Council Meeting Review & Security on the TTC

Friends,

Yesterday, Toronto City Council declared the mayoral seat vacant and passed a bylaw requiring a by-election. City Clerk has set the by-election for Monday, June 26. Beginning Monday, April 3, until Friday, May 12, those who are eligible may file a nomination to run in the mayoral by-election.

More information on the process is available at https://www.toronto.ca/city-government/elections/by-election/. The City Clerk has set the by-election for Monday, June 26.  This by-election is an opportunity to choose someone who wants to build a better future for our City by recognizing and meaningfully addressing the various challenges our City faces.

City Council is currently meeting this week. As part of the agenda, we will be discussing the Ombudsman's report on the investigation into the City's processes for clearing encampments in 2021. Council will also discuss Community Safety Issues and the City's response to address the series of senseless violent incidents on the TTC including the recent tragic incident at Keele station.

The city needs to take a proactive response to address such crisis situations.

Over many years, public transit, mental health services and access to housing has been chronically underfunded in our city. We are now seeing the impacts of those funding decisions. To prevent violence, we need to focus our efforts on investing in programs and services that provide health and long term supports to individuals in need.

The City is working closely with the TTC to take a multifaceted approach to addressing the rise in violence. The City has partnered with the TTC to strengthen transit system outreach including the recent addition of street outreach mental health specialists. You can learn more about this work here.

For those that have taken the time to share your thoughts on the matter, thank you. There is a need for urgent action and a collaborative approach to addressing these concerns. I will continue to advocate to improve transit service and safety while also prioritizing programming and investments to support vulnerable community members.

 

Sincerely,

Gord

In this week's newsletter:

  • Stone Soup Network honoured as a Toronto Community Champion
  • Virtual Stakeholder Meeting Invite: Bloor St W Complete Street Extension
  • Clean Toronto Together set for April 21-23
  • Public Input Needed for Night Economy Review
  • Swansea Town Hall looking for a new Board Member
  • Sistering Community Project: Making Visible on April 1, 2023
  • Reminder: High Park Movement Strategy Open House on April 3, 2023

Stone Soup Network honoured as a Toronto Community Champion

A hearty congratulations to Stone Soup Network. They were one of 25 community organizations that were honoured by the City as Toronto Community Champions for extraordinary service to community during the unprecedented times of the pandemic.

Stone Soup Network is a program that was founded in Ward 4 in 2016.

During the pandemic, Stone Soup Network (SSN) provided $140,000 in goods and services to people in need locally, brought 16,000 N95 masks to food banks, seniors and support agencies, and provided $104,000 in direct aid to 107 Swansea Mews families.

Thank you to the many volunteers for your compassionate generosity.


Virtual Stakeholder Meeting on the Bloor St W Complete Street Extension will be held on April 4th, 2023

Gord encourages everyone interested to take part in the Bloor Street West Complete Street Extension virtual stakeholder meeting on April 4th. This extension of bike lanes further west into our ward will provide even safer access to Toronto's bike network, enabling easier access for all. See the message below, from the Cycling Team, for more information:

The City of Toronto is inviting stakeholders along or near Bloor Street West from Runnymede Road to Resurrection Road to learn more about and provide feedback on the Bloor Street West Complete Street Extension Project.

The Bloor Street West Complete Street Extension Project aims to make travel on Bloor Street West safer, more inviting and attractive for everyone. The project includes proposed road safety improvements, cycle tracks and public realm upgrades to meet Toronto’s Vision Zero Road Safety Plan and TransformTO: Climate Action Strategy goals. The project goals are to:

  1. Improve safety for people walking, cycling and driving​
  2. Enhance the walking and cycling experience​
  3. Support the qualities that make Bloor Street West a place
  4. Maintain roadway space for transit, emergency services, deliveries, shopping and commuting​

Changes to Bloor Street West would be made with materials that can be installed quickly, such as bollards, roadway paint, planters and signage. No major road reconstruction is planned. Installation is planned in two phases from 2023 to 2024.

Meeting details and project background can be found below.

Virtual Stakeholder Meeting Details:

Bloor Street West Complete Street Extension: Runnymede Road to Resurrection Road

Date: Tuesday, April 4, 2023

Time: 6:00 – 8:00 pm

Registration: Please email [email protected] to register*

*Please limit registration to two people per organization to accommodate the virtual format and limited capacity of this meeting. Two public drop-in meetings are scheduled for this project for April 12 and 13 and all are welcomed to attend. Further project and public meeting event details will be available online at www.toronto.ca/bloorwest. Additional project materials will be posted on the website in the coming days and weeks.

Project Background:

The Bloor Street West Cycle Tracks between Avenue Road and Shaw Street were approved and installed in 2016 as a pilot. After rigorous evaluation, they were made permanent in 2017. The Bloor Street West Bikeway Extension between Shaw Street and Runnymede Road was approved and installed in 2020. This project will connect existing bikeways between Runnymede Road and Dundas Street West (Six Points). Through the 2021 Cycling Network Plan Update, City Council directed staff to design and consult on the Bloor Street West Complete Street Extension.


2023 Clean Toronto Together Spring Cleanup Campaign 

This April, gather your family, friends, neighbours and colleagues and help cleanup litter in Toronto’s parks, beaches, or other public spaces.

Organize a 20-Minute Makeover on Friday, April 21 or schedule a community cleanup on Saturday, April 22 (Earth Day) or Sunday, April 23. Twenty minutes is all it takes to help put litter in its proper place!

Participants are asked to register their cleanups online at www.toronto.ca/cleantoronto by Wednesday, April 19. 


Public Input Needed for Night Economy Review

The City is seeking input to inform a review of licensing and zoning regulations for bars, restaurants and entertainment venues, as well as strategies to support Toronto’s night economy – the social, cultural and business activities that occur from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. The public is encouraged to participate by completing an online survey and/or by attending an in-person or virtual consultation to share feedback.

Public consultation sessions will be held virtually on Wednesday, April 12 and Thursday, April 13 and in person on Monday, April 17. The link to the survey and details on how to register are available on the City’s Night Economy Review webpage. The deadline to submit feedback on the survey is Friday, April 21.


Swansea Town Hall looking for a new Board Member

Swansea Town Hall is seeking enthusiastic individuals who want to help improve our community centre by serving on our Board of Management. Are you interested in giving back to your community and getting involved at the governance level? 

Application available hereDeadline Monday April 3, 2023. 


Sistering's Making Visible - April 1, 2023

Making Visible is a four-year community-based participatory research project that seeks to address the pressing homelessness and housing crisis in Canada.

 


High Park Movement Strategy Open House: April 3, 2023

The High Park Movement Strategy (HPMS) is a city-led study to explore improvements to the travel network in High Park to better serve park users and the surrounding community, while prioritizing safety, accessibility and the park's natural environment.

The HPMS is nearing completion and staff are preparing a preferred strategy and final report that will be presented at Committee and Council this spring.

You are invited to an in-person Open House to learn about the study process and the preferred strategy. Members of the project team will be available to answer questions.

Open House materials will be shared on the project website (www.toronto.ca/HighParkMove), where you can also find additional information about the study. The project team can always be reached at [email protected].

High Park Movement Strategy - Public Open House

Date: Monday, April 3, 2023

Time: Drop by anytime between 4:30pm and 7:30pm

Location: Lithuania House - 1573 Bloor Street West

Registration: While registration is NOT required, it is helpful to ensure the project team is adequately staffed. Register Here.

Accessibility: The venue is wheelchair accessible. Attendees will need to take one elevator to the lower level. If you have any accommodation requests contact us at least 72 hours before the meeting by emailing [email protected] or calling 437-220-5975.

Transportation Options: The Lithuanian house is 220 metres from Dundas West subway station.

Thank you for your interest in the High Park Movement Strategy and we look forward to seeing you there!

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2025 Staff-Prepared City Budget Highlights

Friends,

On Monday January 13th, the City of Toronto launched the 2025 Budget process with a staff-prepared budget that protects and invests in our City’s core services based on feedback gathered during Fall 2024 consultations with Toronto residents.

I am pleased to see a number of new and enhanced initiatives included in the 2025 staff-prepared budget that advance our goals of making Toronto a more affordable, connected, and safe city for all. Key investments include:

Making life more affordable:

  • Feed 8,000 more students through school food programs
  • CampTO food program to support over 31,000 youth

Getting Toronto moving

  • Increase transit service hours by 5.8 per cent (approximately half a million hours) 
  • Expand to 100 Traffic Agents to address blocked intersections, improve travel times in key corridors and decrease collision

Providing community services

  • Expand Sunday service hours for 70 Toronto Public Libraries
  • Increase access to cultural initiatives including local arts, festivals and events

Keeping people safe

  • Add 276 more Emergency Services positions (fire, police and paramedics) 
  • Expand road safety programs

Staff presentations on the 2025 staff-prepared budget are available at www.toronto.ca/budget. I encourage you learn about the various opportunities to get involved in the budget process, which includes opportunities to speak directly to the Budget Committee and submitting written feedback here.

I will also be hosting a ‘City Budget 2025 Virtual Town Hall’ on Monday, January 20th at 6pm, where we will review the proposed 2025 budget, discuss its investments and impacts on city services, and walk through the City’s budget process together.  To join the virtual meeting, please use this link: gordperks.ca/2025budget

Looking forward to seeing you there,


In This Week's Newsletter

City Wide Updates 

  • CampTO Summer Programs List
  • Winterlicious returns Jan 31 - Feb 13
  • Nominations now open: Toronto Community Champion Award 🏆 

Ward 4 Updates

  • Masaryk-Cowan Presents: Community Youth Nights

2024 Highlights and Holiday Wishes

Friends,

2024 has been a transformative year for our city.

As Chair of the Planning and Housing Committee, I have had the pleasure of supporting the tireless work of community activists and City staff in advancing real solutions to the housing crisis we have been witnessing.

In 2024, to name a few successes, we established the Renovictions Bylaw to deter bad-faith evictions, launched an industry-supported incentive program that facilitates the development of 20,000 new rental homes, expanded permissions for townhouses and small-scale apartment buildings along major streets city-wide, and initiated steps to address excessive indoor temperatures due to the effects of climate change.

I am most proud of our work at rebuilding the City’s capacity as a Public Builder that leads the delivery of affordable housing options. Through establishing a Housing Development Office at the City, we have transformed the City from an entity that is frustrated and unable to move on affordable housing to quite possibly the biggest developer of affordable housing in the country.

In the last 15 months we have gone from zero to 13 affordable construction projects currently under construction, including the 11 Brock site in our ward, and dozens more projects with shovels in the ground next year. We are proving that when we choose to face our most pressing issues head-on, we can respond with quick and effective actions.

This week, as part of Council Mid-term Member Appointments, I was honoured to be asked to continue in my role as Chair of the Planning and Housing Committee for the remainder of this Council term.

As we celebrate the holiday season, I look forward to continuing to work together in 2025 to advance the realization of housing as a human right in Toronto.

Sincerely,


2024 Highlights

Dunn House

Dunn House (90 Dunn Ave), Canada’s first ever social medicine supportive housing initiative, opened in October. The four-storey modular housing building includes 51 new, rent-geared-to-income and supportive homes for people who were experiencing homelessness and who were also frequent users of UHN’s emergency department. The new homes will be furnished studio apartments with a bathroom and kitchen. The building will include amenities such as shared laundry, a commercial kitchen, a dining area, a communal area and programming space. They will also benefit from wrap-around social and health services provided by Fred Victor and UHN aimed at improving their well-being and housing stability.  Dunn House has been supported by all orders of government and non-profit housing partners, with continued engagement with the local community.

11 Brock Ave

Earlier this week, the City broke ground on the construction of 11 Brock Ave, the first of five ‘housing ready’ sites to be developed under the Public Developer Model. The planned four-storey building will provide 42 homes with supports to maintain people’s health, wellbeing, and housing stability. The new homes will be private apartments with a bathroom and a kitchen. The building will also include amenities such as shared laundry, a commercial kitchen and programming spaces for residents. The City has partnered with Parkdale Activity Recreation Centre (PARC) as the community housing provider. PARC operates supportive homes in Toronto for adults experiencing mental health and substance use challenges, many with a history of homelessness. PARC and our office will continue to engage with the local Parkdale community on the development of this site. This work is possible due to intergovernmental partnership. In 2023, the project received $21.6 million through the Federal Rapid Housing Initiative. Beginning in 2025, annual operating funding of at least $1.2 million is required from the Province of Ontario for the support services planned for this building.

Traffic Calming Policy & Vision Zero Road Safety

There has been an update on the Vision Zero Road Safety Initiatives and Traffic Calming Policy. The updated Traffic Calming Policy was adopted by City Council in November 2023, and began applying to Community Council Reports starting January 2024. The warrants for Traffic Calming on a residential street are now based on the posted speed limit instead of the standard 40 km/h. This should help local streets in need of additional calming measures. As part of Vision Zero safety initiatives, the Automated Speed Enforcement (ASE) camera is designed to deter speeding motorists and increase safety for vulnerable road users. In Q1 of 2025, Ward 4 will receive two additional cameras as part of the ASE program expansion; the locations are Jameson Avenue South of Laxton Avenue and Jane Street near Page Avenue.

West Parkdale Cycling Connections

In Fall 2024 the City completed installation of the West Parkdale Cycling Connection. This project addresses a previous gap in our cycling network by providing a connection between The Queensway and Brock Avenue. In addition to the installation of the bike lanes the project included one way street conversions, changes to one way street directions, changes to on street parking, new stop signs, intersection improvements and traffic calming speed humps. A new traffic light signal will be installed in 2025 at Roncesvalles Avenue and Galley Avenue. Over the next 6 to 12 months, City staff will continue to monitor traffic counts and collect feedback from the community.

Parkside Drive

Parkside Drive’s current road configuration encourages motorists to travel at high speeds. In November City Council endorsed, in principle, to advance detailed design of the road safety changes identified in the Parkside Drive Study, which includes bike lanes and intersection safety improvements. The road reconfigurations aim to improve safety for all road users and upgrade Parkside Drive to accommodate multi-modal travel options. Council also approved as part of the Parkside Drive Study City staff recommendations for the installation of speed humps on five adjacent streets to Parkside Drive which satisfy the updated Traffic Calming Policy warrants.

High Park Movement Strategy

Improvements as part of the High Park Movement Strategy (HPMS) continue to be advanced in High Park. New pick-up/drop-off spaces at key destinations on Colborne Lodge Drive between the Grenadier Cafe and Bloor Street West were added, and TTC 203 High Park Route operated seasonal service this summer with an expanded route that was run via Keele Station, providing a transfer-free accessible connection between High Park and Line 2. The High Park Movement Strategy includes the implementation of a shuttle service to help visitors get around High Park all year long. The City of Toronto has issued a Request for Proposal (RFP) for the provision of this shuttle service, which will help visitors get around key locations within High Park. The City has also partnered with Toronto and Region Conservation Authority (TRCA) to undertake a road ecology study within High Park to better understand existing conditions, potential risk factors to wildlife, and possible mitigation measures.

Sunnyside Beach Shoreline Resiliency Project

The Sunnyside Beach Shoreline Resiliency Project is one of 36 locations where work is being undertaken to rehabilitate and increase resiliency along the shoreline of Lake Ontario. Periods of high lake water levels, coupled with increased frequency and severity of storms have put pressure on the existing erosion control measures in place along Lake Ontario’s shoreline and the City must deliver proactive solutions to address this. This project is carried out through the Federal government’s Disaster Mitigation and Adaptation Fund (DMAF). The mandate of this work, under this funding structure, is to address the impacts of flooding and erosion by repairing, remediating, and enhancing the resilience of Toronto's waterfront shoreline. As part of these mitigation efforts, three seat walls in different locations have been installed as a protective barrier against high lake water effects. The City installed new sand to restore the sand quality at Sunnyside Beach following completion of the Shoreline Resiliency Project.


In This Week's Newsletter

City Wide Updates 

  • Vacant Home Tax 2024 Declaration
  • New Year's Skating Parties
  • City of Toronto Consultation: Growing Space for Trees & Infill Housing
  • Planning for the Holiday Season in Toronto
  • Toronto Parking Authority Rate Change Communication

Ward 4 Updates

  • Developments
    • *New Date* Committee of Adjustment Application, 1375 Queen St W
    • Update on 2453-2469 Bloor Street West: Ontario Land Tribunal Hearing - Request for Directions
    • An Update on 2461-2475 Dundas St W - Zoning By-law Amendment and Rental Housing Demolition & Conversion

Increasing Shelter Infrastructure and Our Public Developer Capacity

Friends,

I am encouraged by the progress announced this week on the City’s Homelessness Services Capital Infrastructure Strategy (HSCIS). The City unveiled the first six shelter sites that are being developed as part of this 10-year strategy and has expanded winter services for people experiencing homelessness.

The City is currently providing emergency accommodations to approximately 12,000 people. These shelter spaces enable our unhoused neighbours to have a roof over their heads while accessing services that help them transition to permanent housing. In 2023, more than 5,900 people experiencing homelessness moved from the shelter system into permanent housing.

Although the City is providing shelter to thousands of people, hundreds of people are unable to be matched to shelter each night. The HSCIS was developed to meet the unmet demand for shelter space by building new shelters across Toronto. Between 2024 and 2033, the City plans to develop up to 20 new purpose-built shelter sites, creating a total of approximately 1,600 shelter spaces.

Each shelter will be smaller by design and serve approximately 80 people, focusing on providing safety, comfort and resources to help residents transition to stable housing. I encourage you to learn more about the City’s work to open new shelter sites on the project webpage.

I am also pleased to share that Executive Committee adopted a staff report this week on strengthening the City’s role as a Public Developer to deliver housing faster.

This report outlines steps to establish a Housing Development Office that will focus exclusively on advancing and accelerating the delivery of housing on City-led and City-supported sites. Through this new Office, the City will either lead projects directly or leverage Toronto Community Housing (TCHC) and CreateTO on a project-by-project basis, based on each organization’s unique expertise and best practices. This item will be considered by City Council next week.

I will continue to use my voice and vote on Council to support improving and increasing our shelter infrastructure and expediting the City’s delivery of housing.

Sincerely,


In This Week's Newsletter

City Wide Updates 

  • Vacant Home Tax 2024 Declaration
  • Support your community: Holiday Wish List 🎁 
  • Skate Lending Library is back this winter  
  • Illuminating holiday experiences at Toronto History Museums ✨

Ward 4 Updates

  • Junction BIA's Window Wonderland
  • Junction Residents' Association: Community Caroling Sing-a-long in the Junction!!
  • Attention Parkdale Village BIA Members: Board Members Wanted
  • Developments
    • *New Date* Committee of Adjustment Application, 1375 Queen St W

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