Don Mills Residents Inc.

It has been a busy and important time for the DMRI since our last newsletter.

Bills 108 and 109, and 23 are changing the development process. They fundamentally reduce the participation of the public, community groups like the DMRI, even the cities in which the developments are being built.

Our court case appealing the initial decision that the city has the authority to change agreements with local resident groups, was turned down. This is disappointing. For many years we believed that we had an agreement to build a community centre in Central Don Mills. The signatures to the agreement were the DMRI, Cadillac Fairview, and the City of Toronto. It was to be built and functioning by 2020. The city decided that it was better to build one on the old Celestica site. In all likelihood, it will not be functional till past 2030.

I recently heard from two long-time residents that when they first bought into the area in the 1950s that the City promised then that a centre would be built. After many years of work and effort by many people, this is now at an end.

On the development front, there are now over 65 new towers either proposed, in application, or under construction in the DMRI area. See the chart on the next page listing the ones we know about. This is an astonishing number and will fundamentally change the area. Three examples for your consideration. The proposal at the south end of Don Mills and The Donway E. would see the low-rise apartments replaced with four 30-story towers. In the WynfordConcorde area, over 12 towers are being proposed. Just recently, a developer presented a plan for four towers on the table lands of the Flemingdon Golf Course.

What is happening in the Wynford-Concorde area is an example of the importance of community involvement. The area is only served by two access roads and three points of egress. No school, no public or common area, no parks, and little retail. The population is estimated to grow from ~8000 to over 24k – 28k.

An astonishing growth.

When this growth is combined with the nature of the area, it is more urgent that the city and you and I be involved in deciding what is to become of that area. The legislation allows developers to ride roughshod over the people living in the area and does not permit much, if any, consultation about good neighbourhood planning and what is needed and will generate the most money.

The DMRI is working diligently to ensure that developments happen and the results are livable and vibrant neighbourhoods for all.

Your support and commitment are important and keeps us going.

Thank you.

John Cockerill

President