DRAFT

The St Lawrence Forum and People Plan Toronto

“Making our Voices Heard in Planning our Neighbourhoods”

Notes from St Lawrence Forum

Thursday May 29, 7.30pm

Introduction

This was the final (city-wide) session following three local opportunities for residents and residents groups in Toronto to share experiences, learn from each other and better develop their networks. The discussion focused on 2 questions:

• “What are the obstacles to having our voices heard?”

• “How can we address these obstacles?”

Presentations were made by Gary Wright: Chief Planner for the City of Toronto, Lindsay Dale-Harris, a partner in Bousfields, an urban design firm, Graeme Stewart, an architect with E.R.A. and manager of the Tower Renewal Project, Andalee Adamali of the Council of Agencies Serving South Asians.  The evening was moderated by Jane Farrow the Executive Director of Jane’s Walk and the Centre for City Ecology and a former CBC broadcaster.

Presentations

Gary Wright

• Full presentation may be available on the web??

• The current planning system in the city of Toronto is based on provincial legislation and local bylaws

• Planner’s (planning department) role is to advise (while the politicians (city council) role is to decide

• Planning is a busy area; in 2007 –

  • 407 community meetings attended by staff

  • 15000 people attended

  • 250,000 notices distributed

  • 9000 hours OMB preparation

• Planning often includes development (applications) as well as planning

• Personally he has been involved in neighbourhood issues since 1974 and “believes community involvement makes a difference”

• Legislated participation

  • Complete application

  • Technical review

  • Community meeting

  • Respond to applicant

  • Statutory public meeting – formal

• Official plan directs growth to centres, to mixed use areas and to waterfront ie. away from stable residential areas

• 600-700 planning applicatiosn nrecoved per year – majority are decided by the city

• Secondary plan Studies like Warden Corridor, Mimico

• Future of engagement – increased use of web tools

Lindsay Dale-Harris

• Citizen engagement important to the history of planning in Toronto ie Trefann Court (1966) Jane Jacobs (1968), Stop Spadina (1969-75)

• 140 neighbourhoods identified by the city

• 4 different approaches to understand planning

• A. Need to understand the growth dynamics of the city

Huge growth but Toronto is now smaller percentage of the whole GTA

B. recognise the key issues and identify how planning should address them

C. See growth as positive net benefit

D. recognise the limits of planning process – planning cannot solve all social problems; this is still a free market economy - applications not planning driven

Andalee Adamali

• City motto – diversity our strength

• Poverty increasing – United Way/poverty by postal code

• 3 cities – david hulchanski

• Influences engagement in civic activities

• Social eg Anti-poverty efforts do not look at spatial aspects

• Planning for land use not land user

• Community cannot be engaged when individual members are struggling to survive

• Misconception that planning is neutral – policies do not reflect social equity

• Planning impacts immigrants – jobs, accessibility (transit, recreation and health care) and housing choice

• Need community development/organizing

• Jane’s walk – simple tool to envisage a collective future

Graeme

• Toronto has the second highest level of concrete towers in North America

• How to achieve sustainability?

• Single use zoning prevalent – needs to look at mixed use zoning

• “Food desert” – 13,000 living in 19 towers (flemingdon??)

• No trespassing signs – barriers to trails

• Need open space strategy – permaculture

• Ground source energy

• Need to develop goals, aspirations for apartment n-hoods

Q and A/Discussion - Issues raised

• Blue 22 – Weston –federal initiative

• North Toronto Collegiate Institute – not all agree that it is a success

• “Professional built the titanic; amateur built the arc”

• St Joseph/Bay street – working group process worked well – need clear terms of reference

• What if neighbourhoods do not support the needs of the broader city eg sheltered housing or people with mental illness – what can we do to prevent discrimination

• “AMNO” After Me No-One (jane farrow)

Notes by Geoff Kettel

June 13, 2008