May 01, 2024

I am pleased to provide a summary of our Community Town Hall held on Monday, April 29 at the Weston Park Baptist Church.  Approximately 100 of our neighbours gathered for an informative and engaging evening.   Highlights of the event included insightful presentations by the Police at 12th Division, covering a range of topics such as crime statistics, on-going police investigations and valuable tips on connecting with our Neighbourhood Community Officers.  Their expertise and dedication to our community safety were evident throughout.  Additionally, we were fortunate to have representatives from the Weston Village Residents Association present on the important work of Crime Stoppers, shedding light on how we can all contribute to keeping our neighbourhood safe.  Thank you to everyone who attended and contributed to making this event a success.  Together, we can continue to build a stronger, safer community.

In Other News

Ongoing City of Toronto pothole Repairs 

The City of Toronto is continuing their pothole repair to keep the City’s expressways, major roads and neighbourhood streets in a state of good repair.  City staff will be working to resolve as many Service Requests for potholes and road damage as possible. Residents driving or cycling are advised to expect minor delays around pothole crews. The public is asked to be safe by respecting work zones and giving crews space while they make repairs.

Members of the public can report potholes to Councillor Nunziata's Constituency Office at 416-338-0220, or via the 311 Toronto mobile app, online at www.toronto.ca/311 or by calling 311.  

Single Family Waste Audits

The City of Toronto is conducting a four-week waste audit in our area from May 7th, 2024, until May 31st, 2024.  the City periodically conducts wast audits to help deterime how much and what type of waste is being produced by Toronto residents.  the wast audits also help identify whether residents are participating in various waste diversion programs including recycling and organics collection.. This information is used to enhance the efficiency of the city's waste collection programs and support the City's research related to new policies and practices for waste diversion.

April 25, 2024

City Council Highlights
Vacant Home Tax
Council voted to scrap late fees charged to people who received the VHT bills and to declare that occupied homes in 2022 will automatically get the same status in 2023. Councillor Nunziata amended Recommendation 1 in the report (April 10, 2024) from the Mayor by adding the words, “and refund residents who have already paid”.  In this way, owners of homes not subject to the tax, will have their latest bill cancelled (even if they have not appealed) and those who paid the VHT bill can opt for an immediate refund or a credit on their future bills.  A report on a completely revised VHT program is expected for the 2024 Taxation Year, prior to the 2025 Budget Process. To ensure that this report includes an appropriate payment process, Councillor Nunziata amended Recommendation 2 in the supplementary report (April 12, 2024) from the Mayor by adding the words, “such report to include the VHT declaration process for 2025, and a standard practice of providing a confirmation number or receipt when declaring online”.   Please contact my office if you are uncertain of your VHT status or require further assistance (416) 338-0220.
  
Short-Term Rentals
The City of Toronto is strengthening its Short-Term Rental bylaw and increasing the registration fees to make it harder to evade the rules. The updated by-law increases registration fees and bolsters the vetting of short-term rental hosts in an effort to make it harder to evade the rules. In support of these updates, I moved a Motion that recommends City Council request the Executive Director, Municipal Licensing and Standards to consider amending the screening criteria for Short-Term Rentals Operators and strengthen the threshold for convictions related to Chapter 591, Noise, to address impacts arising from nuisance parties at Short-Term Rentals.
 
RentSafe TO
The RentSafeTO Program’s fee structure and evaluation tool design were updated by City Council.  The fee structure was updated to align with inspection fees in other MLS enforcement areas, reflect the updated evaluation tool, and support full cost recovery of conducting remedial action (in alignment with the City’s User Fee Policy).  The evaluation tool design expanded its evaluation categories, introduces a reactive scoring scheme to reflect active violations and outstanding property standards orders, establishes a new threshold for building audits and update the program’s interactive web map.
 
Increase in Penalty Amounts for Parking Offences
City Council approved an increase in the penalty amounts for 123 'parking', 'stopping' and 'standing’ offences. The recommended increase in penalty amounts will ensure better alignment with penalty amounts in other jurisdictions, encourage compliance, ensure certain offences are set at levels commensurate with the seriousness of the offence, and ensure that offences within the same categories are set at the same penalty amount for consistency. The fine for parking in bike lanes, for example, will increase from $150 to $200, while not paying the required fee at parking machines would jump from $30 to $50. The approved increases will come into effect on August 01, 2024.
 
Mount Dennis for All Community Action Plan
City Council passed with unanimous support.  Mount Dennis is set to become one of the most transit-connected neighbourhoods in Toronto – with corresponding development.  Ultimately, the population of Mount Dennis is project to more than double over the next 20-years.  The Mount Dennis for All Community Plan seeks to ensure that existing and future low- and moderate-income families and individuals have improved access to affordable housing, affordable childcare, city spaces and public transit. 
 
The Somali Centre for Culture and Recreation
It has been many years that the Somali Centre for Culture and Recreation has been looking for a home. In July 2022 I forwarded a Motion (MM47.29) to ‘Explore Opportunities to Create a New Community Cultural and Recreation Centre’. Nearly two years later (February 14, 2024) I wrote a letter to the Board of Directors for Create TO in support of a Long-Term Lease to Develop a Future Somali Community Centre. Now, I am so pleased to see the next steps will include a continued effort to work together and to understand the operating model and long-term financial feasibility of the Somali Centre. Last week Council requested that both the Provincial and Federal Governments to provide financial support for this project in the form of capital funding.


In Other News

Mobile Dental Services for the City's long-term care homes
A free mobile dental care program has been announced by the City of Toronto for residents of its long-term care homes, which includes more than 2,600 people. The program will involve Toronto Public Health’s oral health providers utilizing mobile dental vans to provide essential dental services such as preventive care, restorative dentistry and dentures. This method of providing oral health services will help promote better overall health for some of Toronto’s most vulnerable population and hopefully prevent as many hospital visits. This program is set to launch later this month and is funded by the Government of Ontario through the Ontario Seniors Dental Care Program.

April 18, 2024

Weston UP Express. WE DID IT!

Firstly, I want to offer my sincere gratitude to the 3,000+ people who took the time to sign the "Save UP Express Service to Underserved Neighbourhoods" petition. Tuesday evening, I engaged in a series of discussions with Premier Ford and Transportation Minister Sarkaria, armed with your petition, to convey our deepest disappointment with the Metrolinx decision to reduce service at the Weston and Bloor Up Stations.  I emphasized the importance of reconsidering this decision and reinstating the UP Express service to its full capacity.  Wednesday at City Council, I announced that Minister Sarkaria announced that Metrolinx will not be proceeding with changes and full service remains at all UP Express Stations - celebrated by all.

In light of the recent tragic shooting death in the Weston area, I am deeply concerned about the safety and well-being of our community.  I want to assure you that I am taking this issue very seriously.  To address this urgent matter, we will be convening a community meeting; your participation and input are crucial as we work together to ensure the safety of our neighbourhood. A Community Town Hall Meeting will be held on Monday April 29th, at 7:00 PM at Weston Park Baptist Church.  We encourage all residents to attend and share their thoughts, concerns, and ideas for improving safety in our community.  Together, we can make a difference and create a safer environment for all.

At City Council this week, we will be discussing the Short-Term Rental regulations updates, the Somali Centre for Culture and Recreation, and Vacant Home Tax among other issues. I will update you on the outcome of the City Council debates.

It’s that time again when we celebrate Earth Day! Come on down and join in on one of many community clean up’s organized in and around Ward 5. Don't forget to dress warmly, it will be chilly this weekend.  Please see our Community News section of our eNews for more details.