Dianne Saxe

The Mayor and City Council

Ward 14 has the biggest opportunity in North America to build transit-oriented affordable & workforce housing in the Portlands and at Ontario Line stations. Getting this right requires proven ability to master details, get hard things done, build innovative partnerships, defend Toronto’s waterfront and find practical, win-win solutions. I bring that track record as a Toronto Councillor, TTC Commissioner, Ontario Environmental Commissioner, PhD, mediator and lawyer, with strong relationships with City staff, residents, and businesses.

Housing

We’ll keep creating new homes; help people keep their homes; and help the unhoused find homes. We’ll make homes more affordable to build, through smart rules, incentives and zoning. We’ll keep growing homes on City land. We’ll protect tenants by enhancing RentSafe, extending Vacant Home Tax to apartment buildings, fighting abusive landlords, and pushing the province for fair rent control. We’ll keep helping the unhoused while protecting communities with well-run shelters like Na-Me-Res and hospital-linked addiction beds.

Cost of Living

Let’s make Toronto more affordable. I champion practical programs that bring down costs for everyone, like repair cafés, tool-lending libraries, farmers’ markets, BikeShare and plug-in solar. I’ll keep improving transit and cycling, so it’s easier to live well without a car as gas costs soar. We help TCHC tenants with $5/year BikeShare and free lobby Wi-Fi. We can make healthy food more accessible through allotment gardens, community fridges and food co-ops. I’ll keep supporting “Buy Local” and free sports equipment to use in parks.

Safety in Public Spaces

We need better lighting, maintenance and cleanliness to make our streets and parks safer. I’ll keep improving safety on the TTC with Streets to Homes, fare enforcement & dedicated staff. We’ll fight for all governments to disrupt organized crime, to invest in opportunities for youth, to pay social assistance that people can live on and to support those with mental health and addiction challenges. Joint patrols by police and nurses reduce drug use and connect people to supports. Meanwhile, Vision Zero reduces road violence.

Getting Around the City

Getting around should be safer, faster, more predictable. Let’s keep doing what worked during FIFA! We’ll enforce traffic laws, implement the Congestion Plan and coordinate construction. Traffic agents clear bottlenecks, fees get developers off streets faster and better signals make intersections work. We’ll keep improving transit speed, reliability and customer experience. Cycling must be safer and fast, heavy mopeds must be out of bike lanes. We’ll keep working with communities to reduce reckless cut-through traffic.

Confronting Hateful and Hostile Behaviour

Everyone in Toronto should be able to live, worship and raise a family without being targeted for who they are or for the actions of foreign governments. It’s harder to hate people when you know your neighbours. I will keep bringing religious and community leaders together to build understanding and connection. We’ll keep removing hateful graffiti/propaganda, while investing in shared experiences and public spaces that bring people together. And I’ll support police efforts to disrupt gun-for-hire intimidation.