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This will be our most expensive park per square foot

“It’s not cheap,” sums up Councillor James Pasternak, a member of the budget and parks committees, whose ward is far away, stretching from Highway 401 to Steeles Avenue West, between Bathurst and Dufferin streets.

Councillor Doug Ford of north Etobicoke went further.

“Six councillors on this committee are in desperate need of parks in their area,” Mr. Ford said. He supports spending on parks, “as long as it is proportionate.” He added: “This will be our most expensive park per square foot, so I hope you enjoy it, Councillor Perks. Maybe you can share some of your trade secrets with us. With this amount of money we could buy 10 parks in the suburbs.”

Councillor Frances Nunziata then noted that in her ward she doesn’t have parks, but rather flood plains created by Hurricane Hazel.

“We have the right as members to ask questions,” she said. “As soon as we ask questions, we’re bad. We’re not on the priority list for anything. It’s all downtown.”

City cash to buy parks comes from the Parkland Dedication fund. The city requires builders to set aside land for parks. If no land exists for a park, the builders pay a parks levy fee: 5% of the land value for residential projects and 2% for commercial projects.

The city uses that cash to buy park land, as follows: 50% citywide, 25% in the sector of town where the development occurs, and 25% in the local ward. So although most of the cranes in Toronto are downtown, the funding formula ensures that the city spends at least half the cash citywide.