Background
Current threats to Union Station by John Sewell
Union Station is one of the city's most impressive and revered structures, but Toronto's a place where words like `impressive ' and `revered' provide little protection for a heritage building. Only through massive citizen pressure was the building saved from demolition in the early 1970s, and again in the mid-1970s from inappropriate redevelopment.
Once again the building is under threat from city council and the development industry. Once again, the plight of the building depends on massive citizen pressure. Here are the four current issues:
**Shrouded in secrecy
The proposal call for control of the station has been shrouded in secrecy. The public has been denied the opportunity to review or comment on either proposal submitted by the two developers, or to set the terms of the legal agreement which is now being negotiated with one developer, Union Pearson. There is a great fear that the public will be presented with a signed contract which it will be told cannot be undone.
**Wasting the transportation opportunity
There seems little chance that the agreement city council wants to sign will ensure that Union Station is renovated to be used as the city's central transportation terminal. Instead, it seems likely GO transit passengers will continue to be forced to use the basement beside Union Station and that no serious and elegant linkage between important transportation modes and systems will be accomplished.
**The developer profits on rezoning, not the public
City council wants to give developer Union Pearson a long lease on the property - and then allow it to get approvals for massive redevelopment. That process is backwards: any development proposals should be finalized while the property is in public control (it is owned by the city) so that the public receives the full benefit of any increase in land value because of redevelopment potential.
**Heritage not protected
Union Station is one of the most impressive heritage buildings in Toronto, yet there are no guarantees that heritage aspects of the structure or site will be protected or will be subject to public review and control.
