The focus of this edition of CM magazine is Managing Life. And for two managers this means fighting the good fight on behalf of their boards, residents and owners. Two managers have recently been in the news for their efforts to effect change.
Wendy Parsons, RCM of Crossbridge knows a thing or two about battling. New to the property management industry, Wendy is the 2017 recipient of ACMO’s Genesis Award for having displayed exceptional service. She and a group of residents and other community representatives are trying to get a Hurontario light rail transit (LRT) stop built closer to their Kingsbridge Garden Circle condominium property in Mississauga. They have named their group Kingsbridge for LRT.
Residents Matter
Why is it important to get LRT transit to your condominium? This is not just about the condominium that I manage. It is about the entire community. Being a property manager sometimes means stepping outside of the box and doing what is right for the community in which managers serve. Some of the most important reasons this community would benefit from an LRT stop are: fairness for aging residents, some with disabilities, and an increase in college students using transit in our community. Of all 22 stops on the current route plan, this community has the most distance between stops. Residents either would have to go 2 km south for a stop, or 1.4 km north. We are a large community of approximately 15,000 and another 12,000 moving into the area over the next five years. An LRT stop would assist our seniors who need to access a nearby medical building for services. Currently traffic in rush hour is absolute mayhem on Hurontario, bus services will be reduced as this stretch gets reduce to four lanes from six, and some of the buses on the route will not have access for disabled. An LRT stop would also increase property values for this community.
How did you get involved in the transit committee? Have you always been a bit of an ‘activist’? Last summer I had planned a first-ever community event for four buildings on Tucana Court. Neighbours meeting neighbours, we held this event on the commercial property parking lot across the street of the four buildings. I was approached by the owner of that property and informed about the LRT project and this area not getting a stop. With approval, management reached out to all surrounding buildings in the area and received the interest of all 10 properties. I’m not sure I would call myself an activist, but I am passionate about fairness and equal rights. The residents of this community are taxpayers and deserve to be treated fairly.
What is the current stage of the process? The community is informed by Metrolinx and City officials that we are too late in addressing our concerns and issues regarding a stop for Kingsbridge. As managers we are aware, when taking on large projects, at times we find that more is involved in the scope of work and making this request would require a “Change Orders” to make an addition to the project at this stage. We have found material and data that answers all questions and have backed up our direction by way of information, including prior projects that did end up getting a stop, well after all plans were on the table. (Five years from now, all involved will wish that they did put a stop here at Kingsbridge and took the time to hear the voices of the community.) Each property has received from the board of directors approval to develop committees for each building and to educate the committee members on all questions and answers that our residents have about the LRT project. Meetings have been held on a regular basis. We held a rally on May 12, 2018 from 11–2 p.m. to bring awareness to the entire community and garner support, because residents here matter.
Resident Safety Paramount
As recipient of ACMO’s Manager of the Year, we profiled Lyndsey McNally, RCM in the spring CM magazine. Turns out that she’s also got the advocate nature. Working closely with her Board President, Lyndsey is concerned about ongoing safety in and around her property as construction for the Eglinton Crosstown proceeds.
The low-rise property she manages is located at Bayview and Eglinton, in the thick of LRT construction. Construction issues have narrowed the driveway and made sight lines more difficult for drivers and pedestrians to see oncoming traffic. Pedestrian routes have also changed making it harder for elderly residents to shop for groceries. Along with Board president Norma Fisher, Lyndsey has sent and received thousands of emails raising safety concerns.
Safety is the most important issue for you. How is Metrolinx helping with this? We’ve worked really hard as a community to communicate with Metrolinx on a regular basis about safety concerns relating to their construction operations. It is certainly difficult for residents to cope with navigating the construction site each and every day. We’ve managed over the last few years to help Metrolinx understand what it takes to be a good neighbour and they have implemented many of our suggestions.
The most important part of this process is ensuring that residents are informed of changing construction configurations but also that they have a voice in the discussions with Metrolinx. Regular information sessions hosted by Metrolinx have helped all of us understand the needs of the community and work to manage any concerns that arise.
We’re currently advocating to extend the hours of the flag person present in our driveway to keep residents and other community members safer even when workers are not present. While this has been challenging to coordinate, we do hope that if we continue the discussion we will reach resolution.
How are your elderly and/or disabled residents coping? One of the major challenges we face is construction lane restrictions preventing residents from having accessible pick-up services (Wheel-Trans, taxis, family members) through our lobby. The rear door to the building was not an ideal pick-up location as there is no seating or visibility to the exterior. We worked with Metrolinx to install automatic door operators at the rear entry and created a buzzer system so that residents can wait in the lobby for their rides.
Our Board President, Norma Fisher, is a member of the Community Liaison Committee with Metrolinx and meets monthly to review any issues in the construction site that would restrict accessibility. Things like signage and trip hazards must be addressed in order to help residents navigate the area just for access to groceries and other neighbourhood services. It is extremely important to us to ensure that services can be accessed in a manner that preserves the dignity and independence of any person with disabilities.
This is an ongoing issue for the last three years. Do you see a resolution? Presently, we are waiting for Metrolinx to move their construction operations to the north side of Eglinton Avenue, which will create some distance and much needed relief for residents. Over the course of construction, the configuration will change several times and they will once again be back in our driveway.
With construction expected to continue for nearly another three years, we will have to continue to work with Metrolinx, City Council and City of Toronto Staff to advocate for the community on an as needed basis.
community on an as needed basis. It is our main goal to work with community members to create a liveable environment through the construction. Residents understand that the new transit system is important to the City of Toronto but they also have the right to a safe and accessible home environment.
Dianne Werbicki, BA is editor of CM magazine.
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