Dominion Foundry Site facts for kids
The Dominion Foundry Site is a special group of old factory buildings in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. These buildings were once part of a big factory that made parts for trains. The company that owned it was called Dominion Wheel & Foundries Limited. Today, the land belongs to the public, but there are plans to sell it and build new things there. These plans, made by the Government of Ontario, have caused a lot of discussion and disagreement among people who live nearby.
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History of the Site
The factory land was first owned by the Canadian Northern Railway and later by the Canadian National Railway. These railway companies used the site for their operations.
What Buildings Are Left?
Today, four main buildings are still standing on the site:
- A cleaning room (built in 1953)
- A warehouse (built in 1917)
- An office building (built in 1930)
- A machine shop (built in 1935 and made bigger in 1939)
These buildings were once part of a much larger complex where train equipment and other machinery were made. In 2004, the City of Toronto recognized the site as important for its history and added it to the City of Toronto Heritage Property Inventory. This means the site has special historical value.
Plans for New Development
In October 2020, the Government of Ontario made a special order called a Minister's Zoning Order (MZO) for this property. This order changed the city's rules for what could be built on the site.
What the MZO Allowed
The MZO allowed for three tall apartment buildings to be built on the site. Two of these would be market-rate condos (meaning they would be sold at regular prices), and one would be an affordable rental building. The Corktown Association, a local community group, had their own ideas for how the site could be used, but the province's plan was different.
The Sale and Demolition Attempt
The province secretly agreed to sell this land in September 2020, even before the MZO was announced. Demolition of the four heritage buildings began on January 18, 2021. However, it was stopped just three days later, on January 21, because many people in the community strongly objected.
Community Action and Court Order
The St. Lawrence Neighbourhood Association, a group from a nearby area, quickly went to court on January 21, 2021. They asked a judge to stop the demolition.
Judge's Decision
On January 29, 2021, Judge D.L. Corbett of the Ontario Divisional Court ordered a one-month stop to the demolition. After this temporary halt, the demolition machines were removed from the site. However, a historic building called the Gatekeepers House had already been torn down.
Judge Corbett ruled that the demolition went against Ontario's promises to the City of Toronto and broke the rules of the Ontario Heritage Act. He said that "serious mistakes" were made by government officials. The judge noted that only because of daily protests did the historic buildings avoid being completely destroyed.
Why People Were Upset
Many people who protested believed that the government's decision was not just a mistake. They thought it was a deliberate attempt to avoid laws and public discussions with Toronto communities. Paul King, a heritage expert, said that this special order (MZO) was "deeply disturbing" because it ignored the usual planning process and the opinions of local people. He also pointed out that the government agency managing the property decided to tear down the buildings without first giving a Heritage Assessment Report to Toronto. They also did not tell the public about their plans to demolish the buildings or share the heritage report.
What Happened Next
A full court hearing was planned for February 26, 2021, but it was put on hold. After the court ordered a stop to the demolition, the Ontario government started asking the public for their ideas about the site. This led to architects and urban planners creating new ideas. Their plans showed how the site could be cleaned up and developed while still keeping some of the important heritage buildings and providing affordable housing.
