North York residents have had more than their fair share of Ontario Municipal Board decisions go against them. It got so bad that last year Willowdale councillor John Filion demanded that warnings go out to prospective condo buyers to let them know the hyper-intensified corridor of Yonge St. from Sheppard Ave. to Finch Ave. suffers from perpetual gridlock.
Then came an OMB decision that allowed for the rezoning of townhouses located beyond the borders of the official North York Centre development area, where large condos and commercial buildings are encouraged. Filion, who is never one to be associated with the antics of some of city council’s most colourful personalities, wasn’t willing to let the OMB’s folly go with the usual words of contempt for the (almost) universally despised provincial appeals body. Instead, Filion joked that he would place a motion at North York Community Council seeking to name the new street that would accompany the development OMB Folly. According to the Toronto Star, Filion wasn’t serious about having the motion voted on but his colleagues persisted so he moved the motion and expected sanity to prevail. No such luck. The vote was 7-2 in favour [PDF, see page 24] of the name OMB Folly.
On April 21, almost seven months after the vote proposing the street name, North York Community Council will consider a by-law that would finalize OMB Folly.
According to local resident Carolyn Kim, she and her neighbours are none too impressed with North York Community Council’s prank on the OMB. They have started a petition to urge community council members to vote against the by-law (not available online).
In an e-mail to Spacing, Kim said: “We feel that the Council’s decision to name the lane way OMB Folly has a direct and adverse impact on the future families who will reside in the new homes and the community members who see the street name every day. It does not represent the community’s true history and identity and carries with it a negative undertone that burdens the residents.”
Since the point was clearly made when the October 2008 naming stunt drew substantial media attention, hopefully Kim and her neighbours will help North York Community Council find a more reasoned name for the street.
Quote of the Day
I was in Councillor Joe Mihevc’s office earlier today when the Globe and Mail’s Jeff Gray (who made his first comment at Spacing Toronto recently to correct a comment I had posted about the upcoming streetcar purchase) came in looking for Mihevc’s take on the ban on smoking at TTC stops that is being considered. Gray wanted to know what Mihevc, who championed the city’s work on smoke-free restaurants and bars, would say to someone who complained this was just another example of the nannystate. Mihevc’s response: “Your right to smoke ends at my nose.” I couldn’t agree more.
Photograph of “Fresh North York Condos” by Kevin Steele.
9 comments
Don’t blame it completely on just the NY Councillors. City Council (as a whole) approved it too.
See Minute item 25.49
http://www.toronto.ca/legdocs/mmis/2008/cc/minutes/2008-10-29-cc25-mn.pdf
Also, you might want to check the date of the North York Community Council Meeting. They don’t usually meet on Fridays. The next scheduled meeting date is the 21st of April.
Regrets, that was my typo. The date has been corrected.
You’re also correct that Council has responsibility to bare as a whole but NYCC got this started and if they do the right thing on April 21st, Council isn’t going to reverse their decision.
Its decisions like this that make me feel the OMB is necessary. I would trust a goat with respect to zoning over Toronto City Council.
Minto dedicated the courtyard between their two Yonge+Eg towers as the “Anne Johnston Courtyard”, after the councillor who was voted out of office due to opposition to those buildings. To my mind, that manages to get a message across in a classier way than a name like “OMB Folly”.
Where was Jeff Gray’s comment about streetcars? I can’t find it in any recent posts, and wouldn’t think he ran afoul of the comment policy with his very first comment!
Here’s the original decision. It’s a good example of intensification.
http://www.omb.gov.on.ca/e-decisions/pl041202_%232280.pdf
Matt L., you are sadly misinformed. Anne Johnston was voted out because she SUPPORTED the buildings. She knew the OMB would approve them, so rather than letting that just happen, she struck a deal with Minto to get a bunch of community benefits in exchange for her support.
The local residents’ associations were against the development, and ran an ad in a community paper for someone to run against Johnston. And that is how we have Councillor Karen Stintz.
Matt, thanks for asking about that. Despite Spacing’s high regard for Jeff and his alter ego Mr. Gridlock, his comment did go to spam. I’ve unspammed his comment. I only knew about the comment because Jeff mentioned it to me.
Adam, thanks. Asher, poor phrasing rather than misinformation on my part — I meant she was voted out of office by people opposed to the buildings, which she had supported. Thanks for the clarification.
Tell Mihevc the right to smell bad ends at my nose, too. Mandatory daily showers for the homeless! Oh, and no more car exhaust fumes. I hear they’re pretty bad for your health!
Funny stuff with the OMB Folly business. Politics seem like a circus everywhere, but it’s only at the municipal level that you get something even Joe Canadian can find ridiculous.