Comment Submitted to:…

Comment Submitted to: Environmental Registry of Ontario number 019-9080

Dear Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing:

RE: Municipal request for a Minister’s Zoning Order for mixed-use residential development in the City of Toronto ERO number 019-9080

I am writing on behalf of XTL Transport Inc. (“XTL”), in opposition to the Municipal request for a Minister’s Zoning Order ERO number 019-9080, which represents the address of 65 Rexdale Blvd in Etobicoke North (1).

XTL Transport Inc, is a nearly 40 year old Transport, Logistics & Distribution company that employs over 850 people nationally. We have been headquartered at 75 Rexdale Boulevard since 1991. In late 2021, we signed our fourth consecutive 10-year lease on this location, which remains the employment home to nearly 220 of our employees, many of whom reside in the surrounding area and have been with us for multiple decades.

Our facility at 75 Rexdale Blvd. is situated next to a major Toronto Hydro Facility (71 Rexdale Blvd) and they are directly adjacent to the proposed site for this re-zoning application.

XTL is opposed to the request to convert this land to a residential site and strongly supports to maintain the site as employment lands on the grounds that XTL’s essential services facilitate the movement of goods for the communities of Toronto and relies on the close proximity of the 401 to be effective. In addition to the proximity of the 401 as a critical piece of infrastructure that supports our business, is the CN rail siding that feeds our distribution facility with raw materials that serve essential industries such as manufacturing, food and beverage, and consumer packaged goods. Therefore, this employment land should be protected as outlined in the (new) Provincial Policy Statement 2024, referenced below.

Provincial Policy Statement 2024
2.8.2 Employment Areas
1. Planning authorities shall plan for, protect and preserve employment areas for current and future uses, and ensure that the necessary infrastructure is provided to support current and projected needs.
2. Planning authorities shall protect employment areas that are located in proximity to major goods movement facilities and corridors, including facilities and corridors identified in provincial transportation plans, for the employment area uses that require those locations.

The longstanding and established industry in this area together with the heavy vehicle traffic associated with a large trucking terminal that frequently accesses the 401 via Islington Ave. properly renders this as an Employment Area. The nature of our business is one that generates heavy 24-hour truck traffic at upwards of 200+ truck movements per day, 365 days per year. XTL Transport also continues to grow at an average annual rate of 8-10%, so the daily truck movements will also continue to grow at this rate to over 300+ movements in the next 5 years. This has a significant implication for noise and dust that may be problematic for residential areas.
Another major concern relates to Safety & Congestion. We have high volume of heavy commercial vehicles accessing 75 Rexdale Blvd and the 401. They need space and time to operate safely. Residential car traffic and pedestrians are not a good mix and put everyone's safety at risk. We are already experiencing higher levels of frustration and complaints from drivers who are having to deal with significant increase in traffic and distracted public accessing the newly developed Costco and Retail complex. It is therefore, in our opinion this area that is zoned as an employment area, is already too residential and compromising the efficiency of the industrial businesses.
There are already safety issues with overflow from the existing place of worship, many attendees are already parking illegally in fire routes and on private drives in order to access 65 Rexdale. XTL and Toronto Hydro have filed numerous complaints, hired security on days of worship and the city is not able to respond in a timely manner.
In conclusion, due to current and future reliance on our proximity to Highway 401 and CN’s rail line as necessary infrastructure for the successful operation of XTL’s essential services, and the movement of goods for the city of Toronto, we request that the current employment area be protected and preserved according to the Provincial Policy outlined above. We urge the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing to refuse the proposed Municipal request for a Minister’s Zoning Order ERO number 019-9080, which represents the address of 65 Rexdale Blvd in Etobicoke North (1).
I have also attached some photos to provide a strong visual for the area and highlight our concern for this residential development proposal.
Thank you for your consideration. Should you have any questions, or wish to discuss further, please feel free to contact me.

Sincerely,

Craig Germain
Chief Operating Officer
XTL Transport Inc.