Rookie MPP demands Distillery connection to Corktown as a result of Pan Am plans

New MPP Glen Murray

By Anthony Marcusa –

In one of his first public appearances since winning the by-election last month, Toronto-Centre MPP Glen Murray spoke about the future of the area and importance of local community groups to the West Don Lands Committee on a cold Monday in March at 39 Parliament St.

The former mayor of Winnipeg, a man who spent much of his younger days in Toronto, resides in the Distillery District and wants to direct focus to this historic part of the city.

Murray calls it “defensible home purchasing.” It is a term for buying a house in an area that is not threatened by unnecessary or harmful growth, but can thrive under the right conditions. The Distillery and Corktown both have great potential in the near future and changes could come quickly.

“We want a community planning process, and create a synergy between the sophisticated electorate we have, and the city and province,” said Murray. “We want to reconnect King Street to the Distillery—we have too many car dealerships, and large stores that make the area untoward.”

Also on the agenda for renewing the area is to create more housing on Berkeley St. The city currently owns about half of the road, but the public should be able to claim it, furthering a connection between the Distillery and Corktown.

The area will also be affected by the Pan Am games, set to begin in July of 2015. The public must be involved in decisions that will change Downtown, asserts Murray. “Societal inclusion is key; we are not just building facilities for the Pan Am, but building facilities that are sustainable,” he said.

The West Don Lands committee (WDLC) has been involved since the announcement of the Pan Am Games and will continue to do so as the event nears. Murray stressed the important—even if clichéd—notion that the community needs to be involved from the start to ensure the interests of the people are being met as corporations undertake projects for the big event “That is why we need to be tight as a community, work out our differences and lay a strong foundation going forward,” said Murray. “We need a strong sense of civic self esteem.”

In 1999, Murray was the mayor as Winnipeg held the Pan Am Games, which became a boost for the city. “I feel we were able to improve the tax base, not the tax burden,” he said.

Murray feels we are on the right track, and the members of the WDLC are comfortable for now, but no one is entirely confident. Waterfront Toronto looks to work on development for the games, but so to does Infrastructure Ontario. And with groups getting involved at different stages, it is important for those who reside in the city to stay keen.

“The system is broken, not the people,” Murray concluded. “However, we can create a process that is people centered and people valued. I am creating a contract between me and you and anyone else who wants to be involved—we will have the broadest engagement in a process that will lay a strong foundation for the future.”

He says though the Games are five years away, contracts and decisions come soon. If communities don’t  get involved now, the changes they want to see will never be realized. To comment on Murray’s plans or to volunteer, e-mail gmurray.mpp.co@liberal.ola.org.