Boat club to Toronto city council: 'LET THE FIGHT BEGIN'
· Toronto Sun
Wilson DaSilva is warning city hall that the Toronto Humber Yacht Club won’t give up the ship easily.
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DaSilva, the club’s vice-commodore, said his organization has been wronged by his own city councillor, Amber Morley. She led the charge Thursday to sink the club, which is on city land, by not renewing its lease.
DaSilva told the Toronto Sun on Thursday evening that much of what Morley said at city council wasn’t true, and he has documentation to prove it. He said it appears “strong-arm local activists that had the ear of some councillors and city staff” won the day.
“There was a massive injustice done there at city council today, and we’re just not gonna sit down and take it. So we’re gonna fight, and we’re gonna fight really hard on this, and if we have to go legal, we’re gonna go legal,” DaSilva said.
“We’re not going to just stand by and let them railroad us like this.”
At Thursday’s city council meeting, Toronto’s leaders again could not keep the story straight as to why they’re letting the boating club sink.
Morley, who represents the yacht club’s ward, had earlier focused on issues with the organization’s lease in a statement to the Sun and in an appearance this month at a city committee – even while city hall was insisting the decision was based only on environmental interests.
‘Unfair process?’
On Thursday afternoon, an animated Morley, her voice elevated and her arms regularly in motion, told city council that the Etobicoke club had been given “many opportunities” to save itself.
Council had heard that the decision to not renew the lease began with the parks department over concerns about land use. The boating club – a more blue-collar group than the name might suggest – has been around for about 70 years, but its building is on a flood plain on city land.
“If you show good faith and demonstrate an ability and a willingness to address these compliance issues, we will open up a further conversation, despite the environmental challenges, despite the flood risk and those location issues, the difficulty with enforcement on the river and the unique nature of this location,” she said.
She had barely caught her breath before pivoting to reframe the issue as ecological. “This is not an appropriate location. We’ve heard about the environmental considerations and our responsibilities as stewards of this land,” she said.
“For all of the claims that this has been an unfair process, I dispute that, and have been myself engaged.”
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Morley’s move to let the club’s lease die passed 19-5 with councillors Brad Bradford, Jon Burnside, Stephen Holyday, James Pasternak and Michael Thompson voting against. Mike Colle and Nick Mantas were absent.
The club will first take the issue up with the city’s ombudsman, but DaSilva’s side is prepared to play hardball. The boat club owns its building – and Pasternak had warned during the council meeting that that fact could make it difficult legally to give them the heave-ho.
The club had already announced changes , from increasing community engagement to banning Jet Skis, if council gave it a few months to chart a new course. DaSilva said it was disappointing that city hall would be so “cold-hearted.”
“Let the fight begin,” he said.
‘So false, so outrageous’
The report that was before councillors says city hall “issued formal default notices and multiple letters” between 2018 and 2024, citing issues such as land encroachment, bonfires and unauthorized structures. Councillors heard there was an apparent contradiction, as the club argued there hadn’t been proper consultation.
“There’s people that are in charge that have let you down,” Councillor Paula Fletcher said, apparently blaming the yacht club’s bosses for not passing information along. “We’re finding ourselves in a very unfortunate situation.”
DaSilva said that’s “not true.” The members knew about all the infractions – but they’re far less serious than city hall has made them out to be, he insisted.
“All our members knew what we needed to do and they were all on board. So these statements, the way they painted us was so false, so outrageous. I’m so angry (about) how they spin this,” he said.
Thursday’s council debate also saw the repeat of another theme from the committee meeting, as councillors battled to get concise, specific answers from city bureaucrats about the process and the final decision. At one point, Burnside struggled to establish how lease renewals involving city land usually take place.
“These are not trick questions. I’m trying to understand … unfortunately, I’m very confused on this file,” Burnside said.
Holyday, who represents a nearby Etobicoke ward, had told the committee meeting that his grandfather, a Navy man, had belonged to the yacht club. While not as emotional during Thursday’s meeting as he was on that day, his criticisms kept along similar lines.
“This is not the best face or best example of government. I spoke passionately about this at the committee because I’ve been very upset with what I’ve seen,” he said.
One of his concerns, he said, is with “how difficult it has been to obtain information as a member of council … I couldn’t even get the answer back whose jurisdiction the water is. I think it’s federal.”
DaSilva said it’s not clear yet if the yacht club will operate, or how. Ultimately the city doesn’t own the club’s building, or the river either.
“I can tell you that the feedback I’ve been getting from the members is that no one wants to sit down and just accept this,” he said. “We just can’t allow an injustice like this to go unanswered.”