Hi Neighbour!
THIS SATURDAY, November 30th, 2pm-8pm, join me at the We Love Willowdale Christmas Market where you will have the chance to:
Check off your holiday shopping list while supporting local artisans,
celebrate the holidays,
participate in a festive tree-lighting sponsored by Yonge North York BIA (6:30pm),
visit with Santa and Mrs. Claus,
enjoy a sing-a-long (7pm-8pm), and
most importantly support the vital community work of NeighbourLink North York.
I am so grateful for the incredible service of NeighbourLink North York and their volunteers to Willowdale including youth programs, the 415 Food Hub, seniors programs and so much more! What a great way to kick off the holiday season with kindness. Click Here for more information.
See you Saturday!
Happy 100 Year Anniversary
This past Monday I had the pleasure of attending the 100-Year Anniversary of the North York Gardening Club. It was one of the most delicious potlucks I’ve ever attended, but more importantly, I witnessed a strong caring community that is a great point of connection for community members to share their love of gardening. Congratulations to Christine Pierroz on being elected as the new President of the club. It was also heartwarming to see a newcomer young family participating in the club. We hope this club can be a point of connection for many more community members in the century to come. Those who are interested in meeting with them once a month at Willowdale Presbyterian at 38 Ellerslie Ave. can contact info@northyorkgardenclub.ca.
For additional information, please visit www.northyorkgardenclub.ca.
Sleep and Leadership
One of the attendees of the North York Gardening Club celebration asked me if I get much sleep. I really struggled with getting enough sleep in my first year, partly because of the steep learning curve of the work, partly because most of the job is sedentary and I wasn’t getting much exercise. Last year during Black Friday I took the leap and invested in a Peloton. I really do not have time to travel to a gym for workouts. I am proud to say that I recently hit 120 workouts. Sometimes it’s 10 minutes, and sometimes I get 30 minutes, but doing so has meant much better sleep and by extension better leadership.
Many years ago I attended a leadership conference where I learned of the importance of self-leadership as key for good leadership overall. It’s one thing to manage teams and projects, but managing yourself, how you prioritize your time, and ensure you can bring your best to your job is critical to effective leadership. I once read that Barack Obama began each day at the White House with an early morning run. At the time, I admired his discipline. Now I understand that that morning run was also a show of self-leadership and survival.
A New Shelter is Coming to Willowdale
A few weeks ago we were informed a new shelter will be built in Willowdale in the next 2-4 years. It is part of a plan to build 20 new shelters across the city. This means almost every ward in Toronto will be getting a new shelter. In December, residents who live near the location that has been chosen by the city will receive notice of the shelter location with an invitation to an information session. That same announcement will share the 6 locations across the city that are part of the first phase of building new shelter capacity.
I will be honest, this news brought me some anxiety as we work to support the implementation of supportive housing at 175 Cummer, the re-opening of Eva’s Satellite (shelter for unhoused youth) that is happening soon and continue to support the shelter at 5800 Yonge Street. Each of these is a lift for my team and our community, and we want to ensure the best support for any project in our ward.
To be clear, shelter locations are selected by Toronto Shelter and Support Services (TSSS). This is called “delegated authority”. Council gave TSSS this authority because many shelters would likely be rejected by councillors and their communities. The City is currently spending an exorbitant amount of money on shelter hotels as a stop gap. The only way to reduce this cost is to build purpose-built shelters.
Community members receiving the pamphlet in their mailboxes may feel anxiety and anger, while others may welcome the opportunity to support the most vulnerable in Toronto. I have mixed feelings due to the intensity of challenges that arose when 5800 Yonge St. became a low-barrier shelter (it was later switched back to being a Refugee Shelter) and concern for how the shelter will be implemented.
I cannot announce the location until the notices have been sent, as it is embargoed information for legal reasons. There is still much I do not know about the project and will be learning alongside community members as the project develops. TSSS has committed that although community members, including councillors, cannot impact the location of the shelter, community feedback will be welcomed as part of the implementation process.
This week I visited the Junction Shelter and will visit additional shelters to better understand how purpose-built shelters are being implemented across the city.
ReNew Sheppard Secondary Plan Review
Next Tuesday the revised ReNew Sheppard plan is coming to North York Community Council. It proposed a significant change in density along the Sheppard corridor from Wilfred to Leslie. For many community members in Willowdale, the changes have been shocking as they felt they were not looped into the consultative process until very late in the process. While a majority of the plan is in Ward 17, the impact on the north and southwest corners of Bayview and Sheppard in our ward is far reaching.
Today I met with a group of concerned residents who pleaded for more time to process the changes. Here are the key concerns of the residents:
Bayview and Sheppard intersection is already a mess in terms of traffic and pedestrian safety. With the approved developments already coming at Bayview Village and the northwest corner of Bayview and Sheppard along with the current proposal of density at the YMCA, the city will surely already meet population targets outlined in the MTSA (Mass Transit Station Area), a policy passed at City Council in 2022, although it has not been approved by the province.
The small neighbourhood at the southwest corner of Bayview and Sheppard is a strong community of neighbours who were planning to spend the rest of their lives in the community. This plan significantly impacts their future. It is not just about the investment of their homes, but the relationships they have built over the years.
The residents do not feel they have had meaningful opportunities or process and speak into the designs of this plan. They feel their voices have not been heard and would very much like more time to discuss their concerns further.
Residents have asked me to consider the following potential next steps:
Ask for a deferral of the entire proposed plan.
Ask for a carved out deferral of the Ward 18 areas impacted by the revised plan.
Refuse the plan altogether.
I will be reaching out to my fellow North York councillors to discuss options and hear their feedback.
Click Here if you would like to submit comments to the plan and/or request to speak at the meeting.
Toronto Interfaith Summit Against Antisemitism and Hate
Today I attended a press conference and summit at City Hall where residents, students, not-for-profit leaders and faith leaders from the Jewish, Muslim and Christian faiths together urged the City to take greater action to address the antisemitism and hate experienced by our Jewish neighbours daily. No one should feel afraid to practice their faith or share their culture and yet the rise in antisemitism has meant many no longer feel safe to do so. We must fight hate and restore a sense of safety. If diversity is our strength we must find ways to build bridges that will strengthen the fabric of our community while taking a strong stand against hate.
My main action takeaways were around effective policy, especially as a Toronto Police Service Board member. The TPSB recently completed an online consultation process as they develop their legislatively required policy on how to police public events.
One of the 18 deputants, Mark Sandler, a criminal lawyer, urged the City and the TPS to stop saying the Criminal Code of Canada does not have the tools needed to combat antisemitism. He suggested criminal charges such as mischief or criminal intimidation can be laid when roads are blocked by protests. He also emphasized the need for greater municipal bylaw enforcement.
I am committed to exploring how we can increase collaboration between the Toronto Police Service and Municipal Licensing and Standards’ bylaw enforcement unit to return safety and freedom from intimidation to all Toronto residents of all faiths.
Service Excellence Committee
In 2024, the Customer Experience Division, via 311 Toronto, launched the Non-Emergency Service Steering Committee, along with Toronto Police Service and other City divisions, which focuses on improving the coordination of non-emergency services to improve overall customer experience. This includes assessing and addressing opportunities regarding enhanced parking infraction reporting, and other improvements for non-emergency service coordination. Through this collaboration staff have identified, implemented, and supported:
A new live transfer process between 311 Toronto and Toronto Police Service for non-emergency issues.
The development of the 2024 “Make the Right Call” public awareness campaign.
Sharing additional information on City’s external website regarding reporting of parking infractions.
These enhancements have successfully supported customers in accessing the necessary services. Since January 2024, 311 Toronto has received approximately 920 calls per month regarding Toronto Police Service parking infractions, which represents approximately 1 percent of 311 call volume. The new live transfer process allows for calls to be screened by 311 Toronto staff and be transferred in live time to the Toronto Police Service Non-Emergency line, providing a “no wrong door” customer-focused approach.
Urban Forestry gave a presentation on the City’s service standards for tree maintenance and planting. I learned that we have 11.5 million trees in Toronto and 45% of these are on public lands. In 2023, City staff planted 124,689 trees and inspected 158,000. We sent the following questions to staff for a deeper dive into trees and the City:
Given that Toronto has set a goal of 40% tree canopy coverage by 2050, what percentage of tree canopy coverage does 11.5 million trees currently provide and are we on track to reach 40% coverage?
Answer: Currently, we’re at approximately 30% which is on target for hitting the 40% goal by 2050.
Of the 2159 service requests for unauthorized tree injuries or removals, how many of these violations resulted in a fine for the unauthorized tree injuries/removals?
Answer: Of the 2159 service requests, 349 were confirmed as a tree by-law contravention (or 17%). 1810 found no tree by-law contravention (or 83%). The 349 confirmed tree by-law infractions resulted in enforcement action; specifically, a total of 406 Contravention Inspection Fees were laid against the associated homeowners/contractors (more than 1 fee can be applied per site). A Contravention Inspection Fee ranges from $287.03 to $861.16 depending on the nature of the contravention. Finally, of these 349 infractions, 22 sites were sent to prosecution through the Provincial Court System (6.3% of the total). Not all of these have outcomes to date.
What leads to a prosecution through the Provincial Court System for unauthorized tree injuries/removals?
Answer: Prosecution action is generally reserved for sites where the contravention is significant in nature and where there is no work that could remedy the infraction (e.g. city-tree removed). We also have sent files to prosecution where we see flagrant non-compliance with orders and for “repeat offenders”.
A couple months ago I had a walk in the neighbourhood of Mel Lastman Square with representatives from Transportation, Parks and Urban Forestry. We noticed many of the City trees in planters along our main Yonge Street and adjacent side streets had been cut down only halfway leaving a trunk with no branches. Because of Transform Yonge slated to begin 2028, trees along Yonge Street will no longer be replaced at this time. Thus, trees actually don’t need to be stumped, which is more expensive. Instead, they can be cut to base. During this presentation from Urban Forestry at Service Excellence Committee I reached out to the General Manager of Parks, Forestry and Recreation to follow up on this request so that planters are ready for flower planting by property owners next spring.
Transportation Services presented on service standards and trends related to boulevard damage and potholes. Boulevard damage refers to the area between the curb and a private property line that is damaged by a City or City-contracted snowplow. Current service level allows for 360 days to complete these repairs. 84% of service requests for boulevard damage were closed on time so far in 2024.
The presentation included a breakdown of how potholes are identified. 20% of potholes are reported by the public through 311 service requests. Currently, the level of service for all pothole repairs is 4 days, regardless of location. Staff are reviewing this service standard in alignment with Provincial Maintenance Standards and road classifications. Any updated service level will match or exceed Provincial Standards.
It was interesting to note that there were 201,054 potholes filled in 2023 and there have been 254,559 potholes repaired as of Nov 12th, 2024. However, less than half of these potholes were filled within the 4-day level of service. Here is the percentage of potholes filled on time:
Bike lane potholes 40%
Expressway 27%
Road 47%
I hope to see you all at the We Love Willowdale Christmas Market THIS SATURDAY at Mel Lastman Square! Have a wonderful rest of your week.
Warmest Regards,
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