Tag: Lake Leaside

Lake Leaside runs from east of Laird Dr. to Vaughan St.

Canada Geese swim by off Vanderhoof Ave.

Corner on west side of Clearmont Plastics off Vanderhoof

Problematic fence on Vaughan Street

Aerial of unfilled basin from 2016 looking east from Laird

Slap up fence near Laird since repaired

Location of Lake Leaside east of Laird Drive

Recent stories of the water-filled building excavation for retail development between Wicksteed and Vanderhoof Aves.have raised concerns about the safety of the fencing around this large area. The water which accumulated over a warm winter is now known as Lake Leaside. It is a giant pond with both straight and irregular shores stretching from behind the TD Bank parking lot off Laird Drive to an easterly inlet alongside the little-known Vaughan St. and then around another corner behind the commercial complex at 105 Vanderhoof. Its depth varies and it is anyone’s guess where the water is deepest and by what depth. But it doesn’t take a lot of water to be a public peril for those who are careless or immature. From a layman’s perspective, much of the wire fencing is pretty sturdy, especially along Vanderhoof and behind the businesses on Laird. But there are parts where it seems rickety. Other parts on Vaughan are bent, unsupported and would be easily flattened to pass over them Send your observations to news@bayview-news.com

Jon Burnside (Ward 26) has asked City staff to check the safety of fencing at the water-filled excavation on Wicksteed Ave. where future retail is planned. Work at the site, which has been called Lake Leaside by residents, was begun in 2014 but has been stalled for reasons unknown for about a year. Reader Wilmar Kortleever was prompted to write to the Councillor following a prosaic post here about the delays. Geoff Kettel wondered if the excavation should be filled in and about the chemical safety of the water. Mr. Burnside said that he has driven by the site, found it “absolutely a concern” and said he would ask City staff to check it as soon as possible.

“Lake Leaside” on Wicksteed Ave. no doubt holds many untold stories of plans delayed, retail development disappointments and big box entrepreneurs who are busy fixing business in the US. We can only guess. But it is now years since the SmartCentre interests began furious digging at the site. Then everything seemed to go silent. Insiders who protested the development in the beginning called it the Walmart Plaza. Even then there was no confirmation that it was the ambitious boys from Bentonville, Arkansas who had done a deal to build there. Walmart and others have faced the Amazon challenge in recent times. The Bulldog has no desire to see his new suit delivered to a nearby telephone pole by drone, but there seems no denying an altered retail style is at hand. Does it include Walmart Plaza, or more recently, Lake Leaside?