Four Years Together: Our Term in Review

Over the past four years, I have had the privilege of meeting you in parks and condo lobbies, at town halls and community events, and through countless emails and conversations. As Willowdale has continued to grow, change and welcome people from around the world, those connections have shaped how I serve.

I have always believed the best decisions are made when residents are heard, and communities work together. Rather than beginning with predetermined answers, I begin by listening, bringing people together, exploring different perspectives, and working toward practical solutions that reflect the best ideas from our community and inspire people to help bring those ideas to life.

That approach has helped us make meaningful progress across Willowdale. And none of it happened because of one person or one office. Every resident who showed up, spoke up, volunteered, answered a survey, attended a meeting, supported a neighbour or simply took the time to write an email helped shape this term.

I have also been honoured to bring Willowdale’s voice to important decision-making tables across City Hall, serving on nine committees and boards spanning public safety, City finances, community health, economic development, civic leadership, and local services.

These include the Toronto Police Service Board, Budget Committee, Chair of the Civic Appointments Committee, Vice-Chair of the North York Community Council, Board of Health, Vice-Chair of the TO Live Board, Yonge North York BIA Board, General Government Committee, and City Council.

As I look back on these four years, I am incredibly grateful for what we have built together.

Building a Connected Community

This has been the foundation of my work.

Local democracy works best when people have meaningful ways to participate. Over this term, we created more opportunities for residents to be heard, connect with one another and shape decisions through Spaghetti Town Halls, expanded in-person consultations, regular surveys, Participatory Budgeting, the Willowdale Action Hub, Youth Council and weekly email updates.

Participatory Budgeting put real decision-making power in residents' hands, allowing neighbours to propose ideas and vote on investments in their own communities. We also created more opportunities to gather by supporting festivals, arts, markets and community events, while celebrating the cultures that make Willowdale home, including the historic recognition of Little Iran.

These weren't simply more meetings and events. They created spaces to listen, learn from one another, find better solutions and build relationships along the way.

That connected community became the foundation for progress across 4 key priorities.

Safer & Thriving Neighbourhoods

Everyone deserves to feel safe, supported and at home in their neighbourhood.

As a member of the Toronto Police Service Board, I brought residents' concerns about neighbourhood safety, emergency response, auto theft and frontline capacity into citywide discussions. Here in Willowdale, we fostered Neighbourhood Watch, advocated for the establishment of the Yonge Street Foot Patrol, held multiple safety town halls and supported a multi-year police hiring plan that has strengthened frontline capacity and improved emergency response times.

We also advanced work addressing intimate partner violence and invested in the everyday things that make neighbourhoods safer and stronger: Smart Signals, traffic calming, parks, dog parks, playgrounds, schoolyards and recreation.

And we invested in people, supporting childcare and student nutrition, youth leadership and employment opportunities, seniors, families and the community organizations residents rely on.

The goal has always been bigger than reducing crime: it is building neighbourhoods where people of every age can feel safe, connected and able to thrive.

Responsible Growth

Willowdale is growing quickly. Growth brings opportunity, but it must come with the infrastructure and services that make a community work. It hasn’t been easy with changing Provincial policies that continue to further erode the role councillors and municipalities can play in important planning decisions. Despite these pressures, we were relentless in fighting for benefits for our community and ensuring local voices were heard in the planning process.

Over this term, we secured 20,000 sq. ft. of community space to be built at 45–47 Sheppard Avenue East and protected 4,200 sq. ft. of community space at 5220 Yonge Street. We negotiated stronger community benefits through development and worked to ensure residents had a meaningful voice in shaping the future of North York Centre through a Secondary Plan process.

We advocated for growth to be matched by the transit, schools, childcare, parks, roads, healthcare and community services residents need. We also increased visitor parking in new developments and pushed for parking policies that better reflect the realities of North York.

Responsible growth means preparing for tomorrow while protecting what people value about Willowdale today.

A Vibrant Economy

Willowdale is more than a collection of neighbourhoods. North York Centre is an important employment, business and cultural hub with enormous potential.

We supported local businesses and the Yonge North York BIA, fought to protect employment opportunities in North York Centre and advocated for greater investment in our area as a key Toronto economic corridor.

At the same time, more festivals, markets, arts and cultural events brought thousands of visitors to Willowdale, creating opportunities for local businesses, artists, vendors and organizations while bringing new energy to our public spaces.

A thriving downtown North York means jobs and investment, but also lively streets, successful businesses and a destination residents are proud to call home.

Innovation for a Better City

City government should always be asking: Is there a better way?

Over this term, I championed the exploration and adoption of smarter tools, including Smart Poles, Smart Signals, AI-supported road-condition monitoring and automated noise enforcement. We hope our city can adopt new ways to catch road problems sooner, improve traffic, make services more responsive, reduce costs and improve everyday life.

I also organized a generously sponsored Toronto delegation of 5 councillors, TTC Chair and Staff, and Housing Staff to the Taiwan Smart City Summit, creating opportunities to exchange ideas with cities using innovation to tackle transportation, affordable housing, sustainability and service-delivery challenges.

Closer to home, that same spirit has powered community bike rides, eco-fairs, the Willowdale Repair Café and Climate Action Roundtables, turning environmental ideas into practical community action.

Four Years Together

When I look at everything on this page, what I see most clearly is you.

The residents who came to town halls after long days at work. The volunteers who gave up evenings and weekends. The neighbours who cared for parks, planted gardens, organized events and looked out for one another. The businesses and community organizations that kept showing up. And the people who challenged us, asked difficult questions and helped us see issues differently.

Thank you for every idea, every conversation and every act of service to our community.

Building a connected community is more than a phrase. It is a belief that when people are heard, brought together and given meaningful opportunities to participate, we make better decisions and build a stronger Willowdale.

These four years belong to all of us. And we’re not finished yet!