Toronto City Council had another full and engaging agenda this past April 16 and 17. There was timely discussion about fixing the Vacant Home Tax, big strides in improving tenant assistance for those impacted by rental demolitions, and plans to expand both its Student Nutrition Program and the Alcohol in Parks program.
In 2023, over 50% of rental units approved for demolition and replacement across the city were in Toronto Centre. That’s why I worked closely with Councillor Josh Matlow on a motion to implement improvements to the way rent-gap payments are calculated, ensuring that moving forward, our renters are getting a fair deal. The following directives were included in that motion:
After a year-long pilot project that allowed the consumption of alcoholic beverages in 27 of the City’s 171 parks, the program was made permanent and expanded city-wide. At least one park in each ward must be designated for personal alcohol consumption. In Toronto Centre, residents over the age of 19 can now consume alcohol in the following parks:
The Federal government recently announced $1 billion in funding for a new National School Food Program. On April 17, City Council expressed its support for the program and directed the City Manager to write to the Provincial government to request they return to matching the City's Annual financial support of our student nutrition program and bolster its base funding of the program to offset inflationary costs of food.
City Council also requested an action plan from the Medical Officer of Health and the General Manager, Parks, Forestry and Recreation on leveraging increased funding from the National School Food Program to create new nutrition programs or expand existing programs. The action plan is to include the following opportunities:
At the March 20 Planning and Housing Committee meeting, Municipal Licensing and Standards reported back on directives pertaining to RentSafeTO’s fee structure and evaluation tool design that were requested in 2022. The following items from the report highlight some of the changes made to the way RentSafeTO buildings are evaluated and audited as of June 30, 2023:
The City’s Short-Term Rental Bylaw aims to limit short-term rental activity to principal residences to permit residents the flexibility to supplement their income while ensuring critical rental housing stock is preserved. The following updates to the by-law were adopted to further that objective:
The Laneway Projects organization is asking you to identify some laneways in Ward 13 that needs love!
We have come a long way since the summer of 2023 when Allan Gardens was the largest encampment in the city.
I'm proud to once again be coming back to our community for this year's Neighbourhood Town Hall series!
