I am very pleased to report that my colleagues supported moving forward with a new program to provide much needed protection for Toronto renters. This success 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 for Tenants Ontario, and [...]
Over the next two decades, the number of seniors in Toronto will more than double. To prepare for this, the City adopted its first age-friendly plan – the Toronto Seniors Strategy – in 2013. With 86 of the original 91 recommendations now implemented, the City and I, in my capacity as Toronto's Seniors' Advocate, are working with [...]
Over the next two decades the number of seniors in Toronto will more than double. To prepare for this, the City adopted its first age-friendly plan – the Toronto Seniors Strategy – in 2013. With 86 of the original 91 recommendations now implemented, the City is working with the older Torontonians, caregivers, agencies and other [...]
Dear residents,This week, Council will decide whether to proceed with Mayor Tory’s revised SmartTrack plan as Toronto’s top transit priority. Since the release of the Staff Report, the mayor has received a great deal of criticism for not fulfilling his campaign promise of delivering 22 stations in 7 years with the City’s funding portion completely paid [...]
Read this in-depth Toronto Star series on how the Ontario Municipal Board wields its unelected power over a city crunched for resources: Contested Development. The OMB is a quasi-judicial, un-elected and un-accountable provincial body that has the final say on all planning decisions in the province of Ontario. The tribunal's powers to overrule [...]
Review of powerful appeals body aims to give more consideration to local planning process. October 5, 2016 Jennifer Pagliaro The Toronto Star Attorney General Yasir Naqvi, whose department oversees the Ontario Municipal Board, said there is little agreement on how best to reform the land use planning process in the province but [...]
August 25, 2016 Parks and Environment Committee Re: Yellow Creek / Vale of Avoca Master Plan Dear Chair and Committee Members, The Yellow Creek and Vale of Avoca areas are beloved parts of Ward 27 and 22. In an urban environment, such green spaces represent a precious resource; offering recreation for residents, a [...]
As Toronto's Seniors Advocate, I met with Ontario's (now former) Minister Responsible for Seniors Affairs, Mario Sergio, to discuss a wide array of priorities to Toronto's seniors. At this meeting, we also agreed to organize a Seniors Summit to celebrate the proclamation of Seniors Month, the achievements of the Ontario Seniors Strategy and Toronto Seniors Strategy so [...]
Dear residents, Many of you know that I have been advocating for an evidence-based transit plan in Scarborough for several years now. For those who haven’t been following recent developments, if you thought a 3-stop subway for $3.56 billion was a bad idea, Council might actually choose to build a single subway stop rather than [...]
June is Seniors' Month and I am delighted to invite you to join me, as Toronto's Seniors Advocate, at the Toronto Seniors Summit! Date: Saturday, June 18 Time: 10am – 2pm Location: City Hall, Council Chamber & Members Lounge The event will be a half-day summit for provincial, municipal and community partners, including: an overview of seniors [...]
