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“The only conclusion I can draw from here is it appears we were not spending the entire budget that was allocated towards rehabilitation of the Gardiner,” said Mr. Kelly. “I can’t tell from this if there were specific repairs that were used to generate these budgets and therefore I can’t say whether specific repairs were deferred.”

A 2010 city document states regular maintenance on the easterly elevated deck valued at $4-million was deferred and another $2-million shaved off repairs to columns supporting the Gardiner from Jarvis to Dowling because of the environmental assessment. The money was used for sidewalk and road work. Construction delays on the Western part of the Gardiner diverted another $5-million.

With a half-billion dollar price tag now attached to maintaining the Gardiner, built in the 1950s and 1960s, the debate around razing parts of it has resurfaced.

This week, Councillor John Parker won support from the budget committee asking staff to detail the minimum amount of repairs necessary to maintain the Gardiner east of Jarvis until the environmental assessment is finished. Budget Chief Mike Del Grande has since expressed support for completing an assessment that would lay out options and costs.

The $7.7-million study on the easterly section, which is the least used, was put on hold in November 2010, the president of Waterfront Toronto confirmed in an interview.

John Campbell said the decision was made jointly with city staff at the dawn of the Ford era at city hall. “We thought, out of courtesy, we shouldn’t be blundering ahead if that wasn’t the predominant tone of council,” said Mr. Campbell, who heads up the agency overseeing waterfront renewal. He said the environmental assessment was about three-eighths of the way done, with about $3-million of city funding spent. The remaining money was used for Queen’s Quay improvements and East Bayfront infrastructure.

“If council wanted to restart it, we would find money in our long-term plan to do that,” said Mr. Campbell, whose work continues with or without the Gardiner standing. “It doesn’t impede our ability to move forward at all but it would be nice to have an answer to the question, clearly.”

National Post

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