We considered items including accelerating Gardiner construction, Ontario Line construction, the Science Centre, new ferries for Toronto Island, flood mitigation and more.
It was a busy Council meeting as we dealt with several big-ticket items.
This included accelerating Gardiner construction, Ontario Line construction, the Science Centre, new ferries for Toronto Island, flood mitigation and more.
Mayor Chow's negotiation to upload DVP and Gardiner Expressway upkeep costs to the province will pay continue paying dividends for many years to come. We’re allocating the $1.85 billion in savings from DVP and Gardiner maintenance to areas desperately requiring investments to make Toronto the safe, supportive and caring city we want.
Over the next ten years, we'll make the following investments:
Mayor Chow made infrastructure improvements a key priority when she took office. These investments are a big step in the right direction.
Read the full report to learn more.
An additional $73 million in provincial funding was also announced this week to accelerate construction on the western section of the Gardiner so it finishes in 2026 instead of 2027. The Mayor and city staff have worked tirelessly to secure this money and engage with the contractor to come up with this revised schedule.
Read the full report on accelerating Gardiner construction here.
This is an example of how working together to find practical solutions will always achieve better results than finger-pointing and political point scoring.
Council also approved multiple changes to help improve traffic management. The next stages of work on the eastern end of the Gardiner are being designed and will incorporate these improved practices.
Council also finalized our position on the sudden closing of the Ontario Science Centre by the province. Senior city staff confirmed that none of the engineering reports they've seen support the need for the sudden closure despite the need for repairs.
City Council has requested the province to engage with the city on options to keep the Science Centre open and accept donations for repairs.
While responsibility for the Science Centre ultimately rests with the provincial government, the city will continue to be available should the province decide to engage in good faith to save the Science Centre.
Over the past months, I have been working to get the city to take a different approach in our dealings with Metrolinx.
After a long process, we're moving forward with a new framework where important city priorities like affordable housing, protecting tenants, supporting small businesses, preserving green space and minimizing community impacts will be advanced by the city alongside requests from Metrolinx for permits, licenses and agreements necessary for their projects.
Based on some of the lessons we've learned here in Ward 14, this new framework will help us moving forward as well as provide retroactive supports and mitigations. I look forward to sharing more specific updates as they roll out.
Making sure this much needed transit line is done right has been my priority since it was first announced. Hearing from community members always helps make these projects work better during construction. Thank you to everyone who has been in touch.
We approved the purchase of two new, fully electric ferries for Toronto Island. To be delivered in 2026, these two ferries will allow for an extra 1,400 people per trip.
One will carry both vehicles and passengers and the other just passengers. The new ferries will also be able to board passengers far quicker.
I worked with Deputy Mayor Malik on a motion to ensure the needed shoreside infrastructure, including the charging ports and expansion of the entrances, is ready by the time the ferries are delivered.
Planning for this now is important. Thank you to the Deputy Mayor for her strong advocacy on this file.
After last week's severe flooding, Mayor Chow brought forward a motion to explore a full range of mitigation options.
These range from restarting small scale home retrofit programs that were discontinued many years ago to new, innovative and large-scale techniques for flood monitoring and quickly closing down flooded roads (like the city installed on the Bayview extension).
The city is also nearly finished construction on the Coxwell Bypass Tunnel in the Don Valley. This project is a historic investment of over $1 billion into minimizing stormwater impacts and preventing sewage discharges into our waterways. Learn more here.
This is in addition to the Port Lands Flood Protection project, which is another major investment to help protect Ward 14 from flooding.
At Council this week we also recognized the many city staff who worked around the clock during the flooding to help the many people impacted. This includes the firefighters who helped people stranded by flooding, to Transportation Services and Toronto Water staff and so many more.
I know many of you are concerned about Toronto Paramedic response times, which have grown steadily over the past few years due to many factors, especially increased hospital wait times which can leave paramedics stuck there with a patient for hours while they wait to be seen. Burnout and stress from the enormous burden placed on paramedics in our city is another driver.
The Auditor General made multiple recommendations, but sustained provincial investment into our healthcare system would be one of the most effective measures to improve ambulance response times.
The province recently announced the cancellation of 48 planned new childcare facilities in TDSB and TCDSB schools across the city.
At Council we heard that many of these sites were planned for communities in especially urgent need of childcare and comprised of a higher number of low-income or marginalized families.
Council requested the Minister of Education to reverse these cuts or, at the very least, ensure the funding allocated to these projects will continue to be invested into childcare.
Councillor Fletcher calls on Metrolinx to stop endangering East Yorkers.
City Council adopts 2025 City Budget this week. Read my budget breakdown.
Councillor Fletcher calls for immediate review of safety measures after pedestrian hit by Ontario Line construction vehicle.
