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November 4 , 2003

Streetcar Right-Of-Way - A New Chapter Is Opened

(Editor's note: We have been using the term Streetcar Right-of-Way in the title of these articles because the issue began when it was suggested that a dedicated right-of-way be considered for St Clair Ave West in the fall of last year, which then lead to the EA process now underway. However, we recognize that the EA is tasked with considering all possibilities, with a dedicated right-of-way being only one of those possibilities. It is therefore only for purposes of consistency that we have continued to use the term.)

If you are just tuning into the issue now, you'll want to read our previous summaries so you can get all caught up:

• Streetcar Right-Of-Way - The Story So Far (Mar 5, 2003)

• Streetcar Right-Of-Way - The Saga Continues (Jun 13, 2003)

• Streetcar Right-Of-Way - The EA Gets Underway (Oct 9, 2003)

The past few weeks have seen some important new developments on the St Clair streetcar issue.

It was during this time that a new chapter was opened, with the first public involvement in the Environmental Assessment (EA) process that is examining the issue. On October 16th, the first public meeting was held at Joseph J Piccininni (JJP) Community Centre. It began with an open house of display boards outlining the issue and information that had been collected to that point. Indications are that the information, which was included in handouts, will also be posted to the City's website at some point. There were also opportunities provided, via sticky notes, to express issues and concerns.

The open house was followed by presentations from the City and the TTC, orchestrated by Dave Hardy of Hardy Stevenson, as we understand it the company hired by the EA consultants to facilitate the consultation process.

Rod McPhail of the Planning Department addressed the project as it relates to the City's newly adopted Official Plan which identifies St Clair West as an 'Avenue' and therefore slated for 'intensification'.

Mitch Stambler, responsible for Service Planning at the TTC, outlined the issues from the TTC's perspective. There was some preamble about how important the streetcar has been to St Clair since it was first established in the early 1910's. A video, showing a streetcar waiting 3-4 minutes to cross the intersection at Dufferin was one of the key features of the presentation. There were also images of accidents between cars and streetcars supporting the contention that there is a need to establish some separation between the two modes of transportation. Photos of the tracks at various locations illustrated the need for repairs.

Joanna Musters, also from the City and the project manager for the EA, outlined the overall issues, the scope of the EA, the timelines and the preliminary results of various research studies being conducted - notably a residents' survey, a business survey and a customer survey.

Hardy then threw the meeting open to the estimated 300 people in attendance to make comments and ask questions. A range of positions were expressed including those strongly supporting the idea of a dedicated right-of-way (DROW) and those strongly opposed. While the discussion seemed to center around the idea of a DROW, Stambler, in response to one question, made an emphatic point that no decisions on a preferred solution had been made and so all possibilities were on the table, including changing to buses if that made the most sense. Nearer the end of the session, some comments and questions became more focused on the EA process itself, with concerns raised by a few members of the audience.

As is if to emphasize a point made the night before, the accident shown here caused a significant delay in the streetcar service on St Clair in both directions. The line up of streetcars further illustrates the point.

It is our understanding that there were no serious injuries.

Some reporters were in attendance and their accounts of the events can be seen here (if you know of any others, please be sure to let us know):

• St Clair residents voice concerns over TTC Official Plan Source: insidetoronto.ca

• St. Clair streetcars provoke tense debate Source: Toronto Star

(Editors note: We learned that many of the media have been using our site as a reference source. We believe the City and the TTC are monitoring the site as well. So if you have comments about this issue, they will have some visibility here - and we will not reject any perspective or censor any comment - unless it is clearly intended to be objectionable.)

On October 21st, the second and last of the first round of public meetings was held at Brown Community Centre. The format was essentially the same as the meeting on the 16th, although those who attended both noticed some minor adjustments (such as the streetcar video being shown in fastforward mode instead of running in real-time). The attendance was also less than the previous meeting, estimated to be in the neighbourhood of 150-200. Nonetheless, the comments and questions again reflected a range of positions centring on the idea of a DROW. One comment, which received a laugh from the audience, was that if the EA was, as some suggested, just a pretence, then the speaker was happy to at least have that pretence. There were also comments made about how notification of the meetings were being conducted.

(Editor's` note: We did not come across any reports or articles on this second meeting, so if you are aware of any, please let us know.)

The Globe and Mail carried a couple of articles regarding the issue following the first public meetings. One of them focuses on the municipal election in Ward 17 and the role the issue is playing:

• Battle over streetcar lanes heats up on St Clair Source: Globe & Mail

• Proposal for streetcar lane divides residents Source: Globe & Mail

(Editor's` note: This writer was interviewed for one of the Globe and Mail articles but perhaps was just not controversial enough to have made the paper - such is life in neutral. We did have an on-air interview with Mark Elliot on CFRB. The interviewer commented that a career in politics might be in order given the ability to remain so firmly neutral. Perish the thought. Anybody catch it?)

We understand that the next step is for the EA consultants to get input from the community. We also understand that this is not a proactive process, that is to say, the consultants are not making overtures to any organizations but rather responding to overtures from the community. So if you want your organization to be heard you will have to take the initiative. We understand that around 25 such meetings have been budgeted. The person to contact is James Yacamoudis and he can be reached by phone ( ) or email.

The latest development in this story occurred at the recently held All Candidates Meeting on October 28th, again at JJP. The event was conducted in three parts, the first involving the local candidates for trustee, then candidates for councillor for Ward 17 and finally the frontrunner candidates for Mayor. Predictably, the streetcar issue was one of many raised with the candidates.

There was a request put forward by SWRC, which while neutral on the eventual outcome has expressed concern over the EA process itself. The two part request, which asked for the EA process to be extended and to incorporate real 'decision-making' involvement by the community, received unanimous consent from the mayoral candidates still in attendance (David Miller had by then left for another commitment) - the most succinct answer being that from John Tory who said simply "Yes and yes'.

(Editor's note: A separate article on the ACM is being considered. Input would be appreciated.)

There is another All Candidates Meeting being held for Ward 21 Councillor on Nov 6th at St Matthews Church, where it is likely the streetcar issue will be amongst the topics of debate.

On a related note, we have sent questions to candidates on a number of issues that are relevant to the communities of St Clair and the Ridge and we have been receiving responses. You are invited to review these - and encourage those who have not yet responded to do so.

So that is the story as it stands now, as far we know. We will keep you posted on any new developments, including the next round of public meetings.

If you have any information or comments, please be sure to let us know. As stated earlier, we are encouraging people to let their positions be known, whatever that position may be. We will post those comments unedited and identify you in whatever manner you deem appropriate. We also invite you to review the posting we have already received.

Editor's Note: It should be noted, if it has not already been evident in the nature of our reporting, that our sole interest is to keep everyone informed of the issues surrounding this project and not to favour any particular point of view.