David Roberts, Op-Ed –
Dear candidates (and my neighbours who will be voting for this position) in the October 26 municipal election,
I write to you as a long-time resident of the ward, a professor of Urban Studies at the University of Toronto, a member of the Moss Park Coalition, and as an unrepentant believer that we can and should build more livable and just urban futures.
The work of building a thriving community is a collective project. It requires residents, local organizers, transit agencies and small business owners pulling in the same direction. But it also demands clear, courageous leadership from our city councillor.
Ward 13 (Toronto Centre) is not just one of Toronto’s 25 municipal wards; it is the most dynamic, densely populated, socioeconomically polarized and structurally dynamic electoral district in the country. To represent Ward 13 is to provide leadership for a living experiment in rapid urbanism. Within a single 15-minute walk, you will encounter luxury condo towers that overshadow North America’s most densely populated high-rise social housing pockets, historic heritage districts and vibrant cultural sanctuaries.
In my neighbourhood, Moss Park, the complexities of Ward 13 take on a human weight. According to a report published by The Local, Moss Park has the lowest life expectancy at birth of any neighbourhood in Toronto – a tragic chasm driven by deep health disparities, poverty and systemic neglect.
As billions of dollars in public and private capital pour into our 5.8 square kilometres, marked by the ongoing construction of Metrolinx’s Ontario Line and redevelopment of the John Innes Community Recreation Centre and Moss Park, the urban frictions that have existed here for decades are reaching a flashpoint.
We need a councillor who will roll up their sleeves, work alongside current residents and fight at City Hall for budgetary and policy resources to ensure that urban change benefits everyone who currently calls this ward home.
I ask you to answer four key questions about your vision for Ward 13:
1. Where does the community actually live?
I am a strong proponent of adding density to tackle our city’s housing crisis. But as we build higher, what are we doing to ensure that our communities are also vibrant places to live?
• What are the mechanisms to ensure that Ward 13 residents have adequate access to green space, community centres, public washrooms and places to be as we work to add even more density to one of the country’s densest wards?
2. Who do we imagine as the future residents of Ward 13?
Over the years, I have sat through far too many public consultations where the implicit expectation was that new developments, subway stations and shiny recreation centres would “transform” Moss Park by displacing its current residents.
Ward 13 performs a vital civic function for Toronto by hosting the city’s highest concentration of emergency shelters and harm reduction services. We cannot treat shiny transit stations and park redesigns as tools of soft erasure.
• How will you guarantee that public investment uplifts our most vulnerable neighbours rather than pricing or policing them out? What is your concrete plan to revitalize existing social housing stock, expand deeply affordable housing, and champion compassionate, health-first interventions for our neighbours experiencing homelessness?
3. What will be left after the Ontario Line construction?
Metrolinx currently projects completion of the Ontario Line in “early 2030s.” Without commenting on the likelihood of this, that represents nearly a decade of physical, noise and economic disruption along our main street corridors.
Our local small businesses are not just economic engines; they are the social glue and primary employers of our neighbourhoods. Without intervention, many will not survive the construction window.
• What creative municipal interventions and direct mitigation supports will you champion at City Hall to ensure our small business ecosystem survives the slow pace of transit construction?
4. How do we build a ward that feels safe without resorting to criminalizing poverty?
For the Moss Park Coalition, community safety is consistently raised as a primary concern. Public safety, transit safety, and community health belong at the very top of the local agenda.
• How will you take a leadership role at City Hall to advance community-led safety models and mental health infrastructure that make our streets safer for everyone, without resorting to the criminalization of poverty?
Ward 13 is complicated and vibrant, filled with immense promise and steep pitfalls. The candidate who earns our vote must demonstrate that they understand not just the mechanics of City Hall, but the lived realities of intersections like Queen and Sherbourne.
David Roberts is a resident of Ward 13, professor of Urban Studies, and advocate for Moss Park
