Donlands second subway exit on hold

City defers Woodbine, Wellesley and Greenwood plans too
TTC will proceed with 2nd exits at stations when cash available
Kris Scheuer
(Written for Town Crier Feb. 28)

The TTC has postponed building second exits at 4 subway stations until sufficient capital cash is available. Tristan Carter/Town Crier file photo.

The city has deferred all plans for controversial  second exits  at Donlands, Woodbine, Greenwood and Wellesley subway stations due to budget shortfalls.
The Toronto Transit Commission had originally recommended deferring three of the projects though not Donlands as it was scheduled for 2013, but councillor Mary Fragedakis pushed to include it as she thought it was important all four stations be dealt with together.
“Once the TTC capital (budget) has sufficient funds, we will reconvene a meeting for the Donlands and Greenwood communities,” said Fragedakis of the two stations in her ward. “This has only been deferred — not cancelled.”
TTC spokesperson Brad Ross said that the commission decided to put these projects on hold in order to complete other more pressing issues.
“We have $2.3 billion in unfunded capital budget for the next 10 years, so state of good repair are priorities and Ashbridges Bay (streetcar) car barn is a priority,” said Ross.
“We will come back next year or the year after to look at restoring funding,” he said.
Strathmore Boulevard resident Lisa Dymond, who has been pushing for alternative locations to the Donlands project, said she hopes the delay will encourage the TTC to revisit other options.

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Donlands station second exit deferred

Kris Scheuer

TTC's proposed second exit for Donlands subway is on hold for now. Image courtesy of TTC.

City council voted Feb. 23 to defer building controversial second subway exits at Wellesley, Donlands, Greenwood and Woodbine TTC stations.
A motion by Councillor Mary Fragedakis to amend the Toronto Transit Commission’s capital budget was approved during the city’s budget debate.
Her motion, which passed 42-2, was “City Council add the Second Exit at Donlands station project to the list of projects being deferred pending resolution of the TTC’s $2.3 billion Capital Budget funding shortfall.”
She sent out a press release Feb. 25 stating, “City Council voted overwhelmingly to defer the second exit project at Donlands station until the TTC is able to secure the necessary funding. Other second exit projects deferred at the February 23 Council meeting include Wellesley, Woodbine and Greenwood stations.”

Woodbine water tests resume during strike

City conducts E.coli tests at five beaches
By Kris Scheuer
(July 22 update here)

Good news for beach dwellers in Toronto. The city has implemented modified water testing at five designated swim spots.
The city will test water for E.coli levels twice a week at the following beaches: Sunnyside, Cherry, Woodbine, Kew-Balmy and Bluffer’s Park.
This level of testing meets the protocol requirements for the Ministry of Health and Long Term Care, according to the city’s website.
Twice weekly, the site is updated so people can see where it’s safe for swimming.
Another six beaches  Rouge, Marie Curtis Park East, Hanlan’s Point, Gibraltar Point, Centre Island, and Ward’s Island have gotten no water testing at all since the strike began June 22. Here it is swim at your own risk, states the city, but there are lifeguards for safety reasons.
When I checked July 4, the latest city update was posted on June 30 and reflected E.coli levels for June 29.
For results see below.
Red means unsafe to swim, green safe to swim and yellow means no city water testing so swim at your own risk.
If you click on any of the beaches below, it will open a map of that swimming spot.

	1. Marie Curtis Park East Beach			7. Cherry Beach
	2. Sunnyside Beach			8. Woodbine Beaches
	3. Hanlan’s Point Beach			9. Kew – Balmy Beach
	4. Gibraltar Point Beach			10. Bluffer’s Park Beach
	5. Centre Island Beach			11. Rouge Beach
	6. Ward’s Island Beach