Toronto by-election is quickly approaching

The City of Toronto’s 2023 by-election for mayor is quickly approaching. Eligible voters can vote early in advanced polling locations Thursday, June 8 through to Thursday, June 13, or on Election Day, Monday, June 26. For information on how to vote, visit toronto.ca/byelection.

I want to thank local residents for their support over the last few months as I took on the roles and responsibilities of the Mayor. I remain committed to working for you, and it is the privilege of a lifetime to represent the residents of the city that I love.

Port Union Road Public Info Event

The City of Toronto is making improvements to Port Union Road, and is holding a Public Information Session on the upcoming upgrades and construction.The virtual public event will take place on Wednesday, June 28 starting at 6:30 p.m. If you would like to receive updates on how and where to register for the information event, please subscribe to my e-newsletter at jennifermckelvie.ca. Learn more about the proposal at toronto.ca/portunion.

Housing Update

The City of Toronto is working to get more housing built and improve access to affordable housing as quickly as possible alongside the other orders of government, businesses, associations and community leaders.

During the May 2023 meeting of City Council, Council adopted a Municipal Housing Pledge to affirm its commitment to achieve or exceed the Ontario government’s housing target of 285,000 new Toronto homes by 2031. City Council also adopted the Housing Now program’s 2023 Progress Update report. This Progress Update report highlights a number of immediate actions the City can take to advance its plans, including a pathway to move forward three shovel-ready sites on City of Toronto-owned lands and a plan to get more sites under construction, including in Scarborough.

Council also considered the Expanding Housing Options in Neighbourhoods: Multiplex Study Final Report, and voted to enable the creation of new low-rise housing by permitting multiplexes (housing with two, three or four units in a single building) in the city. To learn more about the Expanding Housing Options in Neighbourhoods program, visit toronto.ca/EHON.

Expanding Toronto’s E-Bus Fleet

In April, I joined Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland, MP James Maloney and MP Ya’ara Saks to announce a shared $700 million investment between our two governments to add 340 zero-emission buses to our TTC fleet along with the infrastructure to support those vehicles.

The City of Toronto is glad to work with the Government of Canada to invest in cleaner and greener transit infrastructure. Transitioning the City’s fleet to zero-emissions vehicles is a vital step in ensuring we reach our ambitious goal of Net-Zero by 2040. The buses purchased with this investment will ensure that Toronto can once again boast the largest fleet of e-buses in North America.

Thank you to our federal government for their partnership and investment in public transit infrastructure for the future.