Looking to make 2026 the year you get in shape? With a flexible FitnessTO membership you can get access to a wide range of affordable, self-directed fitness opportunities and group fitness classes at safe and welcoming community recreation centres across Toronto. Our highly qualified staff provide hundreds of fitness and aquatic fitness classes daily.
The CaféTO program provides restaurants and bars in Toronto with the opportunity to access public space and expand their outdoor dining space through curb lane cafés. Applications are now open for new and returning curb lane cafés. Returning operators should have received an email communication on Monday, January 5 on how to renew their permit for 2026. The deadline for new and returning applicants is 11:59pm on Wednesday, February 11.
On Tuesday, January 13, from 6:00pm to 8:00pm, join me, Deputy Mayor Malik, and Budget Chief Councillor Shelley Carroll, as we have an important annual discussion of the 2026 Budget.
Happy New Year! Wishing everyone a joyful and hopeful start to 2026. Even in moments when governments fuel despair, we have the power to choose hope instead. Together, we can reject fear and division, lift one another up, and ensure that the most vulnerable among us are never left behind.
I am pleased to share an important update on the Regent Park revitalization and a major investment secured for the community. Toronto Community Housing and Tridel have finalized a Community Benefits Agreement for Phases 4 and 5 of the Regent Park revitalization. Through this agreement, 26.8 million dollars will be invested directly into programs and supports for Regent Park residents.
On the evening of December 10, 2025, Toronto Community Housing hosted the Regent Park Youth Safety Forum at the Centre of Excellence in the Regent Park Community Centre, in collaboration with the City of Toronto and my office. The event was led by Toronto Community Housing Tenant Services Coordinator Felicia Whyte and supported by multiple teams across Toronto Community Housing and the City, including Parks and Recreation and Social Development staff. Youth, parents, City staff, and community partners came together for an open and collaborative conversation focused on youth safety, wellbeing, and prevention.
Every summer, many residents find themselves living with extreme heat and humidity within their rental units, especially as climate change has continued to make this a more frequent issue. I have been pushing to amend our bylaws to better protect tenants, especially vulnerable residents who may be older or with mobility challenges that do not permit them to easily move to a cooler building for heat relief. Last December, Council took the next steps to introduce a maximum temperature by-law, as well as to require many landlords to implement measures such as cooling rooms to protect their tenants.
Safety is my number one priority in Toronto Centre. A key focus of my term has been improving pedestrian safety through the installation of new traffic control signals and local pedestrian projects. With so much work, I thought it would be helpful to provide information on what has been completed to date, and what work is expected in 2026 and beyond.
February is Black History Month, and I hope you will join me to celebrate with three new heritage plaques that will be installed in Toronto Centre. On February 2 at Inglenook Community School (19 Sackville Street). These plaques will help recognize Henry Brown, Cy McLean and North Star Way.
At our Holiday Banquet on December 5, we honoured our 2025 Toronto Centre Community Builder Award recipients. This year, we awarded 12 outstanding Toronto Centre residents who are dedicated to enacting positive change in their neighbourhoods, three exemplary community organizations that empower and unite the people they serve and, for the first time, recognized City staff and a member of 51 Division who went above and beyond in their roles to make Toronto Centre a more welcoming and inclusive place to live in 2025.
December 5 was a magical evening! I'm incredibly grateful to everyone who attended by Holiday Banquet. I was honored to share a meal wiht you all, as well as recognize the 2025 cohort of my Community Builder Award recipients. I want to give a thank you to M Biryani House for the delicious food, and to all my staff and volunteers who pulled this event together. I want to especially thank Sherwin Lau in my office; this event would have not have been the success it was without his leadership behind the scenes.