Sidewalk Labs, the Google sister company proposing a high-tech neighbourhood on Toronto’s waterfront, has hired a former city councillor to explain and sell the vision to Torontonians.Mary-Margaret McMahon, who retired from politics last fall after representing Beach residents for eight years on council, confirmed Wednesday that on Tuesday she becomes Sidewalk Labs’s “director of community” for the controversial project slated for Queens Quay and Parliament St.Since 2017 when Waterfront Toronto announced Manhattan-based Sidewalk Labs as its preferred partner on “Quayside,” a hyper-connected test zone for urban tech, proponents have faced tough questions over privacy, data protection, land ownership and more.“My role is basically getting Sidewalk Labs known across the city, especially areas where they aren’t known now, and hearing people’s thoughts and concerns about the project that we’ll all know more about,” with release of a master innovation and development agreement this spring, McMahon said.“Sidewalk needs a Toronto face — they haven’t had that 100 per cent and so I think that’s part of hiring me,” on a contract until the end of 2019, said the former environment committee chair.“I have worked well with everyone across party lines and in all different parts of the city and communities. There are a bunch of hoops to jump through and I’m up for the challenge.”Read more: Who will reap the benefits of Quayside’s smart city data?Sidewalk Labs reveals plans for housing in Quayside district on city’s waterfrontToronto Public Library should control data collected at Quayside, Board of Trade saysUnder the city’s cooling-off provision, McMahon is not allowed to lobby council members or city staff for one year from her November departure from city hall.On council McMahon was known as a progressive ally of right-leaning Mayor John Tory, ch ...
|
