A Bentway block party
Mayor lauds city builders, including one his campaign calls a left-wing ‘radical’
The Bentway, the event-filled park space under the Gardiner Expressway, is inviting everyone to a long, narrow block party today to celebrate the end of the downtown project’s first phase.
On Friday, organizers previewed the event at the new “Strachan Gate,” which includes a cascading wooden staircase, open-air amphitheatre and big grassy hill south of Fort York, all beneath traffic whizzing by on the highway overhead.
The free event will run from noon to 10 p.m. today
The first phase of the project named for “bents,” the concrete supports that hold the Gardiner aloft, stretches from Strachan Ave. to Bathurst St. The Bentway was proposed and funded to the tune of $25 million, by philanthropists Wilmot and Judy Matthews. The city of Toronto is contributing $10 million.
The block party will include kidfriendly games, a street dance workshop and dance competition for visitors, a parade of people wearing “bent” costumes and an art installation including a giant giraffe pinata.
Evening musical performances will end with popular band The Darcys.
“It all starts with city-building,” and providing a “people’s park” for everyone including the growing community in condominiums near Toronto’s waterfront, Mayor John Tory, who is seeking a second term in the civic election, said at the Friday event.
Tory singled out others who helped make the Bentway happen, including the Matthews and Mike Layton, the local city councillor.
Taking questions after the event Tory was asked how he can single out Layton as a city builder while, as part of his re-election bid, he is accusing downtown representatives, including Layton, of being “radical members of city council’s left wing.”
“When (Layton) is co-operating, as has been the case with others from all sides of council on projects like this to make them happen, there are considerable elements of city building that can happen there,” Tory said.
But when councillors in the core are “doing nothing to encourage large corporations to invest and build buildings in Toronto and create jobs for people, and substantially increase taxes, I’d say that fits into the category of some ideas that I find to be pretty far to the left,” said Tory, who last December said he would be open during a second term to working more with downtown councillors.
The mayor’s campaign team has blasted Jennifer Keesmaat, the progressive former chief planner who entered the mayoral race at the last minute with support from Layton and some other councillors, as a tax advocate hiding her “real agenda.”
On Thursday night at her campaign kickoff, Keesmaat characterized Tory as “dithering,” “low energy,” having a “lack of bold ideas” and holding Toronto back because he is a “timid follower.”
Asked to respond Friday, Tory mostly held his fire, declining to repeat criticisms of Keesmaat coming from his campaign team, which includes hard-hit- ting political strategists Nick Kouvalis and Warren Kinsella.
“I am just doing my job,” Tory said, noting he described Keesmaat as “smart” when she entered the race.
“I’m going to keep doing my job and get things done,” he said, noting “comprehensive transit plans,” getting co-operation and funding from other levels of government for transit and housing, kids riding free on the TTC and civic engagement projects including the Bent way.
“I have a record that I’m going to take put in front of people ... I’ve put my heart and soul into this job because I love this city, I have no other reason for having this job at this stage in my career.”