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Ont Gov't building at 880 Bay, at Grosvenor St (ORC, 44s?, WZMH)

SP!RE said:
880bay4.jpg
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Anyone remember this?

gathering6.jpg
 
I'd say this one is a winner. [1] The building is a bit "clunky" but overall it is elegant and modern. [2] More trees and green-space to pretty up Bay. [3] Added height and density to the area. [4] Finally some (albeit hand-me-down) public art.
 
To answer my own question it should be Davis. You can't skip over him to go to Harris and no other leader in the last thirty years is historically significant. Still you have to think that some bureaucrat would find it deliciously ironic to name a huge expansion of government office space at Queen's Park after the man who worked so hard to shrink the bureaucracy.
 
Brother, such a big development. The Ontario Ministries of Love, Plenty, Truth and Peace ought to all fit in there.
 
interchange42 said:
It certainly won't be the Miller block for his short-lived successor. If the Liberals continue is power in Ontario, Davis's chances are a little less, but which partizan would they name it after? Not Peterson, who left the post under such a cloud. The Harris suggestion is quite a good laugh though: has anything been named after him in this province? Common sense says 'no'.
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What, no Rae Block?

I think that Davis Block would be a good choice.
 
The Ministry of the Environment was recently split up a bit in terms of office space in Toronto. Minister Gerretsen's office is in a rather swanky and upgraded spaced within the Ferguson Block (77 Wellesley St West). But it would certainly make sense to consolidate offices that have spread out amongst different buildings.

This is a far different approach then what John Tory proposed in the 2007 election campaign (he suggested moving 10% of the bureaucracy outside of Toronto to generate provincial jobs in smaller communities).
 
There were several big moves of ministries to smaller local communities during the 1990's. The Office of the Registrar General went to Thunder Bay, and big new buildings were built in Peterborough and Guelph for MNR and OMAFRA (though I think some of those jobs existed there already). There are a lot of jobs in Kingston, though I'm not sure how long they are there. In theory, I have no problem with bureaucratic jobs moving to smaller communities (especially fairly desperate places like TBay). The problem is that the public pays a lot of money to deliver bureaucrats to various locations around the province. I was in Thunder Bay last week, for example, so it's paying for air fare, hotels, meals, etc. and once things are geographically dispersed, some of those costs are inevitable.

I think they were building a huge MTO complex in St. Catharines, but then they declined to move most of the workers there. Maybe Downsview was depressed enough?
 
And on behalf of a Liberal government naming it after Davis: remember that the Hepburn Block was built under a Tory regime...
 
I'd hope they'd name it after a former premier who deserves it rather than being all partisan about it.
 
It would actually be politically savvy for a Liberal government to name a building full of bureaucrats after a well-remembered Red Tory leader, especially now that Harris Tories have regained control of their party.
 
interchange42 said:
Good question. Are there any buildings around Queens Park named after William B.? None that I am aware of, and certainly Daivs's longevity in the position bodes well for future consideration. It certainly won't be the Miller block for his short-lived successor. If the Liberals continue is power in Ontario, Davis's chances are a little less, but which partizan would they name it after? Not Peterson, who left the post under such a cloud. The Harris suggestion is quite a good laugh though: has anything been named after him in this province? Common sense says 'no'.
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I think everybody is forgetting about Robarts? Davis or Robarts are obvious choices. Peterson will be in a few more years.
 
You're right; there *isn't* a provincial "Robarts block". (I guess it's all blurred in our heads by the overwhelming spectre of Robarts library...)
 
Robarts is a legend and is well-deserving of a dedicated block. Might have been the best premier during healthy economic times that we ever had.
 
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