Reminder - email Toronto Council re 95 St Joseph Street before Monday July 18, 2022
Please send the letter below to City Council to let them know that Torontonians care about the history, heritage and beauty of the Basilian Seminary at 95 St Joseph Street. The deadline is Monday 18 July, 2022.
The development application to build a 39-storey mixed-use condo tower at 95 St Joseph Street, with the almost complete demolition of the current heritage Basilian Seminary on this site, goes for consideration at the meeting of the Full Toronto Council on July 19-20, 2022.
The building is important to Toronto due to its heritage and proximity to Queen’s Park. This is the last chance to have your voice heard, and community action can continue to influence the decision towards a better planning solution. So far, our views have been upheld by both the Toronto Preservation Board and Community Council.
You must send your email no later than noon on Monday 18 July, 2022. Previously hundreds of you have sent in submissions - please help with one last push to prevent this development going forward in its current form! Tell your friends and family as well!
Here is what you have to do to send an email to Toronto City Council to be considered for the meeting:
1. Paste this email into the “To” field to send your comments to clerk of the City Council:
2. Copy and paste this list of emails into the “CC” field: these are the Mayor and the individual Councillors:
Mayor_Tory@toronto.ca; councillor_bailao@toronto.ca; councillor_bradford@toronto.ca; councillor_fletcher@toronto.ca; councillor_matlow@toronto.ca; councillor_perks@toronto.ca; councillor_layton@toronto.ca; councillor_mihevc10@toronto.ca; councillor_BuxtonPotts@toronto.ca; councillor_holyday@toronto.ca; councillor_grimes@toronto.ca; councillor_nunziata@toronto.ca; councillor_pasternak@toronto.ca; councillor_perruzza@toronto.ca; councillor_colle8@toronto.ca; councillor_robinson@toronto.ca; councillor_minnan-wong@toronto.ca; councillor_carroll@toronto.ca; councillor_filion@toronto.ca; councillor_crawford@toronto.ca; councillor_thompson@toronto.ca; councillor_mantas@toronto.ca; councillor_lai@toronto.ca; councillor_ainslie@toronto.ca; councillor_mckelvie@toronto.ca
3. Subject line: Agenda Items TE34.7 AND TE34.15 on July 19-20, 2022 – Development Application at 95 St Joseph Street
4. Paste this text into the body of your email or add your own comments.
For: the attention of The Mayor and Toronto City Councillors
Re: Agenda Items TE34.7 AND TE34.15 on July 19-20, 2022 – Development Application at 95 St Joseph Street
Please do NOT approve the proposed development application and amendments report for the Basilian Seminary at 95 St Joseph Street. It is important to Toronto due to its heritage and proximity to Queen’s Park. Most cities jealously protect the heritage and environments of their landmark parks, legislatures, and great university campuses.
RESPECT THE HISTORY, HERITAGE, AND CONTEXT OF THIS BUILDING WITHIN THE BEAUTIFUL ST MIKE’S CAMPUS
I do not think that the development proposal sufficiently preserves this important heritage building that was designed by Ernest Cormier, one of the most significant Canadian architects of the 20th century. I feel that the building is an important part of St Joseph Street, a beautiful, undeveloped, eastern gateway to Queen’s Park. Expert opinion such as Phyllis Lambert from the Canadian Centre for Architecture and the Toronto Preservation Board agrees.
THE HEIGHT, MASSING AND USE OF THE PROPOSED BUILDING
The community does not object to the building being repurposed or sensitively redeveloped. The problem is the degree of demolition, the height and massing of the proposal, and its context in the streetscape, the St Mike’s campus heritage landscape, and Queen's Park.
A TERRIBLE PRECEDENT FOR THE EASTERN CAMPUS AREA OF THE U OF T SECONDARY PLAN.
If the planning application at 95 St Joseph Street is approved in its current form, it will inevitably be the precedent used to transform this special neighborhood on the south flank of the historic St. Mike’s campus. Owners of the Kelly Library, the University of Toronto Music School and St Joseph’s College school have all been prompted by this development application to signal their wishes to develop tall and potentially non institutional buildings on their properties.
I urge you to do better and protect this glorious, historic, green space for all Torontonians.