News & Media

Join us Wednesday, September 25 for Speaker Series 14: Accessing the Island

Join us Wednesday, September 25 at 7 pm, for our 14th Speaker Series: Accessing the Island. 


Featured Speakers: 

 

April Engelberg. April is a lawyer living in Spadina-Fort York and a proud Torontonian. She came in second place for Toronto City Council in Ward 10 in both the 2018 and 2022 elections. April has been advocating to make the Toronto Islands free and easy to access by building a 250 metre pedestrian cycling bridge over the Eastern Channel.

John Lorinc. John is a Toronto journalist and editor. He writes about cities, climate and business for Spacing Magazine, The Globe and Mail, the Toronto Star and Corporate Knights. John is also the author and co-editor of several books, including No Jews Live Here, a memoir which will be published by Coach House Books in November. 

 

CLICK HERE TO RSVP

Join us May 21 for Speaker Series 13, "Villiers Island: Hang on a Minute! Let's take a 2nd look at the plan."

Villiers Island: Hang on a Minute! Let’s take a second look at the plan.

Join us on Tuesday, May 21, 7 pm (Zoom) for critical and constructive panel discussion on the plan for Villiers Island. 

CLICK HERE TO RSVP.

WfA has been broadly supportive of Waterfront Toronto's work over the years, but true friends owe their friends open and constructive dialogue.  So inspired by recent discussions of the recently amemded Villiers Island plan, including critical assessment by the Globe & Mail's Alex Bozikovics and a commentary by architecture and planning firm Smart Density, we felt that it was urgent to give voice to legitimate and constructive concerns about the Villiers Island Plan prior to its consideration by City Council in June. 

To that end we've put together a panel of community activists, housing activists and urban planners to take a second look at the Villiers Island plan. 

FEATURING: 

  • Norm di Pasquale — City Activist (NoJetsTO, past Board of Education Trustee)
  • Eric Lombardi — Housing Advocate, More Neighbours Toronto
  • Mark Richardson — Technical Lead, HousingNowTO
  • Blair Scorgie — Registered Professional Planner, Urban Designer, Lecturer TMU

 

A successful & enlightening evening at Bathurst Quay .

We had a fabulous evening on Tuesday, May 7 at Bathurst Quay, with our featured guest, Bryan Bowan, City of Toronto Program Manager for Bathurst Quay Common, and special guest, William Peat of the Canada Ireland Foundation. We were also very pleased to be joined by Deputy Mayor Ausma Malik. 

The Canada Ireland Foundation is leading the development of The Corleck, a new centre for arts, culture and heritage that will be flanked by and the Bathurst Quay Common. Both are located beside Ireland Park,  which the foundation spearheaded and fundraised for, in co-operation with the City of Toronto, the restored Canada Malting Silos. 

Waterfront for All Board Member, Edward Nixon (left), welcomed attendees and introduced, the City of Toronto's Bryan Bowen (right).

 

Deputy Mayor, Ausma Malik, spoke about the creativity and commitment of the local community, including the the efforts of the Bathurst Quay Neighbourhood Association to champion the revitalization of the area, and the key role City staff played in realizing the project. 

William Peat Executive Director of the Canada Ireland Foundation spoke about The Corleck which is expected to open in 2025.

Tuesday April 30 join us for Speaker Series 11: Up In The Air - the Future of the Island Airport Lands

Join us at 7 pm on Tuesday, April 30 for a no holds barred discussion on the potential future of the Billy Bishop Island Airport Lands from the mid-2030s to the mid-2080s. The future of the Island Airport lands will be decided soon and Waterfront for All is committed to advocating for full and transparent public discussion and not backroom deals.

Featuring Sanford Borins - Professor Emeritus, Strategic Management, along with Watefront for All Board Members, Ed Hore, Ron Jenkins, and Brian Iler. Moderated by Edward Nixon.

Click here to RSVP

Follow Up to Speaker Series 10: The Changing Waterfront

A big thank you to everyone who attended Speaker Series 10: The Changing Waterfront, updates from Waterfront Toronto & Ports Toronto on November 7.

We regret that some of you who RSVPd were not able to get in. We had an issue with our Zoom account that we were not able to resolve on the 7th. We are happy to report it's now fixed and you won't encounter that problem at our next event on December 12th. 

We want to thank our guest speaker Chris Glaisek, Chief Planning and Design Officer Waterfront Toronto, who gave great summary of progress on the Villiers island and Quayside projects. We'll post his deck and a recording soon.

We regret that our other guest speaker, RJ Steemstra, the President and CEO of PortsToronto, declined to attend at the last minute. Please click here to read PortsToronto's withdrawal letter. We look forward to hosting Mr. Steenstra at a future meeting.

Instead, Chair Ed Hore outlined some concerns about the airport renewal issue, and in particular suggested that the City conduct robust public consultation on the future of the Island Airport (BBTCA) and study possible alternative options for the site including park land or housing. Although the existing agreement doesn't expire until 2033, a decision whether to extend the island airport's existence for 50 or more years is likely in the next year or eighteen months.

Please click here to read Ed Hore's paper: Does Toronto need two airports?

A City Staff Report outlining the city's proposed island airport consultation process was planned for the City of Toronto Executive Committee Meeting on December 5, 2023, but is delayed; it may go on the agenda of the January 30, 2024 meeting.

We will be providing updates on the airport and other key issues in the coming weeks and will share the City report once it is available. 

We look forward to seeing you on December 12th for our AGM, for a discussion of this and other waterfront issues.

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We are an all volunteer group, and we run on shoestring budget. We rely on the support of Board and individuals like you. If you can help us with a donation, please click here to donate.

 

WfA joined with Ontario Place for All & ACO to ask the Auditor General to review Therme deal.

"The provincial government's Ontario Place Revitalization project — the cornerstone of which is the controversial Therme Spa — is now officially under scrutiny by our auditor general.

Advocacy group Ontario Place for All, which first requested such an examination last December, shared the news on Friday, saying members are thrilled that "the rushed and secretive process that is leading to the ruin of Ontario Place" is being looked into.

An open letter dated December 5, 2022, from Ontario Place for All, Waterfront for All and the Architectural Conservancy of Ontario cited concerns that the Ford government's process for redeveloping the waterfront property was not adhering to environmental protection nor heritage legislation as required." 

https://www.blogto.com/city/2023/11/doug-fords-plans-redevelop-ontario-place-spa-investigation/

 

READ THE OPEN LETTER BY CLICKING HERE.

 

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