Toronto’s school boards want to build higher, but it’s making residents worried
Some parents don’t like the idea of taller schools
The TDSB and the TCDSB are fighting to build taller buildings on their properties, a move some residents fear could open the door to a land grab by the province.
Both boards are appealing a city council decision that exempts their land from new, more permissive building rules for major streets. Last December, the city approved a pilot project that would allow developers along certain major streets in Ward 9, Davenport, and Ward 11, University-Rosedale, to build up to 14 storeys without requiring special permission from the city.
That plan would have included two schools on Ossington Avenue, the Dewson Street and Ossington/Old Orchard junior public schools. The TDSB was happy to have new options for those plots, and also noted the rules would boost the value of the land. Some residents, however, were opposed: they claimed that, with the TDSB now under provincial supervision, Premier Doug Ford’s government could sell the newly priced land for a quick buck, robbing the neighbourhood of a school, reports the Toronto Star.
Related: The Ford government has made a mess of the TDSB class-size cap
The TDSB has expressly denied any intention to sell its land. Instead, it says redesignation would give it more flexibility to serve the neighbourhood’s needs. That could mean keeping a school, but placing it in a taller building—something the more vocal residents also don’t like, as they want to keep the relative greenery of schoolyards intact and fear the spectre of “podium schools” embedded in high-rises.
(This is a good point to recall that the new policy only allows mid-rise buildings, so no looming condo towers will be erected on top of any schools. There also haven’t been any redevelopment plans published for either school, so there’s nothing to say the schoolyards would be lost in the case of a new build.)
For those who fear the province’s lust for land, Education Minister Paul Calandra has provided mixed messages. On Monday, he reassured anxious parents that any properties the boards wanted to sell off would first be offered to other boards, followed by the municipality and all levels of government. That puts a few steps between the land and the private market.
On the other hand, Calandra said that if the boards weren’t already fighting the decision, he’d be doing so himself—a hackle-raising proclamation from a government seemingly hell-bent on meddling with Toronto’s lands for questionable purposes.
Anthony Milton is a freelance journalist based in Toronto specializing in long-form magazine writing. He previously worked as an assistant editor at Toronto Life, where he launched the Front Row newsletter. He regularly contributes all sorts of stories to the magazine, including deep dives on sports, business and housing as well as short-form commentary on our ever-changing city, from its obsession with cherry blossoms to its maddening NIMBYism. His work has also appeared in Maclean’s, Ricochet, TVO, the Trillium and more.
