Canada Free Press -- ARCHIVES

Because without America, there is no free world.

Return to Canada Free Press

Cover Story

Social Housing behind airport fight?

by Judi McLeodApril 2000

Community AIR's take-no-prisoners battlecry for the closure of the Toronto City Centre Airport seems to be fired more by housing and money than freeing parkland.

Anxious observers contend that money--not wetlands--is at the heart of the issue and Port Land developers want more of it. Their anxieties won't relax given the history of the trio working to shut down the airport.

Asset rich, the trio is anything but selfless environmentalists waiting to walk bare-foot through Island Airport grass.

Community AIR is spearheaded by the three owners of the consulting firm known as Domicity. They include Allan Sparrow, former founding member of the radical CIRPA (Citizens Independent Review of Police Activities); wife Susan (Sue) Sparrow, AKA Susan (Sue) Costigane and Marc Joseph Laden Brien. Domicity, which boasts blue chip clients on its website, lists its physical address as 260 Adelaide St. E. Toronto Free Press has discovered that there is no physical address but only a post office box at 260 Adelaide St. E.

The Sparrows and Brien are Toronto Island residents at 7 Ojibway, a property they attained from the Island Trust in December of 1998, where they built a house replacing an original building on an $81,000 lot, guesstimated by realtors to be worth somewhere in between the $300,000 to $400,000 price range. 7 Ojibway is more likely office headquarters for Domicity.

In 1995-96, the Ontario Ministry of Education and Training gave $53,591 to Domicity. TFP is checking possible government grants to the consulting company in subsequent years.

1995 tax rolls show Susan Ann Sparrow as the owner of 489 Broadview Ave. On this property no tenant is listed and Sparrow's address as owner, is 79 Berkeley.

Documents attained by TFP show that Sparrow and Brien sold 79 Berkeley in 1999 and that the new owners took out a mortgage for $502,500. On Dec. 2, 1998, the Ojibway property went from Anna and Jamin Wadon to the Island Trust, to Allan and Sue Sparrow. A lease on the property for the amount of $81,560.32 was conducted the same day, (Transfers covered under CA 57537 and 738. Addresses listed 77 and 79 Berkeley.)

The 1988 Might's Directory lists occupants at 77 Berkeley as Domicity and architect Paul Reuber. Now Magazine (May4/95, p18) describes Reuber as 'an architect popular with social housing developers.'

Paul Reuber sold 77 Berkeley to Paul Reuber Inc. for $607,000.

Allan Sparrow has pretty much managed to keep himself off the tax rolls and out of Might's Directory--at least in 1985 and 1988. However, an A.H. Sparrow appears in the 1999 telephone book at 79 Berkeley. Sparrow is not listed in the 2001 phonebook, and for reasons unknown may have had himself delisted.

At press time, Sparrow did not return a telephone call by TFP.

The Domicity trio currently lobbying city councillors against the local airport is more notorious for leftwing activism than consulting. The Sparrows and Brien were active members of Reform Metro, an organized New Democrat Party campaign to elect 'progressive' (leftwing) councillors and to keep 'pro-developer' councillors from being elected and re-elected to Toronto City Hall.

In the mid-1990s Reform Metro was publishing a newspaper known as The Badger. The Sparrows and Brien worked on The Badger.

Numerous false statements have been made in efforts to convince city councillors and other officials the airport should be closed.

In a recent CommunityAIR slide presentation, Sparrow presented false information to city politicians about the imminent closure of Meig Field Airport (located on an island adjacent to Chicago's downtown). His presentation included a table of contents, articles and pictures on the closing of Meigs Field Airport. Meigs Field is to remain open to at least 2006 and likely until 2026 in an agreement signed by Governor Ryan and Mayor Daley, that sees an extension of its life by four to 24 years or longer.

In its March issue, TFP wrote an editorial under the headline, Councillors lied to about airport. Sparrow's reference to Meigs Field on the Domicity website was removed sometime after copies of TFP were distributed at Toronto City Hall.

Brian Dunn's 'YYZ NEWS' has created a separate web page that lists some of the 'erroneous information that has been circulating on the airport lately along with the real facts.'

"We don't have a problem with opposition, after all every story has two sides, what we are angered about is the false information these groups are spreading, 'states an article on the Dunn website.

Dishonesty is also reflected in at least one article of The Newsletter, official voice of the Toronto Islands. 'We need help to stop the airplanes that use the City Centre Airport from flying over our community,' wrote Leida Englar. 'We must generate more noise complaints. I understand the hassle, but one complaint a week adds up to four by the end of the month; one complaint a day makes 30 at month's end. The managers want desperately to expand this airport (US Air is flying out of it now) and if we don't make them respect the good neighbour policy now, the situation will be desperate later.'

The 200-acre park on airport lands touted by Allan Sparrow can't be environmentally argued as statistics prove airports produce less than 3 per cent of the total, with automobiles emitting most of the balance.

The displacement of 330 current airport workers doesn�t seem to count with Sparrow, and only time will tell which city councillors vote to make jobs count.

That a privileged Toronto Island resident would prefer to jeopardize the lives of more than 3,000, inbound Medevac patients a year who are destined for Toronto hospitals is mind boggling.

If Allan Sparrow is looking forward to the day when he can stroll bare-foot across grass that covers 'Echo' runway 06, then his love of the land should be saluted. The suspicion, however, is that Sparrow won't be seen lobbying against over-development of the port lands.

Let Allan Sparrow extol the virtues of a 200-acre underutilized park on the airport lands, but those in a position to cast votes on the airport�s fate should be asking themselves: 'What's in it for Allan Sparrow?'

Canada Free Press founding editor Most recent by Judi McLeod is an award-winning journalist with 30 years experience in the print media. Her work has appeared on Newsmax.com, Drudge Report, Foxnews.com, Glenn Beck. Judi can be reached at: judi@canadafreepress.com


Pursuant to Title 17 U.S.C. 107, other copyrighted work is provided for educational purposes, research, critical comment, or debate without profit or payment. If you wish to use copyrighted material from this site for your own purposes beyond the 'fair use' exception, you must obtain permission from the copyright owner. Views are those of authors and not necessarily those of Canada Free Press. Content is Copyright 1997-2018 the individual authors. Site Copyright 1997-2018 Canada Free Press.Com Privacy Statement