This week’s column will address a number of planning questions my office received after our comprehensive development update last week. I will get to the column shortly, but I can’t proceed without acknowledging the looming threat our nation is facing.
As of this past weekend, we find ourselves in a trade war with the United States. That is not an overstatement. The definition of a trade war is a situation in which trade agreements are abandoned and nations set trade rules designed to punish one another.
Thankfully, the implementation of the proposed tariffs has been delayed by 30 days. Unfortunately, we are dealing with an unpredictable president. There’s no telling how this will play out. In the meantime, here at the municipal level we’re bracing for impact and creating plans to support the efforts of our Federal and Provincial counterparts. Rest assured I will keep our community up-to-date on all measures being taken by the City to protect Toronto’s economy during these uncertain times.
Now, back to regularly scheduled business. Usually, I respond directly to questions that arise from the E-Blast. This week, a follow-up column seems practical since many messages we received posed similar questions.
Most of the questions revolved around concern about the level of density that will result from the dozens of active development applications in our ward. To understand the rate of development and the types of buildings that are allowed in different areas of Don Valley North, it’s important to understand Provincial planning policy and how it influences cities in Ontario.
Ontario’s Provincial Planning Statement governs all planning decisions. This has always been the case. Ontario municipalities must submit all of their local planning policy to the Province for approval. When the Provincial Planning Statement changes, local planning policy must change to align with it. While there is a degree of dialogue between municipalities and the Province, the Province ultimately reigns supreme.
Recently, all of the Provincial planning changes of the past seven or so years have been amalgamated into the current Provincial Planning Statement, 2024. Let’s take a look at some of its main principles:
The Provincial Planning Statement, 2024
All decisions of Council regarding planning matters must be consistent with the PPS 2024.
The PPS 2024 provides province-wide policy direction on land use planning and development to, among other matters, ensure the full range of housing need is met, promote a strong and competitive economy, optimize investments in infrastructure and public services facilities, create a sense of place, support the agricultural sector and sensitive areas, and mitigate risks to public health and safety. It includes policies on key issues, such as:
the efficient management of land and infrastructure over the long term in order to minimize impacts on air, water, and other resources;
building complete communities that improve social equity and overall quality of life for people of all ages, abilities and incomes;
promoting communities with a mix of housing, recreational opportunities, and transportation choices, including active transportation and transit; and
encouraging a sense of place in communities by promoting a well-designed built form.
The PPS 2024 also includes policies that direct municipalities to:
support the achievement of complete communities by accommodating an appropriate range and mix of lands uses, housing options, transportation options, and employment;
encourage transit-supportive development and intensification in proximity to transit corridors and stations;
support redevelopment of retail lands to support mixed-use residential;
promote densities for new housing to efficiently use land, resources, infrastructure, public services facilities, and support the use of active transportation;
identify and focus growth and development in strategic growth areas;
identify the appropriate type and scale of development in strategic growth areas.
The sweeping policy statements above can be interpreted in a number of ways. As always, the devil is in the details. In this case, the details come in the form of legislative bills that follow these broad, visionary statements. The bills detail specific regulations that municipalities are then expected to enact. For instance, specific regulations surrounding transit corridors and subway stations changed significantly while City staff were creating our Renew Sheppard Plan. City Planning staff had to update their recommendations to ensure Renew Sheppard meets the new regulations for high-rise density in subway corridors, as per PPS 2024.
Our City Planners take every measure possible to try to mitigate the potential negative impacts of Provincial Planning Statements and continue to build complete, liveable communities here in Toronto. However, as I mentioned above, the Province always has the final say. In the case of Renew Sheppard, the plan is being appealed to the Ontario Land Tribunal (OLT) by some developers with applications in Don Valley North. The OLT will use the 2024 Planning Statement to guide its decision on those appeals.
How Does PPS 2024 Impact Toronto?
Now, I know all of this may sound like a blame game. I want to assure you most sincerely that it is not. This tension has always existed between developers, City Councils, and the Provincial government, no matter which party is in power at Queen’s Park. The reason I’m spelling all of this out is to help Don Valley Northerners understand why certain things are changing in our development landscape. While we may want to have full control over local planning matters, that is simply not our reality.
It’s also always important to situate these Planning Statements in the context of our critical housing shortage. The housing shortage we face in Toronto is very much the responsibility of both our Provincial and Federal governments to address, as much as it is ours. We can’t be surprised when the Province creates rule after rule to promote density. While we do need to increase supply to help tackle our housing shortage, I remain adamant that municipalities play a central role in bringing local context to the policy table and fighting for it.
When it comes to making these applications actually work in a community—including the technical engineering required to develop adequate infrastructure—it is the City’s public service that provides the plans. City governments also drive green building standards and provide painstaking inspection and review to ensure every detail of a development application is up to standard.
You and I have a role to play as well. While local planners bring much-needed context to development discussions and advocate for our communities, they don’t live in every corner of the city. They get that context and lived experience from us, and especially from you. If you’ve attended a development consultation in Don Valley North, you’ve likely heard me say something along the lines of, “The developer always has the right to appeal a City Council decision. We need to put our community dealbreakers into the mix right from the outset so that our City Planner can place them in the official recommendations and defend them at the OLT.” Often, we do win those dealbreakers in the final decision, and they come directly from you, the local residents.
I know it can be hard to imagine what our little corner of Toronto will look like in five or ten years’ time. I get that, because I grew up here like so many of you. We can’t stop our communities from growing and changing—that’s a built-in fact of life in a big city—but we can help shape that growth and change in a way that helps all of us.
Update on EHON Avenues Policy
A recent example where we are working to give you more of a voice while we deliver more housing happened this week at a Special City Council meeting. On Wednesday, Council considered phase one of the Expanding Housing Options in Neighbourhood (EHON, for short) Avenues Study, which will shape future development along key corridors.
I heard from many residents who are concerned about how these new avenue designations could impact growth in their neighbourhoods. Troublingly, the residents who reached out to me shred that they feel like their concerns were not heard during the phase one consultations. There’s no doubt that the way this policy plays out on the ground in our suburbs will be different than downtown. We’re seeing it already with other zoning changes.
That’s why I supported an amendment worked on with other suburban Councillors that will require Planning staff to consult with you first, before they begin evaluating any rezoning along avenues. This means we will have the opportunity to shape the recommendations from the start, rather than being consulted only after potential changes have been identified and this goes too far down the tracks.
The DVN EHON Resident Reference Group
The need for resident voice in the creation of planning policy is also why I’ve created the DVN Resident Reference Group. We need to check in with each other and chat about the planning process as it stands. Let’s take time to discuss the policy pieces that are impacting us the most right now and consider new policy proposals. If you’re interested in joining this reference group and having regular conversations with me about the state of planning and development in our neighbourhoods, be sure to check out all the information below.
Whether through this group, at a community consultation meeting, or at one of my regular summer park pop-ups, I’m always ready to talk to our community honestly and transparently about planning and development. It’s a discussion that will never be finished, so keep your questions coming and let’s stay in conversation.
Join Don Valley North’s EHON Resident Reference Group!
Are you passionate about shaping the future of housing and retail in our community? Join the Don Valley North EHON Resident Reference Group!
The City of Toronto's Expanding Housing Options in Neighbourhoods (EHON) initiative seeks to find ways to address housing needs while maintaining vibrant, livable communities. The DVN Resident Reference Group will discuss upcoming EHON proposals, including the Retail in Neighbourhoods and Avenues Studies, to ensure that we bring our unique suburban perspective to this important initiative.
This is your opportunity to learn about these proposals, share insights, and work together to develop constructive solutions that reflect resident concerns.
Meeting Schedule:
February 18, 2025, 7:00 PM
March 18, 2025, 7:00 PM
April 16, 2025, 7:00 PM
All meetings will be held virtually. Participants must commit to attending all three sessions.
If you’re a Don Valley North resident and want to make your voice heard, sign up today to help shape our community’s future!