Should Toronto make politicians only ride transit to fix it? Will beer be legal in parks? Here’s what the city needs in 2023

Thestar.com
Jan. 4, 2023

The Toronto Star newsroom wishes that in 2023:

Number 1
All politicians hand in their car keys and only use public transit this year.
If the politicians who make the decisions about our transit actually had to use it -- and only it -- to get around, the Crosstown would likely be here already, the solution to the Scarborough RT being past its expiry wouldn’t be years of replacement buses, and the King streetcar? It would work the way it was meant to. Beyond that, safety on transit would be treated with much-needed urgency, and, oh, maybe we’d finally catch up to other major cities and get some cellular service on board.

Number 2
We can pee in a park in February.
While it’s nature that calls, peeing isn’t seasonal. But in Toronto, a city with three million people, only a quarter of the 188 park washroom buildings are open year round. The rest are open from May to October. This is partly because some washrooms were built as early as the 1950s, and constructed without sufficient plumbing and heating to endure the winter. Torontonians shouldn’t have to pop a squat in the bushes or avoid drinking water for hours, especially when the pandemic taught us how important time outdoors can be. Here’s hoping in 2023, when you gotta go, there’s somewhere you can, no matter the season.

Number 3
We can finally have a beer in the park.
Those lucky enough to have backyards can already have a legal drink outdoors while catching up with friends. But many renters and apartment dwellers who don’t have private green space would like to have a tipple in a city park without being treated like scofflaws. This could be the year our tut-tutting city leaders finally loosen up and legalize a practice that, let’s face it, is already pretty common.

Number 4
That said, maybe the province should approve less pot shops.
It’s true that everyone in Toronto could afford to mellow out, but should it be easier to find a cannabis store than it is to buy Tim’s? As of September 2022, there were 425 cannabis stores across the city and 421 Tim Hortons locations. Clusters of weed stores downtown are competing with each other without any unique edge -- there’s more supply than demand. Experts say the market is oversaturated. For the benefit of the cannabis industry, as well as the preservation of Toronto’s once-vibrant storefronts, it might be time to pump the brakes on new pot shops.

 

Number 5
We can buy romaine lettuce at an independent grocery store for under $3.
2022 was a year of unparalleled food inflation and shortages. Staples like lettuce doubled in price, we got creative with our grocery lists and people had to cut back past reasonable limits. Food banks have been ringing the alarm that they’re in a crisis situation, with new records of people in need being broken month after month. The severity of food insecurity pushes this wish into a necessity -- Torontonians must have affordable means of buying food. Ideally, we’ll see inflation level out in 2023, but until then, we can invest more support and resources into farmers’ markets, independent grocery stores and community gardens.

Number 6
Our flights leave on time for once.
Holiday travel should make us excited, not quake in our boots. But at an airport that has one of the highest percentages of delayed flights in the world, and consistently low customer satisfaction ratings, it’s difficult not to despair. If you choose to file a complaint to the airline about a delayed or cancelled flight, it’s unlikely you’ll get what you’re due. The airline regulator faces a tremendous backlog, meaning some passengers wait for more than a year before their complaint is reviewed. This year, we want flights on time. If they’re severely delayed then compensation must be owed, not ignored.

Number 7
We start the process of land back in the city.
There are few spaces for Indigenous communities to thrive in the city built on Treaty 13 land, much to the contrast of cities like Saskatoon, which hosts Saskatchewan’s largest urban Indigenous population and just signed on to create its ninth urban reserve. The City of Toronto has plans to open its Indigenous Centre for Innovation and Entrepreneurship (ICIE) in 2023, but it’s unclear if the project will be owned by a specific First Nations government. Other Canadian cities like Regina, Edmonton, Winnipeg and Vancouver already have urban reserves in partnership with local First Nations communities. The Tsuut’ina Nation, which borders Calgary, was the first ever Indigenous community to build a freeway and a Costco warehouse on their land, which serves Tsuut’ina and Calgary residents. Similarly, in Northern Ontario, urban reserves exist in cities such as Thunder Bay, Kenora, North Bay and Sault Ste Marie – each planned in a way for First Nations bands to reap economic benefits. It may seem impossible for a city like Toronto to follow this land back model, but it’s not, as long as our elected officials see the value in its value.

Number 8
We invest in youth programs and spaces that help prevent violence before it happens.
More than 300 people under the age of 29 have been killed in Toronto over the last decade. Toronto youth workers -- many young themselves -- say they’re mostly on their own when it comes to dealing with the resulting trauma, since institutional resources don’t sufficiently address the root causes of violence. Safe spaces like the now-closed The SPOT in Malvern or this summer’s pilot project at David and Mary Thomson C.I, were successful in providing Toronto youth with mentorship, healing and care but are often not permanent. Preventative solutions and support for the people doing the front-line work are needed.

Number 9
The Maple Leafs will make it out of the first round.
It won’t take to Game 7 this time -- we’ll get it done early. Elimination games are full of drama, but our team hasn’t done well in them. We aren’t asking for much anymore -- it’s been 56 years since the team won the Stanley Cup. We’re not even asking for that. Just one simple round. It’ll be 19 years since they won a round. Imagine the celebration on Yonge Street.

Number 10
We will finally get a Taylor Swift tour date ... and won’t need to mortgage the house to go.
What became clear from Ticketmaster’s handling of the upcoming Eras Tour is that there are far more Taylor Swift fans than there are tickets to see her in concert. That’s not Ticketmaster’s fault. But the pre-sale for what’s poised to be the highest-grossing concert tour in history bled Swifties dry -- of money and patience. Fans who survived the queue paid a pretty penny for tickets thanks to Ticketmaster’s “dynamic pricing,” and everyone else was left empty-handed while tickets on StubHub skyrocketed to tens of thousands of dollars. Swift hasn’t dropped a Canadian tour date yet, nor is there any announcement in sight. If she does, though, it shouldn’t take mortgaging the house to scream-sing “Anti-Hero” at the Rogers Centre.

Number 11
About that mortgage: It would be nice if people working in the city could afford to live here.
No amount of sacrificing avocado toast is going to add up to a down payment when the average price for a detached home in the city is still more than $1.5 million, according to the most recent figures from the Toronto Real Estate Board. Despite a drop in home prices since the February peak, high interest rates mean aspiring first-time buyers can now borrow less. Home ownership is still out of reach for many without generational wealth, even those making a decent living. Meanwhile rents have skyrocketed, leaving many younger Torontonians looking toward other cities and provinces. It shouldn’t be so hard to imagine a future where buying a home is an attainable goal, and not a pipe dream.

Number 12
Everyone everywhere -- that means Scarborough, too! -- will have protected bike lanes.
It’s no surprise that Scarborough has the lowest rate of cycling in the city. Who could blame the borough’s cyclists for staying off Toronto’s most inhospitable roads, where cars are the unquestioned kings? While the city is expanding its cycling network and installing protected bike lanes elsewhere, Scarborough -- the part of the city with the largest cycling deserts -- has been largely forgotten. Build a safe cycling network, however, and Scarborough’s cyclists will come.

Number 13
We can put something in a garbage bin without gagging.
It feels too easy to pick on Toronto’s on-street garbage bins. Overflowing, covered in graffiti, with flaps that are often broken or covered in garbage juice -- the beleaguered bins struggle to accomplish their sole task in this life. The product of a 20-year deal with Astral Media, Mayor John Tory promised to seek legal advice on ending the contract early. The deal was signed in 2007, which means we still have a few years left, unless the city’s lawyers can find a way out of this sticky situation.

Number 14
We take our health-care crisis seriously.
The pandemic has cast a long shadow in the corridors of our hospitals. Many health-care workers are burnt out, plenty of patients don’t have a family doctor and others can’t get an appointment in a reasonable amount of time. Meanwhile, the waves of viral illness are miserable and unrelenting. All of these problems -- and all of these people -- are showing up in the emergency room. In October 2022, Ontario patients waited an average of 2.2 hours before seeing an ER doctor; the longest time Ontario hospitals have seen in a year. The same month, the University Health Network asked doctors to consider alternatives to the emergency departments, due to overcrowding. This crisis affects all of us but it hasn’t felt like the province is treating it seriously. That needs to change in 2023.

Number 15
No one reaches out for emergency shelter and gets turned away.
An average of 168 callers per day seeking shelter were left unmatched with beds in November 2022, according to the city’s own data. This average has been more than 100 every month since July, as the city has issued a warning telling at least one encampment to clear out, and permanent, affordable housing is hard to come by. Finding a warm place to sleep in the city’s emergency system shouldn’t be such a trying task.

Number 16
Schools will be open every day and will be safe for everyone.
Children and their parents have suffered plenty these last few years. Pandemic lockdowns, labour disruptions, and an uptick in tension and violence have upended the lives of tens of thousands of families. The TDSB says the current school year is on track to see the most violent incidents in schools since data collection began 23 years ago. In 2023, we wish for peace and stability in our schools, so they can be what they were always meant to be: a reliable and respectful place for children to learn and grow.

Number 17
We’ll be able to buy street food … on the street.
Toronto is lucky to have cuisines from almost every country imaginable and not all of that food is meant to be served in a restaurant. Street food should be a part of the city’s everyday landscape, like it is in other cities, not just limited to overpriced food truck festivals and seasonal outdoor markets. This year, we want to see ramen carts that are set up after restaurants close, fresh fruit carts in the summer and trucks serving birria tacos near a subway station.

Number 18
We don’t take an L on festivals again.
Everything was more difficult than it needed to be in 2022, including fun. Music festivals were back – and while many were a great time – others were cancelled last minute or poorly executed amid labour shortages, supply chain issues and venue snafus. A music festival is a complicated beast -- difficult to pull off in the best of times, but we’re hoping that organizers have adapted and planned ahead for this summer. Give the people what they want: great music, an ice-cold drink and a break from pandemic drama.

Number 19
CaféTO can be enjoyed by everyone.
CaféTO is a legacy of the pandemic that has changed the look, feel and taste of our streets every summer. Initially, the city installed asphalt ramps so disabled people and others with mobility aids could enjoy al fresco dining, but concerns about the quality and placement followed, and the city left accessibility up to individual restaurants. In a sweep of downtown eateries last summer, the Star found many lacked ramps and thoughtful planning. Toronto’s summers are precious and fleeting, and dining outside is one of the small joys of city life. Nobody should be left out.

Number 20
We get George Hislop Park back.
In Toronto, you hear plenty about the NIMBY (not-in-my-backyard) crowd. Maybe that’s why our leaders have forgotten that many don’t have backyards. City parks have never been more crucial, and it’s frustrating to see them fall into disrepair, with unreliable access to bathrooms and other essential services. Downtown, George Hislop Park has been fenced off since 2020. Children who weren’t born when the repairs began are now speaking in rudimentary sentences. Let’s treat our precious green space with the urgency it deserves.

Number 21
We keep our Gardiner road rage in check.
Even with 20 per cent fewer cars on the road than before the pandemic, Toronto streets are almost as clogged as in 2019. And sadly, it’s not expected to get any better in 2023. This summer, multiple construction projects and repairs to the Gardiner will collide with special events to make our nightmare traffic jams even worse. Whether we like it or not, we’re all stuck on the Gardiner together. We should either ditch the car where possible or try to keep the honking, fighting, overtaking and overall rage to a minimum.

Number 22
Chewie and Han will return to the Toronto Islands.
Piping plovers are migratory birds that spend their breeding season in the Great Lakes and overwinter down south. They’re endangered in Ontario and as an indicator species, where piping plovers decide to nest suggests a healthy and diverse habitat. In 2022, Birds Canada was overjoyed to see two of these birds, Chewie and Han, make their summer home on Toronto Island. Marked with colour bands, the couple has successfully migrated with two chicks to their winter grounds. Fingers crossed this summer brings more piping plover nests across the Great Lakes.

Number 23
We get to say unprecedented less.
The word “unprecedented” feels like it has lost its meaning at this point. From extreme temperatures, to soaring prices for a one-bedroom rental to a stolen car epidemic, Torontonians have had just about enough of broken records. Can this year please be something resembling normal?