CITY COUNCILLOR
LILY CHENG
WILLOWDALE WARD 18

As Willowdale and the broader North York Centre continue to grow, the City is reviewing the Secondary Plan to guide how our neighbourhood evolves over the next decade. This review includes proposed direction for new housing, jobs, public spaces, transportation, parks, and community services  to support up to 100,000 more residents . Your input is critical. We want to hear from Willowdale residents about what matters most in shaping the future of our community — from housing a

Over the weekend, a neighbour reached out to our office about the Lillian Park entrance off Whitman Street, which had been blocked by a snowbank following heavy plowing. With the historic snowfall we’ve experienced, small pathways like this can easily be missed, but this entrance is well-loved and heavily used by the community. The resident noticed someone taking the long way around, highlighting the importance of accessible paths for everyone. Thanks to their quick reporting

We are piloting a new Share Your Policy Ideas  page on the Willowdale Action Hub. Do you have a policy idea you’d like the City to consider? This is a space to share ideas that could improve Willowdale or Toronto more broadly. Proposals that receive 50 community upvotes  within 120 days will be shared with City staff for research and feasibility review. What can be considered? ✔️ Policy or planning ideas with community-wide impact ✔️ Neighbourhood or city-wide improvements ✔

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

Edithvale rink is up and running! The rink is open 24 hours a day for everyone to enjoy - just bring your own skates and gear. It’s a great spot for skating, figure skating, and hockey. The rink is also looking for new volunteers to help with flooding and snow clearing when needed. It’s a wonderful way to meet neighbours and a great opportunity for students who are looking to earn volunteer hours. If you’re interested in getting involved, please reach out to edithvalerink@gma

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

As Willowdale continues to grow, many families are finding it increasingly challenging to access affordable, high-quality childcare and after-school care. Whether you’re a parent, guardian, grandparent, or caregiver, your experience matters — and we want to hear from you. The Childcare & After-School Care Access Survey is designed to gather local insight into how families in Willowdale are securing care, the challenges they face with availability and cost, and whether current

Visitor parking is an everyday reality for thousands of people who live in condos and apartment buildings across Willowdale. It affects whether residents can host family and friends, accommodate caregivers, receive deliveries, and manage daily life without putting undue pressure on neighbourhood streets. To ensure that visitor parking policy keeps pace with rapid growth and changing needs, our office is gathering local insights through the Willowdale Visitor Parking Survey .

I’m always grateful for opportunities to support local businesses that invest in our community and serve residents day in and day out. I’m pleased to share that the Petro-Canada station at Yonge Street and Cameron Street (4630 Yonge St.) has recently completed a major renovation, including the addition of a new A&W quick-service restaurant to better serve North York and Willowdale commuters. This convenient spot is perfect for grabbing breakfast on the go before heading onto

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.

I’m delighted to share some wonderful news for our community: the St. John’s Convent Guest House is officially open again for bookings following the completion of renovations.

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