I can't believe I'm writing this, but it's time to declare victory and close this petition down for good.

I am happy to report that yesterday, Mayor Chow, Councillor Bravo, and Chief Planner Thorne presented Finch Store's owner, Yana Miriev, with her newly instated business license, granted under the new neighbourhood retail rules. It was a very surreal and joyous day; over the course of ~3 years, Yana went from having the City scrutinising her shop to celebrating it. She is so very grateful to you all for your part in that (and for a full rundown of how we got here since the last update, The Toronto Star did a nice summary). 

While the City was already considering putting the rules that now allow Finch Store to operate, this petition and the ruckus we caused on behalf of Yana and her shop have been credited as the reason they moved forward; folks close to the issue have told me directly that the initiative had been on life support, and that we effectively resuscitated it. 

So for that reason, closing this petition is bittersweet. I am overjoyed we won, but I'm also a bit sad. The groundswell of support I saw for Finch Store and Yana, across political lines and ideologies, was truly heartening in a time when polarisation, negativity, and misinformation run rampant. I am so grateful to all of you, both for your direct impact and for setting an example of how to actually implement positive change in Toronto, even if only incrementally (for now, stay tuned).

I hope that you will all carry this positive example of community support with you as we enter the upcoming municipal elections here in Toronto. Those negative and dividing elements I mentioned are going to become ever more prominent, so do try to hold on to this one fact: when we come together as a community and focus on what is possible, we can achieve so much more than just tearing each other down. And while they might be louder, reactionaries are doing exactly what the name implies: reacting. They are not building nor are they caring on a holistic or thoughtful level. Those of us who want more absolutely can win, and we should make every effort to do so with a message of pragmatic and open positivity.

Anyhow, I'll get off my soapbox. Thank you again for your support--it's been a joy to go on this journey with you all. I've left a number of giveaway postcards at Finch, so do drop by and say hello to Yana and her crew in the coming weeks. As for me, you can keep up with whatever niche urbanism issue I get into next at anotherglassbox.com or @anotherglassbox on most platforms.

Yours,

Dan Seljak
@anotherglassbox