Candidate & Third Party Advertiser Questions to the City

Locations of the Projects Mentioned in the August 5, 2026 Housing Announcement

Question: Can you please provide a project list that includes the locations of the projects mentioned in the August 5, 2026 housing announcement? Please include details including construction status, timeline, number of units, how many are rent-geared-to-income, and other features.

Answer: This information can be found on the Government of Canada’s backgrounder associated with the announcement.

Summary of What Has Taken Place at the North Park Plaza Site to Date

Question: Could you please provide me with a brief summary of what has taken place at the North Park Plaza site to date.

Answer: On October 27, 2025, an Official Plan Amendment (OPA) application was submitted for the broader North Park Plaza site. The OPA sought to establish planning principles for the potential future redevelopment of the entire plaza lands and did not propose any specific buildings.

A Community Consultation Meeting was held on February 24, 2026, attended by approximately 165 participants, including residents, the Ward 5 Councillor, and City staff. Additional comments and feedback were received throughout the review process via email and telephone. Community members also raised concerns regarding a Change.org petition titled “Stop Overdevelopment at North Park Plaza.” Development Review staff were advised that the petition would be formally submitted; however, as of September 21, 2026, no formal petition has been received by the City.

The 2351-2355 Keele Street Zoning By-law Amendment Appeal Report was considered and adopted by City Council on April 22-23, 2026. Subsequently, on April 30, 2026, the applicant formally advised the City of its intention to withdraw the Official Plan Amendment application.

Current Status:

The Official Plan Amendment application has been formally withdrawn. The Zoning By-law Amendment application for 2351-2355 Keele Street, proposing a 25-storey residential building, remains active and is currently before the OLT for consideration. The hearing for the application took place from August 31, 2026 to September 04, 2026. The OLT has not yet issued a decision. The City Has not received any additional Planning applications for the North Par Plaza site.

In particular, could you please address the application process, including the petition that was not submitted despite your efforts to have it circulated and submitted. There has also been discussion regarding the potential demolition of the existing plaza, and we understand there may now be an application proposing four residential towers. It would be appreciated if you could provide a short, factual update outlining the history of the application, the status of the petition, and the latest information regarding the current proposal and the future of the plaza.

Please find below a brief overview and the current status of the application. I confirm that all information are accurate and up to date as of September 21, 2026.

North Park Plaza and 2351-2355 Keele Street Development Applications:

North Park Plaza is located at 1289-1411 Lawrence Avenue West and 2351-2355 Keele Street, at the southeast corner of Keele Street and Lawrence Avenue West in the Brookhaven-Amesbury neighbourhood (Ward 5).

The development review process for 2351-2355 Keele Street commenced with a pre-application consultation meeting on November 10, 2021. On September 23, 2022, the City received applications for a Zoning By-law Amendment and Site Plan Control to permit a 25-storey residential building containing approximately 311 residential units and 22,540 square metres of gross floor area. The applicant subsequently appealed both applications to the Ontario Land Tribunal (OLT) on June 30, 2023.

Southwest Agincourt Transportation Connections, Project Status and Funding – Questions and Answers

1. The current status of detailed design.
   • Detailed design procurement processes are underway. In accordance with Council direction provided in 2023, the detailed design and delivery of the multi-use trail are being prioritized.
2. Work completed since Council’s March 2023 direction to advance detailed design.
   • Key milestones completed to date include:
     • Completion of the Schedule C Municipal Class Environmental Assessment (MCEA), with the Environmental Study Report (ESR) filed with the Ministry and published on the project website. (Project Site, Final Study Report)
     • Completion of the 30-per-cent design for new street and multi-use trail, published as part of the Final Study Report on the project website. (Project Site, under Final Study Report)
     • Council approval of funding for Detailed Design, as part of the 2024-2033 Capital Budget Plan (Link to the Council Item)
     • Council approval of Zoning By-law Amendment and Draft Plan of Subdivision Application of 20-100 Cowdray Court (Gemterra), led by City of Toronto Development Review (Link to the Council item)
3. The current estimated cost of the New Complete Street.
   • The preliminary construction cost estimate for the new complete street is approximately $41.5 million (2023 dollars, not adjusted for inflation). (Link to the Staff Report)
   • This estimate is based on a conceptual level of design and excludes costs associated with detailed design, property acquisition, and other project-related expenses.
   • Cost estimates will continue to be refined as the project advances through detailed design.
4. Funding currently allocated to the project.
   • Funding approved and allocated to this project is $4.7 million for the detailed design, post-construction, and Construction Administration services. (Link to the Council Item)
5. Funding still required before construction can proceed.
   • Additional funding will be required to support: construction of the street, multi-use trail, other transportation improvements; Property acquisition; utility relocation costs, and other project-related implementation costs.
6. The amount contributed or committed by Gemterra (Cowdray) Inc. or other developers toward the Environmental Assessment, design, property acquisition and/or construction.
   • Gemterra (Cowdray) Inc. contributed $1.5 million toward completion of the Environmental Assessment process. (Link to the Council item)
   • No additional developer contributions have been committed specifically toward detailed design, property acquisition, or construction of this project at this time.
7. Any outstanding property acquisition requirements.
   • The property acquisition requirements are typically confirmed during detailed design, when the extent of land requirements can be fully determined.
   • Property acquisition activities for both the new complete street and the multi-use trail have not yet commenced.
8. Any outstanding agreements or approvals involving CP Rail/CPKC, Metrolinx or other parties.
   • There are outstanding agreements and approvals pending from CPKC, Metrolinx and other parties, which are being worked on through the detailed design and construction phases.
   • A detailed list of anticipated approvals is listed in the ESR, Chapter 8.
9. Whether development at Cowdray Court must reach particular milestones before portions of the road can proceed.
   • Through the Zoning Amendment Draft Plan of Subdivision Application, the developer has proposed phased developments to allow for required public streets and park blocks to be conveyed to the City. (Staff Report on 20-100 Cowdray Court- Zoning Amendment and Draft Plan of Subdivision Application: Link)
   • The applicant needs to submit additional information to finalize the draft list of subdivision conditions.
   • These draft conditions would include, but are not limited to, ensuring the lands conveyed into public ownership are of appropriate environmental standards, the construction of municipal infrastructure is financially secured and phasing is appropriately implemented.
   • The timing and progression of detailed design and construction portions of the new street may be influenced by these development-related requirements and approvals.
10. The City’s current anticipated timeline for detailed design, procurement and construction.
    • Detailed design work is expected to begin later this year on the multi-use trail, while staff continue to work through logistics for detailed design start for street.
    • Prior to detailed design and construction, the City will need to complete property acquisitions and obtain the necessary permits, approvals, and agreements for both the new complete street and the multi-use trail.
    • Once the detailed design phase has started, the City with work with its design consultant to develop a phasing plan for implementation.
11. I would also appreciate copies or links to any current project budget, cost estimate, funding agreement or implementation schedule that can be publicly released.

• • All publicly available materials related to the study can be found on the Project Site.
  • Please also refer to the following public materials related to 20-100 Cowdray Court:
    • Staff Report on 20-100 Cowdray Court- Zoning Amendment and Draft Plan of Subdivision Application: Link
    • Detailed Information on the 20-100 Cowdray Court Development Application: Link

Follow up questions and answer

1. Given the preliminary construction estimate of approximately $41.5 million in 2023 dollars, and your confirmation that no additional developer contributions are currently committed specifically toward detailed design, property acquisition or construction, has the City identified an anticipated funding source or funding strategy for construction of the New Complete Street?
2. Specifically, is construction currently expected to be funded primarily through the City’s capital budget, development-related contributions/charges, agreements associated with the Cowdray Court development, contributions from other governments or agencies, or some combination of these sources?
3. If no funding strategy has yet been determined, could you please confirm that as well?

Answer: The City of Toronto traditionally funds major infrastructure projects through a staged approach. This includes initial funding allocation to advance detailed design with property acquisition and construction funding being secured when project requirements are more clearly defined and costed. This project’s funding sources and total is still being evaluated.