CITY COUNCILLOR
LILY CHENG
WILLOWDALE WARD 18

Today, we capped off a multi-week Budget Committee journey  by presenting a set of recommendations to the Mayor, who will release her version of the Budget on February 1 . I am grateful to all Willowdale residents  who stayed engaged—from the initial consultation at Memorial Hall, to the Willowdale Youth Council information session with deputation training, to our Virtual Budget Town Hall (see photo below) and this week’s Budget Deputation Meetings, where we heard a wide rang

Thank you to everyone who joined our virtual town hall on Toronto’s proposed 2026 City Budget. Residents shared thoughtful questions and feedback on affordability, growth pressures in Willowdale, community safety, housing, youth programs, and climate action. Below, you will find more information on our discussion, along with links to the presentation and budget notes. Budget Priorities Mayor Olivia Chow emphasized a focus on affordability, service stability, and maintaining f

On Tues. Jan 20 and Wed. Jan 21, I attended the Public Deputations on the 2026 City Budget to hear Torontonians input. Here's what we heard: Residents repeatedly emphasized that Toronto’s public health, mental health, and social services are under severe strain . Frontline workers and community members described staffing shortages, burnout, wage disparities, and retention challenges that are limiting access to preventive care, Indigenous health programs, sexual health service

I'm happy to share an upgrade is coming to Willowdale's electricity system ! Toronto Hydro is rebuilding the electrical distribution system to improve the reliability of your electrical service. This rebuild includes upgrading overhead electrical cables and replacing hydro poles on City-owned property. The boundaries for the project include Steeles Avenue East (North), Lillian Street (East), Centre Avenue (South), and Dumont Street (West). The work is expected to begin next m

Many residents have contacted my office regarding intermittent power outages along Finch Ave, east of Yonge St. My office has been in close contact with Toronto Hydro for the past few weeks about this problem. I’d like to share an email we received from them on their progress: “Crews were out again on December 22 and December 29 to patrol along the feeder and inspect our equipment here in response to short power interruptions with unknown causes from October to December 2025.

Many of you have reached out to my office regarding missed recycling pickups since the transition of recycling responsibilities from the City of Toronto to Circular Materials on January 1, 2026. I completely understand your frustration - especially after the holiday season when recycling tends to pile up. Just to be clear, recycling is no longer a service provided by the City of Toronto; it is now operated by Circular Materials , as mandated by the province. For those who nee