Is Downtown Toronto a Suitable Place for Families?

In comments made to a stunned city council, and repeated to reporters afterwards, Holyday derided those who choose to raise children in downtown Toronto, "as he passionately argued against forcing a condo developer to include family-friendly three-bedroom units in a proposed 47-storey building at King St. W. and John St," reports Daniel Dale. His comments brought fierce pushback from the city's acting chief planner, Gregg Lintern, and Josh Matlow, a midtown councillor.  

According to Architecture and Urban Issues columnist Christopher Hume, Holyday's comments are even more opprobrious when considering the findings of a new report prepared by the Pembina Institute and the Royal Bank, which, "found an overwhelming majority of GTA [Greater Toronto Area] residents would rather live in a city or a suburb with city-like attributes."

Writes Hume: "Holyday became a laughingstock last week when he declared downtown a bad place to raise a family. His ignorance and anti-urban prejudice help explain why Toronto is fast falling behind other North American cities."

You can find a collection of letters directed to Holyday authored by outraged downtown families on the downtown kids blog.