In a rare show of unanimity, Toronto Council approved a compromise plan on Toronto's eastern waterfront that would replace a Ferris wheel, monorail and mega mall as proposed by Mayor Rob Ford's brother Doug Ford, with a plan very much like the one currently in place for the port lands.
Councillors and the audience applauded after the vote Wednesday. Sept. 21 - ending a tense standoff between Ward 2 Etobicoke North Councillor Doug Ford and a public movement that rose up vehemently opposed to the vision he promoted toward the end of the summer.Ford unveiled the plan on a radio program, as the executive committee was considering a plan to wrest control of the port lands redevelopment from Waterfront Toronto. Ford said he had met with developers interested in a very different plan for the waterfront - including a monorail connecting the downtown to the port lands via Cherry Street, a high-end, bayfront hotel, and a mega mall that would be filled with high-end retailers.The plan didn't go over well, as residents, architectural associations and others flooded councillors with their objections to it, and last week, it appeared to have sent fissures through the city's executive committee, as member Ward 25 Don Valley West Jaye Robinson said she couldn't support the plan.On Tuesday evening, city councillors took matters into their own hands. Toronto-Danforth Councillor Paula Fletcher and Toronto Centre-Rosedale Councillor Pam McConnell met with Ford allies Etobicoke-Lakeshore Councillor Peter Milczyn and Scarborough Centre Councillor Michael Thompson to craft what they termed a "consensus" document. The document would see the stewardship for the area remain in the hands of Waterfront Toronto, the tri-level government body. But the city would review the plans it has for the port lands, and Waterfront Toronto would be committed to speeding up the development plan.While Doug Ford's plan was off the table, councillors were generous in their praise of the city councillor for turning up the volume on the debate."Councillor Ford has taken a great deal of criticism, but no one is more enthusiastic about the future of this city and the future of the waterfront than councillor Ford," said Milczyn. "All that councillor Ford wants to do is make sure this happens and it happens well."Doug Ford remained silent during the relatively short debate - but his brother, Mayor Rob Ford, put aside the suggestion that the move amounted to a retreat for the mayoralty, as the Fords' agenda comes under more scrutiny."I think we're working on a compromise - we listened to people," said Ford. "I've built a consensus - we are winning votes, we are moving our agenda forward and that's exactly what we're doing in this process too. It's a win-win for Toronto."