Comment 1 – comments and feedback

Stephen Dunn

I have an objection to the proposed new boundary between these ridings, specifically to the placement of the condominium complex where I live, known as The Palisades.

The Palisades is at 195, 205, and 215 Wynford Drive, immediately south of Eglinton Avenue. Our buildings are currently part of Don Valley East, but would be moved into The Beaches - East York by the proposed new boundary. The issue is that this separates us from the rest of our community.

In favour of the proposed new boundary along Eglinton Avenue is that it is a (largely) straight line on the map, and I recognize that the City of Toronto also likes such straight lines and therefore considers us to be part of the Flemingdon Park neighbourhood, south of us, rather than the Banbury-Don Mills neighbourhood of our neighbours up the street. But straight lines do not fit well with geography, and the appeal of a straight line is the only factor in favour of this proposed new boundary.

The reality is that The Palisades, along with our neighbours to the north on Wynford Drive, Wynford Heights Crescent, and Concorde Place, form a community known as the Wynford-Concorde community. It is a primarily residential community, composed largely of high-rise buildings, mostly condominiums with some apartments. Wynford-Concorde is separated from other neighbourhoods in all directions: to the south and east by the valley of the east branch of the Don Valley, to the north by the Canadian Pacific Railway's main line, and to the west by the Don Valley Parkway.

If you ask a resident of The Palisades where the nearest Tim Hortons is, they will point up the street to the one in Wynford-Concorde. The nearest grocery store? Same. The nearest convenience store or hair salon? Same. The nearest condominium buildings that they would consider to be similar to ours? Same. Our buildings fall within the area covered by the Don Mills Residents Association, and we participate in meetings of its Wynford-Concorde Residents Group; all of Don Mills (including us) falls within the current boundaries of Don Valley East, and all of it (except us) is within the proposed new boundaries.

Other than a golf course immediately to the south of us (which, in fact, is farther from us than the nearest building to the north in Wynford-Concorde), the closest part of Flemingdon Park to us is a residential complex approximately 500m south. Meanwhile, about half of the rest of the Wynford-Concorde neighbourhood is within that same 500m radius from us.

It is clear that the community of which The Palisades is part is Wynford-Concorde, not Flemingdon Park. As such, we should be in the same riding as the rest of our own community, not that of the next community south of us. I would therefore propose that the boundary make a detour south of Eglinton to include our buildings in Don Valley East.

Regarding participation in the hearing, I will unfortunately be unable to attend due to a prior commitment, and so I wish this written notice to considered by the Commission as my submission.

Thank you in advance for your consideration.

Stephen Dunn (speaking for myself only, not on behalf of any organization)