Voter Information for Mayoral By-Election

Friends,

Starting this week, eligible voters can confirm they are on the voters’ list and add or update their information for Toronto’s 2023 by-election for mayor, taking place Monday, June 26. To appear on the final voters’ list, all revisions must be submitted to Toronto Elections by Friday, May 26.

Residents can check if they are on the voters’ list by visiting Toronto Elections MyVote or calling 311.

Voter information cards will be mailed to eligible voters on the voters’ list starting Tuesday, May 23. The cards provide information about when and where to vote either during the advance vote from June 8 to 13 or on Election Day, June 26.

If an eligible voter on the voters’ list does not receive their voter information card in the mail, they can visit MyVote (www.toronto.ca/myvote) and print or upload a digital copy of their voter information card to their mobile device to show at their voting location. Eligible voters do not need a voter information card to vote and it cannot be used as identification. More information about voter information cards is available on the Toronto Elections webpage .

All voters are required to show identification with their name and qualifying Toronto address. A complete list of acceptable identification is available on the Toronto Elections Identification webpage .

How to apply to vote by mail

Eligible voters can choose an alternative to in-person voting for Toronto’s 2023 by-election for mayor and can apply to vote by mail until May 26 at 4:30 p.m.

The mail-in voting option is a convenient way to vote, allowing applicants to vote from the comfort of their homes. Interested voters must apply to vote online by visiting the Toronto Elections Vote by Mail webpage  or by calling Toronto Elections at 416-338-1111 and pressing 5.

More information about mail-in voting and how to apply is available on the Toronto Elections Vote by Mail webpage .

Completed mail-in voting packages must be received by Thursday, June 15, at noon. Completed packages can be returned through Canada Post to arrive by the deadline or hand delivered to a secure mail-in voting drop box. One yellow drop box will be available in each of Toronto’s wards between June 1 and June 15. Drop box locations will be listed on the Vote by Mail webpage  in late May.

Jobs available for the 2023 by-election

Applicants can now register and book an interview for temporary paid positions to work during the 2023 by-election for mayor. Voting place election officials will help Toronto residents vote in person during six advance voting days from Thursday, June 8 to Tuesday, June 13 and on election day, Monday, June 26.

Available positions include ballot officers, tabulator officers, customer service officers and standby officers. Successful applicants will enhance their skills in customer service, problem solving and teamwork.

Anyone who is at least 18 years of age and legally eligible to work in Canada can apply. Role responsibilities, requirements, pay and time commitments, including training and working hours, are available on the Toronto Elections employment webpage .

More information about Toronto’s 2023 by-election for mayor is available on the Toronto Elections webpage .

Sincerely,

Gord


In this week's newsletter:
  • Request for Proposals has been issued for 150 Dunn Supportive Housing
  • High Park Movement Strategy Coming to City Council 
  • Free Leaf Compost Saturday May 6th 
  • 2453-2569 Bloor Street West Pre-Application Community Meeting

Request for Proposals has been issued for 150 Dunn Supportive Housing

This RFP is to select a non-profit housing provider to sub-lease and operate affordable rental housing with support services at 150 Dunn Ave.

This project is being delivered in partnership with all orders of government, the University Health Network (UHN), the Gattuso Centre for Social Medicine and the United Way of Greater Toronto. The Social Medicine Initiative incorporates housing as a critical social determinant of health for individuals experiencing homelessness, particularly those from equity-deserving groups who are over-represented in Toronto’s homeless population with complex, chronic or acute health needs and who are recurring patients at UHN clinics and/or emergency departments.

Online Information session: May 15 at 11am

Webinar Link: https://toronto.webex.com/toronto/j.php?MTID=m1cfce357b8a05e87de8f34052cfbcc5c

Webex Meeting number: 2455 285 5851

Meeting password: Dunn

Deadline for written submission is May 26 at 4pm.

More information on the project: 150 Dunn Ave. – City of Toronto

More Information on the RFP Open Calls for Affordable Housing Initiatives – City of Toronto


High Park Movement Strategy coming to City Council

The High Park Movement Strategy (HPMS) final report has been approved by the Infrastructure and Environment Committee (IEC). Here is a link to the full report.  

You can also see my comments at the committee meeting here: https://youtu.be/-t9ROOeZO6w

 The report will be considered at next week's City Council meeting on May 11-12. Once the agenda for the City Council meeting goes live on May 5, you can share your feedback on the strategy with members of City Council by emailing [email protected].


Compost Day on May 6th

Come by and pick up free leaf compost!


2453-2569 Bloor Street West Pre-Application Community Meeting

A plan has been proposed to redevelop 2453–2469 Bloor Street West into a 12-storey mass timber mixed-use building with retail on the ground floor.

A meeting will be held on May 8th from 6:30pm-8:00pm to allow you to view the proposal and share your thoughts, consisting of a short presentation of the development followed by a Q&A session.

Councillor Perks and City Planning staff will also be in attendance to help answer any questions that may arise.

You can register for the meeting here: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_pmCf34nNQeiYr4XIQ0kQGw#/registration.

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.

Latest posts

Demonstrations Bylaw

Friends,

The City of Toronto is moving ahead with public consultation for a proposed demonstrations bylaw to protect vulnerable institutions, as directed by City Council (2024.CC24.2).

In February 2024, City Council directed the City Manager to develop a policy framework for the management and monitoring of rallies and protests, ensuring alignment with the City’s Human Rights and Anti-Harassment Policy.

The Report presented to City Council in December, 2024, presented a Policy framework that clarifies the City’s role, jurisdiction and municipal tools available to respond to demonstrations, including the role of applicable City divisions, and provided an overarching foundation of how the City coordinates its activities to determine an appropriate response based on the circumstances of the situation.

I supported the adoption of the Policy Framework.

However, this report included a recommendation (#3) that the City Manager report back with a proposed bylaw that limits demonstrations in our city. https://secure.toronto.ca/council/agenda-item.do?item=2024.CC24.2

This was a very difficult decision however, I could not support this direction as I believe that restricting people’s ability to protest is a step backward. It takes away people’s rights under the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. I believe the preservation of these rights in their entirety is essential to protecting the most vulnerable segments of our society, and our democracy. I spoke to my reasoning for not supporting this direction; you can listen to it here.

The City is now moving ahead with the public consultation .

This multi-pronged public consultation approach will include the following:

Online Survey

Written Comments

Public Discussions

  • Additional opportunities to participate in public discussions will follow in April. More information on the dates of the public discussions will be communicated and posted on the City’s webpage once confirmed.

Information and additional details on the City’s public consultation can be found on the City’s webpage at: http://toronto.ca/PublicConsult.

The consultation is an opportunity to take part in this conversation. I encourage you to participate.

Sincerely,


In This Week's Newsletter

City Wide Updates 

  • Zoning for Housing – Upcoming City Planning Consultations
    • Garden Suites Monitoring Program
    • Expanding Permissions in Neighbourhoods for Sixplexes Citywide
  • Help shape the next Toronto Seniors’ Strategy 

Ward 4

  • Swansea Town Hall Community Centre - Seeking New Board Members & Assistant Executive Director 
  • Greenest City: Parkdale Seedy Sunday & Ecofair 2025 - Volunteer Call
  • Toronto Hydro Construction Notice - Glenlake Ave.
  • Road Rehabilitation Construction Notice - Evans Ave
  • Developments
    • 3459-3461 Dundas St W
    • 138 Dowling Ave

Anyone can experience homelessness. Everyone deserves shelter.

Friends,

Anyone can experience homelessness.

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, providing an alternative to sleeping in parks, sidewalks, or transit stations.

The positive impact of shelter service is evident in the stories of individuals who have successfully transitioned from shelter into permanent housing. Some have bravely shared their stories: Successful Pathways to Housing – City of Toronto .

Shelters provide critical services to help individuals experiencing homelessness gain stability as they work toward permanent housing.

The City has a 10-year plan to improve and expand our shelter system: Homelessness Services Capital Infrastructure Strategy (HSCIS).

One pillar of the 10-year strategy is building up to 20 permanent and purpose-built shelters, with a focus on expanding outside of the downtown core to address gaps in available services for people.     

Community engagement is a crucial component to supporting the successful integration of new shelters into the neighbourhood. The City is committed to engaging the community to support the program’s success – both for the individuals who will be staying at shelters and the surrounding community. The process includes communicating details about the shelter development process, responding to community inquiries and concerns, improving public understanding of shelter development and providing ongoing shelter updates. Details will be shared with each community as development of each site progresses and can be found online at toronto.ca/NewShelters

I am encouraged by the City’s Homelessness Services Capital Infrastructure Strategy (HSCIS) and 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 

  • Toronto Strong Neighbourhoods Strategy (TSNS) Community Networks Launching
  • Spring Flooding: Flood Preparedness Resources
  • Committee of Adjustment Annual Stakeholder Update and Engagement
  • Celebrate Community Story Telling at City Hall

Ward 4

  • BenTastic Magic Show at Parkdale Library
  • High Park Prescribed Burn
  • Construction Notice: Road Resurfacing on Weatherell Street from Rivercrest Rd to Jane St
  • Greenest City: Parkdale Seedy Sunday & Ecofair 2025

Potential Labour Strike & Disruptions

Friends,

Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) Local 79, the union representing the City’s 27,000 city workers will be in a legal strike at 12:01 a.m., or one minute past midnight, on Saturday, March 8 if an agreement is not reached before then.

City Manager Paul Johnson has provided updates on city services that may be impacted in the event of a labour disruption.

A labour disruption would result in the closure of all 39 City-operated early learning and child care centres, as well as the closure and cancellation of programming at all City recreation centres including March Break camps. Refunds will be issued for any paid recreation programs that are affected and clients will not be charged for days that City-operated child care centres are closed.

The City will remain prepared to respond to emergencies if a labour disruption occurs. Emergency response by the Toronto Police Service, Toronto Fire Services and Toronto Paramedic Services will not be impacted. The Toronto Community Crisis Service will operate normally. Winter maintenance operations for roads and sidewalks will continue.

Seniors Services and Long-Term Care, TTC, Toronto Community Housing and Toronto Water operations will continue during a labour disruption. All City-operated and funded shelters, 24-hour respite and drop-in programs will remain open. The City will continue to activate additional services during colder temperatures, including Warming Centres.

Information on City services and bargaining updates can be found on the City’s website at www.toronto.ca/labour.

Sincerely,


In This Week's Newsletter

City Wide Updates 

  • Prepare for potential flooding
  • Bylaw update for Accessible Parking Permit holders
  • Reminder: Vacant Home Tax Declaration

Ward 4

  • Family Skate at Coca Cola Coliseum
  • Artists in Flux 2: Empowerment
  • CommunitiCare Health Taking New Patients
  • Greenest City: Parkdale Seedy Sunday & Ecofair 2025

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