There is much to consider in the video record of the exchange between Councillor Walker and Karen Stintz on the last day of Council in August. The part after where she says she screwed-up on her 7 year career on Council, Karen Stintz says "there is nothing to tell us if it's too hign or too low"is a stunning admission that she is largely ignorant of the many rules and regulations that do exactly that - if they are applied properly.
It's clear Karen Stintz is development-challenged. The Tall Building policy has a number of limitations that determine if a building is too high. The 45 degree angular plane tests are designed to mitigate any loss of quality or equality in the neighbourhood. Design Guidelines, adopted by Council, contain minimum setback measurements that ultimately limit height and density.
That all of these protections were circumvented by the developer has given rise to anger in the community. That the development has fettered the development choices of the publicly owned land next door has far reaching consequences for affordable housing in Toronto.
Remember as you watch this episode that Michael Walker has represented North Torontonians for 28 years. Karen Stintz took a long shot in 2003 and has been around development issues, in between preening her PC political ambitions, for less than 7 years.
Oh, and when you get near the end when Karen Stintz reverts to her signature shrill routine (what did we get for the $4,500 speech training?) she bemoans the fact that Terry Mills helped the Orchard View and Duplex community in dealing with the developer, the City and the Ward Councillor. Her "political opponents" attended public meetings, were paid nothing for their contribution and served the community well.
It's not a pretty scene - political warning strongly advised.
