The controversial playground at Mooney's Bay is moving forward.
On Wednesday, city council voted against a motion from River Ward councilor Riley Brockington that could have delayed construction on the structure, bringing calls of "shame" from some in the gallery.
"Normally this council stands for open and transparent process," says Karin Howard, a former city councilor.
"Well apparently not. This city hall can be bought with $1 million."
The playground is a partnership between the city and Sinking Ship Productions, a company that produces the show Giver on TVO. Both sides are contributing $1 million each, but some residents feel overlooked.
"Whether or not you think that a play structure should go there, the citizens should have had a say in that kind of project," says Linda Payne, who's part of the Save Mooney's Bay group.
There are others who are looking forward to it.
"My 7-year-old turned to me and said adults are nutty," says area resident John-Paul Cody-Cox.
"This is a playground. This is not a condo, this is not a mega mall, this is a playground."
When it's done, the structure will cover over 4,700 square metres, more than half the size of a Canadian football field. It's going to be shaped like Canada, with a different theme for each province.
Kids, families and volunteers will be filmed during the construction of the playground for the next season of Giver. The city says no confidentiality agreement was in place during the process, but Brockington is hoping to make sure a situation like this doesn't happen again.
"If we get into these positions with large parks again, whether there's confidential negotiations...there must be a concurrent public information or consultation process."
Kids, families and volunteers who want to be involved in the project can attend a meeting with Sinking Ship productions on June 1st, but a location hasn't yet been set.
