Comment 306 – comments and feedback

Frances Wilkinson

I have just submitted the Public Hearing Participation Form for the upcoming virtual hearing for Toronto on Sept 29 with a brief summary of my position which I am hoping to present virtually. However, in the interest of being sure my position is heard, as there are likely to be many submissions for Toronto, I am including the full statement of my position below.

Thank you for this opportunity to participate in this process,

Frances Wilkinson, Etobicoke-Lakeshore ED

Inclusion of the Kingsway neighbourhood in the new Humber ED

I strongly protest the changes proposed for the electoral district (ED) of Etobicoke-Lakeshore in the creation of the new ED of Humber. While a riding should reflect a diversity of socioeconomic groups, and in many places, ethnocultural groups as well, it should also reflect community. The area of Etobicoke known as The Kingsway has been part of the southernmost ED in Etobicoke, both federally and provincially for as long as I have lived here (over 20 years), and with Ford's recent reduction in municipal wards, the same is true municipally. This reflects the residents of the area's involvement in social, economic, cultural and religious functions of the south Etobicoke community. The railway tracks and Dundas street (with both sides included in E-L) would provide a natural boundary, one in keeping with current community identity. Dividing the ED along the middle of Bloor St, to the contrary, splits one of the major business districts in two, something that does not occur anywhere else along Bloor St except for a short stretch in Rosedale. With the current new development at Humbertown, and its attendant traffic chaos, residents of The Kingsway are even less likely to carry out any of their shopping/banking/medical/dental affairs north of Dundas. More importantly, as our outlook is southward, this is reflected in our interest in and support of charitable institutions within our ED: Women's Habitat, Global Medic, Second Harvest, Stonegate Community Health, LAMP, Daily Bread, Dorothy Lay Hospice to name a few. In the future, this commitment is likely to decline given that we will have no political voice in the south Etobicoke community. Given the geography with railway lines and the Humber river, and the current traffic patterns, it is highly unlikely that this community interest will be transferred to entities in the new Humber riding instead. But, you may say, this is only federal – your local concerns are mainly provincial and municipal. At present the boundaries of the federal and provincial Etobicoke-Lakeshore EDs and Municipal Ward 3 all exactly coincide. How long do you think it will be before these other levels of government follow suit for the sake of convenience? And when that happens, how will our interests in intensification/development on Bloor Street, issues with the TTC (the subway runs along under Bloor) be represented?

This change is also likely to affect active political involvement (both financial and personal) of the citizens of this area, who in the past have been highly active federally for at least two of the major political parties. In fact, our current MP is a resident of the area affected. People are inclined to take up the issues of those in other socioeconomic groups when at least some of their concerns overlap; this is true of the Kingsway and the southern part of the ED (park land, waterfront development, transit), but I see no overlap in interests on major issues between the Kingsway and Weston/St. Dennis. Take transportation, for example. The ongoing situation with the development and extension of the Eglington LRT is of vital interest to those in what is now Etobicoke Centre and York-South Weston but of little concern to those in our neighbourhood except as an area to be avoided; its completion will be of little benefit to us. Our main driving route to downtown is the Gardiner Expressway or Lakeshore, or along Bloor St itself. Transit use in our area is high for a high-income neighbourhood because the subway runs through our area and is the most efficient way to get downtown. For those further north, the Pearson Express is a valuable transit option both to the airport and downtown, but here in the Kingsway it is too far away to be of any use. Or consider health care and hospitals. Most medical emergencies requiring ambulance in our area are taken to St. Joseph's Hospital (in Parkdale-High Park), and there is great interest here in the proposed expansion of the Queensway ambulatory care centre to a full hospital. Few people in this area use the hospitals in the north part of the city (Etobicoke General and Humber River), whereas their operation would be of much greater concern to those in the rest of this proposed new electoral district.

Finally let me speak as an older person, one who owns a home in this area. If we decide give up home ownership, we will certainly be looking along Bloor St or further south for alternative housing. Seniors services and activities used by people in this area (e.g. Fairfield Seniors Centre) are south of Bloor and hence will remain in Etobicoke-Lakeshore. Most new or planned condos and townhouses of interest to older people will be along Bloor, Islington, the Queensway or Lakeshore/Humber Bay Shores – areas with accessible shopping, services, and transit. In other words, people in this neighbourhood will want to continue using and supporting institutions and services in Etobicoke-Lakeshore, not in the area defined by the new Humber riding. While it may not matter federally, except to reduce our interest in and financial support of federal politics, if/when the same changes occur provincially and municipally, this may have a profound effect on access to services in what we in the Kingsway consider to be our community.

Is there a better alternative? The claimed basis for this redistribution is equitable population distribution. Etobicoke-Lakeshore is one of the largest ridings by population in the country, but by no means the only large riding. It is also true that there will be increased population due to both intensification along Bloor and Dundas, the extensive townhouse building that is going on at present in the largely industrial area between Islington & Kipling, and the enormous development at Islington & the Queensway. However, if it is essential to reduce the area of Etobicoke-Lakeshore in view of this predicted growth, it would make far more sense to do one of the following: (1) attach the new and rapidly growing Humber Bay Shores region to Parkdale High-Park, which has a lower population by 20,000 and far less on-going development than Etobicoke-Lakeshore. Humber Bay Shores is a self-contained area, has a much shorter residential community history as part of Etobicoke-Lakeshore than the Kingsway, and shares many concerns (highways/transit/waterfront development) with the Parkdale-High Park area. (2) Alternatively (but less desirable), attach the Kingsway area to Parkdale-High Park. While Parkdale-High Park is not part of the former Etobicoke, we do share common concerns in terms of transportation and local businesses (the Bloor corridor), health care (St. Joseph's Hospital), and park land (the Humber valley) with Parkdale-High Park residents. These ridings have worked together on issues in the past, and many connections already exist between the two districts.

Thank you for considering my views on this important matter.