TORONTO

The fate of the east end of the Gardiner Expressway will come down to anywhere from one to three council votes.

Councillors will be back at City Hall for the second day of the Gardiner east debate starting at 9:30 a.m. Thursday. The final vote over whether to support Mayor John Tory’s hybrid option or knock down the expressway east of Jarvis St. will likely come a few hours later.

Councillors spent Wednesday questioning city staff about the two options and starting to debate the issue. A push to refer the item back to staff for 60 days to allow for further studies including a look at burying the highway was defeated in a 29 to 15 vote. The actual vote to keep up or knock down the Gardiner east was still looking like it’ll be much tighter.

As Day 1 of the debate wrapped up, Deputy Mayor Pam McConnell — who’s ward includes part of the east end of the Gardiner — sounded on the verge of tears in her speech to council as she lamented the push for the hybrid and warned it could lead to the city being in litigation for eight to nine years.

Highlights from Day 1 of Gardiner debate

“We are moving down a track that is going to be a disaster for Torontonians,” McConnell said.

“We will end up in litigation and the Ontario Municipal Board and all kinds of other courts because it doesn’t fit what our community has so desperately needed and worked for.”

She told reporters the hybrid “destroys” years of work.

“People have chosen sides according to who is the political leaders instead of looking at the facts and the truth beside them,” McConnell said.

When the vote finally takes place, Tory has asked council to consider three options in the following order: Maintaining the east end of the highway as is, removing the section and expanding Lake Shore Blvd. to a “grand boulevard,” or — his preferred choice — building the Gardiner hybrid option along with asking city staff to report back on a “better” hybrid and whether a Gardiner tunnel is feasible.

If council defeats the maintain option then it would vote on the remove option. If it is defeated, council’s third and final vote would be whether or not to build the hybrid.

In his speech Wednesday, Tory argued his hybrid motion ensures staff look at “a better hybrid” and a “once and for all” study burying the Gardiner to determine if that is a “viable option.”

“I don’t believe myself to be the mayor for the developers, or for cars or for the waterfront by itself or for north, south, east or west. I was elected as the mayor of the whole city,” Tory told council. “I was elected to try to fix traffic congestion and create more opportunities for people in terms of jobs. That’s why I did what I believe is in the broader public interest of the whole city.”

Earlier in the day, the city’s chief planner, Jennifer Keesmaat, stressed to council that she recommends removing the Gardiner east.

“In keeping with the official plan policies that you have before you today, I would in fact recommend proceeding with the boulevard option, which has been identified as long ago as 25 years ago,” Keesmaat said in response to a question from Councillor Jim Karygiannis.

“That in fact would be consistent with the larger vision of the city which focuses on creating places and expanding the area that we consider downtown by adding employment and residences in close proximity to the existing waterfront.”

Councillor Anthony Perruzza — who has been undecided on the Gardiner issue — said he wanted to look at the tunnel option and lamented the two options in front of council.

“What we have in front of us is take it down and add to congestion. Fix it and continue an eyesore, a costly eyesore, that will cost an awful lot of money to maintain,” Perruzza said.

“Hybrid, (it’s) the same thing. I think we haven’t had a good look at going underground.”

(Coverage of the Gardiner debate at City Hall Wednesday)