John Fisher not the only school affected by development

680news.com
March 24, 2017
Faiza Amin

John Fisher Public School is not the only school in the Toronto District School Board that could be affected by development right next door. In fact, the TDSB has identified nine other schools with planned construction nearby, and now, they’re trying to figure out if the board could benefit financially.

When a development project is shown to have an impact on the neighbourhood it moves into, the City of Toronto has a tool at its disposal, known as a community benefits agreement, that sees the builder give money to that community. There is no similar policy in place for the school board, if, in the case of John Fisher, a proposed tower project may potentially cause students to relocate to another school temporarily.

A 35-storey tower, said to be a rental apartment building, is expected to begin construction this summer, but if the project is found to be risking the safety of students next door, it is possible that they will be relocated to Vaughn Road Academy. According to the TDSB, the relocation may cost the board money, as buses may be needed for students to commute and the temporary school will also need to be renovated.

“The [Vaughan Road] school is currently a high school, and will need to be made more elementary-friendly to make sure it’s okay for 500 students,” TDSB spokesperson Ryan Bird told CityNews on Thursday. “That’s just one option. No decision has been made.”

The developer KG Group tells CityNews it will contribute $1.1 million to the City of Toronto under Section 37 of the planning act. According to the area’s councillor, none of that money will go to John Fisher or the TDSB.

Coun. Jaye Robinson’s office said that a mediation deal was reached at an Ontario Municipal Board (OMB) hearing, that saw a reduction in the height of the proposed tower and the number of parking spaces at its 18-30 Erskine Ave. location. That agreement saw the city, two residents association and a John Fisher parent coming to the negotiation table with the developer. The councillor says the settlement approved at the hearing will see the money go towards the design and improvement of the Yonge-Eglinton neighbourhood.

“At the time of the mediation, there were no requests for Section 37 funds to be directed to John Fisher Public School, and the TDSB did not participate at the OMB,” an email statement from Robinson’s office reads.

Coun. Robinson says she is exploring the possibility of allocating some of the money from the development to the school, in consultation with the other parties, including the TDSB.

The board says there are currently 11 proposed tall tower projects to be built next to nine TDSB schools:

1. North Toronto CI – 55-65 Broadway Ave.
2. Grenoble PS – 25 St Dennis Dr.
3. Jesse Ketchum Jr Sr PS – 48-58 Scollard St.
4. Jesse Ketchum Jr Sr PS – 100 Davenport Rd.
5. Church Street Jr PS – 70-72 Carlton St.
6. Church Street Jr PS – 411 Church St.
7. Lord Lansdowne Jr Sr PS – 484 Spadina Ave.
8. Nelson Mandela Park PS – 14 Belvins Pl.
9. Cliffside PS – 2229 Kingston Rd.
10. Ryerson CS – Alexandra Park
11. Davisville Jr PS – 1955-1985 Yonge St, 18-22 Millwood Rd, 3 Belsize Dr.

Parents at Church Street School have fought tower projects in the past and have lost, and since then, are currently seeing two more condos constructed just steps away from the playground. Parents tell CityNews several of the towers completed in the area now block the sun, causing for little light in the school’s playground.

“It is extremely loud all day long in the classrooms, and it’s more the traffic that we’re really concerned about right now,” said David Hogg, a parent with kids at the school.

The parents also say the process is extremely frustrating, with a lack of transparency from the school board when it comes to cutting deals with the developers. In one case, developers did provide restitution pay to the TDSB, to offset any impacts the tower would have on decreasing the sunlight onto Church Street School.

“If there’s going to be an agreement made, make sure it’s public and get input from parents,” said Russell Gordon, another parent. “It has not been a transparent process at this school; the funds are not all being spent at the school.”

Gordon argues when a tower project is purely impacting one school, the compensation provided by the developers shouldn’t be used anywhere else. But he, along with other parents, say they wonder if the TDSB has enough resources to go up against the developers against each one of the 11 proposed projects.

“Developers have more money than the school board does to spend on the OMB hearing, and that’s what the school board has to think about, so it’s a tough situation to be in,” Gordon said.

In the case of the 11 upcoming tower projects, the TDSB says it would be hard to speculate how the schools would be impacted, as each scenario could be unique depending on the location. They are currently working on how to minimize the impacts of these projects on schools, and are looking to get more involved at the early stages.

“We need to be at that table with the city and the developer to be part of that discussion early on,” Bird said. “So that if we have concerns, ideas, thoughts to do certain that’s, that those could be brought to the table early on so that it doesn’t even have to reach the stage of the Ontario Municipal Board.”