October 26th, 2021
[email protected] To: City of Toronto Executive Committee Re: Ex 27.9 First Parliament Master Plan Dear Members of the Executive Committee, At the October 27th meeting, the Master Plan for the First Parliament Site will be considered for approval. This plan represents the culmination of many years of community consultation and collaboration with City planners and is a vital document to guide the detailed planning that will emerge from the consultations with Infrastructure Ontario and Metrolinx. Over the decades, the community surrounding the First Parliament Site has grown from an industrial backwater to a vibrant and diverse neighbourhood, a neighbourhood that now lacks elemental features to ensure adequate green space and services to residents. It is a hard fact that, once land is committed to development, it is often too late to redress these shortcomings in a meaningful way. That’s why the adopting guidelines within the Master Plan are so important – to ensure that those elements deemed critical by the residents are respected and addressed in a clear and forthright manner. FoSTRA, which encompasses 5 wards and 24 residents associations in southern Toronto, supports the First Parliament Site Master Plan and urges the Executive Committee to adopt it as written. Sincerely yours, Rick Green Chair October 26th, 2021
[email protected] To: City of Toronto Executive Committee, EX:27.8 The First Parliament Site and Expropriation of City-Owned Lands by Metrolinx for Transit Purposes. Dear Members of the Executive Committee, At the October 27th meeting, a motion regarding the Provincial expropriation of the lands involved in the development of the Corktown will be tabled for approval. The community has been involved in consultations with the City since the mid-1990’s, through the various land swap arrangements to ensure the critical Master Plan elements are incorporated in the overall development of the site which include:
Compensation for this expropriation needs to be transparently set aside, with a clear strategy to ensure the realization of the above elements are achieved and not channeled into the Land Acquisition Reserve Fund or any other amorphous financial vehicle. The City must recognize this is a unique and encumbered site and FoSTRA therefore supports the distinct earmarking of funds received from the Province for the expropriation, for the purposes of fully delivering the community elements and preserving the intentions of the Master Plan. We also urge the City to continue to consult and support the recommendations of key resident stakeholders such as SLNA, GWNA, CRA and WDLC as this project unfolds. FoSTRA encompasses 24 residents’ associations in 5 wards in southern Toronto. Sincerely yours, Rick Green Chair September 27th, 2021
To: The Mayor and Members of the Toronto City Council, for the 1 October 2021 City Council Meeting [email protected] RE: Committee/Staff Report PH25.10 – Multi-Tenant Housing Review by the Planning and Housing Committee, 28 June 2021 The Federation of South Toronto Residents’ Associations (FoSTRA) supports the initiative to expand Multi-Tenant Housing (MTH) in Toronto in order to provide affordable housing options. In a city that is so expensive to live in, it is important to ensure options are made available to those on lower incomes. If Council approves the recommendations of the Committee at this Council Meeting, it is vital that the City, in an urgent and substantive fashion, address the concerns raised by FoSTRA and others during the community consultation process, specifically:
Dear Mayor Tory,
Extended construction hours have been a source of stress for Torontonians since the provincial government enacted Ontario Regulation 130/20 under the City of Toronto Act, 2006 and Ontario Regulation 131/20 under the Municipal Act in April of 2020. |