‘Find a better way,’ Tory says of $1.64M drain feature at St. Lawrence Market
Plans for creating a glass viewing feature onto a 1831 drain at the north market redevelopment are going back to city staff.

TheStar.com
Sept. 20, 2017
Tamar Harris

A proposed drain feature at the St. Lawrence Market north redevelopment is now being reconsidered after the city said they cannot justify the expense.

The proposal for a glass “viewing portal” looking onto an 1831 central drain was headed to the government management committee next week.

But Mayor John Tory said in a statement Wednesday morning that he cannot justify spending an additional $1.96 million on it.

Tory said he spoke to Paul Ainslie, chair of the city’s government management committee Wednesday morning.

“He agreed with me that the Committee should send this back to City staff to find a better way.”

Tory noted that the heritage of Toronto is important.

“As Mayor, I believe it is my duty to ensure we do what we can to protect our city’s heritage within the limited resources we have.”

A portion of the near-$2 million cost could be funded within the current redevelopment budget of $91.5 million, but $1.64 million in additional funding would be required.

The current redevelopment plan includes 250 underground parking spaces, a five-storey atrium, a market hall and mezzanine, court services and courtrooms.