A step in the right direction!

Dear BBBD supporters,

Here’s some good news!

At Toronto City Council, March 20, 2024, a proposed amendment to the Bloor-Dufferin community hub space was deferred.

We want to extend a huge thank you to everyone who sent emails and messages to the developers and our City Councillor over the 48 hours before the council meeting.

We asked you to speak out – and did you ever! 

Our inbox is overflowing.

A deferral means that Council won’t vote until next month on whether to allow the developers to decrease the Hub by 2,800 square feet. This offers time for Hazelview and Fitzrovia to come forward with a reasonable proposal for resolving this issue. The ball is now in their court, and we will keep pressing them to live up to their obligations. (For more details see below.)

We will update you as soon as we have more information to share and will let you know if further actions are needed in the coming weeks. For now, we can all feel proud. We’ve made one key step in the right direction (and we only need a few more).

Yours in hope and determination,

BBBD

(Building a Better Bloor Dufferin)

An Urgent Newsletter, March 17, 2024

Dear BBBD supporter,

It has been a long time since we’ve been in touch. Today we are reaching out with an urgent update.

BBBD recently learned that the developers of the massive build at Bloor & Dufferin are asking CIty Council to let them reduce the size of the new community hub they promised by 2800 square feet. That’s the size of an auditorium that could seat more than 200 people – like the one we lost when they demolished Bloor Collegiate.

The decision to defer the amendment was made at Council on March 20, so the matter will once again be debated but the amendment could still be approved.

There is still a chance to stop them from whittling down the community benefits we all worked so hard to win.

Contact  your City Councillor today and ask them to halt this amendment and hold the developer to their promise.

Copy your message to:

Councillor Alejandra Bravo councillor_bravo@toronto.ca
Major Olivia Chow mayor_chow@toronto.ca
The Bloor-Dufferin developers   BloorDufferin@strategycorp.com 

What is the history?

Building a Better Bloor Dufferin (BBBD) has worked since 2017 to advocate for community benefits from the sale and redevelopment of the 7.3 acres of public land at Bloor and Dufferin, including affordable housing, community and cultural space, and sufficient park space for our growing neighbourhood.

With the support of more than 1,000 members and donors, BBBD was a party to the December 2019 Local Planning Area Tribunal settlement between the City and developers that saw the creation of a $15-million affordable housing land trust and the dedication of $2 million for community and cultural space, alongside a 59-unit affordable housing building, public park, and 30,000 square foot  community hub in the historic Kent School building.

What is happening now?

The ownership and development of the Bloor / Dufferin school lands has changed hands since the City and BBBD finalized negotiations with the original developer five years ago. Although the two new developers, Fitzrovia and Hazelview, have taken over, the project plan which was approved by the City and BBBD still stands as contracted.

Just weeks ago, we were shocked to learn that Bloor-Dufferin developers Fitzrovia/Hazelview have requested that the agreement be amended to remove 2,800 sq. ft. of space from a promised community hub – the size of an auditorium.

BBBD organized quickly to depute when the requested amendment came to Toronto and East York Community Council (you can see our written submission here and view deputations by BBBD members Lynn Cepin and Erella Ganon here).

We have met with Councillor Alejandra Bravo, staff of the City Planning department, and the developers to propose solutions—but to no avail. At this moment, it looks like the City is going to allow the reduction of the community space without any compensation to the community. Let’s tell them our Bloor Dufferin neighbours won’t stand for this—write to your Councillor now.

What else has BBBD been up to lately?

Over the last couple of years working with non-profit housing groups, and financial and legal assistance, BBBD volunteers have put together systems for administering the two trust funds that were won in the Bloor-Dufferin settlement. Already through the non-profit housing groups like St.Clare’s and Habitat for Humanity, proposals have been made to the City for four affordable housing projects. Since the trusts will, over the next decade, be continuously renewed through the “affordable” rents charged, they will make critically important contributions to help solve the city’s dire housing situation and the looming shortage of community space that the city finds itself in.

BBBD has not lost sight of the assistance we had, and contacts made with non-profit and resident-led groups throughout the city. We have been instrumental in setting up a Coalition for Equitable, Inclusive Development where many groups across the city come together to share information and strategies to advocate for equitable and inclusive development. Also, since we have been through community benefit negotiations with a couple of developers, we have expertise and are making ourselves available providing assistance and information as needed to groups experiencing new development in their area.

Over the past five years, BBBD has learned that when we refuse to take no for an answer – we can win real benefits for our communities!

Write to your Councillor today to claim what you were promised.

THIS IS URGENT. We won’t get this Community Hub space returned to us otherwise.