Tristan Downe-Dewdney

15 candidates are registered for the Scarborough-Rouge Park by-election. 8 of them have websites. Only 4 of those websites mention housing policy in any way.

Those mentions and commitments total 4 sentences.

Over the last 3 yrs we’ve been updating zoning to allow more types of new housing. But our work doesn’t end there. Next week we’ll present a report on an initiative to look at things like loading, waste collection & amenity space that impact cost+design to get missing middle & midrise housing built.

If you want to learn more or voice your support for expanding housing options in neighbourhoods, follow the link bellow and consider submitting comments on the item at committee.
secure.toronto.ca/council/agen...
10/10

Overall, my impression is that staff are working earnestly to make it easier to build garden suites in Toronto. It must be remembered that there is always a mountain of obstruction and opposition in that has to be overcome for even modest improvements.
9/10

I will be looking to see how builders and designers react to new main wall height rules and roof slope provisions. At first glance, these appear to be more permissive and align with laneway suite rules.
8/10

3. Removal of the existing 40% rear yard coverage limit, allowing for 45% total lot coverage by buildings and structures, per O. Reg 462/24.
7/10

A number of staff-recommended changes will be considered by the Planning and Housing Committee on July 15, 2025. These include:
1. Reducing separation distances from 5 to 4 metres for single-storey garden suites.
2. Removal of angular planes, per O. Reg 462/24.
6/10

Staff have worked on challenges that designers have had in meeting the fire access requirements in the Building Code and increased the maximum permitted travel distance from a Garden Suite entry to a fire apparatus on a public street up to 90 metres.
5/10

Despite initial fears, there’s been minimal impact on the urban tree canopy. Data indicates that only 15% of 568 sites have resulted in approved construction-related permits for tree impacts, totaling less than 80 tree removals across 88 different sites.
4/10

From 2022 to August 2024, there were 233 minor variance applications associated with garden suites at the Committee of Adjustment which often included angular planes, prior to O. Reg. 462/24.
3/10

The number of garden suite permits increased from 56 applications in 2022 to 361 applications in 2024. As of May 8, 2025, 812 garden suite building permit applications have been submitted, with 480 permits issued - 59 percent of applications received.
2/10

Toronto just released its final report on monitoring garden suites—progress is being made, the numbers remain modest and there are still barriers to overcome. Here’s what matters if you care about small-scale housing.
toronto.ca/legdocs/mmis...
1/10

The Scarborough-Rouge Park by-election will be held on Monday, September 29, 2025. Nominations close on August 15.

These candidates enter the race with strong foundations for the race and there is no sure bet out of the gate.
Other candidates registered today, including Zia Choudhary, Ashan Fernando, and Dianna Robinson.

Nominations opened today for the Ward 25 by-election in Toronto and it looks to be an exciting race.

Amongst the first to register:

Former Scarborough Business Association President Shawn Allen
Former Councillor @neethanshan.bsky.social
and Scarborough-Rouge Park TDSB Trustee Anu Sriskandarajah

That shrug!

“Am I running over a small child? Whoopsie! I don’t think so good, so you can’t blame me.”

Great to see @beynate.bsky.social at Toronto Region Board of Trade’s Housing Symposium, speaking about what can be done next through HAF, taxes, and driving industrial innovation to support home building and to lower costs.

Riding the TTC continues to feel like an expensive joke. Do I really need to consider a 30+ minute buffer to get from Parliament to Bay?

Totally impractical for arranging meetings or getting to important events.

I spoke with staff this morning who indicated that work IS ongoing on addressing shared mortgages. This news will come as welcome relief to those who got the impression that the City might have been done with Abell Street.

The news release is posted and there is nothing mentioned about shared mortgages, whether units will continue to be made available for artists into the future, or what the next steps are for those still in limbo.

Really disappointing.

www.toronto.ca/news/city-of...

There is supposed to be news today about Artscape units that have been in limbo since 2023. I am hoping shared mortgage affordable unit owners at 38 Abell get some positive news!

Article below from last summer:
thestar.com/real-estate/...

@mayoroliviachow.bsky.social

@alejandrabravo.bsky.social

I suspect over-design is what’s running away from us. Realistically, I don’t think we need all-glass, floor-to-ceiling, pass-through-ventilation space doors. There are simpler options that we can roll out in half the time and the average person can audit the math on pricing for.

A prime example of how other zoning restrictions are blocking multiplexes in Toronto, despite their nominal legalization. Lot coverage limits, minimum lot areas/frontages, and FSI are still excluding multiplexes in much of the city.
www.thestar.com/real-estate/...

Instant bankruptcy!

Great to see Gord Perks move a motion looking for an update on HAF initiatives at the upcoming meeting of Council. It will be helpful to know where this body of work stands and what might be accelerated.

Shawn Micallef: If Toronto fails to deliver this one piece of infrastructure, it will reveal an ugly truth Toronto is routinely slammed as an unplanned city and, at the same time, as a place over-planned to the point of suffocation.

King Liberty Station must be built. The promise, if there is any, of Toronto’s exclusionary zoning regime is false. My @thestar.com this week. www.thestar.com/opinion/if-t...

Superstructure is complete for 15 new deeply affordable homes for Indigenous and Black seniors facing homelessness. Housing provider St. Matthew’s House and developer Assembly used modular, panelized construction methods to build on this narrow, infill site on Barton Street in Hamilton.