World Cup watch party planned at site of contentious Moss Park high-rise
· Toronto Sun
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With the eyes of the sporting world focused on Toronto and BMO Field for the next month, a group is hoping to divert some of them to an area on the other side of downtown.
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“We want people to understand that while this (soccer tournament) is going on, 10 minutes away from the downtown you can see what is going on at Dundas and Sherbourne,” Gaetan Heroux of 230 Fightback told the Toronto Sun.
Heroux, housing activists and community members on Saturday will appropriate a vacant lot at 214-230 Sherbourne St. for a public viewing of the FIFA World Cup game between Qatar and Switzerland.
Beforehand, a 1 p.m. rally and meal is planned at Allan Gardens in conjunction with a march to the vacant site near the southwest corner of Dundas St. E. and Sherbourne, which is owned by KingSett Capital.
“There will be speakers from across the city coming to talk about the housing issues they are experiencing in their communities,” Heroux said.” And then it is our intention to march to (the vacant lot) to … have a community event around the World Cup and to bring attention to the fight that has been going on … with the property itself since 2013.”
Plans for 600-suite building at site
According to the company’s LinkedIn page, KingSett is a private equity real estate investment firm with over $19 billion in assets under its management.
The firm bought the derelict property in 2022 for an undisclosed amount. Since then, it has sat vacant, though KingSett received city council’s approval to build a multi-storey residential property in October 2024.
The building plan is majestic in scope: The developer is planning an upscale 47-storey building with more than 600 suites. Listed amenities include a fitness centre, lounges and a rooftop terrace with views of the downtown core.
The site has been the focus of ongoing debate as advocates and city officials have pushed for affordable housing. Heroux said the neighbourhood is traditionally known for welcoming the homeless and unemployed going back to the mid-1800s.
“The condo would cause irreparable harm to us,” Heroux said. “It affects the whole character of the neighbourhood; the affordability of the neighbourhood disappears.”
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In early May, activists wrote to KingSett via email and said they were going to use the lot. They asked the company to open the gate to the site, but Heroux said the company hasn’t responded.
The Toronto Sun contacted KingSett on Tuesday afternoon for a comment on the planned event, but they declined.
“We all know the city has a serious housing crisis seen through the encampments and all that kind of stuff,” Heroux said. “We decided that we would bring FIFA to our neighbourhood and talk about what is going on.”
Toronto Centre Councillor Chris Moise was also contacted by the Toronto Sun on multiple occasions for a comment, but he did not respond as well.
Heroux was asked if this call to action was taking place because the eyes of the sporting world are on the city.
“We have been fighting for that piece of property for over 13 years,” Heroux said. “This is what we do. If FIFA had not been there, we still would have had it. The fact that FIFA is here and the fact that more than a $1 billion is being spent to hold this circus in the city while people are suffering, that alone resonates. It is a lot of money to spend on something that very few people will have access to other than watching on TV.”