Tearing down Italian-Canadian cultural centre would be a big mistake
A heated dispute is brewing in the Italian-Canadian community about the future of the Columbus Centre in North York, the most iconic symbol of Italian immigration after Pier 21 in Halifax.
The controversy is not just about a structure that will be torn down and replaced with something that has still to be completely defined. The dispute goes beyond the Italian-Canadian community and involves two visions of how cultural heritage should be protected.
Villa Charities, which runs the Columbus Centre, is a non-profit organization that runs many activities and structures built with both public and private money in the Toronto area. For the last half-century, it has showcased activities to promote Italian and Italian-Canadian culture and business — everything to do with so-called “Italianita.” There’s social housing, sports facilities, a seniors’ home, restaurants, a daycare and an art gallery.
The historic symbol of this activity is the Columbus Centre at Dufferin St. and Lawrence Ave. W., with its well-known “Rotonda.”
The plan put forward by Villa Charities calls for demolition of the Columbus Centre and construction of new facilities that will include a high school and theatre. Cost of the operation will be over $70 million, financed equally by Villa Charities and the Toronto Catholic District School Board.
The school board will contribute money from the provincial government, while Villa Charities will sell almost 1.2 hectares of the 4.9 hectares it now owns. In the end, the board will own the new structure while Villa Charities will get a long-term lease to co-use the facilities.
Critics accuse Villa Charities of unnecessarily destroying a symbol of Italian-Canadian history and leaving many unanswered questions about the future of the entire organization.
Villa Charities argues that the existing buildings, which date from 1980, need expensive restructuring that it cannot afford.
Of course, there are many details missing about the project. But from what is known now, it deserves to be opposed.
First, Villa Charities has failed to prove that there are no alternatives to the proposed project.
Second, nobody embarks on such deep changes without appropriate consultation with stakeholders.
Third, a public organization can’t sign agreements first and give the details after.
If this lack of openness is just a mistake, the organization has created a public-relations disaster from which it will be hard to recover.
These serious procedural failings have increased suspicion about the real scope of the plan and raised concerns about the future of the centre. Critics fear it will lose its major symbolic structure and end up with a fragmented ownership. If the Columbus Centre can go now, everything can go in the future, at the whim of the board of the day.
Promoting heritage is not just about providing a stage for tarantella dancers or presenting a fashion show. Heritage is also about symbols that remain for future generations to see. The Columbus Centre and la Rotonda have been the place where presidents, prime ministers, artists and painters have paid tribute to Italian entrepreneurship and ingenuity in Canada. Many in the community have celebrated weddings and family anniversaries there, creating a cultural bond with the place and among each other.
Romans are remembered for their history but also for the presence of symbols such as the Colosseum, built 2,000 years ago. We defend Casa Loma, built “only” a century ago, because it’s part of Canadian history. Tearing such structures down to build something economically more appealing without presenting real alternatives is a sign of cultural laziness. Or just part of an aggressive business plan designed to set the stage for a future housing development.
The Columbus Centre isn’t Casa Loma or the Colosseum and was built less than half a century ago, but the concept is the same. A key part of the cultural and social commitment of a community organization such as Villa Charities must be to defend the symbols of the community. The project put forward for the Columbus Centre doesn’t do that. A leasing agreement is good only until the leadership of the organizations change.
If these principles are compromised, the entire area will be at risk of losing its original purpose. It may end up as just another residential area with high-priced condominiums.
An Italian politician once said that doubting people is a sin, but most of the time, you are right on the mark.
Until those doubts are removed, the provincial government has a duty to stop this plan.