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Downsview Park 1st Annual Public Meeting

I

interchange42

Guest
Downsview Park is holding it's first annual public meeting on

7pm, Monday, February 20, 2006 at
The Discovery Centre
1-35 Carl Hall Rd., Downsview Park
R.S.V.P. 416.952.0444 or info@pdp.ca

========================

I won't be able to go, as John Sewell will be lecturing me that night, but it would be great if some other UTers could go and report back...

42
 
If you can't attend in person, there will be a live webcast of the meeting. What a great way to reach out to the community! I've never seen that done before.

www.pdp.ca

Louroz
 
News release from PDP:

After a decade of intense design work, Canada Lands Company, ParcDownsviewPark and our group of internationally renowed experts have decided to take a holistic, natural approach to this world class development, by allowing the site go fallow and encourage ecological succession to take place. When applied to Canada's first urban park, the unique, cost-effective solution will provide ample opportunities for educators around the country to study the natural regeneration of brownfield sites as a century long process, as well as teaching younger generations the importance of frugality for years to come.

To further our committment towards the educational and research component of ParcDownsviewPark, a joint NRC-Canadian Wildlife Services research centre will be built in Qikiqtarjuag, Nunavut, focusing on the mating habits of raccoons in an urban setting. The Centre of Excellence in Procyon lotor Reproduction will be funded solely through proceedings from the divestment of property, no more than 90% of the site.

Tony Gecko, spokesperson for PDP said, "Criticisms for the long gestation period notwithstanding, the great treed areas of Central Park did not appear overnight. Nevertheless, the citizens of Toronto are already beginning to enjoy the changes at the site. The Park hosted great retail outlets like Costo and Home Depot, and we are actively negotiating with the Rechimann Brothers to bring TechnoDome II to Parc Downsview Park."

CLC Downsview is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Canada Lands Company, a commercial Crown Corporation. This Corporation, which reports to the Hon. Alfonso Gagliano, Minister of Public Works and Government Services, specializes in value creation and community enhancement. The CLCD subsidiary of Canada Lands Company is managed by a twelve-member Board of Directors.

AoD
 
Come on AoD - I'm daring you to go up that meeting! You could put "Gecko" on the spot and get him to refute your version of the events!

Just do it....

42
 
interchange:

Oh gawd, I had a run-in via emails with T. Gecko years ago in the really early days of this forum; an information request became a lesson in bureaucratic obfuscation. That, coupled with the redesign, 10th announcement to the start of the project, etc lead me not to bother.

AoD
 
"After a decade of intense design work ha! They had this designed the first time 10 years ago and they never acted on it. They have not spent the rest of the time doing "intense design work" Canada Lands Company, ParcDownsviewPark and our group of internationally renowed experts have decided to take a holistic, natural approach to this world class development, by allowing the site go fallow (it has been fallow for the last 10 years! In other words, they are going to do nothing for the next 10 years instead of actually designing and building a park that can be used by the people of this city. Somebody should ask them if leaving parked cars on the site as part of a car dealership is part of allowing the site to go fallow. The only thing that has gone fallow is the motivation and money for this park. Shame!)."
 
When I first read the notice I thought it was a joke. We've have decided to take a holistic, natural approach to this world class development, by allowing the site go fallow. Hilarious.
 
alklay, Ed:

It is a joke, though parts of it may bear unintended resemblence to reality.

AoD
 
Seriously, what the hell is wrong with the development of this park? As much as I love to poke fun at the ineptitude of anything associated with the federal former Liberal government, this is beyond the pale.

And what is up with the residential development being planned for portions of the site - based on the drawings, they look like generic low-density tract housing. If this thing is going to work, the board needs to start talking to the city planners pronto. I mean really, how does it help anyone to build a park if nobody lives nearby to use it?
 
In some respects I'm actually glad they took their bloody time to put a plan into place on this project.

If we had rushed things under Mel Lastman we would have had some giant ugly monster called Techno Dome on the site already.

If the park would have been developed, from what I understand large scale events such World Youth Day 2002 and Sarstock 2003 would not have been possible on the site.

I believe because of those events, the site is now set in the minds of many residents in the GTA and once the park is developed will they return to visit.

I have also taken noticed Downviews Park has worked very hard to develop close working relationships with the surrounding communities. Several large successful annual events now take place in the park. Also the indoor sports court are well used.

As annouced late in the fall of 2005, work has begun on the first phase already. So work is finally starting to move along.

Louroz
 
I have also taken noticed Downviews Park has worked very hard to develop close working relationships with the surrounding communities. Several large successful annual events now take place in the park. Also the indoor sports court are well used.

Oh yeah, the flea market, chrysler surplus parking, costco and optimistic announcements are really going over well in the neighbourhood. They would hate the responsibility of having any of their decisions incorporated in government plans. Since the residents can't vote the board out, there's really no incentive for this board to do more tha have a couple of officials listen to the angry crowd and take notes. They've met their public consultation requirement.
 
FutureMayor,

I agree. There could have been any one of a number of pointless, silly or regrettable projects that could have popped up far too quickly on that sight. Ten years is a long time, but at least there is no bankrupt monster, or yet another bland subdivision.
 
green22,

I was referring to events such as Canada Day (which is the largest event in the GTA), Fall Festival, Winter Festival, Springfest and Earth Day celebrations. I've been to a few and they are well run and attended by the surrounding the community and residents from across the GTA.

I was giving them top marks for steadily building a base of visitors and supporters through annual programmed events over the years.

www.pdp.ca/Special_Events.429.0.html

Downsview Park has also built a succesful school program bringing thousands of school children to discover the site:

www.pdp.ca/School_Programs.430.0.html

Finally, I've done a number of events inside the "Hanger"


The Hangar Sports Complex is one of the best-known destinations at Downsview Park. A year-round roster of activities at the Hangar helps to attract more than 400,000 people per year to Downsview Park. The building is also well on its way to becoming a world-class Action Sports Complex—a key feature in Downsview Park's economically, environmentally and socially sustainable community

www.pdp.ca/The_Hangar.396.0.html

I guess the point I'm trying to make, is that the Downsview Park staff hasn't been sitting around on it's ass for the last 7 years.

Given how slowly government works, this project isn't doing to badly compared to others.

Louroz
 
Downsview park has the same 'advantages' another government owned site has, lots of empty unused hard surfaces and cavernous auto-oriented structures in close proximity to a large market.
Enough flattery, I am currently reviewing Exhibition Place's governance structure, finance etc. As a CNE board member I was wondering if you could recommend a person to speak with who has the lowdown on the operation and will be somewhat frank (not the rosy projections of Joe Pantelone or Sylvia Watson of course). I've found the information available in Ex reports/documents on the web to be somewhat lacking in details.
 
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