November 20, 2025

Friends,

I was thrilled to join the Community Advisory Committee meeting for the Western Beaches Public Realm Plan yesterday evening, as part of Phase 2 of Community Engagement.

The Western Beaches comprises a four kilometer stretch of waterfront, parks and trails, and communities between the mouth of the Humber River and the eastern edge of Marilyn Bell Park. This Public Realm Plan will provide a renewed vision for the Western Beaches, including recommendations and priorities for improvements, that reflects the changing conditions, current priorities and community needs.

The Committee reviewed and shared feedback on emerging recommendations for the future of our Western Beaches at last night’s meeting. It was heartening to hear just how much the Western Beaches meant to the community members present, not just as a recreational area, but also as a place within a larger living system, connected to the lake, river, and surrounding watershed where people, nature, and place are deeply intertwined.

As part of the next step of this process the City is looking for public input on the proposed big moves. I encourage you to register for the virtual public meeting on November 27, 2025, from 6 to 8 p.m., and take the online survey to provide feedback on the draft recommendations. The survey closes on December 8, 2025.

With your involvement we can develop a plan that reflects our shared values and advances sustainability, visitor experience, and connections and access to water at our Western Beaches.

Sincerely,

In This Week's Newsletter

City-Wide News

Toronto Home Energy Network - Webinar on Radiators and Heat Pumps
The TTC’s Fair Pass Transit Discount Program

Ward 4 news

1499-1501 Queen St W & 91 Beaty Avenue Development Pre-Application Meeting
21-29 Oakmount Rd. & 26-36 Mountview Ave Community Consultation Meeting on Dec 1
138 Dowling Ave Zoning By-law Amendment at TEYCC
Reminder: Parkdale Hub West Block Community Space – REOI Now Live
Bloor West Village Avenue Study
Construction Update: Sorauren Ave ( Dundas St W to Queen St W ) Watermain Replacement
Reminder: Baby Point Gates BIA Winter Event - Nov 22
Window Wonderland Transforms the Junction into a Free Outdoor Art Gallery

City-Wide News

Toronto Home Energy Network - Webinar on Radiators and Heat Pumps

Radiators give off lovely, even heat, and they're part of the charm of old houses. But most radiators are hooked up to gas boilers. Can you keep your radiators and get a clean, efficient heat pump, too? Toronto Home Energy Network and Toronto Hydro will cover your options at the next Electrification (with the Experts) webinar on Tuesday, November 25th, 6:30 pm-7:45 pm.

Bring your boiling questions! There will be a live Q&A.

RSVP and learn more here: https://www.thenetwork.to/event-details/electrification-with-the-experts-radiators-heat-pumps

🏠 The Toronto Home Energy Network builds home electrification community groups across Toronto. These groups provide personalized coaching, technology demonstrations, and make electrification what it should be: a smooth, stress-free way to improve your home's comfort and sustainability.

The TTC’s Fair Pass Transit Discount Program

The Fair Pass Transit Discount Program makes public transit more affordable for residents living on low incomes between the ages of 20 and 64, and provides discounts on all TTC vehicles, including Wheel Trans. Individuals who have aged out of Fair Pass will be notified by the end of November 2025 and will be informed about discounted fares available through the TTC. Learn more about the Fair Pass Transit Discount Program.

Ward 4 news

1499-1501 Queen St W & 91 Beaty Avenue Development Pre-Application Meeting

PARC is hosting an in-person community meeting wherein they will present their proposal to redevelop their properties at 1499-1501 Queen Street West and 91 Beaty Avenue to accommodate affordable housing, gathering and support space.

The proposal includes the retention of the historic facades of 1499-1501 Queen Street and the construction of a 10-storey mixed-use building at 1499 Queen West containing 3 storeys of resident and community gathering and support space and 7-storeys of housing above, and a 7-storey residential building at 1501 Queen West. A total of approximately 144 residential units are proposed within the redevelopment. For more information on PARC, please see their website https://parc.on.ca/

The in-person meeting will be held on Thursday, December 4th, 5 PM to 6:30 PM in the second floor Auditorium at PARC (1499 Queen St West).

PARC’s Architects will provide a presentation on the proposal and will be available, along with their Planning, Heritage and Transportation Consultants and Councillor Gord Perks, for a Q&A about the proposal.

21-29 Oakmount Rd. & 26-36 Mountview Ave Community Consultation Meeting on Dec 1

The City has received a Zoning By-law Amendment application for 21-29 Oakmount Rd. & 26-36 Mountview Ave. and resultantly City Planning has scheduled an in-person Community Consultation Meeting for the evening of December 1^st at 6pm.

Date: Monday, December 1, 2025

Time: 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm

Location: Auditorium in Western Technical Commercial School located at 125 Evelyn Crescent, Toronto, ON M6P 3J7

A plan has been proposed to permit residential rental buildings in the form of two towers of 41 storeys and 39 storeys over a shared 6 storey podium, containing 873 residential units (including 11 rental replacement units), 537 bike parking spaces, and 78 vehicle parking spaces (including 10 for visitors). Next month's meeting, consisting of a short presentation of the proposal by City Planning Staff, followed by a presentation from the applicant, and concluding with a Q&A session, will allow you to view the proposal and share your thoughts.

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

Further information on the project and what is being proposed can be found on the City's Application Information Centre website here: http://www.toronto.ca/26MountviewAve.

138 Dowling Ave, Zoning By-law Amendment

On Thursday, November 27^th, Toronto and East York Community Council will consider TE27.2 - 138 Dowling Avenue - Zoning By-law Amendment - Decision Report – Approval.

The application proposes to permit a 16-storey apartment building with 145 purpose-built rental units at 138 Dowling Ave.

The staff report (available here) recommends approval of a Zoning By-law amendment. The application is consistent with the Provincial Planning Statement (2024) and conforms to the City’s Official Plan. Further, information submitted to the City by the applicant is available for your review on the City's Application Information Centre here.

Councillor Perks will follow staff recommendation and vote to approve the application.

A pre-application community meeting was held by the applicant at the request of Councillor Perks on November 19, 2024 and a Community Consultation Meeting was held May 7, 2025. The current application was submitted on March 13, 2025 and deemed complete on April 11, 2025.

You can register to speak or provide written comment through [email protected].

This item will be heard on November 27^th after 10am.

Parkdale Hub Community Space – Apply Now!

The City of Toronto is launching a new community space at 1337 Queen Street West as part of the Parkdale Hub redevelopment. The West Block will offer 23,300 sq. ft. of community space across three floors, featuring meeting rooms, shared kitchens, and office spaces for not-for-profit organizations to lease at a below-market rate, with occupancy expected in early 2029. Agencies interested in applying for tenancy must attend one mandatory online information session and submit a Request for Expressions of Interest (REOI) application.

Sessions will be held on: Nov 20, 2025; Dec 4, 2025; and Jan 15, 2026. To register, email [email protected]. The application deadline is Feb 27, 2026, and Mar 13 for Indigenous- and Black-led organizations.

Learn more and apply by visiting: https://www.toronto.ca/community-people/community-partners/community-hubs

Bloor West Village Avenue Study

The City has completed an Avenue Study to assess the land uses, transportation and servicing infrastructure, community services and facilities, built form character and redevelopment potential for Bloor Street West between Keele Street and the Humber River. The Bloor West Village Avenue Study included extensive community consultation and technical review in order to evaluate existing conditions, develop a vision for the study area and set out recommendations for an area-specific planning framework that will guide future development and infrastructure improvements.

Following the completion of this study a set of guidelines have been created to shape future development in the area. These outcomes, which are available on the City website with additional information here: Bloor West Village Avenue Study – City of Toronto, are being reported to Toronto and East York Community Council on November 27^th in Council chambers for consideration.

Should this item move forward to City Council, this will be the final opportunity for the community to provide input. Past engagement opportunities are listed here: Meetings & Events: Bloor West Village Avenue Study – City of Toronto.

If you wish to participate in the Council hearing, instructions on how to do so can be found here: Have Your Say at Council & Committee Meetings – City of Toronto.

Information on this item will be found here: Toronto and East York Community Council - Meeting 27 - TMMIS, once the agenda has been uploaded, closer to the date of the meeting.

Transit Priority Measures to Support the 505 Dundas 6-Minute Network

At the Toronto & East York Community Council on Thursday, November 27, 2025, Transportation Services will be requesting approval, on behalf of the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC), to install transit priority measures (TPMs) to support 6-minute headways on the 505 Dundas streetcar route from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily, with these service improvements to 6-minute headways beginning in November 2025. If approved, the TPMs to support the 6-minute headways would be implemented January 2026. For the full report please see the following link Transit Priority Measures to Support the 505 Dundas 6-Minute Network. If you would like to speak on this item, please click the “Request to Speak” bar at the top of the agenda page Agenda Item History - 2025.TE27.51

Construction Update: Sorauren Ave ( Dundas St W to Queen St W ) Watermain Replacement

Week of November 17^th The City of Toronto’s contractor is currently working to complete watermain installation from Queen St W to Dundas on Sorauren Ave.

What work has been completed to date:

Installation of new watermain is ongoing
Some sections of the street have already undergone watermain chlorination

What’s happening over next two weeks ( November 24^th to December 5^th )

The City’s contractor will continue to install new watermain on Sorauren working northbound
Work will continue on Virtue Street until the end of next week
Some water service connections will be made at intersections

What residents can expect

Residents at the north end of Sorauren should expect delays when travelling on Sorauren, access will be maintained by our contractor however due to the nature of watermain replacement and the construction equipment needed, traffic delays should be expected. Traffic personnel and paid duty police officers will be directing traffic.
Emergency breaks can occur during water main installation. These breaks are random and cause water service disruptions. The contractor will contact impacted homes and inform them of anticipated repair time if another break occurs.
Side streets between Dundas St W and Wright Ave should expect water service disruptions over the next two weeks. For any scheduled water shut offs our contractor will provide 48hrs notice of water service disruption, this includes the Condo and office spaces at the north end of Sorauren Ave.
Residents should continue to expect heavy truck traffic on the north end of Sorauren and at the intersections after Wight Ave.
Toronto Hydro is coordinating emergency works on Wright Ave – this work is not related to the City watermain work. For questions about this work please contact

416 542-8000 / https://www.torontohydro.com/contact-us

Anticipated timeline for 2025

All construction activities on Sorauren Ave will end as of December 19^th . Our contractor will be demobilizing all construction related road equipment and materials until spring 2026. The construction trailer will remain at the present location until the end of this project .

Questions about this work

Local Roads Enquiries [email protected]

Baby Point Gates BIA Winter Event - Nov 22

Latest posts

Join in on Community Environmental Action

Friends,

As we enter Earth Month, I wanted to highlight some of the many environmental initiatives the City is advancing to support community members in taking action.

Community Environment and Compost Days: Environment Days return this month with events scheduled across Toronto. These events provide residents with a convenient way to recycle electronics, donate reusable household items, and safely dispose of household hazardous waste. Learn more about Environment Day Events here.

In Ward 4, we will be hosting two Community Compost Days on April 25^th near Warren Park Junior Public School and on April 30^th near Masaryk Cowan Community Centre. Residents can pick up free loose compost, while supplies last. More information is included below in this week’s e-newsletter.

Community Stewardship Program: Community Stewardship Program volunteers help to care for natural areas across the city, and learn about native trees, shrubs, herbaceous plants, invasive species, ecological monitoring, and more! Participants meet at their designated team site from spring to fall, engaging in stewardship activities such as invasive species removal and planting.

Virtual orientation for new volunteers is taking place on Wednesday April 8 from 6 to 7 p.m. Learn more about the Community Stewardship Program and orientation registration here.

Native Plants, Trees and Shrubs List: Ever wondered which plants will actually thrive in your dry, full sun, salt exposed garden? Or which native groundcovers can help you replace turf grass? Just in time for spring planting, the City has launched a dynamic new Native Plant, Tree and Shrub List for residents to plan out their gardens. Native species are naturally adapted to local conditions making them resilient, low maintenance, and great for supporting pollinators and local biodiversity. Review the Native Plants, Trees, and Shrubs List here.

Live Green Toronto is also offering residents a chance to win a kit of pollinator-friendly native wildflowers to help boost Toronto’s buzzing pollinator habitats. Each kit comes with 10 beautiful native wildflower plants and an optional native shrub. The contest is open until April 21, 2026. Learn more about the Native Plant Kit Contest here.

Help grow Toronto’s tree canopy: The City plants and maintains trees on the portion of land between roadways and private property, known as the City right-of-way. Each year, the City carefully plans and prioritizes where new trees will be planted.

If you receive a notice that a tree will be planted in front of your property, carefully read the instructions or reach out to 311 with any questions. The City will take care of the planting and ongoing maintenance; you get to enjoy the new tree.

If you are a property owner and would like a tree planted in front of your home, you can submit a request to 311 at Request a City Tree Planting.

Clean Toronto Together – April 24 to 26: You can join thousands of residents, families, businesses and community groups in the annual citywide cleanup from April 24 to 26. Register by April 22 to choose your cleanup location from a pre-approved parks list, pick up supplies and receive a participant toolkit. Registering for your community clean up in advance will help the City coordinate clean up locations, arrange waste collection and recognize the impact of volunteer efforts across Toronto’s parks and public spaces. Learn more at toronto.ca/CleanToronto.

Toronto continues to be a leader amongst North American municipalities in protecting the environment and building sustainable communities, in large part due to the level of resident participation in these initiatives. Whether you’re a perennial participant or looking to try something new, I encourage you take part in greening our city in a way that excites you.

Sincerely,