Hi everyone--so the good news is...we did it! 

The bad news is...only sorta. 

After the public furore raised, in part, thanks to all of you supporting this petition, Finch Store was granted, effectively, a stay of execution. But pending actual substantial changes to how the city treats neighbourhood retail, they still are at risk.

The Planning and Housing Committee is meeting on October 30, 2025 to discuss the latest iterations to the Neighbourhood and Retail Initiative. This is an important step in making neighbourhood retail possible and sustainable for our local shops and entrepreneurs. I will be recirculating this petition in the coming days and submitting it to the committee, as well as the councillors, tomorrow. 

In the meantime, email your local councillor or submit your comments to the committee directly here. Tell them you support this item--there may be changes needed around the specifics, but the folks opposed to this move want it rejected outright, which puts shops like Finch at risk and will prevent stores like it in the future. We need to make ourselves heard!