David Soknacki
Record at Downsview Park
- achieved approval for the next generation of planning permissions for the Downsview Park lands. This allows the Park to be created on a sustainable financial foundation
- obtained Board and federal Government support for a Park vision that will exceed requirements for the public realm, create jobs and new educational opportunities, plus build new communities
- participated with residents and other stakeholders in over 100 meetings called specifically to manage change
Record at City Council
Finance
- responsible for three operating and capital budgets
- responsible for an improved financial planning and budget process
Job Creation
- responsible for the City's property tax reform for business and tenants, and for the establishment of the Mayor's Economic Competitiveness Advisory Panel
Governance
- initiated new policies against nepotism at Toronto City Hall, and to establish more open governance in Scarborough
Environmental Stewardship
- responsible for new provincial legislation for Toronto’s largest endowment for the environment, and its operation on solid new foundations. Established a subcommittee of experts who have achieved rates of return for environmental programs well above the rate of inflation
Culture
- responsible for the creation of Toronto's Poet Laureate
Safety
- responsible for allocating the funding to build and operate Police Division 43 in eastern Scarborough
Ward Responsibilities
- implemented a customer service satisfaction program in which 94.4% of residents reported they were 'satisfied' or 'very satisfied' with constituency services
Explaining Park Plans
Faced with detailed reports, competing political claims and the reality of construction, neighbours have many questions about the future of Downsview Park. A fair part of my time as Board Chairman is to work with stakeholders to a achieve a vision that is generally acceptable.
To put Downsview Park's plans in context, an artist's renderings show the future. The full set of pictures can be found on the Downsview Park site.
Above is a drawing of the Park's main water feature, next to the Keele St boardwalk. Below the drawing is a photo from the summer of 2011. It shows construction at the water's edge on the circuit path.