Let's Not Let The Gardner Expressway Become An Issue

That blinds us to the incompotence of city council when it comes to fiscal responsibility, nepotism, secret deals, etc.

What are they burying?

By SUE-ANN LEVY

There's no doubt in my mind that Mayor David Miller's great waterfront wet dream includes tearing down the Gardiner Expressway.

True, His Blondness bobbed and weaved yesterday about the need for a proper business and funding plan and a finessed report before any decisions could be made on whether to replace, improve or refurbish the Gardiner -- or keep it the way it is.

"If we could remove the part of Gardiner that is in the vicinity of where the waterfront is going to be revitalized, that would be a nice idea," Miller said. "But you can't do it unless there's a business plan or money."

Whoa, stop the presses. When has money or a sound plan ever stood in this mayor's way?

Fact is, city officials were not the least bit helpful about parting with the contentious report -- which was prepared by the Toronto Waterfront Revitilizaton Corporation (TWRC) in July of 2004 for the tidy sum of $1 million.

At least three Freedom of Information requests were made to try to get it. It took pressure from Coun. Denzil Minnan-Wong earlier this week at council to get it released, first just to councillors, then to the public.

Yet Miller had the chutzpah to contend it "hasn't been secret at all" -- that it was simply a "complex report that needed city staff review."

Complex, my foot. If this had idea had no legs,as some contend -- and didn't pose a risk of becoming an election issue -- why would Mr. Openness and Transparency be so concerned about releasing it?

The TWRC report -- which speaks of a Gardiner that is an "eyesore," and a "barrier between the city and the waterfront" -- seems pretty far along in its thinking and development to me. Yesterday, senior TWRC officials said they intend to take their ideas out for public consultation over the winter and report back to council next spring.

While they referred to four options for dealing with the so-called eyesore, their preference is creating what they call a "Great Street" -- which would retain the Gardiner west of Spadina but dismantle it from Spadina east to the DVP. The new "Waterfront Boulevard" would have 10 lanes of traffic (with a boulevard in the middle) from Simcoe to Jarvis and eight lanes from Jarvis to the Don River.

According to TWRC president and CEO John Campbell, the whole effort would take nine years from start to completion. But traffic on the Gardiner would be disrupted a mere 20% from the west throughout the construction and not one bit from the east, he said.

The report also suggests this refurbishing will push more people onto transit. (I'll believe all of this when I see it.)

Consultant Bruce Bodden conceded the estimated $490-million cost for this option (calculated in 2004) would need to be reevaluated, as does the cost of the Front Street extension, estimated at $255 million in 2003.

Never mind, though, there's talk the mayor and his minions will simply collect the needed cash through new road tolls.

Tearing down the Gardiner has never made any sense to me. I can't even begin to imagine the gridlock that will be created by this move or how the costs will escalate as the nine years turn into heaven knows how long.

And all for what? To remove a barrier that already exists?

You want to talk eyesore? How about the wall of condos that even Bodden concedes have taken over the area he suggests needs opening up? Or what about the scuzzy-looking panhandlers and squeegeers who ply their trade down on the Lakeshore?

CAA government relations specialist Faye Lyons said the Gardiner is absolutely not a barrier to the waterfront and people will continue to drive their cars no matter how many obstacles are put in front of them.

Mayoral candidate Jane Pitfield feels the Millerites have already decided to take it down. "I reassure you as mayor that the Gardiner will stay up," she told a luncheon crowd yesterday. "The Gardiner is a bigger issue than the bridge to the Island airport."