Development, transit on minds of Ward 24 residents

The LRT proposal calls for the 15-kilometre Sheppard East LRT to enter a tunnel just west of Consumers Road, travel under Hwy. 404 and connect directly to the subway level at Don Mills Station.

Ward 24 Councillor David Shiner, who has held a seat on Toronto Council since 1991, is opposed to implementing LRT lines and favours a better subway system throughout the city.

"People are strongly opposed to it and so am I," he said. "I've been an advocate for an expanded subway system ever since I've been on council. The problem with the LRT system is public transit should not make the problem worse by installing lines in the middle of the street and taking out two lanes of roadway."

Another issue facing the ward, Shiner said, is the lack of community centres, but shovels should be in the ground for a new one by 2012.

A new community centre is in the works near Bessarion subway station, just west of the new Canadian Tire head office and a $2-billion condo project, the biggest of its kind in North York's history. The 10-year project will feature condo towers between six and 28 storeys housing some 5,000 families, townhouses, shops, parkland and a future school.

"We have one community centre in the ward at Cummer and Leslie," Shiner said, referring to Cummer Park Community Centre. "The facility is overbooked all the time. The new centre will be 50,000 square feet and we are currently in the designing stage."

The redevelopment of the Shops on Steeles and 404 site on the north side of Steeles Avenue at Don Mills Road, which calls for mixed-use retail and residential development, is the focus of one community association that formed to voice concern over the controversial project.

"The Shops on Steeles is our No. 1 major concern," said David Slotnick, president of the Willowdale N.E. Neighbourhood Association. "Shiner has been a vocal opponent and has done a fairly good job (in the ward) but we have three other candidates we know nothing about."

Shiner's three opponents are all political rookies who said they threw their hats into the ring because it's time for change.

"If I was happy with the current job the councillor is doing I wouldn't run at all," Eugene Loo said. "The wasteful spending at City Hall has to stop. The young professional age group between 18 and 34 has no representation on council right now. We need representation from the immigrant side. I immigrated here...and I've seen my parents struggle in this country. There is a language struggle and it takes someone who has seen things from that perspective to understand."

An accountant by trade, the 25-year-old was critical of Shiner's decision to run in the 2007 provincial election, which he lost and returned to the municipal seat he chose not to give up during the provincial race.

"Is he just going to run again and leave the post vacant?" Loo asked. "I'm here to say I'm making this my career."

For his part, Shiner said he's "110 per cent committed" to running municipally and will not be a candidate in the next provincial election.

"That is far behind me," Shiner said. "One of the reasons I'm running is because I was overwhelmed by the number of people who asked me to remain on council. I believe I can get spending under control. I've lived in the community for 25 years and I feel I know the heart beat of the community."

Loo, who has lived in Ward 24 for 17 years, said he would implement elevated bicycle lanes and would go through the city's budget line by line to eliminate wasteful spending.

"We have to look at what's the best bang for our buck," he said, adding contracting out garbage collection might be an option. "If elected, I would be a young, passionate voice that says, Hey, I'm ready for change."

Sonny Cho said the city is ready for fresh change and he's hoping to be the one to deliver it to Ward 24 constituents.

A Beach resident, Cho said he chose to run in the ward because of his commercial real estate business ties and will move to the neighbourhood if elected.

Traffic, community beautification and lack of community centres are at the top of Cho's list of concerns, noting a faster transit system needs to be in place.

"I would bring in more festivals and community events to build a stronger (neighbourhood) bond," he said.

As for the Shoppes on Steeles development, Cho said such a project would only increase traffic in an already congested area.

"For one thing, traffic congestion in the Don Mills and Steeles area is bad enough as it is," he said. "To bring in major high-rise development without the transit system in place to support the residents will make the neighbourhood far too chaotic."

Employment lawyer Bob Nahiddi said he's taking a run at politics to clean up mismanagement at City Hall.

"I genuinely want to make a difference," said Nahiddi, a Toronto Party member. "I'm not doing it for the money as I would be taking a pay cut. City Hall has been run by the same council, essentially, for two decades."

Nahiddi, who grew up in the ward but moved several months ago, echoed Cho's traffic concerns for the community, adding he doesn't have an official position on the Shoppes on Steeles development.

"If elected I would represent the voice of Willowdale," he said. "Whatever the people of the ward would want will be what I'm doing."

With an average family income of $81,982 and 18 square kilometres in size, Ward 24 was home to 58,805 people and consisted of 21,935 households, according to the 2006 Census.