Allan Gardens Revitalization Plan

[Towered]

This topic came up in conversation with a friend of mine, to which he stated: "I'm glad it's the downtown parks that are getting overrun - that's what the people down there deserve for continuously voting for left wing politicians!"

 

[taal]

This topic came up in conversation with a friend of mine, to which he stated: "I'm glad it's the downtown parks that are getting overrun - that's what the people down there deserve for continuously voting for left wing politicians!"

This really doesn't make a whole lot of sense, were Tory or Ford left leaning ? Arguably their actions didn't do anything to help the situation. By far and large downtown Toronto will carry the largest burden in the GTA - to the point that I think the rest of the GTA should par take in the solution in one form or another. Of course their downtown ! By far and large most of the services they can potentially use are there, not in North York, not in Markham or Newmarket ...

 

[Admiral Beez]

This really doesn't make a whole lot of sense, were Tory or Ford left leaning ?

No, but our local councillor was. Even today, the new councillor Moist (sp?) is of no help. What we need is to break up and force out the squatters and then close the park every night at dusk, just like NYC’s Central Park and most large parks in downtown London, UK.

 

[Admiral Beez]

Looks like the junkies have taken hold of the playground.

Am I the only one that thought the fentanyl-laced drug supply might eliminate this issue through exits exceeding the replacement rate?

One Way to End the Opioid Epidemic. Let Them Die

Three overdoses and you're out, suggests a Middletown, Ohio, city councilman.

www.newsweek.com

 

[Admiral Beez]

This topic came up in conversation with a friend of mine, to which he stated: "I'm glad it's the downtown parks that are getting overrun - that's what the people down there deserve for continuously voting for left wing politicians!"

Your post has got me thinking.

That we in downtown east have surrendered our local park to keep our gardens and alleyways clear. I wonder if like in the Fletcher Memorial Home, our homeless, EDPs, addicts and squatters realize they've been sequestered away as part of a harm reduction strategy.

That's probably part of the city's logic. Surrender a downtown park, surround it with soup kitchens, city services, and charities, throw in some symbolic indigenous nods, provide tents and toilets, make it so appealing that no one who's homeless would want to go elsewhere. The rest of the city benefits while Allan Gardens suffers - perhaps by design.

 

[Northern Light]

In a report to next week's General Gov't Ctte, we see the City needs to spend an extra ~1M on the Palm House restoration, because no one foresaw that there would be lead paint on the structure..........

https://www.toronto.ca/legdocs/mmis/2023/gg/bgrd/backgroundfile-239372.pdf

Seriously? Lead paint was the norm in the first 1/2 of the 20thC and your restoring a heritage structure and you didn't think the paint would be lead and you didn't have it tested..........

 

[just east of the creek]

In a report to next week's General Gov't Ctte, we see the City needs to spend an extra ~1M on the Palm House restoration, because no one foresaw that there would be led paint on the structure..........

https://www.toronto.ca/legdocs/mmis/2023/gg/bgrd/backgroundfile-239372.pdf

Seriously? Led paint was the norm in the first 1/2 of the 20thC and your restoring a heritage structure and you didn't think the paint would be led and you didn't have it tested..........

Not trying to be a smart ass, but ’led’ paint?

 

[Northern Light]

Not trying to be a smart ass, but ’led’ paint?

More coffee required........

Fixed.

 

[egotrippin]

Alright so the City is broke and the refrain is often more taxes, but I've always said I'd like to see govt's spend their (our) money more effectively before raising taxes. Is $1M reasonable for lead paint removal? I'm open to being wrong but that figure seems astronomical, which is not uncommon when I see gov't expenditures.

How about this, I'll do it for $100k, the City can keep the change.

 

[just east of the creek]

Alright so the City is broke and the refrain is often more taxes, but I've always said I'd like to see govt's spend their (our) money more effectively before raising taxes. Is $1M reasonable for lead paint removal? I'm open to being wrong but that figure seems astronomical, which is not uncommon when I see gov't expenditures.

How about this, I'll do it for $100k, the City can keep the change.

The level of basic workplace health and safety, plus the handling of hazardous materials on surfaces, ground and air, must be a large % of this bill. And one the city would be well crucified for in skimping on.

 

[Northern Light]

Alright so the City is broke and the refrain is often more taxes, but I've always said I'd like to see govt's spend their (our) money more effectively before raising taxes. Is $1M reasonable for lead paint removal? I'm open to being wrong but that figure seems astronomical, which is not uncommon when I see gov't expenditures.

How about this, I'll do it for $100k, the City can keep the change.

The level of basic workplace health and safety, plus the handling of hazardous materials on surfaces, ground and air, must be a large % of this bill. And one the city would be well crucified for in skimping on.

With the provisos that this is not my field and I haven't priced such for a commercial job; the high-end estimates I can find online are in the range of $20CAD per ft2.

That certainly could not get you to 1M for Palm House and probably not 1/2 way there either.

Though, removing it from cast Iron is likely not the most common request out there. (which is what I'm assuming is the case here)

 

[egotrippin]

No doubt the cast iron and general intricacy of the structure comes into play, but based on some cursory research into lead paint removal costs I was coming to a similar conclusion and falling far short of $1M. Either way, if it's done right and the money is justified I have no issues, I'm just sometimes hit with a case of sticker shock when I see these quotes.

 

[taal]

I find people often have this notion of "I can do it cheaper individually" a mindset likely stemming from their experience working on their own house. They fail to appreciate all the nuances at play when a commercial entity is involved - insurance, legal, unions, regulations, permits, ... the list goes on. I see this all the time on condo boards as well.

Just to be clear I'm not justifying the 1 million, very unclear how reasonable or unreasonable that may be, but making a more generic statement.

 

[jozl]

Maybe the downtown councillors should pull a Ron DeSantis and offer all squatters free cab rides to North York. Could even throw in a couple hundred dollars. I’m not a fan of DeSantis but his stunt did get lots of attention.

 

[Admiral Beez]

Maybe the downtown councillors should pull a Ron DeSantis and offer all squatters free cab rides to North York. Could even throw in a couple hundred dollars. I’m not a fan of DeSantis but his stunt did get lots of attention.

I always feel that really cold Canadian winters are the annual shaking of the city's proverbial Etch A Sketch, with the weather clearing the parks of all but the hardiest vagrants, the storefronts of its beggars and the beaches of tourists and visiting surbanites. When I walk along the boardwalk with the dog in the Queen St. East Beaches area in February I look around at the barren, frozen landscape and think, the city is getting its reset.

This is my favourite time to visit Allan Garden and the Beaches area.