Etobicoke residents hope to save cinema from condo development
CBC
Etobicoke residents are coming together to save a local Cineplex theatre from being replaced by proposed condo towers.
Property management company Talisker Corporation has submitted an application to the City of Toronto proposing to build 12 towers in place of the cinema, including 10 mixed-use residential towers rising as high as 46 storeys.
"We took our kids here to these screens to see these movies and introduce them to cinema culture in general, and we're not going to have that opportunity anymore," says local resident James Dean.
If the cinema is demolished, community members say the next option available to them is travelling to a theatre in downtown Toronto or Mississauga.
Dean says the city needs more rentals and affordable family units, rather than expensive one or two-bedroom apartments.
"Single unit condos are not the future of this city," he said.
CBC Toronto has reached out to Talisker Corporation for comment.
City councillor Amber Morley, who represents Etobicoke—Lakeshore, said any decision on the future of the cinema could take years, as the project needs to get city approval before redevelopment happens.
She said Talisker Corporation owns the land that the cinema is on. If the application is successful, Morley said the company's proposal indicates the redevelopment would be done in phases, and the cinema would be the last to be redeveloped.
In a statement to CBC Toronto, Cineplex communications coordinator Alannah O'Farrell said the cinema is one of its busiest locations with 20 screens.
"We have a long-term lease in place at this location, with no plans to relocate, and appreciate the overwhelming support we continue to receive from the community," O'Farrell said.
An online petition calling to save the cinema has more than 6,000 signatures. The cinema has been in the community since 2001.
Ann Botelho started the petition. She says the community has a lot of memories tied to the cinema.
Every time her family visits the cinema, she said they take photobooth pictures and display them on their fridge.
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