From Potential to Progress: North York Centre’s Economic Future

Recognizing the tremendous potential of North York Centre as a major economic and employment hub, and following my advocacy for greater attention and investment in the area, the City co-hosted a Stakeholder Engagement Forum in partnership with the Yonge North York BIA as part of Toronto’s 10-Year Economic Action Plan. The forum brought together business leaders, property owners, employers, and City staff to discuss strategies to strengthen North York Centre’s competitiveness, support economic growth, and help shape a vibrant future for the district.

The roundtable also provided an opportunity for participants to share perspectives and help inform future planning and economic development initiatives for the area. 

Participants highlighted the area’s many strengths, including: 

• excellent transit access, 

• a walkable “downtown” feel, and 

• the close mix of residential, retail, and workplace uses that make the neighbourhood attractive to employees, students, and businesses alike. 

At the same time, many noted that changing workplace trends mean office spaces must now offer a modern, high-quality experience to compete with remote work and newer Class A offices found in newer buildings.

The discussion focused on how North York Centre can continue evolving into a vibrant regional employment hub. Ideas included: 

• creating more flexible and affordable office spaces for startups and incubators, 

• partnering with institutions like York University and Seneca, 

• supporting the modernization of older office buildings, and 

• encouraging more office space within new mixed-use developments. 

Participants also emphasized the importance of better amenities, entertainment, hotel space, and public realm improvements to strengthen the area’s appeal. There was strong consensus that with thoughtful planning, incentives, and collaboration, North York Centre can continue to grow as a dynamic centre for jobs, innovation, and economic opportunity. The city will be taking back the feedback shared across several discussion groups to map out next steps to support economic growth in our community.

I have strongly been advocating for a dedicated economic development plan including staffing to support such a plan. It is challenging to compete for human resources in the city. However, our ward is the size of a city that has a significant work hub that is the highest concentration of office space outside the downtown core. We cannot have a secondary plan without a corresponding economic development plan to ensure we do not grow into a vertical suburb.