Tag Archives: The Star

Article from the Toronto Star: City to take over Casa Loma from Kiwanis Club Published On Mon May 16 2011

Daniel Dale

Urban Affairs Reporter

The city has agreed to take control of Casa Loma from the Kiwanis Club, ending a prolonged power struggle with the charity that has run the struggling tourist attraction since 1937.

As part of a negotiated takeover agreement that must still be approved by council, the city will pay the Kiwanis Club of Casa Loma $1.45 million for artifacts and trademarks such as the Casa Loma name. That amount is a $500,000 premium over the $950,000 the city already owed for the artifacts under a previous agreement.

The city plans to run the century-old facility for 12 to 18 months before turning it over to a third party, said economic development and culture general manager Mike Williams, who will likely become the new board chair.

The proposed

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Sir Henry Pellatt lived in a world unto himself: lavish, bombastic and out of touch with Toronto
No statue was erected to the man, no arena named for him, no postage stamp printed in his honor.

If you screamed “Sir Henry Pellatt!” down Yonge St., almost nobody would recognize the name.

Rich out of all proportion, he built Canada’s largest private home – now one of Toronto’s top tourist landmarks – yet he remains almost anonymous. Why?

A reading of Sir Henry Pellatt: The King of Casa Loma, a 1982 biography by Toronto writer Charlie Oreskovich, suggests the man lived apart from the city’s true development and primarily for his own self-aggrandizement.

Champion runner: In 1879, at the age of 20, Pellatt ran the mile in New York, beating the U.S. champion and setting a world record at 4:42.4. That same year, however, Toronto’s Edward “Ned” Hanlon captured the English championship in the far more popular sport of sculling, and

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Lawyer rejects charge Casa Loma is far behind on renovations; Miller wants new leadership

Toronto Star
Author:Paul Moloney
Date:Jun 19, 2010

Mayor David Miller may want him removed, but Casa Loma’s chair says he enjoys the support of his board, which believes the landmark is making progress on its turnaround plans.

Lawyer Richard Wozenilek fended off city allegations that invoices totaling $118,000 were paid by Casa Loma for legal work he did on a new management agreement between the city, which owns the castle, and the Kiwanis Club of Casa Loma, which has run it for decades as a tourist attraction.

In an interview, Wozenilek said the billings presented to the vice-chair in January 2009 came to approximately $40,000.

“They’re saying in January 2009 the vice-chair was asked to sign invoices in the amount of approximately $118,000 for payment to my firm. That’s what they’re saying and that’s not true.” Miller responded that the figure of $118,000 covers billings from

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by Ian Wahn

June 17, 2010

Re: City ready to snatch the keys to Casa Loma, June 14

I am thrilled some people at City Hall are finally acknowledging the incredible deterioration of Casa Loma. It used to be one of the places I would recommend to people when visiting Toronto. But not any more.

Casa Loma has been in decline for decades. This is nothing new. It is expensive to tour and one gets very little bang for the buck. The buildings are in decline and need a major rejuvenation and restoration. The plumbing, heating, lighting, electrical and ventilation need to be brought up to date. The tours are a total bore as most of them are conducted by those horrible self-tour MP3 players. Most rooms are void of any furnishings.

Why aren’t the rooms fully decorated with furnishings dating from that time period? Casa Loma should look, feel, and sound as if Sir Henry Pellatt was still living

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Toronto Star – Toronto, Ont.
Author:Paul Moloney
Jun 16, 2010

Even Casa Loma’s former lobbyist says it may be time to turn the city-owned landmark over to a new operator.

Paul Sutherland, a former councilor, was hired by the castle’s long-time manager, the Kiwanis Club of Casa Loma, to achieve a new deal with the city, which wants interior renovations, new programming and new visitor amenities added.

“You can only give people so much time and if it doesn’t feel like it’s going in the right direction, then perhaps there should be substantial change there,” Sutherland said.

A new management agreement negotiated between the city and Kiwanis took effect two years ago. But Mayor David Miller has complained that progress is slow.

The city itself spent $16 million on exterior renovations between 2003 and 2009, but interior upgrades the club was supposed to have done by now – including a new visitors centre, third-floor exhibits, a restaurant and floor and

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by Paul Moloney – June 14, 2010

STEVE RUSSELL/TORONTO STAR FILE PHOTO
Graffiti-covered walls and peeling paint mark the second floor of the garage portion of the stable complex at Casa Loma, which is sorely in need of restoration.

Mayor David Miller wants the city to take charge of Casa Loma and is calling for the removal of the castle’s chairman over allegations of conflict of interest.

In a report made public Monday, the city alleges that invoices totaling $118,000 were paid by Casa Loma for legal work done by its chair, lawyer Richard Wozenilek.

A subcommittee of the Casa Loma board was set up to review whether to pay the invoices. The board decided to pay, and hire another law firm that had previously acted for Casa Loma, the report said.

The city owns Casa Loma, but the Kiwanis Club of Casa Loma has managed it for 70 years. In recent years, the two sides have been at odds

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