Council Highlights: DVP Upload, Reducing Development Charges and Keeping the City Clean
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This week marked the penultimate Council meeting of the term, and the agenda reflected that timing. Much of our work focused on routine planning and transportation items that need to move forward before the election break. Alongside that day-to-day business, Council also considered several major items, including landmark negotiations and agreements with the Provincial and Federal governments that will have lasting impacts on Toronto’s future. These decisions span housing affordability, infrastructure funding, climate resilience, transportation, and represent important steps in how we continue to grow and support a changing city.
You'll remember that at the end of 2023, Mayor Olivia Chow and Premier Doug Ford announced the New Deal for Toronto. It was one of the most significant agreements for our city in decades, committing more than $4 billion in capital and operating funding, along with major investments in housing and the infrastructure that supports growth, including transit, water and wastewater systems, and local roads.
One of the final outstanding pieces of the agreement is the Province's upload of the Gardiner Expressway and Don Valley Parkway. By transferring responsibility for these highways to the Province, the City will avoid billions of dollars in future capital repair and maintenance costs, freeing up funding for other important priorities.
This report provides an update on ongoing negotiations between the City and the Province to finalize the upload and clarify long-term responsibilities. This is an issue that comes up regularly, particularly during the winter months when residents ask who is responsible for snow clearing and maintenance on these highways. Questions like these will be resolved once the agreement is finalized.
The City Manager will continue to report back to City Council as required to seek any additional authorities needed to implement the upload. A further update on the status of implementation is expected by the end of the second quarter of 2027, before the Province assumes all responsibility in the fall of 2027.
This week, the City of Toronto, Province of Ontario, and Government of Canada announced that Toronto will receive up to $1.5 billion in funding in recognition of the City's decision to reduce development charges by 40 to 60 per cent for more than three years.
The funding is part of the new Development Charge Reduction Program, which helps municipalities lower development costs while continuing to invest in the infrastructure needed to support growth.
Working with the Province, the City identified eligible housing-enabling infrastructure projects and secured funding over the next 10 years. These investments will lower housing costs, support transit improvements, water and wastewater infrastructure, and road network expansion already included in the City's 10-Year Capital Plan.
This report authorizes staff to finalize the funding agreement, update City by-laws, and begin implementing the development charge reductions. It also allows the City to accelerate Phase 2 of the Purpose-Built Rental Homes Incentive Stream, supporting up to 10,000 new rental homes, including at least 2,000 affordable homes. The incentives are structured here to that the bigger the unit, the larger the percentage discount. This will help make sure we get the family size units we need.
I was honoured to bring forward this motion to recognize Constable Marc Pinizzotto, whose funeral was held this week.
As reported last week, Constable Pinizzotto was tragically killed in the line of duty while executing a search warrant as part of a major investigation into a series of shootings in Toronto.
Constable Pinizzotto’s service and sacrifice are a powerful reminder of the risks taken every day by the women and men in law enforcement. His loss is deeply felt by his family, friends, colleagues, and the communities he dedicated his career to protecting.
As Toronto continues to mourn, it is important that the City also take steps to honour his life and service, and ensure his dedication, courage, and commitment to this city are remembered for generations to come.
As many of you know, I have been pushing the City to take stronger action to protect renters from dangerously high indoor temperatures during extreme heat events. After visiting apartment buildings in our community where residents were living in unsafe conditions during heat waves, it became clear that we need better protections in place.
While there is broad agreement that no one should have to endure dangerous indoor heat in their home, creating a maximum temperature standard is not as simple as passing a by-law. One of the biggest challenges is ensuring tenants are protected from large rent increases that could result if landlords pass the costs of installing cooling systems on to renters.
Earlier this year, Council directed staff to accelerate this work, and this report lays out a path forward.
The report confirms that extreme heat is one of Toronto's most serious climate-related health risks. It recommends a framework to move toward a maximum indoor temperature requirement while addressing the practical challenges of implementation. That includes working with the Province to prevent above-guideline rent increases related to compliance costs, exploring funding opportunities to help building owners make upgrades, consulting with tenants and housing providers, and learning from other cities that have already adopted similar protections.
Staff will continue their research, consult a new stakeholder working group, and report back to Council next year with recommendations on how a by-law could be implemented. Final by-law options are expected to come before Council in 2028.
This is an important step forward. Everyone deserves a safe home, and as our summers become hotter, protecting tenants from extreme indoor heat must be part of how Toronto adapts to a changing climate.
Each spring, my office receives dozens of calls from residents about long grass in parks, overgrown boulevards, and delayed maintenance in public spaces.
Last June, I moved a motion directing City staff to conduct a comprehensive review of how grass cutting and maintenance are scheduled, coordinated, and funded across City divisions, particularly Parks and Transportation. My goal was simple: residents deserve a consistent, city-wide approach, not a patchwork system that produces different results in different neighbourhoods.
That review led to a number of improvements, but if this spring's growing season is any indication, there is still more work to do. That's why I am pleased to support this motion from my colleagues, which builds on the work already underway and reinforces the importance of keeping our parks, boulevards, and public spaces safe, welcoming, and well maintained.
Residents take pride in their neighbourhoods, and the City should do the same.
Council considered a report from the City Solicitor this week regarding the ongoing Ontario Land Tribunal (OLT) appeal for the proposed redevelopment at 690-720 Sheppard Avenue East, on the north side between Bayview and Bessarion.
Residents may recall that the original application proposed a 29-storey mixed-use building with 554 residential units. The application was later revised to include two towers of 32 and 28 storeys, with a total of 705 residential units. After Council was unable to make a decision within the provincially mandated timelines, the applicant appealed the application to the OLT in 2025.
The applicant has now submitted a new set of revised plans through the OLT process. The latest proposal would increase the building heights to 38 and 35 storeys and increase the total number of residential units from 690 to 805.
The revised plans also change how vehicles would access the site. The primary entrance for parking and loading would be from Burbank Drive, while the Sheppard Avenue entrance would be used mainly for pick-up and drop-off activity and access to the retail uses proposed at street level.
Because the matter is currently before the Ontario Land Tribunal, Council considered confidential legal advice from the City Solicitor regarding the City's position and next steps in the appeal process. I will continue to keep residents informed as the application proceeds and opportunities for public input become available.
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Taken together, this week’s agenda shows the balance we are always working to strike at City Hall: keeping the City moving on essential day-to-day services, while also making the longer-term decisions that shape how Toronto grows and adapts. Whether it’s unlocking housing supply, investing in infrastructure, or protecting tenants from extreme heat, these are the choices that will define Toronto well beyond this Council term. I will continue to keep you informed as these files move forward.
