Accompanying the new North Toronto Collegiate Institute is a neighbouring condo and a controversial deal made between the local school board and a developer. Also accompanying the new building is a question: does the same fate lie ahead for nearby Davisville Junior Public School?
Seven years ago, North Toronto Collegiate Institute was falling apart. With no funds to pay for upgrades, the Toronto District School Board (TDSB) sold a portion of the school’s Yonge Street and Eglinton Avenue area land to Tridel; the money from the deal covered the cost of building a new school. “I would say that our board is challenged in that we receive limited capital funding,” said Sheila Penny, TDSB head of strategic building and renewal. “Our challenge is can we raise funds by selling the surplus land we have?”
Penny said Davisville is part of a five-year capital building program that includes looking into the redevelopment potential and the selling off of land at five school sites across the board jurisdiction. She said a local school community design team — an amalgam of community, school and board members — will meet to begin discussing development potential.
Josh Matlow, the local school trustee, said he is hesitant about development discussions but is assured that plans for Davisville cannot proceed further without the community giving written agreement as to what type of development occurs.
Rob McCready — a local, involved parent of two Davisville students — said that though parents are open to discussion, they have a number of concerns that will have to be addressed. “How much of the school property would be sold, how much green space would be left for the community?” asked McCready. “The site would be under construction for a couple of years at least. Where are our kids going to be educated?”
In the case of North Toronto Collegiate, classes continued in the 100-year-old building until the new building was completed. The school’s principal, Joel Gorenkoff, said, though there were small challenges, such as not having a field during construction, the gain far outweighs any pain felt. “The kids knew the old school and they see how amazing the new facility is,” he said.
According to Coun. Michael Walker, North Toronto Collegiate was in poor condition. The condo plan was acceptable because the school is in a high-density area designated for apartments. However, Walker does not accept redevelopment for Davisville, which he said is in good shape and resides in a low-density area. “The school board is sounding like a developer, wanting to maximize an asset,” said Walker.
