As Mike Layton prepares for a very different lifestyle from that as a city councillor in one of the busiest municipal precincts in the country, he took the time to talk to the Gleaner about what he is most proud of.

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The new 35-storey high rise planned for the northwest corner of the Bloor and Spadina intersection has been a long time coming. The development, planning, and community consultations have been ongoing for four years. Now, with only two full council meetings before the fall election, community organizations and developers have had the opportunity to discuss how to do something tangible with the public space in the building to support the community that surrounds it.

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After 12 years on city council, Mike Layton, representative for University-Rosedale’s Ward 11 will not seek another term. Given the systemic changes made to the city’s governance in recent years, it’s no surprise Layton’s made this call—but it’s a shame and a real loss to this community.

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By the time this reaches your doorsteps, council will have completed our last legislative cycle before the election period begins, and the agenda is as busy as ever. Top of mind for me is continuing to work toward correcting the service deficiencies many residents have been noticing as the weather has warmed and people are engaging with our public spaces and services.

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We need to update and winterize our facilities, build new washrooms, and work at a lightning pace to get our fountains and facilities operational as quickly as possible. Anything less is a failure of the city to meet the needs of residents.

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On June 18, Wiener’s Home Hardware celebrated their 100th anniversary with a block party hosted by the Bloor Annex Business Improvement Area, Annex Residents’ Association, and the Harbord Village Residents’ Association. The community enjoyed live music, food, and got a chance to learn about the history of the family-run store (pictured top-right). The block party […]

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On any given night in Toronto, close to 10,000 people are experiencing homelessness, and the provincial budget announced on April 28 did nothing to help the problem.

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The Annex Residents’ Association (ARA) held their annual general meeting on April 21 via Zoom. Those in attendance included members of the ARA, residents and representatives from development teams, city council and Toronto Police Service. The most notable discussions were about improving safety on Avenue Road, the West Annex Heritage Project, vandalism at St. Alban’s […]

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Shaw Street, Toronto’s first street with more bikes than cars  By Mike Layton When we think of ways to improve Toronto’s cycling network, grand projects such as the bike lanes across the city’s core on Bloor Street or Danforth Avenue, typically come to mind.  While some of the smaller, quieter changes also improve road safety […]

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The City of Toronto has been talking about garden suites for years, and on Feb. 2, council agreed to a policy that allows homeowners to build a detached suite in their backyards. 

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The 2022 budget process concluded in late February, followed by a few quick council meetings to address regular business. With the help of my colleagues, and the advocacy of many of you, we achieved notable improvements to a budget that began with glaring gaps in services, while continuing to work to improve safety in our communities. 

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The 2022 budget process will have wrapped up by the time this publication goes to print, but I still thought I could provide an update on some of the policy pieces I have been working on advancing through my role on the budget committee. 

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