Local youngsters start campaign to protect Glen Stewart Ravine from 11-storey building proposal

By MATTHEW STEPHENS

In light of a proposal for an 11-storey building on Kingston Road on the north edge of Glen Stewart Ravine, a group of local youngsters are taking a stand to preserve the natural area.

“I do nature school where I come here one Friday a month. We spend all our time in the ravine, and the last time I was at nature school, they told me about how they’re going to build a condo in the ravine,” said Karina Callaghan, a local resident and founder of the advocacy group to preserve the ravine.

“They told me that there’s over 500 species of animals and plants, and that we have to protect them all. So, I told my parents, and they decided they would help me spread the word.”

Initiated by 10-year-old Callaghan, her movement caught the attention of her parents when she informed them about the proposed 11-storey residential development on the southwest corner of Kingston Road and Beech Avenue.

“We came for a walk in the ravine on a Sunday, and that’s when Karina was rhyming off all the steps and pointing out where the building is going to be and that it’s 11-storeys, and then it started that Monday,” said Karina’s mother Kristina Jokinen.

Dad Brendan Callaghan also became involved with helping Karina’s cause. With the help of her friends Chloe and Rose Scarlino, Frankie Wines, and moral support from the Facebook group Friends of Glen Stewart Ravine, the young advocates got to work spreading the word across the community.

“A week ago, we didn’t even know this was an issue. Karina came home and told us all about it,” said Karina’s father Brendan.
“I actually contacted the Friends of Glen Stewart Ravine and said, ‘Oh sorry, I sort of just jumped in and made a flyer’, and they’ve been very welcoming and said ‘Great, we want the community to be involved’.”

From handing out 1,000 flyers and curating hand-written notes encouraging residents to oppose the development, as proposed – to writing to Beaches-East York Councillor Brad Bradford – the group has embarked on a mission to advocate for the protection of Glen Stewart Ravine.

According to Alison Wines, mother of Frankie, since the movement started just over a week ago, the group has made a significant impact on the ongoing effort to preserve the ravine.

“I think it’s done its job. The protect our ravine website’s had 950 new unique visits since the girls started their flyer drop. There’s been I think 230 letters sent to Councillor Bradford, and the petition has gone from 160 to, I think today it’s at 475 signatures, all in a week. They’ve had an impact,” said Wines.

Fond memories spending time in the ravine have influenced Karina and her friends’ love and interest in keeping the area safe.

“I want to save the ravine because I remember going to the ravine a lot when I was younger, and I have a lot of good memories there. It’s a really nice wilderness preserve, and I want to save all the wildlife,” said Chloe Scarlino.

“I remember when I was younger, I always ran around in the ravine ahead of my parents all the time. I always loved looking up at the squirrels running up the trees,” said Chloe’s sister Rose.

For almost a decade, proposed development at the 847-855 Kingston Rd. site has been a contentious issue in the community. The most recent proposal is for an 11-storey, 99-unit, mixed-use residential development.

Residents and advocacy groups have raised concerns regarding the proposal’s impact on pedestrian safety, traffic congestion, and the natural environment of the Glen Stewart Ravine.

According to Cherie Daly of the Friends of Glen Stewart Ravine, letters have been sent to City of Toronto planning staff in opposition to the development on the grounds that the plan proposes an insufficient development distance from the ravine, which has been designated as an Environmentally Sensitive Area (ESA).

As part of city regulations to protect ESAs, development requires a setback of at least 10 metres from the “top of bank” of valleys and ravines. The development proposal for 847-855 Kingston Rd. does not provide any setback, which would require the removal of several ravine trees and inflict severe damage to an 83.5 centimetre DBH (Diameter at breast height) red oak tree.

In addition to the removal of some ravine trees, Daly said the development will also have a significant impact on the ravine’s wildlife habitat; particularly the nesting/breeding habitat for “Special Concern” and rare wildlife species such as the Eastern Wood-Peewee and bat maternity colonies.

Rose Scarlino said establishing housing at the site of 847-855 Kingston Road should happen without compromising the ravine’s wildlife.

“If they do build a condo, make it further away so people can have a home, and the wildlife can still have their home too,” said Rose.

The proposal for the development is to be reviewed by the Ontario Land Tribunal.

In an earlier Beach Metro Community News story, Beaches-East York Councillor Bradford said he expects the City of Toronto’s legal staff to oppose the proposal at at the OLT.

“They chose to file an indefensible application for an 11-storey building right on the edge of the Glen Stewart Ravine. As just one example, they proposed a zero-metre setback from the long term stable top of slope, where our Official Plan and Conservation Authority policy requires a minimum 10-metre setback. Instead of working with city staff to address these serious issues, they chose to appeal straight to the Ontario Land Tribunal. I support having city staff and our legal team oppose this application at the OLT,” he said.

For more information about the online petition to protect Glen Stewart Ravine, please go to https://www.change.org/p/protect-our-ravine-from-overdevelopment.

For more information about Friends of Glen Stewart Ravine, their efforts to preserve the ravine, and an update on a May 14 OLT online Case Management Conference on the Kingston Road proposal, please go to https://www.facebook.com/groups/friendsofglenstewartravine/