Rob Ford continued his retreat in the face of fierce public opposition Wednesday, officially giving up on plans to commandeer the Port Lands development project a day after climbing down from controversial cuts to city services.
“If the people of Toronto hadn’t spoken up the Fords’ plan for the waterfront would have canceled out 20 years of great work, and people wouldn’t let that happen,” said Councillor Adam Vaughan. “There will be no fire sale, no Ferris wheels, no great schemes. What there will be is a great city down there.”
Council voted unanimously to adopt a motion keeping the Port Lands under the control of Waterfront Toronto, reversing a decision made by Ford’s executive council only two weeks ago that would have allowed the Toronto Port Lands Company to take over the project and drastically alter existing plans for a green, mixed-use neighbourhood.
Councillor Doug Ford, the mayor’s brother, had backed TPLC’s vision of a giant Ferris wheel and mega-mall on the site, prompting a grassroots movement to mobilize to stop the takeover.
It was the second time this week the mayor has backed down amidst polls that show his popularity is plummeting. On Tuesday he consented to public outcry over several proposed service cuts, including library closures and scrapping childcare spaces.
The mayor hailed Wednesday’s reversal as proof of his ability to listen to voters.
“I don’t think it was a change of heart. I think we worked on a compromise. We listened to the people,” he said. “It’s a win-win for Toronto.”
The motion passed Wednesday was introduced by Ford ally Councillor Peter Milczyn once it was clear the mayor didn’t have the votes to push through his plans. It maintains Waterfront Toronto as the lead organization on the project while directing it to accelerate breaking ground. Milczyn said construction could begin as soon as five to ten years from now, less than half the previously projected 20 to 25 years.
Waterfront Toronto will use existing plans as the basis for development, but CEO John Campbell said he’s open to ways to enhance the plan. A review of a plan to naturalize the mouth of the Don River will also take place to ensure its financial viability.
In an unusual outbreak of civility at city hall, councillors who usually jump at the chance to criticize the mayor’s team brushed off suggestions the Fords had improperly interfered in the Port Lands.
Councillor Pam McConnell went so far as to thank Doug Ford for raising the profile of the waterfront issue, a sharp contrast to statements she made Sunday at a town hall meeting in Riverdale.
At the time she accused Doug of trying to make a land grab and said, “I was stunned at the stupidity of (Doug Ford) saying these things out loud. It’s dumb enough to have them in between your ears, but it’s unbelievable to say them out loud.”
New found consensus aside, Wednesday’s vote still leaves several questions unanswered. TPLC is a public company whose job is to lease land, and it’s unclear who directed it to suddenly switch roles and hire architects to draft Doug Ford’s Ferris wheel scheme. It’s also not known how much TPLC spent on the plans.
Doubt has also been cast on the impartiality of city staff, who at executive committee two weeks ago recommended divesting Waterfront Toronto from the Port Lands project, and this week said it’s the best organization to do the job.
Perhaps most glaringly, scaling down the timeline to begin construction in half the time originally predicted will be a daunting task.
Waterfront Toronto’s John Campbell simply seemed relieved to still be in charge of the project after two weeks of uncertainty. “All’s well that ends well,” he said. “It’s a great solution coming out of city council.”
