Downtown councillors want on city executive committee

Dennis Hanagan —

Downtown city councillors on the Toronto and East York Community Council (TEYCC) have to battle with the city’s executive committee when they try to move projects forward, says Trinity-Spadina councillor Adam Vaughan.

“Every single time we have to move a project forward we have to move it through an executive committee that quite frankly is antagonistic and sometimes spiteful if not jealous that we’re building a great downtown,” Vaughan said in an interview.

No TEYCC members sit on the executive committee which makes recommendations on city council’s strategic policy and priorities, financial planning and budgeting.

Vaughan said making good decisions for Downtown development “requires allowing councillors who are managing these files to be part of the critical decision-making bodies at all levels of the city.”

“For the last three years we’ve been shut out and it’s going to have an impact at some point,” he said.

Vaughan’s comments came after TEYCC struggled over what to do with a 3-tower condo proposal from theatre owner and operator David Mirvish for King Street West.

Vaughan said a different way of thinking needs to be applied to Downtown development where condos create vertical neighbourhoods as opposed to the suburbs where subdivisions create horizontal neighbourhoods.

“Every time we talk heritage, every time we talk about park development, every time we talk about transit, bike lanes or road or sidewalk improvements you get this approach (from the executive committee) that sorry that’s not the way it’s done in other parts of the city.”

What’s needed, he said, “is a made-in-the Entertainment District, a made-in-the King and Spadina solution. We’ve been pushing that rock up the hill.”