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

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

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