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36-541: The federal agency, Design Canada, closed in 1985, followed by the University of Toronto's (soon rescinded) announcement in 1986 that its school of architecture was to be shut down. In 1983, the Toronto Stock Exchange moved out of 234 Bay Street, which was a designated heritage property since 1978. Olympia and York (O&Y) purchased the building. A study commissioned by O&Y indicated that there

72-504: A by-election as a Progressive Conservative candidate that gave him a seat in the House of Commons of Canada . Crombie served as Minister of Health and Welfare in the short-lived minority government of Prime Minister Joe Clark which was elected in 1979 but lost power the next year. Crombie stood as a candidate at the 1983 Progressive Conservative leadership convention . He finished fourth. After Mulroney led Conservatives to power in

108-818: A charity, to continue the work of the provincial agency, and serves on the Board. In addition to leading work on the creation of the Great Lakes Waterfront Trail, the charity manages a fund for the protection and restoration of the Rouge Valley, now part of the Rouge National Urban Park. Crombie tried to find an alternative to Red Hill Creek Expressway but the Hamilton city council dismissed his compromise proposal out of hand as being insufficient. In September 1979, Crombie,

144-794: A contemporary refresh. [REDACTED] Media related to Design Exchange at Wikimedia Commons Olympia and York Olympia & York (also spelled as Olympia and York , abbreviated as O&Y ) was a major international property development firm based in Toronto , Ontario, Canada. The firm built major financial office complexes including Canary Wharf in London, the World Financial Center in New York City, and First Canadian Place in Toronto. It went bankrupt in

180-437: A deal that attracted much controversy because it earned the company multimillion-dollar tax breaks. Following a highly publicized legal battle with Britain's Allied Lyons PLC for control of Canadian-based distillers Hiram Walker - Gooderham and Worts Distillery , the makers of the popular Canadian Club brand of rye whiskey , in 1987 Olympia & York became Allied Lyons' largest shareholder. In March 1992, Paul Reichmann

216-589: A deep recession, and Olympia & York, which was now the largest property holder in Manhattan , began to feel cash flow problems which deeply affected the pyramid-like financing strategy that the Reichmann brothers had adopted. As well, they held a significant shareholding in the Royal Trustco . Both Reichmann brothers were strongly religious Haredi Jews , and shut down their construction sites for

252-481: A leader in a grassroots movement that favoured curtailing development in favour of improving social services and prioritizing community interests. Crombie was elected to Toronto's city council in 1970, and became Mayor of Toronto in 1972, ushering in an era of socially responsible urban development inspired by thinkers such as Jane Jacobs . Crombie was the first mayor who represented the reform movement of Toronto politics, and his policies differed sharply from those of

288-567: A liberal-minded reformer, as Minister of Health and Welfare under the Conservative government Prime Minister Joe Clark, issued a statement representing "current Federal Government practice and policy in the field of Indian health." Crombie declared that the "Federal Government is committed to joining with Indian representatives in a fundamental review of issues involved in Indian health when Indian representatives have developed their position, and

324-425: A major gamble, winning the fierce bidding war for the final undeveloped property at the corner of King and Bay street (the geographic heart of Canada's financial district). The Reichmans won the contract to build Canada's tallest building, First Canadian Place in 1971. The project almost collapsed, however, when reformist mayor David Crombie put a halt to major development projects. After three years of lobbying,

360-554: A personal promise by Margaret Thatcher , the London Underground line known as the Jubilee Line Extension was delayed in construction awaiting the contributions from Olympia & York (with the line eventually opening in the year 2000). The office space at Canary Wharf remained largely empty, and Olympia & York began to run out of cash. At the same time, New York City and its real estate market began

396-638: A provincial agency, the Waterfront Regeneration Trust Agency (1992-1999) to implement the 83 recommendations made in the final report, Regeneration. Among these recommendations was the creation of a waterfront trail. Today the Great Lakes Waterfront Trail extends from Quebec to Sault Ste Marie along Canada's Great Lakes and the St. Lawrence River. In 1999, Crombie founded the Waterfront Regeneration Trust, as

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432-539: A solution to keep unfunded school swimming pools open to the public. In 2014 he publicly opposed plans by the federally run Toronto Port Authority to lengthen runways at Billy Bishop Airport on the Toronto Islands to enable Porter Airlines to expand with jet planes. On May 13, 2004, Crombie was appointed an Officer of the Order of Canada . In 2012, he was made a member of the Order of Ontario . In 2013, he

468-693: The 1984 election , Crombie became Minister of Indian and Northern Affairs, and later Secretary of State and Minister of Multiculturalism. Frustrated in Ottawa, as a Red Tory in an increasingly conservative government, Crombie decided not to run in the 1988 election and returned to urban affairs as head of the royal commission on the Future of Toronto's waterfront (1988–92). He authored ground-breaking reports including Watershed' and Regeneration , which described new integrated approaches to sustainable planning. The Provincial Government appointed Crombie as head of

504-521: The Canary Wharf site in the east of London. The 83-acre (336,000 m ) site would become the largest development project in the world, which would incorporate One Canada Square , Britain's tallest skyscraper at the time. The project ran into problems, however. Britain entered a recession, British firms were unwilling to relocate from the traditional financial centre within the City of London , and despite

540-542: The Jewish Sabbath and for all Jewish holidays. Even while the success of O&Y made them one of the world's richest families, they continued to live relatively austere lives. The company diversified through the 1980s. The firm acquired a 50.1% control of Brinco Ltd. in 1980. In 1981, the company acquired an 82% controlling interest in Abitibi-Price Inc. In 1985 the company bought Gulf Canada ,

576-517: The Design Exchange became the home of Elevate, a Canadian not-for-profit that operates an annual tech festival. In 2022, the Design Exchange re-opened as an event venue with over 3,700 square metres (40,000 sq ft). The Design Exchange was renovated and reopened to the public in April 2023. The renovated space was redesigned to pay tribute to the building's architecture while providing

612-545: The Design Exchange came under the directorship of Shauna Levy, and began to operate exclusively as a design museum. In 2015, DX was organizing exhibitions in other locations, such as Smarter.Faster.Tougher. , an exhibition about the design of sportswear. In 2017, the Design Exchange launched a 10-day festival called Expo for Design, Innovation & Technology (EDIT), in partnership with the United Nations Development Programme . The festival

648-630: The Old Guard who preceded him. Much of Crombie's time as mayor was spent trying to rein in the development industry. He initially imposed a 45-foot (13.7 m) limit on all new constructions, but this was overturned by the Ontario Municipal Board . Crombie then put forward a new official plan that imposed varying height restrictions across the city, and this was upheld by the board. The Spadina Expressway had been halted by premier Bill Davis in 1971, but Davis continued to support

684-663: The construction of the Allen Expressway in the north. Crombie attempted but failed to have it halted. He was more successful in countering plans for the Scarborough Expressway; all work was halted during Crombie's term, leading to its eventual cancellation. Crombie also opposed the traditional pattern of demolishing poorer neighbourhoods and replacing them with housing projects . The plans to redevelop areas such as Trefann Court , Kensington Market , and Cabbagetown ended under Crombie. Instead, he oversaw

720-513: The creation of the St. Lawrence neighbourhood, an area of mid-rise, mixed-use, mixed-income buildings that followed Jane Jacobs's vision of urban planning. Crombie was re-elected in 1974 and 1976 with large majorities. Because of his great public appeal and his height of only 5 feet 5 inches (1.65 m), he was repeatedly described in the media as the city's "tiny, perfect mayor". He left City Hall in 1978 to move to federal politics, winning

756-499: The delivery of healthcare programs and that an "annual sum of $ 950,000 was allocated for distribution by the National Indian Brotherhood to develop health consultation structures within the national Indian community." Crombie's successor as Liberal Minister of Health and Welfare, Monique Begin, adopted Berger's recommendations, ushering in the beginning of a change in the way in which health delivery. Crombie

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792-475: The early 1990s and was recreated to eventually become Olympia & York Properties. The company was founded by Paul Reichmann and his brothers, Albert and Ralph, in Toronto in the early 1950s as an outgrowth of their Olympia Flooring and Tile Company . It first built and operated warehouses and other commercial buildings in Toronto. Its first major project was the development of the vast Flemingdon Park project on Don Mills Road . The company then took

828-558: The environmental health hazards of mercury and fluoride pollution affecting particular communities." Crombie appointed Gary Goldthorpe, as commissioner of the federal inquiry (known as the Goldthorpe Inquiry) into "alleged abuses in medical care delivery at Alert Bay, British Columbia." In 1979 Justice Thomas Berger , who headed the royal commission dealing with Indian and Inuit healthcare, recommended to Crombie that there be greater consultation with Indians and Inuit regarding

864-514: The now prosperous Canary Wharf project. However, they no longer have large holdings in New York City. Many of the NYC properties are now under Brookfield Properties . A list of notable O&Y current and previous ownership properties: Following the collapse of Olympia and York, the Reichmanns began to rebuild their empire. Olympia & York Properties Corporation and O&Y REIT returned to

900-702: The policy emerging from that review could supersede this policy". In the previous year, Indian bands and organizations such as the Union of B.C. Chiefs, the Native Brotherhood, and the United Native Nations engaged in intense lobbying for Indians to control delivery of health services in their own communities and for the repeal of restrictive service "guidelines introduced in September 1978, to correct abuses in health delivery, and to deal with

936-472: The project finally went ahead, to great success. In the 1980s, Olympia & York grew to be the largest property development firm in the world. In the early 1980s the New York City real estate market was severely depressed, and the Reichmanns bought a group of nine skyscrapers for the low price of $ 300 million. In only a few years the group rose in value to $ 3.5 billion. The company became centred on New York, opening an office on Park Avenue . The company won

972-454: The real estate market in Canada, owning 18 properties in six Canadian cities. In 2005 the family sold these two real estate arms to revive Brookfield Properties for $ 2.1 billion. David Crombie David Edward Crombie PC OC OOnt (born April 24, 1936) is a former Canadian academic and politician who served as the 56th mayor of Toronto from 1972 to 1978. Crombie

1008-550: The rights to the largest development project in the city when they were awarded the contract to develop the Battery Park City neighborhood next to the World Trade Center . This project became the World Financial Center and was another great success for the firm. In 1980, they had also acquired English Property Corp, one of the largest British developers. That led the company to undertake development of

1044-454: Was a lecturer in politics and urban affairs at Ryerson in the 1960s when he became involved in Toronto 's urban reform movement. At the time, the city had a very pro-development city council that allowed a great deal of demolition of older buildings, including houses, to make way for the construction of apartment blocks, office towers, and highways (see Spadina Expressway ). Crombie, along with John Sewell and other urban reformers, became

1080-585: Was appointed Ryerson's first chancellor in 1994 when the polytechnic was granted university status. He served in that role until 1999. Throughout the 1990s, he served in various advisory capacities to city and provincial governments relating to urban issues in the Toronto area. In 2007 he retired as CEO of the Canadian Urban Institute. In April 2008, the Toronto District School Board selected Crombie to negotiate

1116-572: Was elected to Parliament following his tenure as mayor. A member of the Progressive Conservative (PC) Party , he served as minister of national health and welfare from 1979 to 1980, minister of Indian affairs and northern development from 1984 to 1986, and secretary of state for Canada from 1986 to 1988. Crombie was born in Swansea , then a village west of Toronto, the son of Vera Edith (Beamish) and Norman Davis Crombie. He

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1152-462: Was forced to resign as president. In May, the company filed for bankruptcy and it owed over 20 billion dollars to various banks and investors. The company was finally dismembered in February 1993, and the Reichmanns were left with only a small rump known as Olympia & York Properties Corporation. The new company has again grown into a multibillion-dollar firm, including retaining a large stake of

1188-514: Was held in East Harbour, an old soap factory. In 2019, the DX gave Razor Suleman the position of chief executive officer (CEO), effective immediately. The Design Exchange's collection was deaccessioned in the same year, with the institution ceasing operation of its design museum. The closure of the museum saw the Design Exchange's efforts reoriented towards the biennial EDIT event. Also in 2019,

1224-1128: Was inducted into the Canadian Disability Hall of Fame . Crombie serves on the Governors' Council of the Toronto Public Library Foundation, the Honorary Council for the Loran Scholars Foundation , and the boards of CivicAction and the Planet in Focus Foundation. In addition, Crombie is a member of the Patron's Council at Dying with Dignity Canada. He also serves on the advisory boards of the Ryerson Image Centre and CARP Canada. A park named after Crombie runs from Jarvis Street to Berkeley Street, in

1260-562: Was sold in 1986 to Cadillac Fairview and the Toronto Dominion Bank but O&Y required that the design centre idea would be kept. The new owner had to pay the city $ 500,000 a year to use for running the centre. This centre was named the Design Exchange in 1988 and control of it was handed to the citizens' group which had advocated for it. In 1996, a permanent collection was established. DX held exhibitions and also organized educational programs and design awards. In March 2012

1296-565: Was support for using the building as a cultural design centre. Advocates of this proposal gathered in January 1986 to lobby the city government, and the city recognized ten of them as "The Group for the Creation of a Design Centre in Toronto", which legally became an organization in 1987 and later became the Design Exchange organization. A study launched by the city found that the proposal was "both possible and desirable". The Bay Street property

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