Trinity Bellwoods crowding proves need for more space

Re The city failed, but so did the people, Teitel, May 26

Sitting down to breakfast in my downtown home with the paper, it was remarkable to again see city officials and the Toronto Star blindly promoting a kind of class warfare.

Pages A8-9 juxtapose two scenes from city neighbourhoods close by: Young urban condo and apartment dwellers trying to enjoy some outside space in a city woefully undersupplied with it, and families in front of their milliondollar homes enjoying all the space such wealth allows.

With a typical parochial schoolmaster attitude, officials denounce young people outside instead of recognizing that the city needs more outdoor public space and should be busy creating it.

Queen and Dundas Streets, both four-lane downtown roads adjacent to the park in question, remain open for the greatly diminished car traffic to zoom along.

Living near Trinity Bellwoods, I know it gets crowded. But the people were doing their best to avoid unnecessary contact: avoiding hugging, handshakes and sharing food.

It was, for the most part, quiet conversation in the outdoors in small groups. The police were at the park monitoring any obviously problematic behaviour.

The failure to recognize the profound differences in lived experience between people in Liberty Village and Annex homeowners is just lazy thinking.

Create more outdoor space or continue to promote class divisions.