top of page

Council Highlights: Maximum Indoor Temperature, Reducing Youth Unemployment & More

  • councillorcarroll
  • Dec 18, 2025
  • 9 min read

As the year draws to a close, City Council wrapped up an important set of decisions that touch on everything from transit reliability and youth employment to food security, climate action, and growth planning in our neighbourhoods. Here’s a summary of key items debated and decided at Council, and where work will continue into the new year. Thank you for staying engaged and for following City Hall’s work, it truly makes a difference.



 

It might seem unusual to be talking about extreme heat in December, but with summers getting hotter, prolonged heat is a serious health and safety issue, especially for tenants in older rental buildings.

 

This work began in 2023 when I first asked City staff to explore how Toronto could better protect renters from dangerous indoor temperatures during extreme heat events. This week, Council received a report outlining the next steps toward potentially implementing a maximum indoor temperature standard for rental housing and requiring that specific indoor spaces are made available as cooling rooms.


 


The approach is careful and evidence-based. In 2026, staff will conduct a detailed compliance study across different types of rental buildings to understand the costs, challenges, and opportunities. The study will also look at prioritizing relief for residents most vulnerable to heat-related illness, with findings and recommendations to be reported back in 2027.

 

Meanwhile, the report advances immediate, practical measures to protect tenants, including continuing the City’s A/C Assistance Program for eligible low-income households, requiring RentSafeTO buildings to cool an existing amenity space during summer where feasible, and consolidating all indoor temperature rules into a single, clearer by-law.

 

This report designates a portion of North York Harvest Food Bank’s new space at 4050 Chesswood Drive as a Municipal Capital Facility, exempting it from municipal and education property taxes and reducing rent costs so more resources can be directed toward food access, workforce training, and community programming.

To strengthen this support, I moved an amendment at Committee to approve an exceptional City loan guarantee for North York Harvest Food Bank. This guarantee helps unlock financing for the construction of an expanded food distribution facility by reducing borrowing costs and risk, making it possible for the project to move ahead while community fundraising continues.

 

North York Harvest Food Bank does extraordinary work and this support comes as North York Harvest launches a $6 million fundraising campaign to build a new Community Food Hub, more than three times the size of their current space, to respond to crisis-level food insecurity affecting more than 30,000 people each month. Until December 31, donations are being matched by the Schulich Foundation, doubling the impact of community support.  Learn more and support: https://northyorkharvest.com/community/ 

 

 

I strongly support this report because youth employment is foundational to Toronto’s long-term economic strength, community safety, and shared prosperity. With youth unemployment in our city nearing 20%, we must be intentional about creating clear, equitable pathways into meaningful work.

 

The City of Toronto is the leading employer of youth in Canada, with more than 16,000 young people working for us every year. This report builds on that leadership by strengthening coordination through the Youth Employment Table, setting clearer employment targets, modernizing hiring practices, and expanding pathways into stable careers, including in construction and major city-building projects.

 

At Committee, I supported motions calling on the provincial and federal governments to provide sustained funding for youth employment that reflects Toronto’s outsized role in employing young people. But governments cannot do this work alone. If we want a safe, resilient, and prosperous city, the private sector must also step up—by creating more entry-level opportunities, paid placements, and pathways into stable work for young people alongside continued public investment.


 

I know there is a perception that the City doesn’t do enough to hold contractors accountable when things go wrong. This case shows the opposite.

 

Through our internal controls and the Auditor General’s Fraud and Waste Hotline, the City identified serious irregularities in billing by Capital Sewer Services Inc. That triggered a full audit and an independent forensic investigation by KPMG, which has confirmed intentional overbilling of at least $1.1 million on a major City sewer project. Based on those findings, I supported suspending Capital Sewer and its affiliated companies from doing business with the City for the maximum period allowed—five years.

 

This decision reflects how seriously we take our audit and oversight systems. When concerns are raised, we investigate, we act, and we protect public dollars. Contractors who violate the City’s Supplier Code of Conduct must clearly understand: Toronto will hold you accountable.

 

This report generated a significant amount of feedback from residents who were concerned that a Building Emissions Performance Standards (BEPS) bylaw was not included. I want to thank everyone who took the time to share their views—those voices mattered in shaping the outcome.

 

This report is an important step in advancing Toronto’s TransformTO Net Zero Strategy Action Plan for 2026–2030. It moves climate action forward in a way that recognizes today’s affordability pressures, legal constraints, and economic realities, while continuing to invest in resilience, public health, and long-term prosperity.

 

I was grateful to support the amendments brought forward to ensure that BEPS is not off the table, but done right. These amendments commit the City to reporting back in early 2027 with a full economic and legal analysis, meaningful stakeholder consultation, and clear measures to protect tenants from rent and utility cost increases. They also strengthen our advocacy to the provincial and federal governments for the funding and tools building owners need to make upgrades feasible, and direct continued work with Toronto Hydro to reduce emissions while managing costs.

Tackling climate change is essential, but it must be done in a way that is fair, legally sound, and economically responsible. This report, and the amendments added to it, strike that balance and keep Toronto moving forward.

 

 

When Council debated the Avenues Review earlier this year, I heard from many residents who were concerned about how new Avenues designations could affect growth in their neighbourhoods. Troublingly, several residents also told me they felt their concerns were not heard during the Phase One consultations. There is no question that this policy will play out very differently in our suburban neighbourhoods than downtown—and we are already seeing that with other zoning changes.


That is why I supported an amended work plan to change how this work is done. Phase Two of the Avenues Study now requires planning staff to consult with local communities before they begin evaluating any potential rezoning along Avenues. This ensures residents and councillors can help shape recommendations from the outset, rather than being consulted only after options are already far down the track. Implementation is also being phased, starting with Wards 9 (Davenport) and 11 (University–Rosedale), which is the process contained in the report Council received this week. Don Valley North will be reviewed in Phase Three, with work targeted to begin in 2027.


I have also heard concerns about how these changes could affect school sites located on Avenues. I strongly support protecting local schools and the green spaces that serve our communities, and I understand why any planning change involving school lands raises questions. To address these concerns and reaffirm that school sites should not be considered for redevelopment, Council approved an amendment to exclude all public school properties from future Avenue rezonings in all wards. These school sites remain zoned exactly as they are today, with no new development permissions and no impact on school operations or green space. Any future proposal to redevelop school lands would still require a separate rezoning process, full public consultation, and approval by City Council.


These are exactly the kinds of concerns that led me to oppose a one-size-fits-all, city-wide approach to the Avenues Review. A ward-by-ward, context-sensitive process allows growth to be planned carefully, transparently, and with meaningful community input. This measured rollout recognizes that while we continue to face development pressure along Sheppard Avenue East, new zoning tools must be introduced thoughtfully. I will continue to advocate for this approach on your behalf.

 

 

I fully understand why many riders are disappointed with the early travel times on the Finch West LRT. After years of anticipation, people deserve a service that is fast, reliable, and truly competitive with driving. Transit signal priority may very well be part of the solution, and it’s encouraging to see strong community support for measures that improve speed and reliability.


I am supportive of the approach proposed by Mayor Chow, directing the City Manager to work with Metrolinx and the TTC to implement more aggressive transit signal priority along the surface portions of the Finch West LRT and to report back in early 2026 on progress. Now that the TTC has assumed operational control of the line, I believe it’s important to pair urgency with good data. My focus is on making sure the Finch West LRT delivers the fast, reliable service our communities were promised.

 

 

Development Updates

 

The next step is Site Plan Approval, where City staff will work through the finer details of the project, including building design, landscaping, servicing, access, and public realm improvements. Only once this process is complete and all conditions are satisfied can a building permit be issued and construction begin.

 

 

This development application was deferred to the next Council meeting to allow more time to work with the applicant and City staff on key outstanding issues.

 

While I recognize the value of delivering a modern YMCA facility and new housing, I continue to have concerns about traffic impacts and the overall organization of the site—particularly given the very real congestion challenges at Bayview and Sheppard. The deferral provides additional time to work with City Planning and the developer to address these priorities before Council is asked to make a final decision.

 

 

This development application has now been approved by City Council.

The next step is Site Plan Approval, where City staff will work through the finer details of the project, including building design, landscaping, servicing, access, and public realm improvements. Only once this process is complete and all conditions are satisfied can a building permit be issued and construction begin.

 

 

Council supported the staff recommendation to refuse this development application.


The developer now has an opportunity to resubmit with changes to the proposal or to appeal the decision to the Ontario Land Tribunal. I will keep you informed as I receive updates.

 

 

This development application has now been approved by City Council.


The next step is Site Plan Approval, where City staff will work through the finer details of the project, including building design, landscaping, servicing, access, and public realm improvements. Only once this process is complete and all conditions are satisfied can a building permit be issued and construction begin.

 

 

City Council approved this report directing City legal staff to negotiate the developer’s request to review certain aspects of the Ontario Land Tribunal (OLT) settlement for the Tyndale site. This report went straight to Council, which is why it wasn’t included in my NYCC roundup.

 

The request is largely technical and include the removal of underground parking beneath Blocks 1, 2, 4, and 5. To accommodate residents and Tyndale University during construction, a temporary surface parking lot will be provided on Block 6. Once complete, a permanent above-grade parking structure will be built on Block 2, with active retail or community uses at grade along portions of the public street frontages. These changes do not reduce the total amount of residential parking, which remains consistent with the original plan.

Importantly, nothing is changing regarding the total number of affordable housing units, the amount or location of parkland and POPS, the public road location, or cultural heritage considerations.

 


As we head into the holiday season, I want to wish you and your loved ones a safe, restful, and happy holiday. Thank you for your continued engagement, thoughtful feedback, and advocacy throughout the year—it truly makes a difference. Please note that there will be no eblast next week, but we’ll be back with our regular updates in January. Happy Holidays, and I look forward to continuing this work with you in the new year.

 

 


bottom of page