11-16-2015, 03:40 PM
I think this was a left hand not talking to the right hand issue. As I recall, the Family Centre needed to move (or was being built). There was likely a series of needs that needed to considered including the budget for rent. I'm not familiar with the space, so I'm not sure what they needed. While transit would likely have been one of their priorities, the other financial and size issues could have constrained their choices. Likewise, the facility might have been useful if it had been located in something like the former courthouse on Weber Street, however at the time that move was needed or construction was built, the court house could have been unavailable for repurposing.
Similarly, I wonder if the Region (plus Cities and Townships) are able to update their decision matrices to factor in access to transit. Is there a point (and a program for that matter), where someone could say, "All right, we'll ask the Region/City/Township to subsidize the rent (or even outright buy a building in question) in order to get the location we need rather than settling for something on the outskirts". I believe the Food Bank had a similar situation where they were located close to transit but then the bus route was moved further away.
Similarly, I wonder if the Region (plus Cities and Townships) are able to update their decision matrices to factor in access to transit. Is there a point (and a program for that matter), where someone could say, "All right, we'll ask the Region/City/Township to subsidize the rent (or even outright buy a building in question) in order to get the location we need rather than settling for something on the outskirts". I believe the Food Bank had a similar situation where they were located close to transit but then the bus route was moved further away.