Toronto-west needs good jobs not condos

In late 2013 the 60-year-old Mr.Christie’s Bakery facility at Lake Shore West is set to close and by doing so take 550 good jobs from the community.

To make matters worse the missing production will be spread across existing facilities but the jobs will not, which means the employees losing their jobs next year will be in tight competition with other laid off factory workers across Ontario for the ever-dwindling supply of industrial jobs which provide a livable income.

Trading jobs of the 99% for condos of the 1%
Why is the factory closing? One of the reasons given by Mondelez Canada (the factories owners) was that changing residential landscape had led to production constraints. What this means is that because of the massive encroachment of condo development in the area the 27-acre property was now “in the way” but also incredibly valuable.

Mondelez Canada has made clear they hope to rezone the 27-acre property from employment to residential land. As Councillor Peter Milczyn said: “They have already submitted documents to the planning department looking at changing it. They’re already showing a development concept with 27 condo towers on it.”

In other words,  Mondelez Canada wants to ditch 550 good jobs and 27 acres of employment-zoned land (which guarantees no possibility of similar jobs ever coming back) for 27 condos. This is absurd.  We are in no way short of condos and in everyway short of good jobs, as one worker who has worked at the factory for 21 years summed it up: “In a way, I understand. It’s all about money. People mean nothing. Cash is king.”

The factory has been around for nearly a century, and the factory workers have vowed to fight the closure. The rest of the 99% should support them.

What we can do:
Contact Councillor Anna Bailao and let her know that the rezoning of the land threatens the long-term viability of those jobs, and that you want our community to have good jobs not condos.
*Email councillor_bailao@toronto.ca
*Call Councillor Bailao at 416-392-7012