Midtown Town Centre Vision

12th floor, West Tower, City Hall
100 Queen Street West
Toronto, ON M5H 2N2

Attention: Marilyn Toft

RE: PH25.7 The Future of Yonge and Eglinton’s Canada Square: Supporting Midtown Existing and Future Residents’ Quality of Life – Special Study Area Report(Ward 8, 12, 15)

Dear Mayor Tory and Members of City Council,

The Federation of North Toronto Residents Association (FoNTRA) strongly supports the motion, tabled by Councillor Kristyn Wong-Tam at the PHC meeting of June 28, 2021 to request a review of all aspects of the vision presented in “Imagining a New Town Centre for Midtown Toronto” prepared by the Midtown Working Group.

The unique opportunities for the Canada Square site were recognized by designation as a Special Study area in the Midtown in Focus Plan, developed with community consultation to provide comprehensive planning direction for the Yonge and Eglinton area. Unfortunately, the City’s lease agreement with Oxford Properties Group was made before that study could be undertaken. The Midtown Town Centre vision begins to provide the way forward.

We are united in the view that Canada Square must not be developed as another huge residential complex. The immediate neighbourhood is fully developed, yet lacks essential community services such as sufficient public school and childcare capacity. Yonge and Eglinton, the crossroads of two major transit lines (Line 1 – Yonge and Line 5 – Eglinton Crosstown LRT), is about to become city’s second major transit hub. Midtown Town Centre vision suggests such uses as missing community services and educational facilities, innovative employment opportunities, cultural amenities, retail and entertainment uses, as well as a park,  and a town square.  Canada Square, a City-owned site, is the only remaining Yonge-Eglinton quadrant where this can happen.

City Council needs to act decisively. We ask for your leadership to develop and adopt creative, innovative solutions that will turn the Canada Square site into the Midtown Town Centre for local residents, the broader Midtown community, as well as for workers and visitors from across the City. This critical City building opportunity cannot be lost.

Yours truly,

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c.c.: Chris Murray, City Manager,
Tracey Cook, Deputy City Manager, Infrastructure and Development Services   
Gregg Lintern, Chief Planner and Executive Director, City Planning Division
Wendy Walberg, City Solicitor
Don Logie, Head, Development, CreateTO