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Triumph of Justice
Over Politicsv-1
Sunday January 14, 2024
Shahrema Persian Weekly Magazine
Medi Shams - Willowdale Resident
HOME
Most of
us
consider ourselves benevolent, civilized, democratic,
justice-seeking, human-friendly, and advocates for the
rights of the oppressed and the needy. However, in practice,
we realize that we are not what we
think, and to justify our actions,
which in many cases are directed towards personal interests, we resort to any door,
whether open or closed.
Our Persian saying "Death is
good, but for the neighbour" has a
close meaning to "Not In My Backyard" (NIMBY)
commonly used in English.
Without casting doubt on the humaneness of those
opposing the proposed modular housing in Willowdale, we
should be pleased that last week, without
being the intention of the
court, justice
triumphed over
politics and prevented the strengthening of
the "Not In My Backyard" mentality, setting a precedent for
other areas.
Considering Lily Cheng's efforts to respond to the demands
of some residents
of Willowdale, the ward she
represents
on
the city council, it might be necessary to keep
in mind
the term "Not In My Ward" (NIMW).
In June 2023, when the case was still ongoing in the Ontario
Land Tribunal, Lily Cheng presented two motions; one
with notice to relocate
(MM7.20), and the other with no notice to improve the
project.(MM7.43).
1- In the first motion, she requested that the project be
relocated to another location in Willowdale. The current
location, due to the existing green space and
trees, will be
designated a park, and
benches will be provided
around the trees.
2- In the second motion, she requested that if the first
motion failed, the following conditions be considered:
-
Modular
supportive housing will not include safe or supervised
injection services open to the public.
-
Modular housing will be for seniors 59 years and older.
-
A multilingual Community Liaison Committee
will be formed to be working collaboratively
with the City to address community
concerns during the transition.
-
Maximizing
green space,
and community space and adding lawn furniture
around the trees.
The first
motion
was
rejected with 18 negative votes, 2 positive votes (Lily +
Ward
22), and 5 absentees.
None of the items in the second
motion
were
approved either.
There is no doubt that Lily Cheng, as a conscientious and
dedicated representative, made every effort to address the
concerns
of opponents of this project. However, if we
consider the homeless individuals who are currently seeking
shelter or living on the streets in Willowdale as part of
the residents of this area, we should admit that Lily not
only ignored their rights but also fell short in her duty
towards
them and has shown discrimination against
them.
Especially since
providing housing for the homeless is among the
responsibilities of municipalities.
The lack of cooperation among councillors and prioritizing
the demands of local residents, who generally oppose
having such neighbours, will make it
impossible to solve a problem that is growing in complexity
every day.
In improving the situation for more than ten thousand
homeless individuals in Toronto, the municipality approved
the construction of modular units in
2020 and implemented its first phase by
constructing two complexes in the Scarborough (20-Scarborough
SW) and Dovercourt (9-Davenport) areas. The second phase pertains to three complexes
located at 175 Cummer (Willowdale), 540 Cederval (14-East
York), and 39 Dundalk Dr.(21-Scarborough
C) which were approved
with unanimous votes in March 2021.
The
Cedarval
complex, which also faced opposition from
residents of that area, commenced operation in
November 2022.
Unfortunately, opposition to the Willowdale
complex
took
on a different path. Over
several years, it has become one of the
central issues in
municipal and provincial election campaigns.
Neighbourhood associations, neighbours, and one of the real
estate developers,
which incidentally has
Iranian origin, have joined forces to oppose this
project. They have appealed to the Ontario Land Tribunal
and, up to this date, have prevented the implementation of
this project.
For a while, the prefabricated units were placed in the TTC
parking at Finch Station for six months. They were then
relocated to a longer-term indoor storage facility at a cost
of approximately $350,000, with a monthly rent of around
$77,000. This delay has not only incurred a cost of over
one million dollars for taxpayers but has also deprived 59
individuals
of a place to call home.
Municipalities resort to Minister’s Zoning Orders (MZO)
to expedite
the implementation of such urgent projects.
However, in the case of the Cummer project, due to
opposition from Willowdale
MPP,
the Minister's approval
was
not granted.
In response to the
question of what makes this neighbourhood different,
John Filion, the former
Willowdale
councillor who
was a staunch supporter of this project, says:
" politics in the
worst sense of the word."
Stan Cho, MPP, Lily Cheng, City Councillor, Daniel
Lee, Provincial and Municipal election candidate, and
Georgio Mammoliti, mayoral bi-election candidate and
city councillor,
have all opposed this project. Given that Ali
Ehsassi, the Willowdale MP, has been an ally of John
Filion, and both supported Markus Brian Fehr, their
preferred candidate, in municipal
elections, it should not be surprising that he
did not intervene in this matter.
According to John Filion, a few
residents of Willowdale, with a loud voice,
actively
opposed the project by forming the "Voice
of Willowdale" group and by organizing protests.
The Bayview/Cummer Neighbourhood Association (BCNA)
and
five other associations mobilized its members, residents of the area, and seniors
from the two neighbouring residential complexes. They
fundraised,
contacted the municipality, and participated in the
Ontario Land Tribunal (OLT)
as an applicant to actively oppose this project.
It's not surprising that
Livant, the developer, has also opposed this project by
contacting the municipality, providing financial assistance,
and being the other applicant for a review in the court.
It
appears reasonable for elected representatives
to respond to the wishes of the resdent of their ward and those who
have voted for them. However, considering
that, in many cases, the majority of people remain silent,
indifferent, or on the sidelines—whether during elections or
concerning social issues—one may infer that politicians are
swayed by a small, yet active, subset of individuals or
groups wielding financial, political, or social influence.
The
anticipation of justice from such a system
seems misdirected, fostering
a sense of frustration.
Constructing homes for the most vulnerable segments of
society, those without both voting power and a vocal
presence in the current democratic framework consistently
encounters resistance from
neighbours and is
anticipated to confront similar challenges in
the future.
Oppositions of this nature are currently being justified,
and will likely continue to be justified in various
locations, employing a range of reasons and excuses.
Examining
what happened in this case, and
comprehending our societal dynamics,
democracy, and social justice are
crucial
enough to be explored in uture articles.
Farsi
Version (Shahrema Weekly Persian magazin)
https://homesfirst.on.ca
"We have to shut down a piece of our humanity so that we can
continue on our way and pass by another human being who is
in such a difficult situation."
The Modular Housing Initiative was comprised of two phases
and was estimated to cost $47.5 million. Capital
contributions consisted of $28.75 million from the City’s
Development Charges Reserve Fund for Subsidized Housing and
$18.75 million from the federal
Six Association in Opposition with the
project
Stan Cho's letter to the Minister of Municipal Affairs and
Housing requesting the disapproval of the MZO
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