This week, the Government of Canada made a major commitment towards addressing the critical need for affordable housing in Toronto.  Prime Minister Justin Trudeau stood with Mayor John Tory to announce $1.3-billion in funding – the largest federal housing investment with a municipal partner in Canadian history – to support the renovation of 58,500 Toronto Community Housing units in 1,500 buildings across the city.

Since the creation of TCH in 2001, the City has been working on commitments from other levels of government to address the ballooning back-log of …

In January, Council will debate the 2016 budget.  These discussions are always challenging and must balance the reluctance to ask residents to pay more than the rate of inflation, while also ensuring the City has the necessary capital to run well.  Willowdale residents are particularly aware of tax increases as local property values continue to skyrocket.  As these values ultimately determine the taxes residents pay, our community is disproportionately affected by all budget decisions.

For this reason John tends to support user fees as a budget …