East-end Toronto residents concerned with early Ontario Line construction issues

In late 2022 CityNews reported on how early Ontario Line construction was impacting the Pape Avenue Junior Public School community in east-end Toronto, but residents say since then there has been a lot of talk by officials overseeing the project often without following up.

Cara McCutcheon, co-chair of the school’s parent council, contacted CityNews on Saturday to report further issues near Pape and Langley avenues.

“They are giving their time and their expertise to meet with us. They respond to our emails, they respond to phone calls, but what’s the good of a response without any action?” she said.

A makeshift wood fence at the southeast corner of the school property is the latest concern getting attention. CityNews was told Toronto District School Board (TDSB) staff filed concerns with Metrolinx about the fence after a number of deficiencies with plates, a lack of screws, fencing out of place and stability were identified.

“The TDSB has reviewed the current situation and deemed it unsafe for a variety of reasons,” McCutcheon said.

Beneath the ground, McCutcheon said benzo(a)pyrene, a chemical with carcinogenic properties, may have been detected. She and others said they were told further tested is needed, but that’s seemingly at a stop.

“We’re at an impasse because they don’t have an energy source to actually properly monitor benzo(a)pyrene,” McCutcheon said.

Other recent issues raised included debris left in certain work zone spots and sidewalk closures with a lack of signage before residents enter the sidewalk, creating accessibility difficulties.

“I am a parent and I have put hours and hours of my time forward to create a health and safety plan. At some points, I feel like I’m the only one that cares,” McCutcheon said.

Although the school is currently closed for summer vacation, a child care centre continues to operate at the facility. There are also concerns about what conditions will be like in September when the new school year begins.

In December, residents said they weren’t receiving detailed information on work when it was first taking place in the same general area.

The complaints came just days after the City of Toronto’s Ontario Line subcommittee met to approve making several recommendations to the Ontario government on ways to minimize impacts on residents and businesses.

RELATED: Toronto school community frustrated with lack of detailed Ontario Line info, safety plans

Sara Ehrhardt, the area’s trustee at the TDSB, said she has been hearing from other parents recently and ever since she was elected at the end of 2022.

“I need to be honest, I’m tired. I feel like we’re needing to micromanage every single aspect to ensure basic safety,” she said Saturday afternoon.

Ehrhardt said Metrolinx needs to do a lot more when it comes to following through on complaints, and addressing things that fall under the project’s realm.

“The TDSB has a $4-billion infrastructure deficit. I don’t want the TDSB to be scapegoated for health and safety for this project that are basic things that need to happen,” she said.

Citynews went to the site and saw security guards keeping an eye on things, and some areas tidied up from work a day or two earlier compared to photographs provided. When asked about the situation, a spokesperson for Metrolinx sent a brief statement and said agency staff are “aware and addressing” concerns about utility work being done on behalf of Bell Canada.

“We are working with Bell to make any and all necessary adjustments to ensure the ongoing safety of the community. The sidewalk beside the work site is currently closed out of an abundance of caution,” the statement said.

It went on to address issues surrounding the air and electricity for the monitoring to investigate the potential presence of benzo(a)pyrene.

“Since the start of the project, there has been active, ongoing monitoring of the air quality at the site. At no point has there been any unsafe change to the air quality at the site,” the statement said.

“We are currently working with TDSB to secure an additional power source in order to facilitate additional monitoring.”

Peter Tabuns, the NDP MPP for Toronto–Danforth, said he has been trying to get action from Metrolinx as his office continues to receive inquiries.

“Why is it that the neighbors are the construction supervisors? Why isn’t Metrolinx looking out at its contractors and making sure they deliver a safe product? I find that extraordinary,” he said.

“If they can’t be attentive to a situation that’s as sensitive as this with all these children, with a childcare centre, with safety issues, if they can’t pay attention there, what are they going to do in the rest of the line?”

Meanwhile, McCutcheon said she and others continue to support building transit and the Ontario Line itself. However, the pleas to better also continue.

“My advocacy is in no way to thwart those actions. I just don’t want it to come at the expense of our children,” she said.