Many of you are aware I’ve canvassed the ward fighting the Official Plan Amendment put forward by Smart Centres to redevelop the plaza in multiple phases. This petition has had a huge groundswell of support from the community that I think recognized the City and applicant tried to slip this by us as evidenced by the minimal communication.

I’m pleased to share that Smart Centres has felt the heat from the community and their representative has publicly given an undertaking to withdraw their Official Plan Amendment application. Watch video here

A heartfelt thank you to the roughly 1,300 petition signers—your support made this possible!

Still a lot of work to go with their pending application, given that the City is supporting the height and built form of the tower proposed at 2355 Keele St (i.e., the one eliminating the Tim Hortons, for ease of reference).

Overall, this is a huge step in the right direction and shows you that community voices matter. I will continue to monitor the situation to ensure they actually follow through on their promise.

Thank you
Daniel Di Giorgio