News and Updates

City of Toronto further expands Digital Main Street program to help local businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic

Today, Mayor John Tory announced another expansion of the Digital Main Street program, as two new funding partners have joined the program and additional initiatives have been launched that will focus on helping businesses in Toronto and across Ontario embrace technology in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Today both Intuit Quickbooks and Facebook Canada are also joining Digital Main Street as funding partners. Their support will help Digital Main Street expand their small business support programs that are dedicated to providing one-on-one support to main street businesses looking to digitally transform their operations.

Bike Share Toronto and CAA South Central Ontario bring back Free Ride Wednesdays in September

Today, Mayor John Tory was joined by Councillor James Pasternak, Chair of the Infrastructure and Environment Committee, Robin Oliphant, Toronto Parking Authority (TPA) Acting President and Rhonda English, Chief Marketing Officer, CAA South Central Ontario to announce the return of Free Ride Wednesdays in September.

Thanks to the new Bike Share Toronto - CAA South Central Ontario partnership, Bike Share Toronto riders will ride for free every Wednesday in the month of September. Riders can take out a bike for up to 30 minutes, return the bike to any station, and take out another bike for an additional free 30-minute ride.

Enforcement of City of Toronto Residential On-Street Permit Parking program to resume August 14 at midnight

Starting Friday, August 14 at midnight, permit parking enforcement on residential streets in Toronto will resume. Enforcement, as well as the renewal and issuance of residential street parking permits, had been paused due to COVID-19.

The period to renew existing, or purchase new, six and twelve-month on-street parking permits began on July 2 when the parking permit office resumed operation. It was extended to Friday, August 7 to maximize the window for residents. All requests for six and twelve-month residential parking permits should be submitted as soon as possible to ensure permits arrive before August 14.

New measures come into effect today for apartments and condominiums and food and drink establishments to help stop the spread of COVID-19

Beginning today, new measures come into effect that require masks or face coverings to be worn in common areas in apartments and condominiums and additional requirements for food and drink establishments to protect the health and safety of our communities by helping to reduce the spread of COVID-19.

Last week, Toronto City Council voted in favour of a new temporary bylaw that requires masks or face coverings to be worn in common areas in apartments and condominiums and new requirements to be implemented for bars and restaurants through temporary provisions under Toronto Municipal Code, Chapter 545, Licensing.

City of Toronto announces Family Well-Being Plan

Mayor John Tory announced the City of Toronto’s Family Well-Being Plan developed in partnership with community agencies and social service providers, to highlight the supports available to those who may be experiencing family violence during the pandemic.

Inspired by the provincial #HereToHelpON social media campaign, the City has partnered with the following agencies to develop and implement #HereToHelpTO to connect residents to the various social service agencies, programs and supports that are still available to children, youth and families experiencing violence, abuse or neglect during this time.

City of Toronto weekend update on services, amenities and ActiveTO

As the City of Toronto moves to Stage 3 tomorrow, July 31, additional amenities will safely and gradually reopen for everyone to enjoy.

COVID-19 continues to circulate in Toronto and it remains critical that residents continue to follow Toronto Public Health’s advice to stay home when ill, wash hands often, practise physical distancing and wear a face covering or mask in all indoor public spaces.

Toronto Public Health releases new socio-demographic COVID-19 data

Given Toronto's racial diversity, large number of newcomers, and high proportion of people living with lower-income, Toronto Public Health (TPH) launched important work to understand if Toronto residents were also inequitably affected by COVID-19. Today, TPH has released the findings and trends from recently collected individual-level COVID-19 case data on reported ethno-racial identity, household income, and household size. This information is key to understanding who is being impacted by the outbreak, and to inform public health actions.

Toronto City Council approves mandatory masks or face coverings in apartments and condominiums

Toronto City Council has voted in favour of a temporary bylaw requiring masks or face coverings in common areas in apartments and condominiums to protect the health and safety of our communities by reducing the spread of COVID-19. The strengthened safety measure responds to concerns that the opportunity for more close contact, especially in indoor settings, will result in more virus spread.

City of Toronto preparing residents and businesses for Stage 3 reopening on Friday

The City of Toronto is preparing to oversee the safe restart of more businesses and services following today’s Province of Ontario announcement that Toronto can enter Stage 3 of the provincial reopening this Friday, July 31.

On July 13, the Province announced the implementation of Stage 3 of their “Reopening Ontario” framework for certain regions of Ontario that did not include the City of Toronto. Under the Stage 3 order and regulation made under the Reopening Ontario (A Flexible Response to COVID-19) Act, nearly all businesses and public spaces can gradually reopen, with workplace safety and public health measures in place. With today’s announcement, Toronto will now move to Stage 3 later this week, five weeks after entering Stage 2.

Why do new cannabis stores keep opening in the same Toronto neighbourhoods?

July 28, 2020 BlogTO, Lauren O'Neil

It's been exactly one year and four months since the very first legal pot shop opened in Toronto, attracting huge crowds of people who were thrilled with the chance to buy cannabis from a brick-and-mortar retail store.

At that point, roughly six months after Canada's federal government legalized recreational marijuana, Ontario had only agreed to issue 25 licenses across the entire province.