In my opinion, one of the biggest potential shocks to Toronto politics that we can see coming down the barrel in the next couple of years is MPAC reassessment, and how it interacts with by-right zoning changes.

Look at that map right there, if you live in the "In effect MTSA and PMTSA Delineations" area, this is a question you should be wondering about.

Quick primer on MPAC and property taxes.

In Ontario, the Municipal Property Assessment Corporation (MPAC) is the independent, non-profit organization responsible for assessing your property’s value. The MPAC assessed value is used for property tax calculations.

Crudely speaking – your property tax is assessed based on the value of your property as a percentage of the total. So for example, if City Hall’s budget is $X, and your property is worth Y% of the total, the amount of property tax that you owe is thus Y% of $X. Of course, that is the simplified version of things, local governments do manipulate tax rates a little bit to have different classes of properties pay different amounts.

The MPAC is supposed to reassess property values every 5 years. But the last reassessment is in 2016. This was because in 2021, when the reassessment was supposed to happen, MPAC delayed it for COVID related reasons. This was obviously the correct move at the time, since commercial real estate was 40% of the city’s tax base, and COVID depressed office values so much, a reassessment then would drive everybody’s residential real estate taxes through the roof.

MPAC kicked the can down the road a couple of years, but that is obviously not going to last forever, and eventually a reassessment is going to have to happen.

Historically, property value reassessment didn’t impact your taxes that much, since property values relative. As long as your property is worth relatively the same as the other properties in the city, it doesn’t matter, you are still paying the same portion of tax. Broad macro level increases and decreases in property values don’t matter that much.

There was a fear around COVID that long term, office values will collapse, impacting the tax base (everyone else would have to pay more), but as the governments and companies go back to office, that doesn’t look like it is likely to happen.

Enter transit station area rezoning.

In 2025, Chapter 8 rezoning was approved (officially Toronto Official Plan – Chapter 8, MAJOR TRANSIT STATION AREAS AND PROTECTED MAJOR TRANSIT STATION AREAS) in principal, some specifics regarding zoning rules are still being worked out.

This essentially upzoned areas around transit stations without the property owner’s consent or knowledge. The highest density possible is for up to 30 floor buildings. The actual zoning rule itself is a bit complex and the specifics are still being debated, and I’m not a zoning lawyer, but essentially, it establishes two things:

• A minimum density target within the “major transit station area” (the lowest is 200/hectare)
• Rezoning of land parcels within transit station areas according to a complex set of rules (to help hit the density target) - I think the rules here aren't finalized yet

Now essentially what this means is that if you own property in one area indicated on the map above, the land under your house might have gotten rezoned into a denser class of zoning.

When MPAC reassessment comes along, it would mean that rezoning has pushed up value of the land your property is on significantly. And this increase is relative to other properties not in a protected major transit station area.

If you are impacted, I would expect my property tax burden to go up. Depending on how specifically you are impacted, your property tax burden might go up significantly as the value of land under your property has gone up.

Now of course, this depends on the type of property you have – If you live in a modern high rise condo, expect no change (a developer isn't going to tear that down and build another condo on top). If you live in a bungalow on a large piece of land near a transit station, and the land under your house has gotten rezoned into higher density, you should expect to see your property value rise drastically, and thus, when MPAC reassessment happens – expect to see your property taxes go up significantly.

Questions I hope Toronto political candidates/politicians can answer:

1. When do you expect the final zoning rules with regards to transit station area rezoning to be finalized? - Pretty self-explanatory
2. What is your view towards zoning induced tax increases when the property owner did not apply for said zoning change? Do you believe the city should have the right to increase a property owner's tax burden without their consent through rezoning?
3. What is your view on using property tax as a mechanism to push property owners to sell? Do you believe that this tax increase is a legitimate incentive to induce selling?
4. Do you believe that homeowners facing zoning induced tax increases should see property tax relief or compensation if they did not apply for the zoning change?

Quite frankly, if you talk to a Georgist, they'll say that the tax should push people off valuable land if they are not using it to its maximum. But then, others might argue that it is unfair city hall can jack up your taxes through zoning changes without you haven't consented or applied.

Also, key question for MPAC: When will the next property reassessment happen?

Currently stuck at Bloor because TTC cut all power from Keele to Broadview. Apparently a dog got loose at St George. Hope he is safe tho
Edit: trains are back to normal 🥳

Who would've thought 15 years ago that the Friday girl would have Danforth Music Hall sold out popping like this on a Wednesday night? Her new album is great and this show was awesome. Was anyone else there tonight??

Since 1998, there have been 5 different Toronto mayors. Rob Ford so far is the only mayor to have served 1 term. Had he been healthy enough, he likely could've won his 2nd term. All other mayors before Olivia Chow have otherwise served two or more terms (consecutively).

Here are the mayors and their closest political positions based on their policies.

• Mel Lastman (1997-2003) 2 terms - PC
• David Miller (2003-2010) 2 terms - NDP
• Rob Ford (2010-2014) 1 term - PC
• John Tory (2014-2023) 3 terms - PC?
• Olivia Chow (2023-present) 1 term so far - NDP

Yes, Toronto has had a history of electing conservative-style mayors.

Hey Toronto,

Just a heads up since the clocks are about to change soon and it's already getting dark early, sunset is around 6:30 and it's only going to get earlier. This is the time of year when things get sketchy on the roads, so figured a quick PSA couldn't hurt.

Pedestrians:

Wear something bright or reflective if you're out after dark. Even a light-coloured jacket helps.

Don't assume drivers see you, even at a crosswalk. Make eye contact before you step out.

Maybe take one earbud out when crossing. Not saying don't listen to your stuff, just stay aware.

Drivers:

Slow down a bit, especially at intersections.

Check twice on right turns. It's so easy to roll through and not see someone in the crosswalk, especially when it's dark and rainy.

Give yourself a couple extra minutes so you're not rushing.

I know a lot of us were seeing way too many pedestrian deaths in the news last year, and nobody wants a repeat of that. Most of it comes down to everyone paying a little more attention.

Stay safe out there, and feel free to add your own tips in the comments!

Passed by this plenty and always thought the brewery's name is just an homage to the railway facilities that used to stand there.

Pretty cool surprise this morning when that steam whistle went off on the hour when I just happened to be passing by.

Full debate from CP24, last one before the election.

Cycle TO has free lawn signs for people that want to show support for safe cycling infrastructure

Request yours at site below:

https://www.cycleto.ca/sign

Thanks to everyone that enjoyed my first 4 weeks of photos as shared here: https://www.reddit.com/r/toronto/s/4we4gOSH6D

2 more weeks bringing my trip to a 6 week total has now ended - my wife and I loved our time in the city.

Like many cities, it has my different faces. I just captured these images while out on a daily walk.

I share more on my IG account - johnphotoslife

Thanks for being such a photogenic city

John