The more I learn about the way the city has managed the situation with Toronto Humber Yacht Club the more corrupt it seems. It appears Councillor Holyday  ( councillor_holyday@toronto.ca )  and Councillor Thompson ( councillor_thompson@toronto.ca ), neither of whom present our community, interceded quiet vociferously on behalf of THYC. One has to wonder why two politicians with now connection to our community and who clearly don't care about our safety or the Humber were so easily derail our efforts to end THYC's lease on the Humber.

One also can't help but notice what a poor job city staff did in preparing the staff report which was to end THYC's lease. They simply put the suggestion in the report as a footnote without including the valid concerns which have been repeatedly raised by the community since 2018. Was this indifference, incompetence or corruption? 

What is clear is THYC and their leadership team have deep roots within City Government and likely Toronto Parks which has allowed them to operate with impunity for close to a decade. 

It's time the curtain was pulled aside and for the likes of Councillors Holyday and Thompson to explain their actions.

Please take a moment to read my emails below and email the following:

Mohamed Osman <Mohamed.Osman@toronto.ca>, Councillor Amber Morley, Ward 3 Etobicoke-Lakeshore <Councillor_Morley@toronto.ca>, Luula Hassan <Luula.Hassan3@toronto.ca>, Karyn Lau <parkbusiness@toronto.ca>, mayor_chow@toronto.ca, Councillor_Perks@toronto.ca, bcohen@thestar.ca, Joseph.Sergnese@toronto.ca, johanna.kyte@trca.ca

____________________________________________

Hello Ben,

To say I'm frustrated and disappointed with the handling and progress of THYC lease would be an understatement.

I was led to believe that THYC had exhausted the chances of seeing their lease renewed. I was under the impression after conversations with the stakeholders that the report going to Governance Committee today was simply a technicality and there would be no chance the club would operate on the shores of the Humber in '26. With this in mind, I was left with the impression there was no reason to depute at todays meeting.

Well this may shock you, but it appears THYC may have found the backdoor into saving their club, a backdoor I didn't know existed.

On February 26, Karyn Lau (Interim Manager Client and Business Services – Leases, Agreements and Contracts Team Parks and Recreation (P&R)) wrote me the following:

"Thank you for your patience. The property within King’s Mill Park, currently occupied by Toronto Humber Yacht Club (THYC), will not be used as a boat club for the upcoming 2026 season.

The City of Toronto has completed a full evaluation of the site, including a review of the THYC lease, and has decided not to renew it. The evaluation process was comprehensive, factoring in environmental and other matters."

This morning I was informed this is in fact not the case and THYC flooded the Governance Committee with deputations and were successful in having the Staff Report referred over to council.

Apparently if Council opts to send the Staff Report back for review, it will mean the club is allowed to continue their month to moth lease of the property and will in fact be able to put their docks in and operate as per usual at least for the '26 season.

From the very beginning of my involvement with trying to end THYC's lease I have been met with miscommunications, lack of communications, misdirection and general avoidance of accountability within the city.

As I've had very limited success in divining the city's true intentions toward THYC, I would very much appreciate it if you could take a look with your more experienced eyes to try to find out what is happening under the service.

Thank you very much for your time and attention to this matter,

Jason Sills

_________________________________________________

Hello Ben,

Here is a breakdown of the the meeting from what a friend has shared with me:

"THYC is month to month while staff bring back more details on why they have determined the THYC lease should not be renewed to the next meeting June 2, I believe. The rest of the clubs are renewed along with Perks motion for public access which is what I believe delayed it to this meeting. 

City staff were as tight lipped in their reporting to the committee as they were to us. Perks and Morley were for the non-renewal, but the other members didn’t feel they had enough information to make a decision. Holiday’s grandfather was a club member and he clearly was for renewing the lease. 

I can understand someone who wasn’t aware of the details would not be in a position to make a decision, especially for something that has been there for 70 years. It is really poor of city staff to not have included more information, especially since this has been doing the rounds in the media. What councillor could vote on something without more information?

Holiday was clever in trying to force staff to say the non-renewal was due to one specific reason or another. Clearly there were several reasons staff had, but he had them jumping around from one reason they cited to another and had them flustered. They couldn’t respond to antagonistic questions in a meaningful way. Holiday and Thompson both had the staff flustered with Thompson stating this was not city staff’s finest hour.

The city non-renewal report seemed to be based on the location on land, being a flood plain. Motorized boats also seemed to factor in, but that was less clear. I might guess it was based on a broader city initiative to look into banning motorized traffic from the river. I saw that point in one of the documents they had on screen, but don’t have other information. 

2018 was cited as the year issues really started with the city, with several violations from that date onwards. However the non-renewal was not based on behaviour, more the land use, despite there also being issues with behaviour. 

One of the THYC members specifically said they had not cut down any trees, which I know someone provided a photo of the stump."

It's pretty clear that even though city staff and politicians have been well aware of the community's concerns since 2018, staff did not feel it was an important enough matter to prepare a thorough explanation of why the city should not renew the lease. I'm not sure if it's indifference, incompetence or corrupt backroom dealings but what I am sure of is this situation is a betrayal of the community and the environment. 

For the past two years I have been in communication with the 311, TRCA, city staff and politicians bringing to light numerous issues with the club and the destruction and danger the club brings to the shores of the Humber. 

Once again, it's clear that politics and backroom dealing is the rule of the day at city hall as Holiday and Thompson do not represent this community.

Had it been made more obvious that the Staff Report was meaningless and that staff were not committed to ending THYC's lease in a timely fashion, I would have done a great deal more to prepare for today's meeting.

Based on the fact the club is permitted to remain month to month until June, it's clear they will put their docks in the water and the club will operate with impunity for at least another season and likely beyond. 

I also want to point out that Perks bears a lot of responsibility for this situation arising because of what appears to be his ego and wanting to see staff jump at his command vs working effectively and efficiently to move items through council. His game playing delayed the report going to committee long enough that it allowed the club to get its way yet again. As soon as I heard of the delay I feared this was the tactic the club would use as they just have to stay on the property "legally" long enough for them to get their docks in. 

Cheers,