Women Are City-Builders

This weekend I had the opportunity to attend the Women are City-Builders workshop hosted by Women in Toronto Politics. We — thirty women from diverse backgrounds, ages and neighbourhoods — were given an opportunity tackle city issues through open dialogue and city-building activities. The Women in Toronto Politics team organized a framework, facilitated discussion and then stepped back to furiously type notes, making sure to capture the flow of ideas.

In the last segment of the workshop we split up into groups based on our interests. I chose planning and growth management, and was joined by four other women, each coming from a different perspective and level of knowledge (only 2 of the 5 were educated in urban planning). We discussed a wide range of topics including social housing, condominium developers, the Portlands, and transit.

Despite our diverse backgrounds, we all agreed that the main issues are:

  • The loss of employment lands and mixed-use spaces;
  • The lack of city planning around condominium developments; and
  • The lack of transparency around section 37 funding.

After some discussion we came to the conclusion that at the heart of the matter was the lack of communication between the key players — city planners, councillors, developers — and the key stakeholders — us, the citizens. Torontonians, unless they were trained in urban planning, don’t have the resources or skills to have their say in planning, until it is too late in the process — i.e. an OMB hearing.

This was inspiring event and it reactivated my desire to tackle urban planning issues. I left the workshop with a greater sense of community and felt stronger knowing that there were others who were fighting in the same battle.

In the end we came up with proposed solutions to the communication and education issue. What would make it easier for you to be involved in planning?

Written by: Karina Waluk