Several years back, the City of Toronto moved away from paying for water and garbage disposal through property tax rates. A new funding model was introduced to fund those services separately through a utility bill.

In Willowdale, where residents pay higher than the city average in property tax rates, homeowners were previously paying much more than residents in other parts of the city for the same services. By breaking out the costs onto a separate bill, all residents would not only pay a uniform rate but …

In December, Toronto City Council approved an increase to the City Building Levy that will raise an estimated $6.6 billion for new TTC upgrades and repairs and affordable housing.

The current levy of 0.5% annually, will increase to 1.5% in 2020 and 2021. An additional 1.5% annual increase will continue until 2025.

This is not a vote that John took lightly.

By law, cities in Ontario must apply a uniform property tax rate to the values of properties as assessed by MPAC. The system is highly problematic — …

The skyrocketing cost of Toronto real estate over the past few years has created a housing affordability crisis, especially in Willowdale.

In trying to address the variety of housing issues across the City, Toronto City Council recently approved HousingTO Action Plan 2020-2030, a 10-year strategy that looks to address a variety of housing issues, from homelessness and social housing to affordable rental housing and long-term care.

Implementing the estimated $23.4 billion plan will require investments from all three levels of government. The City will fund $8.5 billion, …

The City of Toronto will be able to regulate how properties are listed on short-term rental sites such as Airbnb. That was the result of a decision this week from the Local Planning Appeal Tribunal (LPAT) upholding Council’s approved short-term rental bylaws from 2017. Those rules had been on hold pending the outcome of the appeal.

In recent years, the popularity of online short-term rental sites has had several undesirable impacts on local neighbourhoods. They have reduced the number of available rental properties driving up prices, …