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Save the Waterfront Virtual Town Hall Examines Proposed Billy Bishop Airport Expansion

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A virtual town hall hosted by Toronto Centre MPP Chris Glover brought together waterfront users, residents, scientists and environmental advocates to examine the proposed expansion of Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport. At the centre of the discussion was a presentation by waterfront advocate Ron Jenkins, who outlined concerns about the scale of the proposed expansion and its potential impacts on Toronto Harbour. The proposal would extend the airport farther into Lake Ontario, including an approximately 750-metre western extension and a 150-metre eastern extension. Jenkins said the project could also expand marine exclusion zones and create new challenges for boaters navigating the Western Gap. “Small recreational boats would be further constrained at the entrance to the Western Channel,” Jenkins said, citing earlier environmental analysis of a smaller proposed runway extension. “No mitigation is available to ease the challenge of navigating the entrance to the Western Channel.” Jenkins...
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Affordable Housing, Density and Resident Voices Shape City Debate on 500 Dundas St. East Proposal

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 The future of one of the final development sites in Phase 3 of the Regent Park revitalization sparked a wide-ranging public debate at Toronto and East York Community Council, where residents, community advocates and planning professionals weighed the benefits and concerns surrounding the proposed redevelopment of 500 Dundas Street East. The proposal would permit a 35-storey mixed-use building with 413 homes, including plans for 65 permanent affordable rental units, subject to funding approvals. Following public deputations and committee debate, councillors voted to recommend approval of the zoning bylaw amendment and forward the application to Toronto City Council for a final decision. While many deputants agreed Toronto needs more housing, much of the discussion centred on a key question raised repeatedly by Regent Park residents: who will benefit from the affordable housing being created, and will current community members be able to remain in the neighbourhood? Several resident...
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Proposed Safety Rule at Sumach & Dundas Aims to Protect Regent Park Pedestrians

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 As Regent Park continues its multi-phase revitalization, growing density is bringing a fresh surge of foot and vehicle traffic to its core. Anchored by thriving community hubs like the Regent Park Aquatic Centre and Daniels Spectrum, local corridors are busier than ever.  To address this, the Toronto and East York Community Council is evaluating a key street safety proposal from Transportation Services targeted at the intersection of Sumach Street and Dundas Street East. Sumach Street currently sees roughly 3,000 vehicles daily navigating its narrow two-lane design. Currently, drivers can legally pull over along the curb to load and unload cargo near the corner. However, larger delivery trucks and idling vehicles frequently obstruct sight-lines for drivers turning south off Dundas Street East, creating serious hazards for pedestrians crossing the street. To solve this, the city is proposing a strict "No Standing" regulation along the west side of Sumach Street, extending 20 ...
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Regent Park Safety Network Champions Community Connections, Harm Reduction, and Public Spaces

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 The Regent Park Social Development Plan (RPSDP) Network’s Safety Working Group, also known as the Regent Park Safety Network (RPSN), convened on June 22, 2026, for its monthly meeting. Facilitated by RPSN Co-Chair Leonard Swartz, the session brought together community organizations, residents, and public agencies to discuss neighbourhood safety, share vital updates, and confront complex local challenges by prioritizing community cohesion over heavy-handed enforcement. A major focal point of the meeting was the evolving nature of local safety. Representatives from the Toronto Police Service noted that while many municipal resources are currently focused on FIFA-related traffic management in Toronto’s downtown core, Regent Park has remained relatively quiet. However, frontline realities quickly shifted the conversation toward health and social support. Anthony Lamanna, representing the City's Community Safety Unit (CSU), highlighted a recent public health warning regarding a spike i...
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Queen's Park Rally Unites Grassroots Groups Against Public Service Cuts and AI Data Centres

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 On June 29, community advocates, students, health-care campaigners, climate activists and Indigenous solidarity groups gathered at Queen's Park to raise concerns about what they described as a growing pattern of privatization, environmental deregulation and cuts to public services under the Ontario government. The grassroots rally brought together organizations including Climate Fast Action, Ontario Students Against Austerity, the GTA Health Coalition and Indigenous solidarity networks connected to Grassy Narrows First Nation. Speakers connected issues often discussed separately—from proposed AI data centre expansion and electricity policy to hospital funding, OSAP reductions and environmental protection—arguing that they are part of broader decisions shaping the future of Ontario's public services. For many Toronto neighbourhoods, organizers said, these debates are reflected in everyday challenges, including rising living costs, longer health-care wait times, under-resourced ...
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Housing Stability in Focus as Toronto Responds to Growing Crisis

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 Toronto City Council is calling for expanded supportive housing as the city continues to face rising homelessness, shelter pressures, and a growing demand for affordable housing — issues that continue to impact communities across Toronto, including Regent Park and surrounding neighbourhoods. At a recent council meeting, the Housing Rights Advisory Committee presented recommendations focused on increasing supportive housing options for people transitioning out of homelessness, particularly those experiencing complex mental health, substance use, and housing stability challenges. Established in 2023, the committee advises the city on policies and programs that advance the human right to adequate housing. Members highlighted that Toronto’s housing system remains under significant pressure, with shelter capacity stretched and demand for rent-geared-to-income housing continuing to exceed available supply. For communities like Regent Park, where a large number of residents rely on affor...
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Growing Tenant Movement at 200 Wellesley East Demands Safe and Dignified Housing, Not More Promises

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 For many residents of 200 Wellesley Street East, the concerns raised at a community safety town hall earlier this year remain unresolved. Three months after Toronto Community Housing pledged improvements to security, communication and fire safety, tenants say many of those commitments have yet to materialize. At a recent tenant meeting, residents gathered alongside members of the Toronto Tenants Union to discuss ongoing issues including repeated false fire alarms, pest infestations, broken laundry facilities, criminal trespassing and safety concerns in the building, which is home to more than 1,300 people. Long-time tenant Randy Alexander said residents continue to experience the same problems despite repeated appeals for action. "None of those promises have been delivered so far. They promised monthly meetings after our town hall, but that has never happened. We've only ever asked Toronto Community Housing to fulfill its legal obligations to provide a safe and secure place t...
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AIDS Memorial Expansion Approved at City Hall Following Debate on Community Consultation

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 On June 26, Toronto City Council has voted to move forward with the recognition, restoration, and expansion of the AIDS Memorial at Barbara Hall Park, adopting a motion that recognizes the site as a place of national importance while supporting the Echoes project proposal as a guiding framework for its future. The decision followed a thoughtful debate at City Hall, where councillors discussed how the city should honour decades of community engagement while responding to calls from HIV/AIDS organizations and LGBTQ2S+ advocates seeking stronger commitments to protect the memorial's legacy. City staff told council that more than 2,000 community members and over 20 organizations participated in consultations over the past three and a half years. According to staff, residents consistently called for a park that is safer, more accessible, and respectful of both the AIDS Memorial and the Trans Memorial as places for reflection and remembrance. "We've undertaken extensive engagem...
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Planning Committee Discusses Stakeholders' Table Meeting & Grassroots Partnerships in Regent Park

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 The Regent Park Social Development Plan (SDP) Network Planning Committee met on May 14 to advance its social development agenda. Facilitated by Tamanna Yeasmin, the productive session focused on immediate community recruitment, strategic grassroots partnerships, and expanding global recognition. The meeting kicked off with a major strategy session for the upcoming Stakeholder Table meeting. Addressing new recruitment  across its four main working groups—Community Building, Safety, Employment and Economic Development (EED), and Communications—the committee decided to pivot the upcoming event into a effective community recruitment drive. To maximize neighbourhood engagement, the team brainstormed several interactive components. The event will officially launch the Network’s new website and WhatsApp channels, alongside the distribution of printed brochures and copies of Catch Da Flava magazine. To keep the atmosphere lively and educational, neighbours can participate in an SDP-t...
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Housing, Dignity & Human Rights: TUHU Brings Lived Experience to Toronto's Housing Rights Committee

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 People with lived experience of homelessness took their concerns directly to Toronto's Housing Rights Advisory Committee, urging City officials to place dignity, housing and human rights at the centre of decisions affecting unhoused residents. Invited to present before the committee, the Toronto Underhoused and Homeless Union (TUHU) shared the experiences of more than 300 members who have faced homelessness or inadequate housing across the city. Through outreach in shelters, encampments and drop-ins, the member-led organization said it is witnessing growing displacement, increasing security enforcement around Union Station and worsening conditions for people with nowhere else to go. "As people with lived experience of homelessness and housing insecurity, we understand firsthand what is needed to improve our lives and create lasting solutions to homelessness," the organization told committee members. "Too often, however, our voices are overlooked and our experiences ...
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