The goal of this petition is to stop the dangerous development proposed at 200 Queens Quay West and replace it with innovative sustainable design which considers all stakeholders and puts us on the path to build a cleaner, more resilient, and a thriving City of Toronto.

What has been considered "One of the Most Valuable Pieces of Land in Canada" had no community consultation before it was sold to DiamondCorp and Lifetime Developments - shortly after developer Stephen Diamond was appointed as Chairman of WaterfrontTO.

The proposed development does not align with the local and global commitments government and business leaders made to "build back better". It undermines the livability, social fabric and the public health of our city and exacerbates the most pressing challenges the Toronto Waterfront and all urban communities already face. 

The Proposed Development:

• Two intrusive and over-scaled 71 and 43 storey towers connected on top of a twelve-story podium.
• 4000 - 6000 additional people crammed into a 75 x 165 meter site, swelling the population density to 19x the surrounding areas.
• Violates the Tall Building Design Regulations requiring twenty-five meters of separation between buildings.

THE TRUE COSTS OF THE PROPOSED DEVELOPMENT

1. Health and Environmental Consequences of Building these Urban Street Canyons: 

• Increasing the Heat Island Effect. Raising temperatures and humidity 2-4 degrees higher while eliminating light and blocking air flow for five towers and a daycare centre. At the same time creating a wind tunnel on Harbour St and Lower Simcoe along the pedestrian and cyclist paths.  
• Trapping Deadly Air Pollution within closely packed buildings. One in four deaths worldwide can be linked to air pollution and drastically increased respiratory issues. The three Waterclub towers behind this development will be in the dark, with no clean air circulating. Preventing use of their balconies or opening of windows.
• Flooding and Rising Lake Ontario Water Levels. The main intersection near the proposal site (Harbour/York St) experiences flooding after every rainfall. Lake Ontario which reached its highest water levels in 2019 is less then 100 meters away. 
• High-rises use twice as much energy per square meter as mid-rise structures and these developers have made it clear they will not even seek LEED certification. These heat-trapping gasses will be released into the atmosphere and absorbed by the lake. Heated water expands and results in lake levels rising. Placing the Waterfront Community, the Toronto Islands and Billy Bishop airport at greater risk. 
• Inflaming Already Hazardous Traffic Conditions: Gardener Expressway and Lakeshore connecting points are regularly gridlocked having to also accommodate two driveways on opposite sides of the street for around 10,000 Tridel and Waterclub residents.
• Flow of Traffic will be Crippled by adding a third driveway and 5,000 more people here. Commuters will be forced to spend more time in their vehicles, releasing toxic car emissions while delayed to work. Compromising garbage collection and the reliability of life saving services such as Firefighters and Ambulances attempting to access the area. 
• Mental and Behavioral Health issues. Higher levels of stress, isolation, depression, anxiety and psychiatric disorders are all associated with the canyon effect. Causing a decrease in child development, life span and human productivity.

2. ECONOMIC COSTS:

• Rising Insurance Premiums and Property Tax increases: The insurance industry is taking climate change seriously and will not bear the brunt of its financial devastation for long. Providers are already pulling stuff out of their base policy - such as sewer backup, hail, wind, and inland flooding - and offering it as an option. The onus, will increasingly be on homeowners to protect from extreme weather events. 
• Carbon Taxes are part of Canada's strategy to reduce emissions. Unless it works in tandem with cap-and-trade these developers are forcing our communities and future generations to pay the price forever, while they profit off their gas emitting monstrosities.
• Toronto Tourism Negatively Impacted. Developers are seeking to amend parking by-law to eliminate 1000 parking spaces vital to Toronto Tourism, Billy Bishop Airport, local small businesses and the family and friends of thousands of residents. While at the same time eliminating the human scale and creating a high-anxiety environment for pedestrians and cyclists.
• Greenwashing:  The base of the Gardiner Expressway ramp, at the corner of Lower Simcoe, is a dangerous location for the ill conceived green space proposed. It also requires an additional driveway on Harbour street, creating another cut in the sidewalk along the bike path.
• The “green efforts” of this proposal consist of removing over a dozen trees in order to build the skyscrapers then replanting more around the limited pedestrian space. This sends a dangerous message that simply by planting trees around a building, developers can check off the "green box" and continue to conduct business as usual. 
• Concrete is the most destructive material on Earth and Toronto doesn't have enough ground space for us to plant our way out of the problems these massive concrete skyscrapers have created.
• Uninspired and Out-Dated Design is being proposed on a corner site on a landmark location. Having an attractive and livable urban environment stimulates economic activities. This site is a waterway landmark and our city's gateway giving the first impression of Toronto. Height can't be the only ambition. 
• "Affordable Housing" or Less Expensive Housing? Provisions were added as an after-thought because Councilor Joe Cressy wanted to add something good to a badly rushed deal. (Instead of incorporating the housing into the existing plans, developers added more floors.) However, it doesn't take into account that climate change and poverty are inextricably linked. Fighting one problem helps mitigate the other. 
• A one-size fits all solution to the housing crisis is not the answer. More effective ways to help would be to contribute a percentage of the land sale towards real affordable housing. 

UNIQUE OPPORTUNITY TO BUILD FORWARD BETTER.

Waste and pollution are not accidents, they’re consequences of decisions made in the design phase. 

Raising the standards in architecture and on how we build will not only uplift society and support biodiversity but it will position the Developers, our City and our Country as innovative world leaders in the race to circularity and sustainable design. Stimulating the economy by positively contributing to the triple bottom line.

Local and global commitments have been made and this site is on the world stage. The opportunity and resources are available to align this development with those commitments and deliver on the vision where all life can thrive. 

However, if plans remain as they are it will undermine all the commitments and catapult us deeper into the intersecting crises we face. 

Some of These Commitments Include:

• WaterfrontTO Chairman, Stephen Diamond: "Waterfront Toronto committed to realize the development of a next-generation community that addresses the most pressing urban issues of our time. Today, our Board stands by that commitment.” 
• Mayor John Tory committed to a net zero carbon future and presented his "Vision of an Ecological Toronto”
• City of Toronto set the Goal to becoming the first municipality in Ontario with a Circular Economy.
• Adam Vaughan MP “Through energy-efficient practices, and the use of alternative renewable technologies, net-zero buildings will play a key role in transitioning to a low-carbon future.” 
• Prime Minister Trudeau announced at last months Climate Summit that Canada aims to cut greenhouse-gas emissions by 45 per cent from 2005 levels by 2030. Requiring 16% emissions from concrete to fall.

We Seek To Achieve The Following:

• Redesign with cross-sector collaboration including Torontos' Circular Economy & Innovation Unit. 
• Build mid-rise structures.
• Increase tower separation to abide by the Tall Building Guidelines and all by-laws.
• Adhere to the Financial Stability Board’s Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD)
• Obtain LEED certification and get Net-Zero Energy Ready. 
• Ditch concrete and replace it with natural materials such as hempcrete.
• Pursue carbon capture and storage by incorporating a Vertical Forest.
• Design architectural work of art worthy of the world stage which reconnects people with nature. Think Bigger in Vision, Not Just in Size. (Suggestion: Have a design competition.)

Canada is warming at twice the rate of the world and there's a desperate need for quality, affordable homes and new infrastructure. We can only square this circle if we can dramatically improve the way that we build.

Our path to a thriving sustainable future is obvious, challenging and necessary - and we must get on with the transition urgently.

Once a developer’s shovel hits the ground, the die has been cast for generations. 

Please SIGN & SHARE this petition!

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