Dear old Scarborough gets its lumps yet again and deservedly so. And once again the City of Toronto planning department for ever the bride's maid and never the bride has been led down the merry garden path on the faint hopes that it can get some stupid commercial marketing company with a modicum of intelligence to revive a long dead property on the top of the Scarborough Bluffs far off in some long forgotton burb of old Scarborough.
"Oh - my - God" is head yet again ... loud and clear "What shall we do" as those in the downtown Toronto planing department who know absolutely nothing about marketing any property anywhere in Toronto let alone dear old "Scarberia". As if anyone ever really suspected that they put any real effort into it. After all, they can't even see it from their office tower, so who really cares? The Guildwood Inn fiasco remains as part of a long list of other municiple projects that exemplify the sheer stupidity of GTA planners, the economic development department staff and their so-called consultant pals who regularly feed off the culpability of what passes for civil servants. And servants they are.
"Guild Inn revitalization plan shelved" the papers yell. Little do they and everyone else know that the plan never left the dusty shelf in the first place. The more than aptly named company "Windmill Developments" headed no doubt by the great "Don" himself tilted at the concept of "the viability" of the Inn with a well "seasoned hospitality proposal" of making the Inn a boutique Inn by removing the earlier over-ambitious expansion of this moribund property. The whole project was based on full occupancy ... get serious folks ... that has never happened and will never happen. For the poor old Guid it makes a much sense as a long stroll on a short property late at night. Someone is bound to get that sinking feeling real quick and be let down in a big way. In this case the Bluffs are also aptly named for the fools who linger there.
The local Councilor says this is "a huge blow". For a politician that is easy for him to say. The local self appointed historian says the "withdrawl of Windmill is bad news".... Tilt!
The City of Toronto has seen its historical board [long considered a nuisance to builders of all stripes] go with the same wind ... left on its own the Guildwood Inn will simply implode and those who "think they can do something" will simply do what they always do and that is to wring their hands and say "oh my", and "we tried so hard". More tilting.
There is no developer stupid enough to bite on this property, there isn't one coming and there is no developer with the money "required" to essentially rebuild this property which was finished 20 years ago. Its simply not going to happen.
Like so many projects and proposals along the Toronto waterfront they are dreamed up by civil servants who can't get a real job in the outside world and politicians from the same cut of cloth that are so thin between the ears its ridiculous to think that any of the crap they come up with will ever get off the ground or off the shelf for that matter as well.
Its been one dumb ass project after another that gets the printed medias attention, so enjoy the "huge blow" as I am more than sure the economic department, local Councilors and the like are already dusting off another old project to run it past those in the burbs yet again.
Talking about "dumb and dumber" the Toronto Waterfront Revitalization Corp has announce another design charette winner for the "downtown waterfront core". Hurray! Now the winner has been informed that there never was any money to do what they proposed anyway for the Don Watershed. And there never will be, not now, not then, and certainly not in the future either.
Oh hum what shall we do, what shall be done ..... nothing in the last 60 years and with that as any indicator, other than the City selling off all the private lands to highrise condo builders for the filthy lucre of municiple revenues, nothing but plenty of waterfront views down ally ways and over garbage cans for the next 60 years.
Yes, let the children plant trees by the hundreds on Arbor Day and let the City come back later and cut them down by the thousands on Robber Day. Yes, let the doppy cicitzens urge waterfront projects by the hundreds and let the city ignore them because their staff didn't think of them in the first place and continue to approve highrise condos by the thousands.
So there you have it, tear down the Guild Inn, cut down the trees and sell the land to a private builder for yet again another highrise condominium .... as if that wasn't the plan in the first place.
Any how that's how I see it.
Thursday, May 3, 2007
Sunday, April 15, 2007
Toronto Waterfront - Port Union
Under the topic of "Here we go again" Miller's pronouncement of greater tree coverage to enhance the canopy over Toronto has not been translating very well, in light of the removal of 1200 trees from just one site within Scarborough/Agincourt. Under the same heading comes the concept of just exactly what is the "common good" that some of these out of touch Councilors are referring to in their responses. The "common good" was never proven to the community in the case of the 1200 trees and why not. 1200 trees is also the equivalent of cutting down the stand of trees at Macklin Woods [1803 to 1978] at the corner of Brimley and Sheppard now Brimley Woods.
This is how the NANCY-GRIFFON Foundation, a community driven Foundation, responds to this type of nonsense. Since 1976 and with the approval of the City of Scarborough/Agincourt and the Federal Government we have supported the return of the lands at old Port Union. But it wasn't until the removal of the local Councilor that this project got under way. And what a beautiful amenity it is turning out to be even only with the completion of Phase Three, that being the restored land and park from just west of Chesterton Shores to just east of the mouth of Highland Creek. You can now go and see for yourself. Like before, it is absolutely gorgeous. Nothing proves a point like a huge chunk of reality. Phase Four is next and that is the re-creation of the sailing harbour that we had from the last glacial age to 1877.
One of the 1001 features of this project for the regeneration of the old lands at Port Union is trees, lots and lots of Carolinian trees. If you the reader has experienced the loss of trees in your neighbourhood and in all likelihood with more to come, perhaps this will ease the pain and we ask for your support for lots and lots of trees at the regeneration site of old Port Union. This is also our waterfront. This is your waterfront. This is everybody's waterfront. And for generations to come.
During the week of April 23 we the Foundation, along with the City will be selecting a suitable site for three very special trees to honour three very special people from our community. They were the first three supporters of this project known as the King's Harbour Concept [for the regeneration of the lands at Port Union] and they were Mayor Gus Harris, Mr. Bruce Fleury, Scarborough/Agincourt Parks Commissioner and Mr. Robert Bundy Metro Toronto Parks Commissioner. Without these three men, this project would never have happened. It was these three men who introduced the concept to Mr. Bill MacLean Commissioner of the Toronto Regional Conservation Authority who had never before considered it. If you see the site now, it is most certainly supported by the TRCA now!
The three trees of the Carolinian species to be selected by the City of Toronto will be planted during the week of May the 19th and I invite you, the readers to join with the Foundation on the weekend of May 26, 2007 to visit the site and to honour our new trees and to honour these three men, oaks of the forest, in the full restoration of the old lands of Port Union and to support Phase Four, the two moles to re-create the old sailing basin of old Port Union. And most certainly, many more trees.
We thank you. Please visit our web site at http://ca.geocities.com/kingsharbour@rogers.com
This is how the NANCY-GRIFFON Foundation, a community driven Foundation, responds to this type of nonsense. Since 1976 and with the approval of the City of Scarborough/Agincourt and the Federal Government we have supported the return of the lands at old Port Union. But it wasn't until the removal of the local Councilor that this project got under way. And what a beautiful amenity it is turning out to be even only with the completion of Phase Three, that being the restored land and park from just west of Chesterton Shores to just east of the mouth of Highland Creek. You can now go and see for yourself. Like before, it is absolutely gorgeous. Nothing proves a point like a huge chunk of reality. Phase Four is next and that is the re-creation of the sailing harbour that we had from the last glacial age to 1877.
One of the 1001 features of this project for the regeneration of the old lands at Port Union is trees, lots and lots of Carolinian trees. If you the reader has experienced the loss of trees in your neighbourhood and in all likelihood with more to come, perhaps this will ease the pain and we ask for your support for lots and lots of trees at the regeneration site of old Port Union. This is also our waterfront. This is your waterfront. This is everybody's waterfront. And for generations to come.
During the week of April 23 we the Foundation, along with the City will be selecting a suitable site for three very special trees to honour three very special people from our community. They were the first three supporters of this project known as the King's Harbour Concept [for the regeneration of the lands at Port Union] and they were Mayor Gus Harris, Mr. Bruce Fleury, Scarborough/Agincourt Parks Commissioner and Mr. Robert Bundy Metro Toronto Parks Commissioner. Without these three men, this project would never have happened. It was these three men who introduced the concept to Mr. Bill MacLean Commissioner of the Toronto Regional Conservation Authority who had never before considered it. If you see the site now, it is most certainly supported by the TRCA now!
The three trees of the Carolinian species to be selected by the City of Toronto will be planted during the week of May the 19th and I invite you, the readers to join with the Foundation on the weekend of May 26, 2007 to visit the site and to honour our new trees and to honour these three men, oaks of the forest, in the full restoration of the old lands of Port Union and to support Phase Four, the two moles to re-create the old sailing basin of old Port Union. And most certainly, many more trees.
We thank you. Please visit our web site at http://ca.geocities.com/kingsharbour@rogers.com
Friday, April 13, 2007
Toronto Waterfront - Port Union
PORT UNION WATERFRONT
The King's Harbour Marine Park concept has long since [since 1976] proposed that the olde village of Port Union [1832-1877] be restored as a public amenity with the use of public funding. Concept was endorsed by Mayor Gus Harris and all Mayors and Premiers since then along with the related Parks Commissioners. This concept was introduced to the then Chairman of the Toronto Regional Conservation Authority [TRCA] Mr. Bill MacLean by the Mayor in 1976 who had never seen it before and who have been supporters ever since. The fact that it had never been seen before was re-confirmed again by Chairman David Crombie of the Toronto Waterfront Regeneration Trust who called the King's Harbour Marine Park proposal "a marvellous new amenity never seen before in waterfront planning" in his final report to the region in 1982 six years later.
With the completion of Phase One [purhase of private lands around Port Union] Phase Two [building of the three bridges to the site] and Phase Three [the land fill from Chesterton Shores to Highland Creek] we are now looking at Phase Four [the completion of the east and west moles to enclose the sailing harbour to replace the old one and the re-opening of the Adams Creek to create a water flow into the harbour.
Our only problem at the moment is the "Toronto" Waterfront Revitalization Corp whose mandate does not include Scarborough/Agincourt other than the less than ½ of 1% of their $17 billion budget split between Scarborough and Etobicoke even though 45% of their budget comes from taxpayer funding from those areas outside of downtown Toronto.
So to the people of Scarborough/Agincourt we ask that you stand up for the City and support your own waterfront with your donations and ensure that your Councilors are directed by you to do so. Please visit our site at http://ca.geocities.com/kingsharbour@rogers.com
The King's Harbour Marine Park concept has long since [since 1976] proposed that the olde village of Port Union [1832-1877] be restored as a public amenity with the use of public funding. Concept was endorsed by Mayor Gus Harris and all Mayors and Premiers since then along with the related Parks Commissioners. This concept was introduced to the then Chairman of the Toronto Regional Conservation Authority [TRCA] Mr. Bill MacLean by the Mayor in 1976 who had never seen it before and who have been supporters ever since. The fact that it had never been seen before was re-confirmed again by Chairman David Crombie of the Toronto Waterfront Regeneration Trust who called the King's Harbour Marine Park proposal "a marvellous new amenity never seen before in waterfront planning" in his final report to the region in 1982 six years later.
With the completion of Phase One [purhase of private lands around Port Union] Phase Two [building of the three bridges to the site] and Phase Three [the land fill from Chesterton Shores to Highland Creek] we are now looking at Phase Four [the completion of the east and west moles to enclose the sailing harbour to replace the old one and the re-opening of the Adams Creek to create a water flow into the harbour.
Our only problem at the moment is the "Toronto" Waterfront Revitalization Corp whose mandate does not include Scarborough/Agincourt other than the less than ½ of 1% of their $17 billion budget split between Scarborough and Etobicoke even though 45% of their budget comes from taxpayer funding from those areas outside of downtown Toronto.
So to the people of Scarborough/Agincourt we ask that you stand up for the City and support your own waterfront with your donations and ensure that your Councilors are directed by you to do so. Please visit our site at http://ca.geocities.com/kingsharbour@rogers.com
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