Twenty-five years ago, community leaders along both sides of Yonge Street were sitting across the table from Mayor Mel Lastman, who wanted to keep his populist reputation intact and was willing to negotiate neighbourhood protections in order to get residents to support his “Downtown North York.”
With my election to Toronto City Council in 1991, the neighbourhood associations had one of their own to negotiate from the inside while they were working their way in from the outside. Those who think (as I do) that we have ended up with too much development can only imagine how bad it could have been if the developers had totally had their way. Picture the Avondale community with twice the number of high-rises instead of a large park.
Today, city government is bigger, more complex and, sadly, sometimes more distant. That’s all the more reason why, in 2014, we need organized groups of residents to work alongside their local representative to make sure community views are respected.
Now, in addition to homeowners’ associations, we have coalitions of condo boards such as the Yonge Corridor Condominium Association (YCCA). These groups were recently instrumental in helping me secure the city’s share of funding for a Yonge/401 traffic solution. Other groups, such as the West Lansing Homeowners Association, have worked with me on a large number of local improvements. If your neighbourhood has a homeowners’ association, think about becoming a member, if you aren’t already. If you’d like to get something started in an area that doesn’t have one, contact us at councillor_filion@toronto.ca.