Strategic Partnerships will build new schools

Ryan Glenn, Director
Real Estate, Leasing and Strategic Partnerships 

In December the City of Toronto announced its intention to move forward with its 2023 Housing Action Plan, the city’s commitment to build 285,000 housing units over the next ten years. TLC responded to the City’s announcement with a letter to the Mayor and members of Toronto’s City Council to express our commitment, on behalf of the Toronto District School Board, to work with the City of Toronto toward a shared and complimentary strategy that will advance the modernization of public schools and help the City achieve the goals of outlined in the 2023 Housing Action Plan.

Individually, the TDSB and the municipality of Toronto are two of the largest landowners in the city.  By thinking creatively and all inclusively about the combined potential of their real estate holdings, the school board and city could provide numerous opportunities to combine capital programs, mitigate land acquisition costs, provide new schools, build new housing and community services all on one site.  It is incumbent upon and beneficial to both organizations to leverage our real estate holdings in order to build complete communities. One’s that best serve our students and every neighbourhood in the city.  Examples of this collaborative approach have already happened. The redevelopment of Davisville Jr. Public School with an adjacent City of Toronto operated aquatic facility, the integration of a much-needed public school into a future City of Toronto housing project at 770 Don Mills Rd and the construction of a critical storm water storage tank, beneath TDSB owned Memorial Park, adjacent to North Preparatory Jr. Public School are recent examples of successful collaborations between both organizations. The potential for much more of this is there, and the time is now. TLC is excited to meet with the city to explore this potential.

To read the TLC letter to the city click here.