Moving from vision to implementation

Advocates look to the future of Waterfront Toronto after CEO Will Fleissig steps down

A sudden change at the top of Waterfront Toronto’s administration has triggered a sense of uncertainty over the future of the city’s shoreline.

Last week, Waterfront Toronto announced CEO Will Fleissig, who had been at the helm of the organization for nearly three years and spearheaded key revitalization projects, was stepping down. News of Fleissig’s departure came just days after Sidewalk Toronto, a joint effort by Waterfront Toronto and Sidewalk Labs, pushed back the deadline for a plan for its high-profile Quayside district until spring 2019.

While both Waterfront Toronto and Sidewalk Labs say the two announcements are not connected in any way, community organizers say this coincidence and other factors have created a level of “uncertainty” over the future of Toronto’s waterfront transformation process.

“I was shocked actually, very surprised about the resignation,” said Cindy Wilkey, vice-chairperson of Toronto for All, a local citizens group advocating for a better waterfront. “Sidewalk Toronto project is really, I think, Will’s innovation and baby. So I never imagined that he would be leaving before at least this critical first phase is finished.”

Fleissig oversaw the announcement last year of a $1.25-billion investment to revitalize waterfront areas, including the Port Lands and the creation of a flood protection plan.

It was also last fall that Waterfront Toronto, which receives backing from the three levels of government, unveiled a partnership with New York-based Sidewalk Labs, a subsidiary of Alphabet, Google’s parent company, on the Quayside pilot project. The goal is to create a state-of-the-art neighbourhood in which the city and Sidewalk Labs can apply technology and innovation to solve urban issues.

Wilkey said so far her organization has not seen any sort of threat that would require massive public mobilization, but the abrupt changes are “definitely worrisome.”

“We are very appreciative of what Waterfront Toronto has achieved during Will’s time, but our organization is cautiously optimistic about the future,” she said, noting they hope the new administration will hold the fort and keep various developmental projects going.

Waterfront Toronto has already appointed board member Michael Nobrega as interim CEO, while a comprehensive search for Fleissig’s replacement will be undertaken in the coming months.

Sidewalk Labs’ director of external affairs Lauren Skelly told The Star the organization looks forward to working with Nobrega and his team to create a groundbreaking plan for Toronto’s waterfront.

She said she is confident the change will not affect timelines or deliverables of their projects, overall.

“The work between Sidewalk Labs and Toronto Waterfront is going on uninterrupted. No concern whatsoever,” she said.

Added Cameron McKay, Waterfront Toronto’s vice-president of communications and engagement:

“Now is the time to turn from vision to implementation as we move forward with the Quayside project, as well as many other exciting initiatives including the historic Port Lands Flood Protection Project which is underway already.”

Ulla Colgrass, planning committee chairperson at the York Quay Neighbourhood Association, said Fleissig will be remembered for his ability to grasp the complexity and scope of waterfront project, and keeping residents and neighbourhoods well informed about the process.

The concern now is how to maintain oversight of the urban developments alongside Queens Quay and in the Port Lands, especially with the new provincial government in place.

The premier and his brother, then Toronto mayor Rob Ford, once floated the idea of building a mega mall and a Ferris wheel at the Port Lands, something Colgrass said was averted because residents and community stakeholders publicly opposed the proposal.

“Waterfront Toronto should not be tampered with,” she said. “Bottom line is, Fleissig can be replaced but waterfront cannot.”