Toronto residents claim city project is faulty, will worsen flooding in Rockcliffe-Smythe
CBC
Starting this month, the city is going to begin removing 847 trees in a flood mitigation effort it says will finally help the flood-prone Rockcliffe-Smythe neighbourhood.
But residents and community advocates desperate for help are urging the city to reconsider, saying the plan — which starts with widening and replacing Jane Street and Scarlett Road bridges — isn’t scientifically sound and may actually make the situation worse.
“Fixing the bridges over here without knowing how to fix the problem upstream is like putting the cart ahead of the horses,” said Antia Gonzalez Ben, a member of the Black Creek Flood Coalition (BCFC).
Gonzalez Ben, Sarah McVie and other members of the BCFC say nearly 2,500 residents have been impacted by constant floods and sewage backup in their homes for years, costing them thousands of dollars in damages and repair every time.
It’s a problem that’s been recognized by the city and the Toronto and Region Conservation Authority (TRCA), which launched an environmental assessment in 2013 and recommended the current mitigation plan.
The plan, however, does not include any changes to the main area of concern — an upstream 12-metre channel in Black Creek running from Weston Road to Hilldale Road — where the majority of impacted residents live, said McVie.
She said the plan is based on a computer model with inaccurate scientific calculations that were flagged to the coalition by independent water resources engineer Tim Mereu.
McVie said the TRCA confirmed there were issues with its modelling software in a meeting last month with herself, Mereu and others, but said the project was now in the city’s hands.
The city is standing by the environmental assessment and continuing forward with the project, said a city spokesperson Krystal Carter in an emailed statement on Tuesday.
She said modelling found that widening Black Creek and replacing the Jane and Scarlett bridges would “significantly lower flood risk.”
“Modelling results are consistent with the environmental assessment,” she said. “Work to increase the span of the Jane Street bridge will begin first, as it provides flood risk relief to the greatest number of properties, as identified in the Environmental Assessment.”
Residents are calling for a redesigned project, said McVie, as well as a city-appointed coordinator to oversee their concerns.
“Every house needs an emergency preparedness kit and we need a coordinator … someone managing the situation,” said McVie.
Residents and environmental advocates rallied last weekend at Smythe Park, where some trees are slated for removal, urging the city to check its plans again before tree removal takes place.
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