Evidence of meeting #141 for Access to Information, Privacy and Ethics in the 42nd Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was waterfront.
A video is available from Parliament.
Chief Executive Officer, Sidewalk Labs
Everything is subject to approval.
Liberal
Adam Vaughan Liberal Spadina—Fort York, ON
Whatever project comes forward, even if Waterfront Toronto signs off on it, still must be approved by the City of Toronto through a full public planning process.
Chief Executive Officer, Sidewalk Labs
Absolutely, as well as in relevant part the Government of Ontario and the national government as well.
Liberal
Adam Vaughan Liberal Spadina—Fort York, ON
There is no contemplation that you would control public infrastructure through any part of this process.
Chief Executive Officer, Sidewalk Labs
We are not assuming that we would control public infrastructure.
Liberal
Adam Vaughan Liberal Spadina—Fort York, ON
Also, your proposal is not leveraged off having access to tax revenues from public infrastructure or from other development sites. There is no part of your proposal, as it's currently been configured, that contemplates taking control over the city's tax base, the city's public infrastructure or, in fact, city data or city information on that front.
Chief Executive Officer, Sidewalk Labs
That is generally correct. There is one proposal that has been out in the public and that we have been considering seriously. One of the most challenging issues if you wish to have greater density on the waterfront, which we and I think many others believe is actually critical to increasing the amount of housing and helping to alleviate to some extent the housing crisis that is developing, is that you actually have to find a way to get more people there with mass transit.
Liberal
Adam Vaughan Liberal Spadina—Fort York, ON
That's consistent with the city plan and precinct plan, which call for high orders of transit, in particular light rapid transit, LRTs, as they're known in Toronto, to service Queens Quay East. In fact, several of the previous projects that have now been built, but also the next several that are in the approval process, all have been promised by the City of Toronto a public transit line that flows from Union Station into the eastern Port Lands.
Chief Executive Officer, Sidewalk Labs
That is absolutely correct. What I think has been interesting to us is that while everyone acknowledges that it is actually a priority, and has been for roughly the last 10 years, as you point out, there is no realistic plan for the expansion of the LRT into Quayside, along Queens Quay East into Quayside and into the Port Lands, in part because nobody lives on Quayside and the Port Lands today.
Liberal
Adam Vaughan Liberal Spadina—Fort York, ON
I disagree. I have constituents there, but I'll give you that.
Chief Executive Officer, Sidewalk Labs
Just on the Quayside and the Port Lands, but in any event, there are very few people.
Liberal
Adam Vaughan Liberal Spadina—Fort York, ON
Just to be very clear about this, you have no plans to extract data or build that transit line or have any need to govern the way in which that transit line operates.
Chief Executive Officer, Sidewalk Labs
No. We have zero interest in operating. What we have suggested is that we could potentially play a role in helping to finance something that otherwise is not—
Liberal
Adam Vaughan Liberal Spadina—Fort York, ON
I have one last question. Who contacted you about this opportunity? Which order of government or which public agency made the first contact with your organization and how was that done?
Chief Executive Officer, Sidewalk Labs
It was in maybe August of 2016. A gentlemen who works at Waterfront Toronto, who had worked for me in the past, just reached out to me to talk to me about the land itself.
Chief Executive Officer, Sidewalk Labs
I'm sorry. It was in June of 2016.
Yes, a head of planning, I think.
Liberal
Adam Vaughan Liberal Spadina—Fort York, ON
It wasn't the federal Liberal government or the Prime Minister.
Liberal
Adam Vaughan Liberal Spadina—Fort York, ON
It was a staffer at Waterfront Toronto who made you aware of the RFP process.
Chief Executive Officer, Sidewalk Labs
It was well before the RFP was actually issued, nearly a year before the RFP.
Liberal
Adam Vaughan Liberal Spadina—Fort York, ON
I have a last question. Joe Cressy, someone we're all familiar with here in Ottawa as a former staffer with Olivia Chow, is now a city councillor who sits on the Waterfront Toronto board. As a city councillor, he has also proposed that the City of Toronto come up with rules and regulations to manage data collection and data harvesting, as well as privacy and security issues associated with big data and city infrastructure. Are you confident that your proposal could live within whatever framework is proposed by Mr. Cressy and city council?