Waterfront for All Chair Ed Hore appeared on City News recently talking about the need for more safety ladders around Toronto Harbour, and sent this follow-up letter.
Should Waterfront Toronto revitalize Ontario Place?
The provincial government has chosen three private "partners" to revitalize Ontario Place, but it did so without public consultation and seemingly without a plan for Ontario Place as a whole, and without reference to the revitalization of the rest of the Toronto waterfront. Inspired by Ken Greenberg's talk at our recent Speaker Series event 'What's Happening at Ontario Place?', our letter to the Premier of Ontario suggests that three-government agency Waterfront Toronto should run Ontario Place revitalization.
What's Next on the Waterfront:
Join us on Tuesday, November 23, at 7 PM for Waterfront For All, Speakers Series #5:
What's Next on the Waterfront: with David Stonehouse, Director, Waterfront Secretariat, City of Toronto and George Zegarac, CEO of Waterfront Toronto.
Ontario Place: What's Up?
Join us on October 19 at 7 PM for our Speaker Series #4 - Ontario Place What's Up?
A panel discussion featuring Ken Greenberg and Eric Klaver on the Provincial Government's plans for the site.
Please Click this link to RSVP: https://www.waterfrontforall.ca/ontario_place_what_s_going_on
Nightclub Court Victory
WFA Chair Ed Hore recently won a pro bono court victory against Cabana Pool Bar, the outdoor nightclub at the east end of Toronto Harbour. He was acting for York Quay Neighbourhood Association (YQNA), a member organisation of Waterfront for All. Huge weekend DJ music events disturbed the Toronto Islanders and others. YQNA teamed up with the Toronto Islanders and the City of Toronto to fight an application by the nightclub owners for a liquor licence allowing more people, longer hours and fewer restrictions on loud amplified music than were permitted under the existing liquor licence.
On June 14, 2021, in lengthy reasons, the Ontario Divisional Court dismissed an appeal by Powerhouse Corporation (a corporation related to the nightclub). The effect is that Cabana is not entitled to hold loud outdoor events extending into the morning hours, as it had hoped.
Update, November 16, 2021: The Ontario Court of Appeal dismissed Powerhouse's application for leave to appeal, so the litigation concluded.
RON JENKINS ON THE TORONTO ISLAND AIRPORT: July 20, 2021
In the third of our Waterfront Speaker Series, waterfront advocate and sailor Ron Jenkins speaks on the Toronto Island Airport and its alternative histories. In its years on the Island, the airport could have become many things. That transitional nature continues to this day.
New Toronto Paddle Centre?
There may soon be new storage and launch facility for paddlers in the Outer Harbour, east of Cherry Beach. Waterfront for All Chair Ed Hore filed an application with the City's Strategic Partnerships department on June 1, 2021, for a facility to be named the Toronto Paddle Centre.
The City has acknowledged our waterfront needs more space for non-motorized water craft. City Council endorsed city staffs' efforts to boost canoe and kayak storage opportunities in an unanimous show of hands on June 8, 2021. We hope the City will see the Toronto Paddle Centre application as a viable way to meet that need.
The proposed site would have parking, and allow lots of people to keep a canoe or kayak near the water.
Speaker Series: Walter Kehm on Thommy Thompson Park
Walter is celebrated for his work in creating Tommy Thompson Park; on May 11, he talked about his new book "Accidental Wilderness" on how the Park was created. He also presented his designs for Ontario Place and Humber Bay. Have a look at these incredible images of what Toronto's waterfront could be! The first half of Walter's slide deck is here, and the second half is here.
Toronto Island Master Plan
Toronto Star: The City needs to address the surge in paddling
"During COVID-19, there’s been a surge in people paddling Toronto’s waterfront. The city wants to make access easier", says the headline of this front-page story in the Toronto Star on April 4, 2021. The story quotes WfA Chair Ed Hore (who also supplied the photographs), and highlights the efforts of Ward 14 City Councillor Paula Fletcher, who's pushing City staff to look into locations for watercraft storage.
The Star's caption on the photo above reads: "Virgil Cheung kayaks on Toronto's waterfront. The number of non-motorized watercraft used at Toronto's waterfront is rising, and the city is looking to provide more storage to community members."