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EDITORIAL

Pollution only exists when not on the island


October 28, 2002

Residents of the Toronto Islands are essentially "People of Privilege". First there are the infamous 99-year leases at a cost of between $36,000 to $46,000 in the "Sweetheart" deal made for one of the most privileged societies in creation by former Socialist Ontario Premier Bob Rae.

When he drafted the "sweetheart" deal, Rae’s government allowed the 262 homes on Ward’s and Algonquin islands to remain despite the area being officially declared parkland long promised to all Toronto residents.

Rather than thanking fate, providence or their lucky stars, island residents went on to colonize and grandfather their select society. They built monster homes, resurrected their plans for the Flying Toad Co-op, rented out their island homes in a profitable cottage industry and seem now to be taking over the surrounding water ways with tax-free, polluting, all-season houseboats.

Their population makes for the wealthiest per capita in the entire nation, but the bucolic life is not for Islanders. Instead they continue to stage their bitter fight to close down Toronto Island Airport.

Their latest airport protest was typical of the utter selfishness of the People of Privilege. Protesters, including pedestrians, cyclists and motorists clogged the entrance to the Toronto island airport ferry terminal at the foot of Bathurst St.

Honking their horns, protesters were at the very location where, if the Toronto Port authority’s plan is approved by Toronto City Council, a $15 million bridge will stretch towards an expanded airport on Toronto Island, transporting nine times the number of passengers that now venture across by ferry.

The authority believes the bridge would revitalize the airport.

Fear of pollution was the driving force behind the recent protest of 70 islanders. They came out of their island homes and workplaces and went into the road to chant, bang drums, hoist placards and step, pedal or roll in the path of vehicles trying to enter or leave the ferry terminal.

The malcontents showed ordinary people trying to get to their island jobs.

"If the airport expands to 900,000 passengers a year, how are they going to get down here? They’re going to take their cars, of course," said Sylvia Pellman, president of the Bathurst Quay Neighbourhood Association and one of the protest organizers. "Just think of all the cars lined up here idling while the bridge is up."

Others were in protest mode against the potential increased noise; heightened danger for children attending Waterfront School, on the edge of the ferry terminal, and the repercussions for the city’s waterfront.

Scare mongering was commonplace.

"City Hall basically told people to buy condos and move here. And now they want to expand the airport. It’s hypocritical," said one protester.

This coming November marks another municipal election year, and some councillors are in pandering mode.

The image of turboprop planes flying overheard every few minutes is "not the sort of image people have of an activity in the middle of a city," says Coun. Joe Pantalone, who chairs the city’s Waterfront Reference Group. "I don’t think those people who are going to live there have a vision of planes buzzing by and saying ‘Isn’t that pretty.’ They’re not exactly birds."

There’s always hypocrisy when the Not-in-my-Backyard set move in. Islanders worried about pollution from turboprops ignore their own home turf pollution. Some of the islanders at the protest have homes heated by gas. But they leave off the gas to burn wood because it’s cheaper. Island wood burners have no compassion whatsoever for next door neighbours who happen to suffer from asthma.

Pollution as far as some Toronto Islanders are concerned, is only pollution when someone else is creating it.


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


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