West Don Lands group meets

By Duncan McAllister —

A meeting of the West Don Lands Committee (WDLC) was held on Oct. 26 at 39 Parliament St.

Guest presentations included an update from Urban Capital Development on the first phase of the River City at King and lower River St. sites.

This was followed by an update from the Toronto Community Housing Corporation on the McCord site development regarding family and seniors’ affordable housing.

According to the group’s agenda, city staffer Karen Wilson was scheduled to speak about the Waterfront Community Employment Initiative. With the support of the WDLC, a group of agencies are working to put together a program for waterfront developments similar to that in Regent Park.

According to WDLC secretary Julie Beddoes, the plan is to enable people who have difficulty getting jobs through the usual avenues to have access to training and support. The jobs would range from construction to building maintenance and management. There would be an emphasis on green and sustainable techniques.

The proposed support services would be provided by the city’s employment and social services branch and training in conjunction with George Brown College.

Nov. 6 will mark an announcement regarding Toronto’s bid for the Pan Am Games. George Smitherman plans to have a public meeting in early November to bring the community up to date on developments.

“The province will have to move quickly with the bid committee and will be looking to who will have overall development control,” says Cynthia Wilkey, chair of the WDLC, “It is our hope that Waterfront Toronto will continue to be the master developer for the Olympic Village.”

The meeting also included an update from Waterfront Toronto regarding District Energy and a preview of a new proposal for the First Parliament Site presented by Rollo Myers.