Quarry Rally - Sunday April 25, 2pm

Hi everyone,

On Sunday April 25 at 2pm, it’s time to make a very public stand for the future of the Quarry Lands.

The Rally for the Quarry 2010 will take place in the open parkland on the north side of Gerrard Street, halfway between Victoria Park and the Quarry plaza, just to the east of the Olco service station. We envision hundreds and hundreds of people – parents, grandparents, children, families from our community -- rising together to say that seven high-rise towers in the heart of Birchcliff is a development outcome that we are unprepared to stand by and let happen. As a city and a community, we can and must do so much better.

We will let the private developer, Conservatory Group, know that on April 25.

Allowing archaic 40-year-old zoning to run roughshod over unanimous opposition from the community, local leaders and urban planners is no way to build a world-class city. City negligence led to the situation we have today. It was the City that allowed this land to become contaminated, it was the City that sold portions of the Quarry land to private interests, and it was the City that was asleep at the wheel for decades while the planning context changed. Now it’s up to the City to make things right.

We will let the City know that on April 25.

The media will be there. Local politicians will be there. We will have speakers and information tables. We will be circulating a petition demanding that Toronto’s political leaders take immediate action to prevent a high-density, high-rise development concept ever being implemented on these lands. We will be demanding that Build Toronto (which owns a parcel of land on the Quarry) live up to a promise it made to our community more than two years ago: that any development involving Build Toronto on this land will result in something special and visionary – something of which we can all be proud.

For seven years, Concerned Citizens of Quarry Lands Development has been working to build consensus around a better vision for these lands than the tower complex proposed by the Conservatory Group (also known as Gerrard Clonmore Developments). We have done lots of talking and even more listening. We have never shouted….until now.

We will shout on April 25.

Outreach is underway to media, political leaders, and most importantly to the community to let everyone know how important it is that they come out and be counted. The greater the turnout, the more attention we will receive from media and the stronger our case becomes. The most important thing we need to do now is reach every street and every house with our message. Please forward this message to everyone in your address book who lives in Birchcliff or The Beach. If you can help with delivery of flyers on your street or area, please send your name and phone number via email as soon as possible to Wilf and Sybil Longley at slongley@sympatico.ca. Someone will be back in touch with you shortly.

A final note: The land on which the rally will be held is owned by the City of Toronto. We have written confirmation from city officials that we are allowed to have the rally on this site.

Thank you to everyone doing fantastic work planning for this event. This is just the beginning. See you on April 25th.

Sincerely,

Board of Directors
Concerned Citizens of Quarry Lands Development