August 2025 Newsletter

Toronto City Council had their last meeting of the summer on July 23 and 24. It was an important meeting: Council would be voting on zoning amendments to allow the construction of six new shelter sites across the City. Earlier in July, the City released an updated Street Needs Assessment report that estimated 15,418 people in Toronto are experiencing homelessness, with 1,615 of those living outdoors. 

The community sprung into action to urge City Council to move forward with building these badly needed shelters. Social Planning Toronto joined housing rights advocates, neighbours, and residents with lived experience in deputing in favour of the shelters at Toronto’s Planning and Housing Committee on July 15. Progress Toronto organized an e-mail campaign in which over 1,700 people contacted their Councillors. 

We are pleased to announce that, thanks to collective community action, City Council voted overwhelmingly in favour to approve zoning amendments for the six shelter sites. See how your Councillor voted:

At the same meeting, Council voted in favour to adopt dedicated transit lanes on Bathurst and Dufferin streets south of Bloor Street, as part of their RapidTO plan to improve TTC service. Grassroots advocacy group (and SPT partner) TTCriders led a robust and expansive campaign urging Council to prioritize the 75,000 daily commuters who depend on these lines.

These victories at Council show us what we can achieve when we come together to fight for a better city, one in which all residents have a safe place to sleep and reliable access to transit. We still have a long way to go in building a Toronto that works for everyone, but we will take the time to celebrate our victories and remember what is possible.

Above photo: SPT Community Planner and Right to Housing Toronto representative Shannon Spencer deputing in support of advancing the City's shelter infrastructure at the Economic and Community Development Committee on July 9. 

In this issue:

• Toronto’s New Renoviction Bylaw: What You Need to Know

• New Report Calls for Increased Investments Into Nonprofit Housing

• The Latest Welfare in Canada Report Is Here

• Survey: Capacity Building Training for Grassroot Community Organizations

• Survey: City of Toronto Seeks Feedback on Parkland Strategy

• Event: Building Power in the East

• Event: Safer Together: Stronger Communities Through Connection

• Virtual Event: Organizing Against Policing in Schools

Toronto’s New Renoviction Bylaw: What You Need to Know

Last November, thanks to the tireless efforts of housing activists and community organizers, City Council voted to adopt a “renovictions” bylaw. The bylaw, which officially came into effect on July 31, requires landlords to obtain a Rental Renovation Licence before carrying out repairs or renovations that require tenants to move out of their rental units. This long overdue bylaw aims to reduce unnecessary renovictions that displace tenants from their homes, and is being celebrated as a necessary step by tenant organizers. Learn more about your rights as a tenant if you are served by an N13 notice for renovations.

New Report Calls for Increased Investments Into Nonprofit Housing

Built for Good, a new report published earlier this week by United Way Greater Toronto and the Co-operative Housing Federation of Canada, highlights how severe the affordable housing crisis in Ontario has gotten: Ontario lost 120,000 affordable rental units between 2006 and 2021, and nearly 400,000 households will need housing support by 2030 through new builds, rental supports, and preserving community housing.

The report notably lays out a practical, fully-costed, delivery-ready plan to meaningfully address the crisis. The private market alone will be insufficient in building enough affordable housing for all Ontarians. Instead, what is needed is for the province to dramatically scale up co-op and non-profit housing through investments and subsidies.

The Latest Welfare in Canada Report Is Here

Last month, Maytree Canada released the latest edition of their annual report, Welfare in Canada. The report analyzed data from 2024 and found that households who received social assistance continued to live on incomes that were below the Official Poverty Line. The research is troubling, but Maytree's own analysis highlights that in jurisdictions where governments made significant investments in social assistance, such as with New Brunswick's Household Supplement or Nova Scotia's Disability Supplement, households were able to see their welfare incomes rise faster than the cost of living. This silver lining proves that when there is political will, meaningful steps can be taken to pull people out of deep poverty. 

Survey: Capacity Building Training for Grassroot Community Organizations

The Ontario Council of Agencies Serving Immigrants (OCASI) is inviting Grassroot Community Organizations (GCOs) to participate in a training needs assessment to help shape OCASI’s Equity Stream Fund Program. The program is an initiative that increases the capacity of GCOs not currently funded by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada. The program will provide eligible GCOs with funding, tailored training, and collaborative networks to help build their organizational and service capacity. The survey will be open until Friday, August 15. Learn more and take the survey.

Survey: City of Toronto Seeks Feedback on Parkland Strategy

Toronto has over 1500+ public parks, covering approximately 13% of the City. The maintenance, upkeep, and growth of these parks are guided by the Parkland Strategy, a 20-year plan that is reviewed every five years. The City is currently soliciting feedback from the community to assess what is working well, where the City should prioritize acquiring new parks, how to make parks accessible and safe, and more. A public survey to shape the City’s Parkland Strategy, as well as the Parks and Recreation Facilities Plan (which oversees the City’s hundreds of recreation facilities), is open until September 14.

Event: Building Power in the East

Progress Toronto and Scarborough Environmental Association (SEA) are teaming up to host Building Power in the East, a half day in-person training on August 23 at the Scarborough Civic Centre (150 Borough Dr.). Learn strategies on how to win on important issues that impact Scarborough, tactics and to bring people together on shared values, and how to mobilize your friends, families, and neighbours in issues you care about. Learn more and register.

Event: Safer Together: Stronger Communities Through Connection

The Scarborough Civic Action Network (SCAN) is hosting an in-person community safety event on August 27 at ACSA Community Services Dorset Park Hub (105-1911 Kennedy Rd.) Safer Together: Stronger Communities Through Connection will bring together local organizations, residents, and service providers to foster dialogue, share resources, and promote collective action toward safer, more resilient neighbourhoods.

Virtual Event: Organizing Against Policing in Schools

Policing Free Schools, in partnership with Justice for Children and Youth and Community Justice Collective, will be hosting a back-to-school digital teach-in on August 25. This event will provide legal information on students’ rights, and will also cover the harms, risks, and considerations when organizing against police and policing in schools on school grounds and beyond. The event is open to young people, students, parents/caregivers/guardians, educators, administrators, elders, community organizers, and community members, and will cover legal information that is applicable across Ontario. Learn more and register.