'A world-class solution': Amid controversy, Aurora residents pitch seniors' campus

Province's MZO on Oak Ridges Moraine land 'a slap in the face,' councillor says

Yorkregion.com
Dec. 14, 2020

In the midst of a simmering clash between Aurora and Queen’s Park over provincially-owned surplus lands in the town’s south end, two residents are calling on both governments to consider a campus focused on seniors’ needs on the entire site at Yonge Street and Bloomington Sideroad.

“We think the site is big enough that, if everybody collaborates and works together, they can actually come up with a world-class solution here,” Len Bulmer said.

Kathy Kantel agreed.

“Let’s work together to come up with something that is exciting.”

Bulmer and Kantel, who were employed for years in government jobs related to housing, are pitching their vision to Mayor Tom Mrakas and the offices of Newmarket-Aurora MPP and Deputy Premier Christine Elliott and Aurora—Oak Ridges—Richmond Hill MPP Michael Parsa.

While they agree with provincial plans for a long-term-care home on a section of land at the end of Academy Drive adjacent to the York Catholic District School Board and Cardinal Carter Catholic High School, they are trying to head off Queen’s Park also paving the way for housing at the site, which is on the Oak Ridges Moraine and close to estate homes on Elderberry Trail.

Instead, Bulmer and Kantel believe the entire property could accommodate the long-term-care home, seniors’ apartments and recreation facilities for the entire community.

They argued a standalone long-term-care facility would do a disservice to residents.

“Nursing homes tend to be segregated from their communities,” Bulmer said.

“We would like to have a nursing home or a long-term-care centre here integrated with the rest of the community. One of the ways to do that is to have a recreational centre here and the size of the site allows it. That way, you have aqua-therapy pools for seniors.”

And a secure walking track for people with dementia, Kantel added.

The entire government site contains provincial uses, including the Ontario Provincial Police and the Ministry of Transportation in the former Pine Ridge Centre, at one time an institution for people with developmental disabilities, which was the subject of a 2015 class action lawsuit alleging abuse of residents.

“Horrified” that the town has designated the Pine Ridge building under the Heritage Act given its “shameful” history, Kantel and Bulmer are asking council to rescind the designation.

They came up with their vision for a seniors’ campus in the wake of a series of tweets last month from Mrakas.

The mayor is angry Municipal Affairs Minister Steve Clark has issued an MZO allowing a developer to build about 75 homes on 30-foot lots and the long-term-care home at the end of Academy Drive.

MZOs, or ministerial zoning orders, give Clark far-reaching powers to override local planning processes, eliminate public consultation and environmental assessments in order to fast-track development.

While other governments used them sparingly, the Conservatives have issued more than 30 MZOs.

Adam Wilson, Clark’s acting director of communications, tweeted back that “the mayor knows the town has been engaged in this process for a long time. The MZO represents a small portion of the land on this provincially-owned site, and was issued to facilitate the construction of long-term-care beds. The province is still actively consulting.”

Mrakas called the claim “false,” saying Clark failed to discuss the province’s plans with him before issuing the MZO.

The province is adamant any development on the site include at least 128 long-term-care beds, Parsa said.

“To be honest, as a local member, I’m very, very happy about that. We need these beds.”

But the province’s heavy-handed approach overriding the town’s official plan, a municipality’s “planning bible,” is “a slap in the face,” Coun. Wendy Gaertner said.

The town had been eyeing the site for recreational amenities for residents in the under-serviced south part of town, she said.

In 2017, the province considered allowing 148 homes at the northwest corner of Yonge and Bloomington but then appeared to abandon that proposal.

Now, the MZO clears the way for the controversial development further west.

“We were quite surprised that the province has decided to switch gears and bring it to the market and sell if for housing and the long-term-care centre,” said Aurora’s planning director, David Waters, adding technical studies could still rule out high-density housing on the site.

“It seemed like the province just kind of rammed it through and everybody’s got to pick up the pieces afterwards.”