Article content

Construction of a trail that had wealthy Rosedale residents up in arms has been put on hold.

The $1-million Chorley Park switchback, which would have seen a three-metre-wide asphalt path zig-zagging up a hillside, drew community outrage after the city clear-cut more than 120 trees in March. The path would have connected Chorley Park to the Brickworks in the Don Valley.

We apologize, but this video has failed to load.

tap here to see other videos from our team. Try refreshing your browser, or Rosedale residents delay construction of $1-million Don Valley trail Back to video

“When everybody saw the magnitude of this clear-cut over, in essence, the entire top of the hill and then swooping down, I think everybody was completely shocked,” said Kathleen Hanly, a South Rosedale resident and tax lawyer.

The city put the project on hold after residents voiced their objections during a tense five-hour community meeting in June. A group called Friends of Chorley Park also organized a petition against the switchback that garnered 900 signatures.

“Sometimes you have good people who are living side by side and a contentious issue flares up … and people who are absolutely lovely and pleasant to deal with on a regular basis, all of a sudden things just go very wrong,” said Kristyn Wong-Tam, the Toronto city councillor who represents the ward, adding there was a “spillout of anger.”