Comments on: Graphic Content: Am I a NIMBY?

By: jim

jim — Sun, 30 Dec 2012 14:00:41 +0000

Sadly the comments only bear out one thing and that is that no one ever admits to being a Nimby and that everyone has managed to rationalize thier position and justify thier cause . The reality is that we all want to be safe and comfortable and when either of these states are threatened we don’t like it and look for blame or oppose the change. Reality is things change andsometimes not always the way you want it to and you can’t always control it. The task then is to try and help everyone make the best of it in a s supportive non-adversarial way and from my experieince this usually works out better. This view is based on being involved in change in Ontario for almost 50 years.

I repeat no one ever admits to being a NIMBY just like I have never met a manager who claims to have a closed door policy

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By: alecto

alecto — Sun, 30 Dec 2012 13:59:12 +0000

We have a “Crack Towers” (TCHC lowrise apartment) around the corner from us too, and yes its residents are frequently a pain, but these people need a place to live too. Would the neighbourhood be so much better off if a condo full of self-absorbed yuppie pricks or frat boys moved there instead? Maybe not.

I’d rather see “Crack Towers” interspersed throughout all of Toronto’s neighbourhoods rather than all concentrated into one area, which would then become an inferno of horror. One “Crack Towers” in a neighbourhood will not destroy its character. If it makes you uncomfortable, cross the street while you’re passing it. That said, my opinion would be much different if the Crack Towers was right next door to me.

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By: sparkler89

sparkler89 — Sun, 30 Dec 2012 07:32:05 +0000

Wait a minute, solely due to the condo under construction across from my house and my extremely close proximity to a subway station, I am a NIMBY? I thought I simply lived contently across the street from a condo (less than 100 units) and in close proximity to a subway. Silly flow chart.

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By: Sarah

Sarah — Sun, 30 Dec 2012 06:11:50 +0000

westside – another assumption. Good for you. Must be awesome to be holier than thou. Or am I just assuming that?

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By: westside99

westside99 — Sun, 30 Dec 2012 03:46:34 +0000

I asked, I didn’t say you had or had not done any of those things. No assumptions are necessary, you are demonstrating it all.

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By: Sarah

Sarah — Sun, 30 Dec 2012 03:35:00 +0000

And westside, yes I HAVE spent time in those tiny apartments. I HAVE engaged those people. I have had them into my home. I have taken their children, with mine, on outings. And that has changed nothing. The people in that building – including those parents – are still abusive, to each other and to passersby on the street. And I HAVE walked in their shoes, and worked my way out of them. So, until you have walked in mine, it’s probably better that you don’t make assumptions.

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By: Sarah

Sarah — Sun, 30 Dec 2012 03:25:49 +0000

Dehumanize? How dare you? Obviously, Turk, you have never been a woman walking down the street who has had men yell at her. Even worse when those men are high or drunk – not only are you dehumanized, but you are in danger. Don’t preach to me about how my wish to have such people gone from my street is dehumanizing. You have no idea, and your comments are ill-informed and offensive. In fact, Turk, I’m not concerned about property values. I’m concerned about people who think that living in the city means you get to be abused every time you walk down your own street. I’m concerned about people who think that city living has to involve giving up safety and the right to enjoy your own life to accommodate people who have no respect for the community or each other or themselves. Sorry to disappoint Turk, but I also ride a bike everywhere, I don’t own a car, I eat locally grown food, I work from home and I’d slash my own wrists before I’d vote for that buffoon mayor of ours. In short, I DO NOT belong in Burlington. I belong in this city as much as you or anyone else. Possibly more than you do, because unlike you, rather than get bogged down in blind political correctness, I actually go out and do things to improve the place I’m living for myself and my neighbours. I’m just as poor as any of the people living in Crack Towers, and I’m raising kids on my own, but I don’t use that as an excuse to disrespect everyone else, and to take advantage of the goodwill of others. And at least I am not afraid to stand up and say what many of the rest of us are thinking, rather than hide behind whatever cloak of political correctness you seem to be behind. Wake up, move to my neighborhood with your daughters and see how you feel then.

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By: westside99

westside99 — Sun, 30 Dec 2012 03:05:34 +0000

I wonder how many times you’ve actually spent time in these apartments or engaged the people who live there. Surely you’re not so silly as to think only crackheads live there (and there is a difference between living somewhere and hanging out there)…or perhaps you can only think in generalizations and tiny boxes. How do you think the parents who live there feel about the activity happening in *their* actual front and backyard? Your name for the buildings is not affectionate, but smug and typical. To suggest that those who live in affordable housing do not care about their living conditions and do not contribute to their community is beyond ridiculous.

Your attempts to make your community pretty and friendly won’t go far with such an ugly and elitist mindset. You need to consider your own privilege.

Sell while the market is hot and, as suggested, move to Burlington. It’s attitudes like yours that I don’t want in my backyard.

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By: Turk182

Turk182 — Sat, 29 Dec 2012 23:48:20 +0000

Oh Sarah, I cheer for your opponents! May your property values plummet, oh dehumanizer! It is literally people like you…. Well, the city will succeed AND succeed for ALL of its residents, no matter what all the awful, neo-Fordites like you do to stop it. Yeah, I know, you never voted for him…

Please, move to Burlington, near the lake, where it’s really beautiful, and they also have parks and farmers markets, and tons of people that feel exactly the way you do. You’ll think, my God, I have reached the Promised Land! And property values are going up there, too — plus with all the extra space and the money you’ll save you can put in that backyard swimming pool you’ve always wanted. I’m telling you, Sarah, moving your family to Burlington is a win-win deal for all of us!

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By: Turk182

Turk182 — Sat, 29 Dec 2012 23:29:01 +0000

But Robb, I think that’s part of the point. Toronto by its very nature requires compromises that smaller cities, towns, and rural areas may not need or even think of. There’s a lot of room for windmills along lake Huron, not so many along Lake Ontario — but we still need electricity in Toronto, don’t we? And even our most conservative plans still have to fit another million people into the city within a few decades, so the density must go up significantly. More compromise.

This is true in the suburbs as well. Don’t think NIMBYism doesn’t hamper business in Mississauga, or Oakville, or Markham. The entire GTA — from end to end to end — must make massive changes in the coming years. Compromise MUST be the order of the day, NIMBYism be damned.

We should remember that The Grid is specifically geared to the core of the city. And that’s okay. The Star is a big newspaper, and is allowed to cover issues that matter to readers on both sides of Bloor. Likewise, the article on reviving hockey in Malton is a good read, even though I don’t live in Malton.

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