Toronto City Council has moved forward with a controversial pilot project aimed at encouraging mid-rise apartment buildings along major streets in two central wards, but not before making a significant concession to concerned residents: school properties have been explicitly removed from the plan.
Community Advocacy Leads to Amendment
The proposal, which passed with a vote of 22-1 on December 17, 2025, faced opposition from several residents' associations. A primary concern was the initial wording, which theoretically applied the rezoning to lands occupied by schools. This sparked a grassroots campaign led by locals like Virginia Johnson, who lives near Ossington-Old Orchard Junior Public School.
Johnson told the Toronto Sun she was "alarmed" at the potential loss of a community asset and took action. "I printed off 300 copies of a flyer... and, with a neighbour, spent much of last weekend going door to door," she said. Her efforts, combined with widespread letter-writing to councillors, highlighted a significant communication gap. "Nobody I knew had heard about it — like, not one person," Johnson noted.
Duelling Motions Yield Same Protective Result
The public pressure resonated at City Hall. Two councillors, Rachel Chernos Lin and Alejandra Bravo, whose Davenport ward is part of the pilot, raised concerns that including school lands could inadvertently invite pressure for redevelopment. In a rare moment of agreement, Councillor Stephen Holyday and Councillor Bravo independently drafted identical amendments to carve schools out of the pilot project.
"We have had a discussion and we have determined that both my motion and hers, which were developed independently, do the exact same thing," Holyday stated during the council meeting. The alignment was so unexpected that Councillor Gord Perks, a frequent ally of Bravo, declined to comment, quipping, "if Councillor Holyday is supporting Councillor Bravo, I’ve got nothing to add."
The Pilot Project and Lingering Shadows of Discontent
The approved pilot will allow mid-rise buildings of up to 14 storeys along designated "avenues" in Wards 9 and 11. These include major streets such as Christie Street, Davenport Road, Dufferin Street, Dundas Street, and Ossington Avenue. The goal is to add housing density along transit corridors.
Despite the school exemption, fundamental disagreements remain. Councillor Stephen Holyday, who cast the sole dissenting vote, argued the city's definition of "mid-rise" has been warped to permit overly large buildings. He warned of the aggressive housing agenda's cost, stating, "I feel in many ways that this brings the city of Toronto into a city of shadows." He expressed concern that the pursuit of density could eventually make people aspire to move out rather than into the city.
Residents like Virginia Johnson acknowledge density is "inevitable" and "needed," but wish for a more nuanced approach. She criticized the "blanket green light" for 14-storey buildings, suggesting that a scale of four to eight storeys might be more appropriate for some neighbourhoods, particularly distinguishing between already-dense commercial strips and quieter residential sections.
The pilot project now moves forward, its scope narrowed by community action, but the debate over the shape and shadow of Toronto's future growth is far from over.
