In Toronto, COVID is not Killing The City. Development applications are the highest they’ve been in years. 1/ https://www.toronto.ca/legdocs/mmis/2020/ph/bgrd/backgroundfile-157285.pdf #topoli

But planning staff – who are funded by fees from developers - have been cut substantially. A source tells me community planning staff in Toronto East York district is down 12%; Scarborough down 45%. Other districts 25%. 2/

The planning department makes the self-serving and misleading argument that the city has approved enough housing. This deserves a critical response. 3/

Developments approved by council five years ago are almost certainly no longer viable. City development charges have gone up dramatically. Construction costs have gone up dramatically. 4/

Toronto has consistently failed - for decades - to build housing to keep up with its population growth. It has consistently failed to create plans that actually support the progressive land use legislation passed by a Liberal government in 2005. 5/

These are complicated issues, and unfortunately in this case we can’t take the claims of city staff at face value. 6/

The current policy is hurting people. 7/ https://twitter.com/alexbozikovic/status/1214602750568419335