Developer withdraws proposal to use school playground for construction
Kids’ turf at John Fisher Public School won’t be used as staging area for highrise construction.

thestar.com
By Andrea Gordon
Nov. 21, 2016

A Toronto developer has backed away from plans to use part of the schoolyard at John Fisher Public School while it builds a highrise apartment next door, steps away from 500 young children.

KG Group had been quietly negotiating a deal with the Toronto District School Board to use a parcel of John Fisher property as a construction “staging area” during the three to four years of its project on a small lot adjacent to the school, set to begin in 2017.

But parents, worried about the health and safety of their kids and upset that terms of any deal would not be made public, had been up in arms. After discovering earlier this month that the board was to vote on a proposed agreement this Wednesday, they opposed the plan at a recent trustee meeting, launched an online petition and spoke out to the media.

“We heard the community,” Nathan Katz of KG Group told the Star Monday, regarding the company’s decision to withdraw its proposal for the staging area. “It seemed to be what they wanted and we were happy to oblige.”

However the 35-storey project, near Yonge St. and Eglinton Ave., will still proceed. Katz said the developer will be reaching out to parents directly, and intends to have “open dialogue” about its plans.

Parents learned in a Friday letter from TDSB trustee Gerri Gershon that KG would not conduct staging in the schoolyard.

“We have heard you and so has the developer,” she wrote. Gershon indicated KG would select “an alternate location” for staging, but Katz did not elaborate on those plans on Monday.

Parents expressed relief but said they will continue to push the city and the developer for more information and consultation.

“My theory is it’s going to be a long process,” said Stavros Rougas, whose son Aristotelis is in Grade 2 at the French immersion school.

Traffic on the street is already a huge problem in the high-density neighbourhood, and the prospect of heavy equipment and cranes overhead would add to the congestion, he said.

Parent Ian Cooper called the cancelled agreement “potentially good news.”

“I think the developer saw there was a lot of concern from parents,” said Cooper, who has a daughter in Grade 1 and another in preschool at John Fisher. “They seemed to be willing to tap the brakes a little.”

He is among many worried that the project is going ahead without adequately addressing concerns about safety, noise, air quality and vibrations on the century-old school and the children trying to learn in its classrooms and playground.

“As parents, we’re going to have to continue to make a lot of noise,” he said. “If we stop kicking and screaming I think we’ll get rolled over on.”

While builders had proposed demolishing the existing structures during March break when the kids aren’t in school, Cooper favours putting off demolition and initial foundation work at least until the summer.

Gershon stated in her letter that the TDSB will conduct “an independent assessment of health and safety issues through a third party,” which will be shared with the school community, and stay in close contact with the city to ensure safety remains a top priority. The playground will be moved to the opposite side of school property to get students as far away as possible from construction.

But Rougas and Cooper said they want to hear timelines, details about who will do the study, a budget and possible contingency plans for students. They also want to ensure that parents have plenty of warning in case they want to make alternate arrangements for their kids.