“Whenever they hear a storm is coming they get this feeling in their stomach of pure worry,” says Chiara Padovani, who lives in Rockcliffe-Smythe, a delicate flood plain on the banks of Black Creek. They have reason to worry. Using a zoning loophole, the city has approved the sale of a large plot here to St. Helen’s Meat Packers, which plans to build a storage facility on the green space, impeding the land’s ability to absorb storm water. According to a vocal group of angry residents, outdated regulations shouldn’t trump basic science, or safety.
andrew reeves 