City-wide news
Ward 4 news
Street Vending Bylaw Review
The City of Toronto is reviewing its street vending and busking bylaws to create more opportunities vendors, performers and residents, support a vibrant food and entertainment culture, and make the rules easier to follow. Share your suggestions by attending public consultations on September 10 and 22 and/or completing a short survey by September 30. Register for consultations at toronto.ca/StreetVending.
Indoor Temperatures in Rentals
Climate change is affecting us globally and locally. Toronto has been experiencing more frequent and intense heat waves beyond historic norms. The City is currently looking for input from tenants and landlords for establishing a maximum temperature standard for rental units and cooling rooms during the summer. An online survey is now open for feedback until September 8. Learn more at toronto.ca/IndoorTemp.
Grants from the Environment, Climate and Forestry Division
|
Program |
Purpose |
Funding Available |
Applications Open and Close dates |
Webpage |
|
Neighbourhood Climate Action Grants (NCAG) |
Funds resident-led projects that raise awareness about climate action and reduce local emissions. |
Up to $7,500 per project |
August 26 to September 23, 2025 |
|
|
Indigenous Climate Action Grants (ICAG) |
Supports Indigenous-led climate solutions guided by traditional knowledge and community priorities. |
Up to $10,000 or $20,000 per project |
September 2 to October 8, 2025 |
|
|
PollinateTO Grants (PTO) |
Funds pollinator habitat creation and expansion projects using native plants and community stewardship. |
Up to $5,000 per project |
September 9 to October 21, 2025 |
|
|
Youth Climate Action Grants (YCAG) |
Supports student-led climate projects in elementary and secondary TDSB and TCDSB schools. |
Up to $1,000 per project |
Late September to December 2025 (date TBD) |
Consultation on Commercial Vehicles in Residential Areas Zoning Review
City Planning is reviewing the city-wide zoning rules
that regulate and limit where commercial vehicles
are permitted to park in Residential and Residential Apartment zones.
Learn what’s proposed and help steer the
conversation!
|
District
|
Date |
Time |
Meeting Information |
|
Scarborough
|
September 16, 2025 |
6:00-8:00 pm |
Toronto Public Library – Agincourt |
|
North York
|
September 17, 2025 |
6:00-8:00 pm |
Toronto Public Library – Downsview |
|
Etobicoke York
|
September 25, 2025 |
6:00-8:00 pm |
Toronto Public Library – Humber Summit |
|
Toronto and East York
|
September 29, 2025 |
6:00-8:00 pm |
Toronto Public Library – Yorkville |
|
City-wide (virtual)
|
October 8, 2025 |
6:00-8:00 pm
|
Microsoft Teams (visit our meeting registration page for the registration link). |
Can't make any of the above. Take the survey at https://ca.mar.medallia.com/?e=457511&d=e&h=D95D4B8E6351527&l=en.
Roncesvalles BIA's Roncesvalles Polish Festival - Sep 13 & 14
Come on down to Roncesvalles Avenue September 13th and 14th to celebrate the unique heritage of one of Toronto’s most vibrant communities.
65+ Roncesvalles Village businesses and a variety of visiting vendors will be participating. There will be 4 entertainment stages showcasing traditional fan favourites, as well as a broader range of local artists. The Creator’s Game: Lacrosse will be hosted by the Roncesvalles United Church. Also, be sure to check out the Family Zones to find fun for all ages!
Polish staples like pierogi, and an amazing variety of global cuisines from local and visiting eateries, along with 3 beverage gardens, will be around all weekend long!
Celebrate Roncy’s exceptional shopping, delicious food, and quality services while enjoying everything the festival has to offer! Whether it’s your 1st time or your 19th, we can’t wait to say Hello, Cześć, Boozhoo, Tansi, and Bonjour and welcome you to Roncesvalles Village! More information can be found on the Polis Festival official website Roncesvalles Polish Festival – North America's Largest Celebration of Polish Culture in Toronto's Best Neighbourhood or their Instagram Roncesvalles Polish Festival | 📍 Toronto (@roncespolishfestival) • Instagram photos and videos
High Park Walking Tours - Scavenger Hunt - September 7
The weather was threatening when we originally scheduled it a couple of weeks back. So the hearty group who came for a walk decided to delay the Scavenger Hunt. Instead, we had a terrific walk along the main southbound path, and then back beside the beautiful Grenadier Pond.
The Scavenger Hunt is re-scheduled for Sunday, September 7.
We'll pair you up with a partner for this special walk. You'll follow a set of clues, explore new trails, and learn all about the park along the way.
It's simple to do - no challenging puzzles or tricky directions.
There are two halves that will take about 40 minutes each.
Meet at the usual spot near the entrance on Bloor. From there, we will all walk to the starting point.
(Note: In the spring we ran a cooperative scavenger hunt, where participants made their own clues. For this one, all the routes and clues have been set up in advance. You'll be delighted to explore your way through some fascinating parts of the park!)
StART Cycle Track Murals Launch and First Ride
The City of Toronto, StreetARToronto (StART) initiative together with Cycling Toronto and Pedestrian Projects will be holding a cycling track mural unveiling. The event takes place this Sunday, September 7th from 1-3pm at West Lodge Park located at 165 Lansdowne Avenue, south of Rideau Street, north of Seaforth Avenue on the east side of Lansdowne Avenue.
The ‘unveiling’ is also combined with a ‘First Ride’ for any interested cyclists. The first ride meeting spot is at 12:30pm just south of the north entrance to High Park on Bloor Street, and the route can be found within the QR code.
Participants please be sure to wear your helmet and safety gear. If there’s rain, the ride will be cancelled and we’ll be meeting directly at West Lodge Park (165 Lansdowne Avenue) at 1pm.
Community Environment Day on Sep 13
Friends,
As part of the George Street Revitalization (GSR) project, the City continues to relocate existing shelter programs to new and enhanced facilities across Toronto. The 2299 Dundas St. W. Men’s Shelter will create a safe space for 80 men experiencing homelessness. This program will provide case management to assist clients in securing permanent housing and access to onsite healthcare and mental health supports, including a Managed Alcohol Program. The anticipated construction completion date for this shelter is Winter 2026.
The shelter will be staffed 24-hours a day, seven days a week and offer specialized programs that will provide health and housing support to help residents improve their health and move toward permanent housing.
Services and features of the shelter will include:
• Onsite healthcare, including personal support workers, nursing, medication support, and access to an in-house physician.
• Access to health services, including a Managed Alcohol Program (MAP) and the Annex Infirmary program which provides short-term medical observation, care, and recovery support to clients experiencing health challenges.
• Case management to support clients secure permanent and supportive housing.
• Mental health services and referrals to a wide range of additional community supports
Shelters in our city provide essential support to individuals in immediate housing crisis, act as a stepping stone to permanent housing, reduce reliance on other high-cost services (e.g emergency rooms), and bring people indoors, by providing an alternative to sleeping in parks, sidewalks, or transit shelters.
If you are interested in supporting the shelter, through the offer of programs that benefit shelter residents, participating in community events or partnerships, or donating goods, please email [email protected].
There will be a community event to welcome the shelter to the neighbourhood once construction is completed. Updates will continue to be shared as the project progresses on the City’s webpage at toronto.ca/2299dundas.
If you would like to receive future updates, ask a question or share an idea, you can reach the project team at [email protected] .
Sincerely,
Gord
Friends,
On June 10, 2026, the Infrastructure and Environment Committee voted in favour of urging the Ontario government to immediately implement a deposit-return program for non-alcoholic beverage containers.
Currently, Ontario operates a successful deposit return system for alcohol, seeing an average of 75 percent of all empties returned to Beer Stores each year. The deposit return provides a consumer incentive to consciously recycle. This system must be expanded to include all beverage containers.
Ontario is one of Canada’s only provinces without a deposit-return program for non-alcoholic beverages. As a result, Ontario has the lowest beverage container recovery rate in Canada—at roughly 50% of containers being recycled. Other provinces such as Alberta, British Columbia, and Nova Scotia have an expanded deposit return program and see recovery rates 50% higher than Ontario. The Ontario government proposed expanding the deposit return program to include non-alcoholic containers in 2023 but has yet to do so.
The City of Toronto will join the Peel Region, the City of Waterloo, the Association of Municipalities of Ontario, and the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Cities Initiative in urging the Ontario government to immediately implement a deposit-return program for non-alcoholic beverage containers.
The IEC Committee received a letter of support from the Canadian Beverage Association to expand the Deposit Return Program as the current mixed recycling system is inefficient, resulting in higher cost for producers with worse outcomes.
You can hear my comments on the matter at the IEC meeting here: https://youtu.be/73ZTlD1yDIU
As we push for ways to be more sustainable, I encourage you to participate in the Plastic Free July challenge, a global campaign encouraging individuals and communities to cut down on single use plastics throughout the month of July. We can use this movement to make incremental changes in individual habits but also to mobilize as a community to influence our governments and businesses to adopt sustainable practices.
Sincerely,
Gord
Friends,
This week at City Council we adopted a landmark funding deal in which $1.5 billion in funding will be provided to the City of Toronto to reduce development charges in partnership with the provincial and federal governments. The full City Council agenda can be reviewed here: City Council - Meeting 42 - TMMIS
The City can now reduce its residential development charges by 40 to 60 per cent for the next three years, and use this funding to pay for major infrastructure projects including our road network, water infrastructure, and enhanced transit capacity to support a growing population. These reductions will apply across the board for residential development. Deeper development charge discounts (60 per cent) will be offered to units with two or more bedrooms, to help incentivize building more housing for families.
At a time when our housing market has slowed down, these development charge reductions will help make projects more financially viable, build more of the kind of housing we need, and make homes more affordable for residents. It will also help generate an estimated 143,000 jobs through construction and related industries.
This funding deal was inspired by the City’s successful Purpose-Built Rental Housing Incentives program.
The first phase of the program, launched in fall 2024 with more than $1.2 billion in financial contributions from the City of Toronto, supported more than 8,000 rental homes, including more than 2,000 affordable homes.
Building on that success, with the greater financial stability provided through the $1.5 billion in federal and provincial infrastructure funding, the City of Toronto is now in a position to launch a new phase of Purpose-Built Rental Incentives.
The second phase of the program will support up to 10,000 new rental homes, including a minimum of 2,000 affordable rental homes. We will prioritize shovel-ready projects and City staff will review and approve applications on a rolling basis over the coming weeks and months.
We are proving as a city that there is a crucial role for government to steer development towards building housing that Torontonians can afford to live in. In doing so as a municipal government, we are influencing other orders of government to invest in Toronto with us.
Sincerely,
Gord