In a major turnaround, Mayor David Miller now says he supports removing a portion of the Gardiner Expressway to revitalize Toronto’s waterfront. And he will probably have the votes to get it through city council, according to a prominent councillor not aligned with the mayor.
Waterfront Toronto, the government agency that manages much of the city’s lakefront, issued a news release last night saying it would outline plans today to tear down the Gardiner from Jarvis Street to the Don Valley Parkway to help “reconnect the city to its waterfront.”
More significant was Miller’s statement of support.
“This is the most practical approach and offers the greatest public benefits,” Miller was quoted as saying in the release. “Removing the eastern section of the Gardiner is an affordable step that will allow us to develop the East Bayfront, Lower Don Lands and West Don Lands properly, while enhancing the public realm along Lake Shore and improving access to our waterfront.”
