New leadership for David Dunlap Defenders

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12:18 pm

Astronomy fans and appreciators of public space in Richmond Hill are planning their next steps, with news that the David Dunlap Observatory Defenders has had a shakeup in leadership.

Chalk it up to old-fashioned tenacity, perhaps. Led until recently by Karen Cilevitz — freshly elected as councillor for Richmond Hill’s Ward 5, a post previously held by Nick Papa — the David Dunlap Observatory Defenders, established six years ago by Cilevitz and others, has had one goal in mind: the preservation of the David Dunlap Observatory and its surrounding parklands.

The University of Toronto sold it to Corsica Developments Incorporated in 2008. With a landmark victory following many long, agonizing years of heritage hearings and provincial petitioning, 111 acres of green space was ultimately saved, with it mutually agreed that the site’s heritage locations should be transitioned to public ownership.

“This is a most heartfelt, bittersweet moment for me.”

So with all this behind the David Dunlap Observatory Defenders and with the results from the recent municipal election, change is afoot for the organization that is now regrouping under new leadership.

“This is a most heartfelt, bittersweet moment for me,” Cilevitz recently said, noting the work that she and other members of the observatory defenders had been mutually involved with since 2008. “My position as chair of this remarkable organization has, without doubt, been one of my most meaningful achievements.”

Now, as councillor, Cilevitz finds herself on the opposite end of the spectrum — facilitating public advocacy rather than spearheading it. But facing this transition, she told Post City, with the selection of astronomer Dr. Ian Shelton as the David Dunlap Observatory Defenders’ new chairperson, she has nothing but confidence for both the organization’s and Richmond Hill’s future.

After all, she said, the observatory grounds — proposed as the new David Dunlap Observatory Park — are part of Richmond Hill’s backyard, and Shelton is the man to help make it a reality.

“On behalf of [David Dunlap Observatory Defenders],” Shelton said, “I wish to thank Karen for her remarkable leadership and vision.” Starting now, he said, begins the transition of the group into a new organization, called Friends of the David Dunlap Observatory Park.

Former trustee brought up on charges

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12:17 pm

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UPDATE: In June 2015 the charges against Howard Goodman were dropped and he was exonerated. Here is a Toronto Star story with more details.

A longtime Toronto District School Board (TDSB) trustee has been charged with criminal harassment and forcible confinement. Howard Goodman, a veteran TDSB trustee for Ward 8, Eglinton-Lawrence, who did not seek re-election, is facing the two charges with a court date set for Dec. 18 of this year.

The first charge is that Goodman allegedly “harassed a person from fall 2013 to present.” The police also allege that on one occasion Goodman forcibly confined the same person. Constable David Hopkinson, with the Toronto Police Service, said he could not elaborate on the incidents.

Councillor Sheila Cary-Meagher alleges she saw the incident leading to the forcible confinement charges.

It took place in January.

She had an appointment to see director of education Donna Quan. She alleges she saw Goodman prevent Quan from leaving the room, his voice abrupt and angry when he spoke.

“I think I broke his concentration and she was able to leave the room.”

“I think I broke his concentration and she was able to leave the room,” said Cary-Meagher. Goodman was arrested on Nov. 12 and later released on a promise to appear in court. His lawyer, William Trudell, said in a statement that Goodman is innocent and intends to “vigorously defend himself against these charges.”

“Mr. Goodman has a deep commitment to students and the education system and will continue to take his responsibilities as a trustee seriously,” reads the statement. “He has a great deal of respect for the criminal justice system and regrets that it is being misused for political purposes.”

Goodman has served on the board for over a decade. His term was set to expire on the last day of November. He is facing a maximum of 10 years in prison for each charge.

This is not the first time Goodman’s behaviour has been in the spotlight. Following a complaint against him after a recent meeting, the TDSB brought in an off-duty police officer for future meetings. TDSB refused to comment on the current case as the matter is before the courts.

Thornhill automobile exec imprisoned in Cuba

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9:20 am

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Seventy-four-year-old businessman Cy Tokmakjian, who is currently being held in a military hospital in Havana, Cuba, due to failing health, was delivered a 15-year sentence for corruption-related charges on Sept. 26.

Tokmakjian, one of several foreign business investors who got swept up in an anti-corruption campaign in Cuba, was taken into custody in 2011 and spent the next two years at La Condesa Prison in a cellblock with 50 hardened criminals and similarly accused businessmen, before any charges were laid. The company’s Cuban assets, worth an estimated $100 million, were also seized by Cuban authorities.

Stephen Purvis, of British investment fund Coral Capital Group Ltd., spent eight months in the same cellblock as Tokmakjian, where he too went through what he calls “a Kafkaesque process of arrest on trumped-up charges” — in his case, revelation of state secrets, and in Tokmakjian’s case, tax evasion, fraud, bribery and economic crimes against the state. According to Purvis, the campaign was meant to hide a purge initiated by Raúl Castro’s interior ministry, to remove all high-ranking officials close to the former president, Fidel Castro.

Conservative party member of Parliament, Peter Kent, whose riding includes the company’s head office, called the conviction a “gross miscarriage of justice” and marvelled at what he referred to as the “kangaroo court” demonstrated at the businessman’s trial in June.

“Our hope now is that Mr. Tokmakjian will be sent home to Canada one way or another to be with his family,” said Kent. “A far from a satisfying end to this gross miscarriage of justice, but in the interest of his well-being, that’s what the family and his company hope will happen now.”

Canadians Claudio Vetere and Marco Puche, both friends of the family and Tokmakjian managers, were also sentenced to 12- and eight-year sentences, respectively. “These are good, hard-working people,” said Tokmakjian’s son Raffi Tokmakjian. “We want to get them home.”

The Tokmakjian Group is reportedly seeking $150 million in damages and another $10 million in punitive damages in a suit filed in April against the Cuban government.

Tokmakjian’s Canadian lawyers announced a decision to appeal to Cuba’s Supreme Court Oct. 15, despite previous concerns that it would impede the possibility of his release to Canada to serve out the remainder of his sentence.

North York hospital prepared for Ebola

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1:39 pm

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Ontario Minister of Health Dr. Eric Hoskins has announced a new directive for Ebola preparedness and has designated several Toronto area facilities as referral hospitals, including Sunnybrook, should any case emerge.

Meanwhile, North York General was recognized as one of the most prepared facilities to handle any cases of the disease.

The directive was designed to allay concerns about crisis preparedness including those voiced by the Ontario Nurses’ Association (ONA).

The other hospitals include Toronto Western Hospital, Hospital for Sick Children and St. Michael’s Hospital.

“Sunnybrook serves a very special role within the Ontario health care system, and Ebola preparation is no exception to that,” said Dr. Andy Smith, executive vice-president and chief medical executive at Sunnybrook. “One of our tag lines is ‘when it matters most.’ We’re set up to take on difficult situations.”

Smith stressed that Sunnybrook features an emergency medical assistance team and the expertise of Dr. Robert Fowler who has treated over 100 Ebola patients in Africa.

The Ministry directive has been met with approval by hospitals as well as the ONA. However, first vice-president of the ONA’s board, Vicki McKenna, did note in an interview that they remain concerned about the actual implementation of those recommendations in terms of supplies of protective equipment and staff training. She also made clear that the ONA wants to be part of the process of improving procedures for potential future incidents.

As a result of the directive, hospitals like Sunnybrook are now readily supplied with different types of personal protective equipment (PPE), ranging from that required for regular screenings to more dangerous tasks such as inserting an endotracheal tube into a possible Ebola patient.

At North York General Hospital, Dr. Kevin Katz, medical director of infection prevention and control, reiterated a definite confidence in their safety measures and the readiness of the hospital’s front line staff. He also wished to clarify exactly how Ebola is transmitted to the public.

“It’s not a highly transmissible disease, it’s not transmitted by air, and it’s not transmitted by food or water. It really is [only] blood and body fluids,” said Katz. At press time, none of the 10 Ebola tests carried out on patients in Ontario were returned positive.

Yorkville’s historic vanishing act

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1:13 pm

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That Yorkville has officially arrived is not in question. But whether or not that is a good thing is still up for debate.

The downtown neighbourhood runs along Bloor Street from Church Street to Avenue Road and from Charles Street to Scollard Street. It is undergoing a dramatic facelift with a multitude of massive and ultra-posh condo developments in the works, a newly established Four Seasons Hotel that is expected to receive five-star status and a growing supply of couture on Bloor Street’s Mink Mile. There is no denying that Yorkville now equals luxury.

The area has come a long way from its shabby, hippie roots in the coffee houses and folk music clubs of the ’60s where musical giants such as Neil Young (for whom a private room at One restaurant is now named), Joni Mitchell and Gordon Lightfoot all crawled along the bohemian blocks of yesteryear while imagining their art in the local cafés.

Some buildings in the neighbourhood date back to the mid-1800s and have been well preserved. Yorkville Fire Hall (which Lady Gaga recently strolled into with her dog for an impromptu photo op) was originally built in 1876. Across the street sits Yorkville Public Library, built in 1907.

Yorkville Town Hall, gone but now a public square, was built in the mid-1800s, and the entire residential area from Scollard Street north to Davenport has heritage designation.

Today’s Yorkville has also kept some its celebrity. The opening of the Hazelton Hotel in 2007 was the first five-star calibre hotel in Toronto (rooms start at $500 per night) and has been a passing home to the likes of Elton John and Madonna.

Instead of folk music and coffee houses, the area is now known for its $30 burgers and its haute couture boutiques such as Gucci. It is on Cumberland Avenue or Yorkville Road that one can find a limited edition Ferrari parked in front of a limited edition Aston Martin … on an ordinary Sunday afternoon.

“You’re looking at some of the most expensive real estate in the city; retail rents are the highest in the country,” said Briar de Lange, executive director of the Bloor-Yorkville Business Improvement Area (BIA).

But all this appeal has made Yorkville prime downtown real estate, and developers continue to swoop in and mark their territory amongst the real estate royalty of Toronto.

This has some area residents worried they are losing what has made Yorkville so great to begin with.

“The village of Yorkville is fast losing its Victorian charm and appeal to high-rise developments. The majority of developers show little interest in the preservation of our fast disappearing heritage assets,” Gee Chung, president of Greater Yorkville Residents’ Association said.

Chung pointed to York Square where the current development proposal would see the destruction of the seven semi-attached and row houses dating back to the 1900s.

Chung said that the city is doing nothing to help preserve the heritage of Yorkville and pointed to the Bloor-Yorkville community, which includes the BIA, as doing most of the work.

“The biggest threats are high-rise developments, especially those approved, but yet to be built, in culturally sensitive streets mid-block, especially Yorkville Avenue, across from the 100-year-old Yorkville lending library, the fire hall and the site of the Yorkville Town Hall. The scale and density of new developments [there] are completely insensitive to these heritage assets,” Chung said.

Several other projects will include massive towers slated at Cumberland Terrace shopping mall; the former home of the Cookbook Store on Yonge Street and Holt Renfrew on Bloor Street (though that is not expected for another 10 years). Also coming online is 94 Cumberland at Belair and York Square at the corner of Avenue Road. And a tower is already underway at Avenue and Cumberland.

“Further down the line the Stollerys building will become a condo at some point,” de Lange said. She also believes another potential site is at St. Thomas and Charles Street West.

Heritage experts in Toronto are aware of the problems that could happen in the area if there is inconsiderate or poorly managed overdevelopment.

“If Yorkville loses its heritage and character, then Yorkville is no longer Yorkville, it’s anywhere. And that’s the worst of what can happen to any neighbourhood in this city that has its own character,” said Gary Miedema, chief historian and associate director of Heritage Toronto.

However, Miedema believes there is a way to make it all work.

“What I would want to emphasize is, as the city grows, it is entirely possible and very important to build new with the old and not to erase the city that we have in order to build the future. And that’s going to make the city a much, much better place to live, and it can be done,” he said.

But the residential influx has already caused other problems, including a lack of parking and traffic congestion. Driving down Yorkville Avenue or Bloor Street at any time of day is difficult. And one of the last remaining parking lots — a Green P located between Yorkville and Cumberland — will also be taken down and redeveloped for condos.

“We have very specific needs in the neighbourhood, and businesses have told me that it is very important to keep parking in the neighbourhood,” said councillor Kristyn Wong-Tam.

“But I’m not a fan of above-ground parking. There is a human process of how the human form can interact with the storefront, and often the neighbourhood can be affected by above-ground parking.”

The BIA — whose annual budget is roughly $2.8 million — also say they are working to keep the essence of Yorkville alive and have a priority to preserve the heritage and walkability of the community.

BIA projects have included several reconstructions and refurbishings of area parks and boulevards. The Bloor Street Project, now complete, saw the investment of $20 million dollars into beautifying Bloor Street with the planting of 134 London Plane trees, widening of granite sidewalks and curbs, adding flowerbeds and 80 bike rings and the installation of 27 granite benches.

“We have a neighbourhood undergoing tremendous investments in the public realm, as well as the expansion of public park plan. There is a strategic plan on my part to make Yorkville the premier dining and park destination,” Wong-Tam said.

Forty more towers for Yonge and Eglinton?

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12:48 pm

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Concerned about population growth outpacing its infrastructure development, City of Toronto, City Planning urban planner Terry Mills has submitted a lengthy and somewhat dire forecast for the Yonge Street and Eglinton Avenue intersection.

With seven towers already under construction there and about 10 more in the approval stream at city hall, Mills said this is only the tip of the iceberg for potential development there. In his forecast he predicts another 40 towers or major developments in the vicinity over the next 20 years and an anticipated 30,000 more people living there.

“We’re seeing runaway development in midtown Toronto’s growth centre at Yonge and Eglinton,” Mills said. “We have to assess local issues using a planning approach based on complete communities.” He explained he came to his forecast by taking inventory of the lots suitable for intensification and those that are or may become available for purchase within the sector.

“The city needs to determine what the tipping point is: How do we accommodate for this population growth with the existing infrastructure? And how to ensure public realm is protected?” he said.

Ward 16 councillor Josh Matlow couldn’t confirm there might be 40 more projects to contend with in the next 20 years but did say it is an area facing unprecedented growth and pressure. “There certainly are a lot of applications going to the city from condo developers for that area, and it is incredibly important that infrastructure keeps up with that anticipated growth,” he said, adding the recently approved Midtown in Focus Plan, which sets guidelines for protecting public realm and improving park space in the area, is one way the city is addressing those concerns. “But there is so much more that needs to be done, and that’s why we’ve been fighting so hard for a [subway] relief line there to ease some of those infrastructure pressures.” He added that the next term of council will be vital in determining how the next 20 years of growth there unfolds, and one immediate solution he hopes will be in place shortly is a controlled turn at Yonge Street and Roehampton Avenue, synchronized with the Yonge-Eglinton intersection lights.

The Property Brothers: Five easy ways to give your home an autumnal makeover

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2:15 pm

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It’s a bit late in the year to start a roof-raising reno, but autumn is a great opportunity to do some simpler upgrades and get your home ready for winter. Here are some seasonal ideas to spruce up your nest:

• Extend the life of your outdoor parties. (Who doesn’t want that?) To cope with cooler temperatures, add an outdoor firepit. Even the simplest metal-bowl design (which can double as an ice-filled drinks cooler on hot summer days) can be a warming, festive focal point — and an invitation to toast s’mores! Propane space heaters (the kind used on restaurant terraces) are another option. Add to the cosiness with blankets. Autumn is also a great time to plan ahead. Remember that oxygen-giving trees and shrubs are good for the environment as well as your property value. Plant them in fall, and they’ll have time to settle in before the first freeze and be ready to flourish in spring.

• The interval between summer vacation and holiday entertaining is a good time to upgrade your kitchen. Before you tackle a total makeover, remember that smaller fixes also can make a kitchen look and function better: new drawer and cabinet pulls and sink faucets, fresh paint on walls and/or cabinets, more stylish lighting. Replacing counters can be a big plus (and cost), but even without doing that, putting in a new tile backsplash can have a striking impact. Make sure that all your choices harmonize with each other, and your kitchen will look better than ever.

• An affordable way to mark the change of seasons: new throw pillows or pillow covers and slipcovers. A palette of warmer, richer hues and patterns complements the shorter days and cosy nights of fall and winter. You can even add new accessories that complement the feel of the fabrics. This is a fun way to keep things fresh without tearing down any walls or committing to an entire design overhaul — store what you’re replacing, then swap it back into the mix to herald spring and summer.

• It’s a good idea to have your chimney inspected and swept periodically — something we tend to neglect because we don’t see the result. And consider upgrading what you do see: your fireplace surround. If it’s dated or discoloured, a new finish or cladding can really dress up the fireplace and the room. For a tired brick fireplace, this could range from painting it to resurfacing it with a surround of tile, stone, metal or whatever strikes your fancy (and conforms to code safety standards!). You can find good-looking prefab chimney surrounds in a wide array of sizes, styles and materials — or handsome vintage ones from architectural salvage dealers. Update your fireplace and you’ll enjoy it more this winter — and even without a fire, it will enhance the room. There’s nothing better than a round of board games with the fire crackling in the background!

• Now — before cold weather comes — is when you want to check for energy-wasting leaks around doors and windows and stop them with caulk or weatherstripping. Replacing a leaky, weathered front door is one of the most cost-effective changes you can make. The latest metal and fibreglass doors offer greater insulation and security without sacrificing style, and a well-crafted wood door has timeless appeal. Whatever the material, complement it with durable hardware that complements your home style.

Post City Magazines’ columnists Jonathan and Drew Scott host The Property Brothers, on the W Network, thescottbrothers.com.

Recent area tragedy sparks action on residential streets

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9:32 am

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The tragic mid-July death of six-year-old Georgia Walsh at the corner of Millwood Road and McRae Drive and a recent report by the City of Toronto’s chief medical officer on vehicle speed rates and fatalities have inspired a series of new potential policy changes by Toronto City Council.

Coun. John Parker and Coun. Josh Matlow brought forth a list of potential new safety measures for neighbourhood streets to the last North York and Toronto and East York community council meetings, respectively, in mid-August, and have directed city staff to investigate the potential of reducing speed limits from 40 kilometres an hour to 30 on residential streets throughout both of their respective wards. North York Community Council also approved prohibiting right-hand turns on red lights at that McRae intersection as well as the surrounding intersections of each elementary school in Leaside.

“We don’t want to have a knee-jerk reaction because of something tragic, but we do need to come up with meaningful ways to forward the cause of safety on our streets,” Parker said. “Even I had an initial impulse to see speed limits reduced, but I now think there are more dimensions to this that we need to study first before coming to that conclusion [to reduce speed limits].”

“We don’t want to have a knee-jerk reaction to something tragic.”

The report by the medical officer says pedestrians have a 20 per cent chance of fatal injuries with speeds of 40 km/h, while at speeds of 30 km/h, fatality rates drop to as low as five per cent. Parker said that although speed reduction is an option, he’s cautious as it could cause more frustration than it solves. Coun. Matlow said the speed reduction “could literally be the meaning between life and death” in pedestrian-vehicle collisions but agreed street-specific reviews and study need to take place before making sweeping changes.

“There needs to be an opportunity for consultation; we need the public to be involved in this discussion,” he said.

Parker also brought forth the idea of extending the dead-end Redway Road all the way through to the Bayview Avenue extension as an alternate thoroughfare for commuters to travel through Leaside. Other measures the councillors have asked staff to report on include the potential of new controlled pedestrian crossings along Bayview, increased police patrolling in areas of concern and right-turn restrictions to make using residential streets less appealing for non-local traffic, particularly in Leaside.

Councillor claims doubling of units possible for Bayview-Post Road

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9:32 am

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Although confirming no new paperwork has yet come across the desk of City of Toronto, City Planning staff, Coun. Jaye Robinson recently announced new plans seeking to double the number of townhouse units at the Homes of The Bridle Path development are coming down the line.

Formerly the Alexandria townhouse project was being developed by Hush Homes before being purchased out of bankruptcy early this year by Urbancorp. A long fight by the councillor and local residents over the original project’s density of 20 units failed in an Ontario Municipal Board (OMB) hearing. Now, in light of potential plans to increase the number to 40 units, some are hoping that ruling — the lesser of two evils — will remain in place.

“Twenty units was an abomination; 40 is just unspeakable,” said David Bawden, past president of the York Mills Ratepayers’ Association. “Twenty [units] should never have been allowed there in the first place. The OMB pays very little attention to what the public concerns are, from my standpoint, but now we will have to try and rely on that first OMB decision standing.”

“Twenty units was an abomination; 40 is unspeakable.”

The controversial townhouse project, on the east side of The Bridle Path at Bayview Avenue and Post Road, was to have been already completed for occupancy under its original owners. Sales of the units that started in the $2.4 million range, were slow and forced the project’s bankruptcy. Original plans by Hush had the townhouses all at three storeys and between 3,700 and 3,900 square feet with each served by a two-car, underground garage. The new developer is advertising the starting price point at around the $1 million mark for three storeys, three bedrooms and square footage ranging from about 2,000 up to about 2,300. Robinson explained that Urbancorp can go ahead with the original plans as approved by the OMB, but to make any major alterations will require the full application process, meaning Toronto City Council meeting debates and public consultation.

“A change of any magnitude needs an application and the approval process, which can take time,” she said. “We are aware of what they are planning but at this point haven’t received that application.”

Representatives from Urbancorp did not return requests for comment by press time.

Building better lives

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9:32 am

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It takes more than bricks and mortar to build a community, but for Judy Mellett and her all-female team of Habitat for Humanity volunteers, it’s a pretty good place to start.

For five years now, the 41-year-old resident of the Yonge and Lawrence area has been donning her hard hat, wielding hammer and nail, chewing grit and sawdust and nursing the bumps and bruises of a physical day’s work, all in the name of a good cause.

“I was looking for ways to contribute. It’s a wonderful way to get involved locally and have a tangible impact on your community,” she said. “Habitat for Humanity was an organization whose goals really resonated with me and the work is physically and spiritually so rewarding.”

Habitat for Humanity helps low-income families secure affordable housing, and teams of volunteers, led by supporting construction industry professionals, build those homes each year. Mellett will dig into her fifth construction project later this September, and in early October, as part of the organization’s Women Build 2014 campaign along with her Telus Women Build team. Habitat GTA will build 12 homes this fall, adding to the current total of 270. To date Mellett and her crew have combined to fundraise more than $120,000 for the projects and have seen many families getting affordable housing by physically taking part in the construction process.

“I have been able to meet many of the families and the children who move into the homes, and their faces just light up,” she said, adding she had no previous construction experience and gave kudos to the professional crew leaders who taught her what she needed to know. “Affordable housing can mean so much for a family, and it allows them to become fully contributing members of their community, so it’s like a cyclical impact. It’s a way for us to literally build a great city.”

GTA Habitat director of annual giving Kristin Philpot praised the efforts of Mellett and the Telus team that has already raised enough to fully fund one home in just five short years.

“Whether she’s swinging a hammer, soliciting donations or spreading the word, Judy is a champion of the cause and a friend to the community,” Philpot said.

Writing for justice

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9:32 am

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When Thornhill resident Katie McDonald heard the story about Amanda Todd, a British Columbia teenager who took her own life in 2012 following months of online bullying and harassment, she was deeply moved.

“I remember I was at the gym when I saw her YouTube video,” said McDonald, referring to a video Todd posted detailing her battle with depression. “I just started crying while I was at the gym,” she said.

McDonald didn’t have a personal connection — an expectant mother, she spends her days working as a professional copywriter. But something about Todd caused her to have an epiphany.

“You don’t have to be affected by something personally to understand how terrible it can be.”

At that moment, McDonald decided to help the way she knew she could help best — through writing. “I decided right then, ‘that’s what I’m going to write about,’ ” she said, adding that others should be inspired to use talents that they have to make a difference. “I’m a writer and that’s my gift, so that’s how I’m communicating this message.”

McDonald opted out of writing a how-to or a dos and don’ts–style book and instead opted for a fiction piece. The now-complete work, Bystander No More, is geared toward teens, tweens and young adults. It tells the story of two friends entering high school who grow apart amidst typical teen turmoil — gossip, pressures and tough promises to keep. As one falls victim to physical and cyber bullying, the other finds herself torn on how to help.”

“There’s so much more than just ‘bullying is wrong,’ ” said McDonald. “It’s really geared toward all kids because, if we haven’t been bullied, we all know someone who has been bullied. I wrote Bystander No More in the hopes that I might challenge thought processes, make someone think twice about their decisions [and] motivate a teen to stand up for a bullied friend.”

McDonald is still in the process of publishing the book and is raising money via Kickstarter to fund editing, the cover design and distribution.

Once it’s finished and available for purchase, she hopes to partner with anti-bullying and suicide prevention charities so that sales of the book can help fund positive changes for victims of bullying.

Family land at stake

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9:32 am

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Larry Thomas said he had a simple wish: to sever his multi-generational family property into three 50-foot lots so that he could sell the land surrounding his home and live out his golden years without having to worry about maintaining the foliage in his yard on Walmer Road.

Thomas’s family has owned 41 Walmer Rd. for nearly 80 years. Now, aging, sick and walking with a cane, Thomas sought to sever his lot when maintaining it became too overwhelming.

Initially, a Committee of Adjustment approved this request. Later, the Town of Richmond Hill’s planning department discovered that the low-lying area of Thomas’s lot is delineated regulatory flood plain, which should be conveyed to the town according to the official plan. As a result, Thomas would have to give the town the deed to nearly 40 per cent of the land.

Thomas is extremely unhappy that he would not be able to make money off of land his family has lived on since the 1930s. “It’s just wrong,” he said.

“I get where we’re going green and we’re all trying to do everything for the community, but I just don’t understand how anybody could approach anybody and ask to take their land away without compensation,” said Lisa Sawyer, Thomas’s neighbour.

At a recent Richmond Hill Town Council meeting, the town voted to pay Thomas $13,000 per severed lot — a total of $26,000 — in order to potentially create a park out of the land. Not all members of council were on board with this.

“Passing the motion the way it is will create an enormous precedent,” said councillor David West. “It totally undermines our official plan.”

Town staff is now working with Thomas to determine the fate of the land. He says he’s concerned that the town will not maintain the property as well as he has.

“My property is not flooding — it has never flooded,” he said. “However, they somehow insist that this is hazard land, and therefore they have a right to take it and let it turn into actual hazard land.”