CITY COUNCILLOR
LILY CHENG
WILLOWDALE WARD 18

February marks Black History Month, a time to honour the enduring contributions of Black communities to Toronto, to Canada, and to our shared human story. Black history is deeply woven into the fabric of our city through culture, creativity, leadership, and the ongoing work toward justice and equality. This month is not only about celebration, but also about listening, learning, and recommitting to building a city rooted in fairness, opportunity, and belonging. The City of To

This month, I joined nearly 150,000 people in Toronto to protest the regime currently in power in Iran. When I arrived at North York Centre station , the subway was packed, so full that people had to wait for the next train. It was moving to see so many community members passionate about standing in solidarity regardless of the cold temperatures. Despite the size of the crowd, the afternoon unfolded calmly and with dignity. I’m grateful to Toronto Police for their presence

Mayor Chow released her proposed 2026 City Budget on February 1, 2026. You can review the budget Here . The Mayor’s budget outlines how much the City plans to spend and how it plans to pay for those costs, including revenues from property taxes and user fees. City Council may propose amendments to the Mayor’s budget, but Council does not vote to formally adopt the budget or a “budget as amended.” Any changes to spending or revenues, including property taxes, must be proposed

This week’s City Council meeting was unusually short — we wrapped up before sunset! That happened for two reasons: No member motions were allowed, and with the new year and the budget process underway, not all committees have met yet, resulting in a lighter agenda. Even so, there were two key issues I want to highlight for you. 1. A Future with Very Little Visitor Parking Recent provincial legislation has removed the City’s ability to require visitor or accessible parking i

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

401 Interchange The City and Ministry of Transportation (MTO) are advancing the Environmental Assessment (EA) work with preparing procurement materials and targeting release of an Request For Proposal (RFP) in Spring 2026. Once a Consultant team is retained, the EA is expected to take about two years and will identify a preferred interchange design after evaluating options Transform Yonge The Request for Proposal (RFP) for detailed design is currently on hold while staff asse

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 ✔

I'm happy to share an upgrade is coming to Willowdale's electricity system! Toronto Hydro is upgrading the electrical distribution system in our community to improve the reliability of our electrical service. This includes upgrading overhead electrical cables on City-owned property. The boundaries for this project include a section of Senlac Road between Park Home Ave (North) and Burnett Ave (South). The work is expected to begin next month, February until January 2027. The p

I'm happy to share that an upgrade is coming to Willowdale's electricity system! Toronto Hydro is upgrading the electrical distribution system in our community to improve the reliability of our electrical service. This includes upgrading overhead electrical cables and replacing hydro poles on City-owned property. The boundaries for this project include a section of Finch Ave between Duplex Ave (West) and just shy of Kenneth Ave (East). The work is expected to begin February u

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

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.