Baffled residents urge city, region to be responsible for ‘decaying’ fence

Since 2002, the residents were told that they are responsible to be maintain the fence

Yorkregion.com
August 22, 2019
Dina Al-Shibeeb

When Bruno Gagliardi moved into his Torii Street home in 1986, he didn’t expect Hwy. 7 -- directly behind his house -- to get busier and louder.

Gagliardi’s and his neighbours’ homes are supposed to be shielded from the noise and pollution by a brown brick fence. But the salt splashing from passing cars in the winter has caused the wall to decay, lamented Gagliardi, who pointed at parts of the fence where salt damage can easily be seen.

Walking on the sidewalk along Hwy. 7 -- east of Pine Valley Drive -- you see plastic wires and other makeshift repairs made to bolster the aging, crumbling wall. In one instance, one resident put up an old white garage door as a way to fix the section of fence behind his house.

“The traffic has grown 10 times the amount of volume. The city has not taken the effort to do something about this fence,” a frustrated Gagliardi said.

In 2003, York Region, which has jurisdiction over Hwy. 7, told residents through their councillor at the time, Bernie Di Vona, it didn't have any “legal obligation” to fix or repair the wall. Instead, residents are the ones responsible.

Sixteen years later, Gagliardi feels baffled. He says the city can help, through its liability insurance, to fix the wall.

On top of that, there are issues irking the residents, including uncut shrubs and grass at the back of their homes.

The city has “eliminated the planters needed to take away some of the sound. It would have pushed Hwy. 7 further south too.”

“How is this the city above (Toronto),” Gagliardi wondered invoking Vaughan’s former motto. But luckily for him, he found an ally.

Gagliardi forwarded a petition calling for the wall to be replaced to Michael Tibollo, MPP for Vaughan-Woodbridge.

He has approached the city and the region and arranged a meeting with York Region Chairman and CEO Wayne Emmerson to give him the petition by hand.

The petition is calling for York Region to “accept full responsibility and commence remedial work at its expense” over the fence.

“Was it ever anticipated when that fence was built the amount of traffic that would be moving along Highway 7 will increase to the point where the wall wouldn't be able to abate the sound anymore?” Tibollo said.

“This isn’t a legal battle,” he said, adding Vaughan council and the region are “responsible.”

Tibollo hopes the region will “find an allocation to allow the wall to be built properly so that the people that live there have quiet enjoyment of their property.”

“When you look at Hwy. 7 and you see the garage doors and the leaning fences and the makeshift repairs that have been done, it's an eyesore.”

Meanwhile, Coun. Rosanna DeFrancesca told York Region Media that, since she became Ward 3 councillor, “I have worked closely with residents and City of Vaughan staff to address concerns about the fence.”

While DeFrancesca confirms “maintenance of the fence is the responsibility of the property owner,” she added “the original purpose of the fence has changed as the neighbourhood has greatly evolved,” including the growing importance of Hwy. 7.

“We need other levels of government to make the necessary investments to have this fence fixed along this important corridor.”