The Mayor's Note: June 24, 2026

We are in the midst of FIFA World Cup, steady progress at City Hall, and the sun is shining! Team Canada plays again this afternoon, and we have a chance to make history (again). I’ll be dropping into the free watch party at Nathan Phillips Square, but we have a busy Council Meeting ahead.

Yesterday we announced a landmark housing deal with the Premier and Federal Government.

$1.5 billion dollars for Toronto. To make it cheaper to build new homes.

This means that we will re-open our successful purpose-built rental incentive program. Builders who make one in five units affordable get 100% of development charges waived.

We launched that program two years ago, and the first building, in Scarborough, is already finished construction. Now, many more are on the way.

So Toronto can live up to the promise: if you work here, you can afford to live here.

This deal will direct capital dollars to build major City projects:

• Improvements to public transit like expanding Bloor-Yonge Station and speeding up Line 2.

• Laying the groundwork for new communities at Downsview.

• Traffic congestion measures in Northwest Toronto.

And much more.

All of this work building new homes and the infrastructure to support them…will create over one hundred thousand new jobs right here in Toronto.

So whether you are looking for a home, or you’re a tradesperson worried that jobs are drying up — this deal will bring relief.

On today’s council agenda are the final terms of the deal I negotiated with the Premier to upload the Gardiner and Don Valley Parkway to the Province.

Putting Toronto back on strong financial footing so we can do what matters most: Provide better services, better transit and safer communities.

Uploading the highways freed up capital dollars right away:

• $500 million for TTC repairs. The biggest investment in TTC history.

• $400 million to fix parks, community centres and public spaces.

• $400 million to fix roads, bridges and sidewalks.

And much more.

Mayor Olivia Chow

It has been so wonderful reading and watching FIFA fan reactions to their experience of the city.

Last week I went to the City command centre and it was inspiring to see all the divisions working together — over 40 of them — monitoring and directing operations. Thank you to the City staff working tirelessly to make this a good experience for tourists and residents alike.