At our meeting on June 25 and 26, City Council wrangled with permitting sixplexes city-wide, committed to universal school food program, and continued work to keep people moving during the temporary closure of King Street East and Church Street.
During City Council, both Mayor Chow and Councillor Bradford proposed motions to keep traffic moving during the closure of the King-Church intersection. The Mayor’s motion, which was supported by both myself and Deputy Mayor Malik, makes changes to parking regulations on King Street West, Adelaide Street West and York Street to support the movement of streetcars and deploys additional traffic agents to seven locations near the King-Church intersection.
Meanwhile, Councillor Bradford sought to open King Street to vehicular traffic between Spadina and Church where streetcars are not currently in service. Noting that there are currently replacement buses servicing the King Street corridor which benefit from transit priority, Mayor Chow successfully moved an amendment to also exclude areas where buses are running from the recommendation. Staff will report back to City Council by April 2026 with a proposal for increased stakeholder engagement and exploration of alternative options to mitigate congestion impacts in advance of construction beginning on future major infrastructure projects, particularly in the downtown core.
A staff report that was recommended that the Official Plan be amended to allow sixplexes to be built as-of-right across the city was rejected by Council. This change in policy would have allowed for the gradual addition of gentle density in residential neighbourhoods, creating more supply for the housing market. Unfortunately, what was adopted when the report was debated at City Council was far less impactful.
Several councillors representing wards outside of the downtown core shared concerns about how neighbourhoods would deal with increased demand for parking. More generally, many of my colleagues felt as though staff had not studied the potential impacts of the policy change. It became clear that, as proposed, the recommendations would not receive a majority vote in their favour.
Acknowledging that marginal change would be better than no change at all, Councillor Perks, Chair of the Planning and Housing Committee, reluctantly put forward an amendment. This change put approval for sixplexes into effect only in the Toronto East York District and Ward 23, where a pilot project permitting sixplexes was already underway. Councillors outside of these areas who wish to participate can opt in. This watered-down version of staff’s recommendations was ultimately adopted by City Council.
In Toronto Centre, sixplexes can already be built with special permissions. This change in policy will just make it easier for people interested in building them to do so. As this ward is already a hub for high-density development, we are unlikely to see a significant change as a result of this new policy. However, Councillor’s Perks’ amendment did include a recommendation for staff to ensure the necessary neighbourhood infrastructure is available to support successful integration of six unit multiplexes into communities, including street cleaning and public realm maintenance and improvements. I will share an update when I have a better idea of what these enhanced supports will look like in Toronto Centre.
A detailed analysis of frontline paramedic resource needs found that emergency call demand is expected to increase by 11% by the end of 2028. To keep up with that demand, Toronto Paramedics has developed a multi-year staffing plan that recommends the addition of 331 new frontline positions over the next three years. City Council has authorized the addition of 112 staff complement to the Toronto Paramedic Services’ 2025 Operating Budget as an in-year adjustment to help mitigate frontline staff workload as a result of increased emergency call demand pressures. This addition is dependent on the confirmation of Provincial funding.
Council approved a plan to ensure that every school community can access both the necessary infrastructure and food to provide a mid-morning meal to all students. The City Manager and Medical Officer of Health have delivered a vision and strategy for achieving a universal student nutrition program in Toronto which was requested by Executive Committee on October 1, 2024. While funding was increased in 2024 and 2025 to support a total of 73 new programs (phases one and two of the Student Nutrition Program expansion), there are still 155 school communities in need of funding. The program will expand to 77 additional school communities in Winter 2026 (Phase Three) and the final 78 school communities for the 2026-2027 school year (Phase Four). To realize this vision, the other levels of government will need to contribute funding through the provincial Student Nutrition Program and the National School Food Program.
The FIFA World Cup 2026™ is only weeks away. My team has collected important information for you to know before the games begin here on June 11, including match times, FIFA Fan Festival™, and more. Visit my new Resource page to learn more!
This summer, we’re transforming a stretch of Church Street into a vibrant, car-free destination: a place to gather, celebrate, and show the world what the Village is made of.
Learn more at: www.experiencethevillage.ca
More than 130 residents participated in community safety meetings hosted by my office and Toronto Community Housing (TCHC) this spring in St. James Town and Moss Park. The meetings brought together residents, TCHC staff, Toronto Police Service, the City's Violence Intervention and Support Unit, Fred Victor, and Unison Health and Community Services to discuss local safety concerns and identify solutions.