A lady known for loving shoes was probably one of the only obstacles U of T hadn’t considered when planning new residences to accommodate the massive influx of new students expected when grade 13 is eliminated at the end of next year.
But Sonja Bata, founder of the Bata Shoe Museum, has emerged as the main opponent to the construction of a new Woodsworth College residence at the corner of St. George and Bloor. Student officials say Bata is unnecessarily slowing plans for badly needed student housing and may cost the university millions as it seeks other ways to honour its long-standing promise to accommodate all first-year students. In presentations to the Ontario Municipal Board (OMB), which will decide the issue, the chairperson of the Bata Shoe Museum Foundation contends she opposes the construction of the residence on aesthetic grounds, not because she does not want a student residence across the street. According to Sheldon Levy, Vice President of Government and Institutional Relations at U of T, the old residence at the corner of Bloor and St. George streets was in a deplorable state and a new residence is essential to house the influx of new students.
Aside from its small size, the old residence had extremely poor heating, doors that couldn’t properly close and toilets that leaked to the floors below—to name just a few problems.
The proposed new residence would include a 4-storey base and a 13-storey tower at the northwest corner of the site and would create a new gateway for the university, said Paul Kendal, SAC deputy University Affairs Commissioner.
But Bata wonders whether the design for the new residence creates an appropriate gateway.
“The high rise glass tower with a sheer wall down to St. George Street is just a foreign element. It stands out like a monument,” she said.
She also doubts whether this is a good urban design and streetscape. “These are all aesthetic design issues, where we are trying to keep the neighbourhood very pleasant,” Bata said.
Kendal countered that “students need housing and worrying about the aesthetics of the building should come secondary to the primary goal of getting housing for students.”
He says Bata has indicated in the past that she would prefer only grad students in the area, or, better yet, condominiums and other luxury developments like those on Bloor between Avenue and Yonge.
However, Bata says such statements are “absolute nonsense,” and vehemently denies that she dislikes first-year students.
“I believe you should have a mixture,” she said. “First-year students bring a certain vitality to a university.”
Student housing is very important, Bata said, but she is also concerned that the new building would create a wind tunnel at the street corner and produce various shadows which, depending on the time of the year, could directly affect the museum.
The university disagrees. “We don’t believe it is a significant problem,” said Levy.
In an attempt at compromise, Bata has suggested moving the tower to the northeastern corner of the building or widening the building and creating two smaller towers, which, she says, could accommodate the same number of students.
The university has declined these proposals. Levy feels that changing the design of the residence could alienate supporters of the current design.
He also added that these proposals are not in the best interest for what they are trying to achieve for the students.
The Ontario Municipal Board will reach a decision on the residence in three to four weeks. Meanwhile, the threat of a lack of accommodation for first-year students during the double cohort year still looms, while the university has been left with a large bill to house students off campus at the Primrose Hotel.
“Between the Primrose and Nurse’s College…where University College has some students, it’s costing U of T over a million dollars per year to subsidize them being there,” said Kendal.
“Money which could obviously be spent to better use.”
