollars, and is the best choice to ensure riders get new rapid transit now. Debating further and waiting decades for better transit is not an option.

More reading

Pembina Institute Analysis on Subway Versus Light Rail Plan
Chong Report on the Feasibility of the Sheppard Subway
KPMG Feasibility study on Sheppard Subway
Globe and Mail article on Mayor Ford’s Plan

Recently, the voices of Councillors and  Toronto Transit Commissioners have expressed interest in transit expansion ideas that depart from the Mayor’s costly vision. In the short-term, this would mean directing funds to other areas of the City that are in greater need of a higher order of transit.

Instead of listening and embracing reasonable suggestions, the Mayor maintains that he will not deviate from his preferred vision. In a recent letter posted to his Facebook, the Mayor repeats his reasoning that transit riders want rapid transit and subways are the only solution. Subways may be the preferred option to surface rail until one studies the cost-effectiveness of each. In a world of unlimited finances, subways may be the preferred option. In Toronto’s current fiscal reality, we have $8.2 billion at our disposal, and so we must be creative in its use to maximize results for our City.

Subways are many times more expensive to build than is light rail, and much more expensive to run.  When we have limited building and operation dollars for Transit in Toronto, and city-wide ridership pressures, building a few subway stops along a small section of Sheppard is not a complete transit solution. It is an expensive, unrealistic and irresponsible use of tax dollars. The alternative plan offers 3 light rail lines that reach under-serviced and over-crowded transit areas along Sheppard, Finch, and Eglinton.

The Mayor’s original plan for the Sheppard subway was to have it entirely financed privately and that not a cent of taxpayer money would go into the project. “I’m not quite sure where taxpayers’ money is coming in, when we’re using private money” he said. Even though his “private sector” financing model was contingent on tax and development incentives – which in actuality translate to prolonged costs to taxpayers – technically his promised plan still did not involve the direct and up-front use of tax dollars. Today however, we now know that any Mayor Ford subway plan will be paid for directly with tax money. Gordon Chong (the consultant hired to develop the business model for Mayor Ford’s subway plan) recently stated that up to 90% of any subway plan along Sheppard will be funded by tax dollars. When you think of the transit expansion projects that can be delivered with our very limited capital money, a subway 90% covered by taxpayers is not a cost-effective use of public dollars. The Sheppard subway envisioned by the Mayor is unaffordable to build.

The existing Sheppard subway line does not and will not pay for its own operation for decades. It does not attract enough riders to cover its operational costs. As this chart shows, the current density around the Sheppard subway line is only 68 people/jobs per-hectare (PJH). A subway is only economically viable when the PJH along the subway line is 115-195. As we can see by the chart, the projected ridership even beyond 2031 will not reach this minimum economic viability.  This means that the TTC’s limited operational dollars are taken from other places on the system to cover the cost of operating the current Sheppard subway.

Another claim of the Mayor is that on March 31, 2011 The City of Toronto was in agreement with the Province of Ontario and Metrolinx on a plan to bury the Eglinton LRT and build a subway on Sheppard. This “agreement” known as the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) is a non-binding document that was proposed and signed by the Mayor only, and does not have the approval of TTC planning staff, the Toronto Transit Commission, or include the authorization of Council. In other words, it is a document without legal authority. Council is tasked with approving major policy decisions such as transit expansion plans, not the Mayor. This is why we have recently been reading about Commissioners and Councillors who want to revisit transit plans and approve a new plan that makes economic and transit sense. Regardless of what new plan comes forward, citizens can be assured that Council will approve a transit expansion plan that makes the best use of your tax dollars.

The Mayor cites a Pembina Institute (a policy analysis firm) report to support his subway plan. The Pembina Institute is a great source for analyses of TTC expansion proposals. This is why it is important not to ‘cherry-pick’ the information it provides. In a response to Mayor Ford’s claim that the Pembina Institute supports his case for subways it published an article which clarifies “…the entire LRT plan would have served more Torontonians per dollar invested than the mayor’s current plan as well as reducing more greenhouse gas emissions and removing more vehicles from our severely congested streets.” The Mayor needs to come clean with TTC Riders, citizens and taxpayers when it comes to the facts.

The Mayor claims that LRTs are slow. The top speed for an LRT is just marginally slower than the top speed for a subway (LRT 27km/hr, subway 32KM/hr). True, surface rail has to contend with the traffic stream, but with the flexibility around how and where LRTs are built, LRTs can be a very efficient and flexible rapid transit solution. In addition, LRTs tend to encourage economic development in the communities they service, offer increased safety by encouraging more ‘eyes on the street’, they are more accessible, and offer an operational affordability because they do not require expensive-to-run underground stations.

Moreover, because dedicated LRT lanes are built down the centre of wide suburban avenues like Sheppard, Finch, and the outskirts of Eglinton, they act to reduce road congestion; they hold more people than buses and streetcars and are modular so they can be expanded as necessary.

Light Rail offers a real rapid transit solution for Toronto. The LRT lines in the Transit City plan have their Environmental Assessments complete, their public consultations complete and have funding in place approved by Council. The projects are truly shovel-ready. LRTs are a deliverable transit solution. None of this can be said for the Mayor’s subway plan. The Mayor’s subway plan is simply a house of cards. How it will fall will be up to Council.

Foregoing our LRT obligations will cost the city at least $65 million in cancellation penalties. When the TTC is struggling to find funding to maintain current service levels, spending $65 million to cancel ready-to-deliver transit expansion plans is downright irresponsible.

Having recently travelled the extremely crowded Finch bus, I can say with some authority that Finch riders need a transit solution fast. Finch riders want us to provide a plan that makes sense, and is quick to deliver and the Finch LRT is the best way to achieve this.

As a Councillor it is my role to ensure your tax dollars are spent they best way they can be. As a TTC Commissioner it is my role to ensure that transit planning in Toronto makes sense. Recently we are hearing the voices of other Councillors and Commissioners who also want transit expansion to make sense in this City. I am encouraged that whatever transit plan comes forward, it will be a plan that your Council will approve and we will make decisions based on the best evidence available and good transit planning principles.

We need to get Toronto moving, and you can rest assured I will continue to work towards that goal for TTC riders, for taxpayers and for Toronto’s citizens.

Consider joining the TTC Riders group and visiting CodeRedTO’s website. Also pay attention to the agendas for upcoming Toronto Transit Commission Meetings. Transit expansion plans will soon come to the Commission. You should consider making a deputation to tell the Commission how you feel about Transit in Toronto.

-Maria

The 2012 Toronto City Budget proposed cuts to Libraries, Childcare, investment to community services, cuts to priority centres, TTC bus routes, police, fire, paramedics, street cleaning, garbage services, etc..

Indiscriminate cuts were not what Torontonians voted for. Making indiscriminate cuts to our services embody a narrow view of our City that most Torontonians don’t share. Torontonians know that these kinds of cuts to our services would create irreparable harm to our community and you demanded we stand up for you.

That is why tens of thousands of you came to depute at our committees, signed many petitions, and attended many community meetings on the 2012 service cuts. In Downsview, over 150 of you came to our meeting on the budget Cuts. You demanded I return to City Council and save important services while ensure a balanced budget. I said it could be done and we did it.

Last Tuesday, your City Council stood up for Toronto. A massive Motion was introduced to save many critical services we all rely on. To save these services, the motion used a tiny portion of our $154 million in surplus money. I supported this motion because it invested important funds in our community and as a result many critical services were saved.

Among what was saved included $4 million to restore Library hours, $5 million to restore service to the TTC, reversed fees for children, youth and older adult programs at Priority Community Centres, ice rinks, community investment programs, reversed daycare fees, reversed pool fees for children and seniors, 3 daycares saved, 3 transitional homes saved.

Still, despite efforts, not all services could be saved from the Mayor’s chopping block. Among these include eliminating 1100 front-line workers, elimination of 4 free garbage tags, street sweeping was cut back from twice a month to once a month, reduced tree and shrub maintenance, 236 police officers cut, 68 firefighters cut, 36 paramedics cut, and the elimination of the Christmas Bureau which coordinates the distribution of gifts to needy kids and more.

Importantly however, Torontonians sent the message that it will not tolerate indiscriminate cuts to the services they rely on. They are willing to hold the Mayor to his “guarantee” that services will not be cut to balance the budget. Services are important to Toronto and your Council showed that it will stand up for you. I will continue to stand up for you.

-Maria

TONIGHT January 11, 2012 @ 7 pm
Downsview Secondary School, Cafeteria
7 Hawksdale Road

Guest speakers include:
Shelley Carroll, Toronto City Councillor
Mike Layton, Totonto City Councillor
Adam Vaughan, Toronto City Councillor

Cuts include:
58 student nutrition programs that help 14,000 kids
19,444 fewer library hours, less first-print material
Introduction of fees for children and youth at Priority Community Centres
17 of 29 Youth Outreach Workers eliminated, who mentor troubled youth
TTC fare hike and reduced service

Learn how these potential major service cuts can affect you, what your City Council is doing about it.

In 2011, the Mayor asked all City departments to cut 10% from their operating budgets. In addition, $3 million was spent on outside consultants to complete a “Core Service” review. The conclusion of their review is that they found no wasteful spending. Over 90% of city services had to be delivered by law, 8% were traditional such as Homes for the Aged, and 1% was discretionary.

They also found that 85% of the service we deliver is already below standard so any more cuts will further reduce already low service standards.

Currently low standards are due to a hiring freeze imposed on departments in 2011. Many are now understaffed. For example, it can now take up to a year if not more to complete traffic investigations for speed limit reductions, stop signs and traffic lights, which are important safety measures that many in our community rely on.

It is important to remember that as a candidate in October 2010 Mayoral hopeful Rob Ford guaranteed that he would not eliminate services, or eliminate front line workers. It is important to keep that guarantee in mind and stand up for our services.

It is also important to recognize that Toronto is not the best it could be for everyone. Many in our community are on fixed-income and they cannot afford to pay more but they also cannot afford to have the services they rely on cut. This is why I provide property tax and water fee relief clinics in our community in addition to standing up for the services we rely on. Both services and costs are equally important and require a thoughtful approach when we make changes.

In 2011, TTC cuts affected those who rely on it most, like those who commute during hours when safety is compromised. One mother in our community now must walk over a kilometre at midnight through dark side streets after her shift ends. In 2010 she used to have a bus arrive at her doorstep.

Further TTC cuts proposed for 2012 will create a ‘rush hour’ experience all day long as crowding levels on buses are intentionally increased to meet the Mayor’s budget demands. Dialysis patients will no longer be able to use Wheel-trans to get to and from the hospital as their service is also being cut.

Libraries in Downsview are also facing service cuts. Fewer operating hours and fewer new materials are proposed. Jane-Sheppard library is facing approx 130 annual hours cut when youth readership is increasing. Downsview Public Library is facing over 300 of its operating hours cut.

The Hardship Fund is another service poised for elimination. This is a program designed to help pay for items like prosthetic devices, hearing aids, eyeglasses and more. A motion I introduced to protect it lost by one vote, 23 to 22. This program costs very little, about .25¢ per homeowner to ensure over 1,500 residents can rely on it for their basic health and well-being.

In September 2011, fees were introduced for Adults in Priority Centres and attendance dropped off by 70%. Priority Centres serve the most vulnerable and keep kids off the streets. Now similar fees target children and youth, who will inevitably be left behind simply because they can no longer afford programs.

These are the Torontonians we should be helping most, not punishing. We need to be careful or else Toronto’s most needy will fall through the cracks.

The 2012 budget requires a careful hand. I will continue to stand up for our community, for residents who both rely on our services as well as those who need relief from increasing costs.

Dear Community Residents

Murray Road Land Listing

The sale/lease listing of the former Sunrise Propane facility is not new. In fact, the (private) listing expires later this month and the owners have said that they will probably not re-list in the foreseeable future. The MLS listing was suspended today,  December 6. The landowners are looking for the land to be re-used. Ongoing discussions suggest that the listing was intended only for the purposes of publicizing eventual, not immediate intentions.

Re: Zoning Issues
The land is zoned for industrial use. It was zoned this way before I became the area’s representative. Industrial use of the land is not only inappropriate next to a residential community; industrial-zoned land is not worth as much as land which is zoned residential. Therefore, there is a strong financial incentive for the landowners to eventually sell the land as residential, not immediately sell the land as industrial.

My Initial strategy was to have the City purchase the land outright from the proceeds of the sale of the Oriole Works Yard, and use that money to expand the City’s Works facility on Murray Rd. City staff was working on this project when they were ordered to stop due to budget constraints at City Hall.

I initiated a process to have the land re-zoned for more appropriate use, as I do not believe that it is suitable to have industrial facilities next to schools or residential communities. A community panel has been working closely with all land holders in the area to re-zone some parcels of Downsview land, including the Murray Rd site. Community residents in the Ancaster area as well as area business owners are members of this panel. It is apparent that the conversion and sale of the Murray Rd site to residential use would be most appropriate and remove any potential for re-industrialization. Discussions with the landowners suggest they are agreeable with plans to re-zone the land to residential.

We are currently in the process of an Official Plan Review (OPR). The OPR happens every 5 years as per Ontario law and looks at re-zoning properties in the City. I took the OPR as an opportunity to bring to the table land holders in Downsview along with City staff to align land-holder intentions with City staff know-how, and design proposals to for zoning changes. This year, we have held 3 of these panel meetings to chart a path on this issue. Some Murray Road residents were present at the last panel meeting and were satisfied that things were progressing well. The panel will be making proposals to staff when the review process happens in 2012. This is an opportunity to renew Downsview for decades to come and it requires continued and careful guidance.

A meeting will be held in January to update Murray Road residents on the potential for re-zoning of the land on Murray Road.

Harmonized Zoning By-Law
I don’t believe it is appropriate to have industrial plants next to residential communities or schools. That is why I worked diligently to get added protections for Downsview residents in the Harmonized Zoning By-Law. When the Harmonized Zoning By-law was repealed earlier this year, I moved a motion to retain the protections it contained for Downsview. Retained, and now applied to all old existing By-laws is the prohibition of any industry with potentially hazardous or fuel processing uses within 500 meters of residences and schools.

My motion was adopted unanimously by City Council. However, according to Ontario law, such a prohibition activates only once the use ceases on the land. That means that the cement batching plant must stop its operation before the new By-Law initializes. Nonetheless, it is an important protection. If a land sale occurs and this sale is intended for a non-cement-bathing purpose, the By-Law protection would be enacted. I maintain that the best use of this particular parcel of land on Murray Rd. is non-industrial which is why re-zoning is essential for our community and other stake-holders.

I hope that I have clarified some of the issues at hand. Should you have any further questions, please do not hesitate to contact my office.

Sincerely,

Maria