Toronto Preservation Board endorses motion to designate U of T Back Campus – Catherine Nasmith, May 30, 2013

Following is from Built Heritage News, May 30, 2013:

By Catherine Nasmith

Keep Back Campus Green is a rapidly growing movement, and overjoyed at yesterday’s Toronto Preservation Board decision.

In spite of a fancy report in favour of installing two new artificial turf over asphalt field hockey pitches on U of T’s Back Campus and deputations from U of T lawyers, reps from Infrastructure Ontario, Bruce Kidd and a couple of student athletes, the Toronto Preservation Board endorsed Councillor Adam Vaughan’s motions to designate the U of T’s Back Campus as a Cultural Heritage Landscape.

U of T’s position is that the opposition is just not well informed and spreading misinformation.

A dossier of opinions from a wide range of citizens, university professors, design professionals was presented, against the proposal to redevelop the Back Campus with artificial turf topped asphalt. To read go to:http://www.keepbackcampusgreen.ca/large%20brochue.pdf to see what all those “misinformed” people are saying.

Next Steps: If Council adopts the unanimous recommendations of TEYCC and the Toronto Preservation Board, it may force U of T and the Pan Am games to look for another venue. Luckily Brampton already has a brand new pitch, which puts them halfway to being able to host Pan Am Field Hockey.

The message from so many who wrote and spoke at the meeting, was the traditons at U of T are on natural turf, and that should continue, for environmental, cultural, historic and aesthetic reasons.

Councillor Vaughan’s motion http://app.toronto.ca/tmmis/viewAgendaItemHistory.do?item=2013.TE24.83