 A lot has happened with respect to our efforts to not only halt demolition of The Foundry buildings but preserve them as well. Due to the public engagement and advocacy of the residents of the St. Lawrence, Corktown, Distillery District and other communities across Ontario, we have made some advances but the challenge is not over. Following are details on the current status of our collaborative efforts to protect the Foundry and the impact we have had to date:
The AdjournmentAs agreed by all parties — the St. Lawrence Neighbourhood Association (SLNA), the City, and the Province — the February 26 has been adjourned (postponed) to give all parties more time to come to some kind of resolution. If they can’t reach a resolution, another court date will be set and the hearing will proceed. This is great news (for now) because the parties have also agreed that the Interim Order will remain in effect. In other words, the province can’t continue with the demolition while we are discussing resolution.In the meantime, the Province initiated a one-way “consultation” process which continues until March 4, with the province asking for community input. Please click here to write to the province today, letting them know this isn’t good enough. A regular two-way dialogue with the community must take place, something we have asked for since October. We must remember, the Province owns the land, and the Ministerial Zoning Order (MZO) allows them to bypass nearly all planning requirements set by the City. The Court ordered them to continue the pause on demolition because there is compelling evidence that they have not met their own standards under the Ontario Heritage Act and had breached heritage-related commitments in a subdivision agreement. The Province is attempting to fulfill those requirements now. Once they are finished, there is a risk we will no longer be able to stop them through the courts. So a mutually-agreed adjournment right now is a good outcome. What power do we have?
For more information (including background information on this attack on the preservation of heritage buildings in and around our neighbourhood) please visit friendsofthefoundry.ca or respectlocalplanning.com Download article Next SLNA Community Meeting - Feb. 24 The next SLNA Community Montly Meeting will include a presentation to honour Black History Month with guest speaker Rosemary Sadlier. Rosemary is an Order of Ontario recipient and the former president of the Ontario Black History Society. As an educator Rosemary has developed and contributed to African Canadian curriculum and was an appointed member of the College of Early Childhood Educators. As an author Rosemary has written 7 books on African Canadian history. Most recently Rosemary was appointed Equality Lead for the Americas and the Caribbean with the Royal Commonwealth Society. This neighbourhood is historically where Toronto began and where many Black Canadians and Black Americans made their mark in history (to name a few: Thornton and Lucie Blackburn who escaped slavery in the United States to establish themselves as community leaders and activists in Toronto and well known anti-slave activist and publisher Mary Ann Shadd...). We look forward to the highlights of those historic profiles during Rosemary's presentation on February 24th - see you there! SLNA February 24 Community Meeting Agenda: Meeting Begins at 7:00 p.m. on Zoom - see link below.
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