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lenaitch said:
I gave it a quick read and it does seem that the study recognizes that on-shore infrastructure and access needs to exist to support industrial use. Hope folks listen.
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Yeah, I suspect there's going to be huge shakeups in both ends, Waterfront (ironically a good deal due to Ford's need for revenge) and the City. Not to mention the City and Waterfront are at some loggerheads over a few items on the waterfront, film studios and established industrial zones, and the needed access to them being maintained. And the Feds are up against some of their own legal commitments.

It doesn't jibe with the glossy 'Nirvana on Earth' messaging from Waterfront though.

From the City:

[...]
1. Background Information Port Lands The Port Lands is a 325 hectare (800 acres) area (excluding natural areas south of Unwin Avenue) created through lake-filling activities in the late 19th and early 20th century to support Toronto’s industrial growth. It is a large, underutilized resource; however, it is not a blank slate. In 2016, there were 5,500 people working in the Port Lands. The Port Lands is home to many existing commercial, port, industrial and film/creative industries. Many of the industrial and commercial uses that exist today in the Port Lands provide important support services that maintain and build our city, as well as serve our film and media industries which are important economic sectors that provide great jobs for Toronto residents. It is Toronto’s only working port and is reliant on the Ship Channel and Turning Basin. There is a convergence of hydro electric transmission infrastructure Port Lands Planning Initiatives – Interim Report Page 16 of 147 in the Port Lands, dating back to when the Hearn Generating Station was first constructed in the Port Lands in the 1950s. The Port Lands Energy Centre, a 550- megawatt natural gas electrical generating station, is located immediately east of the Hearn. The Port Lands also has numerous heritage and natural heritage resources. Many of the heritage buildings and structures are not currently being used to their full potential. The lands are contaminated due to the original fill material and legacy of former industrial uses. There is also obsolete, substandard or no infrastructure in areas to support redevelopment without significant investment. The largest landowner in the Port Lands is the City of Toronto, largely through the Toronto Port Lands Company. Some of the City owned lands in Polson Quay, the Film Studio District, Warehouse District and East Port area are subject to long-term leases. The remaining municipally owned lands are either on short-term leases or are vacant lands. The second largest land owners are the Province of Ontario (29.3 ha) and the Federal Government (25.5 ha). There are also a number of privately owned parcels (21.8 ha total) scattered throughout. Waterfront Toronto owns two parcels (1.3 ha) in Villiers Island. The major waterways that bisect the Port Lands – the Ship Channel and Turning Basin – are 40 hectares (100 acres) in area.
[...]
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https://www.toronto.ca/legdocs/mmis/2017/pg/bgrd/backgroundfile-103949.pdf
 
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salsa said:
City of Toronto wants to buy Hearn waterfront site

City council voted 20-2 on Thursday to direct city staff to start discussions with Studios of America, the longtime tenant that bought the hulking former generating plant and sprawling grounds on Lake Ontario in a surprise move.

https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2019/01/31/city-of-toronto-wants-to-buy-hearn-waterfront-site.html
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Those bastards got it for a song and are well aware of the outrage that caused. I'm sure they'll take full advantage of the leverage that has provided them and will try to flip it to the city for a fortune. Greed knows no bounds.
 
I bet the people on council asking for the "homeless emergency" will not advocate the money being used to buy an old power generating station be used on a homess shelter instead.
 
Thorns_Embrace said:
I bet the people on council asking for the "homeless emergency" will not advocate the money being used to buy an old power generating station be used on a homess shelter instead.
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Because those people actually have a vision for the city where we can have nice things and still get all the essential services. Where we can do so much better than just mindlessly cutting/freezing budgets year after year and keeping properly taxes artificially low, while wasting billions of dollars on frivolous pet project that we don’t need.
 
salsa said:
Because those people actually have a vision for the city where we can have nice things and still get all the essential services. Where we can do so much better than just mindlessly cutting/freezing budgets year after year and keeping properly taxes artificially low, while wasting billions of dollars on frivolous pet project that we don’t need.
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Well I am well aware that councilors see things through rose coloured glasses, which I assume is the vision you are discussing. This type of spending is the gravy that Rob Ford always discussed and is the reason why progressive candidates don't end up being viable in the mayors race.
 
Thorns_Embrace said:
Well I am well aware that councilors see things through rose coloured glasses, which I assume is the vision you are discussing. This type of spending is the gravy that Rob Ford always discussed and is the reason why progressive candidates don't end up being viable in the mayors race.
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These "progressive" councillors and mayors, that you mention, we all knew weren't ( geez, how did I get so off topic...)
 
Towered said:
Those bastards got it for a song and are well aware of the outrage that caused. I'm sure they'll take full advantage of the leverage that has provided them and will try to flip it to the city for a fortune. Greed knows no bounds.
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It was listed as surplus prior to the lease being made wasn't it? Granted, that was a long time ago, but Toronto would have had it's shot at that time before the lease gave first-right-of-refusal to the tenant (or even made the property available to the tenant at all).
 
Thorns_Embrace said:
Well I am well aware that councilors see things through rose coloured glasses, which I assume is the vision you are discussing. This type of spending is the gravy that Rob Ford always discussed and is the reason why progressive candidates don't end up being viable in the mayors race.
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So advocating for the most vulnerable members of society while also seeking to ensure that a heritage site remain a viable future cultural destination somehow constitutes gravy now?
 
Towered said:
So advocating for the most vulnerable members of society while also seeking to ensure that a heritage site remain a viable future cultural destination somehow constitutes gravy now?
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Yes, it's not gravy and some people can actually work on more than one file at the same time!
 
thettctransitfanatic said:
Nice to here! At least the Toronto Preseventation Board cares about perserving stuff...
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This is a staff recommendation likely triggered at the request of Councillor Paula Fletcher whose Ward 14 - Toronto-Danforth includes the Port Lands. It will have to pass TPB, then likely go to Community Council (although they may skip this step if they are rushing it), then to Council.
 
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