Hi everyone!
I can't thank you enough for getting us to over 1100 signatures!
However, tomorrow is the community consultation meeting and I just wanted to share some information I got from the councilor's office, from his constituency assistant, Mark Strifler.
- Apparently, there is a law that says that the effect of a new development on a school is not to be taken into consideration by the decision makers! I was shocked to her this and I can't believe the amount of lobbying by the development companies that went into persuading our government elected officials to vote a law that discards the effect of new development on our kids! Is there any more important consideration that this? As shocking as this is, this is a fight for another time (if you voted for this provincial government- time to rethink your votes!) The important part part is NOT to waste your speeches tomorrow on this, because it will not count anyways.
- The construction company already submitted a Transportation Study, by an independent Transportation Planner. That means, that the study is giving them a green light, and diminishes the effect the new traffic will have on our neighbourhood. Please join in tomorrow and share your experiences- every time you were stuck in traffic because of the construction on Bloor or Lakeshore, every time the busses blocked the cars on Southport or Windermere street, making long line ups, every time you thought a car would hit a dog or a child. Talk about your personal experiences and ask the councilor to believe us, the community members and not a paid study.
I am copying the correspondence between me and Mr. Strifler below, if you want to read it.
Again, thank you all for your support!
Mladen
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Hi Mark!
Thank you for your reply.
However, the information you gave filled me up with hopelessness.
Let me start with the provincial law that forbids the city councilors to take into consideration the effect that a new development would have on the local school! How is this even possible? Who are the government officials, voted in by the people, who decided that a new development can negatively affect our schools, the places where our children spend eight hours a day minimum, and that should not matter at all? Is there anything more important than the environment our children spend their days in? Can you imagine the amount of lobbying by the development companies that went into persuading our government to outlaw the schools as a consideration? How are you, as a government official not standing up against this? How are you as a human not standing up against this?
This is definitely a fight for another day. The fact is that it is the law, and it will not be a part of our discussion about 34-50 Swansea/Ormskirk. So let us forget about it (for now).
The fact that the development company submitted a Transportation Study already means that a Transportation Planner gave them a green light. They wouldn't be submitting a study that says that a third building would bring way too much traffic into an already overcrowded street, right? So, we are now faced with a report that says that the traffic in our neighbourhood will be just fine, even with the third 32-storeys high tower.
Do you remember "The Big Short"? There is a scene in that movie where a credit rating agency gives a positive score to the market, just before the big crash of 2008, although it is obvious that everything is falling apart. And the credit analyst, portrayed beautifully by Melissa Leo, explains to Steve Carell's character that if they didn't give them the rating they are paying for, they would just go to someone else who would.
I am not going to pretend that I know what a transportation planner does and how do they gather their information. However, I hope you saw our petition (that has over 1100 signatures now, by the way), where the people from our neighbourhood tell you how we are going to be impacted. We are telling you, because we see the difference already based on the buildings that sprung up on Lakeshore and up on Bloor, and we know how that development impacted the traffic in our community. My question for you is- what holds more weight in your decision making? One study, made by whomever and payed for by the developer who is looking to gain a lot of money from this project, or hundreds of people telling you otherwise?
Are you going to be led by a chicken farmer's logic? A chicken farmer could have his chickens in a free run coop- they would be healthier and would probably live longer. However, he could also have the number of chickens multiplied several times if he just shoved them up in small cages and stacked them on top of each other. They would certainly live shorter, but he would still get his eggs and would just replace the chickens more often. Easy money.
You say that the new tenants will not be eligible for street parking- did you even see our street? There is no street parking on Southport because there is no space for it. The whole street could not host twenty cars, let alone hundreds that we are talking about. And what do you think will the new tenants do if they can't have a car? Either their cars or Ubers, doesn't matter, the street will still be suffocated by people trying to get somewhere. These chickens will not stay in their cages.
There are no corrections after you approve a project like this. Those buildings will stay like that for generations to come. Mental health issues are much more common in people living in overcrowded spaces, there's a lot of studies about that (not payed for by the developers, for sure). Our neighbourhood did not get a grocery store (the overpriced Cheese Boutique and one convenience store is all we are stuck with). We did not get more green space, or a kindergarten. We did not get a pharmacy or a hospital- everything else is being built in Toronto but not those. We got two more buildings. Swansea Mews is going to be another one. And now an extra tower? When is enough?
We are not chickens, Mark. We are people who are just trying to find a little bit of dignity in the way we live. Ten more minutes to get to anywhere is ten minutes less we spend with our children. Ten minutes that could impact our sleep, or the cleanliness of our home, or the lunch for tomorrow. Hundreds of cars more (whether owner's cars or Ubers) are hundreds of more heart skips when we see our children on bikes next to them. Air pollution, noise pollution, blocking the sunshine that is already a precious commodity in Toronto... In order to see all of these disadvantages you need to live here, instead of looking at a paid study. And if you lived here you would understand how beautiful it is and why we don't want it ruined. I know I speak for our whole neighbourhood when I say that we don't want to go anywhere else. We like it here. Help us stay here and continue to be one happy little neighbourhood. It might be one building for you and for your planning boards, but it makes all the difference to this community.
Thank you for your time and consideration.
My regards,
Mladen Obradović,
On Monday, February 23, 2026 at 03:10:25 p.m. EST, Mark Strifler <mark.strifler4@toronto.ca> wrote:
Hi Mladen,
Thank you for taking the time to write into our office with your thoughts and concerns about the development proposal at 34 Southport.
Regarding possible Transportation pressures, as part of the application process for a development of this size the applicant is required to submit a Transportation study done by an accredited Transportation Planner, which is then reviewed by City Staff, that outlines the effect that the proposal is expected to have on the nearby Transportation network. This is then taken into consideration as City Planning evaluates the proposal.
It’s also worth noting that new residents of this building, should it be built, will not have the ability to apply for on-street parking in the neighbourhood.
You also mention school capacity, and while I understand your concern, this is a matter outside of City authority and decided by the Province. They’ve set the schooling system up so that as long at the Toronto District School Board has room for more students anywhere within it (whether that be Scarborough or next door), projects are allowed to continue. This is not a matter that the City is legally allowed to decide on or take into consideration in analyzing this proposal.
I encourage you to attend tomorrow night’s meeting, if you are able, so that you can share any concerns or questions you might have with the applicant, City Staff, or our office, and add to the discourse on this file with your neighbours.
Best,
Mark Strifler
Senior Advisor, Planning and Policy
Councillor Gord Perks - Ward 4, Parkdale – High Park
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Toronto, ON M5H 2N2
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From: Mladen Obradovic
Sent: February 18, 2026 12:02 PM
To: Councillor Perks <Councillor_Perks@toronto.ca>
Subject: [External Sender] 34-50 swansea/ormskirk
Dear Councillor Perks,
I am writing to you with great concern over the proposed expansion of the development at our already overpopulated neighbourhood of Swansea/Ormskirk.
As you are probably aware of, the 34-50 Southport St. development was approved for two towers and a bunch of townhouses. Now the developer wants to turn those townhouses into a third tower, with no less than 32 floors. The amount of cars, other traffic, street congestion, school busses, garbage trucks and the strain on our neighbourhood elementary school will be insufferable. This decision has the potential to significantly reduce the quality if life of our neighbourhood, and I am pleased to say that the people are unanimous on this. There is not one good thing that can come of another tower being placed on our street, except for making the developer richer.
When I say that our entire neighbourhood is wholeheartedly against this development, I am not guessing. The petition against the expansion of this project already has hundreds of signatures, and the comments are underlying the dread we all feel about the possibility of this actually happening. You can see the petition here:
Petition · Stop the construction of a new tower on Swansea/Ormskirk street - Canada · Change.org
I appeal to you to protect our neighbourhood and preserve the quality of life of your constituents.
Please feel free to contact me if you need any additional information or a clarification of the view from a concerned citizen.
My regards,
Mladen Obradović