Toronto First Parliament Site | ?m | ?s

Though I would love to re-write American history books (hopeless endeavour), I get a bad feeling that this process is headed to a polite and ignored (by tourists and locals) stale result. Burned by the Yanks and self-burned again.

Might need an iconic/heroic element. Statue of fireman trying to save it, or copy Issac Brock tower from Niagara. Why not.
 

Join Toronto Planing staff for an open house on The First Parliament site, on March 31, 2020 for an update on the current state of the project and to provide your input on the current iteration of the Master Plan.

Please register Opens in new window to give us an idea of attendance/interest. Registration not required to attend.

Date:
March 31, 2020
Doors Open: 5:30 p.m.
Start Time: 6:15 p.m.
End Time: 8:30 p.m.
Location: St Lawrence Market Tent (south east corner of Market Street and The Esplanade)

The First Parliament site is located in downtown Toronto at the intersection of Front and Parliament Streets. It is a full city block, bounded on the west by Berkeley Street and on the south by Parliament Square Park. This area is historically significant, representing the political, social and industrial forces that helped shape the city.

In 2012, the City of Toronto acquired the site to recognize its history and to support the changing needs of the community. The surrounding community has grown in recent years. There is a new population of residents and office workers, and visitors are attracted to the area’s history and historic buildings.

This project examines how the site can best be developed in order to tell important stories from its past and how to best serve the community. For more information about the project, and all the consultation dates, please visit the city website.
 
As per the 2021 Capital Budget submission of the Toronto Public Library (going to the board on October 19th)

St. Lawrence is no longer a funded project.


From the report:

The three projects are City Hall Relocation and Expansion, Danforth/Coxwell Relocation and Expansion, and the construction phase of the St. Lawrence Relocation and Expansion project totalling $0 gross and debt in 2021 and $19.416 million debt ($65.280 million gross) over 2021-2030. All of these projects involve moving an existing branch to another location and involve other city partners
 
Community meeting coming up:

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Public Meeting Invitation
As you know, the City of Toronto is working to celebrate the First Parliament site, an historically significant property at the intersection of Front and Parliament Streets. The site represents the political, social, and industrial forces that helped shape the City of Toronto.

We are writing to invite you to an online Public Meeting on January 21, 2021, from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.

The planning for First Parliament will carry on in the months and years to come. However, the current planning assignment is nearing completion. This assignment included two phases:
  • Phase 1 involved the preparation of a Heritage Interpretation Strategy for the site, which sets out a framework with recommendations for the interpretation of the site’s heritage.
  • Phase 2 involved the development of a Master Plan for the First Parliament site, which includes a long-range Vision for First Parliament, guiding development Principles and a Demonstration Plan.
The conclusions of Phase 2 will be presented at this online Public Meeting. An illustrated presentation will be followed by a live question and answer period. Written comments are welcome and can be provided online between January 21 and February 1.

We hope you will join us on January 21 at 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. — please register online and a secure video link will be shared three days prior to the event. Technical advice and instructions will also be provided to help you connect.
Detailed information about First Parliament can be found at firstparliament.ca.

We hope you and your family are safe and healthy.

Best regards.

—The Project Team
Copyright © 2020 The First Parliament Team (c/o MASS LBP), All rights reserved.
You signed up for this email list on the project landing page or for a past event. NOTICE OF COLLECTION: Your personal information was collected under the legal authority of the City of Toronto Act, S.O. 2006, Chapter 11, Schedule A, s.136 (b) & (c) and the Planning Act, R.S.O. 1990, Chapter P.13. Your personal information will be used for the purpose of communicating opportunities and information about the public engagement process for The First Parliament Project and will not be shared with any other parties or for any other purpose than this work. Questions about this collection can be directed to the project engagement lead, Chris Ellis chris@masslbp.com

Our mailing address is:
The First Parliament Team (c/o MASS LBP)
3a Gilead Place
Toronto, Ontario M5A 3C8
Canada
 
Reminder:

Virtual Public Meeting — First Parliament Project​



The First Parliament site is located in downtown Toronto at the intersection of Front and Parliament Streets. It is a full city block, bounded on the west by Berkeley Street and on the south by Parliament Square Park. This area is historically significant, representing the political, social and industrial forces that helped shape the city.

In 2012, the City of Toronto acquired the site to recognize its history and to support the changing needs of the community. The surrounding community has grown in recent years. There is a new population of residents and office workers, and visitors are attracted to the area’s history and historic buildings.

This project examines how the site can best be developed in order to tell important stories from its past and how to best serve the community.

Please join the online virtual meeting on January 21, 2021 from 7 to 9 p.m. for a community engagement on the development of a Master Plan for the First Parliament site, which includes a long-range Vision for First Parliament, guiding development principles and a demonstration plan.

Please register here and a link to the consultation meeting will be shared three days prior to the event, along with instructions to help you connect.

Click here to learn more about the First Parliament Project.
 
Apparently this meeting has been cancelled as Metrolinx have just announced they are expropriating the site for the Ontario Line. Really!!
Does this mean that we shouldn't expect anything to be built there for 5-10+ years?
 
Does this mean that we shouldn't expect anything to be built there for 5-10+ years?
Considering how transit projects in Toronto drag on and on and on I think we can stop talking about the site for decades. Any heritage value the site has will certainly be lost if it becomes a work site for Metrolinx and I assume that the Toronto Public Library will now look for a new site for the promised District Library. The north west corner of the site (where the car salesroom is) actually belong to the Ontario Heritage Trust and this may cause the government & Metrolinx some problems as their properties have quite strict control - of course, they can just change the law!
 
Apparently this meeting has been cancelled as Metrolinx have just announced they are expropriating the site for the Ontario Line. Really!!
This is obscene if true. The City has been planning and amassing s37 funds for years for heritage commemoration and community facilities on this site. The Province would be going out of their way to obliterate archaeological remains of national significance.
 
I know the First Parliament site has been treated poorly, but it’s shocking to me that it can _still_ be treated so callously. Don’t we respect our history?
 

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