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FORUM: Pursuing a green agenda (Dec. 2025)

December 16th, 2025 · No Comments

New neighbourhood stores and the need for more electric buses

By Dianne Saxe

Season’s greetings to one and all! It’s been a busy time of year as we work towards the holidays. Here’s a list of the top things affecting our ward heading into 2026:

1. To give more people places to shop, play, learn, or work close to home, Toronto city council has eased zoning rules for three kinds of local businesses:

Home-based businesses are already permitted nearly everywhere, but now, home-based businesses will be able to hire up to two employees and operate from auxiliary buildings on-site such as garages. Schools, artist studios, offices, service shops, and  custom warehouses will now be able to see clients on-site. This will help more Torontonians start or grow a business from their home.

Small commercial activities (generally 150 square metres or less) will now be permitted on the ground floor in residential areas on major streets and could include art galleries, artist studios, custom workshops, schools, massage therapy centres, performing arts studios, personal service shops, pet services, production studios, recreation, religious education, retail and service stores, wellness centres, and restaurants with small patios.

Within the old City of Toronto, very small retail stores (110 square metres or less) will again be possible on street corners or next to schools, parks, or commercial sites. Unlike last year’s proposal, this excludes most interior neighbourhood streets. The stores may have interior cafes but no patios or on-site food preparation.

These changes should come into effect in the coming months, with their impact monitored for two years.

2. The federal and provincial governments have announced important incentives to help individuals and businesses invest in clean equipment which typically saves money over time but has a higher upfront cost. For example:

Individuals can claim rebates of up to $200 on high-efficiency ENERGY STAR appliances such as refrigerators, freezers, laundry equipment, and induction stoves to replace old electric models.

Businesses will be able to write off 100 per cent of capital expenses for clean energy generation, energy conservation equipment, and zero-emission vehicles. They may also be able to claim a federal Clean Technology Investment Tax Credit.

There are significant new incentives for verified energy savings by large electricity users.

3. Doug Ford’s latest moves include abolishing the speed cameras that save children’s lives in school zones and that pay for road safety measures like crossing guards (Bill 59). His Bill 60 makes it easier and faster for landlords to evict tenants, as well as gives Metrolinx a freer hand to ignore city bylaws and take city assets. The bill also cuts funding for infrastructure and threatens the city’s ability to prioritize pedestrians or transit over cars.

The Ford government is also considering cutting its contribution to the Canada Ontario Housing Benefit, the key rent subsidy that allows the most needy to move out of homelessness and into stable housing. Cutting this rent benefit will mean more severely distressed people in shelters, on the TTC, and in our parks.

In other news:

4. The Hospital for Sick Children, while celebrating its 150th anniversary, has been recognized as the world’s top pediatric hospital. Congratulations!

5. Metrolinx’s Finch West light rail transit should finally open to TTC riders on December 7.

6. Toronto is making it cheaper and faster to build missing mid-rise housing, with some units available as early as June. To encourage building on unused land, the city has just approved a second single exit stair design which architects love because the buildings cost less and are more spacious and comfortable.

7. In December, council will consider zoning options for Christie, Dupont, Bathurst, Ossington, Dundas and small pieces of Sherbourne and Bloor East. These streets are about 20 metres wide and have better transit times. Staff are proposing to rezone properties currently used as residential to apartment neighbourhoods and to CM (mixed use). In our ward, this will not change permitted building heights.

9.  I was proud to represent Toronto at C40’s 20th anniversary summit. C40 has been extraordinarily successful in helping cities around the world collaborate on climate action. Seventy-five per cent of C40 cities have reduced climate pollution more than their countries have, with knock-on benefits for human health, affordability, and quality of life; for example, Toronto’s electric bus fleet, at 200, is the largest in North America. Sao Paulo has 1,000, and Shenzhen has 16,000. I was also honoured to represent Toronto at two United Nations Environment Programme meetings on cities and nature.

Many happy returns to everyone for the coming holiday season!

Dianne Saxe is the councillor for Ward 11, University–Rosedale.

READ MORE BY DIANNE SAXE:

Tags: Annex · Columns · Opinion

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