In January, the City of Toronto released its annual employment survey. This report highlights an important issue for North York Centre. Our population is growing dramatically, but our local job numbers are not. This is undoubtedly having an impact on our traffic woes.
Overall, employment was up in the city by 1.5 per cent last year, but in North York Centre the net number of jobs dropped by 1.5 per cent. Over the last five years, our employment numbers have grown by only 0.5 per cent, while the last five-year census period showed population growth at over 11 per cent.
Local residents need access to jobs. Preferably, they would have the option to work close to home and not be reliant on a car for daily transportation. Traffic to and from commercial buildings generally flows in the opposite direction of residential buildings. Residents tend to drive out in the morning and back in the evening. For commercial traffic the opposite is true.
Fixing our local traffic problems hinges on improved infrastructure. But it also requires a better balance between residential and commercial development. Unfortunately, city planners and elected officials don’t get the final say.
As the Gibson Square development at the corner of Yonge and Park Home nears completion, it serves as a reminder of how easily lands zoned commercial by the city can be converted to residential towers with an appeal to the Ontario Municipal Board (OMB).
Arguing that the critical need is to protect our employment lands may be an effective new strategy in an effort to protect the city’s official plan from the OMB.
