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. idn’t have to be this way and we cannot police our way out of poverty.

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Canada is battling deadly heat waves, volatile weather, intense humidity, epic storms that threaten to overwhelm our city infrastructure, and catastrophic forest fires that are making our air so unhealthy to breathe. Yet we still have leaders who are failing to take the bold steps necessary to lead humanity out of this environmental crisis.

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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.

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Bill 108 cements opposition to inclusionary zoning

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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.

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With the power that the current provincial government gives to developers, our ability to require that new developments include community benefits, such as affordable housing, is extremely limited. But now is the moment to change that.

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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.

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The City of Toronto announced the latest addition to the Westbank development at the corner of Bloor and Bathurst this month – a park to accompany the mixed-use residential development.

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Homelessness in Toronto and our neighbours living in encampments have been top of mind for many of you throughout the pandemic. It continues to be clear that all levels of government need to do more to fund and create housing, and it needs to be done faster. Our ultimate goal must be to ensure we have housing for everyone and to provide support for those who need it so they can stay healthy.

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While vaccines dominate the news, at Queen’s Park, the government is introducing legislation that has nothing to do with health. Here are three bills that we’re debating that you should know about.

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On January 20, Councillor Mike Layton (Ward 11, University-Rosedale) hosted a tumultuous online consultation for the proposed development at the corner of College and Bathurst streets. While the development has received significant press due to the fact that it will involve the destruction of the building that now houses Sneaky Dee’s, residents at the meeting seemed more concerned about how the new development will change the demographics of the neighbourhood.

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Re-investing money from police budgets into alternate forms of community safety are of paramount importance for our communities because the number of fatal interactions continue unabated.

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