CITY COUNCILLOR
LILY CHENG
WILLOWDALE WARD 18

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

The City of Toronto is implementing new zoning changes that will allow more housing to be built near transit , following direction from the Province. These changes affect areas near 120 transit stations  across the city, including TTC subway stations, three of them in Willowdale. The goal is to make better use of land close to transit by allowing additional housing options while supporting complete, connected communities. In August 2025, the Minister of Municipal Affairs and

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 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

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

Recent Eligibility Update As of December 31, 2025 , Fair Pass accounts for residents aged 65 and older  (born on or before 1960) have been closed in accordance with the program’s age eligibility rules. The Fair Pass program is now available only to Toronto residents aged 20 to 64 . Residents aged 65 and older  are now eligible for the TTC Senior Fare Discount , which offers reduced fare pricing for seniors. If you were affected and previously provided an email address, the Ci

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

NY29.16 - Hendon Avenue - Traffic Safety Measures - Speed Humps, Speed Reduction and All-Way Stop Control At North York Community Council , we approved a set of traffic calming and pedestrian safety improvements for Hendon Avenue . These changes respond to ongoing resident concerns about traffic volumes and speeding, particularly with the future Beecroft Road extension in mind. The measures are based on an updated review of a previous Environmental Assessment, which looked at

NY29.14 - 312 Sheppard Avenue East - Encroachment Appeal North York Community Council has approved a request from TD Bank  to install a double-sided LED ground sign on public land in front of its property on Sheppard Avenue . City staff have confirmed that the sign will not interfere with pedestrians, traffic, or regular City maintenance. The approval also includes clear conditions to ensure the sign is safely installed and properly maintained.

The City’s 2026 staff-proposed budget was released today, kicking off a multi-stage process before the final budget is adopted on February 10 . This is the stage where residents can review the proposed investments, ask questions, and share ideas before decisions are finalized. Click Here to see our CFO's presentation on this budget. For more information on the process, please visit: www.toronto.ca/budget You may have heard that the proposed property tax increase is significa

DEFERRED TO FEBRUARY 26! As mentioned in our previous update, the Final Direction Report for the North York Centre Secondary Plan was originally scheduled for the Planning and Housing Committee meeting tomorrow, December 3rd . Given the significant long-term impact this plan will have on our community, both my team and residents must have enough time to review it thoroughly and provide meaningful feedback. To allow for this careful review, I requested that the item be defer