Gleaner asks University-Rosedale hopefuls five key questions

Questions are compiled by the Gleaner editorial board and edited for length and clarity. Election date is September 20, 2021. For more information on voting, please visit elections.ca.   Read more

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So many municipal issues require a national strategy

By Mike Layton

This federal election, the focus for cities must be on social justice and the recovery. 

Cities are where the majority of the country’s population lives and for years, important programs to support residents such as child care, protecting the environment, and substantial investment into deeply affordable housing have been underfunded.   Read more

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Provincial election is just months away

By Jessica Bell

With the provincial election coming fast and COVID in resurgence, this fall session at Queen’s Park will be impactful. Here are five issues to follow.

Our response to the fourth wave    Read more

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ARA, city, seek to find ways to accommodate growth

By Nicole Stoffman  Read more

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Compiled and photos by Madeline Smart  Read more

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Ontario parents have been eagerly awaiting the “robust” plan for a safe re-entry back to classrooms Premier Doug Ford promised in June. The past year has been brutal for both the education and mental health of Ontario students, as they have spent more time out of classroom than young people in any other part of the country. However, the 26 page document outlining how the government intends to keep students safe does them no favours: it’s late (coming out less than a month before the start of school) and is little more than a carbon copy of last year’s failed plan.  Read more

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The violent eviction of homeless from parks is shameful

By Mike Layton

The violence and tactics on display by the City of Toronto in Trinity Bellwoods Park, Alexandra Park and Lamport Park this month is a deeply troubling use of resources and force. The number of armed police present to forcefully remove handfuls of residents experiencing homelessness is disgraceful.   Read more

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We must all join the chorus for change before it’s too late

By Jessica Bell  Read more

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Action not just “reflection” is needed as more burial sites are found

By Mike Layton

The discovery of several burial sites of Indigenous children killed in residential schools across Canada must move our country and our governments beyond words of condolences and toward actions that advance truth, reconciliation, and justice. As flags are lowered across the country, and vigils and moments of silence are observed, we need to recognize that these symbolic measures are important, but not nearly enough.  Read more

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Bill 108 cements opposition to inclusionary zoning

By Jessica Bell

Housing affordability crisis requires action

Housing prices are now so high that the National Bank of Canada calculates that only the top five percent of income earning households can afford to buy an average Canadian home. Housing affordability is one of the defining issues of our era, and it threatens the very soul of Toronto.  Read more

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The good, the bad, and the ugly of a government run amok on planning policy

By Jessica Bell

Since becoming premier, the Doug Ford government has rewritten many of the laws and regulations that decide how we build and what we build. These developer-friendly changes help Doug Ford’s donor base reap record profits, but their impact on people, the environment, democracy and our affordable housing goals is mixed. And I’m being nice here.  Read more

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The lack of affordable housing is the other crisis of our time

By Mike Layton

When asked to name the single biggest issue that is facing Torontonians, the most common answer is how hard it is to find affordable housing.   Read more

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Critics see government’s “protections” as toothless 

By Nicole Stoffman

Seven percent of Ontario tenants, or 98,000 families, can’t pay their full rent because of pandemic-related job loss. They are accumulating rent arrears that many will never be able to repay, according to the Federation of Rental Providers of Ontario (FRPO). In the Annex alone, 16 eviction applications have been made since November.   Read more

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