Prince Charles visiting the Dominion Foundry before the Pan Am games

The provincial demolition wagons are circling around 153-185 Eastern Avenue, the Former Dominion Foundry, a complex of four buildings that are part of the West Don Lands in Toronto. On January 14, the first day of the latest provincial lockdown, which shut down non-essential construction sites, a demolition crew arrived. HUH?

I Demolition crews arriving, January 14, 2021

From a statement by Councillor Kristyn Wong Tam, “The four buildings on the Foundry site were constructed between 1917 and 1929, were owned by the Canadian Northern Railway (later, the Canadian National Railways) and were used by the Dominion Wheel and Foundries Company to produce railway equipment. As noted when the properties were added to the City’s heritage register in 2004, the four buildings were deemed “historically and architecturally significant as a good example of an industrial enclave in the area adjoining the lower Don River.”

The site has been the subject of a Ministerial Zoning Order which strips the City of Toronto of any planning or demolition control in favour of the province’s plans to redevelop. There doesn’t appear to be any known plan for switching from the expected re-purposing of the buildings on the site. It is hard not to suspect a backroom deal that is conditional on clearing the site of potential planning obstacles.

Community leaders are rallying, calling for a halt, hoping widespread public opposition will create a pause for second thought.

• Friends of the Foundry have been formed and have an online petition that has gathered over 5000 signatures in a couple of days, and have launched an information page with constant updates. 

• Councillor Kristyn Wong-Tam has issued a statement.

• Toronto media are responding with articles in the Globe and Mail, Blog TO and CBC .

• Greg Lintern, Toronto's Chief Planner has written to the province, here's the letter

• Architectural Conservancy Ontario (ACO) Toronto President Matt Zambri and ACO provincial president Kae Elgie have sent a letter to the Minister of Heritage, Sport, Tourism and Culture Industries to intervene to stop the demolition.

Much of the anger stems from the complete change in direction by the province on a well- established plan developed by Waterfront Toronto, a tri-level government body that has had representation from the province since it began. The buildings were to be re-purposed as a community hub.

The other factor seems to be the failure of the province to follow its own established process on provincially owned heritage property, set out in the Standards and Guidelines for Conservation of Provincial Heritage Properties. Prior to undertaking a sale or work on a provincially owned heritage property government bodies are required to develop a Strategic Conservation Plan and to produce a Heritage Impact Assessment.

It may take an FOI request to determine whether either of those documents have been commissioned or produced. The City of Toronto has written to ask for them. To not do them would contravene Part III.1 of the Ontario Heritage Act. Administration of these lands is under the auspices of the Ministry of Government and Consumer Services, Realty Division, formerly Infrastructure Ontario.

When I spoke to officials in the province’s Heritage Division I was advised that the property had been evaluated in 2006, which identified provincial significance under regulation 9:06, but not 10:06, and that report had been grandfathered at the adoption of Standards and Guidelines. In plain language that means that the building has local significance but not province-wide significance.

Ministerial Zoning Order notwithstanding, the province cannot ignore its obligations under Part III.1 of the Ontario Heritage Act, Standards and Guidelines for Provincial Heritage Properties.

We’ll see if all the activity over the weekend slows things at all, but in the meantime you are invited to sign the Petition, and share it as widely as you can.