Toronto Lower Don Lands Redevelopment | ?m | ?s | Waterfront Toronto

W. K. Lis said:
Don't think so. Remember that Doug Ford dropped out of Humber Collage, because he didn't like the lectures, while John Tory

From link.

While Doug went to work at his family business after dropping out of school, John



I'll take the lawyer over the school dropout any day.
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None of that changes the fact that John Tory has let Doug walk all over him. Today’s Tory quote: “I’ll take him at his word”. Really? We have a wimp as our mayor.
 
Tangent but still relevant to the Sidewalk/Alphabet/Quayside/'Google imbroglio, The Times of London is reporting in Saturday's paper:
Google workers are at each other’s throats over leaks emerging from the search engine giant, according to a former senior employee.
Jack Poulson, a former research scientist at Google, has described a culture in which the “number one priority” among senior managers is to stop leaks to the media.
Employees at the company’s headquarters near San Jose, California, are encouraged to monitor their colleagues and list on a web page within Google called “Stopleaks” any confidential information that they see externally. Anyone who is caught revealing information to the press is fired.
Tensions between employees over leaks to the press have also resulted in foul-mouthed arguments, Mr Poulson revealed. During a question and answer session at a company-wide meeting, a senior engineer took the microphone to shout “F*** you leakers” at his fellow colleagues.
Mr Poulson, 32, left the company in September over Google’s controversial work on building a censored search engine for China, code-named Project Dragonfly. The product would block certain words such as “human rights” or “student protest”.
He said employees’ concerns about Dragonfly have largely been ignored by management, who are focused on preventing leaks. “The narrative is that leaking is bad and that the number one priority is to prevent any leaks,” said Mr Poulson, who worked for Google for two- and-a-half years, both at the company’s headquarters and its office in Toronto.
[...]
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https://www.thetimes.co.uk/edition/news/search-is-on-for-google-workers-leaking-secrets-9j39cslww

I suspect we'll be reading a few 'confessions' in the Toronto press in the next while...
 
Globe running:
Ottawa and Toronto stand by Waterfront Toronto board

JOSH O’KANETECHNOLOGY REPORTER
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https://www.theglobeandmail.com/can...o-stand-by-waterfront-toronto-board/#comments

Here's the real problem, and it's outside of the Board:
The Quayside project is contingent on a board vote over a not-yet-completed “master innovation and development plan” late next year. If it passes, many parts of it will need approvals from all three levels of government.
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This will be discussed more in the press and I'm sure in these fora, and beside some very opposed views of the City to the Feds (esp on Sidewalk and City Planning) the bottom line will remain Prov funding for the continued Port Lands Project, most specifically the Don Mouth Remediation.

Haven't had time to delve into the Act as linked a few posts back, but have done a cursory check for Fed jurisdiction over the Don. Can't find any under the Navigation Protection Act (the Humber is named in the Act) but the Port of Toronto is named, and here's a recent reference to their being first and foremost under Fed jurisdiction:
Toronto (July 16, 2018)
[...]
In April of this year PortsToronto committed to removing the rubble associated with the dilapidated pier and began work on a design to support the removal in consultation with various agencies and groups including Transport Canada (Navigation Protection Act and Port Authorities Operations Regulations), the Department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada, the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry, the Toronto and Region Conservation Authority and the City of Toronto. PortsToronto also consulted with the Mississaugas of the New Credit First Nation, as part of its outreach with agencies. The design was submitted to Transport Canada and notification was provided that final approval to remove the pier will be issued under the Navigation Protection Act the week of July 16, 2018. PortsToronto is awaiting approval from other agencies and expect to receive these approvals in the coming weeks.

PortsToronto does not own the East Gap Pier, which was built by Public Works (federal government) in the 1890s, but is undertaking the project to ensure a safe and navigable harbour. The entire pier is approximately 165m in length. The intent of the first phase of this project is to remove the most northerly 123m, as the remaining 40 must remain intact so as not to destabilize the north shore of Ward’s Island.
[...]
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https://www.portstoronto.com/portst...to-issues-tender-to-remove-east-gap-pier.aspx

If matters as per the Waterfront and Port can remain 'stable' and 'on course' under the changes to the Waterfront Board, then a 'work-around' won't be necessary. With my earlier cursory glance of the 'Waterfront Act' (exact name eludes me at this time) seemed to offer mechanisms for the City to grant ownership of properties 'up the chain' (ostensibly for the 'good of the cause'). This might even meet the Federal legal term "For the Good of Canada". This *might* allow a 'white knight' arrangement for the City and Feds to circumvent the Province on some matters. The preferable course would remain for the Feds to lay jurisdictional claim to the whole Don remedial process as it pertains to the mouth and matters of navigation.

I suspect the Province will attempt to withhold committed funds for the project, and the federal Liberals see this as a golden opportunity to subvert the Province by their doing so.

Cap and Trade might just be floating down the Don River...

Addendum: This is 'reaching' in terms of jurisdiction under the new and present 'Navigation Protection Act', which in itself is still controversial and open for further revision (thanks to that great steward of the environment, Stephen Harper, choke) and the Don along with many other waterways (like the Speed in Guelph) was removed even though covered under the prior Navigable Waters Protection Act, and here's a reference under the 'old Act' (still pertinent in some legal cases) for the Don River:
Responsible or Regulated Authorities
Transport Canada

Reasons for a Federal Assessment
On May 21, 2004, it was determined that an environmental assessment was required in relation to the project because Transport Canada considered taking action in relation to paragraph 5(1)(a) of the Navigable Waters Protection Act.

Project Description (as posted in the Notice of Commencement)
Although Fisheries and Oceans Canada was delegated the responsibility to conduct this EA, the Minister of Transport is now responsible for the Navigable Waters Protection Act (NWPA) pursuant to Order in Council 2004-0322 dated March 29, 2004.

THE WORKS INVOLVE THE REMOVAL AND REPLACEMENT OF THE EXISTING BRIDGE DECK, SIDEWALKS, APPROACH SLABS, THE EXISTING ASPHALT SURFACE, ASSOCIATED WATERPROOFING, THE EXISTING DECK DRAINS, AND THE EXISTING LIGHTING POLES. THE WORK ALSO INVOLVES PATCH REPAIRS AT THE PIERS AND ABUTMENTS, INCLUDING PIER CAPS, THE RELOCATION OF EXISTING TORONTO HYDRO PLANT AND THE REMOVAL OF EXISTING MAINTENANCE HOLES. The Navigable Waters Protection scope of the project is defined as the construction and maintenance of the Leaside Bridge crossing over the Don River, along with any related works, accesses, storage areas or other undertakings directly associated with this project.

Final Decision
The environmental assessment was terminated on June 1, 2004 because a decision had been made to not exercise any power or perform any duty or function referred to in section 5 of the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act in relation to the project.
[...]
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https://www.ceaa-acee.gc.ca/052/details-eng.cfm?pid=3192

In itself, this case means little. In terms of lingering jurisdiction, however, it could mean a lot.

Here's something bright and cheery to consider: Ford is swimming into a whirlpool, and the more he thrashes, as he's so apt to doing, the faster he'll sink.

It will cost the Feds to go around QP. But it may pay off in spades...literally. The Feds would have to focus on the Don Mouth Remediation though, and that's fine by me. Necessity dictates that. The circus is for others.
 
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MetroMan said:
None of that changes the fact that John Tory has let Doug walk all over him. Today’s Tory quote: “I’ll take him at his word”. Really? We have a wimp as our mayor.
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What's happening in Toronto & Ontario is quite frustrating to be frank.

First the take over the TTC, now the take over the Waterfront, the suppression of the Greenbelt, the close of the Environmental Commission office, hundred of millions of dollars in gift to the dirty industries, and so on. Frankly this is crazy.

How was it even possible that person could had been elected?

Concerning John Tory I think too he's ok (not my first choice either), but he's hardly saying/doing anything about what Ford is doing to Toronto.
 
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DTC said:
now the take over the Waterfront
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There's no "takeover" of Waterfront, it's a tri-level government agency to which each level of gov (muni, prov, fed) elects four members:
The three orders of government each appoint four representatives to our Board of Directors. The Board helps ensure that our revitalization mandate is delivered in an accountable, transparent manner.

Our current Board is made up of 12 members and a Chair who have a wide range of expertise that encompasses areas such as law, residential and commercial real estate, accounting and tax, investment and finance, environmental management, not-for-profit and public-sector organizations, public companies, entrepreneurship, urban planning and information technology.

The Toronto Waterfront Revitalization Corporation Act, 2002 sets out the authorities and accountabilities of the corporation. By-Law No. 1, being the general by-law of the Corporation which governs Board activities.
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https://www.waterfrontoronto.ca/nbe...nthome/about-us/who-we-are/board+of+directors

Ottawa and Toronto stand by Waterfront Toronto board
https://www.theglobeandmail.com/can...nd-toronto-stand-by-waterfront-toronto-board/

What has happened is that the Province has fired the three remaining members the previous regime appointed (one had already quit in protest of present decisions) and will ostensibly replace them with four 'more of their liking'.

The Board representation in itself is not where most of the change could/would occur. That will be in the Province refusing to finance or agree to major issues put to the Board.
 
DTC said:
What's happening in Toronto & Ontario is quite frustrating to be frank.

First the take over the TTC, now the take over the Waterfront, the suppression of the Greenbelt, the close of the Environmental Commission office, hundred of millions of dollars in gift to the dirty industries, and so on. Frankly this is crazy.

How was it even possible that person could had been elected?

Concerning John Tory I think too he's ok (not my first choice either), but he's hardly saying/doing anything about what Ford is doing to Toronto.
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We could have had the people's guarantee....
 
Latest from WT:

Port Lands Flood Protection Construction Update
c34bf0b0-bf5d-4bc9-96d9-73cea60ea92c.jpg

Excavation of existing, unused underground infrastructure near Cherry and Commissioners Streets.

Construction crews continue demolition near the intersection of Commissioners and Cherry Streets, removing unused underground piping, parking lot surfaces and concrete stockpile. Topsoil is being removed and stockpiled, and swales (ditches) are being excavated to help manage surface water at the construction site. Environmental and geotechnical drilling continues at multiple locations in the Port Lands. These environmental surveys help us assess the condition of soil and groundwater, which informs our design and construction approach. Excavation on the new river is scheduled to begin in early January.

Crews are also making steady progress at the Cherry Street Lakefilling construction site, where some 20,000 truckloads of locally-sourced clean fill is being placed around Essroc Quay to form the northwest corner of the future Villiers Island. While the new shoreline takes shape, dock wall construction in the Keating Channel is now complete.
 
Also, not sure where to put this one. It's right at the the silos next to the Parliament basin. It seems to be too far west for any Cherry St. realignment work.
Is this related to the 3C development?

Is this not the site of the temporary City shelter?
 
DTC said:
How was it even possible that person could had been elected?
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Serious question? Libs pissed way too many people off. Not at all surprising that the voting public went with someone who was the complete opposite of Wynne. I was a longtime lib voter but not this time.
 
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