Community Council meetings in Toronto are becoming quite the attraction these days, says Liz McGregor, who recently attended one.
“If you stand outside of just Toronto and East York Community Council meetings alone, you’ll see these huge lineups, and we’re all fighting the same thing.”
For McGregor, it’s a fight to be heard about a development near her home at 419-425 Woodbine Avenue, close to Kingston Road. The developer is applying to amend the Official Plan and Zoning By-law to build an 11-storey mixed-use building with 123 residential units.
“We have grave concerns regarding this proposal,” she said.
While they say the height of the proposed structure is a big issue, there are other issues she and dozens of her neighbours have with it. They also worry that the site, near a former vehicle repair shop, may have contaminated soil.
“Yes, the developer did do the required environmental site assessment (ESA) for this property, but it was done for a two to three-story building, not the proposed 11 stories, so the environmental site assessment is insufficient,” said Adam Smith, who also lives near the proposed site.
Residents have mobilized and are coming together to speak out.
“We’re not anti-development. But if you’re going to have contaminated lands, you better have people that have got proper oversight. Especially when residential units are going in,” McGregor said. “But nobody is listening.”
According to City Staff, they are aware of the discrepancies between the ESA report and the application, and in a statement told us the Ontario Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks is reviewing the matter.
As for the other concerns, neighbours say they were given a chance to speak at a recent public meeting as the developer seeks city approval for the changes.
“We had prepared a five-minute speech and got cut down to three minutes, so we kind of got short-shortlisted, Said Laurie Tennant, whose property is located directly behind the proposed site.
“The fact is that these developments are being rammed through, and nobody is listening. Nobody,” McGregor added. “It’s not just here, Cliffside, Birch Cliff, North York. It’s everywhere in the city. People are saying, ‘Hold on a second here. What are we doing?”
McGregor worries the immense pressure for Ontario to increase the housing supply heavily favours developers and not residents who express concerns.
“Some of this is the result of provincial policy changes that have limited the number of community consultation sessions that the city can require, and have also pushed municipalities to reach a decision on applications more quickly than they used to,” said Councillor Brad Bradford, who represents the ward McGregor and the others live in.
The developer for the Woodbine site did not respond to our request for comment. But Bradford says they addressed some of the concerns raised by residents at the public meeting by reducing the building’s height from the original proposal. The developer is also working to revise issues identified in its Stormwater Management report following demands from City Staff.
In a statement, Manager of Community Planning, East Section, Sarah Henstock acknowledged they are, in fact, under tighter timeline reviews when it comes to development projects due to updates to the Planning Act and Provincial legislation. But she says each application is thoroughly investigated, which includes public input on all projects, including the Woodbine proposal.
“The City of Toronto has valued feedback provided at several points while reviewing the proposed development at 419-425 Woodbine Avenue, including a virtual Community Consultation Meeting in October last year and a public meeting at Toronto and East York Community Council in April.”
Henstock went on to say City staff have also responded to more than 170 written comments.
“Each of which has been thoughtfully reviewed by City staff and the applicant.”
The application for the bylaw and zoning changes at the Woodbine site will be reviewed by City Council later this month, which could pass or reject it. But as we’ve seen in past contested development proposals, even if the application is rejected by council, the developer can seek an appeal through the Ontario Land Tribunal.
In March, the Ontario Land Tribunal (OLT) overturned the City’s rejection of a 27-storey development at the Corner of Queen West and Dovercourt, with the adjudicator ruling it is “good land use planning” and is “in the public interest.”
“That’s what residents are faced with,” Smith said. “Even with city opposition, if it goes to the OLT, it’s meaningless.”
Residents worry that if the case gets to the OLT, their concerns won’t be heard. While anyone can request to give statements at OLT hearings, they must apply and get approval first. McGregor says provincial changes, made in 2024 under Bill 185, “Cutting Red Tape to Build More Homes Act,” have made the process much more difficult.
“Essentially, the way the OLT hearings operate now is excluding citizens who have concerns from taking part,” McGregor said.
An OLT spokesperson said the tribunal’s role is to apply legislation and adjudicate matters that come before it based on the law, evidence, and submissions from the parties.
“Individuals or groups with an interest in a matter may request party or participant status. The tribunal then determines whether the request can be considered, based on the applicable legislation and the circumstances of the case,” OLT said.
Neighbours near the Woodbine site say they’ll continue their fight to be heard, hoping City Council will weigh their concerns when they take up the development’s proposal on April 22.
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