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CBC
3 days ago
- General
- CBC
Some Toronto residents push back against parkette being renamed after anti-gun violence advocate
Social Sharing Some residents of a tiny enclave bordering Toronto's newly redeveloped Regent Park neighbourhood are calling on the city to revisit a council decision to rename a parkette after a well-known local anti-gun violence advocate. Last week, councillors led by Chris Moise (Toronto Centre) voted to rename the tiny Sumach-Shuter Parkette after Louis March, who died last July. In a motion, Moise wrote that the park should be named after March because "Regent Park was one of the neighbourhoods where Louis did some of his most impactful work, and [it] would recognize his deep commitment to ending gun violence and supporting the most vulnerable communities in Toronto." The parkette sits in a corner of tiny Trefann Court, adjacent to the newly revitalized Regent Park. Locals there agree March made a huge impact on young people in the area and across Toronto. Their argument, they emphasize, is with the process, not March's legacy. "It was a surprise," said Bill Eadie, a 42-year Trefann Court resident. "What I think people are offended by is that there was no consultation." CBC Toronto reviewed 28 emails city staff received prior to the vote, from people who wanted to express their views about the name change. Twenty-two were in favour; six were against it. "Louis was not the type of man who needed accolades or praise, he truly loved Toronto and was committed to making it a city we could all feel safe in and be proud to call home," wrote one woman. "Naming a City of Toronto park after Louis March would ensure that his life's work was not in vain. It would guarantee that his name will live on for future generations." The tiny parkette runs east from Sumach Avenue on the south side of Shuter Street. It has just been upgraded, and is scheduled to re-open next month. Neighbours told CBC Toronto the parkette is a vital meeting spot for residents, and they should have been asked for their input on its future."It's really our only greenspace," 20-year resident Lynn Lawson said. "I didn't really get to know people until I started going to the park. Now I know everyone." 'Nobody knew' Carol Silverstone, who's lived in the neighbourhood for 64 years, found it upsetting that the parkette was being renamed. "Nobody knew this was happening," she said. Eadie and other residents who spoke with CBC Toronto say they're proud of their tiny community, an area of a few square blocks that begins on the south side of Shuter Street, east of Parliament, directly across from the new Regent Park. In the 1960s, city staff wanted to take over Trefann Court and build public housing on the land, including it as part of Regent Park public housing development. But residents organized against the move and won. It was around this time, city records show, that Trefann Court was recognized as a "redevelopment area", unique from Regent Park. Eadie and other residents say they'd like to see the renaming debate re-opened at Toronto and East York Community Council. Moise insists the public had ample opportunity to voice their opinions before his motion came up last week at council. Moise insists everyone in the city — including those in Trefann Court — had an opportunity to comment on the issue. He also points to an online petition that garnered the names of 800 supporters across the city in a few months, including 80 people he described as locals. "The issue is closed," he told CBC Toronto. "It went through council." Moise said its irrelevant where March was from in the city. "Louis March founded the Zero Gun Violence Movement, believing that everyone deserved to live in a safe, supportive and opportunity-rich environment regardless of their postal code," his motion reads. "His sudden passing on July 20, 2024, was a profound loss for the city, but his vision continues to guide efforts towards peace and justice." One of the locals weighing in on the issue is Walied Khogali Ali, co-chair of the Regent Park Residents Association, who knew March personally. Khogali Ali said he agrees with the residents' complaints. "(March) was a real champion for community voices, and I think this process unfortunately did not include community voices," Khogali Ali said. Eadie says that if Moise had brought the proposal to rename the park through the Toronto and East York Community Council, more Trefann Court residents would have had an opportunity to voice their concerns about renaming Sumach-Shuter Parkette. Although that's traditionally how public spaces like parks are named, Moise said that route is not mandatory. He pointed to last year's renaming of Tiverton Parkette, in the Dundas-Loigan area. That motion went straight to council after hundreds signed a petition in support of a proposal to name it after Caroline Huebner-Makarat, a woman killed by a stray bullet while walking in Leslieville.
CBC
17-04-2025
- Politics
- CBC
Hundreds gather in downtown Toronto to protest against 'bubble zone' bylaw plan
Hundreds of people gathered outside Toronto city hall on Thursday to rally against a plan for a bylaw banning demonstrations directly outside places of worship, faith-based schools and cultural institutions. The rally, organized by a coalition of unions, community and civil liberty groups, also celebrated the 43rd birthday of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Some city councillors, including Chris Moise, Gord Perks and Alejandra Bravo, joined the rally. Rev. Dr. Paul Shepherd, of United Church of Canada, speaking in a personal capacity and not for church, told the crowd he understands the intention of such a bylaw is to protect people of faith from harassment and disruption. "Of course, nobody should be subject to hate or intimidation, but we already have laws in Canada to address these things," Shepherd said. "Hate laws, criminal harassment laws, municipal noise laws — we have laws in place." "So this proposal does not fill a gap. It creates a new gap by undermining the freedom to protest." Shepherd said he has attended many protests over the years, including ones recently against the war in Gaza. He said the proposal suggests places of worship should be shielded from the accountability that comes from protests. "But we should not confuse discomfort with actual danger," he said. "And I say this as someone inside the religious world, places of worship are not always neutral." Shepherd said he hopes council doesn't move forward with bubble zones. "Let's build a city where justice, truth and faith can all be shared space, including sidewalks," he said. According to a city council motion passed in December, the proposed "bubble zone" bylaw would create community safety zones, or "bubble zones" in front of vulnerable institutions, such as places of worship, faith-based schools and cultural institutions, as a way to protect them. The motion says the proposed bylaw would support "the City's commitment to keeping Torontonians safe from hate" and protect Charter rights "that address impacts of demonstrations that target people based on their identity as prohibited under the Ontario Human Rights Code." The issue is expected to be raised at council's meeting next week because Perks has asked city staff a number of questions about the language used in an online survey that is part of public consultation on the issue. The administrative inquiry he has submitted is on the agenda for that meeting. As well, the issue is expected to be discussed by city council at its May meeting, when city staff have said they will report back with a proposed bylaw and make recommendations. Charter rights 'not just for protesters,' councillor says Coun. James Pasternak, one of the leading voices advocating for the bylaw, said favours protecting vulnerable institutions from protests through bubble zones. He said the bylaw could be similar to those passed by Vaughan and Brampton. No details are in place for what council will ultimately vote on. Following Hamas's Oct. 7, 2023 attack on Israel and amid Israel's war on Gaza, protesters have taken to Toronto streets and demonstrated in front of hospitals, places of worship and cultural centres. "It doesn't affect the Charter right of freedom of peaceful assembly," Pasternak said of the proposal. "All it does it move people back from doorways and from blocking entrances to institutions such as abortion clinics, frontline healthcare workers or places of worship." Pasternak, who represents Ward 6, York Centre, said a "bubble zone" bylaw is valuable because it would give the Toronto police another tool as well as specific political direction from council. He added that other municipalities have adopted similar bylaws that prohibit demonstrations within 50 to 150 metres of vulnerable institutions.
