MichaelWalker.ca - Development

Habitat for Humanity - Donate your old building materials for reuse
Basement flooding - City programs

Planning and Growth Management Committee item 23.1
(discussed at Planning and Growth Management Committee February 4, 2009):
City-Initiated Official Plan and Zoning By-law Amendments
Yonge-Eglinton Centre Focused Review - Final Report
(video broken up into 21 sections)

Planning and Growth Management Committee item 23.1
(discussed at Toronto City Council February 24, 2009):
City-Initiated Official Plan and Zoning By-law Amendments
Yonge-Eglinton Centre Focused Review - Final Report
(video broken up into 14 sections)

Yonge-Eglinton area residents face tall order - February 19, 2009
(view scanned image from newspaper with photo)
By: Councillor Michael Walker (Opinion Editorial) - National Post

A look to the future:
City finally reveals what it hopes the Yonge-Eglinton area will become - February 11, 2009
By: Brian Baker - Town Crier

Battle erupts over future of midtown:
Height restrictions for Yonge, Eglinton worry councillors - February 5, 2009
By: Allison Hanes - National Post

Yonge and Eglinton Official Plan Amendment - Area Specific Policy (Focused Review):
- Final Report - January 5, 2009
- Final Report Attachment #3: Urban Design Guidelines
- Councillor Walker's Letter to City Planning - November 20, 2008

Ex-bus terminal still vacant:
Plan for Yonge-Eglinton site long overdue, councillor says - January 5, 2009
By: Karolyn Coorsh - Town Crier

Mayor's New Build-Toronto and Invest-Toronto Corporations: Advancing Toronto's Development Agenda
(to replace Toronto Economic Development Corporation - TEDCO)
- Video from Executive Committee - Mayor's Presentation (coming soon)
- Final Report: New Model to Enhance Toronto’s Economic Competitiveness - September 22, 2008
  - Attachment to Final Report: Toronto City Staff - October 27, 2008
  - Attachment to Final Report: Consultant's Report - September 19, 2008
- Toronto City Council Voting Results on this issue - October 29, 2008

National Post - June 21, 2008
Village vistas: Locals say Forest Hill's charm is in its history
By: Suzanne Wintrob, National Post

National Post - June 21, 2008
'Forest Hill Lite' full of flavour: Chaplin Estates has appetite for luxury eateries
By: Suzanne Wintrob, National Post

Michael Walker speaking on Planning and Growth Committee Item 13.4:
Guidelines for Identifying and Processing Planning Matters of City-wide Interest and Cross-Boundary Issues
City Council - March 5, 2008

Letter to Ted Tyndorf, Chief Planner - Question on process and request for various planning studies - April 30, 2007

Northern Secondary School "Field of Dreams" Project
- Covering letter to residents regarding correspondence below
- Letter to TDSB regarding outcome of Public Meeting held February 1, 2007

Letter from Chief Building Official and Executive Director Ann Borooah regarding the new proposed Vibration By-Law - September 15, 2006

New Official Plan: Land Use Map for Ward 22 and area - July 2005

Residential development approvals across the city - projects and units by ward - for the fourth quarter 2005 and including year-end statistics for 2005

New Official Plan:
- Caution: New Official Plan Could be Hazardous to your Neighbourhood - September 6, 2002
- Toronto's New Official Plan - Op-ed Article - May 31, 2002

Abolish the Ontario Municipal Board - Planning in the Shadow of the O.M.B.
Councillor Walker's Policy Document from 2001

Letter to the Planning and Transportation Committee Regarding Development Charges - Refund Program for First Time Home Buyers - April 19, 2000

Planning / Development Staff Reports

Current:

620 Avenue Road, 215 & 217 Lonsdale Road - OPA & Rezoning Application
Request for Direction Report - March 31, 2009

Councillor Walker's letter to Chief Planner Gary Wright regarding the Focused Review Planning Study for the Yonge-Eglinton Centre Official Plan area - November 20, 2008

299 Roehampton Ave. - Zoning By-law Amendment Application & Rental Housing Demolition Permit Application – Final Report - September 15, 2008

200 Madison Ave. - Rezoning Application - Final Report - September 18, 2008

1815 Yonge St and 25 Merton Street – Rezoning Application – Final Report - September 18, 2008

1481, 1491, 1501 Yonge Street, 25, 27 & 29 Heath Street and 30 Alvin Avenue
Official Plan and Zoning Amendment - Final Report - May 13, 2008

Letter to Raymond David, Manager - Community Planning - 1481, 1491, 1501 Yonge St., 25 & 27 Heath St. E., & 30 Alvin Ave. - Official Plan and Zoning Amendment Application - Working Group Process - April 30, 2007

70-200 Russell Hill Road - Approved at OMB
- Notice sent to residents on Monday, October 3, 2005
- Refusal Report from Toronto City Staff - September 29, 2005

This is a very troubling decision. It is difficult to understand why the City of Toronto should bother to develop a comprehensive Official Plan or take considered Council decisions on development matters when these can be overruled by a group of unelected and unaccountable provincial appointees.

Many of us are convinced that the role of the OMB is completely outdated. I believe that it serves primarily as a rubber stamp for the development industry, overriding the interests of democratically elected Councillors and the constituents we represent. This is a mockery of the democratic process. The question we have to ask Queen's Park is; “Are the influence and the financial contributions of the developers so persuasive that stable neighbourhoods in Toronto are now a thing of the past?”