Legislation

Leaside is a residential and industrial/business community in Toronto….Up to now the Business Park has been protected though Official Plan policies and zoning bylaws, and Ontario Municipal Board decisions that have respected the Employment Lands boundaries and policies therein. However the Provincial proposal to consolidate two major planning documents in Ontario A Place to Grow: Growth Plan for the Greater Golden Horseshoe (Growth Plan), 2020 and the Provincial Policy Statement, 2020 appears to endanger this.

Opposition to Ontario Bill 39, Better Municipal Governance Act, 2022, giving the Toronto’s John Tory “strong mayor” powers continues to grow. FoNTRA wrote a letter to Mayor John Tory on November 23, 2022 expressing strong objections to what is widely seen as an anti-democratic move by the provincial government. It was followed by another letter on November 28, urging the mayor to call an emergency session of council to discuss the matter; he refused, despite calls from many of his own councillors to do so.

On December 6, fifteen of the 25 city councillors, including Ward 15’s councillor, Jaye Robinson, sent a joint letter to Premier Doug Ford and Municipal Affairs Minister Steve Clark, urging a halt to the legislation.

The City enacted a bylaw change in February to allow the construction of garden suites throughout Toronto as of right (i.e. no need for a variance):

• A garden suite can occupy 20% of a lot and be two storeys plus basement. That’s approximately the size of an original Leaside home.
• In the view of the LRA, this bylaw change was made without sufficient consultation and will allow for construction that is too large and intrusive for many lots.
• You can read more about garden suites on the website of the new “Building Better Neighbourhoods” association – an alliance of residents’ associations from across Toronto.
• This group has launched a letter-writing campaign supporting changes to the bylaw, including size limits and greater tree protection.
• As a call to action, you can send a letter to the Mayor and Councillors expressing your views.

Mount Pleasant Cemetery, located on the border of Leaside, is a large green space where people have an opportunity for quiet contemplation, exercise, and enjoyment. The province set up the cemetery as a statutory trust in the 1800s. It is the view of many local residents, including Friends of Toronto Public Cemeteries (FTPC), that the …

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Stormwater is rain and melted snow. Generally, the more hard surfaces a property has the more stormwater will flow off it and into the sewer system. An increase in extreme storms, combined with more paved surfaces in the city is resulting in more stormwater making its way into the sewer system. This has led to …

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