City of Toronto Turns a Blind Eye to Thorncliffe Park Train Yard Impact
It is very unfortunate that the people responsible for land use planning at the City of Toronto are cutting and pasting Metrolinx comments into their report instead of doing their job and intelligently assessing the impact that a train yard will have on Thorncliffe Park.
On May 31, 2022 the City of Toronto Planning and Housing Committee included Thorncliffe Park Drive and Overlea Blvd sites in a list of areas to be rezoned by the City to allow construction for the massive train yard to serve the Ontario Line.
As an example, Councillors are making decisions by relying on reports like the attached from a 77 page transit update report on the agenda for the City of Toronto Executive Committee meeting on June 8, 2022. The brief summary only covers the spin that Metrolinx has provided and is silent on:
That there were over 10,000 signatories against the train yard being placed in Thorncliffe Park. It appears that when you are poor and mainly 97% renters – your voice against issues such as this does not matter.
The train yard is being located within 800 meters to 30,000 residents.
The City of Toronto job numbers provided to Metrolinx were flawed and incorrect.
The Employers that the City of Toronto, Province and Metrolinx were protecting in Wicksteed Business Park have sold their properties to the US private equity firm Blackstone. Not only were the job numbers manipulated to seem that there were more jobs in Wicksteed – the actual few that there are, will not longer be there.
The City of Toronto is complicit in changing what is practically the hub and cultural area of Thorncliffe Park into a heavy industrial area.
Wicksteed Business Park is already a heavy industrial area and the more appropriate location for the train yard.
None of the above points are covered by the staff report. None of the deputations made to the City of Toronto from SaveTPARK are covered by the staff report.
The question that needs to be repeatedly asked: Why is it ok to place the armpit of industrial projects in marginalized communities and why do politicians turn a blind eye to these situations?
To contact SaveTPARK:
Email: notrainyard@savetpark.ca or Phone: 1-855-657-2750