At the last City Council meeting I supported sending City Legal and City Planning to oppose Rockport's 733 Mount Pleasant development application that was appealed to the provincial Local Planning Appeals Tribunal (LPAT). The City has carefully reviewed the proposal for a 27-storey tower on a site that was originally identified as a midrise site [...]
In December, my motion on activating a new community space for youth in our Oakwood-Vaughan neighbourhood passed unanimously at City Council. Since then, I've been working closely with our Social Development staff on finding a youth agency and new space in the community. While we continue to explore every avenue with City Staff and our [...]
City Planning is proposing an amendment to the Official Plan and a proposed zoning approach for an amendment of the City-wide Zoning By-law, to establish a city-wide approach to public safety for new development of sensitive or high occupancy land uses in proximity of rail infrastructure. The amendments are the result of the Development in [...]
This public health emergency has quickly turned into a humanitarian crisis with seniors in long term care accounting for nearly 70% of Ontario's COVID-19 deaths. To save lives and better support our long term care workers, seniors and those living with accessibility challenges in our province, I kicked this year off by launching a campaign [...]
In the recent years, it has become apparent that access to high-speed internet is necessary for residents to equitably participate in day to day life. Geographically, almost all of Toronto can connect to home internet, but not everyone has sufficient service. The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted gaps, vulnerabilities and the need for internet services to [...]
Last spring, I began advocating to City Staff on the exciting prospect of using curb lanes in Toronto for outdoor dining to address the indoor capacity restrictions restaurants and bars were facing due to the public health emergency. I was thrilled to see this initiative come alive and transform our streets into vibrant and safe [...]
I’m pleased to announce that the advocacy from so many of you last summer resulted in meaningful action at Council this past week. Council approved a pilot project that will see teams of mental health professionals become the first response when Toronto residents are in crisis. It is estimated that the Toronto Police Service responds [...]
Due to politics coming before people, Scarborough residents will be left on long bus rides for years to come. Even today, the 7-stop Scarborough LRT would provide more service, for fewer dollars, and can be up and running sooner. It’s finally time for Council to make the right decision to serve Scarborough residents. The LRT [...]
The RentSafeTO initiative approved by Council in 2017 is one of the most comprehensive, progressive, and rigorous municipal tenant protection initiatives in North America. The new multi-residential apartment by-law was the result of years of hard work with local tenant advocates and city-wide organizations, including the Federation of Metro Toronto Tenants’ Associations, ACORN, Advocacy Centre [...]
As Toronto's Seniors Advocate, I'm pleased to announce that the TCHC Seniors Housing Unit is moving forward with implementing the first stage of the Integrated Service Model (ISM) for seniors housing this month. Starting on December 11, the Seniors Housing Unit will begin to implement the model in 18 buildings in the south east area [...]
