CITY COUNCILLOR
LILY CHENG
WILLOWDALE WARD 18

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE April 23, 2026 TORONTO – Today marks eight years since the Toronto van attack, a day that remains one of the most difficult in Willowdale’s history and one our community will never forget. While April 23, 2018 brought immense loss and grief, it also revealed the compassion, courage, and generosity of the people who call Willowdale home. In the years since, the community has grown stronger and more connected, grounded in care for one another. “Eight years

This week, I requested a briefing on the rollout of the Smart Signal program for 2026. I was happy to learn the Willowdale area will see a major share of the City of Toronto’s Smart Traffic Signal rollout, with about 25 intersections targeted, fully half of the city’s planned 50 new installations for 2026. That means Willowdale alone will receive 50% of all new smart signals, a significant concentration compared to the roughly 200 smart signals already deployed citywide by th

The federal government has renewed and expanded funding for Toronto’s youth crime prevention efforts, committing $157.5 million over the next three years through the Building Safer Communities Fund just as previous funding to our City’s efforts was set to expire. Announced by Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree alongside Mayor Olivia Chow in Scarborough, the investment supports programs that address the root causes of youth violence by connecting at-risk youth and fami

With the recent warm weather, snow operations teams are actively repairing potholes across Willowdale. A recent "pothole blitz” was conducted on Feb 28th throughout the city, and additional repair days will continue throughout the spring. So far this year, in our ward, 311 has received 283 service requests regarding pothole repairs, 260 have been completed, and currently 23 requests are in progress. Currently, the estimated time for repair upon submission of a service reques

I am deeply disturbed by reports that two synagogues in North York and Thornhill were shot this past weekend. I am grateful no one was hurt, and my thoughts are with the congregations and families affected. Coming just days after the targeting of Saliwan Boxing Gym and Temple Emanu-El, these cowardly acts are clearly meant to spread fear. My office has been in ongoing discussions with the Toronto Police Service, members of the Jewish community, fellow councillors, and faith l

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

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.