On May 14, I sent a letter to Richard Leary, CEO of the Toronto Transit Commission, requesting that we work together to find a solution for the infrequent bus service and bus "bunching" on Lansdowne Avenue. Having dealt with similar concerns on Dufferin, we have implemented measures that have provided significant and necessary relief to its transit users. As a transit user myself, I am all too familiar with how frustrating these delays can be, especially in poor weather. 

As we work to identify the best means to address this issue, I encourage you to sign the petition below to show your support for transit solutions for the Lansdowne Bus. Together, we can advocate for better service in our community.

In Community,

Ana

The TTC and City are working together to shorten the 47 Lansdowne Bus route diversion during the reconstruction of the Lansdowne/Dundas/College intersection. Northbound buses will now follow a more regular route along Lansdowne to reduce travel times and disruption for riders. Southbound bus will continue to diver along College, Dufferin and Queen.

Please see the revised diversion map card which the TTC will be posting along the route.

 

 

 

In July 2016, City Council approved a SmartTrack/RER integration scenario option that includes six new stations on the Kitchener, Lakeshore East and Stouffville GO Rail Corridors and agreed to the locations of two new stations along the Barrie GO Rail Corridor.

In November 2016, City Council committed to funding preliminary planning and design for SmartTrack. This work is currently underway; City staff are working in partnership with Metrolinx and TTC to plan eight new SmartTrack/GO stations within the city of Toronto.

Six new SmartTrack stations are being planned along the Kitchener, Lakeshore East and Stouffville Rail Corridors at the following locations:

• Finch Avenue East, between Kennedy Road and Midland Avenue
• Lawrence Avenue East, between Kennedy Road and Midland Avenue
• Gerrard Street East at Carlaw Avenue
• East Harbour (between Eastern Avenue and Lakeshore Boulevard East, east of the Don River)
• King Street West, at Liberty Village
• St. Clair Avenue West, between Weston Road and Old Weston Road

In addition, Metrolinx is planning two new GO stations in Toronto along the Barrie Rail Corridor at the following locations:

• Spadina Avenue at Front Street
• Bloor Street West, between Lansdowne Avenue and Symington Avenue

The new stations are illustrated on the map below.

Subject to Council direction, the City and Metrolinx will be undertaking a Transit Project Assessment Process (TPAP) under Ontario Regulation 231/08 to assess the potential environmental effects of each of the new stations.

• Public and stakeholder consultation will be an important component of this process.
• Existing environmental conditions will be determined and the significance of specific features will be evaluated.
• Potential impacts of the project on these features will be identified and documented.
• Appropriate mitigation measures, monitoring strategies and future studies will be recommended.

In October, we will be hosting public meetings across the city to provide information about the new SmartTrack/GO stations and to get public feedback. The purpose of these meetings will be to provide an update on station planning and design work, and receive feedback about local context, challenges and opportunities. The following public information sessions are planned:

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 10
Scarborough Civic Centre
150 Borough Drive
6:30 pm – 8:30 pm, Presentation begins at 7 pm 

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 11
Riverdale Collegiate Institute
1094 Gerrard Street East
6:30 pm – 8:30 pm, Presentation begins at 7 pm

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 12
Bloor Street Collegiate Institute
1141 Bloor Street West
6:30 pm – 8:30 pm, Presentation begins at 7 pm

The feedback from the public consultations will inform the staff report going to Executive Committee on October 24,2017.

On November 30, 2016 I held a community meeting to discuss with you the possibilities and our community's priorities for the redevelopment of the vacant TTC lands at 640 Lansdowne Ave. This site was put forward as one of 15 sites across the city through Toronto's Open Door Program which seeks to partner with non-profit and private developers to construct affordable housing in our city.

The development of the lands a 640 Lansdowne is an important opportunity to address some of the needs in our community. At the meeting, many of you indicated the importance of including housing for seniors who want to continue living in the community where they have made their lives and have created friendships and support networks. In addition I heard from many of you that you would like to see community services on the site, artist spaces and greenspace for our community to utilize. 

Thank you to the many of you who took the time to participate in this important discussion. All of the comments and feedback you provided will help to inform the next steps for this important site. I look forward to continuing this conversation with you as we work towards a community-led vision and plan for the redevelopment of this site.

Last week you may have seen in the media that the 640 Lansdowne Ave site has been designated by the City of Toronto to be developed for affordable housing. You might be familiar with this from some of my previous updates included in my e-newsletters and my latest paper newsletter.

This site is one of fifteen pieces of surplus City owned land, worth just over $100 million dollars that has been identified for affordable housing development through the Open Door Program. This program is designed to ensure that our City builds more affordable housing faster and it utilizes City land and incentives to help accomplish this.

Each Open Door site is different and involves putting out a Request for Proposals (RFP) to private and not-for-profit sector developers and partners. The RFP could include criteria such as maximum rental/ownership costs per unit, the amount of units, the incorporation of not-for-profit community spaces, and other criteria which will vary depending on the site. Two successful RFPs on other sites have already been issued under this program.

Open Door sites are targeted towards members of our society including seniors, youth, working families, and many others. Rents through this program range on average from $934 to $1,166 for households with an average annual income of $37,000 to $47,000.

Our city is growing at a fast pace and our area is gentrifying, bringing with it challenges and opportunities. The rising costs of home ownership and rental accommodations are definitely one of those challenges. Rental vacancy rates are at an all-time low and prices are at an all-time high. We must do everything within our power to address the very basic need of affordable housing in our city.

What I hear more and more in our community is that people's parents can't afford to rent an apartment in the area or that their children can't afford to buy or rent anything. I've heard from seniors who want to live and stay in the community that they love and have lived in for so long. This program is about building housing for our seniors, ourselves and our children. This is about building an inclusive community where a family with an annual household income of $40,000 can continue to work, life and play our city.

Given the previous history and contamination of the site, any type of development would need to go through a rigorous environmental process regulated and overseen by the Province to ensure the health and safety of residents in the community and for the future occupants. In the case of this property, the 1/3 of the site closest to Lansdowne Ave is zoned mixed-use and any future development will involve community input. The remaining 2/3rds of the site is zoned as employment lands, which would provide a buffer with the train tracks and Nitta Gelatin facility to the located directly west. I would expect green space to be included in any future plans.

This community has come a long way in just 10 years. New families are moving in to the neighbourhood, our streets are much safer than before, new jobs are being created, and new rapid transit is being built right here in our community for the first time in decades. These are exciting times and we will need to learn and grow to capture what is taking place all around us and make our community even stronger.

I look forward to hosting a community meeting in November so that we can talk about some of these possibilities and to help feed the community's ideas into shaping a RFP. Once the meeting details have been confirmed, I will be sharing it with the community. In the meantime and as always, I look forward to continuing to keep you updated on this and other City of Toronto matters.

If you have any questions please free to contact my office at 416-392-7012 or via e-mail at councillor_bailã[email protected].

The intersection of College Street and Lansdowne Avenue will be fully closed in all directions from Monday, July 25 to August 8 to allow for TTC track replacement work as well as road and sidewalk repairs.

Eastbound traffic can remain on Dundas Street West as far as Dufferin Street, then take Dufferin to College Street and continue eastbound. Westbound traffic on College approaching Lansdowne Avenue will be detoured to Dufferin or Brock Avenue and can go south to Dundas or north to Bloor Street.

Southbound traffic on Lansdowne Avenue approaching College Street will be detoured to Bloor Street. The single lane of northbound traffic on Lansdowne Avenue approaching College Street will be detoured to Dundas Street West.

Queen Street West is an alternative route for eastbound and westbound traffic. Roncesvalles Avenue is an alternative for northbound and southbound traffic.

Signs will be posted to assist cyclists travelling in the area of the construction work. The detailed route options for cyclists, as well as more information about projects taking place on College Street, are available at http://www.toronto.ca/collegest. Cyclists also have the option of dismounting from their bikes and walking around the construction zone instead of detouring on their bike.

Safety barricades will be placed around the intersection outside the work zone to provide a safe barrier between construction work and pedestrians. Pedestrian access to businesses and walkways will be maintained at all times during construction.

Construction hours on this project have been extended in order to reduce the length of time required to complete the work. In addition, traffic signal timing is being adjusted on parallel routes to minimize disruptions to traffic in the area.

TTC route diversion details are available at http://www.ttc.ca/Service_Advisories/Route_diversions/index.jsp.

The City has a web-based map to help residents and visitors make their travel plans, available at http://www.toronto.ca/roadrestrictions. More information about the City's planned capital construction work is available at http://www.toronto.ca/inview.

As part of the TTC's ongoing roll out of the PRESTO fare card across the transit system, Dufferin and Lansdowne subway stations will be receiving modern fare gates compatible with the new payment system. Lansdowne and Dufferin stations will be among the first 10 stations upgraded. Overnight work at both stations will take place in order to minimize the disruption to customers. To reduce the project length, fare gates will be assembled offsite and installed once the turnstiles are removed.

Dufferin Station

Stating April 21, 2016, the old turnstiles will be removed and replaced with new PRESTO-enabled fare gates. This work will be completed by the end of June 2016. Access to Russet Avenue will be closed for the eastbound platform exit from May 5th to June 6 and the westbound platform exit from April 28 to May 30. 

Once complete, customers will be able to access the station through the Russet Avenue entrance using either a PRESTO card or Metropass. The main station entrance on Dufferin Street will remain open during the upgrade. 

Lansdowne Station

Starting April 29, 2016, the old turnstiles will be removed and replaced with new PRESTO-enabled fare gates. This work will be completed by the end of May 2016. The Automatic Entrance located on Emerson Avenue will be closed from May 13 at 7pm to May 17 at 6am to safely remove the old fare gates. Construction work at the automatic entrance will continue through June 2016 but it will remain open.

Once complete, customers accessing the station through Emerson Avenue must use a PRESTO card or Metropass. Customers using tokens and cash will be able to access the station through the collector booth lane at the main entrance. Customer travel trough the station will remain unimpeded throughout the construction period.

To learn more about how PRESTO will work on the TTC, please visit http://getpres.to/.

Further to my December 2015 update regarding the 640 Lansdowne Ave site, I asked the TTC to provide me with more information to share with the community on past actions taken by the TTC as it relates to this property. I have included this information below. Also included below are public notices and fact sheets that were distributed in 2005/2006 to properties near the 640 Lansdowne Ave site.

Currently, Build Toronto commenced environmental investigations in early December 2015 as part of their due diligence with respect to establishing future development potential of the property. These environmental investigations include the drilling of boreholes, installation of monitoring wells, and soil testing. Once I have more information I will be sharing it with the community. 

Background Information from the TTC

The Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) holds title to 640 Lansdowne Avenue (north of Paton Road, on the west side of Lansdowne Avenue) which it acquired in 1924 through the amalgamation of three private transit companies to form the TTC. The property is approximately four acres in size. The western portion of the property is designated as an Employment Area.

A garage was constructed on the property in 1920. It was later used by the TTC for storage and maintenance of streetcars, trolley buses, and diesel buses. In 1992, diesel fuel impacts in the soil were identified by the TTC.

The garage was decommissioned in 1995. The garage was subsequently demolished in 2004; the maintenance pits were filled in, but the foundations of the building were left in place. The property is currently vacant land used by the TTC for the storage of track maintenance material, vehicles, and equipment.

In 2002, to prepare the property for sale, the TTC undertook its own environmental investigation. Trichloroethylene (TCE) and its degradation products including Vinyl Chloride, a known carcinogen, were identified in excess of the then Ministry of the Environment (MOE) guidelines in shallow groundwater onsite and offsite on the east and west sides of Lansdowne Avenue. TTC provided notice of these findings to the MOE, the City of Toronto Medical Officer of Health, City of Toronto Works and Emergency Services, Councillor Giambrone and the area MPP and MP. After considerable investigation, the extent of the impact on 640 Lansdowne Avenue was defined and it was concluded that the source of the TCE was 224 Wallace Avenue, formerly owned and occupied by General Electric (GE). The MOE requested that GE Canada undertake an investigation to determine the extent of the subsurface contamination with TCE in this area.

In 2005 and 2006, Toronto Public Health issued notices to the residents and businesses in both the Ward Street/Wallace Avenue and Lansdowne Avenue/Paton Road areas. These notices provided additional detail about the investigations that were being conducted by GE. The notices also included Fact Sheets which provided additional information about TCE and associated health risks. Examples of these notices and Fact Sheets are attached to this Briefing Note.

In 2005, TTC issued a Statement of Claim against GE and Bilnia (the then owner of 224 Wallace Avenue) claiming damages.
TTC’s environmental consultant advised at the time legal action was commenced that the clean-up of 640 Lansdowne Avenue to an appropriate level to allow for redevelopment of the property to its highest and best use would take approximately 5 years with ongoing monitoring. The cost of the TCE clean-up was part of the legal action against GE. The clean-up would involve the following:

• installation of underground up-gradient and down-gradient barriers
• excavation and disposal of impacted soils and soil impacted groundwater
• pumping and treatment of impacted groundwater

TTC subsequently entered into mediation with GE and then into settlement discussions in 2013. A settlement was reached between GE and TTC and agreements entered into the first quarter of 2015.

While TTC remediated the site for hydrocarbon impacts in the area formerly used for fuelling vehicles in 2002, the TCE impacts have not been addressed.

To download the Public Notices and Fact Sheets that were distributed in 2005/2006 please click here.

As many of you are aware, the TTC owned land at 640 Lansdowne Avenue was contaminated by previous industrial uses from the surrounding area. Following a lengthy legal battle between General Electric and the TTC over this contamination, an agreement was finally reached earlier this year.

As a result of my efforts and for the City and TTC to do its due diligence in facilitating the eventual transfer of this land, work is presently underway to complete the environmental testing process on the site to determine the current situation and next steps. This will include a Phase 1 and 2 Environmental Assessment and a Remedial Action Plan. These steps are necessary to ensure that something actually takes place on the land.

I have been informed that this work has started yesterday, meaning that action is taking place after many long years of this site sitting vacant and nothing happening.

This site has also been identified as a potential site for affordable housing through the City's Open Door Program. I would like to caution that everything is still very much in the preliminary stages and I will be updating the community as this issue progresses and the picture becomes clearer. If you would like to read more about the Open Door Program, I encourage you to click here. If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact my office at [email protected] or 416-392-7012.

Last week, City Council approved the 2015 City budget, demonstrating a clear focus on investment in the priorities I heard from Ward 18 residents; including transit, roads, poverty reduction and housing.

In 2015, we have set the tone for investment.



This budget makes important new investments in services and infrastructure, while keeping the residential budget tax increase at 2.25%

• $39 million in transit service improvements including the child fare elimination (two to 12 years of age), 50 new buses to implement new express routes and reduce overcrowding, improved subway services and expanded overnight bus and streetcar service 
• $25 million for poverty reduction including new shelter beds, increases to the student nutrition program, additional funding for childcare subsidies, enhanced shelter warming centres during weather events and expansion of priority centres 
• Capital funding to purchase 60 new subway cars, 810 new 40-foot diesel buses and 195 low-car accessible light rail vehicles for the TTC fleet 
• Creation of 181 new shelter spaces for our City's most vulnerable. 

Central to this budget process was the participation and constant communication with you, and fellow Ward 18 residents. Hundreds of active citizens invested time and care into this budget by attending my Ward 18 Budget Town Hall, calling my office, sending emails and giving deputations at committee meetings. I wish to re-iterate my thanks to everyone who participated and ask for your continued active engagement as the work to achieve the necessary levels of investment in key areas continues.

Our continued active engagement on these issues will be necessary to address the major challenges we still face, and the only way to continue this trend of investment is to promote a discussion about how to pay for it. While my message from this budget is that Toronto City Council is ready to make these necessary investments, we must not shy away from the challenging discussion and decisions in the months and years ahead. We will always continue to look for savings and smart efficiencies. This must go hand in hand with technological innovation, better customer service and community engagement. Similarly, we need to continue to look for opportunities to better manage our assets and be open to explore other revenue sources for the city.

With the 2015 budget passed, now is the time to grow this discussion and I look forward to engaging you through this process leading up to the 2016 budget. I encourage you to share your thoughts with me on the issues that matter most to you and your family. It is through our continued dialogue and shared participation in these important City processes that we will produce the best possible outcomes for our community and build the kind of city we want to live in, now and for generations to come.