Parents of children at a Toronto school are outraged that students may be forced to relocate after the Ontario Municipal Board approved a 35-storey condo development next-door to the school’s playground.
The project, located near Yonge Street and Eglinton Avenue, has faced relentless backlash from parents of John Fisher Public School, whose some-500 students may be forced to relocate due to the construction come September.
Coun. Jaye Robinson says the development proposal got the green light from the OMB in early 2016 despite rejection from the city.
“This was actually refused by the city of Toronto. I rejected this development, as did the city planning staff… they wrote a negative report,” Robinson told CP24 on Monday. “But the developer, as always, went to the OMB and had it approved. So what the immediate neighbourhood and the John Fisher community are facing is years of construction on a 35-storey building immediately beside the children’s playground.”
Currently, the TDSB is considering relocating the students to Vaughan Road Academy --- a six kilometer difference from John Fisher. A quick search on Google Maps shows that the relocation could tack on an additional 15 to 20 minutes from John Fisher to Vaughan Road Academy.
The TDSB says the relocation has not yet been determined and will rest on the results of a risk assessment. The results, which are expected next month, will determine if the school can be used while the construction goes on.
In a letter sent to parents Friday, Beth Butcher, the executive superintendent of Learning Centre 1, told parents that the TDSB has hired a third-party company to conduct a risk assessment on the proposed construction.
According to the TDSB, the company has already completed a “generic evaluation” of the development but is waiting on more information about the proposed construction management plan before they’re able to complete a second, more expansive risk assessment.
“This assessment will evaluate the health and safety of the children and staff as well as the impact of the learning environment through the various stages of construction and post-construction,” the letter reads.
“Based on the findings of Phase 2, the TDSB will assess measures to mitigate the risks associated with the development including a possible relocation of JFPS and daycare.”
Robinson said she wants to fully understand the impacts of the construction site and the demolition of the building already on the lot adjoining the playground before any further decisions are made.
The developer has already proposed to demolish the existing building this summer while the kids are out on summer break.
Robinson said the issue is surrounded by “fury” from parents who have expressed health and safety concerns about plans.
“I have never seen a reaction to a development in six years, like I have this one,” she said. “This is a school that has very young children attending and the proximity between the two is unprecedented. It’s literally right beside the school. So it’s playing on the fears of parents.”
Robinson said she’s met twice with the Premier, who is the MPP of the riding, in hopes of figuring out a strategy.
Within the hour meeting she had with Wynne on Saturday, Robinson said she received more than 50 new emails from community members pertaining to the issue.
“We don’t have a solution because bottom line is the buck stops with the OMB,” she said. “They have approved this building so what we can do now is look at construction mitigation strategies to reduce the impact on the students.”
Zoning by-law amendments were approved in January 2016, according to a report by the Ontario Municipal Board on the case.
Following a board-led mediation process that included a representative from the Sherwood Park Residents’ Association, the OMB settled on approving the proposal in part due to “good planning” and “various facilitating documents.”
The report indicates that the proposal met provincial and municipal guidelines and policies. It goes on to say that any revisions made to the final approval were made “in consultation with the city, adjacent neighbours and the neighbourhood residents’ group."
“The Board was persuaded by the planning evidence and opinions of this witness that the Zoning By-Law Amendment should be approved,” the report states.
Over the weekend, some parents received personal phone calls from Wynne who offered them a chance to voice their concerns. Stavros Rougas, whose 8-year-old son attends John Fisher Public School, said though he was happy to hear from the Premier he feels that simply talking about the issue isn’t enough.
“She wants to bring all the parties together and look at a creative solution. So we’re at the point now where it’s like, ‘Okay, more talking and meetings.’ (But) what we want is solution,” he told CTV News Toronto.
Other parents dropping off their children at the school Monday morning expressed similar sentiments.
“You can see the traffic out here. Can you imagine this traffic and how safe that’s going to be for our kids when there’s construction vehicles coming in and out all the time?,” one woman, who did not provide her name, told CTV News Toronto.
Toronto Mayor John Tory reiterated that while he, Robinson and Wynne are all working to address the community’s concerns, the decision to commence the multi-storey development was “forced on the city.”
“In effect, it has been forced on the city by the Ontario Municipal Board,” Tory said in a statement issued Saturday. “But the OMB decision is no reason to abandon the well-being of a stable neighbourhood or one of Toronto’s most respected public schools.”
“I promise residents that this development will be held to the very highest standards when it comes to the health and safety of the children and the well-being of the neighbourhood and local families.”
