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

W. K. Lis said:
Only the Mayor can just walk into any city department, committee, commission, or city organization. DMW must have thought he was mayor.
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But WT is not a City department, committee, commission or city organization. While not a fan of DMW or his appointment to the WT Board, it's unfortunate it was done, and probably to whoever would have been the City's representative if not DMW.
 
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https://twitter.com/x/status/1070382458175188993

Batten down the hatches...
 
Full Metal Junkie said:
Please don't fix a thing about this, other than maybe the short-circuiting brain of our stable genius premier.
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Like it or not, shid gonna happin. And it might end up suiting your wishes, it might end-up ending others'. If this becomes a case of the Feds going around the Province, then that may be an outcome desired by many. Historically, the Port Lands were a Federal Competence alone.

Unfortunately, I see the Feds pulling back on this, and Waterfront themselves are part of the problem. They've hardly been open and sensible on a lot of aspects, playing to the enraptured bleachers rather than the conscious realists and nature lovers. Just look at their PR for the last decade or so.

Don't get me wrong for a moment, the Mouth of the Don needs immediate dental remediation...for *health* reasons, not for looks. The looks and selling them can come later. But that's not how this has been played, and it's going to come back and bite them.

Just up at the Star:
Board chair doesn’t know how province might ‘fix’ Waterfront Toronto
By FRANCINE KOPUNCity Hall Reporter
Thu., Dec. 6, 2018

The chair of Waterfront Toronto says she doesn’t know what the province has in store for the agency after Ontario Infrastructure Minister Monte McNaughton said, “I’m going to fix it.”
“I can’t speak to what ‘fix it’ means or what the minister is referring to specifically,” Helen Burstyn said Thursday, after the province’s auditor general criticized the agency’s handling of a bid to develop a parcel of Toronto’s waterfront.

Burstyn noted that, of the province’s four seats on the 12-member board, one is now empty and the other three — including hers — are up for renewal in 2019.
The current provincial representatives on the board were appointed by the Liberal government that was toppled by the Progressive Conservatives in June.
The new PC government is now in a position to appoint new representatives to the board, and Premier Doug Ford has repeatedly signalled that he wants to see big changes along the Lake Ontario shoreline, including a redevelopment of Ontario Place.
Burstyn was speaking after a Waterfront Toronto meeting that began with a spat when Councillor Denzil Minnan-Wong (Ward 16-Don Valley East) was denied access to a private session because his term expired Nov. 30.
Minnan-Wong is the only city councillor on the board. He said he had been invited to the meeting, and while he knew that his term expired Nov. 30, he thought he was supposed to continue to represent the city until a successor was chosen by Mayor John Tory.
Minnan-Wong has been critical of the agency, whose federal, provincial and municipal representatives oversee development along the city’s waterfront.
Ian Beverly, general counsel for Waterfront Toronto, said he had a conversation with the city a couple of weeks ago and was told that someone from the city would be appointed in mid-December.
“We make them aware when someone’s tenure is up,” said Beverly.

Minnan-Wong said no one told him not to come to the meeting, even though he was at a Waterfront Toronto meeting a week ago. “They didn’t call my office. They didn’t tell me,” he said.
The councillor has served as city council’s representative on the Waterfront Toronto board for four years. He said he will not seek another term.
A Waterfront Toronto spokesperson later apologized for the confusion.
“We schedule our board meetings months in advance and provide our directors with board materials many days in advance of the meetings so that they can read them and be prepared. In the case of today’s board meeting, (Minnan-Wong) would have received his board materials on Nov. 29 while he was still a director, which may have contributed to the confusion,” said Andrew Tumilty. “Clearly we should have deleted today’s and all subsequent board meetings from his calendar.”
The auditor general said Wednesday that Waterfront Toronto gave preferential treatment to Sidewalk Labs, the sister company to Google, which won the bid to develop an area at Parliament St. and Queens Quay.
Burstyn denied Sidewalk Labs was given preferential treatment, saying the board remains confident that the process was “fair, open and competitive.”
Tumilty pointed out that Waterfront Toronto consulted with 50 companies, including Sidewalk Labs, before launching a request for proposals.
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https://www.thestar.com/news/city_h...ow-province-might-fix-waterfront-toronto.html

It's a shame that the *Board* wasn't 'fixed' a year ago, when the Financial Times, New York Times, Wired and many other pubs of note were raising the alarm. In Toronto, it was virtually John Lorinc in the press alone (with Torontoist also being active until demise) as to the absurd machinations going on behind the scenes at WT.

WT and all the pandering from pic loving politicos all fed into this being an easy target for Lysergic Lysyk to hallucinate about. She's got a handle on some of the actual facts, she has the context wrong.

This is going to get a lot worse before it gets better...

And edit to emphasize:
A Waterfront Toronto spokesperson later apologized for the confusion.
“We schedule our board meetings months in advance and provide our directors with board materials many days in advance of the meetings so that they can read them and be prepared. In the case of today’s board meeting, (Minnan-Wong) would have received his board materials on Nov. 29 while he was still a director, which may have contributed to the confusion,” said Andrew Tumilty. “Clearly we should have deleted today’s and all subsequent board meetings from his calendar.”
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After all the talk of sensitive feelings, foolings, fartings and furtiveness...what a dumb-ass move on WT's part! Talk about helping 'negative agendas'.

I was just reviewing many of the articles the Financial Times had written on this, most of the deeper analyses being from Rana Foroohar, an American investigative journalist now an FT editor, and a scholar of shenanigans by Alphabet, starting with their US history.

But alas, the intelligentsia who get appointed to WT claim to be so well-versed in these matters, and appear to know dick when presented with the background they're ostensibly there to effect.

This is going to get nasty, and not very many will be able to claim innocence. Unawareness, sure, in droves...which gets them off one hook, and on another.
 
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And so it begins:
Province fires three Waterfront Toronto board members after Google deal
By ROB GILLIESThe Associated Press
Fri., Dec. 7, 2018

The chairwoman of a government organization that signed a partnership with a Google affiliated company to create a smart-city development in Toronto said she and two other appointed board members have been fired.
Waterfront Toronto chair Helen Burstyn confirmed Thursday that herself and board members Michael Nobrega and Meric Gertler have been removed from the board. She said Ontario’s minister of infrastructure called her to tell her but didn’t give reasons.

A unit of Google’s parent company Alphabet is proposing to turn a rundown part of the city’s waterfront into what may be the most wired community in history.

Sidewalk Labs has partnered with a government agency known as Waterfront Toronto with plans to erect mid-rise apartments, offices, shops and a school on a 4.9-hectare site — a first step toward what it hopes will eventually be a 325-hectare development.

An audit from Ontario’s auditor general said this week the deal was rushed. It also said there were cost overruns at the government agency on other projects.

Burstyn said she has no regrets about the partnership with the Google affiliate which still requires final approval.
[...]
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https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/20...-toronto-board-members-after-google-deal.html

"Burstyn said she has no regrets about the partnership with the Google affiliate ". You will, when the beans are spilled completely. I guess not everyone's sensors are that sensitive to the necessary input.

The term "oblivious" comes to mind. And she's far from being alone on this.

From the Globe:
Ontario government to fire three Waterfront Toronto directors over Sidewalk Labs partnership

Ontario government to fire three Waterfront Toronto directors over Sidewalk Labs partnership
JOSH O’KANE TECHNOLOGY REPORTER
PUBLISHED DECEMBER 6, 2018
UPDATED 3 HOURS AGO
FOR SUBSCRIBERS

The Ontario government plans to fire the three provincially appointed directors on the board of Waterfront Toronto over frustrations about its governance, including the handling of its proposed smart-city development with Google affiliate Sidewalk Labs.

The firings would mark the first significant public government intervention in a widely criticized partnership with Sidewalk Labs, a subsidiary of Google parent Alphabet Inc. Waterfront Toronto is a development agency representing all three levels of government, each of whom can appoint four board members at a time.

The board members to be fired are chair Helen Burstyn, veteran investment executive Michael Nobrega – who is Waterfront Toronto’s acting chief executive, and University of Toronto president Meric Gertler. They were notified shortly after 9 p.m. Thursday, said a source close to the Ontario cabinet who was briefed on the plan, but was not authorized to speak on the record. Ms. Burstyn confirmed Thursday night that she had received a call from Infrastructure Minister Monte McNaughton that the provincial appointments would be revoked.
[...]
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https://www.theglobeandmail.com/can...fire-three-waterfront-toronto-directors-over/
 
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I'm not convinced that fireworks are imminent. This sounds like PC Doug meddling vs constructive dismissal for incompetence. Keep in mind that DMW ran for Doug's PCs in the last election and lost to a Liberal. Dougie is vindictive.

Also, look at the CV's of the people being fired. Each one would have a depth of experience negotiating complex agreements like the unique plan with Alphabet. Further, this is the first foray for Alphabet into this kind of business. They are trying to create a replicable template for partnership that they will bring to other cities. Screwing WT is not a long term winning proposition.
 
^ The fireworks are already happening. Mass denial of the obvious doesn't make it otherwise.

OPINION
There’s still a long road ahead for Sidewalk Labs' Toronto project

ALEX BOZIKOVICARCHITECTURE CRITIC
PUBLISHED 1 DAY AGO UPDATED DECEMBER 5, 2018

[...]Ms. Lysyk’s concerns are generally well-founded. The arrangement didn’t start out well. At a minimum, Waterfront Toronto, and its then-CEO Will Fleissig, mishandled the deal to plan a sensor-rich urban neighbourhood that would make Toronto a hub for such technology. City and provincial officials were blindsided.
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https://www.theglobeandmail.com/art...-report-shows-theres-a-long-road-still-ahead/

Toronto’s Quayside development has divided Torontonians, the tech community and the government agencies and advisers deciding the project’s fate. Here’s a primer on the story so far

PUBLISHED DECEMBER 7, 2018UPDATED 19 MINUTES AGO
The 21st-century battle over privacy may feel virtual and abstract, but in Toronto it has a very real front line: the city’s waterfront.

On a disused strip of land on Lake Ontario, tech company Sidewalk Labs proposes creating a city of the future, using arrays of sensors to measure residents' movements and learn how to design streets, buildings and transportation to improve their lives in measurable ways. But who gets to control, access and profit from the data? For months, questions like these have divided Torontonians, the tech industry, the government agency deciding the waterfront’s fate and the experts advising that agency, many of whom have quit in protest over the ethical issues at stake. Now, the government of Ontario Premier Doug Ford is intervening, firing three of the provincially appointed directors to the board deciding the project’s future.

Here’s a guide to The Globe and Mail’s coverage of the story so far. Check back here for the latest developments.[...]
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https://www.theglobeandmail.com/can...k-labs-quayside-toronto-waterfront-explainer/
 
steveintoronto said:
Mass denial of the obvious doesn't make it otherwise.
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What's with the hyperbole?

I'm a long Toronto resident who's maintained an active interest in the development of our waterfront. WT has done a great job in creating a structured approach to developing the area in a way that will benefit and be livable for all of us for many, many years. It hasn't always been effective, but what private or public sector initiative with this many deliverables could bat 1000?

The Sidewalk Labs piece surely has its share of controversy. Keep in mind: "The privacy debate has pushed the timetable for Quayside further into 2019, and that’s just the proposal stage".
Again, there was likely no need to fire the board members, in fact, they probably retain the most knowledge on the contract's intent.
 
jaybe said:
What's with the hyperbole?

I'm a long Toronto resident who's maintained an active interest in the development of our waterfront. WT has done a great job in creating a structured approach to developing the area in a way that will benefit and be livable for all of us for many, many years. It hasn't always been effective, but what private or public sector initiative with this many deliverables could bat 1000?

The Sidewalk Labs piece surely has its share of controversy. Keep in mind: "The privacy debate has pushed the timetable for Quayside further into 2019, and that’s just the proposal stage".
Again, there was likely no need to fire the board members, in fact, they likely retain the most knowledge on the contract's intent.
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Firing the directors is not about accountability - it is about theatrics. They would likely have been removed in other times by not renewing their term in more "normal" times with changes in government.

AoD
 
Legislation to gut the Greenbelt has been announced. Can anybody seriously expect Waterfront Toronto to not be adversely affected in some way?
 
Edward Skira said:
Legislation to gut the Greenbelt has been announced. Can anybody seriously expect Waterfront Toronto to not be adversely affected in some way?
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Whether one likes the ostensible outcome(s) or not, the logic as you state is inescapable.

There's a very good chance that WF as we know it will collapse, perhaps not completely, but be hobbled, and the imperative for re-channelling the Don is taken up by a new org. The Feds must see a political opportunity in being front and centre on this.

Oddly, there's been no comment (Edit: YET!) from either the Feds or the City that I can find on the present status of the Waterfront Board.
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://waterfrontoronto.ca/nbe/por...nthome/about-us/who-we-are/board+of+directors

Just doing a quick glance through the "Act"...

Whoa...It's so convoluted and referencing that I can hardly believe what I'm reading. Must run, late, but take a glance at this:
[...]
GENERAL Powers of the City of Toronto 14. (1) The City of Toronto is authorized to make appointments to the board of directors of the Corporation and of any subsidiary of the Corporation. 2002, c. 28, s. 14 (1). Same, asset transfer (2) The City of Toronto is authorized to transfer rights, assets and liabilities to the Corporation or any subsidiary of the Corporation, despite section 82 of the City of Toronto Act, 2006, with the consent of the Corporation. 2006, c. 32, Sched. C, s. 68 (2). Regulations 15. (1) The Lieutenant Governor in Council may make regulations prescribing those matters that are required or permitted by this Act to be prescribed or done by regulation. 2002, c. 28, s. 15 (1). Same (2) The provincial government shall consult with the federal government and city council about any regulation that the Lieutenant Governor in Council proposes to make. 2002, c. 28, s. 15 (2). Review of Act 16. (1) The board of directors of the Corporation shall review this Act and the regulations one year after this Act comes into force. 2002, c. 28, s. 16 (1). Report (2) The board shall prepare a report as expeditiously as possible on its review and, in the report, the board may recommend changes to this Act and the regulations. 2002, c. 28, s. 16 (2). Same (3) The board shall give the report to the federal government, the provincial government and the Clerk of the City of Toronto; the report given to the Clerk is to be addressed to the Mayor and Members of the Council. 2002, c. 28, s. 16 (3). 17. OMITTED (PROVIDES FOR COMING INTO FORCE OF PROVISIONS OF THIS ACT). 2002, c. 28, s. 17. 18. OMITTED (ENACTS SHORT TITLE OF THIS ACT). 2002, c. 28, s. 18.
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https://waterfrontoronto.ca/nbe/wcm...-869c33585103/twrc_act_2002_1.pdf?MOD=AJPERES

Comment later on what this *appears* to state...
 
MetroMan said:
Yup. And our wimp mayor lets him walk all over him. It's embarrassing.
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Don't think so. Remember that Doug Ford dropped out of Humber Collage, because he didn't like the lectures, while John Tory

...received his Bachelor of Arts degree in political science from Trinity College at the University of Toronto in 1975. He received his Bachelor of Laws degree in 1978 from Osgoode Hall Law School of York University. He was called to the bar in Ontario in 1980.[
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From link.

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

From 1972 to 1979, Tory was hired by family friend Ted Rogers as a journalist for Rogers Broadcasting's Toronto radio stations CFTR and CHFI. From 1980 to 1981, and later from 1986 to 1995, Tory held various positions at Tory, Tory, DesLauriers & Binnington including partner, managing partner, and member of the Executive Committee.

From 1981 to 1985, Tory served in the office of the Premier of Ontario, Bill Davis as principal secretary to the Premier and associate secretary of the cabinet. In 1985, Davis retired as premier. Tory joined the office of the Canadian Special Envoy on Acid Rain, as special advisor to the special envoy. The special envoy had been appointed by the federal government of Brian Mulroney to review matters of air quality with a United States counterpart. Tory supported Dianne Cunningham's bid to lead the provincial Progressive Conservative Party in 1990.

Tory later served as tour director and campaign chairman to then Prime Minister Brian Mulroney, and managed the 1993 federal election campaign of Mulroney's successor, Kim Campbell.

From 1995 to 1999, he returned to Rogers Communications Inc., but this time as president and CEO of Rogers Media[11] which had become one of Canada's largest publishing and broadcasting companies. Rogers has interests in radio and television stations, internet, specialty television channels, consumer magazines, trade magazines and, at the time, the Toronto Sun and the Sun newspaper chain.

In 1999, he became president and CEO of Rogers subsidiary Rogers Cable, which he led through a period of transition from a monopoly environment to an open marketplace, overseeing a significant increase in operating income. Tory stepped down after Ted Rogers announced that he would stay on as president and CEO of parent company Rogers Communications. He served as the ninth commissioner of the Canadian Football League from 1996 to 2000.

Tory continued to have an interest in being a broadcaster throughout his life and, as a Rogers executive, hosted a public affairs program on Rogers Cable's community access channel for many years. He sat as a board member of Metro Inc., the Quebec-based parent corporation for Metro and Food Basics grocery stores.
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I'll take the lawyer over the school dropout any day.
 
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