https://www.niagar...sightly-buildings/ What is it with Niagara and it's proud moments. Everyone in the city (at least the ones I talk to) KNEW that this would happen. Why would train riders wanna see that Mayor Smiley? Just waiting for that opportune moment to raze that whole area? Coincidentally when money for the GO starts flowing? hmmm?
RIP to the following:
Downtown Historical buildings
The displaced low incomers
Silvertown
"They're letting (buildings) rot, decay, fall down, and creating not only danger, but an unsightly downtown. I think it's embarrassing and disgusting when you get off a train or a bus and you look at some of those buildings. I think it's deplorable, and we've given these landlords years. We've given them financial incentives. We've given them time, and we've even created incentives with the GO train and Ryerson, and some of them have not lifted a finger."
Instead of revitalization the city will gladly and constantly destroy something so they can make it flashy and fun for other peoples hard earned cash, granted absentee landlords are idiots. BUT, at no point did the city offer any other options in terms of revitalization. If you knew you were dealing with a absentee landlord or whatever the case may have been, why would you keep giving them an out? Could it have been that the price was right for them and you were just buying time until you could safely pay someone to torch it? OR until you got your train? Well the trains there, fire up them machines!
Diodati said when it comes to expropriation, landowners are paid "the full value of the building according to appraisers, not speculators."
Fuckin speculators could just be the people you tend to ignore in the city, like the ones who give a shit about the cities beginnings, you want the cash to fix them? Look at the taxes you're charging people to live there!