Council votes to move ahead on Willowdale plan
The city is pushing ahead with a 59-unit modular housing complex in Willowdale in spite of provincial pushback.
On Wednesday, city council voted unanimously to move ahead with a process that would rezone the site on Cummer Avenue, after repeatedly asking the province to fasttrack the approvals process.
The vote will see the city go through a lengthier process to approve the site for the prefabricated buildings to house the homeless in supportive units with mental health and other services.
“This route we’re going down is only because there has been a difficult to understand failure to act on the part of the province thus far,” said Mayor John Tory, chiding the government for using sweeping powers to enforce planning rules on the city against its wishes, but not wielding them when requested.
Tory said the urgency of building these new homes is clear given the increasing number of people living on Toronto’s streets. City staff currently puts that number at more than 8,000, but advocates say there are many “hidden” homeless living in the city who aren’t counted.
Coun. John Filion, who represents the Willowdale area and has been supportive of the new housing, said the project had broad neighbourhood support, but noted “a very small but very loud — and I will say nasty” group has spread misinformation.”
Since June 2021, the city has requested Municipal Affairs Minister Steve Clark to use what’s called a minister’s zoning order, or MZO, to speed up the city’s regular process — a tool the provincial government has been quick to use for other projects that benefit its allies.
If the city’s planning process proceeds without interruption or appeals, the homes could be habitable by early 2023, city staff say.
‘‘ This route we’re going down is only because there has been a difficult to understand failure to act on the part of the province thus far.
TORONTO MAYOR JOHN TORY