Stop Spadina: Save our City Commemorative Plaque, 2010
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Resource ID
4958
Access
Open
Address
393 Bloor Street West, Toronto, ON M5S 2J4
Credit Line
Heritage Toronto
Date of Creation
2010
Historical Themes
Program Category
Rights
Heritage Toronto
Time Period
Caption
Stop Spadina: Save our City Commemorative Plaque, 2010
Description
This is one of three plaques commemorating the Spadina Expressway. For many people, the Spadina Expressway was necessary for Toronto to adapt to modern needs. For others, it promised only the destruction of homes and parks, more traffic congestion, and pollutants from automobile exhaust.
Citizen-led efforts against the expressway grew into the "Stop Spadina Save Our City Coordinating Committee" in 1969. This committee argued that the negative impact of the expressway and its soaring costs were not justified by a faster drive to and from downtown Toronto - itself a short-term gain because increasing traffic from suburban and urban growth would soon overwhelm and clog the expressway. The committee argued instead for better public transit.
The Stop Spadina committee could not convince Metropolitan Toronto Council to cancel the expressway, and then lost a legal challenge in 1970 to cut off funding for its completion. A final appeal to the Government of Ontario, however, was a stunning success. Amidst great controversy Premier William Davis cancelled the Spadina Expressway on June 3, 1971.
Marker lat / long: 43.6666, -79.403598 (WGS84)