Friends,
I hope you’re able to connect with friends and family this holiday weekend. To help with making plans, the City has outlined a list of City activities and facilities that are open and closed this weekend.
I also want to draw your attention to a City Staff Report titled Toronto's Climate Change Readiness: Updates on commitments and a refreshed mandate for coordinating resilience activities. The report, shared at the Infrastructure and Environment Committee this week updates on the City’s response to climate change. The update includes the first edition of the Annual TransformTO Net Zero Progress and Accountability Report.
This new annual report format offers a comprehensive and accessible view of City-led Greenhouse Gas reduction actions. I am pleased with the level of transparency and clarity this report provides, both in terms of progress achieved through the City's first Short-Term Implementation Plan (2022-2026) and the critical steps that need to be accelerated to achieve our goal of net zero emissions by 2040.
Some encouraging highlights in terms of City-led actions include the Toronto Green Standard, which will significantly reduce emissions from future new developments by requiring net zero designs, the development of Emissions Performance Standards to progressively reduce emissions in existing buildings, the greening of the City’s Corporate fleet, and the TTC planning for a zero-emission bus fleet by 2037 – three years ahead of schedule.
While this report reviews how the City’s actions are making a positive difference, it is also clear that the goal of net zero emissions by 2040 is at risk unless the City, other orders of government, residents, and businesses support and invest transformative actions that meet the scope and scale of the climate change. The report also highlights actions that are needed to build Toronto’s readiness at a local level to respond to the day-to-day needs of Torontonians living in an increasingly unpredictable climate.
Over the past year, extreme heat, wildfire, flooding, and storm events in Toronto, across Canada, and globally have illustrated how harmful and costly climate change can be to residents and the assets and services that support them. Reflecting on this, I am heartened by the fact that we will now have annual Net Zero Progress and Accountability Reports that will help keep us on track in rising to meet the climate challenge. I will continue to support staff’s efforts to advance the transformative solutions called for in our Net Zero Strategy and look forward to discussing it when this year’s report is considered by City Council on April 17, 2024.
I encourage you to engage with this work and join the City in advancing our Net Zero Strategy goals.
Sincerely,
Gord
- Reminder: 2453-2469 Bloor Street West - Zoning Amendment - Decision Report Approval
- Wheel-Trans Community Feedback Survey
- Reminder: Public Consultation on a Stormwater Charge and Water Service Charge
2453-2469 Bloor Street West - Zoning Amendment - Decision Report - Approval
April 3, 2024 - Toronto and East York Community Council will be reviewing TE12.2 - 2453-2469 Bloor Street West - Zoning Amendment - Decision Report - Approval
This application proposes a 13-storey mixed-use building containing 91 dwelling units and 260 square metres of ground floor retail at 2453-2469 Bloor Street West.
Following a review of the application and two community meetings, City Planning Staff are recommending a modified approval of a 10-storey mixed-use building to better support the existing and planned context of this area, and to maintain adequate sunlight on the public realm on Bloor Street West.
At this time, I will be supporting staff's recommendation to approve this modified application.
The full report is available on-line at https://www.toronto.ca/legdocs/mmis/2024/te/bgrd/backgroundfile-243974.pdf. More information on the application can be found here.
This item will be heard on April 3rd at Toronto East York Community Council. The meeting will be conducted with members participating remotely and /or in person at Toronto City Hall Council Chambers.
To speak to the Community Council, please register by e-mail to [email protected] or by phone at 416-392-7033. Members of the public who register to speak will be provided with instructions on how to participate in the meeting.
For further information on this or any other Ward 4 or city-related matter, go to www.gordperks.ca or contact my office at [email protected].
Wheel-Trans Community Feedback
The TTC wants to hear from you! From now until April 30th, the TTC is looking for community feedback on improving our Wheel-Trans Service & Family of Services.
We invite all persons with disabilities who use the TTC, including Wheel-Trans, support persons and members of community-based organizations that support or advocate for people with disabilities to participate. Your feedback plays a crucial role in shaping decisions concerning accessibility at the TTC.
You can share your feedback by participating in this survey or attending one of the TTC’s public meetings on April 16 or April 18, 2024. For more information, please visit Wheel-Trans Community Feedback.
Public Consultation on a Stormwater Charge and Water Service Charge
The City is making critical investments to improve its stormwater infrastructure to help reduce the risk of basement flooding in homes and businesses, improve surface water quality in local waterways and protect vulnerable sewer infrastructure from the impacts of watercourse erosion.
The City is consulting on a stormwater charge and a water service charge, which could change the way you pay for water services. Join in at one of the virtual public consultation meetings being held on on April 8, 11 or 16.
To learn more about a potential stormwater charge and the water service charge, the consultation and to tell us what you think, visit toronto.ca/stormwatercharge
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