Thank goodness the reconstruction and reconfiguration of the entrances to the University of Toronto at Mississauga (UTM) are finished.
With Mississauga Rd. closed for what seems like the entire summer and ever-changing detour routes, you've taken your life in your hands to venture onto the campus.
The good news during the construction boondoggle was that you could make a left-hand turn from eastbound Collegeway onto Mississauga Rd. without taking out extra life insurance.
Earlier this year a new set of traffic signals went in at Broad Hollow Gate to the west, which has relatively little traffic, but it was still a trial most of the time to turn left in morning or afternoon rush-hour onto Mississauga Rd.
Now finally, the lights are operable where they were really needed. The Collegeway, which is obviously intended to become the main UTM entrance, now runs directly into the campus, sweeps right and then sweeps left again up the hill to the campus ring road.Where Collegeway now runs previously stood a huge concrete sign, surrounded by a charming garden, that read University of Toronto, Erindale College. Of course, it's been out of date since former UTM President Bob McNutt had the name changed several years ago. The sign is now in storage for heaven-knows-what potential future purpose. The bad news, of course, is that a large number of magnificent, mature trees were slaughtered to make way for the road. The City's forestry inspector for the job told me a couple of weeks ago, with noticeable chagrin, that nothing could be done because the Collegeway entrance plan has been in the campus' master plan for many years. The motto devised and plugged by former UTM CAO Paul Donoghue for the radical expansion of buildings and sharp increase in enrolment was "Grow Smart Grow Green."
It's a terrific goal and, to its credit, the university has bitten the bullet and paid a premium to construct parking garages for many of its new buildings to save the forest that is, indisputably, the main charm of the place.
But, it's pretty hard for Grow Smart Grow Green not to have a deep, hollow ring for a while when you've just paved the way to your new front door by flattening scores of stately maples and elms to get there.
By the way, is it still The Collegeway if it leads to UTM instead of Erindale College?
Comments (7)
Those trees are dead, the world is a less woody place.
To be fair alot fewer trees have died from the UTM expansion then from the growth of the nearby subdivisions. Plus the campus BADLY needed an expansion. (They've had to cope with a plan that called for nearly a doubling of the student population in less then a decade)
Still UTM used to advertise itself as a "the place where the deers still roam". With the rapid shrinking of their habitat I feel sorry for any deers left who dare roam Erindale Park.
oj- ex u ot t'er
now Rye Grad student
Posted by OJ | September 12, 2005 9:48 PM
Posted on September 12, 2005 21:48
GDT probably drives an SUV . If there were more trees in Mississauga the air quality wouldn't be as pathetic as it is . Some days all you see looking along Eglinton Ave is a black haze
Posted by Mike | September 12, 2005 2:40 PM
Posted on September 12, 2005 14:40
Hi Barb,
Re: your comment on heritage buildings in Mississauga. Please see story posted in the News section of this site on that very issue, which include's Tom Urbaniak's SOS list of buildings most under threat. This story is one of the "value-added" features of the web site. Great idea for getting more news to you folks. Just not enough space in our paper.
John
Posted by John Stewart | September 12, 2005 10:16 AM
Posted on September 12, 2005 10:16
Grow smart grow grey is more like it. You're right, it's hard to take them too seriously when they've just mowed down a bunch of beautiful old trees. I guess that's not too surprising considering the university is in Mississauga. This city has a terrible track record for keeping green space. They have an even worse record for protecting historic buildings. The sign they took down from when UTM was a college will probably get better protection than most of the trees or old structures in this city.
Posted by Barb | September 11, 2005 7:31 PM
Posted on September 11, 2005 19:31
John,
Below are several excerpts from the Mississauga Private Tree By-law, which was passed in 1990.
UTM would be well within there rights to remove up to four (4) trees that are less than 20cm (8in) in diameter in size within a calendar year.
To remove these mature creatures, UTM would have to apply and be granted a permit under the Private Tree By-law Section with the Urban Forestry Unit
Which was approved and granted based on the permit requirements
I believe that the City of Mississauga permit was approved based on specific needs and requirements for UTM under section 5 (c).
UTM with City of Mississauga permit in hand was well within there rights to have these magnificent trees removed.
Sucks to be a tree huger!
More information of the City of Mississauga Tree By-law can be found here.
http://www.mississauga.ca/portal/residents/urbanforestry?paf_gear_id=9700018&itemId=300012
Private Tree By-law
By-law (By-law 0634-2001)
PERMIT REQUIREMENTS AND EXCEPTIONS
3. (1) No person shall injure or destroy five (5) or more trees each with a diameter greater
than 20 cm on a lot within one calendar year without first obtaining a permit pursuant
to this By-law.
(2) Despite subsection (1), a permit is not required:
(a) to injure or destroy four (4) or less trees each with a diameter greater than 20
cm on a lot per calendar year;
(b) where the tree has a tree diameter of 20 cm or less;
REVIEW OF A PERMIT APPLICATION
5. (1) The Manager shall review all completed applications and may issue a permit based on
the following criteria:
(c) the tree location conflicts with any of the following:
(i) proposed building permit plans that comply with the zoning of the
land;
(ii) a proposed pool enclosure; or
(iii) the expansion of parking areas that complies with the zoning of the
land;
Posted by Tree By-law | September 10, 2005 11:22 AM
Posted on September 10, 2005 11:22
Maybe you should quit reporting and join Greenpeace, Captain Treehugger. Every time they have to build a building or widen a highway, somebody starts crying about how a tree got cut down.
Posted by GDT | September 10, 2005 10:43 AM
Posted on September 10, 2005 10:43
Go hug a tree John...Haha...
But, in all seriousness, does UTM have an indepth explanation for why they chose to chop down mature trees for what is, essentially, a slightly more convenient entrance?
Posted by Chris Clay | September 9, 2005 4:46 PM
Posted on September 9, 2005 16:46