Chief Fantino lends a hand at the new facility |
A new building for traffic services heralds a new-found independence and effectiveness for the unit, says its commander Supt. Stephen Grant.
"We haven't been self-sufficient before," Grant said of the lack of interview rooms, prisoner cells and other amenities available at other stations.
The new Hanna Ave. building, which will be completed by year's end, will also house fleet services, a prisoner transfer facility for court services, a large new central garage and hundreds of indoor and rooftop parking spaces.
"It certainly is the end of an era for Strachan Ave.," Supt. Grant said of the 80-year-old site that has seen generations of officers and civilian members pass through its doors.
Traffic Services had to find a new home because the overcrowded Strachan Ave. site lay in the way of the proposed Front St. extension.
The move has been a long time coming, said Staff Supt. Gary Grant of operations and support.
"It has served the Toronto police capably and valuably but when it's time to move, Lord, it's time to move," said Staff Supt. Grant who served as traffic services unit commander from 1997 to 2002. "I fondly recall the annual floods - that's inside the buildings and the co-tenants: the mice, the rats and squirrels and birds and even the snakes from the neighbourhood."
Chief Julian Fantino said new facilities not only make the job of policing easier but also more effective.
"It's really heart-warming to see that we're keeping pace with the needs inherent in the service," Chief Fantino said. "I'm absolutely thrilled we're moving into a new facility."
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