Latest news with #ChrisMoise
Toronto Sun
15-06-2025
- General
- Toronto Sun
Councillor Chris Moise caught up in yet another naming controversy
The Sumach-Shuter Parkette has long been known as Stinky's park, and will soon be known as Louis March Park. Redevelopment is almost finished, but some fencing still remained on Friday, June 13, 2025. Inset, local councillor Chris Moise. (Jack Boland, Toronto Sun) Photo by Jack Boland/Toronto Sun They think the lack of consultation stinks. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. 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Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account A group of neighbours are upset that their tiny green patch at Sumach and Shuter Sts. will soon bear a name from outside their community – one, they argue, that was imposed top-down by their ward councillor, Chris Moise. And while the City of Toronto's official name makes it seem like Sumach-Shuter Parkette never had much of an identity, the locals say most people call it Stinky's park. Bill Eadie has lived on Shuter for 40 years and is one of about a dozen people in neighbourhood working together to fight the renaming. He told The Toronto Sun the process was flawed and the consultation was so 'selective,' City Hall didn't so much as put up a sign at Stinky's park to inform the public. 'They didn't want the neighbourhood to know,' Eadie said. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. The Stinky's name is part of the lore of the Trefann Court neighbourhood, and predates Toronto's glassy condo era by decades. The parkette earned the name because of its proximity to a nearby business and, like a stubborn odour, Stinky's has clung to the spot since. That name will soon give way, at least officially, to Louis March Park, as the parkette is renamed after a Toronto activist best known for his opposition to gun violence who died in July 2024. Eadie said he thinks Louis March Park is 'a good name,' but March wasn't from the area and the neighbourhood has its own heroes to celebrate. There's also the fact that honouring a community leader at this parkette is a bit, well, funky. 'I don't think anyone is trying to associate the words 'Louis March' and 'stinky,'' Eadie said. Your noon-hour look at what's happening in Toronto and beyond. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. The Louis March Park motion was put forward by Moise, the ward's councillor, who has made headlines for the renaming of another city asset in his ward: Yonge-Dundas Square, now Sankofa Square. The name was approved in a 22-1 vote at May's city council meeting (Councillor Brad Bradford was the lone opponent). The parkette is about to reopen after a thorough redesign – at that same May meeting, council OK'd a donation of $50,000 from toy maker Spin Master to enhance the new playground. Louis March, a Toronto activist known for his opposition to gun violence, died in July 2024. Photo by In a written statement to the Sun , Moise's office said his renaming motion came in response to a 'clear and heartfelt demand for recognition' of March's legacy. March 'worked with countless families, young people, and grassroots organizations to address the root causes of violence, particularly in historically under-served neighbourhoods like Regent Park,' Moise's statement said. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Eadie said that motion points to two of the problems. The landslide vote meant the matter won't go before community council, which would have given residents a chance to make their case directly to councillors. Moise also asked councillors to ignore the city's property naming policy in approving the motion. Eadie said he'd like someone to explain what was so 'special' about March's ties to the parkette that City Hall would break its own rules. For some in Trefann Court with long memories, treating their neighbourhood like an extension of Regent Park, as Moise appears to do in his statement, feels like another attempt by city hall to erase it. Trefann Court was due for the wrecking ball in a time of urban renewal before the parents and grandparents of some of today's residents fought back. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Moise appears to have taken these concerns to heart. 'Councillor Moise also acknowledges the history of Trefann Court and the role of local residents in preserving this land for community use during the urban renewal battles of the 1960s. That legacy must also be honoured,' his statement said. 'In response to the feedback received, we are exploring the installation of a commemorative plaque to formally recognize the historical significance of the neighbourhood and the creation of this parkette.' The reimagined Sumach-Shuter Parkette will feature a new and improved playground. Seen on Friday June 13, 2025. Photo by Jack Boland/Toronto Sun Eadie said he finds it 'really insulting' that the city would honour Trefann Court's legacy with a plaque only 'as an afterthought, as an offer from Councillor Moise to try and distract, or try and, I don't know, he's trying to get us to shut up.' This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. It's a 'long shot,' Eadie said, but the plan now is to make noise, maybe win over a councillor or two and try to get the issue back before council. Debra Dineen is also part of Trefann Court's fight. She said the group will be knocking on doors and putting up flyers to try to win over the neighbourhood. She started an online petition, which calls for 'meaningful consultation,' that as of midday Sunday had just over 300 signatures. 'This should not ever be the way a councillor works, ever,' Dineen said. 'He could stand up and admit what he's done is wrong,' she added, 'but I'm very doubtful he will.' However, in his statement, Moise cited a different petition with 850 signatures, as well as a community web page with 11 votes in favour, as evidence that there is 'strong support' for the new name. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. The renaming of city assets has become a theme in Moise's first term on council. In addition to Sankofa Square, the parkette renaming also closely follows the rebranding of the TTC's Dundas station, adjacent to Sankofa Square, to TMU station as part of a largely secret deal with Toronto Metropolitan University. The TMU station name was approved by the TTC's board, and Moise wasn't involved. However, Moise was on that board last year when it called for a 'framework for considering the naming of Dundas station and Dundas West station' and a 'racial equity analysis regarding capital asset naming.' Two councillors who were at that meeting told the Sun last year that debate was at one point less than civil, but no video of the meeting exists. After a request from Moise, council was told in June 2024 a video archive wasn't saved because nobody ended the live stream and it timed out. jholmes@ Sports World Relationships World Editorial Cartoons
CBC
14-06-2025
- Business
- CBC
Protestors march through downtown Toronto to call out corporate landlords
A group of Toronto advocates marched alongside a giant fake cockroach during a protest Saturday as they called on the city to provide more affordable housing and spoke out against corporate landlord practices. Several people held large cockroach props with speech bubbles containing the names of some major corporate landlords in the city as they marched toward those companies' offices in the Financial District. Corporate landlords "have been jacking up our rents, but also not maintaining our units," said Bruno Dobrusin, a member of the York South-Weston Tenant Union, one of the organizers of the protest. "That's why we brought the cockroaches, because [it shows] what we have to live with." The demonstration began at 214-230 Sherbourne St., a vacant lot at the intersection with Dundas St. E. that advocates have long called on the city to turn the lot into affordable housing. In 2022, KingSett Capital, a private equity real estate investment firm, purchased the lot with the intention of building a 46-storey condo building there. The city had worked on a bid to buy 214-230 Sherbourne Street at the time but was unsuccessful, said James Wattie, a spokesperson for CreateTO, a city-owned agency that looks to create opportunities based on the city's real estate portfolio. In spring 2023, the city negotiated with the corporation about buying back the stretch of land, but the proposal did not meet KingSett's asking price, said Toronto Centre Coun. Chris Moise in a statement last July. City council has since directed staff to continue discussions with KingSett "to find solutions that ensure an affordable housing component is included in the development," Wattie said in an email Saturday. These solutions "could include acquiring the site, should funding become available and subject to council approval," he said. KingSett Capital's Toronto office is one of the locations where protestors marched to Saturday, with others including Dream Unlimited and Canadian Apartment Properties REIT. CBC Toronto has reached out to the companies for comment and will update this story if we receive a response. Sherbourne and Dundas 'epicentre' of housing crisis Poverty is "very visible" near Sherbourne and Dundas streets, said Gaetan Heroux, member of 230 Fightback, an advocacy group that's asking the city to buy back the lot and turn it into affordable housing. "It's important for us to have social housing on the lot … We're in the epicentre of the housing crisis," he said. Among those at the rally was Megan Kee, an organizer with the advocacy group No Demovictions. The term demovictions, also known as demolition-driven eviction, refers to when a landlord evicts tenants from a building so that it can be demolished and redeveloped into new apartments or condos. Kee said she lives near Yonge and Eglinton in an affordable housing building with 121 units that is being torn down to build condos. WATCH | How modular housing could help solve Ontario's housing crisis: How modular housing could help solve Ontario's housing crisis 3 months ago Duration 2:36 Ontario's housing crisis has been an ongoing issue for years, and some experts say modular housing could play a crucial role in addressing the problem. The prefabricated buildings are built in factories and assembled on-site. CBC's Ali Chiasson has more. "A lot of people in my situation don't have the financial ability to go anywhere else," she said. "We're sort of stuck." Kee said she believes corporate landlords are primarily driven by profit, not doing what's best for their tenants. "When a business is in charge of fundamental human rights, profit is always going to be the number one priority," she said. "It's not going to be human wellbeing, it's not going to be quality of life."
CBC
31-05-2025
- 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.
