UrbanToronto

"Good Architecture Cannot Fix a Bad Street": Smart Density's 'Building Charm' Aims for Better Neighbourhoods

Julian Mirabelli — Fri, 02 Oct 2026 16:55:49 -0400

Throughout October UrbanToronto is featuring a special State of Housing 2026 editorial series to examine the pressing housing challenges facing Toronto and the Greater Golden Horseshoe.

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It is a feeling that we are all familiar with: walking through a new neighbourhood, with brand new streets and buildings designed with high quality streetscapes and architecture, but there is still a certain something... missing. A feeling of whimsy and charm that you get when walking through older neighbourhoods, a certain je ne sais quoi, that seems to be absent as you wander the streets of newer housing developments. This absence in our contemporary cities is what Smart Density founders Naama Blonder and Misha Bereznyak have tackled in their new book, Building Charm, which outlines their approach to designing neighbourhoods that reintroduces the charm that seems to have disappeared from modern developments.

Book cover of Building Charm, image courtesy of Smart Density.

The book starts with the basic questions of what is charm, and what makes a neighbourhood 'charming'? Blonder and Bereznyak summarize four key experiences that create charm in our cities: neighbourhoods must be accommodating, lively, engaging, and connecting.

Accommodating places provide protection from noise, traffic, and interruption, offering spaces that support both staying and moving with ease, reducing the cognitive load of navigating the environment. Lively places are defined by the visible presence of people and everyday activity, while engaging places encourage people to slow down and notice their surroundings through detail, variation, and change. Finally, connecting places support the formation of community through repeated, informal encounters over time that do not require deliberate social effort.

The authors then outline their Scaling Down System, a new approach that redefines our priorities when designing new neighbourhoods while still achieving the requirements needed for that neighbourhood to function. The system addresses two main factors that contribute to the absence of charm in contemporary developments: the lack of spaces and buildings designed to the human scale, and the impact of vehicles on how we create neighbourhoods.

Diagram from the book illustrating a conceptual site plan for a neighbourhood using the Scaling Down System, image courtesy of Smart Density.

"We all know what great neighbourhoods feel like, because we go and spend our vacation money there and we photograph them and we pay a premium to live in them", Blonder explained. "We have all the guidelines you can aspire to have, and yet, when you walk in some of the contemporary-built neighbourhoods, it's completely lacking human scale. It's highly repetitive, and you find yourself having a tower on a podium, which is one of the basic formulas today, and that podium is massive... How can we try to translate the old charm that we find in older neighbourhoods? And this is not about nostalgia or mimicking architecture that is in certain styles. There's basically two main aspects: building at a human scale, and the impact of vehicles on our built environment."

Interestingly, Smart Density argues that age is not a factor in creating charm in neighbourhoods; it is simply the physical attributes that determine a successful neighbourhood versus a cold and uninviting one. "It happened to be that these old neighbourhoods are built to human scale, and now they are old, but we can still build at a human scale, and it will not be related to being a historic neighbourhood," Blonder explained. "It's just because our best practices have changed and accommodated the car so much. Everything is built in oversize today. You go to Vaughan Metropolitan Centre and their most intimate streets are 20 metres wide."

Vaughan Metroplitan Centre in 2025, image by Dillan Payne.

While Smart Density are strong proponents of low-rise density, typically around four storeys, they are also in favour of building high-density towers, and do not believe that the two are mutually exclusive. In their book, they argue that charming neighbourhoods can still accommodate towers, so long as the street network and building frontages are designed to a human scale with the pedestrian experience in mind.

They use the example of the Distillery District, one of Toronto's most charming and most popular neighbourhoods, which despite being a historic district, is also in fact a high-density tower neighbourhood. But due to the placement of the towers, the relationship between the buildings and the street, the street layout and widths, and the active uses at grade, the towers are barely noticeable. Despite being home to thousands of residents and buildings exceeding 100 metres in height, it is still a charming neighbourhood.

Distillery District in 2025, image by Forum contributor xmyth_.

Another charming neighbourhood in Toronto is Cabbagetown, whose streets and buildings date back to the 19th century. On a recent walking tour promoting their book, Blonder made a direct comparison between a street in Cabbagetown and a newly-built street in Regent Park. Both were lined with low-rise residential rows of roughly the same size and height, but their experience could not be more different. While the narrow streets of Cabbagetown provided an intimate environment, the sheer width of the Regent Park street, which accommodated two-way traffic, parking, sidewalks on both sides, and a setback from the street, felt far less charming, despite having almost the same built form.

"Good architecture cannot save a bad street", Blonder stated, "and if you don't have the bones right, nothing could help it, not the materials, not the articulation, not the architecture. So, we're saying in order to achieve charm, it's to build back in the human scale. And you know, when you open those design guidelines, they're always minimums. Minimum width, minimum height, minimum distance. What we're saying is that to achieve human scale, you actually need to apply some maximums, because there's a maximum to what you would consider walkable."

Graphic from the book comparing the neighbourhood of Vinohrady in Prague (top) to Smart Density's conceptual neighbourhood (bottom), image courtesy of Smart Density.

These principles apply to public spaces as well. Blonder uses the example of St. Andrew's Playground next to the Waterworks Building as one of the best new parks in the city, which is actively used at nearly all hours of the day. She compares it to Regent Park, which has similar amenities and is also widely used, but is much larger in scale. It only takes a few people to make St. Andrew's Playground feel lively and vibrant, whereas the shear size of Regent Park would require a large amount of people in order to make it feel equally as lively. One is at an intimate human scale, while the other is not. And while a city needs both, often new developments place less emphasis on the smaller scale open spaces and their importance in creating charming, liveable neighbourhoods.

Building Charm goes into far greater detail as to what makes a neighbourhood charming, and how we can achieve that in contemporary developments. The book also delves into the different physical components of a neighbourhood, how each can be designed to a human scale, and provides examples from around the world of successful neighbourhoods with plenty of charm.

Building Charm is now available for purchase at your local bookstore.

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Throughout October, UrbanToronto will be publishing features that examine the housing crisis in depth. Follow along as we present stories and perspectives that capture the state of housing today, and the ideas shaping how the region meets its growing need for homes.

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UrbanToronto's research and data service, UTPro, provides comprehensive data on construction projects in the Greater Golden Horseshoe—from proposal through to completion. Other services include Instant Reports, downloadable snapshots based on location, and a daily subscription newsletter, New Development Insider, that tracks projects from initial application.

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Thank you to the companies joining UrbanToronto to celebrate State of Housing Month 2026.

30 Merton Street Nears Topping Off in Davisville Village

Anthony Teles — Fri, 02 Oct 2026 15:18:05 -0400

Just east of Yonge Street in Midtown Toronto’s Davisville Village stands the growing 30 Merton Street, at Merton's northeast corner with Al Green Lane. The 37-storey rental tower designed by Sweeny &Co Architects for QuadReal Property Group and bcIMC, is nearing topping off, with much of clad in white panels and window wall glazing. Since UrbanToronto’s April, 2026 update, construction has advanced to the stepped-back upper levels, while enclosure has progressed across the tower.

Red construction hoist cabs climb the east elevation in July, 2026, when the tower had reached approximately the 34th floor, with projecting slab formwork beneath the crane and concrete boom pump. Cladding and glazing reached to around the 19th floor, just about where projecting balcony slabs begin.

Looking west to the east elevation’s advancing cladding and construction hoist, image by UrbanToronto Forum contributor Johnny Au

From across Merton Street, accented buff brick-veneered pre-cast cladding frame projecting balconies, with much of the frontage awaiting glazing. At the west end, a blue articulating boom lift reaches into the taller white-framed entrance bay beside exposed weatherproofing. Insulation and fastening plates surround future ground-floor curtain wall openings, partly concealed by scaffold-supported hoarding and the covered pedestrian walkway.

Looking north to podium balconies and ground-floor enclosure work along Merton Street, image by UrbanToronto Forum contributor Marco-b24

A close-up looking to the south elevation shows black metal guards reflecting the sunlight on stacked projecting balconies, their slender pickets above slab-edge fascia panels. We see unpainted concrete soffits, contrasting with smooth white aluminum panel cladding around the balcony bays. Between the stacks is narrow dark-framed window wall glazing, divided by spandrel panels at each floor.

A close-up looking to northeast to balcony guards, exposed concrete soffits, and white cladding on the south elevation, image by UrbanToronto Forum contributor FormerTorontonianBackInTO

A distant view this month captures the tower’s about to be topped off on the Davisville Village skyline. Formwork surrounds the two uppermost floors, stepped back from the main massing. Cladding and glazing reach approximately the 31st floor, four levels below the step-back. Stacked south-facing balconies and a recessed window wall create an articulated facade beside the west face’s flatter white-panel-and-glazing grid.

Looking northeast to 30 Merton Street nearing topping off on the Davisville Village skyline, image by UrbanToronto Forum contributor CLT

Upon completion, 30 Merton Street will rise 125.3m and deliver 322 market-rate rental units.

Looking northeast to 30 Merton Street, designed by Sweeny &Co Architects Inc for QuadReal Property Group and bcIMC

UrbanToronto will continue to follow progress on this development, but in the meantime, you can learn more about it from our Database file, linked below. If you'd like, you can join in on the conversation in the associated Project Forum thread or leave a comment in the space provided on this page.

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UrbanToronto's research and data service, UTPro, provides comprehensive data on construction projects in the Greater Golden Horseshoe—from proposal through to completion. Other services include Instant Reports, downloadable snapshots based on location, and a daily subscription newsletter, New Development Insider, that tracks projects from initial application.

Ground Broken for 38-Storey Rental Tower at 9 St Dennis in Flemingdon Park

Anthony Teles — Fri, 02 Oct 2026 11:08:38 -0400

A new rental tower is underway in Flemingdon Park, where Osmington Gerofsky Development Corporation (OGDC) and WJ Properties celebrated breaking ground this past Monday at 9 St Dennis Drive. Designed by architects—Alliance, the 38-storey building will introduce 474 rental homes, including 95 affordable units, with geothermal heating and cooling anchoring the first phase of a broader site redevelopment.

OGDC Principal and CEO David Gerofsky emphasized the investment and pace of housing delivery: “This groundbreaking reflects a substantial new investment in the neighbourhood. Designed to bring new housing options as quickly as possible.”

Attendees at the ground breaking ceremony, image by Arthur Mola

One-bedroom suites will account for all 95 affordable homes, representing 20% of the building’s rental supply. The development is supported by $185 million in federal financing through the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation’s Apartment Construction Loan Program.

The planned suite mix ranges from studios to three-bedroom homes, with two-bedroom layouts accounting for approximately 27% of the total, and three-bedrooms another 10%. This gives larger households rental options alongside the building’s more compact suites.

Attendees at the ground breaking ceremony, image courtesy of Osmington Gerofsky Development Corporation

Don Valley West MP Robert Oliphant linked the funding to broader efforts to expand rental supply: “Our Government is committed to driving housing supply to bring housing costs down. Through the Apartment Construction Loan program, $185 million in federal funding toward 9 St Dennis project in Flemingdon Park will create more much-needed rental homes for the people living and working in Toronto. By working with partners in the private sector, we are helping deliver more homes, more quickly, and building stronger communities here in Toronto and across Canada.”

The redevelopment extends the Weinbaum family’s more than 60 years of ownership and management of the site through WJ Properties. Owner Allan Weinbaum said, “Since the late 1960s, our family has helped shape Flemingdon Park, building homes and caring for the people who live in them. This project is about investing in the neighbourhood's future: more rental housing, new public space, and a building that connects residents to transit and opportunities growing around them.”

9 St Dennis, designed by architects—Alliance for Osmington Gerofsky Development Corporation and WJ Properties

The design takes its cue from Flemingdon Park’s existing landscape of apartment towers, as architects—Alliance Principal Peter Clewes explained: “At 9 St Dennis, we wanted to work with that original morphology of the area and evolve the Modernist idea of the ‘tower in the park’ for contemporary life. The building rises directly from a generous, contoured common landscape, maintaining the clarity and simplicity of the original planning idea while addressing the expectations of a new generation of residents. That idea is expressed in the building’s composition: a slender tower, wrapped in glass and precast concrete frames, sits elegantly on a black porcelain-clad base that folds up and over a glazed double-height atrium.”

With interiors by Ste. Marie, the building will offer residents coworking space, a fitness centre and sauna, a children’s room, and guest suites among its shared amenities. Additional shared facilities include a resident lounge, party room, workshop, and parcel storage, with 24-hour security also planned. Outdoors, a multi-use trail will complement the new park and pedestrian connections.

Below ground, 99 boreholes extending hundreds of feet deep will serve a geothermal exchange system designed to meet all of the building’s heating and cooling needs, along with 80% of its domestic hot water demand. The project team anticipates energy use 60% below that of a comparable code-built building, with greenhouse gas emissions reduced by 80%.

Landscaped outdoor amenity space at 9 St Dennis, landscape by MBTW Group for Osmington Gerofsky Development Corporation and WJ Properties

The future Flemingdon Park station on Ontario Line 3 will sit just across Don Mills Road, while Eglinton Line 5’s existing Don Valley station is approximately 600 metres away to the north. New pedestrian connections will accompany approximately 0.7 acres of public parkland to be conveyed to the City, expanding the neighbourhood’s outdoor space as transit access improves.

Beyond the site, the developers have invested over $800,000 in the community over two years. The nearby Flemingdon Park library branch has recently reopened following renovations funded by Osmington and WJ Properties. Their support also includes a two-year commitment to the library’s Financial Empowerment program, alongside annual grants of $25,000 each for a bike repair workshop and a sewing social enterprise.

Speaking at the September 28 groundbreaking, OGDC’s Laurie Payne highlighted the scope of these contributions: “9 St. Dennis is a remarkable project in many ways. But what is most important to OGDC is the community investments we are making that go well beyond what is required by the City. Thanks to the generosity of our partners, we have renovated the local library, funded local employment programs and granted 100 scholarships to local high school grads.”

The scholarship program has supported graduating students at Marc Garneau Collegiate Institute since 2025, with each recipient receiving $1,500.

Occupancy of 9 St Dennis is projected for 2029.

UrbanToronto will continue to follow progress on these developments, but in the meantime, you can learn more about them from our Database files, linked below. If you'd like, you can join in on the conversations in the associated Project Forum threads or leave a comment in the space provided on this page.

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News Roundup for October 2, 2026

UrbanToronto Staff — Fri, 02 Oct 2026 09:30:00 -0400

More of Toronto’s new builds are multiplexes — but the city still lags Western counterparts; Toronto hospital to greatly expand permanent housing program that reduces ER visits; a look at this weekend's events in the city, including pulling an all-nighter at Nuit Blanche; and other news.

More of Toronto’s new builds are multiplexes — but the city still lags Western counterparts (The Star)

Toronto hospital to greatly expand permanent housing program that reduces ER visits (CBC)

Weekend need-to-know: Pull an all-nighter at Nuit Blanche this weekend (CityNews)

Noise complaints against Rogers Stadium soared in second year (The Star)

Rogers becomes sole owner of MLSE after purchasing remaining 25% stake (CBC)

Health care workers urge Doug Ford to quash plan to remove Toronto bike lanes in open letter (The Star)

Kent Monkman debuts beaver sculpture in Toronto's ambitious new waterfront park (CP24)

These Toronto condo builders are betting on a luxury tower with just 3 units per floor. Will the rich bite? (The Star)

Contrasting Angles

Craig White — Fri, 02 Oct 2026 06:00:00 -0400

Drop the daylight on a building sporting black walls and white balconies, particularly one where the balconies are arranged in an increasingly staggered pattern as the building rises higher into the dark night air, and you have a recipe for a high-contrast treat, one that's improved by the odd white lights with a different colour temperature from the bulk, and the even rarer coloured light!

The balcony geometries at Auberge On The Park condos stand out particularly at night, image by UrbanToronto Forum contributor SwissPlanner

This image comes to us courtesy of UrbanToronto Forum contributor SwissPlanner. Want to see your work featured as a Daily Photo? You can post in the City Photos & Videos section of the UrbanToronto Forum, or submit your images to our UrbanToronto Flickr Pool for your chance to be featured on our Front Page.

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UrbanToronto Explores the State of Housing with Special Features Throughout October

Anthony TelesCraig White — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 16:59:04 -0400

October on UrbanToronto is State of Housing month, with a special editorial series running throughout the month examining the pressing housing challenges facing Toronto and the Greater Golden Horseshoe. Over the coming weeks, we will spotlight policy responses, evolving construction methods, and alternative housing models, while drawing attention to projects and reports that shape the way people access homes across the region.

The shortage of attainable housing continues to be one of the region’s most urgent issues, with high rents and steep purchase prices affecting households across income levels. Supply is not keeping pace with population growth, creating uneven access and mounting pressure on renters and buyers alike. These strains underline the need for both public sector interventions and long-term strategies to ensure stable, affordable options in every community.

Governments at every level are testing measures aimed at easing these pressures. Municipalities are incentivizing affordable rentals through development charge exemptions, the Province is continuing with tools like the Building Faster Fund to accelerate new construction, while federal programs through CMHC are providing financial backing to boost rental supply.

Stella, a co-op under construction at Kipling and Dundas in Etobicoke, as seen from the air, image by UrbanToronto Forum contributor Tim MacDonald

A revived housing model is gaining traction as part of the solution: co-operative housing is seeing renewed interest, with subsidy models pointing to its potential for long-term affordability. At the same time, the City's laneway and garden suite zoning, as well as missing middle initiatives, are now delivering new options within existing neighbourhoods.

Innovation in construction is also reshaping how housing can be delivered more quickly and affordably. Prefabricated and modular systems are being explored for everything from new communities to temporary shelters, while mass timber projects demonstrate the potential for sustainable mid-rise — and even high-rise — development.

Halsa at 230 Royal York, a hybrid mass timber/concrete core building under construction in Etobicoke in 2025, image by UrbanToronto Forum contributor HousingNowTO

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Thank you to the companies joining UrbanToronto to celebrate State of Housing Month.

Q3 2026: Number of Cranes on GTHA Skies Continues to Slowly Fall

Ash Navabi — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 13:35:37 -0400

The number of cranes on the numerous skyline of the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area continued their slow decline, with the third straight year of declines as fewer new cranes were assembled than the number that came down after their buildings topped off.

Map of the regions of the GTHA, and the number of cranes within each. As of October 1, 2026. Data from UTPro.

As of October 1, 2026, there were 239 cranes atop buildings across the GTHA, according to UrbanToronto's UTPro tracking of construction projects. While comparable to the 243 cranes from the previous two quarters, this represents a drop of 11 cranes from the same period last year, 41 fewer cranes than 2024, and 118 fewer cranes than the high-watermark set in October 2023.

Historical chart of cranes in the GTA in dark blue, Hamilton in light blue, October 2023 to October 2026. Data from UTPro.

For the third quarter in a row, Durham Region saw an increase in the number of cranes. Every other region has seen a decline in cranes in the last year.

The changes in the number of cranes in each region in October 2026 vs. the same time last year. Data from UrbanToronto Pro..

The number of development projects with at least one crane has also declined across the region. The exception, once again, is Durham Region, which doubled the number of projects with cranes from 5 to 10.

The changes in projects with at least one crane in each region in October 2026 vs. the same time last year. Data from UrbanToronto Pro..

Overall in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area, there are 161 projects using 239 cranes to build 305 buildings. They are contributing to the construction of 73,427 dwelling units. All of these numbers have declined since last quarter.

Summary table of GTHA projects with cranes as of the end of Q3 2026. Data from UTPro.

We'll be back again in January with our next quarterly crane count update.

A crane tops One Bloor West, image by UrbanToronto Forum contributor skycandy

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UrbanToronto research and data service, UrbanToronto Pro, provides comprehensive data on construction projects in the Greater Toronto-Hamilton Area—from proposal through to completion. We also offer Instant Reports, downloadable snapshots based on location, and a daily subscription newsletter, New Development Insider, that tracks projects from initial application.

Rental Revolution, Transit Plus and Minuses Made Headlines in September

Anthony Teles — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 -0400

September, 2026 brought a growing focus on rental housing, changes to transit service, and continued progress on Toronto’s skyline. Proposals in Etobicoke, Markham, and Richmond Hill highlighted the continued turn from condos to purpose-built rentals, while plans in Ajax and at Yonge and St Clair pointed to denser neighbourhoods across the region. Operational improvements on Finch West Line 6, and the Scarborough Busway’s opening were good news, but GO service cuts were concerning on both the Front Page and in Forum discussions. Toronto’s tallest towers continued to fight it out for top ranking, with Pinnacle One Yonge holding first place among Database files as One Bloor West reclaimed the top Forum spot and Forma climbed both lists.

Let’s review our top news stories, Database files, and Forum threads from September, 2026.

Our Top Ten Most Read News Stories

Amongst the transit news mentioned above, rental housing proposals featured prominently among September’s most-read stories, with projects in Richmond Hill and Markham joined by a revised plan for 1243 Islington Avenue that claimed the top spot, while construction updates at KING Toronto and 4800 Yonge Street rounded out the mix.

11. Multi-Tower Ajax Proposal Grows Denser as Development Nears

10. Wittington Unveils District-Scale Vision for Yonge and St Clair

9. Crew Shortage, Demand Changes Bring GO Transit Service Cuts

8. Three Towers up to 30 Storeys Proposed on Ajax Employment Lands

7. Glass-Block Cladding Climbing Peaks at KING Toronto

6. 4800 Yonge Begins Tower Climb Above Seven-Storey Podium

5. Finch West Line 6 Benefitting From Signal, Operational Adjustments

4. Skyscraping Markham Proposal Moves from Condo to Rental

3. Scarborough Busway Prepares for September 30 Opening

2. 30-Storey Rental Tower Proposed on Yonge Street in Richmond Hill

1. Etobicoke Condo Proposal Switches to Rental, Drops Floors, Units

The Scarborough Busway from the Tara Mooregate stop, image by UrbanToronto Forum contributor ShonTron

Our Top Ten Most Searched Database Files

Toronto’s tallest developments continued to lead September’s Database rankings, with the topped-off Pinnacle One Yonge retaining first place, as Forum members followed progress on SkyTower's crane removal, while Forma moved ahead of One Bloor West into second place. Natasha Residences climbed from ninth to fourth, while Concord Sky and KING Toronto each slipped one spot. Mimico Commons joined the list as the latest imagery showed shoring complete, alongside 4800 Yonge Street, where construction has advanced above the seven-storey podium.

11. 8 Elm

10. Mimico Commons

9. Pinnacle Lakeside (Phase 1)

8. 4800 Yonge Street

7. 1 Marlborough

6. KING Toronto

5. Concord Sky

4. Natasha Residences

3. One Bloor West

2. Forma

1. Pinnacle One Yonge

Looking northeast to tower crane removal progress at SkyTower, image by UrbanToronto Forum contributor wmedia

Our Top Ten Busiest Threads

One Bloor West regained first place in September’s Forum rankings, overtaking Pinnacle One Yonge amid Forum disappointment over SkyTower’s pared-back crown. Transit occupied six of the eleven spots, led by Ontario Line 3, with Alto high-speed rail joining the list and Finch West Line 6 climbing from ninth to sixth as operational adjustments continued. The Scarborough Busway also entered the rankings as its September 30 opening brought buses onto four kilometres of the former RT corridor between Kennedy and Ellesmere.

11. TTC Scarborough Busway Construction

10. Hurontario-Main Line 10 LRT

9. KING Toronto

8. Concord Sky

7. Alto - High Speed Rail (Toronto-Quebec City)

6. Finch West Line 6 LRT

5. Eglinton Line 5 Crosstown LRT

4. Forma

3. Ontario Line 3

2. Pinnacle One Yonge

1. One Bloor West

Looking northeast to One Bloor West, image by UrbanToronto Forum contributor kotsy

We will be back at the beginning of November for a recap of October's top news stories, Database files, and Forum threads.

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News Roundup for October 1, 2026

UrbanToronto Staff — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 09:30:00 -0400

New bus-only roadway on former Scarborough RT route will shorten commute times, says TTC; Toronto board of trade urges Ontario to amend zoning and building code rules to spur housing growth; a look at road closures in effect this weekend for Nuit Blanche; and other news.

New bus-only roadway on former Scarborough RT route will shorten commute times: TTC (CBC)

Toronto board of trade urges Ontario to amend zoning and building code rules to spur housing growth (The Globe and Mail)

Road closures in effect this weekend for Nuit Blanche (CP24)

Toronto's Phoenix Concert Theatre plans move to city's west end next year (CBC)

New Digs

Craig White — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 06:00:00 -0400

Ground has been freshly disturbed for new accommodations in Toronto's King West area. The Manga-managed twin hotels will run through the block from Richmond Street West to Camden Street, with a tower facing each street and a low podium between them. Seen at the back of the photo, a heritage wall is held aloft by an unseen scaffold, its back protected from the elements while it waits for new concrete structure to hold it up.

Excavation for a new hotel begins in the King West area of Toronto, image by UrbanToronto Forum contributor citylights

This image comes to us courtesy of UrbanToronto Forum contributor citylights. Want to see your work featured as a Daily Photo? You can post in the City Photos & Videos section of the UrbanToronto Forum, or submit your images to our UrbanToronto Flickr Pool for your chance to be featured on our Front Page.

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Architecture and Cities — The Brewing Architecture of Cities, Part 1

Guest Columnist, Hoordad Ghandehari — Wed, 30 Sep 2026 17:02:00 -0400

The Brewing Architecture of Cities, Part 1: Building in Booms

I was recently asked why many North American cities seem to lack some of the character, colour and visual richness we associate with older European cities. It is an interesting question.

Walk through cities such as Florence, Paris, Lisbon or Prague and there is often a richness that is difficult to define. Buildings may differ in colour, material, age and detail, yet somehow they seem to belong together. They are related without being identical, coherent without being repetitive.

The obvious explanation is architectural style; historic European buildings were designed differently from today's buildings. They used different materials, construction methods, and proportions. All of that is certainly true, but if we set architectural style aside for a moment, or even the typologies, perhaps another part of the explanation lies not simply in what cities build, but in how they grow — and particularly in how much of a city is built at the same time.

Imagine a street that developed gradually over one or two hundred years. One building may have been constructed in the seventeenth century and received new windows in the nineteenth. Its roof may have been replaced in the early twentieth century, its stonework repaired after the war, and its façade repainted decades later. The building next door may have followed an entirely different path. Different generations made different decisions. Different owners had different tastes. Materials, technologies, economics, and colours changed. No-one necessarily intended the final composition; it simply evolved.

This suggests that the age of a city may be only part of the story. Imagine a city that is three hundred years old but where a large portion of its buildings were demolished and reconstructed within a twenty-year period. Would it necessarily possess the same visual richness as another city whose buildings accumulated gradually over three centuries? Probably not. An equally important factor may be the pace at which its urban fabric was created.

Jane Jacobs famously wrote about the importance of cities containing buildings of different ages. Her primary concern was economic and social diversity: older buildings could accommodate uses and businesses that newer, more expensive buildings often could not. But there may also be an architectural dimension to that observation. Buildings constructed at different times inevitably reflect different moments. They respond to different tastes, technologies, materials, economics and expectations. Put enough of those buildings beside one another and the city begins to accumulate differences.

Toronto itself offers interesting evidence of this phenomenon. The enormous suburban expansion that followed the Second World War created large portions of North York, Scarborough, and Etobicoke within a relatively concentrated period. The individual houses were certainly not identical, yet many shared recognizable characteristics: similar lot patterns, building forms, materials and planning ideas.

Multi-unit Toronto residential architecture of the latter half of the 1900s, image by Hoordad Ghandehari

The apartment boom of the 1950s, 60s and 70s produced another architectural layer. Hundreds of rental buildings appeared across the city, and the concrete slab towers that emerged during those decades remain one of the most recognizable features of postwar Toronto. Again, the buildings were not identical, but there is often little difficulty recognizing the period to which they belong.

More recently, the condominium boom beginning in the early 2000s has produced yet another recognizable generation of buildings. Glass towers, balconies, window-wall systems and contemporary cladding materials have created an architectural vocabulary very different from either the postwar suburbs or the concrete apartment towers that preceded them.

Multi-unit Toronto residential architecture of the opening decades of the 2000s, image by Hoordad Ghandehari

Yet the underlying phenomenon may be remarkably similar. In each case, a substantial amount of the city was constructed within a relatively concentrated period, and in each case the architectural language of that particular moment became unusually visible. Every building boom seems to leave behind an architectural fingerprint of its time.

What we perceive as repetition in today's buildings may therefore not be entirely new. We may simply be witnessing the latest version of something Toronto has experienced several times before. North American cities grew enormously during the twentieth century, particularly in the decades following the Second World War. Entire suburbs, apartment districts and, later, condominium neighbourhoods appeared within relatively short periods. When many buildings are constructed at the same time, they inevitably share something of that time.

A material repeated across one building may simply create consistency. Repeated across several buildings, it may begin to form an architectural language. Repeated across hundreds of buildings constructed during the same period, it can begin to feel like uniformity.

Older cities seem to have had one significant advantage in this respect: not everyone was making the same decisions at the same time. One generation built something. Another altered it. A later owner changed the windows. Someone else repaired the roof. A neighbouring building was constructed fifty years later using different materials. Another was painted, another extended, another changed use. Slowly, the differences accumulated.

Colour itself may sometimes be the visible result of this gradual process. We often admire streets where façades appear in yellows, reds, blues, greens and natural stone. But in many cases, no single architect or planner sat down and designed the street as one composition. No master plan necessarily decided that one building should be yellow, another blue and another red. The city gradually collected variation. Perhaps that is one reason these environments can feel so rich: the buildings were simply not all making their decisions at the same time.

There is an irony in this. The speed with which modern cities can construct buildings is an extraordinary achievement. We can produce housing and entire neighbourhoods at a scale and speed that earlier generations could hardly have imagined. But speed also changes the way a city acquires character. When a large amount of development occurs simultaneously, the architectural identity of a particular period becomes concentrated. The more buildings we construct within the same relatively short period, the more likely they are to carry the visual fingerprint of that moment.

The suburban houses of the postwar period carried one fingerprint; the rental towers of the 1960s and 70s carried another; today's condominium towers are carrying ours. This does not necessarily mean that one period is architecturally better or worse than another, nor does it mean that buildings constructed during a boom must look alike. It simply suggests that time may matter because it allows difference to accumulate.

Cities, after all, are continuously edited. Buildings are altered, repaired, extended, repainted, replaced and adapted. Materials weather differently. Uses change. Technologies change. Owners change. Architectural tastes change. No one truly designs the final composition. It emerges.

An old street can therefore be understood as a physical record of countless decisions made by different people at different moments in time. Perhaps the question for a relatively young and rapidly growing city such as Toronto is not simply whether we can design more distinctive buildings today. It is also whether enough of our urban fabric will be allowed to develop, change and evolve at different times.

The character we admire in older cities may not be something that can simply be selected from a catalogue, prescribed through a design guideline or created within a single development cycle. Perhaps it emerges little by little, as one generation leaves something behind and another adds something different.

And perhaps the richness of a city is not only the product of architecture. It is also the product of time.

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This guest post is authored by Hoordad Ghandehari, OAA ICON Architects Inc.

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Kent Monkman's Giant Bronze Beavers Take Up Lodging at Biidaasige Park

Julian Mirabelli — Wed, 30 Sep 2026 14:04:28 -0400

The Lassonde Art Trail is making a splash to end their inaugural season at Biidaasige Park with the unveiling of a new monumental artwork by internationally renowned Cree artist Kent Monkman. The 15-foot bronze sculpture titled The Colony sits facing the newly routed Don River in the southwest corner of the park, and features a group of giant playful beavers in various states of feasting, singing, dancing, and celebration. The artwork is Monkman's first ever public commission, a departure from his usual medium of painting, and joins the Lassonde Art Trail as a permanent installation, one of three planned on the trail.

'The Colony' by Kent Monkman, image by Michael Seleski.Kent Monkman stands amongst 'The Colony', image by Michael Seleski

Monkman's statement reads, “It feels especially meaningful for The Colony to be placed here, where the Don River — home and important waterway for the Wendat, Haudenosaunee, Anishinaabe, Mississaugas, and other Nations for thousands of years — meets Lake Ontario. I can’t think of a better place for these beavers, inspired by the fanciful beavers of Veremondo Rossi’s 18th-century engraving, to gather in a ceremonial feast, celebrating our worldviews, honouring the water, and continuing our traditions of relaying knowledge through songs and stories.”

A crowd gathers around 'The Colony' at the unveiling ceremony, image by Julian Mirabelli.

The beaver is often hailed as nature's engineer, making their placement in Biidaasige Park and Ookwemin Minising a fitting tribute given the monumental feat of engineering that created the park that the artwork now stands in. Once numbering in the hundreds of millions on this continent, the beaver population collapsed following the mass hunting at the height of the fur trade, and so The Colony once again returns their presence to their rightful place on Toronto's waterfront, accompanying the animal's rebounding numbers in the wild. The sculpture also gives a nod to the giant beavers of Cree stories (mistahi-amiskwak), who once roamed the earth during the Ice Age.

Close-up detail of 'The Colony' by Kent Monkman, image by Julian Mirabelli.

Inspired by Veremondo Rossi’s 1763 engraving “La Caccia Dei Castori (The Hunt for Beavers)", Monkman refers to The Colony as a "beaver condo", a fitting reference given the proliferation of condos across the city.

Close-up detail of 'The Colony' by Kent Monkman, image by Julian Mirabelli.

The sculpture was cast in bronze by the family-run MST Bronze Foundry and is finished with a cupric coating to give it an aged look, similar to copper roofs.The Colony evokes Monkman's distinct style, often influenced by Baroque paintings, in which he frequently depicts dramatic and dynamic scenes centred around Indigenous themes. Monkman's paintings do not shy away from Canada's dark history and relationship with its Indigenous Peoples, at times depicting violent and heartbreaking scenes, but they often emulate a sense of strength, defiance, and resilience of Indigenous Peoples. With The Colony, Monkman has captured pure Indigenous joy with the whimsical and mischievous beavers, marking their return to the land with a celebration inspired by Indigenous ceremonies.

Close-up detail of 'The Colony' by Kent Monkman, image by Julian Mirabelli.

During remarks given at the unveiling ceremony of The Colony, Monkman stated: "We're in kinship with all of nature, and as Cree people, we believe that we are in kinship with animals like the beaver, and so we see ourselves in these animals... Toronto being this place where it gathers a lot of people from all over the world, I wanted to remind people that before all of these other people came, this was a place for First Nations to gather, because the beaver is so deeply embedded in our shared histories."

'The Colony' by Kent Monkman, image by Julian Mirabelli.

The Colony joins a host of other public art installations along the Lassonde Art Trail in Biidaasige Park, including First Sun, which was recently unveiled in September 2026. The majority of artwork along the Lassonde Art Trail is temporary, with timelines ranging from one to three years on display. The trail is intended to be an outdoor art gallery, with rotating installations that bring fresh new perspectives as the park grows and matures in the coming decades, so be sure to visit and take in all of them before they move on to their next locale. The Colony is the second of only three permanent works planned, the last of which will be a sculpture by internationally-renowned Portuguese artist Joana Vasconcelos that is scheduled to be unveiled in 2027. The first permanent artwork is Trajet by Caroline Monnet and Dean Baldwin Lew, located at the eastern end of the park below the Commissioners Street bridge.

Map showing locations of public artwork along the Lassonde Art Trail in Biidaasige Park, image courtesy of Lassonde Art Trail.

We will keep you updated of further developments in Biidaasige Park and Ookwemin Minising, but in the meantime, you can join in on the conversation by checking out the associated Forum thread, linked below, or by leaving a comment in the space below on this page.

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Crosstown Towers, Crest Wrap Up as Townhomes Get Wrapped

Anthony Teles — Wed, 30 Sep 2026 11:52:01 -0400

Exterior work is wrapping up at One Crosstown Towers I, II, III, and The Crest, while exterior enclosure work on the Townhomes at Crosstown advance in the Don Mills area of Toronto. Construction has progressed since UrbanToronto’s April, 2026 update across the southwest portion of the 60-acre Crosstown Community from Aspen Ridge Homes, a redevelopment of the former IBM/Celestica campus on the northwest corner of Don Mills Road and Eglinton Avenue East. Core Architects designed the 32-, 34-, and 39-storey Towers and 8-storey The Crest; VA3 Design designed the three-storey townhomes.

In June, 2026, light grey brick has been applied to portions of the outside walls of the three-and-a-half-storey townhouses, with exposed wood sheathing and blue weatherproofing surrounding some windows. Recessed entrances, projecting bays, and unfinished roof terraces articulate the rows. Masonry pallets and construction vehicles occupy the staging area beside fenced utility works, with the towers’ dark window wall contrasting with The Crest’s white bands behind.

Looking southwest to townhouse facade construction with One Crosstown’s towers beyond, image by UrbanToronto Forum contributor flonicky

Later in June, grey panels appear on upper-storey bays on the east elevations. A scaffold wraps the nearest block’s southeast corner, while a more fully clad row to the left frames an emerging internal walkway. Excavators, a wheel loader, and storage trailers occupy the foreground. The Crest’s stepped profile is visible behind at right.

Looking west to brick installation across the townhouse blocks, image by UrbanToronto Forum contributor trxpodi

An early July, 2026 close-up reveals wood framing on another new row of townhomes. Vertical studs, oriented strand boarding, and grey weatherproofing define the walls, temporarily supported by timber braces. Projecting framing establishes depth above openings.

Looking northwest to wood framing and exterior sheathing installation at the townhomes, image by UrbanToronto Forum contributor flonicky

In a moody, late day drone shot from August, 2026, the towers present finished exteriors, with staggered balconies and broader glazing bands interrupting the dark facades beneath clad mechanical penthouses. Retained portions of the former IBM Canada head offices form brown-brick podiums with deep vertical window bays. Architectural lighting highlights the brick piers.

Looking northeast to One Crosstown’s towers and retained IBM brick podiums, image by UrbanToronto Forum contributor hawc

A September, 2026 nighttime view highlights The Crest’s curving, serrated massing. White frames alternate around glazed bays and recessed balconies against dark mullions and charcoal panels. Glass guards enclose balconies, with a step-back at the seventh floor creating terraces. A curving walkway passes unit paving, bicycle racks, and beds of young trees, grasses, and perennials beside railed ground-floor patios.

Looking west along The Crest’s staggered balconies, stepped terraces, and landscaped walkway, image by UrbanToronto Forum contributor SwissPlanner

In mid-September, brick, blue-grey siding, dark brown cladding panels, and rust-coloured bands define the townhouse elevations. Pale window frames and masonry headers contrast with the brick, while glass guards and privacy screens enclose balconies and rooftop terraces. Beige siding finishes rooftop volumes, while a boom lift reaches the facade.

Looking west to townhouse brickwork, accent cladding, and glass terrace guards, image by UrbanToronto Forum contributor flonicky

Townhome exteriors transition from pale grey through charcoal to buff brick along their north side. Tall piers separate homes, with projecting window surrounds and shallow canopies. White and muted surfaces alternate with blue-grey siding; protective coverings remain on some glazing. Two boom lifts serve the frontage beneath new streetlights, with the towers rising behind.

Looking southwest to the townhomes’ varied north facades with One Crosstown’s towers behind, image by UrbanToronto Forum contributor flonicky

The townhomes will deliver 80 units across ten three-storey blocks reaching 12.84m. One Crosstown’s towers and The Crest range from 32.27m to 129.86m, with the Block 12 development comprising 1,273 condominium units.

Looking northeast to Crosstown Towers I, II, III, and The Crest, designed by Core Architects, and Townhomes at Crosstown, designed by VA3 Design, for Aspen Ridge Homes

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News Roundup for September 30, 2026

UrbanToronto Staff — Wed, 30 Sep 2026 09:30:00 -0400

5 Toronto-area places that reveal the stories of Indigenous Peoples; here’s what’s open and closed in Toronto on the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation; Toronto's mayoral candidates on how they'll address transit affordability and TTC fares; and other news.

5 Toronto-area places that reveal the stories of Indigenous Peoples (The Star)

Here’s what’s open and closed in Toronto on the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation (CTV News)

Toronto's mayoral candidates on how they'll address transit affordability and TTC fares (CBC)

CityNews 2026 Mississauga election poll finds affordability, housing and crime top issues (CityNews)

Brad Bradford wants to scrap Toronto’s land transfer tax for some. Critics say the math doesn’t add up (The Star)

Ontario health-care coalition denounces province's plan to remove bike lanes across Toronto (CBC)

Skate Trail

Craig White — Wed, 30 Sep 2026 06:00:00 -0400

An expanded Wallace Emerson Park is slowly coming together near Dufferin and Dupont in Toronto's West End, where a recent milestone is the pouring of concrete for a skate trail. A BMX/skateboard park fits into the south loop of the trail (near the top of the image), while a landscaped area will provide spots to relax within the north loop at the bottom of the image.

Looking down on work on the Wallace Emerson Park skate trail and more, image by UrbanToronto Forum contributor yyzfa

This image comes to us courtesy of UrbanToronto Forum contributor yyzfa. Want to see your work featured as a Daily Photo? You can post in the City Photos & Videos section of the UrbanToronto Forum, or submit your images to our UrbanToronto Flickr Pool for your chance to be featured on our Front Page.

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Nahid on Kennedy Tops Off as Cladding Advances in Scarborough Junction

Anthony Teles — Tue, 29 Sep 2026 16:25:32 -0400

Nahid on Kennedy has topped off at 12 storeys in Toronto’s Scarborough Junction neighbourhood, with cladding now covering most of the elevations. Designed by Wayne Long Architect and Option Architects for Nahid Corporation, the condominium development occupies the southeast corner of Kennedy Road and Corvette Avenue, less than a kilometre south of Eglinton Avenue. After a slow start following the commencement of construction in May, 2024, progress accelerated through 2026 after $95 million in financing was secured for the development.

Looking into the site from beside Kennedy Road in September, 2025, construction was progressing on the two-level underground garage. Canted steel rakers brace the eastern perimeter shoring above workers on a partially completed concrete slab. At left, rebar projects upwards from poured P2 columns, while to the far left, P1 slab formwork is supported by on shoring poles.

Looking northeast from Kennedy Road to underground garage construction, image by UrbanToronto Forum contributor Erich Nelson

In December, 2025, the crane, installed back in April, is surrounded by formwork for the grade level slab. In the lower foreground, work continues on some parts of the P1 slab. Wall and column formwork are to be the location for following vertical pours. Exposed tieback anchor heads punctuate the western shoring wall beside Kennedy Road.

Looking north to P1 slab and ground-floor formwork near the tower crane, image by UrbanToronto Forum contributor YongeBloor

From May, 2026, in the view across both Kennedy Road and Corvette Avenue we see seven storeys of rounded corners with reinforced concrete, while wall formwork and slab supports for the eighth floor and ninth-floor slab decking appear above at the north end. Initial second-floor cladding pairs white opaque panels with dark-framed window wall glazing.

Looking southeast from Kennedy Road and Corvette Avenue to initial cladding installation on the second floor, image by UrbanToronto Forum contributor CLT

From across Kennedy Road in July, 2026, window wall installation reaches the eighth floor in portions of the west elevation. Vertical bays of windows framed by charcoal grey spandrels alternate with projecting balconies, with white-painted concrete slab edges and soffits. Lower-floor white and brown accent framing can be seen where the architects have addition articulation. Temporary balcony guards, open upper floors, and top-level slab formwork are seen above.

Looking east from Kennedy Road to the west elevation and stacked balconies, image by UrbanToronto Forum contributor CLT

The south elevation’s fourth-floor step-back reduces the building's mass beside neighbouring low-rise townhomes. Below the step-back, slabs, columns, and walls await final cladding, while above, southwest wraparound balconies connect this elevation to Kennedy Road, and brown-toned cladding defines the lower corner bay. Tucked behind, the facade combines broad charcoal-toned aluminum spandrel panels with stacked window wall glazing. Projecting decking and temporary shores prepare for the 11th-floor slab up top.

Looking northeast to the south elevation, image by UrbanToronto Forum contributor CLT

This month, all 12 storeys are formed, with the uppermost two stepping back behind terrace edges, including an 11th-floor concrete parapet. Successive step-backs further articulate the east elevation. Window wall and cladding reach the tenth floor, while white aluminum panels frame the north elevation through the fourth. Exposed blue weatherproofing follows the curved fifth-floor parapet, as well as sections above the third and fourth floors along the west elevation.

Looking southeast to the topped-off structure and progress on cladding installation, image by UrbanToronto Forum contributor CLT

Upon completion, Nahid on Kennedy will stand 39.7m tall and deliver 269 condominium units.

Looking southeast to Nahid on Kennedy, designed by Wayne Long Architect and Option Architects for Nahid Corporation

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Etobicoke Condo Proposal Switches to Rental, Drops Floors, Units

Craig White — Tue, 29 Sep 2026 12:36:57 -0400

Montez Corporation has changed plans for a 61-storey condominium tower at 1243 Islington Avenue that was just approved by Toronto City Council in June, 2026. The building, which would have been the tallest building around Islington station in this part of the regenerating Etobicoke City Centre area, is now planned as a rental and with only 50 storeys. Designed by Sweeny &Co Architects, the site lies within the Bloor Line 2's subway station's Protected Major Transit Station Area, positioned directly across from the street from the subway entrance.

A new application filed with the City of Toronto for the building's Site Plan Approval includes documents covering overall statistical changes, but does not include architectural drawings. Images in this article, therefore, come from the approved condo application. New plans for the rental tower may or may not perpetuate the exterior design choices of the previous version, and may or may not perpetuate the general interior plans, but this article will assume an exterior and interior that is simply 11 storeys shorter, while taking suite changes into account, for the sake of comparison.

Looking northeast to the current site, image retrieved from Google Street View

Currently occupying the site on the northeast corner of Islington Avenue and Aberfoyle Crescent is a 12-storey medical office building (above) which reflects Etobicoke City Centre’s mid-century role as a suburban employment hub built around Islington subway station. Over the past decades, neighbouring blocks — especially those across the CPKC Milton subdivision corridor which lies to the north of the hydro corridor seen at left above — have begun to see significantly increased residential density through infill redevelopment, often building on surface parking lots original established when Islington station was the western terminus of Line 2. The 12-storey building would be demolished and replaced with the new build.

Looking northeast to the 61-storey condo version of 1243 Islington Avenue, designed by Sweeny &Co Architects for Montez Corp

Looking to the northeast across Islington Avenue, above, the 61-storey version of the building can be seen in its surrounding context:

a Milton line GO Train plies the corridor, either en route westbound to Kipling station, an interchange with the subway, TTC buses and MiWay buses just over a kilometre away, or eastbound to Union Station in Downtown Toronto
above the GO Train, a minimalist view of one of several new residential towers on the north side of the rail corridor
to the right, a ghostly image of one of three towers at Bloor-Islington Place, an office and retail complex to the south across Aberfoyle Crescent
in the lower left, the flat expanse of Islington subway station, currently being reworked to reduce its footprint and allow high-rise redevelopment at the corner of Islington and Bloor

Below, a view across Aberfoyle Crescent to the northwest captures the building's podium, including an arm in back angling toward the northeast beyond the garage and servicing entrances.

Looking northwest to the 2025 design for the podium of 1243 Islington Avenue, designed by Sweeny &Co Architects for Montez Corp

With the drop from 61 to 50 storeys, the building's unit count drops from 702 condo units to 527 rental units. In the condo version of the building, this means that most floors had 12 suites per floor. In the rental version, most floors would need to have 11 units to achieve the 527 unit total. Nearly all other Toronto proposals that have shifted from condo to rental have seen fewer, larger units replace small units that were aimed at the investor market, as rental apartment management companies rely on more "liveable" units to lease up their buildings, so a similar path appears to be underway here.

Ground floor plan, designed by Sweeny &Co Architects for Montez Corp

The ground floor plan above is changing to at least this degree: a retail unit of 91.55m² is now planned, likely taking some of the space that is shown as lobby above, owing to its proximity to the most sidewalk foot traffic. If the number of elevators up the tower remains at five, as per above, the new residents will be in much better shape than the residents of the condo version of the building were going to be. With 702 condo units, one elevator was supplied for every 140 units, indicating longer than average wait times even if high speed motors were installed. With 527 rental units, however, five elevators only have to serve 105 units each, meaning that high speed motors will be better able to cope, reducing wait times for residents. If the rental plan for the building drops the elevators to four, then each elevator has to cope with serving 132 units, still on the high side indicating long wait times, but still better than the original plan. Smart marketing for the new rental tower would keep five elevators in the mix.

Looking northeast across Islington Avenue to what may be readdressed to 60 Aberyfoyle Crescent, designed by Sweeny &Co Architects for Montez Corp

The building's old mix of condo units was to be 53 studios (7.6%), 344 one-bedrooms (49%), 234 two-bedrooms (33.3%), and 71 three-bedrooms (10.1%). The building's new mix of rental units is to be 15 studios (2.8%), 271 one-bedrooms (51.4%), 188 two-bedrooms (35.7%), and 53 three-bedrooms (10.1%); the change essentially shifts a good percentage of studios to more one-bedrooms and two-bedrooms. The building was also to have 21 affordable rental units, worked out in the zoning bylaw, representing 3% of the suites. That number drops to 16 affordable rental units in the new smaller version of the building.

An aerial view of the site and surrounding area, image from submission to City of Toronto

The proposal is among a significant cluster of high-rise projects transforming Etobicoke Centre. To the immediate west, the reworking of the Islington station site at 3326 Bloor Street West will allow a City Housing Now site of four towers ranging from 32 to 55 storeys. South of the station, Verve Bloor is a seniors residence proposed at 18 storeys. To the west, 35 Mabelle Avenue is another rental, now proposed at 53 storeys. To the northwest, 4975 Dundas Street West is a rental planned at 44 storeys, while 12 Cordova is a 26-storey rental, now under construction. Islington Terrace are condos of 35, 44, and 45 storeys that were completed over the last decade, while Westerly Condos were recently completed at 20 and 27 storeys. To the north, 1276 Islington is a rental proposed at 35 storeys.

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News Roundup for September 29, 2026

UrbanToronto Staff — Tue, 29 Sep 2026 09:43:48 -0400

The Phoenix to rise again in Parkdale, Invasive species in Toronto's green corridors go up against goats, Scarborough busway opens tomorrow, National Day for Truth and Reconciliation means some things are closed tomorrow, Hamilton Stelco workers may be rehired in Hamldimand, and more...

TRCA testing targeted animal grazing to manage vegetation in green corridors (CityNews)

Toronto landlord violates tenant's privacy by aiming cameras into his apartment (The Star)

Historic Downtown Toronto music venue moving West (The Star)

Get ready, Scarborough: The new busway replacing Line 3 is almost open (CBC News)

Here’s what’s open and closed in Toronto on the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation (CTV News)

Stelco to lay off 350 workers at Hamilton steel plant: union (Global News)

Slate Grocery REIT to be acquired by Brixmor, Everview Partners in deal valued at $2.3B (The Globe and Mail)

Phantomvista

Craig White — Tue, 29 Sep 2026 06:00:00 -0400

Biidaasige Park, a frequent location of late for Daily Photos, isn't the only new recreation space in Toronto's Port Lands. Now a couple of years old, Leslie Lookout Park at the east end of the Shipping Channel is a little more remote, and nearly three quarters of it are a beach, but both of those factors mean that it's a great place for special events, like music and arts festival Phantomfest, as seen here, on the last weekend of August.

People fill Leslie Lookout Park for Phantomfest 2026, image by UrbanToronto Forum contributor kotsy

This image comes to us courtesy of UrbanToronto Forum contributor kotsy. Want to see your work featured as a Daily Photo? You can post in the City Photos & Videos section of the UrbanToronto Forum, or submit your images to our UrbanToronto Flickr Pool for your chance to be featured on our Front Page.

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Plans for Skyscraping 200 University Avenue Addition Advance

Craig White — Mon, 28 Sep 2026 17:20:49 -0400

GWL Realty Advisors have tweaked their plans for a skyscraping addition of new residential floors above an existing Mid-Century Modern office building at 200 University Avenue in Downtown Toronto. Designed by KPMB Architects, the addition takes the building to 193m in height with a count of 54 storeys. While the same height as the most recent previous version, one more floor is now counted as what was strictly a mechanical penthouse before, is now now shared with four more suites.

Looking southwest to the current 200 University Avenue plan, designed by KPMB Architects for GWL Realty Advisors

The existing 14-storey building was completed in 1961. Designed by John B. Parkin Associates, at the time the largest and most prolific architectural practice in Canada, the building is one of only a few Modernist buildings listed on the Toronto Heritage Register, having been a leader in developing the Mid-Century Modern style in the country. Besides office space on the second through thirteenth floors, the building has two retail spaces at street level.

Looking southwest to 200 University Avenue, image retrieved from Google Street View

The plan to add atop the building first surfaced in June 2022. GWL Realty Advisors at that point intended to add 33 storeys of residential space while maintaining the existing floors as office space. While such measures are rare in other parts of Toronto, this was not the first such plan along University Avenue; in 2012, Amexon announced a plan to add 37 storeys above its 18-storey building at 480 University Avenue, at the northwest corner with Dundas Street West. Construction began there in 2015 and The Residences of 488 University Avenue was completed atop the exisiting office space in 2020. Currently under construction across University Avenue to the east of it is The United BLDG, where Davpart is heading for 54 storeys above a fully reconstructed 9-storey base. Other variations of this density increase are proposed along University, but no others have gone under construction yet.

Looking southwest to the earlier plan that maintained office space, designed by KPMB Architects for GWL Realty Advisors

While GWL Realty Advisors' initial plan (above) kept the office space while also adding a retail pavilion along University Avenue where the landscaped ground level entrance plaza is, following an Ontario Land Tribunal (OLT) settlement in 2024, an update to the plan in the Fall of 2025 converted all of the office floors to residential, eliminated the retail pavilion, and carved a wedge out of the north side of the building from the 42nd storey upwards, taking into account the exclusion zone for the St Michael's Hospital helicopter flight cone. At the same time, inset balconies were eliminated from the plan, and KPMB Architects modified the elevations to match the proportions of the fenestration on the existing building.

Looking southwest to the 2025 plan for 200 University Avenue, designed by KPMB Architects for GWL Realty Advisors

The 2024 settlement also introduced 20 units of affordable rental housing, while a more recent reassessment bumped that number to 24, all to be found on levels 2 and 3, in a mix of 16 one-bedroom, 6 two-bedroom, and 2 three-bedroom afforadble suites. Other details of the updated materials show that the entire building is now meant to the purpose-built, market-rate rental residential, with a total of 598 market units in a mix of 167 studios, 218 one-bedroom, 152 two-bedroom, and 61 three-bedroom suites. New Gross Floor Area of 52,552m² will be added to the building (52,358.3m² of which is residential) while the existing building represents 14,209.1m², of which 193.7m² is retail.

Looking west to the current 200 University Avenue plan, designed by KPMB Architects for GWL Realty Advisors

Residential amenities will be partially found on the 14th level, recessed from the full extent of each of the elevations, and therefore enjoying outdoor amenity terrace space as well. The 15th and 16th level will retain mechanical functions, while the elevator and stair cores will be extended through it. A 17th level will be constructed as more mechanical, but mostly functioning to join the new tower to the existing below. The 18th level plus the 20th level through to the 54th will contain new residential space, while the 19th level will provide more indoor amenity space as well as being home to the building's rental leasing offices.

Site location on the southwest corner of University Avenue and Richmond Street West in Downtown Toronto, image from submission to City of Toronto

Significant other planning acitivity is found in the surrounding blocks. To the north, a similar height increase is planned at 250 University, to rise 47 storeys, while the redevelopment of the Canada Life campus at 330 University looks to bring four new building, with one as high as 71 storeys. Osgoode subway station is being expanded currently to add a new Ontario Line 3 station to it at Queen and University. Development plans to the west include 241 Richmond West at 41 storeys and RioCan Hall with towers of 37 and 42 storeys. Southwest, 260 Adelaide West and the Freed Hotel & Residences is planned at 61 and 63 storeys respectively. South of the site, proposals include 217 Adelaide West (23 storeys), 150 Pearl Street (57 storeys), and 100 Simcoe (67 storeys).

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Residential Rental 'The Bourne' Climbs Above Heritage Base on Sherbourne

Anthony Teles — Mon, 28 Sep 2026 12:29:03 -0400

Since UrbanToronto’s last update in April, 2026, The Bourne, a 56-storey residential rental development from Medallion Corporation, has progressed well into tower floor construction. Rising in Toronto’s St James Town neighbourhood at 591 Sherbourne Street south of Bloor Street East, the base of the Arcadis-designed complex incorporates the heritage three-storey Thomas Cruttenden Building at 601 Sherbourne, built in 1902, and a rear addition at 3 through 7 Howard Street, built by 1910.

A sweeping northeasterly view from late July, 2026 places what was then a 13-storey, crane-topped concrete frame at the south end of a growing cluster of towers at Sherbourne and Bloor. Still well short of its neighbouring high-rises, the structure was beginning to register above the adjacent remaining low-rise rooftops and tree canopy. Following a short gap in the skyline, another cluster of towers rises to the right, clustered along Sherbourne south to Wellesley Street, and in behind to the east.

Elevated view looking northeast to The Bourne rising within the St James Town skyline, image by UrbanToronto Forum contributor rhinocopter

Looking to the southeast across Sherbourne and Howard streets in early September, 2026, the Thomas Cruttenden Building anchors the corner beneath The Bourne’s rising tower. The three-storey heritage structure and its rear addition features red-brick masonry, stone window heads and sills, and a rounded corner crowned by a projecting decorative cornice. Metal fire escapes cross the north facade, while rough-faced masonry and boarded storefront openings define the ground level. The exteriors of the heritage structures will undergo restoration later in the process.

Looking southeast to the retained Thomas Cruttenden Building and adjoining heritage brickwork, image by UrbanToronto Forum contributor christiesplits

Seen from the northeast, work on The Bourne has progressed to the 17th floor, where slab decking, timber side forms, and temporary perimeter fencing define the active forming level. Two construction hoist masts rise to the 11th floor along the east elevation. Below, the concrete of the podium levels project to the east, creating a broad shoulder beneath the tower, while the retained red-brick heritage Thomas Cruttenden rear addition can be seen at the right.

Looking southwest to construction hoists on the north elevation, image by UrbanToronto Forum contributor christiesplits

Meanwhile, the first sections of exterior cladding have appeared along The Bourne’s fifth-floor west elevation, with a short return onto the south face. Smooth powder-coated, bronze aluminum panels with expressed vertical joints form intermittent bands across the slab edges. This installation varies from the red brick-veneered precast panels that appear on the possibly outdated Site Plan Application materials submitted with the building's planning applications.

Looking east to the first brown cladding panels on the west and south elevations, image by UrbanToronto Forum contributor Froggy

Upon completion, The Bourne will rise 166.4m and bring 592 rental units to St James Town.

Looking southeast to The Bourne, designed by Arcadis for Medallion Corporation

* * *

News Roundup for September 28, 2026

UrbanToronto Staff — Mon, 28 Sep 2026 09:02:52 -0400

Outcry helps reverse VIA Rail plan to completely end Guildwood service, Cities prepare for next surge of people needing refugee shelters, University Avenue work another reason to leave the car at home…

Via Rail reverses decision to cut Guildwood Station service, but MPs say it’s only being partially restored (The Star)

Canada’s refugee shelters are getting ready for the next surge. Here’s how cities are building a system that works (The Star)

Lane reductions begin on University Ave., construction to continue until 2027 (CityNews)

Wired

Craig White — Mon, 28 Sep 2026 06:00:00 -0400

Overhead wires slice the sky between recently built condos towers in Downtown Toronto: 252 Church at left, and Social at Church and Dundas, each having non-standard exteriors. While 252 Church's windows are offset every couple of floors, Social's balconies sport peaks and valleys like waves (an effective design from this vantage point, but lost as you move away from the building). Both non-standard exteriors act as if the power surging through the wires may be affecting them, each reacting differently, each adding to variety on the local skyline.

image by UrbanToronto Forum contributor prtk.g

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Multi-Tower Ajax Proposal Grows Denser as Development Nears

Craig White — Fri, 25 Sep 2026 17:03:36 -0400

The redevelopment of a former industrial site on Bayly Street in Ajax is getting closer as a revised Site Plan Approval submission is being reviewed by the planning department in the town east of Toronto. Initially proposed in 2022 by 95 Developments, a company that has been specializing in condominium projects on the east side of Toronto, especially in Scarborough, this Ajax site on the west side of its expanding downtown area was targeted for four slab-style buildings rising from mid-rise podiums, three to 20 storeys and one to 13 storeys, in an area that has long been home to low-rise commercial/industrial buildings.

Looking northwest to the 2022 proposal, designed by Broadview Architect for 95 Developments

In early 2024, the plan was revised to five slab-style buildings clustered around a central open space and rising to 25 storeys from 7-storey podiums. This plan would have brought 1,773 residential units, 180,000m² of Gross Floor area of which 1,710m² is of office space, and 1,030m² is of retail space. Three levels of underground parking was planned.

Looking southwest to the 2024 resubmission, designed by Gold Land Architects and Engineers for 95 Developments

In mid-2024, the single-storey commercial/industrial warehouse on the site was torn down. To the east of Monarch Avenue (upper right corner of the image), recently built townhomes can be seen. Top-left-centre of the image, a surface parking area is part of the development site. To the west and north, (left and top edges of the image), low-rise commercial/industrial buildings surround the site, including a McDonalds with drive-through, just a corner of which is seen at the extreme left.

Looking northwest across the site while the previous warehouse was being demolished, image by UrbanToronto Forum contributor FutureDurham

Now in 2026, the plan has grown considerably again, this time with seven towers all of 33 storeys now planned. The buildings, designed by Gold Land Architects and Engineers and now dubbed The Rose Hill on Monarch, will bring approximately 3,100 suites to the site over a Gross Floor Area of 203,493m², with parking for 2,570 motor vehicles over three underground levels plus ground level parking, both at surface and indoors. Of that total, 240 spaces will be available to visitors, and 90 spaces are for commercial prupsoes. Parking for 2,172 bicycles is also to be provided onsite, 1,961 of the spaces long-term, and 211 short-term.

Looking northwest to the 2026 proposal, designed by Gold Land Architects and Engineers for 95 Developments

Proposed to be built in two larger phases and six sub-phases, the two buildings fronting Bayly Street and the middle one along Monarch Avenue would be built first. The northern one on Monarch Avenue, plus the three towers on the west side of the site would follow. Between the towers on the northern portion of the site would be a landscaped greenspace, with rose plantings aimed at giving the project the flower beds that its marketing name promises. Indoor amenity space of 1,524m² and outdoor amenity space of 4,473m² is provided.

Looking southwest to the seven-tower plan for The Rose Hill on Monarch, designed by Gold Land Architects and Engineers for 95 Developments

Restaurant and retail space of 2,080m² is proposed on the ground level of the buildings, generally where they front onto roads, seen in pink shades on the plan below. A medical clinic of 138m² is planned. On the northern-most part of the property, a westerly extension of Stonewood Street would provide road access to the entrances for the western second phase towers and their parking and servicing facilities. A portion of land in the northeast corner of the lot would be given to the Town of Ajax, ostensibly for a modest green space.

Ground level of The Rose Hill on Monarch, by phase, designed by Gold Land Architects and Engineers for 95 Developments

Six of the seven towers are proposed to be served by three elevators each, with four elevators in the northwestern-most tower. With 22 elevators serving 3,100 suites, an average of one elevator for every 141 suites indicates that very high speed motors would be required to provide adequate response times when all elevators are operating.

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e lofts Conversion Progresses as Former Parking Garage Comes Down

Anthony Teles — Fri, 25 Sep 2026 12:30:00 -0400

Garage demolition and facade installation have progressed at the e lofts site at 250 Ferrand Drive in Toronto’s Flemingdon Park neighbourhood, an adaptive reuse project that retains the structural frame of a former 15-storey office building. Designed by Core Architects for Amexon Development Corporation. UrbanToronto last reported on progress to convert the building into 331 purpose-built rental suites in early July, 2026.

Looking southeast to 250 Ferrand Avenue, from before transformation work began, image via Apple Maps

A mid-August visit to the site by an UrbanToronto Forum contributor updated the status of much of the work. Looking east across Ferrand Drive, the northwest elevation shows twelve levels of new cladding applied to the residential level, while the ground level awaits its broad new glass walls. Cladding here is applied in a staggered grid that repeats every four storeys, inserting putatively randomized vertical panels between windows to animate the exteriors. Installation reaches within two storeys of the roof, leaving concrete slabs, columns, and temporary guardrails exposed up top. Solid concrete end walls bracket each elevation.

Looking east to the northwest elevation’s new facade and unenclosed upper floors, image by UrbanToronto Forum contributor flonicky

A return visit a month later show that by mid-September, another level of glazing has been applied to the structure, with some panels still to be installed while one final floor plus rooftop screening remains to be added. The crane’s blue mast and orange upper assembly rise behind the roofline. At the corner, the angle of the glazing doesn't reflect light in this direction, making the narrow notch between projecting concrete end walls appear simply as a dark void, other than where the second-to-top floor awaits its enclosure.

A mid-September visit shows another level of cladding has been applied, image by UrbanToronto Forum contributor flonicky

A close-up details continuous white bands at the floor slabs, while offset vertical panels divide window bays. Dark mullions and transoms subdivide blue-tinted reflective glazing into narrow operable windows and larger fixed panes. Orangey-brown accents alternate with charcoal-coloured sections.

A close-up of the facade’s glazing and staggered framing, image by UrbanToronto Forum contributor flonicky

Looking through the landscaped forecourt, a patterned paver walkway approaches the building between concrete steps, metal handrails, and raised masonry planters. A sloped concrete section flanks the foreground stairs, while red caution tape restricts portions of the route. This area will be entirely removed and reworked to suit the needs of the building's residents.

Looking southeast along the landscaped approach to the ground floor, image by UrbanToronto Forum contributor flonicky

Below, a view facing southwest from a neighbouring property reveals chunks of concrete and tangled reinforcing steel where the office tower's garage once stood. Slab and wall fragments cover the cleared ground, with equipment tracks crossing exposed soil. Clearance of the garage will allow temporary landscaping pending a separate second phase of redevelopment east of the e lofts building.

Looking southwest across concrete rubble and exposed reinforcing steel, image by UrbanToronto Forum contributor flonicky

Standing at 64.69m, e lofts continues its conversion into a purpose-built rental community.

e lofts, designed by Core Architects for Amexon Development Corporation

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News Roundup for September 25, 2026

UrbanToronto Staff — Fri, 25 Sep 2026 09:09:48 -0400

Should Bloor Line 2 be extended to Square One? First time homebuyers should expect the unexpected on the home search as marketplace becomes unpredicatble. Refusal to rename Lake Ontario proves a boon for MapQuest. Province says it will dictate AI Centre locations. And more...

Mayoral candidate Bonnie Crombie wants the TTC subway extended to Mississauga’s city centre (The Star)

First-time homebuyers should still prepare for the ‘Wild, Wild West’ (The Globe and Mail)

MapQuest GM goes where his app says: Lake Ontario (CityNews)

‘We control who and where’: Province at odds with municipalities over AI data centres (Global News)

Couple says city erred when it approved replacing a bungalow with 4-storey duplex (CBC News)

Active

Craig White — Fri, 25 Sep 2026 06:00:00 -0400

Every September, Hamilton sees a weekend-long "closure" of James Street North that actually opens up the street. Supercrawl brings out throngs of people to enjoy free entertainment, art installations, food vendors, retailers, and community agency activations... Festivals like it, the many new residential projects popping up across Downtown Hamilton, and other reinvestment are increasing the liveability, and fun factor, of a city that spent many years on the decline.

Supercrawl "closes" James Street North in Hamilton for three days every September, actually opening it up, image by UrbanToronto Forum contributor legoswmonkey

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QueenChurch Podium Rises Above Retained Heritage in Garden District

Anthony Teles — Thu, 24 Sep 2026 16:44:01 -0400

QueenChurch’s podium has climbed several levels higher into the air since UrbanToronto’s last update in March, 2026, rising above retained heritage facades at the northeast corner of Queen and Church streets in Downtown Toronto. Developed by Tridel and Bazis, the 57-storey condominium tower brings together Design Architect Rosario “Roy” Varacalli, KIRKOR Architects, Architect of Record Core Architects, and heritage architect GBCA Architects. As concrete work advances, the historic frontages await restoration and integration into the podium, a short walk east of Queen station on Yonge Line 1 and its future interchange with the under-construction Ontario Line 3.

Looking northwest from across Queen Street East in July, 2026, QueenChurch’s reinforced concrete podium had work advancing through the third level, while exposed concrete columns to the east support partial decking for the fourth-floor slab, with rebar seen projecting above. Rows of yellow shoring posts support the slab formwork below, including taller shores spanning the taller ground-floor height. Temporary fencing lines the working decks, while hoarding with a covered pedestrian walkway wrap the street frontage.

Looking northwest from Queen Street East to early podium levels and slab formwork, image by UrbanToronto Forum contributor Mihairokov

In August, 2026, the increasingly defined five-storey podium stood beside the bronze-coloured 88 Queen, with decking extending across the sixth-floor slab level and vertical formwork rising towards the seventh at right. Concrete columns and slab edges establish the bays that will receive glazing and metal panels, including curtain wall vision and spandrel glass on the lower levels. Above the tall ground floor, deep concrete downstand beams frame broad areas of exposed second-floor slab soffit. A green cantilevered loading platform projects from the second floor on the east elevation.

Looking west to podium progress and a projecting loading platform, image by UrbanToronto Forum contributor Mihairokov

From across Church Street, the podium now rises behind the retained heritage facades. Red and brown brick frontages with masonry piers and decorative brickwork retain their tall window openings behind the black hoarding. To the right, plywood covers portions of the frontages as they await restoration. Overhead, slab formwork extends along the podium’s western edge, with red column forms and rebar projecting from the tops of columns above the latest deck.

Looking southeast from Church Street to podium construction above the retained brick heritage facades, image by UrbanToronto Forum contributor ProjectEnd

From across both Queen and Church, the yellow-painted heritage frontage anchors the intersection with a rounded corner bay capped by a conical, shingle-clad turret roof. Immediately east, a substantial green steel retention frame with diagonal bracing supports the adjoining masonry. Behind both, the staggered progress across the podium is apparent, with the eastern end reaching five storeys beneath sixth-floor work while the western end’s fifth floor takes shape.

Looking northeast from Queen and Church to stepped podium construction, image by UrbanToronto Forum contributor ProjectEnd

This month, looking north from across Queen Street, we see projecting formwork decks at the fourth through seventh floors, tracing the podium’s stepped profile. Rebar cages extend above the uppermost deck alongside column formwork. Below, the removal of the green steel retention frame has opened views of the blue-green painted brick heritage wall beside the yellow corner turret. Weathered paint exposes patches of red brick around rectangular window openings, while a central opening retains an arched masonry head beneath decorative brickwork at the eaves. Renderings show this area returning to its original red brick exterior by the time the work is finished.

Looking north to upper podium formwork and exposed heritage brickwork, image by UrbanToronto Forum contributor CLT

Upon completion, QueenChurch will rise 186.5m and deliver 443 condominium units.

Looking northeast to QueenChurch, designed by Kirkor for Tridel and Bazis

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Skyscraping Markham Proposal Moves from Condo to Rental

Craig White — Thu, 24 Sep 2026 13:04:00 -0400

A proposal for a skyscraping residential tower in Markham, first proposed by the current owner at 30 storeys in 2022, then bumped to 45 storeys in 2023 after Major Transit Station Areas (MTSAs) were introduced, is morphing again after it was approved at 42 storeys in 2025. (The Province of Ontario is looking for denser development within MTSAs.) Currently home to a single-storey car wash facility, the site is next to low-rise commercial buildings to its north and west, and low-rise residential to the east.

Location of 77 Anderson Avenue in Markham's Mount Joy neighbourhood, image from submission to City of Markham

Located across Bur Oak Avenue south of it is Mount Joy GO station, and it's that proximity to transit that is keeping redevelopment of the property at 77 Anderson Avenue a high priority for Treasure Hill Homes. The change this time is a response to the current housing market in the Greater Toronto Area: with the region in the midst of a condominium sales crisis following years of rapid price increases that have kept condo suite investors from realizing rents that are high enough to cover their carrying costs, demand for new housing remains pent up. To overcome the current barriers to homeownership, Treasure Hill Homes is now planning the building as purpose-built rental units.

Looking northeast to 77 Anderson from the Mount Joy GO station parking lot, designed by Graziani + Corazza Architects for Treasure Hill Homes

The switch to rental tenure for the building comes with a redistribution of the building's Gross Floor Area into fewer but larger units. In the previous condo form, the building was subdivided into 490 suites over 42 storeys, 9 of which formed the podium at the base. In the rental revision, still designed by Graziani + Corazza Architects, the building remains 42 storeys, but the podium has been cut down to just 4 storeys and the number of units has dropped to 395. Served by four elevators, the there would be one cab per every 99 units, indicating reasonable response times when all elevators are operational, provided that high-enough speed motors are purchased.

Looking northeast to the looby entrance to 77 Anderson, designed by Graziani + Corazza Architects for Treasure Hill Homes

A unit mix of 99 one-bedrooms (~25%), 222 two-bedrooms (~56%), and 74 three-bedrooms (~19%) is proposed. This mix is atypical, representing a much high than normal percentage of family-sized units than in most buildings on offer today, indicating an aim to a wider demographic that may find the suites suitable for multiple age ranges and stages of life. Amenity space is planned primarily on the fifth floor, where 667m² of indoor space and 520m² of outdoor space would take advantage of its position with direct access to podium rooftops. Another indoor/outdoor mix of amenity space is proposed on the second level with 57m² and 47m² respectively. On the ground level, 373m² of commercial/retail space is proposed.

Looking east to driveway access to 77 Anderson, designed by Graziani + Corazza Architects for Treasure Hill Homes

With the building's proximity to Mount Joy GO station, a one-for-one units to parking space ratio is not being considered for the 395 suites. Parking on four underground levels is being proposed with 210 resident spaces, and 60 visitor and commercial spaces. 6 short term spaces are proposed by the front doors at ground level. Bicycle parking is proposed at 198 resident spaces and 40 visitor spaces.

Looking northeast to 77 Anderson, designed by Graziani + Corazza Architects for Treasure Hill Homes

There are several other developments proposed in the area. While Liberty Development's first two 22-storey Joy Station condo towers are complete nearby to the north, the company is proposing two 33-storey towers to follow in Phase 2. National Homes plans an 18-storey tower/townhouse mix at Station Town. Completed to the west in recent years are Empire and Pace's 18-storey The Mark Condos and Flato's 14-storey ArtHouse Condos. Most significantly, Infrastructure Ontario is planning a development of six residential towers between 28 and 38 storeys high on portions of the Mount Joy GO station parking lot, while moving parking underground and providing retail and green space at grade.

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News Roundup for September 24, 2026

UrbanToronto Staff — Thu, 24 Sep 2026 09:46:13 -0400

Canada growing more slowly than it has in 80 years, what privatization could mean for Pearson Airport, unsold condo units snapped up by institutional investor, what the mayor and councillors can and cannot do:

Before railing at city hall, understand what your mayor and council can — and can’t — do (The Star)

Ontario-backed High Art Capital pays $22.3-million for 43 unsold Toronto condo units (The Globe and Mail)

What Mark Carney’s new privatization plan could mean for Pearson travellers (CBC News)

Canada’s population growth continues its decline, StatCan says (Global News)

Perspective

Craig White — Thu, 24 Sep 2026 06:00:00 -0400

A line of new towers recedes into the distance along the north side of future Downes Street in Toronto's Lower Yonge Precinct. An extension to Downtown, the former industrial port area is quickly racking up new residential towers, resulting in demand for more circulation space. Once fences come down and the street opens, the fresh perspective down Downes will end — initially at a Loblaws parking garage, and further into the future following redevelopment, all the way — at Richardson Street.

Looking east down future Downes Street in Downtown Toronto, image by UrbanToronto Forum contributor ptrk.g

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Hoem Garden District Student Residence Tops Off on Sherbourne

Anthony Teles — Wed, 23 Sep 2026 16:34:42 -0400

In the time since UrbanToronto’s July, 2026 update, Hoem Garden District has now topped off at 21 storeys with cladding continuing to climb up the student residence on Sherbourne Street. Designed by Superkül for MPI Group and HOEM Management, the development marks the partners’ second purpose-built student residence, located in Downtown Toronto’s Garden District near Gerrard Street East and Toronto Metropolitan University. At its base, the retained late-19th-century house at 300 Sherbourne Street is being partially restored under the guidance of ERA Architects.

Looking south along Sherbourne Street in August, 2026, the topped-off building's mechanical penthouse is formed above the uppermost residential floor. The crane rises alongside the east elevation at left. In front, the 18-storey north volume is capped by a pronounced parapet. Exposed concrete columns and slab edges define the upper elevations, where temporary guardrails and shoring poles remain in place, while cladding can be seen climbing just above foreground trees.

A distant looking south to Hoem Garden District’s topped-off tower and mechanical penthouse, image by UrbanToronto Forum contributor CLT

The construction hoist rises along the junction of the two tower volumes. Panelized cladding extends eight storeys above the podium, with portions of a ninth underway at right, incorporating dark-framed glazing. On the left-hand volume, projecting window surrounds add depth to the facade. Below, black-framed windows have been fitted into portions of the podium amid exposed concrete and weatherproofing materials.

Looking west to the construction hoist and advancing cladding between the tower volumes, image by UrbanToronto Forum contributor FormerTorontonianBackInTO

Cladding wraps around the shorter volume’s northeast corner, establishing a grid of slender piers and horizontal bands framing tall strips of glazing and louvred slab panels. Below, the three-storey podium’s north elevation features regularly spaced punched windows. A temporary scaffold platform runs next to the street frontage, adjoining the scaffolding and green protective netting surrounding the retained heritage house at 300 Sherbourne Street. Its steep mansard roof and arched dormer peek above the enclosure, with buff brickwork visible.

Looking southwest to the north elevation, podium, and scaffolded heritage house, image by UrbanToronto Forum contributor skycandy

A close-up of the tower floors highlights the south and east elevations’ tall rectangular window bays, grouped across multiple floors within projecting dark surrounds. Mullions divide the glazing vertically, while opaque spandrel panels separate windows at successive floor levels. Metal louvres are visible, with wider glazed assemblies near the corner. Fine horizontal and vertical joints articulate the panelized facade.

A close-up of the south and east elevations’ projecting window frames and glazing, image by UrbanToronto Forum contributor skycandy

This month, a distant view places Hoem Garden District at the left of the skyline. Cladding has reached the 13th floor, with sections extending onto the 14th on the left. The much taller One Bloor West is farther away to the northwest.

A distant view looking northwest to Hoem Garden District and the surrounding skyline, image by UrbanToronto Forum contributor skycandy

Hoem Garden District will stand 71.04m tall and provide 173 rental units for students.

Looking southwest to Hoem Garden District, designed by Superkül for MPI Group and HOEM Management Inc

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University Health Network, CreateTO Advance Dunn House 2

Craig White — Wed, 23 Sep 2026 11:55:12 -0400

Plans are firming up for a supportive housing complex on the northeast corner of Springhurst and Close avenues in Parkdale. Designed by Montgomery Sisam Architects, the 54-studio-unit building for the City of Toronto and the University Health Network (UHN) known as Dunn House Phase 2, is the next part of the UHN Social Medicine Initiative. Just to the northeast at 90 Dunn Avenue, "early results" from the first phase of the initiative "show that pairing housing with health care can significantly reduce emergency department visits and hospital stays, improving health outcomes while reducing pressure on Toronto’s health care system," according to CreateTO, which will carry out the City's role in the project.

Looking northwest to Dunn House Phase 2 at Springhurst and Close avenues, design ed by Montgomery Sisam Architects for the University Health Network and CreateTO

Previously referenced in an April, 2026 article on UrbanToronto, the site is now restricted to two adjacent parcels: 78 Springhurst Avenue, and 1-3 Close Avenue, the former of which currently has a two-storey rental home on it (the tenants of which the City will relocate), and the latter of which is vacant following the demolition of two semi-detached homes. These two properties are only a portion of the UHN-owned lands on the block, which also include 74 Springhurst (skipping 76) and contiguous properties further north along Close Avenue. UHN's Toronto Rehabilitation Institute's Bickle Centre and Lakeside Centre, along with the original Dunn House, are adjacent to the north. In the image below, Dunn House can be seen detailed above the proposal, while the Toronto Rehab's Bickle Centre is seen adjacent to it.

Looking northeast to Dunn House Phase 2 at Springhurst and Close avenues, design ed by Montgomery Sisam Architects for the University Health Network and CreateTO

The site is a block east of Jameson Avenue, and across Springhurst Avenue from a series of narrow parcels and corridors: first to the south is Springhurst Parkette, followed by the slop down to the Lakeshore West GO and VIA corridor, followed by the westbound lanes of Lake Shore Boulevard West, then the trenched Gardiner Expressway way, then the eastbound lanes of Lake Shore Boulevard West, then the tree slope of Marilyn Bell Park which gradually descends to Lake Ontario.

Looking north to Dunn House Phase 2 at Springhurst and Close avenues, design ed by Montgomery Sisam Architects for the University Health Network and CreateTO

The building is planned as an 8-storey, 34.7metre-high, red brick veneer over concrete structure with glazed green accent brick at the entrance and amenity terrace, and charcoal-toned concrete brick veneer at ground level. While the tower section is generally rectangular, the ground level angles to the southeast along the Springhurst Avenue frontage, with a full height wall with punched openings at the second storey to allow views to the south from an amenity terrace with green roof sections. Waist-height steel picket guardrails line the openings.

Looking east to Dunn House Phase 2 at Springhurst and Close avenues, design ed by Montgomery Sisam Architects for the University Health Network and CreateTO

The new Dunn House phase is meant to build on the success of Dunn House, completed in 2024 and operated by Fred Victor, a charity that fights homelessness through shelters and employment programs, and which was Canada’s first social medicine housing initiative. Phase 2's 54 studio units will be leased as rent-geared-to-income housing focusing on at-risk seniors. Residents will have access to health, dining, and social services onsite.

Amenity Terrace at Dunn House Phase 2 at Springhurst and Close avenues, design ed by Montgomery Sisam Architects for the University Health Network and CreateTO

Funding for the project is coming from the federal government through Build Canada Homes ($21.6M), the Province of Ontario (up to $2.6M in annual operational funding). Through CreateTO, the City of Toronto is acting as developer of the new home, with a City Council-authorized capital grant of up to $8.1M. At a later stage, the City of Toronto will select a non-profit housing provider to operate Dunn House 2.

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News Roundup for September 23, 2026

Craig White — Wed, 23 Sep 2026 09:31:13 -0400

Toronto is wasting its political potential, Lithium-ion battery fires highlight need for regulations, Princess Margaret Cancer Foundation receives historic anonymous gift, Dangerous driving follows neighbourhood street redesign, and more…

Toronto is not living up to its potential, political experts tell panel (The Star)

The dangerous wait for battery regulations (The Globe and Mail)

Anonymous donor gifts $100M to Princess Margaret Cancer Foundation (CBC News)

'Dangerous driving' complaints from Scarborough neighbourhood following street redesign (CTV News)

Chow, Bradford, Alexander face off in Board of Trade mayoral debate (CityNews)

Number of Ontario LTC homes requiring 'exceptional circumstances' bail outs growing (Global News)

Captive

Craig White — Wed, 23 Sep 2026 06:00:00 -0400

The Monarch Building on Wellington Street used to be one of the higher buildings on its block in Toronto's King West area, but it and its neighbours are now sandwiched between The Well — in the foreground of this image — and KING Toronto, still under construction behind it. These two major developments have utterly changed the area west of Spadina Avenue, and the change continues as upcoming residential and retail openings come along with new public realm. So, while the older buildings may now look like they are being held captive between their more broad-shouldered neighbours, it's a better 'hood they're now hanging in.

The Monarch Building appears surrounded by newer, larger buildings north and south of it, image by UrbanToronto Forum contributor Rendezvous Rama

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Ontario Land Tribunal Ratifies Three Development Proposal Settlements

Craig White — Tue, 22 Sep 2026 17:11:38 -0400

The Ontario Land Tribunal (OLT) has recently ratified three development proposal settlements in Toronto.

At 110 Sheppard Avenue East in Willowdale — just across Kenneth Avenue from the North York City Centre area — Streamliner Properties proposed dual towers soaring to 49 and 53 storeys, submitting Official Plan Amendment, Zoning Bylaw Amendment, and Site Plan Approval applications to the City in March, 2025. Proposed to rise 165.25m and 177.3m respectively from atop a shared podium ranging from five to seven storeys, a Gross Floor Area of 78,330m², and bringing 1,313 units to the site, the City balked at the height and density requests.

Looking northeast to the ground realm of 110 Sheppard Avenue East, as amended, designed by Sweeny &Co for Streamliner Properties

Currently onsite, a 10-storey office tower would be demolished to make way for the complex. To the north is an 18-storey residential building, while to the immediate east, a 14-storey building is under construction: proximity to Sheppard-Yonge station on lines 1 and 4, about 550m to the west, is driving densification of the area. A block to the northeast, however, the built form gives way to low-rise, mostly single family homes.

Revised plans for 110 Sheppard Avenue East, looking east and north respectively, designed by Sweeny &Co for Streamliner Properties

The City and developer settled at two towers of 42 and 46 storeys, 143.1m and 155.2m high, with 1,136 units (about 13% fewer) spread across a GFA on 70,500m², representing a 10% reduction in area, meaning average suite sizes increase slightly. The development will still be the tallest and densest within a couple blocks.

At 2912 Sheppard Avenue East, one property to the east of Victoria Park Avenue, in April, 2025 Hazelview Investments proposed 50 storeys and 590 suites to replace a two-storey commercial plaza. Within steps of a planned future transit — either an extension of the Sheppard Line 4 subway, or along a Sheppard East LRT, whichever is chosen by Metrolinx to extend rapid transit from Line 4's current terminus at Don Mills Road east to the Scarborough City Centre area — Major Transit Station Area legislation promotes major new density here too.

Looking northwest to 2912 Sheppard Avenue East, designed by architects—Alliance for Hazelview Investments

The City wanted less tower than proposed, however, and not just in height. While the City and developer settled for a reduction to 46 storeys and 544 units, a reduction in the building's floor-plate from 850m² to 750m² was also agreed upon, bringing the bulk of this tower into line with what the City normally accepts size-wise. Normally this floor-plate size aims to reduce the impact of shadows by creating point tower forms, but this tower will be more slender than normal east-to-west, keeping its north-south dimensions long, and creating a cereal box form.

Update elevations for 2912 Sheppard Avenue East, designed by architects—Alliance for Hazelview Investments

In November 2022, First Capital proposed a partial redevelopment of their commercial plaza on the northeast corner of Lawrence Avenue East and Midland Avenue with a pair of residential towers rising to 25 and 35 storeys from five and eight-storey podiums, with some ground level retail in the mix. In the Fall of 2025, the proposal was substantially revised to 33 and 43-storey towers in new locations, while removing a park dedication and instead offering payment in lieu. Objections from the City included the withdrawal of the onsite parkland dedication, and the developments' location within a regulatory flood plain.

Looking northeast to the 2025 version of 2650 Lawrence Avenue East, designed by Diamond Schmitt Architects for First Capital and Choice Properties REIT

The settlement reworks the building heights and locations, taking into consideration an amended floodplain area, while returning a parkland dedication to the plan. Now approved for 39 and 34 storeys, the buildings will follow the city's 750m floor-plate guidelines, 25m minimum separation distances, and provide at least 15% off the suites as two-bedroom units and 10% as three-bedroom units.

2026 version site plan of 2650 Lawrence Avenue East, designed by Diamond Schmitt Architects for First Capital and Choice Properties REIT

UrbanToronto will continue to follow progress on these developments, but in the meantime, you can learn more about it from our Database file, linked below. If you'd like, you can join in on the conversation in the associated Project Forum thread or leave a comment in the space provided on this page.

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The Dawes Reaches Crown as Cladding Climbs Near Danforth GO

Anthony Teles — Tue, 22 Sep 2026 15:11:45 -0400

Rising east of the colourful Rushden Station near Main Street and Danforth GO in Toronto’s Danforth Village neighbourhood, forming of The Dawes’ 38-storey south tower has reached its mechanical penthouse. Since UrbanToronto’s May, 2026 update, the Arcadis-designed development for Marlin Spring Developments and Osmington has progressed toward topping off. Construction of the 24-storey north tower is still to follow. Although a 2024 Minor Variance approved 43 storeys for the south tower, an April, 2026 Site Plan Approval resubmission returned to the originally Ontario Land Tribunal-approved 38 storeys.

Photographed in July, 2026, concrete columns support the tower over a retained and restored 1906 grain elevator, where scaffold wrapping removal reveals brown corrugated-metal siding, adjoining brickwork, and stripped lower walls with exposed window openings. Reflective vision glazing and opaque spandrel panels within white framing and mullions cover approximately 10 storeys above the tower’s substantial concrete transfer slab. Projecting balconies retain red temporary guardrails beneath the unclad upper frame, with a construction hoist on the east elevation.

Looking north to south tower cladding above the retained heritage grain elevator, image by UrbanToronto Forum contributor flonicky

That month, the south tower stood approximately 36 storeys tall, with a crane above perimeter formwork and decking for the 37th-floor slab. The broad east elevation revealed an elongated floor-plate with narrow north and south faces. Glazing and spandrel glass are interrupted by balcony stacks and a contrasting vertical band of light-coloured panels surrounding dark glazing. The six-storey podium combines cylindrical supports, pale precast panels, and bays awaiting glazing, while a boom lift reaches the third floor.

Looking southwest to the south tower’s rising concrete frame and east elevation cladding, image by UrbanToronto Forum contributor Natika33

From Dawes Road in August, 2026, heritage restoration has brought dark-framed glazing to the grain elevator and adjoining buff-brick facade. The latter features shallow arched window heads and pale projecting sills, and decorative brick banding. Its central entrance remains open, while the elevator’s lower walls retain an unfinished surface around new windows.

Looking southwest to heritage restoration along Dawes Road, image by UrbanToronto Forum contributor flonicky

In late August, west elevation cladding reacheed approximately 13 storeys above the podium, with balcony guards another two floors higher. Exposed slab edges continue above, with tall rebar projecting beneath the tower crane. At the base, substantial transfer slabs bridge open structural bays, while the podium extends northward to the left toward the second crane.

Looking east to west elevation cladding and balcony guards above the connecting podium, image by UrbanToronto Forum contributor CLT

This month, an elevated view shows the south tower with its residential floors completed, and formwork and decking outlining the final mechanical penthouse levels. South elevation step-backs around the 35th and 38th floors form terraces edged by concrete parapets. Cladding reaches approximately the 21st floor. One crane rises above the crown; another stands over the north tower footprint, where the first elevated slab has been formed beside the connecting podium. To the west, Rushden Station's three towers border the Lakeshore East rail corridor beside Danforth GO station.

An elevated view looking northwest to The Dawes’ emerging crown and north tower footprint, with Rushden Station to the west, image by UrbanToronto Forum contributor frontwest

Looking southwest from Danforth Avenue, the narrow north elevation features a central balcony stack with pale guard panels between dark glazed bays framed by white vertical strips. Below, the podium’s open structural bays extend northward to a broad concrete end wall, partly obscured by Danforth Avenue storefronts. The blue crane mast marks the future north tower’s location closer to Danforth.

Looking southwest to north elevation cladding and mechanical penthouse construction, image by UrbanToronto Forum contributor flonicky

Once complete, The Dawes’ north and south towers will rise 83.7m and 143.91m, respectively, delivering 688 condominium units.

Looking northwest to The Dawes, designed by Arcadis for Marlin Spring Developments and Osmington

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Finch West Line 6 Benefitting From Signal, Operational Adjustments

Nolan Xuereb — Tue, 22 Sep 2026 10:12:14 -0400

Three quarters of a year since opening to passengers in December 2025, the Finch West Line 6 LRT is benefiting from a new series of signal and operational adjustments designed to boost speed along the heavily scrutinized line. Running 10.3 kilometres from Line 1’s Finch West station to Humber College's North Campus at Highway 27, the surface route has delivered long-awaited rail connections to a broad swath of North York and Etobicoke.

A Line 6 LRV travels through an intersection on Finch Avenue West, image courtesy of Metrolinx

When Line 6 opened in late 2025, it capped nearly 20 years of planning, debate, and construction following its initial proposal by then-Mayor David Miller in 2007. Conceived under Miller’s Transit City network to introduce light rail along major Toronto arterials, Finch West and the Eglinton Crosstown have been the only lines from the ambitious plan to ever break ground. Construction on Line 6 finally began in 2019, and after overcoming two years of delays beyond its initially projected opening, the line launched with the promise of replacing the chronically congested 36 Finch West bus with a faster, more reliable, and more comfortable rapid transit connection.

A map of Line 6's routing and stations across North York and Etobicoke, image courtesy of Metrolinx

Marking Toronto’s first brand-new rapid transit line since Line 4 Sheppard opened in 2002, the launch of Line 6 brought together a high-profile group of public leaders and representatives. Among those attending the opening day ceremonies were Mayor Chow, Premier Ford, Minister of Transportation Sarkaria, and then-Minister of Infrastructure Surma.

Mayor Chow, Premier Ford, and other representatives of the provincial and municipal governments at the opening of Line 6, December 8, 2025, image courtesy of Kinga Surma

Relief over the delayed opening, however, instantly turned to frustration as Line 6 underperformed straight out of the gate, and gained a reputation as Toronto's slowest and most wasteful rapid transit link. Nearly a third of all trips faced heavy delays during December 2025, while operational trains crawled along at a meager average of 11.2 km/h. One-way travel times along the 10.3-kilometre corridor regularly topped 55 minutes, making the multi-billion-dollar transit investment noticeably slower than the local bus service it was designed to improve upon: the line had been promoted on the promise of 22 km/h speeds and end-to-end runtimes of only 28 minutes.

A Finch West Line 6 LRV travels eastbound through the intersection of Jane Street and Finch Avenue West, getting a green light ahead of left-turning vehicles thanks to recent signal changes, image courtesy of Nolan Xuereb

Facing the public backlash, City Council passed a motion urging the TTC, Metrolinx, and Toronto Transportation Services to speed up the corridor. Key operational changes — like giving LRT trains priority over left-turning traffic at intersections and removing restrictive speed caps that forced light rail vehicles (LRVs) to run below the speed limit — were finally put on the table, something many riders had expected to be active from day one.

Three months later, Mayor Chow announced on social media that a suite of upgrades had been introduced to accelerate the Finch West LRT. Yet a test ride by the author shortly after showed that these much-publicized fixes came nowhere near delivering promised travel times. A end-to-end trip in March 2026 logged in at 41 minutes: a welcome 14-minute reduction from opening day, but still twice as slow as driving and well off the promised 28-minute benchmark.

Looking north along the trenched segment of track on Line 6 directly north of Humber College station, adjacent to Highway 27, image by UrbanToronto forum contributor bearcat

Mayor Chow noted that additional upgrades were slated for later in the year, with a focus on optimizing signal timing at key intersections along the route. City and transit officials aimed to bring the number of red lights encountered by LRT trains as close as possible to zero, while maintaining a smooth flow of traffic and transit on intersecting arterials.

A Finch West Line 6 LRV travels along Finch Avenue West, image courtesy of Metrolinx

Another half a year later, and the long-promised changes to the City's traffic signalling system on Finch Avenue West were rolled out at the start of September, with the TTC announcing revised schedules that took effect on September 6th. This new schedule projected one-way travel times of between 36 and 39 minutes, with the higher estimate expected only during rush hour and the prolonged light cycles it necessitates.

In the weeks following the implementation of the new signalling system and schedules, full-length trips along the line consistently averaged between 33 and 36 minutes, beating TTC projections and coming remarkably close to the originally promised travel times. Furthermore, the once-chronic delays were largely resolved, with Metrolinx noting that on-time performance jumped from 64 per cent to 90 per cent between the line's opening and June, 2026.

A slide from Metrolinx's September 10th, 2026 Board Meeting, image courtesy of Metrolinx

Consequently, ridership along Line 6 has begun to surge, with Metrolinx reporting a passenger increase of over 30 per cent compared to the sluggish, unreliable conditions seen in February, 2026. While the long-term impact remains to be seen, these recent speed improvements are poised to drive usage even more, as the LRT now comfortably outpaces the former bus route in nearly every scenario and regularly matches or beats private vehicle travel times during peak rush hour.

Should the City and the TTC sustain this momentum, hitting the 28-minute target for a one-way trip appears well within reach. Granting Line 6 full signal priority so trains never face red lights along the corridor, combined with resolving route bunching and operational delays, offers the potential to trim another four to six minutes off total travel times. In doing so, residents of western North York and northern Etobicoke may finally get the genuinely rapid connection they have been promised for a generation, providing Toronto with a clear blueprint to improve its broader streetcar and transit network.

A Line 6 LRV travels along its dedicated at-grade right-of-way, image courtesy of UrbanToronto forum contributor drum 118

UrbanToronto will continue to follow progress on Finch West Line 6, but in the meantime, you can learn more about it from our Database files, linked below. If you'd like, you can join in on the conversation in the associated Line 6 Forum thread, or leave a comment in the space provided on this page.

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UrbanToronto has a research service, UTPro, that provides comprehensive data on development projects in the Greater Golden Horseshoe — from proposal through to completion. We also offer Instant Reports, downloadable snapshots based on location, and a daily subscription newsletter, New Development Insider, that tracks projects from initial application

News Roundup for September 22, 2026

UrbanToronto Staff — Tue, 22 Sep 2026 09:35:11 -0400

Ontario has a large crop of municipal candidates for voters in October, what issues face parkdale in particular, real estate investors rattled by suspended payments, and watermain work will slow down University Avenue for half a year:

Ontario feared a drop in municipal candidates: Instead… (the Star)

What are the biggest issues facing Parkdale? We asked residents (CBC News)

Ontario real estate investors in limbo as 'Simple Investor' property firm suspends payments (CTV News)

Watermain replacement work closes lanes on portion of University Avenue until Spring 2027 (CityNews)

Reflective

Craig White — Tue, 22 Sep 2026 06:00:00 -0400

As the light of dawn begins to rise over Lake Ontario to the left of this image, the lighter skies to the east are reflected in the towers of Toronto's Southcore and Harbourfront areas.

Buildings near the foot of Yonge and Bay streets in Downtown Toronto reflect dawn breaking over Lake Ontario to the eastBuildings near the foot of Yonge and Bay streets in Downtown Toronto reflect dawn breaking over Lake Ontario to the east, image by UrbanToronto Forum contributor mburrrrr

This image comes to us courtesy of UrbanToronto Forum contributor mburrrrr. Want to see your work featured as a Daily Photo? You can post in the City Photos & Videos section of the UrbanToronto Forum, or submit your images to our UrbanToronto Flickr Pool for your chance to be featured on our Front Page.

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4800 Yonge Begins Tower Climb Above Seven-Storey Podium

Anthony Teles — Mon, 21 Sep 2026 16:29:48 -0400

At the southwest corner of Yonge and Sheppard in Toronto's North York Centre area, the seven-storey podium at 4800 Yonge Street is now formed, with tower construction and ground-floor cladding underway for the future 49-storey local landmark. Straddling the curving subway tunnel linking Lines 1 and 4, Menkes Developments’ commercial and residential rental project will provide a new entrance to Sheppard-Yonge subway station. Arquitectonica and B+H Architects lead the design, with Turner Fleischer as Architect of Record.

Looking southwest across the intersection in May, 2026, the reinforced concrete podium stands at six formed storeys. Above, red shoring poles support where an extra-thick transfer slab will be created upon which the 45-degree angled tower floors will be created. Below, a sweeping structural steel canopy frame projects from above the sidewalk, its welcoming peak facing the street corner.

Looking southwest to six formed podium storeys and seventh-floor shoring at Yonge and Sheppard, image by UrbanToronto Forum contributor kris

Moving south a block in June, 2026, a northwest-facing view across Yonge shows all seven podium storeys formed and the tower’s transfer slab taking shape. The south-facing Bogert Street edge to the left reveals the concrete cylindrical columns, while red shoring poles support decking farther north, and remaining there until the concrete cures sufficiently. A yellow construction hoist reaches the sixth floor on the south elevation, and a cantilevered staging platform with protective side panels projects from the third floor along Yonge.

Looking northwest to the seven-storey podium and substantial transfer slab, image by UrbanToronto Forum contributor sunnyraytoronto

Looking to the southeast corner in July, 2026, ground-floor curtain wall installation follows framing earlier that month. Clear glazing encloses several bays beneath exposed insulation, with openings remaining at left. The canopy’s exposed steel beams await white soffit and fascia installation. A compact forklift stands beside glazing units racked on timber for installation along the future retail frontage.

Looking north to ground-floor curtain wall installation at the southeast corner, image by UrbanToronto Forum contributor sunnyraytoronto

A view in August, 2026 captures crews relocating the east elevation’s staging platform from the third to seventh floor in segments, bringing material handling closer to tower construction. A steel-framed section hangs from crane rigging midway up the facade; relocated sections project at upper right, while those awaiting their move remain below at left. At lower right is the work area for the future pedestrian tunnel to Sheppard-Yonge station’s eastbound Line 4 platform.

Looking west to a staging platform segment being lifted along the east elevation, image by UrbanToronto Forum contributor sunnyraytoronto

Looking across Sheppard this month, staging platforms remain at upper and lower levels along the east elevation as relocation continues. Beneath the sweeping canopy frame, ground-floor metal framing advances ahead of further curtain wall installation.

Looking south to transfer slab soffit formwork along the north elevation, image by Ed Skira

A more distant view shows the tower beginning to emerge above the podium. Vertical formwork defines eighth-floor walls, while shoring supports ninth-floor slab decking within the tower’s smaller footprint. A white concrete boom pump stands between the cranes. The transfer slab below is thicker in the northwest corner above which the tower will rise.

Looking south along Yonge Street to eighth-floor tower construction, image by UrbanToronto Forum contributor steveve

Upon completion, 4800 Yonge Street will stand 168.24m tall and deliver 498 rental units.

Looking southwest to 4800 Yonge Street, designed by Arquitectonica, B+H Architects, and Turner Fleischer Architects for Menkes Developments

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Industry Updates: Single-Family Sales Rise, Resale Supply Tightens, Cultural Programming Expands

Anthony Teles — Mon, 21 Sep 2026 14:20:00 -0400

This month’s industry updates highlight uneven housing market conditions, efforts to streamline residential permitting, and new cultural and professional programming across the Greater Golden Horseshoe. Data from the Building Industry and Land Development Association (BILD), the Canadian Real Estate Association (CREA) and the Toronto Regional Real Estate Board (TRREB) point to stronger single-family new home sales, continued condominium market challenges, and tighter resale supply, while Toronto’s new AI pre-check pilot aims to improve building permit applications. At the same time, waterfront art installations, a new Entertainment District event venue, and the returning Architecture & Design Film Festival will expand opportunities for public and private gatherings, alongside conferences, networking, and educational programming from BILD and the Ontario Home Builders’ Association (OHBA).

Toronto skyline, image by UrbanToronto Forum contributor Riseth

Announcements

CMHC Reports Slight Decline in August Housing Starts
Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) reports that the seasonally adjusted annual rate of Canadian housing starts edged down to 229,046 units in August from 229,360 in July. The six-month moving average fell 1.3% to 244,149 units, while actual August starts in centres with at least 10,000 residents declined to 17,691 from 18,112 a year earlier. According to CMHC, modest increases in Quebec and Alberta were insufficient to offset declines elsewhere, with Ontario contributing most notably to the downward trend.

BILD Reports Strong July Sales Growth for GTA Single-Family Homes
BILD reports that 781 new single-family homes were sold across the Greater Toronto Area in July, up 246% from a year earlier and 50% above the 10-year average. Condominium apartment sales increased 40% annually to 237 units but remained 80% below the 10-year average, reflecting continued weakness in that segment. According to BILD, the expanded HST rebate is helping bring buyers into the single-family market, while construction start and completion deadlines attached to the program continue to limit its benefits for condominium development.

TRREB Reports Lower GTA Sales and New Listings in August
TRREB reports that 5,057 homes were sold across the Greater Toronto Area in August, down 2.1% from a year earlier, while new listings fell 14.1% to 12,075. On a seasonally adjusted monthly basis, sales declined slightly from July as new listings increased, though TRREB suggests reduced choice in some neighbourhoods may have constrained transactions. According to the board, tighter inventory and increased buyer competition could lead to renewed price growth, while improving conditions for sellers may encourage more owners to list their homes.

CREA Reports Slight Decline in August Canadian Home Sales
The CREA reports that national home sales declined 0.7% month over month in August and 6.9% from a year earlier, while new listings rose 3.3% from July. Market conditions remained balanced, with 4.8 months of inventory and a national Home Price Index that was unchanged monthly but down 3% annually. According to CREA, rising borrowing costs and renewed economic uncertainty could constrain further housing market activity heading into 2027.

BILD Reports Continued Strength in July GTA Single-Family Home Sales
BILD reports that 1,018 new homes were sold across the Greater Toronto Area in July, an increase from last year’s record July low but still 40% below the 10-year average. Single-family homes accounted for 781 sales, exceeding the 10-year average by 50%, while condominium apartment sales rose 40% year over year to 237 units but remained 80% below their historical average. According to BILD, the expanded HST rebate continues to support single-family home purchases, though construction start and completion requirements are limiting the program’s reach within the condominium sector.

Toronto Launches AI Pre-Check Pilot for Residential Building Permits
The City of Toronto has launched a voluntary Building Permit Application Pre-Check pilot using Clariti’s CivCheck platform to help residential applicants identify potential issues before submitting their documents. The AI tool flags missing or incomplete information and selected zoning and Ontario Building Code concerns, providing references to the relevant requirements so applicants can address them in advance. The initiative aims to reduce revisions and support faster permitting, while City staff continue to review all applications and retain responsibility for permit decisions.

UP Events to Open Above PAI in Toronto’s Entertainment District
Chef Nuit and Jeff Regular, in partnership with restaurateur Janet Zuccarini, will open UP Events on October 1 at 22 Duncan Street, adding a private event venue above PAI in Toronto’s Entertainment District. Designed by Studio Uva, the space will accommodate 125 seated or 200 standing guests, combining Thai design influences with wood, marble, and preserved brick from the historic building. The venue will host weddings, corporate gatherings, and other private functions, with menus curated by chef Nuit drawing on the group’s restaurants and supported by an onsite kitchen, private bar, and flexible room configurations.

Events & Awards

Lassonde Art Trail Welcomed Monira Al Qadiri’s First Sun
The Lassonde Art Trail unveiled Monira Al Qadiri’s First Sun at Cherry Street Plaza in Biidaasige Park on September 12, following its presentation in New York City’s Central Park. Co-commissioned with Public Art Fund, the 17-foot painted aluminum sculpture combines human and scarab forms inspired by the Egyptian deity Khepri, using colour-shifting pigments to explore connections between people and nature. An opening celebration from 5 to 6 PM featured remarks and opportunities to hear from the artist and curators about the work and its Toronto setting.

Public Pier to Bring Cultural Programming to Marina Quay West
Public Pier will run Fridays and Saturdays from September 18 to October 3 at Marina Quay West, offering free admission to waterfront programming that includes food markets, live DJs, dance workshops, and interactive public art. After dark, SILO NIGHTS, curated by OCAD University, will project works by Canadian and international artists onto the Canada Malting Silos, pairing moving imagery with sound. The three-weekend initiative will highlight the site’s potential as a future public park and cultural destination through activities that extend from daytime into the evening.

OHBA Annual Conference Returns to Blue Mountain
OHBA will hold its Annual Conference & Awards from September 27 to 29 at Blue Mountain Resort in Collingwood, bringing together builders, renovators, suppliers, manufacturers, and industry leaders from across Ontario. The three-day program will feature speakers, practical educational sessions, and networking opportunities focused on business development and industry trends. An expanded Partner Tradeshow Expo will provide further opportunities for attendees to connect with companies serving the home building and renovation sectors.

BILD Webinar to Explore Profitability for Renovators and Contractors
BILD will host a webinar on October 7 examining ways custom builders, renovators, and trade contractors can improve project profitability amid slower market conditions. Business strategist Barbara Katz of On Time On Budget Consulting will lead the session, including a practical exercise to help participants estimate unrealized profit and assess opportunities to improve financial performance. Offered free exclusively to BILD members, the online event will run from noon to 1:15 PM and provide strategies attendees can apply to their businesses.

BILD Women’s Lunch to Feature Sarah Wilkes-Lizmore
BILD will host its Women’s Lunch on October 8 at Village Loft in North York, bringing together industry professionals at different stages of their careers for networking and discussion. The members-only event will feature a fireside chat with Sarah Wilkes-Lizmore, an Olympic bronze medallist, world champion curler, and registered psychotherapist. Running from 10:45 AM to 2 PM, the lunch will use mixed seating to encourage connections among attendees, with early registration pricing available until September 24.

Architecture & Design Film Festival Returns to TIFF Lightbox
The Architecture & Design Film Festival will return to Toronto’s TIFF Lightbox from November 4 to 7, with 11 international films alongside panel discussions and special events. Presented by Eventscape, the program will explore how buildings and design movements evolve over time, examining themes of reuse, housing, and the relationship between architecture and community identity. The festival will open with MUNDO FRÁGIL, a portrait of Chilean architect Smiljan Radić by filmmakers Ila Bêka and Louise Lemoine, with the full schedule due September 22 and tickets available October 7.

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Everyone, from construction workers to brokers to real estate executives are encouraged to share news with us to be featured in our weekly updates. If you have some industry-related news to share, let us know by contacting us here.

Yonge and Rosehill Development Site Goes High-End With Expanded Team

Craig White — Mon, 21 Sep 2026 09:56:32 -0400

Plans for are being revised for a residential tower at the northeast corner of Yonge Street and Rosehill Avenue in Toronto's Deer Park area. Proposed to the City of Toronto for a site just two blocks just south of Yonge and St Clair, plans for a 52-storey condo tower have gone from it being a shoebox-sized investor unit building to a high-end luxury residence with far fewer but larger suites, reflecting current conditions of the Toronto real estate market.

Looking northwest to 8 Rosehill from Toronto's ravine trail system, designed by Richard Wengle for North Drive Investments, Originate Developments, Westdale Properties

Steps from St Clair subway station, redevelopment proposals for the combined sites of 1365 and 1375 Yonge Street have been submitted and resubmitted to the City several times, starting in 2014 with a plan to replace the then existing two-storey commercial buildings with modern retail buildings, but still two-storeys tall.

Two views of the 2014 retail proposal for 1365-1375 Yonge, image via Northwest Atlantic Brokerage Inc.

That proposal for the site at the northeast corner of Yonge and Rosehill Avenue did not get off the ground, but Welltower Inc Canada next sought permission for a 17-storey seniors residence with 310 suites was in 2018, titled "Previous" below. A 2020 resubmission, titled "Current" below, kept the height but introduced step-backs and larger setbacks that reduced the bulk of the tower and the number of suites, down to 237.

Looking northeast to the 2018 and 2020 plans for 1365 Yonge Street, images via Welltower Inc. Canada

By July of that same year, a second resubmission with tweaked elevations and slightly increased Gross Floor Area maintained 237 suites but added The Daniels Corporation at Sunrise Senior Living to the development team. Zoning was granted by the City in December, 2020.

Looking northeast to the third version of the senior residence, image via The Daniels Corporation

The seniors residence plan, however, never went forward. Through the Fall of 2020 and the Winter of 2021, the existing two-storey buildings were torn down. (In 2024, padel and pickleball courts opened on the site as an interim use.) Once legislation for Major (and Protected Major...) Transit Station Areas (MTSAs and PMTSAs) had been introduced by the Province — looking to encourage much denser development in places with rapid transit access — the site, by 2023 under the control of Originate Developments, Westdale Properties, and Cameron Stephens Equity Capital, was the subject of new plans to take advantage of the updated planning rules that allowed much more density here, and were proposing over 50 storeys on this site instead.

Looking northeast to the 2023 proposal for a 52-storey residential tower at 1375 Yonge, image via Originate Developments

In March of 2024, the new ownership had zoning approval for a 51-storey, 172.3m high residential tower designed by Moriyama Teshima Architects, with Turner Fleischer Architects as Architect of Record. With a five-storey podium greeting the streets before step-backs reduced the tower floor-plates somewhat, the building was to have 674 units. Resubmissions to the City to address comments were made in 2024 and 2025, resulting in a 167.9 metre-tall version of the building, with 52 storeys including indoor and outdoor amenity spaces on a shared mechanical penthouse level.

Looking northeast to the Moriyama + Teshima/Turner Fleischer version of the tower, image via Originate Developments

Now in 2026, North Drive Investments have been added to the development team, and are leading the branding, now referring to the building through an address at 8 Rosehill. While no resubmission to the City is yet on their planning pages, the team has a new website and is now looking to cater to downsizing empty-nesters, people with large Midtown Toronto homes who would like to stay in the area but who now want a condo lifestyle. Design of the tower exterior is now in the hands of Richard Wengle, often hired to when a developer aims for the luxury market, with the interiors designed by Reflect Architecture. Plans are for only 115 units , starting on the tenth floor, with most floors have just three suites. The uppermost storeys would have just two suites per floor, or full-floor suites.

Looking northeast to 8 Rosehill, designed by Richard Wengle for North Drive Investments, Originate Developments, Westdale Properties

Without an application to the City yet for these changes, the website does not indicate what the new plans are for floors 2 through 9, while the new renderings indicate that retailers can still be assumed on the ground level.

Looking northeast to the ground realm of 8 Rosehill, designed by Richard Wengle for North Drive Investments, Originate Developments, Westdale Properties

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News Roundup for September 21, 2026

UrbanToronto Staff — Mon, 21 Sep 2026 09:17:35 -0400

There are tools for budgeting that the City of Toronto is not yet using, A distant landlord of Toronto tenants holds them at bay, Fences make good neighbours... sometimes, Rental rules are changing, City Council candidate promises to build a new Gardiner ramp, and much more.

Toronto’s budget crisis: The city has tools it’s not using (The Star)

Toronto tenants drove to Montreal to confront their apartment’s owner over rent hikes. They were met with police (The Star)

How a red brick wall in Rosedale sparked a nasty neighbourhood feud — and a million-dollar legal battle (The Star)

Rental rules in Ontario change today. Here’s what tenants and landlords need to know (CBC)

Candidates in Toronto's east end are arguing over a Gardiner ramp that doesn't exist anymore (CBC)

Pickering nuclear reactors start coming offline for massive refurbishment (CTV)

Toronto parking lot could be transformed into micro-home community for the homeless (CTV)

Northlander train still being repaired months after crash during testing (Global)

Restorative

Craig White — Mon, 21 Sep 2026 06:00:00 -0400

In Toronto's tony Rosedale neighbourhood, side-by-side heritage houses on Sherbourne Street North are having their exteriors restored while their interiors are being subdivided to create multiple luxury rental suites.

Heritage homes on Sherbourne Street North being restored while subdivided, image by UrbanToronto Forum contributor Stephen Job ARC

This image comes to us courtesy of UrbanToronto Forum contributor Stephen Job ARC. Want to see your work featured as a Daily Photo? You can post in the City Photos & Videos section of the UrbanToronto Forum, or submit your images to our UrbanToronto Flickr Pool for your chance to be featured on our Front Page.

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Bike Lanes, Bloor Street & Bridging The Urban-Suburban Divide

Guest Columnist, Thomas Bamonte — Fri, 18 Sep 2026 16:59:55 -0400

Of all the topics that have sparked recent debate in Toronto, arguably none have been more polarizing than that of bike lanes. Both sides of the issue are not only incredibly passionate about the subject, but also believe that their respective visions represent the kind of city that Toronto should be. As a result, the contention surrounding the removal of key bike lanes has morphed into a battle for the future of the city - and who (and from where in it) gets to decide what its cityscape will look like.

The Bloor bike lanes west of Lansdowne Avenue, image by UrbanToronto Forum contributor vic

The discourse surrounding the potential removal of bike lanes on Bloor Street West epitomizes this debate. Having spawned an incredibly busy streetcar route and then a subway line to replace it, its status as one of Toronto’s major thoroughfares has endured for more than a century. This role has in recent years extended to active transport, as its protected lanes have become a vital corridor for cyclists and others to reach the downtown core from Etobicoke and other districts in the city’s west. At the same time, the removal of car lanes along Bloor Street in order to create ones for cyclists (with the result that the most direct route from central Etobicoke to downtown now has reduced capacity for cars) has been met with outrage from local residents and prominent politicians. While this issue may appear to be a straightforward cars vs. bikes dispute, the particularities of the areas surrounding Bloor West add new layers to the debate. From Yonge all the way east to Jane, the street is lined with a series of vibrant urban neighborhoods that symbolize the cosmopolitan global city that Toronto has become. By contrast, in addition to being the power base for noted bike lane opponent Doug Ford, much of Etobicoke is representative of the low density, car-oriented suburban landscape that characterizes much of the city outside of Old Toronto — and if it was still the independent city it was pre-amalgamation, there is a good chance that the bike lanes on Bloor would not extend west of the Humber River.

The bike lane debate is not the first time that these heated soul-of-the-city discussions have been had. In the late 2000s and early 2010s, conflicts erupted over the form that transit expansion should take and who deserved to benefit from it most. While these disputes did result in the (eventual) creation of much-needed improvements in the form Lines 5 and 6, it also left transit riders in Scarborough with the short end of the stick on multiple occasions (most notably the closure of Line 3 a decade before its planned replacement) and a strained subway network in the downtown core. A great many of these arguments followed the same patterns as those over the Bloor bike lanes would years later, and both are part of the legacy of amalgamation that affects so much of the urban-suburban divide between Old Toronto and its surrounding districts. This divide remains at the heart of contemporary urban issues in Toronto, and has shaped not only municipal politics but provincial ones as well.

The Bloor bike lanes at Manning Avenue, image by Thomas Bamonte

Yet as the debates surrounding them rage on, the Bloor Street bike lanes have been able to serve as a method of bridging this divide in more ways than just providing a safe conduit for cyclists. For example, their current western end is the intersection of Bloor, Kipling Avenue and Dundas Street West, a location that was formerly the site of the “Spaghetti Junction” Six Points interchange. In addition to symbolizing the transformation of this area into one more friendly to those not driving cars, the fact that this is the bike lanes’ terminus is also emblematic of how Etobicoke City Centre is planned to be an area capable of easily supporting car-free lifestyles - in essence, becoming a dense urban node that has more in common with neighbourhoods closer to the core than the ones immediately surrounding it. While they should not be given primacy (as proponents of removing bike lanes are wont to do), the needs of automobile users should not be discounted entirely: given that Toronto’s land use patterns have emphasized their use for over a decade, large swathes of the city’s urban form are designed around a level of car dependency that will take much time, money and political will to change. Rather, acknowledging their still-vital role while emphasizing urban development policies that lessen dependence on them offers the best path forward for creating a more equitable Toronto.

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Thomas Bamonte is an urban planner with extensive experience in the real estate industry. He is based in Toronto and blogs at https://theurbanistfoodie.substack.com/

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Heritage Toronto Announces 2026 Built Heritage Award Nominees

Craig White — Fri, 18 Sep 2026 16:12:00 -0400

Heritage Toronto has announced the nominees for its 51st annual Heritage Toronto Awards, celebrating half a century of work in preserving and interpreting the city’s history. Presented by Aird & Berlis, the awards highlight contributions across Book, Public History, and Built Heritage categories.

This year’s Built Heritage nominees showcase a diverse range of projects, from facade restorations to adaptive reuses. Up to three projects from the category will be chosen for awards to be presented on October 21, along with winners in the Book and Public History categories.

Three awards will be handed out in the Built Heritage category:

Adaptive Reuse: recognizing projects that meet current needs while maintaining the integrity of the original design vision.

Heritage Planning and Architecture: recognizing the successful application of appropriate conservation and planning principles.

Crafts and Trades: recognizing high levels of craftsmanship, specifically the use of appropriate construction techniques and materials that are compatible to the building’s original architectural qualities.

10 Prince Arthur Avenue

The Morasutti Group/North Drive Investments worked with Design Architect Richard Wengle to integrate a heritage house on the site into a modern condo building. Heritage work was overseen by ERA Architects Inc. and contractor Clifford Restoration Inc.

10 Prince Arthur Avenue, image by Mina Markovic via Heritage Toronto

60 Birmingham Street

The façade of the former Campbell's Soup factory in South Etobicoke was incorporated into a new building behind it when QuadReal Property Group built modern commercial space on the disused factory site. Keeping employment uses the site, the new build was designed by Ware Malcomb Architecture, with ERA Architects overseeing heritage design and HRI Group carrying out the heritage contracting.

The Birmingham, image by Max Yuristy via Heritage Toronto

90 Queen Street East

Parallax Investment Corporation employed ERA Architects and Clifford Restoration to rejuvenate the street-facing sections of 90 through 104 Queen Street East when building a new residential tower in the rear.

Richard Bigley Building at 90 Queen Street East, image by UrbanToronto Forum contributor flonicky

Allan Gardens Palm House Restoration

The City of Toronto had Zeidler Architecture Inc. and Architects Rasch Eckler Associates Ltd. design a restoration of the venerable main greenhouse in Allan Gardens. HRI Group carried out the contracting work.

Allan Gardens Palm House exterior, image by Adrien Williams via Heritage Toronto

Indigenous Hub Heritage Restoration

Developers Tricon Residential, Kilmer Infrastructure, Dream Unlimited engaged ERA Architects and Clifford Restoration to carry out work to revitalize the building which was previously home to the Canary Restaurant, and which the entire Canary District was subsequently named for, as a key component of Cherry Street's new Indigenous Hub operated by Anishnawbe Health.

Indigenous Hub Heritage Restoration, image courtesy of Clifford Restoration via Heritage Toronto

KESKUS Estonian Cultural Centre Heritage Restoration

As part of a modern development at 9 Madison Avenue of the new KESKUS Estonian Cultural Centre, a decaying bay-and-gable home in the Queen Anne-style at 11 Madison Avenue has been restored and incorporated into the centre by Kongats Architects and Harbridge + Cross.

Restoration of 11 Madison Avenue at the KESKUS Estonian Cultural Centre, image by UrbanToronto Forum contributor rdaner

Locke Library Renovation

The Toronto Public Library engaged Building Arts Architects Inc. and Rossclair Contractors Inc. to bring the branch near Yonge and Lawrence up-to-date technically while restoring heritage elements.

Locke Library restoration, image by David Whittaker via Heritage Toronto

Lumsden Building Facade Rehabilitation

Dream Unlimited employed ERA Architects and HRI Group to renew what was an innovative manufactured cast stone façade on this mid-rise, 1909-built office building at Yonge and Adelaide in Downtown Toronto.

Lumsden Building Facade Rehabilitation, image by Emily Long via Heritage Toronto

Morse Street Brick Façades Restoration

Circle Community LandTrust purchased 124 through 128½ Morse Street in Leslieville for social housing, and through People Cooperative engaged Toronto Masonry Restoration to save and restore the building's exterior envelops, meticulously recreating period details.

Morse Street Brick Façades Restoration, image by Stephen Mason via Heritage Toronto

41 Maple Parapet Walls Rebuild

Mace Masonry Team was employed to reconstitute several parapet walls atop and around 41 Maple Avenue, a significant century home in Rosedale.

Parapet Wall Restoration at 41 Maple Avenue, image courtesy of Mace Masonry via Heritage Toronto

Parliament Street Supportive Housing

Dixon Hall, in partnership with Toronto Community Housing and the City of Toronto engaged ERA Architects to detail many aspects of work needed to bring 504 through 508 Parliament Street back to life. HRI Group oversaw the contracting work needed to make the three Second Empire-style townhomes livable as 31 supportive hosing units.

504-508 Parliament Street restoration, image by Riley Snelling via Heritage Toronto

St Lawrence Market North Building

The City of Toronto's team to bring a new North Building to the historic St Lawrence Market site included Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners, Adamson Associates Architects, and ERA Architects.

St Lawrence Market North Building Interior, image courtesy of the St Lawrence Market District via Heritage Toronto

Hugh Matheson Houses

Constructed in 1887 the three remaining of eight original Hugh Matheson Houses on Gloucester Street were restored as part of Concord Adex Corporation's The Gloucester on Yonge condominium development. ERA Architects and Roof TIle Management oversaw the restoration work.

Hugh Matheson Houses at The Gloucester on Yonge, image by Steven Evans via Heritage Toronto

Much more information including more imagery on each project is available on the official site.

The winners of the 51st Heritage Toronto Awards will be announced on October 21, 2026, at a fundraising event at The Carlu. Tickets are available.

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$100 Million Committed to Canada Basketball’s New Home at Humber

Anthony Teles — Fri, 18 Sep 2026 11:20:19 -0400

A $100-million government commitment is advancing Canada Basketball’s first National Training Centre and Headquarters at Humber Polytechnic’s North Campus in Etobicoke. Designed by MacLennan Jaunkalns Miller Architects, the three-storey Athletic and Community Recreation Hub received commitments of $76 million from Ottawa and $24 million from Ontario, announced September 16.

Groundbreaking is scheduled for early 2027 in the northwest corner of the campus, just south of the intersection of Humber College Boulevard and Humberline Drive. Plans include six gymnasiums for provincial, national, and international competitions, a high-performance training centre, a domed playing field, and expanded supporting facilities.

An elevated view looking northwest to the Athletic & Community Recreation Hub, designed by MacLennan Jaunkalns Miller Architects for Humber Polytechnic

Adam van Koeverden, Secretary of State for Sport, said: “Sport has the power to shape lives and connect people in ways that very few things can. As we continue our nation’s monumental year of sport, the Government of Canada is investing to establish the new home of Canadian basketball at Humber. The Hub will strengthen Canada’s sport system, help athletes at every level pursue excellence, expand participation and create more opportunities to host major sporting events here at home, proving once again that Canada is the best sport-hosting nation in the world. We’re building Canada Strong, from playground to podium.”

The Hub will consolidate Canada Basketball’s training and operations, while the organization plans to continue activities nationwide.

Basketball court at the Athletic & Community Recreation Hub, designed by MacLennan Jaunkalns Miller Architects for Humber Polytechnic

“For more than forty years, Humber Polytechnic has given Canada Basketball's athletes a place to train. Today we lay the permanent foundation for basketball in Canada,” said Canada Basketball President and CEO Michael Bartlett. “It is our objective to be the best in the world, when our teams take to the court, and best for Canada, in how our sport represents our nation's values. With this historic investment and partnership, we will soon have a home to ensure both of those promises are kept. We are grateful to the Government of Canada for recognizing basketball as a sport of national importance, and to Humber Polytechnic for continuing to help make the game accessible.”

Community, academic, and athletic programming will double, with 32,000 hours of annual community access monitored by Humber. Coaches, officials, and volunteers must meet Canada Basketball’s policy, certification, and safe sport requirements.

Looking north to the Athletic & Community Recreation Hub, designed by MacLennan Jaunkalns Miller Architects for Humber Polytechnic

“This new Athletic and Community Recreation Hub at Humber Polytechnic will give young people across our community — including Rexdale, Jamestown, Mount Olive-Silverstone-Jamestown, Humber Summit, Smithfield, West Humber-Clairville, and surrounding communities — greater access to year-round sport and recreation, while helping athletes pursue their goals. From playground to podium, this facility will strengthen Etobicoke for years to come,” said Secretary of State for Labour and Etobicoke North MP John Zerucelli.

Humber Polytechnic President and CEO Ann Marie Vaughan added, “Today’s investment is a significant milestone for Humber, Canada Basketball and the future of sport in Canada. We are deeply grateful to the federal government for their commitment to Playground-to-Podium, and their support in bringing this transformative facility to life. As the new home of Canada Basketball and a much-needed community resource, Humber is proud to build on our tradition of athletic excellence while creating a dynamic living laboratory where students can gain hands-on experience through training, applied research and cross-disciplinary collaboration.”

Looking west to the Athletic & Community Recreation Hub, designed by MacLennan Jaunkalns Miller Architects for Humber Polytechnic

Federal funding comes through the Build Communities Strong Fund’s Direct Delivery stream, subject to a contribution agreement and applicable Indigenous consultation and environmental assessment requirements. Additional financing comes through Humber capital funds, student fees, and joint fundraising with naming rights opportunities; the total project cost is unspecified.

The announcement builds on Ottawa’s $1-billion sport investment, described as Canada’s largest, supporting athletes, infrastructure, participation, and event hosting. Canada Basketball also receives a $1.8-million Sport Support Program top-up. The release cites $81.3 million in annual funding for 2026–2027.

Beginning in 2026–2027, the infrastructure fund’s three streams provide funding over 10 years: $17.2 billion for Provincial and Territorial projects, including $5 billion over three years for health infrastructure; $6 billion for Direct Delivery, including a four-year, $1-billion Local Impact Stream administered by Canada’s Regional Development Agencies; and $27.8 billion through the Community stream, formerly the Canada Community-Building Fund, indexed at 2% to deliver $3 billion annually on an ongoing basis.

An aerial view of the site and surrounding area, image retrieved from Google Maps

The fund’s Buy Canadian Policy promotes Canadian jobs, resources, and community benefits. Ottawa anticipates nearly $17 billion in provincial matching funds and billions more through municipal and territorial partnerships and private investment, projecting a $95-billion GDP increase over the next decade. At least 10% of Direct Delivery funding will support Indigenous communities.

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News Roundup for September 18, 2026

UrbanToronto Staff — Fri, 18 Sep 2026 09:30:00 -0400

TTC 504 King streetcar riders to face nearly year-long disruptions starting this fall; VIA Rail ending service at Guildwood and Malton stations starting October 25; a look at this weekend's events, including Polish and Ukranian festivals taking over Toronto’s west end; and other news.

TTC 504 King streetcar riders to face nearly year-long disruptions starting this fall. Here’s what you need to know (The Star)

VIA Rail ending service at Guildwood and Malton stations starting Oct. 25 (CBC)

Weekend need-to-know: Polish and Ukranian festivals take over Toronto’s west end (CityNews)

Only one neighbourhood in Ontario was named one of the coolest in the world, and its not in Toronto (CTV News)

Brad Bradford promised to put a police substation in Union Station. Toronto police say it’s been in the works for months (The Star)

Opinion: Is there a design for Toronto’s parks? (The Globe and Mail)

Hamilton Sundown

Craig White — Fri, 18 Sep 2026 06:00:00 -0400

Downtown Hamilton — and this just being its western half — is looking increasingly dense as new development fills out the skyline. To the left of centre, late day sun reflects off the angled walls of the McMaster Graduate Student Residence at sunset.

A growing number of buildings are evolving the skyline of Downtown Hamilton, image by UrbanToronto Forum contributor jta5

This image comes to us courtesy of UrbanToronto Forum contributor jta5. Want to see your work featured as a Daily Photo? You can post in the City Photos & Videos section of the UrbanToronto Forum, or submit your images to our UrbanToronto Flickr Pool for your chance to be featured on our Front Page.

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