The City of Toronto is encouraging residents to be mindful of the amount of waste they generate over the holiday season and to look for opportunities to reduce and reuse.
This holiday season, the City is reminding everyone to protect themselves and loved ones from COVID-19. Toronto Public Health strongly recommends individuals avoid in-home gatherings and celebrate in-person only with the people that they live with and celebrate virtually with those outside the household.
Short-term rental operators renting homes or rooms for periods of less than 28 consecutive days must be registered with the City of Toronto by December 31, 2020, to continue short-term renting in Toronto.
Beginning January 1, 2021, registered operators must start collecting the Municipal Accommodation Tax (MAT). After January 1, 2021, the City will take enforcement action against operators who are not registered or are not following the rules. Enforcement action will also be taken against short-term rental companies that allow unregistered operators to list on their platform or contravene the bylaw.
The City of Toronto wants all residents to know that it is OK to not be OK and ask for mental health support.
Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, the City of Toronto has partnered with community-based agencies that provide mental health and social services to support residents during this difficult time. The City has also remained committed to providing Torontonians with safe opportunities for recreation and prioritized access to the City’s parks and green spaces for fresh air and exercise.
Investigators allege workers assigned to a closed construction site, which
Today, Toronto Public Health (TPH) updated their COVID-19 school screening tool to further prevent opportunities for virus spread. The updated screening tool includes a new requirement that if a student has even one COVID-19 symptom, they must stay home, self-isolate and get tested; and if they live with siblings in the same household, they must all self-isolate. The changes made to the tool were based on our findings from COVID-19 case and outbreak investigations in schools in Toronto.
Dear Friends,
We weren't able to get together in person this year for the annual Tree Lightings, but I've made a special Virtual Tree Lighting video to share with you. We lit up the trees at the East York Civic Centre, Greenwood Park, Leslie Grove Park and Withrow Park (watch until the end for a fun blooper).
I hope this brings some cheer during this difficult period. I wish everyone a safe, warm and healthy holiday season. And big thanks to our amazing Parks, Forestry and Recreation staff for lighting up our trees! The little tree at Dieppe Park is lit too, we just weren't able to film it.
Since the start of the pandemic, the City of Toronto has moved at unprecedented speed to adjust its services for those experiencing homelessness by creating 2,300 spaces in new temporary shelter and hotel programs for physical distancing.
So far in 2020, the City has also referred more than 2,500 people experiencing homelessness into permanent housing through a combination of housing allowances and rent-geared-to-income units, representing a 50 per cent increase over the same period last year.
Today, Mayor John Tory announced a City of Toronto staff report will be going to Executive Committee next week recommending a tax levy on vacant Toronto homes starting in 2022.
A vacant home tax increases the housing supply by encouraging homeowners to sell or rent their unoccupied home, and if they choose to continue to keep the home vacant, a tax is levied. This revenue can then be used to fund affordable housing projects.
The holiday season is officially here as Mayor John Tory has switched on the 60-foot Christmas tree on Nathan Phillips Square at City Hall. The tree and the lights on the Square will be lit for the season and into part of 2021.
The City’s 54th annual tree lighting was filmed in advance this year to comply with public health guidelines and avoid large crowds gathering on the Square. In previous years, the Mayor lit the tree during the Cavalcade of Lights. With this year’s Cavalcade of Lights cancelled due to COVID-19, residents can watch the tree lighting on the City’s YouTube channel at https://youtu.be/eA77rjweTc4.
The City of Toronto will re-open registration for CurbTO temporary parking pick-up zones to help support main street businesses while Toronto is in the Grey – Lockdown category of the Province of Ontario’s COVID-19 response framework.
Throughout the summer, around 200 Temporary Parking Pick-Up Zones helped by re-purposing parking locations along main streets for short-term parking (no more than 10 minutes). Potential customers and delivery agents have used them to expedite food, medicine and other merchandise pick-ups by making parking spots immediately available near main street businesses offering curbside pick-up and delivery.
