Take Action. Join Us. Monday December 1st 2025. City Planning Meeting from 6-8PM at 125 Evelyn Crescent. Western Tech Auditorium, Entrance 14.
Protect High Park North
Two 40 storey towers at 21 - 29 Oakmount Rd & 26 - 36 Mountview Ave are being proposed in the heart of our neighbourhood. Massive skyscrapers – to be the tallest in the west end of Toronto. These Towers could permanently alter the skyline and High Park’s ecological system and watershed; strain local infrastructure especially the subway system, and overshadow our small-scale residential urban fabric. We need your voice to protect and save our community and keep the High Park’s legacy intact.
Save an Environmentally Sensitive Area
High Park is the gem of the city of Toronto. Rich with a canopy of trees, one of the largest parks in the city, close proximity to 3 commercial ‘villages’, with access to 2 TTC subway stations and a quiet, safe neighbourhood. The High Park North Coalition (HPNC) was formed as a not-for-profit advocacy group to help protect the neighbourhood against massive, overdevelopment that threatens High Park’s ecosystem, watershed, commute to work, the children in surrounding schools, the extermination of rare black oak trees, and overall quality of life for all the people and living creatures within the neighbourhood. The proposed skyscrapers risk overburdening the sewage system, potentially causing sewage overflow into High Park’s streams and ponds and permanently damaging its ecosystem forever. The Ontario’ Ministry of Environment, Conservation and Parks has confirmed that this site is located within an area designated as a Highly Vulnerable Aquifer (HVA).
RAIN RUNOFF, AQUIFER & SEWAGE
The proposed two 40-storey skyscrapers would replace absorbent soil with impermeable cement, doubling water runoff into sewers, roads, the park, and possibly the subway. This could cause flooding, unstable soils, and new sinkholes in low-capacity areas.
The addition of about 2,000 residents risks overloading the century-old Combined Sewer System, which carries both sewage and stormwater through a single narrow pipe to wastewater treatment plants. The towers might also sit atop a major aquifer, possibly larger than the Oak Ridges Moraine, part of Ontario’s protected Greenbelt.
INFRASTRUCTURE
The proposed large-scale development — two 40-storey towers atop a 6-storey podium, totalling 873 units — may substantially increase demand on local infrastructure. Potable water systems may be strained, and if the existing mains or pumps are undersized, residents could experience lower water pressure and service interruptions.
The additional units at this development could generate significantly more wastewater and stormwater runoff, especially due to the increase of impermeable cement surfaces of the towers. This could overload the local sewer system, increasing the risk of backups or necessitating major infrastructure improvements. Lastly, the towers’ high electrical demand — driven by elevators, heat and A/C systems, and lighting — may exceed the capacity of existing transformers or the local grid, potentially requiring upgrades and possibly higher utility costs.
AFFORDABLE HOUSING
We agree, Toronto needs affordable housing. True affordability, however, will not be achieved by approving massive, luxury-oriented skyscrapers such as this, that overshadow the existing community, strain already - at capacity – infrastructure, and overload local services such as schools, parks, and transit. The developer is seeking over 20 zoning variances — far above the usual one or two— from the City of Toronto to push this project through. High-rises are expensive to build, and those costs drive rents up, not down. True affordability should mean integrating new housing into communities — not replacing them. Smaller, human-scale buildings integrate better with existing neighbourhoods, preserve a sense of place, and can be built faster and at lower cost than luxury towers.
SHADE
The two proposed skyscrapers will likely dramatically alter the community’s visual and environmental character, casting long shadows that cool and darken nearby homes, yards, sidewalks, and park areas—harming plant growth, tree health, and overall livability. City policy warns that new shadows on parks or low-rise areas must be minimized. What is clear, is that towers of this scale simply do not belong beside High Park or within a low-rise ‘Neighbourhood’ setting. Once built, their impact on light, comfort, and quality of life for nearby residents, High Park and its environment would be permanent.
WIND
The developer’s own wind study confirms that the proposed skyscrapers would create stronger, unsafe winds at street level, with severe gusts from downwashing, corner acceleration, and wind tunnelling. These effects could make sidewalks, roads, entrances, and nearby yards uncomfortable, slippery - and even dangerous - especially in spring and winter. On Mountview Avenue, three areas are deemed unsafe, with wind gusts recorded over 90 km/h—strong enough to knock over a small child. The danger is amplified by Mountview’s steep slope, making these conditions even more hazardous. This is not just about comfort but about public safety and livability for people who walk, play or gather nearby.
HEAT DOME
The urban heat island (UHI) effect — driven by the replacement of natural landscapes with heat-absorbing materials like concrete and asphalt — intensifies these events and poses risks to public health. Concrete surfaces retain heat while in contrast, trees and other vegetation act as buffers, intercepting and absorbing solar radiation to cool the surrounding environment.
What measures should be taken by developers to reduce heat absorption and radiation for high rises? Strategies include reflective roofing and façades, high- performance insulation, cool or reflective paving, smart HVAC systems, green roofs, vertical gardens, shading structures, and increased tree planting. This development proposal has none of the strategies mentioned to reduce the heat dome effect.
LAND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
We acknowledge the land on which we meet is the traditional territory of many nations including the Mississaugas of the Credit, the Anishnabeg, the Haudenosaunee and the Wendat peoples, and is now home to many diverse First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples. We also acknowledge that Toronto is covered by Treaty 13 with the Mississaugas of the Credit. High Park lies within the “Dish With One Spoon” territory where, under the Wampum Belt Covenant, we all share from One Dish and One Spoon, thereby ensuring the Dish never empties. As settlers we now cherish this area of Toronto as our neighbourhood and are grateful to have the opportunity to live in the community, on this territory.