Expanding Housing Options in Neighbourhoods

Friends,

Next week, at the Planning and Housing, staff will be presenting a report to support expanding housing options in "Neighbourhoods". This report presents a draft Official Plan Amendment to permit townhouses and small scale apartment buildings in residential zones, along major streets, and designated Neighbourhoods across the city.

The report seeks endorsement of Planning and Housing Committee to undertake consultation on the proposed Official Plan amendments and zoning approach. Consultation is proposed for October 2023, after which both the Official Plan and Zoning By-Law Amendments will be brought together to Planning and Housing Committee for consideration early in 2024.

This report presents a proposal to permit townhouses and small-scale apartment buildings up to 6 storeys and 30 units on properties that are located along major streets and designated Neighbourhoods in the Official Plan.

Major streets are an opportunity for gentle intensification in Toronto’s Neighbourhoods.  

This past weekend I attended the Roncesvalles Polish Festival and the Ukrainian Festival where I had the privilege of speaking to many of you. It was a wonderful day of celebration and solidarity. 

Sincerely,

Gord


- HousingTO 2020-2030 Action Plan Update

- Toronto Police Board's Budget Committee Meetings

- Public Electric Vehicle (EV) Charging Network Study

- High Park Station Easier Access Construction Update

- High Park - Pleasure Pad and Ball Hockey Pad closures

- Swansea Town Hall Lunch & Learn - Foil Fraudsters

- Request a "Slow Down" Sign

- Community Environment Day this Saturday

Annual Update on progress towards HousngTO 2020-2030 Action Plan

Today, the City of Toronto released its HousingTO 2022-2023 Update report highlighting progress made toward implementing the 10-Year HousingTO 2020-2030 Action Plan (HousingTO Plan).

The report focuses on the progress made across the HousingTO Plan’s key strategic priorities:

  • Advancing a human rights-based approach to housing
  • Increasing the supply of affordable and supportive homes
  • Protecting the existing supply of homes
  • Assisting renters
  • Supporting climate resilience
  • Enhancing cross-sector and intergovernmental partnerships
  • Improving accountability and transparency

The report highlights the significant and tangible key actions taken in 2022 and up to June 2023 including the:

  • Completion of 1,082 net new affordable and supportive homes for people experiencing or who are at risk of homelessness
  • Approval of 3,340 net new affordable rental homes
  • Allocation of more than 3,300 housing benefits through the Canada-Ontario Housing Benefit (COHB) program to help people maintain their homes
  • Allocation of $46 million in funding through the Multi-Unit Residential Acquisition (MURA) program for non-profit organizations to acquire and permanently secure approximately 260 affordable rental homes
  • Launch of new digital dashboards to increase transparency and accountability and to track the City's progress towards advancing the HousingTO Plan on a public platform

The report also proposes to advance a major partnership initiative aimed at supporting the creation of new non-profit co-operative (co-op) homes while ensuring existing co-ops continue to be safe, secure and affordable.

The HousingTO Plan calls on the federal, provincial and municipal governments to invest a combined $33.2 billion over 10 years with the following investment breakdown:

  • City investment of $14.6 billion ($8 billion already committed)
  • Federal request of $10 billion ($2.3 billion already committed)
  • Provincial request of $8.6 billion ($1 billion already committed)

The HousingTO 2020-2030 Action Plan 2022-2023 Annual Progress Update report is available at: https://secure.toronto.ca/council/agenda-item.do?item=2023.PH6.1


Toronto Police Board's Budget Committee Meetings

The Toronto Police Services Board’s Budget Committee will hold a meeting on Monday September 25, 2023 from 10-11:30AM.   The meeting will proceed as a hybrid meeting. 

At its meeting of July 27, 2023, the Board established a Budget Committee for the purpose of reviewing the Toronto Police Service’s 2024 capital, operating, and the Parking Enforcement Unit’s budget requests as well as the Board’s 2024 operating budget request, as they develop.

The Budget Committee will hold three meetings: 

  • September 25, 2023: 10:00 – 11:30AM
  • October 17, 2023: 10:00 – 11:30AM
  • November 27, 2023: 10:00 – 11:30AM

The agenda for the September 25, 2023 meeting is available on the Board’s website at: https://www.tpsb.ca/meetings.

Information about the budget and budget process can be found here: https://tpsb.ca/budget   

Sign-up to make a deputation

If you wish to sign up to make a deputation on an item, please use our Making a Deputation sign-up form: https://www.tpsb.ca/meetings/making-a-deputation. Registered deputants will have the option of making their deputation in-person or virtually. Virtual deputations would be available either by video via WebEx, or audio-only by phone.

The request must be received no later than 12PM on Friday September 22, 2023

In addition, members of the public and media are welcome and encouraged to attend the meeting as an observer through our livestream at:  https://www.youtube.com/live/IQ_4KgVzJGs

As with all meetings, a recording of this meeting will be posted and archived to the Toronto Police Service YouTube account at https://www.youtube.com/TorontoPolice for members of the public to access later at their convenience.


Public Electric Vehicle (EV) Charging Network Study: public survey

The City of Toronto is developing a Public Electric Vehicle (EV) Charging Network Study to help ensure that public charging will be available where and when it is needed across Toronto, to achieve our goals for sustainable transportation and EV uptake. We’re asking for input from all residents - current and potential EV owners, and drivers and non-drivers – to help us identify where and when public EV charging will be needed to meet demand as more people and businesses switch to electric vehicles and to better understand how public EV charging fits into an equitable low-carbon transportation system in Toronto.

There is an online survey and more information available at toronto.ca/ev.


TTC High Park Station Easier Access Project: construction update

As part of the TTC’s Easier Access Project to make High Park Station accessible to everyone, there will be daytime construction work on Saturday, September 23.

The work will take place in the construction site in front of High Park Station on Quebec Ave and will include drilling holes into concrete to install steel rods as part of building the elevator structures. Efforts will be made to keep noise levels to a minimum.

Staff will be present in the general area to monitor the work and ensure safety.


High Park - Pleasure Pad and Ball Hockey Pad closure due to emergency work

The headers for these rinks are not functioning properly and require improvements in order to enable a successful skating season this winter. This work is anticipated to occur between September 20, 2023 and November 1, 2023.

Until Nov 1st:

  • The south rink pad with the 3 Pickleball courts will be closed all the time, since they will have a large amount of equipment staged on this pad and a significant amount of welding work occurring here.
  • The north rink pad with the 5 Pickleball courts on it must be closed each weekday from 7am – 4pm for safety while their work is ongoing. However they are going to be able to leave these 5 courts open each day from 4pm onward to enable evening play. They will also not be working on weekends, so these 5 courts are also accessible all day Saturday and Sunday.

Swansea Town Hall Lunch & Learn - Foil Fraudsters: a workshop on how to spot scams


Contact my office to request a "Slow Down" lawn sign

You can help remind the public to slow down and to be aware by displaying “Please Slow Down” lawn signs in your neighbourhood.

Contact Councillor Perks' office at [email protected] to request your sign.


Community Environment Day - September 23

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Friends,

From the return of CaféTO and splash pads to a fireworks display, there’s lots to enjoy across Toronto this long weekend. Those travelling over the long weekend should plan their journey in advance, allow extra time, consider taking public transit or other travel methods such as walking or cycling, and follow signage to keep everyone safe.  

A map of all road closures is available on the City of Toronto’s Road Restrictions webpage.

The Green P parking website  has information about parking and EV charging.

The Bike Share Toronto app offers a convenient and sustainable mode of transportation. More information is available at this webpage.

Dine al fresco as part of CaféTO

CaféTO returns this long weekend, inviting residents and visitors to enjoy outdoor dining across Toronto. More than 290 local restaurants and bars have registered for CaféTO’s curb-lane café program. In addition, the City boasts 752 patios and 604 sidewalk cafés. Together, these diverse dining spaces showcase Toronto’s vibrant and multicultural food scene. 

More information is available on the City’s CaféTO webpage.

Cool off at splash and spray pads  

Beginning Saturday, more than 140 splash and spray pads in City parks will open for the season, and will operate daily from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. until Sunday, September 13. 

Caregivers are reminded to supervise children as these are unsupervised water-play areas. Splash and spray pad locations are available on the City’s Swimming and Water Play webpage.

Visit a farm in the City

Residents and visitors to Toronto can escape urban life and visit a working farm in the heart of the City. Riverdale Farm is open daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and admission is free.

The High Park animal display is open daily between 9 a.m. and 7 p.m. Roads in the park are closed to vehicular traffic on weekends and public holidays; however, several TTC routes connect to High Park. More information about the High Park animal display is available on the City’s Zoos & Farms webpage.

Watch fireworks at Ashbridges Bay   

The City’s fireworks display takes place at Ashbridges Bay Park on Monday, May 18 at 10 p.m.  Attendees are encouraged to use public transit and leave personal vehicles at home. Information about TTC schedules, routes and long weekend service is available on the TTC’s website .

Important reminder about fireworks   

Residents are allowed to set off fireworks on their own private property without a permit before 11 p.m. on Victoria Day and Canada Day. A permit is required to set off fireworks on all other days. Fireworks are not permitted in City parks or on beaches, balconies, streets, parking lots or property that is not owned by the person setting off the fireworks. 

My office continues to be available for any Ward 4 or City-related matters. I wish you all a safe and enjoyable long weekend. 

Sincerely,

Gord


In This Week's Newsletter

City-Wide News

  • Summer recreation program listings available
  • FMTA's Toronto Tenant School Workshops 
  • TDSB Learn4Life Summer 2026 Registration Now Open
  • CultureLink Student Summer Jobs Networking Event

Ward 4 news

  • Letter of Support for Diane Rajaram Parkette
  • The Junction Window Wonderland: Call for Artists
  • Junction Farmers Market Returns
  • BWV BIA Presents Blooming in Bloor West Village
  • Metrolinx Construction Update - West Toronto Railpath

Friends,

The City is building 54 supportive, rent-geared-to-income homes (8-storeys) at 1-3 Close Avenue and 78 Springhurst Avenue. Modelled after Dunn House, Canada’s first-ever social medicine supportive housing initiative, this project titled Dunn House 2 will deliver stable housing paired with integrated health and community supports in partnership with the University Health Network (UHN).

The approach is based on the principle that people are more likely to stay well and continue living in their homes when housing and care are brought together in one place. Early results from Dunn House show significant reductions in emergency department visits and hospital bed days. These outcomes reflect improved health stability for residents and reduced pressure on the broader health care system, benefiting the community as a whole.

Dunn House 2 is moving forward as a Toronto Builds public developer project, and will be developed by CreateTO on behalf of the City. The new homes will be studio apartments with a bathroom and a kitchen, with shared laundry, communal areas, and activities space. Construction is anticipated to begin in late 2026 or early 2027.

I was pleased to co-host the Community Consultation Meeting for Dunn House 2 last night, alongside City Planning and Housing staff, UHN, CreateTO, and architects on this project.

Staff heard from Dunn House tenants, members of the South Parkdale University Health Network Tenants Association (SPUHNTA), and residents from the broader community. We were grateful for the valuable feedback about unit size, layout, and other aspects of the project’s built form that was shared.

Projects like Dunn House 2 are urgently needed to provide the most vulnerable in our communities – those who are unhoused and rely on frequent visits to emergency rooms for care – with the housing stability, wrap around supports, and community connection needed to recover and live with dignity.

As we approve and initiate more of these projects as a city, I’d like to encourage us to follow the lead of SPUHNTA by implementing the Parkdale Model that they developed widely in how we welcome and build community with new neighbours.

Sincerely,

Gord


In This Week's Newsletter

City-Wide News

  • RentSafeTO: Information Kiosks for Colour-Coded Signage - Parkdale pop-up location added
  • Seasonal Park Washrooms are now opening

Ward 4 news

  • 1497-1501 Queen St W & 89-91 Beaty Ave Community Consultation Meeting
  • Metrolinx Construction Update - West Toronto Railpath
  • TTC: Kipling to Jane Subway Station Single Day Closure
  • Bloom by the park hosted by Bloor by the Park BIA

Friends,

I’ve decided not to seek re-election as your City Councillor this fall. It’s simply time for me to try my hand at other things. Representing you has been the most important work of my life. Wherever I go from here, I will carry all you have taught me.

If you’ll indulge me, I’d like to take a brief look back at what we’ve done together.

At present, the wider world feels hostile: wars rage, our climate is changing, hate and stigma against the most vulnerable is on the rise, in many places democracy is under attack – even here in Ontario.

Parkdale-High Park has been a laboratory of creative resistance in hard times.

For years, you and your neighbours have fought to create a democratic housing system based on meeting needs instead of returning profit to land speculators. We have been wildly successful.

We pushed through a small project to help the Neighbourhood Land Trust buy a rooming house before it was sold to a speculator. This has grown into a permanent City-wide program called the Multi-Unit Rental Acquisition program. Dozens of rental buildings have been bought by non-profit housing organizations providing secure and decent housing in perpetuity. The federal government has announced its intention to take the program nation-wide.

We’ve always been leaders in building social housing with projects like Edmond’s Place and Dunn House. Over the last three years, Toronto has embarked on creating a Public Builder model, initiated with projects in our community at 11 Brock, the Parkdale Hub, and an expanded and secure rebuild of Swansea Mews. Dozens of non-profit, co-op, and TCHC projects are in development city-wide. Two-thirds of all recent housing starts in Toronto include the City as a partner. Again, we have influenced federal housing policy. The recent creation of Build Canada Homes was in no small part influenced by Toronto’s Public Builder model.

The people of Parkdale-High Park have always put the needs of people in crisis first. Our experience building community-based supports helped launch city-wide the Toronto Community Crisis Service which is a non-police-led, 24/7, response to mental health emergency calls and wellness checks.

Our understanding of the importance of public space has led to improvements in our Toronto Public Library system, Parks, and Community Recreation Centres – such as removing overdue book fines and delivering free programming to ensure that residents of all ages, means, and ability can make use of these assets and resources.  Within months, we will break ground for a new Wabash Community Centre.

We have also spearheaded creating safer streets by being the first ward in Toronto to uniformly lower local road speed limits from 40 to 30km, pioneering raised bike lanes at public transit stops as part of the Roncesvalles pedestrian-friendly streetscape redesign, and expanding the City’s cycling network through the Bloor West complete street and West Parkdale cycling connection projects.

Organizations like Roncesvalles Renewed and Green 13 have fought for a real response to our climate emergency. This gave me a platform to Chair a group of Councillors who worked with thousands of Torontonians to create our net-zero TransformTO Climate Plan. This revolutionary plan is changing everything the city does.

Finally, we have taken our obligations for truth and reconciliation to heart. The new Teiaiagon-Baby Point Heritage conservation plan moved heritage planning from being an architectural exercise to a true discussion and acknowledgement of our shared history. Our work in High Park, at the Wabash Community, and along the western waterfront has centred Indigenous voices and values.

From our morning shower until we turn off the lights, we all depend on the public services we build together. I have always been in awe of how so many people in our community choose to be active in designing and improving these services instead of being mere ‘customers’. I know that you will continue to do that work, enriching the lives of everyone with whom we share this wonderful City.

With love and thanks,

Gord


In This Week's Newsletter

City-Wide News

  • RentSafeTO: Information Kiosks for Colour-Coded Signage
  • Increase in basement flooding subsidies 
  • Healthy Air at Home Webinar
  • Youth Training by FIFA World Cup 2026 Toronto Legacy Program
  • Cherry Blossoms

Ward 4 news

  • Dunn House Phase 2 (78 Springhurst Ave & 1-3 Close Ave) Community Consultation Meeting
  • 1497-1501 Queen St W & 89-91 Beaty Ave Community Consultation Meeting
  • 26 - 36 Mountview Ave & 21 - 29 Oakmount Rd OLT Appeal
  • Update on 2461-2475 Dundas St W: Ontario Land Tribunal Hearing 
  • TTC Transit Notice: 161, 168, and 989 Route Adjustments
  • Road Closure May 2nd  Around Exhibition Place
  • Bloom by the park hosted by Bloor by the Park BIA
  • Green Day at Swansea Town Hall - May 23

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