Monday, January 15th
5-6:30 PM
Friends,
I’ve decided not to seek re-election as your City Councillor this fall. It’s simply time for me to try my hand at other things. Representing you has been the most important work of my life. Wherever I go from here, I will carry all you have taught me.
If you’ll indulge me, I’d like to take a brief look back at what we’ve done together.
At present, the wider world feels hostile: wars rage, our climate is changing, hate and stigma against the most vulnerable is on the rise, in many places democracy is under attack – even here in Ontario.
Parkdale-High Park has been a laboratory of creative resistance in hard times.
For years, you and your neighbours have fought to create a democratic housing system based on meeting needs instead of returning profit to land speculators. We have been wildly successful.
We pushed through a small project to help the Neighbourhood Land Trust buy a rooming house before it was sold to a speculator. This has grown into a permanent City-wide program called the Multi-Unit Rental Acquisition program. Dozens of rental buildings have been bought by non-profit housing organizations providing secure and decent housing in perpetuity. The federal government has announced its intention to take the program nation-wide.
We’ve always been leaders in building social housing with projects like Edmond’s Place and Dunn House. Over the last three years, Toronto has embarked on creating a Public Builder model, initiated with projects in our community at 11 Brock, the Parkdale Hub, and an expanded and secure rebuild of Swansea Mews. Dozens of non-profit, co-op, and TCHC projects are in development city-wide. Two-thirds of all recent housing starts in Toronto include the City as a partner. Again, we have influenced federal housing policy. The recent creation of Build Canada Homes was in no small part influenced by Toronto’s Public Builder model.
The people of Parkdale-High Park have always put the needs of people in crisis first. Our experience building community-based supports helped launch city-wide the Toronto Community Crisis Service which is a non-police-led, 24/7, response to mental health emergency calls and wellness checks.
Our understanding of the importance of public space has led to improvements in our Toronto Public Library system, Parks, and Community Recreation Centres – such as removing overdue book fines and delivering free programming to ensure that residents of all ages, means, and ability can make use of these assets and resources. Within months, we will break ground for a new Wabash Community Centre.
We have also spearheaded creating safer streets by being the first ward in Toronto to uniformly lower local road speed limits from 40 to 30km, pioneering raised bike lanes at public transit stops as part of the Roncesvalles pedestrian-friendly streetscape redesign, and expanding the City’s cycling network through the Bloor West complete street and West Parkdale cycling connection projects.
Organizations like Roncesvalles Renewed and Green 13 have fought for a real response to our climate emergency. This gave me a platform to Chair a group of Councillors who worked with thousands of Torontonians to create our net-zero TransformTO Climate Plan. This revolutionary plan is changing everything the city does.
Finally, we have taken our obligations for truth and reconciliation to heart. The new Teiaiagon-Baby Point Heritage conservation plan moved heritage planning from being an architectural exercise to a true discussion and acknowledgement of our shared history. Our work in High Park, at the Wabash Community, and along the western waterfront has centred Indigenous voices and values.
From our morning shower until we turn off the lights, we all depend on the public services we build together. I have always been in awe of how so many people in our community choose to be active in designing and improving these services instead of being mere ‘customers’. I know that you will continue to do that work, enriching the lives of everyone with whom we share this wonderful City.
With love and thanks,
Gord
In This Week's Newsletter
City-Wide News
- RentSafeTO: Information Kiosks for Colour-Coded Signage
- Increase in basement flooding subsidies
- Healthy Air at Home Webinar
- Youth Training by FIFA World Cup 2026 Toronto Legacy Program
- Cherry Blossoms
Ward 4 news
- Dunn House Phase 2 (78 Springhurst Ave & 1-3 Close Ave) Community Consultation Meeting
- 1497-1501 Queen St W & 89-91 Beaty Ave Community Consultation Meeting
- 26 - 36 Mountview Ave & 21 - 29 Oakmount Rd OLT Appeal
- Update on 2461-2475 Dundas St W: Ontario Land Tribunal Hearing
- TTC Transit Notice: 161, 168, and 989 Route Adjustments
- Road Closure May 2nd Around Exhibition Place
- Bloom by the park hosted by Bloor by the Park BIA
- Green Day at Swansea Town Hall - May 23