In this issue of my newsletter, you will find information on:

City of Toronto Updates

Tenants Can Now Install AC Without Landlord Sign-Off
Toronto Delivered on the World Stage
Property Tax Installment Due July 15
Making Grocery Prices Fair: Banning Surveillance Pricing in Toronto

Scarborough North Updates

Safer Streets: New Decal Installation on Sidewalks Are Coming
Subway Extension Tunnel — Past the Halfway Mark
Neighbourhood Streets Plans — Morningside Heights & Agincourt
Local Youth Get Funded Through Identify 'N Impact
Term Wrap-Up: What We Delivered in Scarborough North
Help Reduce Air Pollution on Hot, Smoky Days

TTC Updates

Fare Capping Starts September 2026
Scarborough Busway — On Track for September 2026

Community Updates

A Summer Full of Community Events
Junior Carnival in Scarborough
Thank You to Our Local Businesses and Communities

Get Involved

Contact My Office for Ward Matters
Help Run the Next Municipal Election

Dear Friends and Neighbours,

As this term of Council draws to a close, I want to take a moment to walk you through everything that's been in motion at City Hall, right here in Scarborough North, on the TTC, and in our community.

It's been the honour of my life to serve as your Councillor. Over the last four years, I’ve met so many of you and heard your concerns and shared your victories all here in the community!

This past term brought a global tournament to our doorstep, real investment in the transit and streets we rely on, and City-wide decisions on affordability and safety that will shape Toronto for years to come.

CITY OF TORONTO UPDATES

Tenants Can Now Install AC Without Landlord Sign-Off

As of July 1, 2026, Toronto's new maximum temperature bylaw gives tenants the right to install a window or portable air conditioning unit in their unit without needing their landlord's permission first.

This change removes a real barrier: landlords can still set reasonable conditions (like requiring proper installation), but they can no longer simply deny the installation. It's a practical, life-protecting step, and one I'm glad to see. If you're a tenant and you've been putting off getting a window unit because you weren't sure of your rights, this is your sign that you're covered. If you run into pushback from a landlord, visit the City's tenant support resources by clicking below:

Learn more: toronto.ca/community-people/health-wellness-care/health-programs-advice/hot-weather/

Toronto Delivered on the World Stage

Last month, Toronto wrapped hosting six FIFA World Cup 2026™ matches and 23 days of FIFA Fan Festival™ programming. Approximately 250,000 fans came through Toronto Stadium across the six matches, and more than 350,000 people attended the Fan Festival at Fort York and The Bentway over those three-plus weeks.

This was one of the largest logistical undertakings in the city's history, coordinating transit, security, road closures, and hospitality for a global audience while keeping the city running for the people who live and work here every day.

Data shared with local media also showed a real shift in how people got around during the tournament: more Torontonians chose transit, walking, and cycling on match days than in a typical summer, and the gridlock never occured. That's a credit to the planning that went into this, and to residents who adjusted their routines to make room for the moment. I'm proud that Toronto got to be part of hosting the world.

Now the City is turning to what we learned from this experience and how it can inform future major events and everyday transit planning.

Learn more: toronto.ca/explore-enjoy/festivals-events/fifa-world-cup-26/

Property Tax Installment Due July 15

A reminder that Wednesday, July 15, was one of the scheduled installment dates for 2026 final property tax bills (the remaining dates this year are August 17, September 15, October 15, November 16, and December 15). If your payment didn't go through on time, don't panic; contact 311 as soon as possible to sort out next steps and avoid unnecessary penalties.

This is also a good moment to double-check that your banking or pre-authorized payment information on file with the City is current, especially if you've switched banks recently. If you're facing financial hardship, the City's property tax relief programs may be able to help, so it's worth checking your eligibility rather than letting a payment lapse.

Learn more: toronto.ca/services-payments/property-taxes-utilities/property-tax/

Making Grocery Prices Fair: Banning Surveillance Pricing in Toronto

Affordability remains a top concern, and this item takes direct aim at "surveillance pricing,” when companies use your personal data to charge you more for groceries than your neighbour pays for the same item. Now adopted at City Council, it directs staff to explore banning the practice in Toronto and urges the province and federal government to strengthen their own protections too. It builds on other City affordability work already underway, including expanded school food programs saving families with two kids about $900 a year on groceries.

Learn more: toronto.ca/legdocs/mmis/2026/ex/bgrd/backgroundfile-289756.pdf

SCARBOROUGH NORTH UPDATES

Safer Streets: New Decal Installation on Sidewalks Are Coming

The City doesn't have the authority to regulate e-bikes directly, since that power sits with the provincial and federal governments. What the City can do is build the infrastructure that makes shared streets safer for everyone, drivers included, better sightlines at crosswalks, clearly marked green bike lanes, and traffic signals designed to reduce cut-through traffic near schools.

As part of our ongoing commitment to pedestrian safety, new sidewalk decals are now being installed throughout the city to clearly mark where bikes and other rideables should not travel. We're asking all residents to help keep sidewalks safe by riding bikes on designated paths and roadways, not sidewalks. This simple change helps protect pedestrians, cyclists, and everyone who shares our public spaces. For more information on where and how to ride safely, click below;

Learn More: toronto.ca/rideables.

Subway Extension Tunnel — Past the Halfway Mark

Tunnel boring for the Scarborough Subway Extension has now passed the halfway point on its record-breaking 7.8 km underground run beneath Scarborough. Station construction is also actively underway at Scarborough Centre, alongside the tunnelling work. This is one of the largest pieces of transit infrastructure Scarborough has seen in decades, and while the finish line is still a few years out, hitting the halfway mark on the tunnel itself is a real milestone worth marking. Once complete, the extension will give Scarborough North residents a one-seat subway ride into downtown for the first time, cutting out transfers that add real time to daily commutes.

Learn more: https://www.metrolinx.com/en/projects-and-programs/scarborough-subway-extension

Neighbourhood Streets Plans — Morningside Heights & Agincourt

The Neighbourhood Streets Plans for Morningside Heights and Agincourt continue to move forward this term, looking at how local streets in these areas can better balance traffic calming, pedestrian safety, and connections to transit and schools.

These plans come out of direct community input, the kind of block-by-block feedback that doesn't always make headlines but shapes exactly which corners get a new stop sign, which streets get speed humps, and where a missing sidewalk finally gets built.

If you live in Morningside Heights or Agincourt and haven't weighed in yet, there's still value in reaching out to my office with specific intersections or streets you'd like considered as these plans continue to develop.

Learn more:

<Morningside Heights Streets Plan> https://www.toronto.ca/community-people/get-involved/public-consultations/infrastructure-projects/morningside-heights-streets-plan/

https://www.toronto.ca/community-people/get-involved/public-consultations/infrastructure-projects/west-agincourt-streets-plan/

Local Youth Get Funded Through Identify 'N Impact

I'm proud to share that a Scarborough North-based initiative, the Youth Inclusivity Program, was one of dozens of youth-led groups across Toronto to receive funding through this term's Identify 'N Impact Grant Program, which supports youth ages 15-29 turning community ideas into real projects.

This program — first championed by the Toronto Youth Cabinet back in 2006 — continues to back grassroots, youth-led work on community safety, mental health, civic engagement, and more, with sports-related projects specifically added as an eligible category this cycle in celebration of the FIFA World Cup. The 2025-2026 grant call is now closed, but it's worth knowing this program exists for future cycles if you know a youth group with an idea worth funding.

Learn more: toronto.ca/community-people/get-involved/community/community-funding/identify-n-impact-grant-program/

Term Wrap-Up: What We Delivered in Scarborough North

Looking back over this term, Scarborough North saw real, tangible investment: Milliken District Park's disc golf course and new commissary space, the CD Farquharson cricket pitch, the Seasons Park splash pad, upgraded basketball courts at Goldhawk Park, new tennis and pickleball courts at McDairmid Woods, a rebuilt playground at Richmond Park, and improvements at Agincourt North Park. We also broke ground on the Lanting Garden at Cynthia Lai Park and advanced the long-term care home planned for 4610 Finch Avenue. None of this happens without sustained advocacy and, more importantly, without residents showing up to community consultations and telling us what mattered to them. As this term wraps, thank you for that partnership.

Learn more: jamaalmyers.com

Help Reduce Air Pollution on Hot, Smoky Days

This July brought some of the worst air quality Scarborough North has seen in recent memory, with wildfire smoke from northwestern Ontario pushing the city into "orange" and "high risk" territory on the Air Quality Health Index on multiple days.

On days like these, the City asks residents to help reduce additional air pollution by limiting unnecessary vehicle idling, postponing gas-powered lawn equipment use, and combining car trips where possible — small steps that add up when the whole city is already dealing with smoke on top of summer heat.

On the health side: limit prolonged time outdoors, especially for children, seniors, and anyone with asthma or heart conditions, and keep windows closed with air conditioning or filtration running if you have it. Toronto's air quality alert system uses a colour-coded scale (yellow and orange) so you can quickly check current risk levels before planning outdoor activities.

Learn more: toronto.ca/community-people/health-wellness-care/health-programs-advice/air-quality/

TTC UPDATES

Fare Capping Starts September 2026

Starting September 1, 2026, TTC fare capping takes effect: once a rider hits 47 trips in a calendar month, every additional ride that month is free. For working families, seniors, and youth who rely on transit daily, this is real, recurring savings, no need to opt in or apply; it will simply calculate automatically based on your PRESTO or Fare Card usage. Combined with fares being frozen for a third consecutive year, this is one of the more meaningful affordability wins to land for regular riders this term, and it starts just as the new school year and regular fall commute patterns pick back up.

Learn more: ttc.ca/fares-and-passes/fare-capping

Scarborough Busway — On Track for September 2026

The dedicated bus corridor along the former Scarborough RT route remains on track to open this September, a full year ahead of its original schedule. Once open, the busway will cut the trip between Kennedy and Scarborough Centre to roughly 15 minutes, saving regular riders about 7 minutes compared to current bus service on mixed traffic. This is one of the most tangible transit wins of this term for Scarborough North commuters, many of whom lost their direct RT connection when the line was decommissioned and have been waiting for a faster replacement ever since.

Learn more: ttc.ca/riding-the-ttc/Routes-and-schedules/Scarborough-RT-replacement

COMMUNITY UPDATES

A Summer Full of Community Events

It's been a full summer of connecting in person across Scarborough North. The Malvern Mid-Summer Fete brought the community together at Cynthia Lai Park on July 14, followed by a Summer Movie Night at Alexmuir Park on July 15, and a Summer BBQ at Milliken Park on July 23. Events like these are where I hear directly from residents about what's working and what needs attention — thank you to everyone who came out, and to the volunteers and community organizations who help make these events possible year after year.

Junior Carnival in Scarborough

Scarborough hosted the Toronto Caribbean Carnival's Junior Carnival Parade this year, with roughly 2,000 junior masqueraders marching from Malvern Community Centre along Neilson Road to Neilson Park in colourful, hand-crafted Caribbean costumes. This year's Junior King and Queen were chosen from a showcase held at Scarborough Town Centre, and the parade wrapped with a Calypso showcase, children's activities, and a marketplace at Neilson Park. It's a joyful, family-friendly celebration of Caribbean culture and heritage, and one of the highlights of the summer calendar for our community, giving young people a chance to learn costume-making, dance, and performance while carrying Carnival traditions into the next generation.

Thank You to Our Local Businesses and Communities

As this term wraps up, I want to say a genuine thank you to the local businesses and communities across Scarborough North that welcomed office visits, hosted conversations, and shared what's on their minds this term. These conversations — whether at a mosque, temple, church, gurdwara, or family-run shop — are often where the most honest and grounded feedback happens, and they've shaped a lot of what my office has pushed for at City Hall.

GET INVOLVED

Contact My Office for Ward Matters

Whether it's a pothole, a tree that needs attention, a question about a City program, or something else entirely, my office is here to help navigate City services on your behalf. Don't hesitate to reach out directly.

Help Run the Next Municipal Election

Toronto Elections is now hiring for thousands of paid voting-place jobs ahead of Election Day on Monday, October 26, 2026. Applicants must be at least 18 and legally able to work in Canada. If you're looking for meaningful, well-paid civic work this fall — and a front-row seat to how municipal democracy actually runs — applications are open now.

Learn more: toronto.ca/city-government/elections/

Warm Regards,

Jamaal Myers

July 2026 E-Newsletter