Voting Record
“Yonge Street between Sheppard and Finch is the backbone of North York’s downtown, home to the highest concentration of office towers outside Toronto’s core and a critical route for drivers, pedestrians, transit riders, businesses, cyclists, and micromobility users…Transform Yonge represents one of North York’s most significant public-realm upgrades. This reconstruction offers a rare chance to widen sidewalks, add greenery and amenities, improve crossings, and deliver protected bike lanes that meet the needs of a modern urban centre.”
“City Council, in 2021, adopted the TransformTO Net Zero Strategy (NZS), a target of net zero GHG emissions community-wide by 2040, and the short term implementation plan for 2022-2025. The NZS Action Plan for 2026-2030, outlined in this report, builds on the work done to date and retains the net zero GHG ambition but also recognizes that action is being carried forward under a different policy context and different economic and social conditions.”
“The Finch West LRT is projected to have 51,000 riders each day, and bring 230,000 people within walking distance of rapid transit. It will move generations of people across the northwest of our city, connecting them to jobs, education, family and friends with greater ease. It will help reduce congestion on our roads and help people choose transit over driving.”
“Toronto is a growing city with at least 700,000 new Torontonians expected by 2051.” Ensuring sustainable environments for new and current residents “requires a city-wide policy and regulatory environment that is supportive of local businesses and services locating within communities. Despite smallscale retail, service and office uses historically playing an important role in many of Toronto's Neighbourhoods, these types of uses were strictly limited by policies and zoning provisions established in the mid-20th century, many of which remain today. As a result, many of Toronto's current residents have never had these amenities close to their homes, and others have seen them decline over the decades as existing establishments closed, and new ones did not take their place [...] Compact, well-connected Neighbourhoods reduce car dependency and enable people to live carlight or car free, which helps cut carbon pollution. The increased availability of goods nearby to where people live may also contribute to the reduction in online shopping and delivery of goods which generates carbon emissions and packaging waste.”
The GO Expansion Program has sought a variety of objectives to grow the service capacity of Go Transit in order to meet the growing needs of the city. Further, “[m]etrolinx has recently proposed a service change whereby the SCOW Station would be serviced by the Union-Pearson Express (UPE) trains on the UPE line instead of GO trains on the adjacent Kitchener line. Metrolinx has indicated that this service change is required to maintain the 15-minute (or better) service frequency commitment made by Metrolinx for the SmartTrack Program, which can no longer be maintained by GO service.” Maintaining and building new efficient public transit enables lower carbon transportation choices.