Toronto doesn't have enough money to repair the Islands this year
The City of Toronto is more than $5 million short of what it will take to repair the flood-ravaged Islands and other public waterfront areas damaged by last spring and summer's high water levels.
An estimated $7.4 million worth of damage was done to our city's waterfront parks by the time they emerged from Lake Ontario after nearly three months underwater in August.
The city's preliminary 2018 budget, however, allocates only $2 million to repair work on that front.
Putting off Toronto Islands repairs could lead to disaster. More damage to the island has likely been done due to the deep freeze freezing floodwaters. We must harden our island so we can continue to enjoy it every summer. Thank you for standing up for it @PaulaFletcher30 #TOpoli https://t.co/T0mnlcxgru
— Waterfront for All (@Waterfront4All) January 10, 2018
But this doesn't mean the islands won't be up and running this summer, or that repairs won't happen.
Ward 30 councillor Paula Fletcher says she'll be pushing for more money to fix the damage in full. This will include everything from repairing paths to installing permanent water pumps on the Islands, according to CBC News.
There's also the fact that many priority repair projects have already been completed, and thus would not be factored into 2018's budget.
Jesse Milns
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