Housing

On Mar. 26, 2026, Toronto City Council members voted to begin a pilot program for city-run grocery stores.

Councillor Anthony Perruzza introduced a motion to establish a pilot program for city-run grocery stores. This would include one grocery store in each of the City’s Community Council districts. Priority will be given to neighbourhoods that have limited access to grocery stores and a lower average-household income. It would run as a not-for-profit with the goal of providing residents with the most affordable food pricing possible and with financial support to reduce operating costs and maximize affordability. 

He said it was a new and novel idea that other jurisdictions such as New York have been looking at. He added that people are having trouble meeting needs and that the cost of living is going up.

Councillor Dianne Saxe put forward an amendment to support community food cooperatives such as Karma Co-op. She added that their model allows people to volunteer to reduce their food costs and that it lets people meet their neighbours and that it’s non-commercial.

Councillor Stephen Holyday said it was a “terrible idea.” He said that people believe that grocery stores are extracting lots of money from them but they are not. He said that the prices of basic goods including milk, butter and potatoes aren’t very far apart between retailers but that there was variation between junk foods. He emphasized that the cost of running those stores would be borne by taxpayers.

Holyday also said that he didn’t think the government could possibly run a grocery store more efficiently than the private sector. He acknowledged that people in Toronto are going hungry but said it was “preposterous” to suggest that government-run stores would be better. He said he could not condone spending the City’s resources on this.

Councillor Paul Ainslie had an amendment to request that staff look at other models for delivering groceries. He said he worked in the food sector for almost 20 years, including some years in food distribution. 

Ainslie said he had concerns about the model of four locations, and that it wouldn’t be practical for people to go to those locations for food. Instead, those families would be going to a large chain nearby. Ainslie also said he would like to hear from industry experts on what opportunities there are to deliver food.

Councillor Amber Morley said that one of the challenges in her community is the ability to secure food and grocery stores. She said that residents want councillors to improve food security in their neighbourhoods, adding that having a walkable, affordable and accessible place for food is important. 

Morley said that the City doesn’t currently have any tools to secure a grocery store or food security in communities.

Morley added that this model works well internationally. During a trip to Taiwan, she and her colleagues saw how their affordable-housing model co-located grocery stores, daycares or both were part of their buildings, and that it helped keep their communities complete. She added that the city should continue being a good partner with organizations addressing food insecurity such as Daily Bread Food Bank and Second Harvest.

Councillor Alexandra Bravo said she would support the motion. She added that community ownership of food distribution is important. She said it wasn’t just about the end user getting food they could afford, but also about local production in the Greenbelt, reaching climate goals and ensuring food sovereignty.

She added that this created job opportunities. Bravo also said that the private market could not guarantee people access to fairly priced food, noting that big chain stores fixed the price of bread and sold meat in quantities less than the advertised amount.

Councillor Michael Thompson said the city should not look into opening grocery stores and should create incentives for people who want to open their own. He said that he likes free enterprise and wants the market to provide groceries at a fair price.

He said he doesn’t believe chain stores are increasing prices just because they can but that it has to do with operating costs. Thompson added that the government should help people who they have identified as being in need.

Mayor Olivia Chow had two amendments. The first was to expand the scope of the report and do three things. Firstly, use bulk purchasing for other city programs to bring down costs. Secondly, protect consumers and crack down on price gouging. Thirdly, explore models of municipal grocery stores using the best examples from around the world.

The second was to create an advisory body to inform this work. Chow said that residents want the City to help with the cost of living. She said the city is trying to do that by building affordable housing, feeding kids, and keeping the price of the TTC low, but that it can do more. She added that the City should ensure that grocery stores and retailers can’t use AI, personal data, or restrictive zoning to drive up the cost of food.

Key takeaways

• The City will begin a pilot program for city-run grocery stores with:
  • One grocery store in each of the City’s Community Council districts
  • Priority for neighbourhoods with limited access to grocery stores, and where residents have lower average household incomes
  • A not-for-profit model aiming to give residents the most affordable food possible
  • Financial supports to reduce operating costs and maximize affordability for residents

On-the-ground observations from our documenter, Christian Malong

I think it’s good that they negotiated a deal with the unions without any woI think it’s an interesting pilot program. Food insecurity is a growing problem and has been for a while.

The Daily Bread’s Who’s Hungry Report shows that food insecurity in Toronto is rising and that there’s an increase in food bank usage. Where I live, Feed Scarborough was a small initiative that expanded in 2020 to fill a gap left by some food banks closing amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Feed Scarborough’s future is somewhat uncertain with Daily Bread cutting them off due to alleged financial mismanagement.

I also think that it’s good that the City is acting to address food insecurity. Toronto Council previously voted to declare food insecurity an emergency but I’m not exactly sure how much help came from that. I think that having city-run grocery stores is a good step, and one that people could feel directly. I am looking forward to seeing how the pilot goes.

CHECK YOUR FACTS

• City Council – March 26, 2026 – Evening Session
• City Council – Meeting 39
• Item – 2026.MM39.27

On The TRCA’s Board of Directors was shown a presentation on the Meadoway by TRCA’s Lisa Turnbull. This presentation supplemented a report by Anil Wijesooriya, the Director of Restoration and Infrastructure, which gave an update on the achievements of phase two of the Meadoway project, and the outlook of phase three.

During phase two, the Meadoway was used for outreach and education. It saw over 3,000 students and teachers educated through hands-on activities and field-trips. It hosted targeted programming for ESL learners and newcomers, supporting over 320 participants. The TRCA also hosted 13 seasonal community events at the Meadoway.

There was also a lot of research conducted in phase two. It was part of collaborative research with the University of Waterloo, University of Toronto Scarborough and Trent University on plant-pollinator relationships and meadow site preparation methods.

They managed and monitored 151 hectares of meadow and mown buffer areas. They also updated their Meadoway Restoration Manual, which is a guide to naturalizing infrastructure corridors.

Phase two cost $20.224 million. This included a $6.332 mil grant from the Weston Family Foundation, $6.545 million from the City of Toronto, $0.45 mil from The Garden Club of Toronto, $1.05 million from Parks Canada, $5.6 million from the Natural Infrastructure Fund, $0.231 million from the Nature Based Climate Solutions Grant and a total of $0.036 million from the Canada Summer Jobs Grant.

In 2026, they aim to continue work expanding the trails. This includes opening a new multi-use trail east of Kennedy, from Arsandco Park Marco Blvd. They are also designing a trail connection from Pan Am Drive to Conlins Road in partnership with University of Toronto Scarborough and the City of Toronto. They plan to launch a design competition for the trail connection and bridge over Ellesmere Ravine.

They are also going to continue rolling out public furnishing, such as benches. Other than that, they are going to introduce a goat grazing research pilot, and an enhanced seed collection program. 

Key takeaways

The TRCA received a report on the Meadoway, which stated that:

• From 2023 to 2025, the Meadoway was a valuable educational tool for thousands of students, including ESL learners, as well as being used for research by universities.

• The Meadoway project phase 2 received a total of $20.224 mil, including from the Weston Family Foundation, the federal government and the City of Toronto.

• In 2026, they plan to continue expanding the trail system, and to launch a grazing research pilot and an enhanced seed collection program.

On-the-ground observations from our documenter, Christian Malong

I live a couple minutes away from the Meadoway. It has been pretty interesting seeing this sterile grass field become a real meadow. You can go back in time on Google Maps and see the before and after. Even aside from the scientific and educational value it provides, I just think it’s cool I can bike through a meadow a couple of minutes from home. I’m glad that there’s support for biodiversity, native plants and pollinators. This is also helping fight against the urban heat-island effect. The presentation showed a nine degree difference between the Meadoway and the previous turf areas. I think this is a great use of the hydroelectric corridor, and I hope there are more initiatives like it.

CHECK YOUR FACTS

ATTACHMENT 1: The Meadoway 2025 Update and Phase 2 Summary

Item 8.3 THE MEADOWAY: 2025 UPDATE

Board of Directors Meeting Agenda

Meeting recordingMar. 26, 2026, Toronto City Council members voted to begin a pilot program for city-run grocery stores.

The Board of Health received a report on Toronto Public Health activities in 2025 on Mar. 20, 2026. This report was accompanied by a presentation from the Medical Officer of Health Dr. Michelle Murti.

Last year, Toronto Public Health performed over 1200 investigations of vaccine-preventable infections such as measles, mumps, and pertussis, which is almost double the pre-pandemic average of 611.

They also provided case and contact management to reduce the spread of these diseases. Dr. Murti noted that these investigations are increasingly complex due to an increase in homelessness.

They also managed 318 active tuberculosis cases, which is nearly 25 per cent increase in the last 10 years.

Ontario faced its largest measles outbreak in over 25 years. Toronto Public Health responded with case and contact management, public education campaigns and vaccination which officials say limited the spread to only 10 cases in Toronto.

Toronto Public Health also responded to record-breaking heat in the summer of 2025. They increased the number of heat relief spaces to over 550 and monitored heat related illness.

They also supported the evacuations of northern First Nations communities amid last summer’s wildfires.

This included services like immunization, dental screenings, harm reduction and parenting support.

When several deputants raised issues about the side effects of vaccines, Dr. Michelle Murti explained that the link between autism and vaccines have been disproven.

One deputant complained about the city’s harm reduction services, including the distribution of things like clean needles and about public drug use. He showed the Board of Health a handful of photos and videos on his tablet of people using drugs in public, and of supplies found on the ground. 

The Board also voted on recommendations in a letter written by Councillor Chris Moise in response to the provincial defunding of consumption and treatment services (CTS).

In it, he described how the funding cuts would affect the CTS at Fred Victor and Moss Park, leaving only two public sites in Toronto. 

He emphasized that CTS are a crucial starting point for people to transition to addiction treatment and that the sites are a primary source of community for people who use drugs.

He added that this decision would come at the cost of valuable information about the unregulated drug supply. Toronto’s Drug Checking Service relies on CTS to provide samples to track what is in the drug supply so that officials can respond appropriately and alert the public about dangerous trends.

During the meeting, Moise also noted that previous CTS closures have led the remaining sites to be overwhelmed and that residents have noticed an increase in public drug use. He added that these additional closures would compound those effects.

The letter recommended that the Board of Health request that the province continue funding these services at the Moss Park and Fred Victor sites and that drug checking sample collection sites remain available. It also recommended that the Board of Health acknowledge the stigma and discrimination faced by people who use drugs.

The managing director of Toronto’s Drug Checking Service Hayley Thompson spoke to the item. She said that since launching in October of 2019 they have collected 20,000 drug samples and checked them for drug users. 

They have seen approximately a 50 per cent reduction in sample volumes since the closure of the supervised consumption sites in South Riverdale, Parkdale Queen West and Regent Park. This is due to the Community Care and Recovery Act in December of 2024,and they are concerned about further closures. She emphasized the risk of both fatal and non-fatal drug poisonings if drugs aren’t checked.

Key takeaways

• Last year, Toronto Public Health
  • Responded to a growing number of vaccine-preventable disease cases, including measles, mumps and pertussis
  • Provided heat relief spaces
  • Supported wildfire evacuations

• The Board of Health urged the Government of Ontario to continue funding CTS, citing the need to track trends in the unregulated drug market, their function as a starting point to treatment and the community it provides to people who use drugs.

On-the-ground observations from our documenter, Christian Malong

I think it’s interesting that amid provincial cuts to supervised consumption sites, and growing overdose rates, there were complaints about seeing public drug usage.  At this meeting, municipal officials were taking the criticism rather than the province.

I’m also curious about how the ongoing charter challenge against the Community Care and Recovery Act may impact CTS sites.

CHECK YOUR FACTS

• Board of Health – March 30, 2026
• Board of Health – Meeting 31
• HL31.1 – 2025: A Year-in-Review of Toronto Public Health
• 2025: A Year-in-Review of Toronto Public Health
• 2025: Year-in-Review of Toronto Public Health Presentation
• HL31.11 – Response to Provincial Defunding of Consumption and Treatment Services (CTS)
• Re: Response to Provincial Defunding of Consumption and Treatment Services (CTS)
• Community Care and Recovery Act, 2024, S.O. 2024, c. 27, Sched. 4
• The Neighbourhood Group Community Services Files Charter Challenge Against Community Care and Recovery Act

On Mar. 12, 2026, Toronto Community Housing’s Governance, Communications and Human Resources Committee held a public meeting to go over their hiring, staff health and wellness, and policy review schedule

The GCHRC was shown a presentation from Chief Corporate Services Officer Barbara Shulman. In it, she highlighted what the People and Culture division did in 2025, what they’re continuing to do and what their plans are for 2026.

Shulman highlighted employee networks at TCHC and some of the activities they did to foster a sense of belonging. For example, the Filipino Kababayan Network hosted a basketball tournament and picnic. Their PRIDE Network watched the 2025 Toronto Pride Parade. The Women’s Inclusion Network hosted a keynote address from Dr. Hadiya Roderique. And the Black Staff Caucus held multiple events.

In 2025, People and Culture held programs to develop their staff. The Leadership Foundations Program taught supervisors and new managers leadership skills.  Out of 43 participants, 92 per cent felt the program improved their performance. The Seasoned Managers Program helped experienced leaders enhance their skills and knowledge, with 87 per cent of 43 participants feeling that it improved their performance.

The GCHRC also received a recommended schedule for reviewing their official policies. The policies they would review this year would include their Elections Policy, Evictions for Cause Policy, Accessibility Policy and more. 

The policies they would review from 2027 to 2030 include their Eviction Prevention Policy for Non-Payment of Rent, their Past Tenants Debt Write-Off Policy, their Employee Code of Conduct Policy, as well as others.

They received a deputation from former tenant director Catherine Wilkinson about the schedule. She noted that the schedule neglected the Employee Code of Conduct Policy, which was last reviewed in 2015, and pointed to its importance. According to her, in 2011, the mayor of Toronto dissolved the TCHC Board of Directors because an auditor’s report found thousands in inappropriate employee spending, including on cruises and manicures, as well as millions in untendered contracts.

Key takeaways

• In 2025, TCHC:
  • Negotiated collective agreements with CUPE Local 416 and CUPE Local 79, including four year terms, without disruptions
  • Progressed their Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Strategy
  • Filled 817 vacancies, 270 internally and 547 externally, which is a 40% increase from 2024
  • Launched two leadership development programs to develop their managers

• Their 2026 plans include:
  • Expanding their use of the Dayforce Human Resources Information System to track applicants, compensation and learning modules
  • Performing a census of their workforce to track equity, diversity and inclusion
  • Implementing a new incident management tracking system

• They are continuing to prioritize staff health and wellness, promote a sense of belonging and helping staff reach their potential

On-the-ground observations from our documenter, Christian Malong

I think it’s good that they negotiated a deal with the unions without any work disruptions. I should hope that the city’s non-profit treats its employees well.

A lot of what was discussed at the meeting seemed vague and abstract to me, though. For example, I felt like I was missing a lot of context about what exactly “Fostering a Mentally Healthy Workplace” looks like on the ground. The slides said they would help people “gain strategies to protect and promote mental health,” but what do those strategies look like? Do the strategies work? I’m curious about how their employees feel about how effective these programs are, and if they’re feeling real, tangible results from this and other initiatives.

I agree with Catherine Wilkinson’s concern about the employee code of conduct policy being out of date. The last time it was reviewed was in 2015, and a lot has happened since then.

CHECK YOUR FACTS

• March 12 Meeting Recording
• People and Culture 2025 Annual Report
• March 12 Meeting Agenda

On March 6, 2026, CreateTO held a public meeting to discuss cost of living adjustments, ongoing development and the province’s science centre and convention centre announcements.

The meeting included a proposal to adjust compensation for its employees to align with an increased cost of living and an update to CreateTO’s ongoing development projects. CreateTO held the meeting online and in-person at City Hall. 

Chair Bruce Davis opened the meeting by thanking the City’s employees. “We can’t build housing, we can’t build a ferry terminal, we can’t build bridges without you,” he said.

CreateTO’s CEO Vic Gupta mentioned the province’s announcement of a new convention centre and a new site for the Ontario Science Centre. He said they were monitoring the situation. 

He added that the announcement of the new science centre would lead to conversations about what happens to the old one and about CreateTO developments in the area. Councillor Paula Fletcher said it seemed unclear what the implications of a new convention centre would be for the Canadian National Exhibition.

CEO Gupta proposed an adjustment to their staff’s pay due to a higher cost of living. In his report, he recommended a one per cent increase in order to pay a competitive rate and to help retain employees amid moderate inflation in the Canadian economy.

The CEO also proposed that they receive an update on how their housing projects are developing.

Out of their ongoing construction projects, they expect people to begin living in one of them in 2027 and for people to begin living in the remaining five of them in 2029. One more site at 1113-1117 Dundas St. W. is set to enter the construction phase in July this year. 

They have also added “Dunn House Phase 2” as a new project. This is going to be a partnership between all three levels of government and the University Health Network to provide 54 units of geared-to-income housing with health and social services accessible to tenants on site.

When discussing these updates, they also talked about how the opening of the Eglinton Crosstown LRT will affect their plans. Members discussed whether sites along the Crosstown corridor should be a higher priority.

Chair Bruce Davis also expressed frustration with a project underway at 705 Warden Ave. It’s meant to provide 600 new rentals but the project has stalled over the past few years. He wondered out loud about how to get the federal government to put money into it.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• CreateTO has one housing project set to house people in 2027, and five projects set to house people in 2029.

• CreateTO has voted to give a one per cent raise to their staff members to match the rising cost of living.

• CreateTO discussed reprioritizing development opportunities along the Eglinton Crosstown LRT.

On-the-ground observations from our documenter, Christian Malong

I think it’s good that they decided to give a raise to their employees. We’ve all felt the rising cost of living firsthand and it’s good that the city is trying to keep up. I’m not entirely sure whether or not a one per cent increase is enough though.

I also think it’s good that these housing projects are underway but I’m a little concerned about how far away some of them are from completion. 2029 is three years away and there’s a need for homes in the meantime.

Of course, I can’t expect an entire apartment building to pop up in a week or two but I am left wondering whether these developments are enough to keep up with demand.

The part of this meeting that I found really interesting was how surprised they were by Doug Ford’s announcements about a new convention centre and the new science centre. I kind of expected our city councillors and bureaucrats to have been aware of it beforehand, but it seems like they found out around the same time we did. I’m wondering about how it’ll affect CreateTO’s plans and the City’s plans, and I guess they’re wondering about that too.

CHECK YOUR FACTS

• March 6 meeting notes
• Create TO staffing adjustment
• 705 Warden Ave.
• Create TO housing progress update

On Feb. 12, 2026, Toronto Community Housing’s Tenant Services Committee held a public meeting to discuss housing equity, their violence reduction program and air conditioning.

Toronto Community Housing (TCHC)’s Tenant Services Committee (TSC) held the meeting online and in-person at City Hall. The agenda included approval of the Office of the Commissioner of Housing Equity’s 2025 Work Plan Performance Appraisal, a closing report on its violence reduction program, and an information session on the status of air conditioning across the TCHC portfolio.

Speaking on the issue of housing equity, Walied Khogali Ali with the Regent Park Neighbourhood Association (RPNA) wanted to address an eviction crisis within social housing. Ali said that, according to TCHC data, evictions from social housing increased by over 100% in two years. This coincides with the persistence of “hidden evictions,” which don’t appear in official data, and include informal displacement.

They are calling for a city-wide moratorium on evictions from social housing, and are calling on tenants to share their experiences with them. He also called for TCHC data to include race, noting that without this context, it would be impossible to assess potential systemic anti-Black impacts of evictions. Forty-two per cent of TCHC tenants identify as Black.

Committee member Dan McIntyre replied saying that while housing people is one of their highest priorities, sometimes all other options are exhausted and evictions happen.

One deputant was concerned about cooling during the summer. TCHC prohibited window AC units and previously ran an exchange program for tenants to replace them for a portable floor AC. The deputant said that this didn’t meet the needs of the tenants. The floor ACs were extremely noisy, had cheap hoses that broke and needed to be patched with duct tape, didn’t cool enough for a one-bedroom unit, and broke down after just two years.

The deputant said that there would be an extraordinary cost and complexity to retrofit all of TCHC’s housing stock and that all levels of government would need to step up. They noted that in the meantime, the city’s most vulnerable residents are relying on TCHC for habitable housing amid the health risks of extreme heat, and added that experts warned that this summer may be even hotter than last year’s. 

They suggested an audit of the 259 TCHC buildings that do not have in-suite air conditioning. They emphasized the need for urgency in order to purchase and install air conditioning by May 1. TCHC opens cooling rooms in communal areas during heat warnings, but the deputant suggested that the rooms be open in alignment with the city’s cooling centres.

This would have them open from 11:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.  seven days a week, rather than having to depend on weather reports or the discretion of site staff. A representative of the Regent Park Safety Network spoke about TCHC’s violence reduction program, noting that five buildings lack CCTV cameras on the upper floors. He also discussed other concerns in the community. Some residents complained of irritating noises keeping them up at night. The representative suggested that units be soundproofed. He also complained about narcotics being sold in some units.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• According to the TCHC’s COO Nadia Gouveia, the TSC found that its Violence Reduction Program had meaningful results, including “strengthening community partnerships, supporting youth and tenant-led initiatives, improving cross-system coordination and contributing to long-term violence reduction across many of the participating sites.”

• The TSC found that the program’s site-specific, resource-intensive model had limitations, including “staffing constraints, shifting community needs, and the need for broader consistency across the portfolio.”

• The TSC heard from Walied Khogali Ali  with the Regent Park Neighbourhood Association (RPNA) that the group is concerned about a rise in evictions from public housing. TCHC data shows an increase of over 100% in two years. The RPNA called for a moratorium on evictions from social housing.

• The TSC received a report from the community about their air conditioning window exchange program, which had tenants trade window air conditioners for floor air conditioners. Tenants say these floor air conditioners provided less cooling, were significantly louder, and most broke down within two years.

On-the-ground observations from our documenter, Christian Malong

I think that, amid Toronto’s growing unhoused population, the RPNA’s concern with evictions is warranted. The CBC reported that the unhoused population more than doubled over three years. I think that the call to include race-based data was a good point, and that seeing demographic information is necessary. Other than that, I have the good fortune of having air conditioning and I can’t imagine being stuck in a hot room over the summer with a broken AC. Cities are exceptionally hot due to dark surfaces like asphalt absorbing heat and releasing it back into the air. Twenty-two percent of TCHC tenants are 65 or older and the elderly are at greater risk in extreme heat. I agree with the deputant the TCHC needs to start addressing the air conditioning right away, in order to be prepared for the summer. I also agree with the suggestion to have set times that align with the city’s cooling centres. The added clarity will not only help tenants access cooling, but help them to advocate for themselves if it isn’t provided.

CHECK YOUR FACTS

• Feb. 12 meeting agenda notes
• 2023 Tenant Survey Key Findings
• TCHC Tenant Services Committee Meeting (TSC) – February 12, 2026
• Global New says 2026 will be the hottest year