Parishioners from adjacent St. Basil's Church continue to object

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Shovels will break ground on two tall condominium towers at Bay and St. Joseph streets by as early as the fall - despite the objections from parishioners from the adjacent St. Basil's Church.

That was the final decision by Toronto Council this week, as final approval for the 45- and 55-storey condominium development came before the council.

The development was touted by local Ward 27 (Toronto Centre-Rosedale) Councillor Kyle Rae as "a great addition" to the community along Bay Street, in a development that includes a new linear park along Bay Street.

He added that the location near two subway lines is a perfect one for high density development.

But parishioners at St. Basil's had a different view. The condominium towers are to be built on land owned by St. Michael's College that is currently used by the church for parking, and parishioners claimed in a 1,400-name-strong petition that they hadn't been adequately consulted on the matter.

Rae maintained that the community had been afforded no fewer than nine consultation meetings with a neighbourhood working group - including one in December that took place in St. Basil's itself.

But Linda Cahill said that consultation was too late and not enough, and said the community was given short shrift when council voted against a motion to postpone the decision for another two months of public consultation.

"We didn't see democracy in action today, we saw the mayor and council willing to ignore the wishes of 4,300 parishioners and 4,700 students," said Cahill, a parishioner at the church.

"We were not consulted - the developer and the councillor and the planner can say we were consulted, but the only people consulted were the working group who were all the condominium owners."

At issue for the parishioners and students is primarily the removal of the parking lot, which makes it easier for elderly members of the parish to attend mass. The college has agreed to provide parking nearby, but Cahill said the lot is far enough away to be a barrier to some.

Patrick Berne of Rattling Chain Investments, however, said parishioners were a part of the consultation. He said work will begin on the condominium towers as early as the fall.

"We think it's going to be a very good development - so from a public standpoint, I'm proud," he told reporters after the vote.

Debate on the issue at council was sometimes bitter.

Ward 2 (Etobicoke North) Councillor Rob Ford tried to convince council to scuttle the deal after the motion to defer failed.

"I can't see 1,400 people having this rammed down their throat," said Ford. "It's truly disappointing we send such a negative message here. It just looks like we thumbed our noses at them."