The Thorncliffe Mosque and Metrolinx – It WAS All About Money
On December 14, 2021, the Islamic Society of Toronto (IST) and Metrolinx announced that they have come to a $49,500,000 agreement to DEMOLISH the existing Masjid Darussalam at 4 Thorncliffe Park Dr and renovate the Islamic Society of Toronto’s secondary building at 20 Overlea Blvd into a mixed use Islamic Centre.
Even though it will be directly located between a train yard and train line, Metrolinx has promised that the new centre will include prayer spaces, new religious services and facilities, a mezzanine area prayer spaces for women, as well as areas for educational and schooling programs. IST management stated that there agreement was a “once in a lifetime opportunity” – it certainly is; no one else would be proud to demolish their existing mosque, take money and build an Islamic Centre in a small area between a train yard and a train line. Anyone else would be embarrassed by that decision, but not the IST, they appear to be blinded by Metrolinx’s money.
On June 29, 2021, SaveTPARK published the following under the tile “The BIG Metrolinx Payoff Tactic in Thorncliffe Park”:
Metrolinx chose not to speak with the residents of Thorncliffe Park but instead spoke to the major businesses and the Mosque – this is a common tactic. Businesses and religious institutions are often discretely promised and offered lots of money to relocate. This silences them. This tactic is common in cases of environmental racism. In every instance where the unsavoury elements of large infrastructure projects are dumped in a marginalized community, this tactic is the same. When this happens, only a few people benefit and the 30,000 plus residents will be left with a train yard they didn’t ask for or approve of.
On July 29th, 2021, SaveTPARK published the following under the title “IST and Metrolinx – It’s All About Money”:
Demolishing a place of worship would bring significant negative publicity and Metrolinx knows this. This means the decision to demolish the Masjid Darussalam must have been agreed to by both – IST and Metrolinx. IST leadership has chosen money over faith, and turned their backs on the community. They are giving Metrolinx their green light to place a massive train yard in Thorncliffe Park.
The above two statements from SaveTPARK were not prophetic – they are plays from the established playbook that governments and Metrolinx use on vulnerable communities. It ensures that vulnerable communities stay vulnerable in Canada and why third world countries stay third world countries abroad. Large sums of money disguised as a community benefit are given to religious institutions and businesses who fake their leadership position in the community and allow large infrastructure projects to be located in the community they were entrusted to take care of.
Here’s how YOU can help out today:
Over the past 9 months, SaveTPARK has attempted provide the community with the tools to stand up for itself. $49,500,000 is a lot of money that will only benefit a very small number of people of Thorncliffe. While the propaganda of Metrolinx and IST make this project sound good – is it? Do you think locating a train yard next to 30,000 people for generations to come is what is best for this community? It is up to you to take action.
Email Premier Ford (premier@ontario.ca), Minister of Transportation Caroline Mulroney (minister.mto@ontario.ca) and Minister of Infrastructure Kinga Surma (kinga.surmaco@pc.ola.org) and state the following:
Stop the backroom tactics of paying off places of worship in Thorncliffe Park. Metrolinx needs to hit the reset button on the location of a train yard in Thorncliffe Park, especially when viable alternatives exist. Throwing large sums of money to overcome community resistance is another example in a long list of similar historical events involving the mistreatment of vulnerable communities across this province – this is not acceptable and needs to stop.
To contact SaveTPARK:
Email: notrainyard@savetpark.ca or Phone: 1-855-657-2750