John Lorinc, a well known Toronto journalist,  has written and article for Spacing Magazine in support of a fixed link to the Island park – at http://spacing.ca/wire/2009/08/31/john-lorinc-tunnel-visions/

Councillor Adam Vaughan relied to Lorinc in his typically articulate fashion:

Interesting proposal. I never have looked at the ferries as cutting off access to the island park system, but rather Ive always viewed them as a beautiful way across the water. An ecentric wonder unique to Toronto. I like the ferry trip, it has always given me the sensation that I was leaving the city not simply going to a park.

Lining up with hundreds of people to access the islands through a tunnel (let alone walking with a crowd underground) does not appeal to me. Making the ferries free would be better. Unfortunately the Port Authority charges the city to cross the harbour.

As for tilting at turbo props I make no apologies. I represent the neighbourhoods that surrond this noisy dirty little airport. These residents have my support in their fight to reclaim the peace and quiet of their community. Dozens of flights taking off and landing, empty Porter buses racing in between the local school and community centre and the local park and people’s homes, not to mention hundreds of taxis queuing for non-existent fares only makes the situtaion worse.

Yes a few dozen people a day fly out of Toronto for business in Ottawa or shopping in New York (far fewer people from those cities come here), but what all of us who love the waterfront are fighting for is a clean green and beautiful waterfront where no one use overwhelms another.

The fight to protect neighbourhoods was a key promise in my election campaign and not one I will back down from. In particular if waterfront residents can’t count on their local councillor to represent them in this fight who would speak up for them at City Hall?

It might be nice to fly to Chicago on a whim to see what a great waterfront city has done with its lakefront, but if I did, I wouldn’t be landing at Chicago inner-city lakeside airfield. That aiport was closed a few years ago as the Mayor of Chicago fought to re-claim his city’s waterfront from private interests.

Incidently, I live close to Bathurst and Queen, near Trinity Bellwoods Park, and I can hear the island planes and helicopters landing and taking off regularily. What is especially agravating is that many Porter planes do so after curfew.

It’s ironic that city residents can’t use the islands after 11pm, but in violation with the operating agreement signed with the city, a private airline does. What is worse the Port Authority imposes no penalty for breaking the rules.

It is time all of Toronto’s waterfront was returned to the residents of the city and run by a local body accountable to city residents. If this happened we could have a debate about the islands free from the corupting influence of cabinet ministers elected from far off places making decisions about Torotno without the advice or support of a single member of Parliament elected in the city from the same party.

Adam Vaughan