Speaker after speaker at the rally told us how vital the Glen Stewart Ravine is to us — not just our community, but for climate resilience and biodiversity in the city. 

Speakers told us about the devastating impact on a fragile ecosystem:

• The proposed building would destroy precious habitat we can never get back; it will devastate this small area of rare, fragile, and protected forest.

• This ravine is home to more than 800 species of plants, insects, and animals — some of which are endangered and rare in the city. Our wildlife need homes too.

• Teacher Sean Hurley-Hart, who joined us with some of his young Nature School students, said the children have spent hours documenting all these plants, insects, and animals.

• The ravine is a designated Environmentally Significant Area.

• It’s a critical resting spot for migratory species.

• And it’s one of the last remnants of the old-growth Carolinian forest in Toronto.

Speakers also told us details about the proposed building:

• The developer wants to rezone the corner of Beech Ave and Kingston Rd to allow an 11-storey condo — that’s nearly double the developer’s original proposal, and seven storeys higher than the site is currently zoned for.

• These proposed condos would seriously damage the ravine’s fragile slope. The proposed development ignores the TRCA’s setback requirement, among many other ravine protection policies.

• If this rezoning is allowed, it would set a serious — and dangerous — precedent for all our city ravines. This proposed building would leave all our precious, environmentally sensitive areas vulnerable to developers.

We welcome density in the city, and the city certainly needs new housing options. This is not the right site.