We considered luxury home tax rates, priority signalling for LRTs and streetcars, a maximum heat bylaw along with our next five-year climate plan and the Portlands Energy Centre.
City Council met this week for the final time of 2025.
It was a busy session where we considered several important items.
These included the city's new five-year climate action plan, with lots of discussion on the Portlands Energy Centre, luxury home tax rates, priority signalling for LRTs and streetcars, a maximum heat bylaw for apartment units and more.
One of our key items this week was our new TransformTO five-year action plan.
The TransformTO strategy is the city's plan to reach net zero community-wide GHG emissions by 2040.
Part of this item included a discussion on phasing out the Portlands Energy Centre (PEC) and replacing the electricity it supplies to the city with renewable energy generation and energy conservation programs.
As I discussed last week, I have strongly opposed PEC since it was first proposed and then built by Dalton McGuinty’s Liberal provincial government in 2006.
I moved motions in May and June 2023 opposing the expansion of PEC and any other fossil fuel-burning energy projects in Toronto.
And it was Councillor Saxe and I who brought forward the motion at Council last year to close PEC by 2035.
The discussion at Council followed a PEC motion that was before the Environment and Infrastructure Committee earlier this month.
The Committee voted to have experts in the city's Environment, Climate and Forestry office review this motion, which lacked substantiating data and tasked Toronto Hydro with responsibilities that appear to be well outside the utility's role, scope or jurisdiction.
Despite some confusion and even misinformation about the committee's decision, the city's position remains that the Port Lands gas plant should be phased out by 2035.
It was critical our stated policy of phasing out of PEC was front and centre when we were considering our next five-year climate action plan at Council.
That's why I moved a motion during the TransformTO item to ensure the city's position of phasing out PEC was reflected in the new five year action plan.
My motion directs Environment, Climate and Forestry staff to report on how we can exceed the projections of the provincial Independent Electricity System Operator regarding the role of renewables, such as distributed energy resources, in meeting Toronto's future energy needs.
City Council voted to adopt my amendment and approve the new TransformTO five-year action plan.
View the agenda item to learn more.
You can also watch our discussion below.
Discussing our role in Ontario's energy system.
I was pleased to support the measures proposed by Mayor Chow at City Council this week to expand signal priority for transit vehicles, allowing them to move through intersections faster.
LRTs on the new Line 6 Finch West and the future Line 5 Eglinton Crosstown will now have priority at intersections over left-turning cars.
The Mayor also proposed fixes to address signal timing and intersection delays, as well as other improvements to Lines 5 and 6.
Her motion also sets the stage for future transit improvements across the network.
It directs the City Manager and TTC to prepare a plan by early 2026 to implement more measures that improve the speed and reliability of our streetcar network, including:
The City Manager and TTC will also prepare a plan by early 2026 to enable transit signal priority at intersections on the surface transit network that currently lack the required technology.
The Mayor's motion was adopted without amendments. Read more.
I was pleased to join my fellow City Councillors in voting to create a maximum heat bylaw for rental units to keep tenants safe during extreme heat.
While the city has taken a number of measures to protect tenants from the heat, such as the free air conditioner program, I have heard from many tenants, advocates and experts that more needs to be done, and done quickly.
I also thank Mayor Chow for moving an amendment to speed up the development of these much-needed new rules.
City staff will now bring forward a proposed bylaw in May 2026 - before the summer - instead of July as was first recommended in this motion.
We also approved a series of interim measures to protect tenants from excessive heat.
This included continuing the city’s Air Conditioning Assistance Program, which provides free air conditioning to low-income and vulnerable households.
We also adopted bylaw amendments to require apartment buildings covered under the city’s RentSafeTO bylaw enforcement program to provide a cooling space in an existing amenity space.
Thank you to the Mayor for her leadership and to tenants, ACORN and all those who advocated for these measures. Read more.
City Council voted in favour of Mayor Chow's motion to raise the land transfer tax on homes that sell for over $3 million.
Beginning April 2026, the Municipal Land Transfer Tax rate for luxury homes will increase incrementally between 0.9% and 1.1% to these graduated rates.
I was pleased to support this motion. Mayor Chow first raised rates on luxury homes in 2023, generating $138 million in revenue for the city in 2024 while affecting only about two percent of home buyers.
The increased rates approved at Council this week are expected to bring that figure to $152 million in revenue.
This is critical to funding investments the city is making under the Mayor's leadership to make life more affordable and improve the services Torontonians rely on.
Those who can buy multi-million dollar luxury homes can chip in a little more to help shift the burden of the affordability crisis to those who can afford it the most.
View the agenda item to learn more.
On January 1st, a private company will take over residential recycling as part of new provincial requirements.
Ahead of this change, City Council adopted my motion to ensure residences with significant storage space constraints can continue using a single, dual-use collection bin.
The motion instructs the city to enter into an agreement with Circular Materials, the company that will take over residential recycling collection on January 1st, to provide them access to the city's dual-use containers before they begin operations to ensure continuity of access for residents who use them.
Learn more about changes to Blue Bin collection services taking effect on January 1st here.
Read more about these and other items from City Council this week.
I wish everyone a happy, warm and safe holiday season!
Major items included snow clearing, Ontario Line truck safety, blue bin collection, removal of provincial tenant protections, zoning changes to allow for more residential retail and more.
We considered issues such as speed cameras, expanding the Toronto Community Crisis Service to the TTC and more, as well as several of my motions.
My latest newsletter looks back at the major accomplishments and moments in Toronto-Danforth and at City Hall over the last year.
