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Annual Progres Update Report on HousingTO Action Plan

Friends,

Our city is facing two intertwined housing crises: lack of affordable housing options for middle-income residents and a severe shortage of deeply affordable and supportive homes for low-income people and those experiencing homelessness.

The HousingTO 2020-2030 Action Plan and the Housing Action Plan (2022-2026) provide a strategic framework to address these challenges.

Today, the City of Toronto released its 2023-2024 Annual Housing Update Report outlining the significant progress we have made on the HousingTO Plan and Housing Action Plan, including:

  • Exceeding the provincial housing supply target by 51 per cent, with 31,656 new housing starts including 1,562 new affordable rental homes.
  • Securing 368 permanent affordable homes through the Multi-Unit Residential Acquisition Program (MURA) program, which began in 2022.
  • Preventing evictions for more than 2,200 low-income households needing support for rent arrears or rental deposits through the Toronto Rent Bank and Eviction Prevention in Community (EPIC) programs.

In 2023, the City increased its 10-year HousingTO Plan targets and approved more than 23,000 new rent-controlled, affordable rental and supportive homes towards this target. However, the rate of affordable housing starts and completions are not keeping pace with the rate of approvals.

The progress report highlights the need for additional and significant funding from other orders of government to help deliver the City’s housing targets successfully. 

Specifically, the City continues to request federal and provincial funding for the Rapid Housing Initiative (RHI), Canada-Ontario Housing Benefit (COHB) and MURA Program to create new affordable rental and supportive homes, maintain the existing affordable rental stock and give more people access to affordable housing.

Our efforts to meet the increased housing targets and implement stronger policies are only effective when they are backed by adequate funding. The people of Toronto are in need of affordable homes. Indeed people across this country, are counting on all orders of government to work together to address these challenges, in collaboration with community partners.

I look forward to discussing the report’s recommendations at next week’s Planning and Housing Committee on September 26, 2024, and will continue to support policies that advance the right to adequate housing for all residents. 

Sincerely,

In This Week's Newsletter

City-Wide

  • Seniors for Climate Event - Oct 1
  • Growing Space for Trees: Protecting & Enhancing the Tree Canopy While Supporting Infill Housing

Ward 4 

  • Coyote Information 
  • Weston Historical Society Fossils to Factories Event, Sept 29
  • Dufferin Grove Housing Co-op 50th Anniversary Celebration, Sept 28
  • Electric Vehicle Roadshow, Sept 28

Developments

  • 2280 Dundas St W – Loblaws Site, Oct 7

 

City Wide Updates

Seniors for Climate Event

Growing Space for Trees: Protecting & Enhancing the Tree Canopy While Supporting Infill Housing

Trees are critically important assets to address the climate and biodiversity crisis – they reduce urban heat and stormwater runoff, provide wildlife habitat, and clean the air. They also help to make neighbourhoods more attractive and desirable.

New infill housing will help to address Toronto's current housing challenges, but it has the potential to negatively impact Toronto’s tree canopy. Proactive solutions are needed to ensure that our tree canopy is protected and will have suitable space to grow as our neighbourhoods continue to develop.

The City of Toronto has one of the strongest suites of tree protection by-laws in North America. Tree Protection has been comprehensively addressed in Official Plan policies and Zoning By-law amendments related to garden suites, laneway suites, and multiplex housing. While enabling and supporting infill residential development, the City continues to be proactive in protecting and expanding its tree canopy, recognizing that both are essential in responding to some of the city’s most pressing current and anticipated future needs.

Please join us at one of our consultation events to learn more about actions the City of Toronto is taking to protect trees, as well as proposals for additional Official Plan and the City-wide Zoning By-law 569-2013 updates to better protect and enhance Toronto’s tree canopy during infill housing development.

In-person Community Consultation (Etobicoke)

Date: September 24, 2024

Time: 6 – 8 pm

Location: Etobicoke Civic Centre, Etobicoke Council Chambers

                399 The West Mall

                Toronto, Ontario.

City-wide Virtual Consultation 1

Date: September 25, 2024

Time: 6 – 8 pm

Registration is required through the following webpage: City Planning Consultations – City of Toronto

City-wide Virtual Consultation 2

Date: September 27, 2024

Time: 12 – 2 pm

Registration is required through the following webpage: City Planning Consultations – City of Toronto

For questions, please contact [email protected]

Ward 4 Updates

Coyote Information

Coyotes are active during the day and at night, particularly dusk and dawn, and help to control rodent and rabbit populations. Coyotes thrive in urban areas because of the abundance of food and shelter available. They do not hibernate and may be seen more often during winter months as they are not hidden by foliage. Coyotes will eat whatever food is available such as small mammals and birds, and improperly stored garbage.

Remember these tips:

  • Never feed coyotes (it is against bylaw, Toronto Municipal Code, Section 36)
  • Do not approach coyotes, their dens or their young
  • Do not touch coyotes, even if they appear tame, sick or injured
  • Keep your dog on a leash
  • If you see a coyote, do not run but make some noise to scare it away
  • Dispose of garbage and waste before leaving parks

See this Coyote Fact Sheet for more information.

If you experience a coyote attack or see someone feeding a coyote, call 311.

Toronto Animal Services (TAS) offer solutions and assistance for co-existence. When incidents occur, TAS gather specific information about what happened and about what possible barriers exist so that we can provide information and assistance to individuals.

We also suggest taking the e-learning course on Coyotes in the Urban Landscape to learn basic facts about coyote behaviour and how both pets and people can remain safe. This informational module has been created in partnership with Coyote Watch Canada.

Weston Historical Society Fossils to Factories Event

Dufferin Grove Housing Co-op 50th Anniversary Celebration

Electric Vehicle Roadshow

Developments

2280 Dundas St W – Loblaws Site

Following the resubmission of the application for 2280 Dundas St West in 2022 and recent reworking of the application, Councillor Perks, City Planning, and the applicant feel it’s appropriate to schedule another virtual Community Consultation Meeting for the evening of October 7th at 6pm, so that the community can become acquainted with the latest iteration of the development of this site.

The current proposal includes seven mixed-use and residential buildings (including five residential towers) on four development blocks. It will offer both ownership and rental housing options, with a new central public park and new street system. It includes approximately 1,923 residential units in a range of unit sizes and includes 735 rental units within 3 rental buildings. Previous community meetings were held for this site in 2018 and 2022. The meeting on Octobers 7th will consist of short presentations of the development from City Planning and the applicant’s team, followed by a Q&A session. This will be a great opportunity to 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. Information on how to register for the meeting will be available shortly and shared in a future newsletter.

Further information on the project and what is being proposed can be found on the City's Application Information Centre website here: https://www.toronto.ca/city-government/planning-development/application-details/?id=5134035&pid=161892.

Looking forward to seeing you there.

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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
More — Read Our Weekly Newsletter

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