Doug Ford’s waterfront fantasy capsizing

For a place where nothing happens, there’s a lot going on. After decades of neglect, the Port Lands are suddenly on everyone’s mind.

That became clear last summer, when the mayor’s brother, Etobicoke Councillor Doug Ford, got very excited about the development potential of the former industrial precinct. Egged on by some slick local real estate operators, Ford was overcome with visions of monorails, malls and Ferris wheels.

Though his enthusiasm was not widely shared, it did lead to a city request that Waterfront Toronto look at ways to speed up the rebuilding process. Ford talked about a three-year timeline, something wildly at odds with reality.

“This is a project for generations,” explains WT chair Mark Wilson. “It will take many decades to unfold.”

Regardless, the report city council demanded last September will be unveiled Saturday at an open house at the Design Exchange. Later, on Tuesday and Wednesday, public feedback sessions have been organized.

If history is any indication, the good burghers of Toronto will make it clear once again that they prefer the original Port Lands scheme, the one that won an international design competition held in 2007.

The alternative would move the mouth of the Don River slightly and reduce the amount of green space for the purpose of creating a larger development parcel. Through these means and by phasing the work, the rebuild could also move faster, though not significantly so. But as Wilson points out, the key to redevelopment is the (nonexistent) infrastructure. “Without flood protection, sewers, transit and so on,” he says, “We couldn’t give the land away.” “Doug Ford’s plan didn’t include the river,” Wilson notes. “And there’s no private-sector silver bullet.” In other words, don’t count on business to cover the estimated $2 billion that infrastructure will cost. “We have confirmed a number of key elements of the original preferred alternative,” Wilson says. “We still think it’s the best approach.” Under Ford, however, the city’s focus has shifted from urban excellence to turning a profit as quickly as possible with as small an investment as possible. There’s nothing wrong with any of that, except that things are seldom as simple as they seem. One might have expected a self-professed corporate giant like Doug Ford to understand that, but obviously not. As the Ford fiasco also demonstrates, the waterfront, let alone Waterfront Toronto, needs to be protected from ignorant and grasping politicians every bit as much as it does from floods. If WT’S mandate and vision have remained intact after Ford’s attempted Port Lands takeover last year, it is only because Torontonians intervened loudly and clearly to say no. In truth, WT was never given the powers it needs to do its job. With three levels of government peering over its collective shoulder, each unwilling to let go and trust the others, there was little chance of that.

Despite the obstacles, WT’S accomplishments border on miraculous. As well as fending off Ford, it has proved the validity of its strategy, one based on the idea that public infrastructure spending more than pays for itself with the private investment it produces.

That scenario has played out on Queens Quay east of Yonge, where more than $1 billion worth of building is underway or completed. It can also be seen in the West Don Lands, where the Pan-am Games Athletes Village is under construction along with several condos and parks.

If, as Ford said, that’s a “boondoggle,” Toronto could use a few more. Whatever waterfront he’s covering, it’s not ours. Christopher Hume can be reached at chume@thestar.ca