I know the ward extremely well having spent almost all of my waking hours in Ward 21 for the last 18 years at my clinic on Eglinton West near Bathurst, and serving as Chair of the Eglinton West Business Improvement Area for the last ten years. I have treated thousands of patients who live in this ward and they’ve shared their concerns about the ward over the years.

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Q1: What is your position with regard to streetcar service on St. Clair Ave. West, in particular the possibility of establishing a dedicated right-of-way in 2005? What actions, if any, would you take regarding this issue if elected?

A: I am a firm supporter of public transit and working to establish new
ways to improve TTC service and increase the number of riders. However, a dedicated streetcar right-of-way on St. Clair is not the solution to the current problems facing St. Clair West. As the TTC’s own report states, a dedicated right-of-way would be bad for businesses and would force commuter traffic and parking into neighbourhood streets. If businesses along St. Clair suffer, the result will be more vacancies and further decline of the streetscape.

It is my position that the anticipated saving of three minutes’ time on a trip from Keele to Yonge does not justify the cost of the proposed project, currently estimated at $60 million to $100 million dollars.

Since the TTC report states that they will remove streetcars on the
streetcar right-of-way to end up with “the same level of service” as we have now, the huge cost, the years of disruption during construction, the added pollution from idling cars stuck in traffic, the traffic & parking problems in surrounding neighbourhoods are just not in the interests of the residents and businesses of Ward 21.

If elected as Councillor, I would work to seek alternative solutions that would best fit the St. Clair West neighbourhood instead of grafting an existing plan from Spadina or Queen’s Quay onto St. Clair. This is a unique neighbourhood and requires a solution that is unique to the St. Clair West corridor. There is a BETTER WAY.

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Q2: What is your position with regard to the Environmental Assessment process, currently underway, which is addressing transit service along the St. Clair West corridor? What actions, if any would you take regarding this issue if elected?

A: As I’ve gone door to door, I’ve learned that most people are totally
unaware of the TTC right-of-way and the Environmental Assessment. They must be informed.

The current projected time frame for the EA process is very tight, the next phase will be “open consultations” set for January and it is expected the last phase will take place in April. From start to finish the assessment process will have taken only six months. In my opinion this time frame is much too short to fully accommodate input from all interested parties. As your Councillor, I will ensure that the procedure for concerns raised by all stakeholders is open and transparent, and that all issues raised are given fair, careful and real consideration to find a solution that accommodates the greatest number of stakeholders.

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Q3: What is your position with regard to efforts to revitalize St. Clair
Ave. West? What actions, if any would you take regarding this issue if
elected?

A: As head of the Eglinton West Business Improvement Area, I worked to
revitalize the Eglinton streetscape between Bathurst and the Allan
Expressway. It is now a very attractive area for shopping and dining. I
know what it takes to work with City Hall to effect dramatic changes and I bring this experience to the St. Clair Ave. West business community.

I did this work on Eglinton on a volunteer basis. On the other hand, St.
Clair West from Winona to Bathurst seems to have received no improvement
attention in the last three years, and it has been allowed to deteriorate badly.

I have already attended meetings with the CorsoItalia BIA and I know that we could work together to create a continuous vital street scene along St. Clair West.

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Q4: What is your position with regard to the Official Plan and the
implications for St. Clair Ave. West, which has been identified as an Avenue and therefore targeted for intensification?

A: Reasonable development intensification along St. Clair is essential,
however, it must be handled carefully with consideration for the surrounding neighbourhoods. We must maintain orderly growth and good planning practices. We must guard against huge developments like the one going in near Yonge & Eglinton.

As an Avenue under the Official Plan, there is all the more reason to reconsider the proposed plan for a designated streetcar right-of-way and to seek out solutions that could be projected as far into the future as possible. The TTC report anticipates that over the next 25 years the demographic of the St. Clair West area will change and there will be an increase in population. As Councillor, I will ensure that decisions about development take into consideration the anticipated changing demographic and existing neighbourhoods. They must not simply be quick fixes to present problems that create a legacy of greater problems in the future. Solutions must not create more problems.

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Q5. What is your position with regard to plans for the Wychwood Carbarns.

A: At its last meeting of 2000, City Council voted to make the vacant TTC Carbarns into 100% parkland. In the intervening three years, this decision has been arbitrarily turned into a development, against the expressed will of residents who live near the barns and will be adversely affected.

Neighbourhoods first! Stable Neighbourhoods are the life blood of this city and must be protected. Their concerns will be my first priority.

In order for the proposed regional arts centre development to go ahead on the site, the City will have to seek an amendment to its own new Official Plan that designates the Wychwood Barns site as open parkland.

I will not impose a regional attraction such as the proposed Artscape
development on any residential neighbourhood in Ward 21. The city abounds with sites where that particular development would not adversely affect any residents.

The benefits to a city of open space parks cannot be overstated. This
neighbourhood is already short many acres of park space for its population and is slated for residential intensification. As Councillor, I would ensure the Carbarns site maintains its Official Plan designation as open parkland.

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Q6: What is your position with regard to the Drive-through by-law currently the subject of a hearing at the OMB?

A: This issue has been very badly mismanaged. First it was ignored for a long time, then the politics of confrontation were brought to bear to deal with the situation. A conscientious councillor would have been able to handle the issue in a non-divisive, non-aggressive manner.

As head of the Business Improvement Area on Eglinton I worked successfully with businesses and know how to balance their needs with those of local residents.

Businesses depend on local residents. Local residents want good businesses that improve the character of the area, make streets more attractive, safer, and raise property values.

Issues can always be addressed in a civilized, non-confrontational manner. If elected as your Councillor, one of the skills I bring to the position is the ability to bring disparate groups together and to assist them in arriving at an amenable solution through mediation and creative problem solving.