At its next meeting on June 15, the council will receive a report on the program, ActiveTO, from the city’s director general of transport services. The exhibition is expected to specifically address the closure of Lake Shore Boulevard West. A piece of correspondence to consider is a June 6 letter from Toronto Blue Jays CEO Mark Shapiro asking the city council to cancel the closure of Lake Shore Boulevard West for ActiveTO because it says it does more difficult for baseball fans, especially for those from abroad. -of-town, to go to the Rogers Center races on the weekends. Tori said Saturday that the council will carefully consider the benefits and implications of the program and the closure. “The council will receive a report outlining the benefits of the ActiveTO program, how many people have cycled, walked, skateboarded and walked the streets we have spent some weekends,” Tori told reporters. “But they will also receive information about the impact it has had on traffic, in some neighborhoods, in some businesses, which the Toronto Blue Jays are a business running after two years.” ActiveTO includes the closure of many major roads for recreational purposes. According to a description of the project city, the main roads next to popular trails are closed to create more space for walking and cycling, while residents are able to stay physically away. Since the city launched the program in May 2020, thousands of residents have enjoyed the open space provided by the program. Baseball fans are pictured here during the Toronto Blue Jays inauguration in April 2022. (Frank Gunn / The Canadian Press) Tory expressed his sympathy for Shapiro, saying that many people’s online response to his letter was hateful and considered it unfortunate. “I was really saddened by the fact that Mr. Shapiro had to write a letter simply stating the views of his business and the fact that he has 30, 40, 50,000 people coming to a game and the abuse he received from people on the internet. because he dared. to express his opinion “, he said. “My job is to get all the data of people who love ActiveTO like me. And I understand why people like it and those who have to vote and those who have neighborhoods and those who have businesses and balance it all out. “The right answer. That’s what we do,” Tori said. “Mr Shapiro just wrote a letter expressing his view. And I think in our country, we should welcome people who do this and take their responsibility seriously. It does not mean we have to accept his view. “It means we have it and we can hear it as we will hear everyone else.”
Public transport “is not an option” for many fans, says the CEO
In his letter, Shapiro asked the council not to vote in favor of ActiveTO expansion on Lake Shore Boulevard West. “We recognize that ActiveTO has played a crucial role in encouraging people to go out and move around again, at a time when leisure options were limited. However, the location of this program in 2022 drastically affects the ability of fans to access the park on summer weekends, when Baseball is a major attraction in the city. wrote Shapiro. “Many of our fans travel to the Rogers Center outside of GTA and public transportation is not an option. Out-of-town fans are often unaware of ActiveTO and do not know how to spend extra travel time.” Shapiro said local fans also experienced “significant” traffic delays on the days when ActiveTO is in effect on Lake Shore Boulevard West because traffic has been disrupted on downtown routes. “As a sports organization, we encourage people to go out and get active, but Toronto has many options and routes to use, while our fans do not. Please do not vote to close Lake Shore Boulevard West.” Cyclists gather at the corner of Remembrance Drive and Lake Shore Boulevard West on the designated sidewalk on Saturday. (Dale Manucdoc / CBC) Joe Mihevc, consultant for Ward 10 Spadina-Fort York, said he sees both sides of the issue. He said ActiveTO was well received and well received by the public, but said the public also wanted to support the Blue Jays and help them have a successful season. “Well, my prejudice as a public health person would be towards ActiveTO. However, it is also true that the Blue Jays do not play every day,” he said. The city should encourage Blue Jays fans to leave the car at home, he said. And the city should encourage people to patronize downtown restaurants after baseball games, he added. “People do not just go to a baseball game,” he said. “Then they go for a walk downtown. Then they go to a restaurant and then they can go to a pub. They can go see some friends. This is part of Toronto as well. And we need those tourist dollars as much as he does. everyone, especially as part of the recovery from the pandemic. “
ActiveTO is “extremely successful,” says the lawyer
David Simor, director of community relations and stakeholder support for Open Streets Toronto, a nonprofit organization that facilitates the closure of cars for recreational planning, said ActiveTO was “hugely successful” in getting people involved in physical activity. . “I think the question should be: Where can we do this program where it will have the greatest impact and benefit for the largest number of Torontonians?”
