Large slate of candidates seek to replace outgoing councillor Kyle Rae

As election day nears, a large slate of candidates is pounding the pavement, trying to drum up voter support in their bid to replace outgoing ward 27 councillor Kyle Rae.

The ward boasts the most candidates of any in Toronto, which serves as a testament to both the level of engagement in the area and the disparate needs of those in the diverse downtown ward.Ward 27 (Toronto Centre-Rosedale) is bounded roughly by Moore Avenue to the north, Queen Street to the south, University Avenue to the west and Bayview Avenue and Bleecker Street to the east. It includes such affluent neighbourhoods as Moore Park and Rosedale, as well as some less well-served communities in its southern end.

It is also relatively densely-populated throughout much of the ward, with 76 per cent of occupied dwellings in highrise apartments, with the bulk of those being found south of Bloor Street.

While a race in such a diverse ward offers no shortage of issues for the candidates to tackle, residents in the north portion of the ward identified development as a major concern while the safety of residents is a priority in the southern end.

At an all-candidates’ debate held by the Greater Yorkville Residents Association, much of the debate centered around the candidates’ views on planning and development in the ward, a particular concern given that much of it has been identified as a site for intensification.

The candidates all agreed that more needs to be done to get residents involved in the planning and development process sooner, though there were some differences in how they offered to achieve that goal.

Some, such as Ken Chan, Chris Tindal and Joel Dick advocate completing the city’s network of secondary plans to help create hard-and-fast zoning guidelines for each neighbourhood.

“The secondary plans will look at what’s doable for a neighbourhood, and that will help us have the right form of engagement early on,” Chan said.

He added that the Ontario Municipal Board (OMB) has too much power and that that power should rest with the city.

Tindal said that by completing the secondary plans, residents – and the city itself – would not be left scrambling every time an application comes down the pipeline.

“The feedback we get when we work on these plans will be particularly useful as opposed to just getting residents’ reactions to a development proposal that’s 90 per cent complete,” he said. “Right now, it seems like we’re building a city by accident.”

Dick pointed to New York as a prime example of a city that uses local area planning as a means of building a city where neighbourhoods have their own flavour.

“When it’s done properly, you see very good development,” he said.

Candidate Kristyn Wong-Tam said secondary plans can be costly to complete. She noted, however, that she does favour stronger guidelines to which developers must adhere.

“We need strict design review guidelines,” she said. “It’s time to ensure all new development should be planning for the future. It should be sustainable and green.”

Candidate Enza Anderson came out in favour of development, noting it adds to the city’s tax base, but said residents must be informed and engaged sooner in the process.

“I would solicit people in a two-mile area, strong solicitation as soon as we hear a developer’s looking to develop a site, to get them involved even before the developer gets on the drawing board,” she said.

Robert Meynell similarly approves of growth along the subway line but said he would look at the surrounding area to ensure developments “take into account the integrity and character of the neighbourhood.”

Ella Rebanks vowed to strike a committee that would aim to abolish the Ontario Municipal Board – often considered a rubber stamp for developers – which would leave local planning decisions in the hands of local decision makers.

“One of the biggest problems we have is that we can do whatever we want as a city and the OMB can overturn it,” she said.

Simon Wookey noted that Toronto’s growing population ensures that more infrastructure is needed in the city, and said more must be done to support the planning department.

“You have 44 councillors who can get their fingers into every development application,” he said. “We have to start listening to the planning department and we have to get serious about funding the planning department, who get far too little of the city’s funding.”

Susan Gapka said the ward needs more mixed housing rather than the status quo, in which the ward is virtually divided between the well-to-do and the less-fortunate. She said housing and homelessness were her top priorities.

“It seems on the surface there are a lot of luxury condo developments and not enough affordable housing,” she said. “We need sustainable mixed housing so we can share our neighbourhoods. Right now, you can take a 10-minute walk in the ward and see two very different wards.”

On the issue of community safety, most candidates agreed that more police on foot would not only reduce crime, it would lead to an increased feeling of safety among residents, who often feel police presence is inadequate.

Chan, a former police officer, proposed increasing not only foot and bike patrols but neighbourhood watch programs and urged more community involvement with police.

“I’d set up safer ward panels that would bring together senior representatives from 51, 52 and 53 Divisions with representatives from local residents associations and BIAs to discuss areas affecting the whole ward,” he said.

Tindal promised more work on social supports to help fight poverty and help those dealing with mental illness, adding that better community design would help reduce crime in some of ward 27’s biggest trouble spots.

“The most dangerous areas of the ward or adjacent to the ward are almost designed to be dangerous,” he said. “We need better lighting and design.”

Wong-Tam promised to fight for better-planned public spaces, which she said would by extension become better-used public spaces, which would in turn make them safer.

“Public spaces will then become meeting spaces; they’ll become animated,” she said.

Wookey spoke out in favour of more police on foot, but also noted many problems could be avoided with better planning.

“You look at (pre-revitalization) Regent Park and there was no commercial activity, no place for kids to go out and get jobs,” he said. “We need jobs. We need to get people working.”

Dick agreed that better support systems in high-risk areas – including a more comprehensive housing plan – and better community engagement would create more of a sense of safety.

“The police are doing some great things in community policing lately, but we can do more,” he said. “We need to bring communities together because strong communities make safe communities.”

Meynell said he would like not only a greater police presence but also better communication between the police and community members.

“We have to work to cultivate a culture of trust between communities and our police,” he said.

Rebanks said she would like to see police get to know those in the communities they serve, and wants to see more city services to reduce aggressive panhandling.

“There are no places the homeless can go during the day, once the shelters have closed down,” she said. “We need something in place for them.”

Anderson promised to fight for stricter punishments for those who break the law, adding she wants more police on foot, making rounds every few hours.

“Look back at the days when there was a cop on every corner,” she said. “People knew crimes were being dealt with.”

Gapka said more visible police presence would serve as a strong deterrent, but said there was more to the solution than that. She vowed to tackle the root causes of crime as a means of boosting safety.

“It’s about making sure everyone has a decent home, health care and the services they need,” she said.

Candidate Jonas Jemstone said his goal is to tackle the income gap in the ward by providing more opportunities for youth.

“I want to give everyone an opportunity in the ward, and I would make youth being employed a priority,” he said.

Candidate Ram Narula, meanwhile, said he wants better supports for the city’s homeless community.

“I would put all these (homeless people) to work, or educate them or give them mental health support if they need it,” he said.

Other ward candidates Ben Bergen, Gary Leroux and Perry Missal did not return calls as of the Mirror’s press time, while candidate Paul Spence’s contact information was unavailable.

- Justin Skinner

Posted in Downtown, News