Community Update: December 5, 2025

December 5, 2025 edition of Councillor Alejandra Bravo's Community Newsletter

Nothing has ever changed without the power of people coming together to solve a problem. I’ve experienced this over decades within civil society groups working for fairness and to win policy changes.

As a City Councillor for the last three years, I'm now on the inside of the policy development process, but how I do my job continues to be shaped by what I learned on the outside. When people mobilize, they drive change, and I can see it in two very different forms of infrastructure building that matter to Davenport—roads and childcare.

Last week I had the privilege of attending the awarding of Atkinson Foundation’s Good Fight Prize and to stand with the winner, the Worth More! campaign. As Atkinson Executive Director (and Davenport resident) Colette Murphy said, the campaign brings together early childhood educators, child care workers, unions, families, and their allies to push for fair wages and decent work in Ontario’s $10-a-day child care system. And while there’s more to do, this is a movement that has achieved results.

As Chair of Toronto’s Economic and Community Development Committee, which oversees the Children’s Services division, I have had the opportunity to be an inside-of-government champion for child care. I created the now annual Child Care Roundtable to make sure that child care providers, workers, and parents are driving the City’s policies and priorities.

I also want to provide an update on my ongoing work calling on the Province to widen the St. Clair West roadway at Old Weston Road. Metrolinx and the City entered into an agreement in 2021 that included the St. Clair road widening as part of the work. We have not received what was promised, and my obligation as a City Councillor is to ensure that the commitments previously made to Davenport residents and small businesses are fulfilled. I take seriously my duty to keep my constituents informed. This is what I have done and will continue to do.

There are many Metrolinx projects that impact Davenport, from construction work on the Railpath to opening the Eglinton LRT and the building of the Bloor Lansdowne GO Station. In many of these cases, clear communications and accountability from the Province to local residents has been lacking. Wherever we can work collaboratively, my office will do so, but standing up for Davenport is not negotiable.

Sincerely,

Alejandra Bravo
City Councillor • Ward 9 • Davenport
Chair, Economic & Community Development Committee

In this Edition

Year End Skating Party
November Toronto & East York Community Council
Fix the Bottleneck at St. Clair and Old Weston Road
Improving Pedestrian Safety at Lansdowne Avenue and Lappin Avenue
Improving Transit on Dufferin Street - RapidTO Installation Update
Overnight Overhead Infrastructure Upgrades at St. Clair West Station
Construction Notice: Dupont and Lansdowne
December Community Office Hours
Dufferin Grove snack bar opening December 9th
The Annual Toronto Association of Business Improvement Areas Awards Night
Give a BEEP: Smoke Alarms Save Lives
Cultural Space Opportunity: 32 Lisgar Creative & Cultural Hub
Older Adult Holiday Lunch
Registrations are now open for Winter recreation activities
Outdoor artificial ice rinks begin to open for the 2025/2026 season
Holiday Giving in Toronto

Year End Skating Party

Join us at our Skating Party on December 14th from 1:00 - 3:00 pm at the Giovanni Caboto Rink! Warm refreshments and free skates available. RSVP here

November Toronto & East York Community Council

At the November meeting of Toronto and East York Community Council, I introduced motions for new traffic calming measures supported by residents in our communities. These measures will slow down car traffic on the Davenport streets listed above. Work like this is especially important in the wake of the Province’s recent removal of speed cameras in Ontario.

New Traffic Calming Measures

Via Italia
Bloem Avenue
Boon Avenue
Eversfield Road
Hatherley Road
Morrison Avenue
Peterborough Avenue
Sellers Avenue
Gladstone Avenue
Salem Avenue

Fix the Bottleneck at St. Clair and Old Weston Road

St. Clair and Old Weston Road doesn’t work. It doesn’t work for drivers who are forced into one lane under the rail line. It doesn’t work for cyclists who have no safe route to use. It doesn’t work for pedestrians who are squeezed onto a narrow sidewalk, dodging bikes and e-scooters. We need to fix the bottleneck.

Visit our website to sign the petition:

SIGN OUR PETITION

And find out more about the Metrolinx open house:

ATTEND THE METROLINX OPEN HOUSE

Improving Pedestrian Safety at Lansdowne Avenue and Lappin Avenue

Our community is still healing from the tragic death of Maria Alexandrina Ferreira caused by a careless and dangerous driver in October. Maria’s death remains a devastating loss for all her loved ones who remember her as a caring mother, sister, friend, and neighbour. We had been working to make changes in response to many residents’ concerns about safety issues at Lansdowne Avenue and Lappin Avenue, where Maria’s life was taken. This tragedy made more urgent the need for action on our city’s Vision Zero plan.

Following a review at my request, the City of Toronto has completed the installation of a head start signal at this intersection. This change will improve safety for pedestrians by prioritizing their signal while delaying turning vehicles. My office is working with City staff to proactively install head start signals at intersections across Davenport to make sure we are protecting our vulnerable road users.

Improving Transit on Dufferin Street - RapidTO Installation Update

Implementation of the RapidTO priority bus lanes has begun on Dufferin Street! The Dufferin bus route serves over 40,000 transit users daily and is the fifth busiest surface route in our city. While not fully complete, these dedicated bus lanes are already improving service and reliability. I moved a motion at City Council asking the City of Toronto to review options that will help to limit impacts to neighbourhood traffic and parking. The motion requested:

Replace parking for permit holders that is removed on this section of Dufferin Street on nearby streets, in nearby off-street parking lots, and wherever else possible
Options to address local traffic infiltration and ensure that new turn restrictions on Dufferin Street don’t result in vehicles using local neighbourhoods as cut-throughs
Comprehensive monitoring of local roads to inform long-term transportation planning in adjacent neighbourhoods
Conducting a street furniture audit on Dufferin Street to add garbage cans, benches, bicycle racks, bus shelters and more
Prioritizing the neighbourhoods surrounding Dufferin Street for area-level parking supply management plan

Installation of the remaining sections of priority bus lanes will pause for the winter and be completed by spring 2026. To learn more the installation timeline and subscribe for emails update, visit toronto.ca/RapidTODufferin.

Screenshots taken from Kevin Rupasinghe drone footage

Overnight Overhead Infrastructure Upgrades at St. Clair West Station

The TTC will be conducting scheduled overnight overhead infrastructure upgrades at St Clair West Station from Monday, December 8, to Thursday, December 11, 2025. The work will require nightly streetcar diversions. Wheel-Trans service will remain accessible in areas where local traffic is permitted. Find out more here

Construction Notice: Dupont and Lansdowne

Toronto Hydro is planning to relocate the underground electrical system on Dupont between Campbell and Lansdowne for the proposed Metrolinx construction of the Davenport Diamond Public Realm. The work is expected to last from December 2025 - April 2026. Find out more at torontohydro.com/construction

Line 6 Finch to open on Sunday

Line 6 Finch West is 11 kilometres of light rail transit connecting customers along Finch Avenue West. It starts at Finch West Station (Keele Street) and goes all the way to Humber College Station (near Hwy 427). Starting December 7, 2025, it will provide customers with convenient and reliable rapid transit service and transform northwest Toronto’s connections to the rest of the city and beyond.

Attend the Grand Opening Event and ride Line 6 for free on Sunday.

Find out more here

December Community Office Hours

Our community office will be closed for the holidays starting December 24th and will be reopening January 8th.

Dufferin Grove snack bar opening December 9th

Starting December 9th, enjoy a hot beverage or a snack at the Dufferin Grove Clubhouse. City of Toronto ice rinks are all now open for the season.

The Annual Toronto Association of Business Improvement Areas Awards Night

What a great night celebrating TABIA’s 55th Anniversary and all the BIAs who won awards. It was delightful to watch four Davenport BIAs be honored for their hard work to improve our neighbourhoods. Congratulations to Corso Italia BIA for winning the Streetscape Improvement Award, College West BIA for winning the Mural Award, Little Portugal BIA and Rogers Road BIA for winning the Community Engagement Award!

(Photo credit: Yvonne Bambrick)

Give a BEEP: Smoke Alarms Save Lives

Toronto Fire Service has launched its annual smoke alarm safety campaign to remind residents to make sure they have a working smoke alarm on every floor and outside all sleeping areas, to test smoke alarms monthly and replace them when they expire. This year’s campaign encourages residents to take their safety seriously and act immediately if their smoke alarm batteries need replacing. Find out more here

Cultural Space Opportunity: 32 Lisgar Creative & Cultural Hub

The City of Toronto has launched a Request for Expression of Interest (REOI) for a Head Tenant or Collective of Tenants to lease and operate a new 30,284 sq. ft. non-profit creative hub at 32 Lisgar Street. This space was secured after years of community organizing by artists and cultural leaders in Davenport. Applicants can join info sessions, site tours, panels and workshops to learn more. The REOI deadline is March 23, 2026 at 11:59 p.m. Discover details and resources online or email [email protected] with questions.

Older Adult Holiday Lunch at J.J.P.

An Older Adult Holiday Lunch will be held at Joseph J. Piccininni C.R.C. on Tuesday, December 17th at 12:00 p.m. See the poster below for more details.

Registrations are now open for Winter recreation activities

Starting December 1, 2 and 3, depending on the community, Toronto residents will be able to register for over 143,300 winter activity spaces available for a variety of ages, interests and skill levels. Activities include swimming, fitness, sports, skating, arts and technology classes (and more) begin in January 2026. Browse the list of winter recreation activities and register at toronto.ca/WinterRec.

Outdoor artificial ice rinks begin to open for the 2025/2026 season

As we head into the winter season, City staff are working hard to get outdoor ice rinks ready for another season. Some rinks will be open for November 29, with the rest expected to open by December 6. Residents are encouraged to check the status of a rink in case there is a temporary change in operations due to weather, repairs or maintenance at toronto.ca/skate.

Holiday Giving in Toronto

The holiday season is a time to come together and support the people, places and programs that make Toronto shine. Residents, businesses and community organizations can give back in ways that make a meaningful difference. There are opportunities for everyone to give to the causes that matter most to them—showing care for people experiencing homelessness, brightening a child’s holiday with a new toy, supporting animal shelters, investing in arts and literature or protecting Toronto’s natural spaces and parks. For more details on how to give, go to toronto.ca/HolidayGiving.

In the Community

There has been an overwhelmingly positive response from canvassing residents and businesses in the North part of the ward about fixing the Bottleneck at St. Clair and Old Weston Road.

(Photo Credit: Ryan Singh)

It was a blast to attend Legacy in Bloom: Aangen’s 25th Anniversary Celebration last week with Marit Stiles. We took this photo with Founder & Executive Director Gurbeen Bhasin whose tireless leadership has empowered many to create change inDavenport.

(Photo Credit: Jenna Marie Wakani)

It was amazing to celebrate Atkinson Foundation’s Good Fight prize winner, Worth More! Campaign for Child Care Workers. I was inspired to be in a room with so many passionate leaders fighting for change across Ontario, particularly as Chair of City Council’s Economic and Community Development Committee overseeing the Children’s Services division.

It’s always great to run into old friends while doing site visits around Davenport.

I continue to knock on doors to connect with Davenport residents about local issues.