About the LRA

The Leaside Residents Association (LRA) is a not-for-profit organization representing the residents of the neighbourhood of Leaside in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. We aim to enhance the livability of Leaside for all residents. Learn more about us, including the area we cover!


Latest Leaside News

Paris street with mid-rise housing

Mayor Chow proposing big change that would see buildings go up all over Toronto

Mayor Olivia Chow has proposed a major change to the process of how housing is built in Toronto, one that would allow a new generation of buildings to pop up on major streets across the city.

Chow is looking to implement sweeping as-of-right zoning on Toronto’s avenues that would allow for drastic changes in the city’s built form.

Toronto’s development scene has been dominated by tall towers in recent years, but Chow’s new push to change zoning regulations could result in a more Parisian style of residential density becoming the norm in town.

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Rachel Chernos Lin

Rachel Chernos Lin Wins Don Valley West By-Election

Rachel Chernos Lin has won the Don Valley West by-election with nearly 55 percent of the vote, beating competitor Anthony Furey by more than 20 points in what began as a wide-open race, but had in recent weeks become a battle of political polarization between the two leading candidates.

Chernos Lin, a Toronto District School Board trustee and the current chair, ended the night with 12,899 votes, followed by Furey with 7,343. Sam Robinson, son of former ward councillor Jaye Robinson, came in third with 1,271 votes.

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City of Toronto Vote sign

Vote November 4, 2024 – Ward 15 By-Election

The Ward 15 By-Election set for November 4, 2024, will decide on a candidate to succeed Councillor Jaye Robinson as Ward 15 representative on City Council.

Voting places will be open from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Voters can use MyVote to find their assigned voting place, access their voter card and more.

BEPC devised a short questionnaire to be completed by all registered candidates. Read on for survey responses and make sure you vote on November 4!

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Ontario Place after tree removal - satellite view

Province releases Therme deal details, while 865 trees are bulldozed at Ontario Place

Under cover of darkness, Infrastructure Ontario began the removal of 865 trees at Ontario Place on the evening of Wednesday, October 2, 2024. Within a single day, workers had cut down the vast majority of those trees.

The work—which includes the removal of every single tree on the western portion of the waterfront site adjacent downtown Toronto—is part of the approximately $200-million in site preparations that taxpayers are funding to prepare the land for Therme, an Austrian spa company, to develop a stadium-sized indoor waterpark on the site.

The next day, October 3, the Province released the details of its 95-year lease with Therme, which journalists and grassroots organizations have…

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589 Eglinton Ave. 40 storeys

OLT approves height bump from 35 to 40 storeys at Eglinton & Mann

A proposed development at 589 Eglinton Avenue East has secured approval from the Ontario Land Tribunal (OLT) for its settlement offer with the City of Toronto from March, 2024. The approved plan increases the height from 35 to 40 storeys and the number of residential units from 442 to 470.

Initially submitted as a 35-storey proposal in November, 2022, the application faced delays prompting an appeal to the OLT. It was resubmitted with the same storey count but a revised design in July, 2023 This culminated in a hearing in March, 2024, where a settlement offer was approved. The OLT’s endorsement led to the latest Site Plan Approval resubmission in July, 2024.

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Viva La Leaside street festival poster - antique cars

Leaside is getting its own street festival!

Leaside’s first-ever the street festival, takes place Saturday, August 31 and Sunday, September 1, 2024, 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. at and around 25 Commercial Road, hosted by the Motorista Creative Society in collaboration with the Leaside Heritage Preservation Society

Celebrate Leaside’s rich heritage and lively community. Enjoy live music, experience captivating local art, and savour delicious food from local vendors. You’ll also have the chance to view exhibits on Leaside’s industrial past.

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Committee of Adjustment

Have you just received a notice from the Committee of Adjustment about a neighbouring property and don’t know what to do?

Check out our guidelines and explanation of the procedures and let us know if you need assistance!

Subscribe to our newsletter

Subscribe to receive news from the LRA about Leaside issues.

We will also try to keep you informed of any issues specific to your street or immediate vicinity, including Committee of Adjustment applications, LPAT hearings, etc.

Character Guidelines

Thinking of renovating, adding, or rebuilding? Consult the character guidelines developed to help owners, architects, and designers in gaining an understanding of what makes Leaside’s natural and architectural attributes valuable and how to extend these to new development.