School Kids Star in Video Protest Against 75 Dublin Development

Perhaps taking inspiration from the young kids that came out for protecting local water resources at Committee-of-the-Whole last week, neighbours against the proposed apartment development at 75 Dublin Street North have made a video featuring Central Public School students who are not eager to learn and play in the shadow of a five-story building.

A new video's been released by opponents to the development at 75 Dublin St featuring school children from Central Public School in the hopes that it might persuade City council and staff to proceed no further with the building. "There’s no way I could get my five-year-old in front of Council to express how much he would be affected by this giant building overshadowing his little playground," said School Council Greening Committee Chair Jennifer Jupp. "This video project allows kids to show the effort he and his school family have put into greening their playground and to ask Council to respect and protect that."

Parents and kids are concerned for a number of reasons including the fact that a development as tall as the one proposed will cast the school yard into shadow throughout the day in the winter months, and that the proximity of the building means that apartments will look down directly onto the playground.

"The proposed condominium is a threat to recent efforts by parents, staff and students to make the outdoor spaces at Central as green and friendly as possible," added Catherine Killen, parent of two children at Central. "The playground is small and mostly concrete, now they want to make it cold and dark, too? What the school really needs is more green space, like a park or playing field. It does not need to be further closed in."

The Dublin St development comes up for approval at the November 28 meeting of city council.