Many residents have asked me the status of the SmartCentre North development and why it appears to have stalled.
Most of us have speculated that the anchor tenant will be Walmart. However, with the demise of Target the question was raised on whether Walmart would move into the East York Town Centre in Thorncliffe Park instead. This appears not to be the case.
The delay at the site is the result of water main issues. There are two mains supplying the area, one of which burst this past winter and has yet to be fixed. The second cuts through the SmartCentre property and needs to be moved before construction can commence.
The issue here is that it’s now the only supply line to the neighbouring property. As a result, everything is on hold until the broken main is fixed.
Interestingly, the line wasn’t identified in the city plans so SmartCentre was unaware of its existence until they excavated. This problem goes back to the Town of Leaside days when record keeping seems to have been poor.
Another example of undocumented pipes occurred on Donlea Dr. This has caused a considerable delay in the completion of the water main project as well as additional expense. It has been very frustrating for residents, especially since the completion date keeps changing. I have now been assured that work will be done before Canada Day.
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Bad driver behaviour is still rampant in Leaside. I am working on long term initiatives but short term we definitely need more police enforcement in the community. I have invited the unit commander of 53 Division Superintendent Gilbert to attend a Leaside Town Hall meeting in the fall and I am currently awaiting his response. I hope to have a positive update for the next issue.
