The fences are up and the chainsaws and bulldozers are moving in as the City of Toronto continues to ignore and steamroll seniors in its ugly 4 year old campaign to destroy the protected safe outdoor green space on their majestic treed front lawn at Willowdale Manor seniors home. The City has for 4 years refused to even admit the existence of hundreds of vulnerable residents in the care of Toronto Seniors Housing Corporation on this property!
These same bureaucrats and politicians claim to value the environment (On October 2, 2019, City Council voted unanimously to declare a climate emergency
and accelerate efforts to mitigate and adapt to climate change. At its meeting on
January 29, 2020, City Council adopted the 2018 Tree Canopy Study and on December
15, 2021, reaffirmed Toronto's target of 40 per cent tree canopy cover by 2050 to align
with the City of Toronto's TransformTO NetZero Strategy). But in practise, they value neither our vanishing mature tree canopy, nor the rights of a vulnerable equity deserving community of elderly fragile seniors entrusted to their care.
Even worse, on a property that has always been zoned and used for seniors housing, the City has stubbornly refused to dedicate any development on the site to the exclusive use of seniors requiring supportive housing, joining the almost 1,000 seniors already residing on these two City-run facilities.
And if the City's behaviour couldn't get any worse, despite there being a pending November 20th ONTARIO SUPERIOR COURT OF JUSTICE hearing date on this entire fiasco, the City is now rushing to cut down dozens of hundred year old trees and destroy the site before the hearing.
WHAT YOU CAN DO:
Contact your Local Councilor and your Ontario MPP and express your disapproval of the City's behaviour. And insist that if this beautiful greenspace is to be redeveloped, that any housing built there be dedicated solely for additional seniors housing. Willowdale MPP is Minister Stan Cho 416-733-7878 Email: stan.cho@pc.ola.org
Willowdale Councillor Lily Cheng 416-392-0210
Email: Councillor_Cheng@toronto.ca
Consider donating to our seniors defense fund. Fighting City hall has cost many thousands of dollars and many people have contributed money and helped raise funds. DONATIONS ACCEPTED at https://bayviewcummer.ca/donate/
BACKGROUND
For over 50 years, thousands of elderly residents who have occupied Willowdale Manor and Cummer Lodge seniors supportive housing and long term care facilities run by the City of Toronto on the corner of Cummer and Willowdale Avenues have enjoyed the front lawn covered with majestic mature trees.
But under a senseless 4 year old plan concocted secretly by City of Toronto bureaucrats and councillors during the pandemic, these trees are about to be destroyed to install 59 single occupancy units on this seniors' property.
And worst of all, vindictive and stubborn City officials even refuse to dedicate these units to senior citizens needing housing. Despite the fact this property was zoned for seniors housing and is actually used only for seniors housing!
Consider donating to our seniors defense fund. Fighting City hall has cost many thousands of dollars and many people have contributed money and helped raise funds. DONATIONS ACCEPTED at https://bayviewcummer.ca/donate/