Getting Control of Moribund Development Sites

Last Sunday, I was having a rant at dinner to my husband that if I couldn’t clean up certain development sites in my ward of Don Valley North, my intersections would soon look like The Bronx in the eighties. My grandson looked up and said, “What does that mean, The Bronx in the eighties?”

I had to explain that while I was exaggerating for effect, I was describing a time in history when a collapse in the economy, both locally and nationally, brought the Bronx Borough of New York City to a state of true urban blight. Abandoned and derelict real estate properties spread throughout the Bronx until the area lost significant value in a real estate collapse of epidemic proportions. Soon, little was left but a burnt-out husk.

The beauty of the way Toronto has grown over its history is that every neighbourhood offers a unique mix of homes, businesses, parks and institutions. That diversity creates opportunity and helps make our city a place where people from all walks of life can succeed. Every child should be able to walk through their own neighbourhood and see signs of possibility, prosperity and a future they can imagine for themselves

So what message does it send when, day after day, young people walk past a derelict gas station covered in graffiti, surrounded by weeds and broken glass? What impression does it leave when even the City's development proposal sign, installed years ago to signal that something better was coming, has become weathered, stained and part of the blight itself? These are the kinds of properties I have started to think of as moribund. I looked the word up to make sure it captured what I was seeing. Moribund means “in a state of terminal decline,” and that is exactly what happens when properties sit neglected for years with no clear path forward.

Neglected properties don't just diminish a streetscape. They erode people's confidence that their neighbourhood is being cared for and that better days are ahead. I’m not waiting another minute to address these moribund development sites. I’m not going to let a handful of properties in a state of decline start us down the path to the Bronx in the eighties.

The old Petro-Canada site at Sheppard Avenue East and Don Mills Road is one example of what I mean by a moribund property. After years of trying to get the owners to take better care of the site, I finally snapped last Thursday night as I drove past it. It was covered in even more graffiti than before. I pulled over, called my team, and we immediately began drafting a motion for City Council.

The Petro-Canada site is not the only example. Earlier that same weekend, I visited a Bayview community dealing with a different kind of neglected development property. It’s not just large commercial sites that become a problem. In this case, a group of homes was assembled for a townhouse development several years ago. Today, those houses sit along Bayview Avenue, surrounded by six-foot weeds, with an old oil drum sitting at the curb for who knows what reason. The neighbours who walk past the property every day on their way to work have simply had enough, and I don’t blame them.

These are the kinds of moribund properties I want the City to address. To be clear, all property owners are already required to comply with the City's Property Standards By-law and keep these sites clean, safe and well maintained. In fact, In October 2025, City Council adopted amendments through the Property Standards By-law: Phase II Review to strengthen requirements for vacant properties and clarify owners’ obligations to protect properties from fire, accident, trespass, and other hazards. However, the current framework does not specifically address the unique circumstances of development sites that remain inactive for extended periods following planning approval.

My motion will ask City staff to review how we can better hold owners of stalled development sites accountable and ensure these properties are maintained to appropriate standards while they await construction. The review will examine whether our current property standards processes, service levels, and coordination between City divisions are effectively addressing inactive and moribund development sites. It will also identify opportunities to improve training and guidance for enforcement staff, clarify roles and responsibilities across divisions, and determine whether additional municipal tools are needed. Where stronger authority is required, the motion will ask staff to identify what legislative changes the Province would need to make to give Toronto the ability to better protect neighbourhoods impacted by stalled construction sites.

I’ll keep you updated as this work moves forward. In the meantime, if a development property near you needs to be cleaned and mowed, please call my office and we will escalate it for inspection and maintenance, because I often say: some of the best solutions come when residents and my office work together.

One of my favourite ways to work together is through my annual Pop-Ups in the Park. If you see one of our flyers in your mailbox, I hope you’ll stop by our little pink tent for a chat. These events are a great opportunity to raise concerns, ask questions and talk about what’s happening in your neighbourhood.

Quite often, someone will bring us an issue they’ve been frustrated with for months but hadn’t yet contacted my office about. I always encourage residents to start with 311 when it’s appropriate, and City staff are generally very responsive when residents reach out directly. However, when an issue becomes complicated, keeps bouncing between divisions or simply isn’t getting resolved, that’s exactly when I want you to call my office.

More often than not, we discover we’re already working on the same issue or pursuing a related solution. Once we’re able to connect the dots and work together, things tend to move much more quickly toward a resolution.

If you prefer to work directly with City staff or through 311, by all means do. Just remember that if you feel you’re hitting a dead end, don’t wait. Give my office a call. That’s what we’re here for.

--

Much has been said this week about the tragic events of last Saturday night at Salsa on St. Clair and other locations across the city. My heart goes out to the families who lost loved ones and to everyone who witnessed these terrible acts of violence. Their pain is unimaginable, and our entire city is grieving with them.

What makes this moment especially difficult is that it came just days after Toronto experienced such a powerful sense of collective pride and joy as we welcomed the world for FIFA. We saw our city at its very best: neighbours coming together, visitors experiencing our hospitality, and Torontonians celebrating the incredible diversity and energy that make this city so special. To then experience such violence so close to home has been deeply painful. A city is like a living, breathing organism made up of all of us, and right now our city is hurting.

I know it may be small comfort in a moment like this, but I want you to know that work is already underway to make it possible for everyone to continue enjoying large community festivals safely in the city we love. In the wake of the Lapu Lapu festival tragedy in Vancouver in 2024, I worked with City Staff to convene a summit that brought together organizers of major free events across the city to discuss safety, the growing costs of keeping events secure, and how we can better support the people who bring our communities together. A special fund was established to help address immediate cost pressures, and a Festival Action Committee is being developed with partners from across the sector.

The Toronto Police Service is a key partner in these conversations and brings significant expertise to the table. Because our Police Service is one of the largest in the country, our officers and leadership participate in advanced training for large-scale events and emergency situations. They have the specialized skills needed to respond to serious threats, including acts of terrorism. The legacy command centre created for FIFA can now become a tool to support community safety wherever large events are taking place, and it is a resource unlike anything else of its kind in North America

At the same time, safety is about more than responding to violence after it happens. We also need to make sure young people have opportunities, supports and pathways that lead them toward a positive future. That is why I support Chief Demkiw’s call for stronger gun, bail and justice reforms, while also continuing to work with Council on creating healthy activities, mentorship and economic opportunities for youth across Toronto.

Toronto has always been at its strongest when we come together, and that is what we must continue to do now: support one another, invest in our communities, and make sure every resident feels that this is a city where they belong and where they can thrive.

Read Full E-Blast Here