Nicki Ward - Councillor WARD 13 - Toronto Centre

I am running to be of service as your next councillor for Ward 13

May 1, 2026
www.NickiWard.ca

I first came to Toronto Centre on a business trip... and fell in love.

This amazing place had the vibrancy of North America, the charm of Europe, and so many inclusive neighbourhoods, it captured my heart. I knew immediately that this was where I wanted to live my life. As an immigrant, I'm aware of how special and rare this is.

Later, when I came out - I'm grateful that our ward gave me a place to engage in meaningful work, a connected community, a found family, and a home.

So, it is an honour to have successfully advocated for our communities and our common causes for over three decades of citizen service.

Now, I'm running to be of service as your next councillor. Our quality of life and our precious neighbourhoods are being systematically destroyed.

We all know what the problem is: Neglect, Mismanagement and City Hall Arrogance.

Divisiveness, ego, and unforced errors have brought Housing, Mental Health & Addiction, and Safety to crisis levels.

We deserve better. We deserve authentic representation that is qualified, effective and accountable.

Together with your commitment and your vote, we can restore the ward we love.

Nicki Ward for City Councillor Ward 13

Nicki Ward 🍁 🏳️‍🌈 👩‍🦽 🏘️🌳🏥 🤝 📣 🗳️

I was in council chambers during the heated debate on whether to pay Chris Moise' legal bills for an offence that he was found guilty of & for which he showed no remorse.

See you at the polls

I was at a "pedestrianizing" event last night. City of Toronto bureaucrats and out of town consultants "visioning" with buzzwords and jargon. Animating space isn't done by consultants. Its done by people. Make it safe, make it clean, make it interesting... and human beings will do the rest.
No consultants "animated" this space in the 80's

Yonge Street at Dundas facing South in the early 1980s. credit: Archives of Ontario

Happy Earth Day

The Density Deficit

Nicki Ward – Op Ed on the failure(s) of the budget committee. How Ward 13 - Toronto Centre got "shortchanged".

It’s an election year. So, Toron­to’s civic budget, as in all elec­tion years is less about substance than about creating the optics that re-elect the budget-makers.

Let’s look at how the budget committee has served us in Ward 13, Toronto Centre.

The committee’s decision to take $1.7 billion from the re­serve fund has drawn criticism from all sides of the political spectrum. Those on the right have described this as “Finan­cial malpractice […] mortgaging the city’s future.” Even staunch progressives have described it as part of a series of “red flags” arguing that city reserves are not rainy-day funds or a minor accounting buffer, but money specifically set aside for bring­ing roads and infrastructure back to good repair.

This is bad for Ward 13, To­ronto Centre. We have suffered the most from over-intensifica­tion. Our density is the highest in Canada. More people, more cars, more housing per square kilometre means that our roads, sewers and transportation sys­tems wear out more quickly than anywhere else; twice as fast as our nearest neighbours, and five to ten times faster than some suburban wards.

The city’s transportation and parks are also sounding infra­structure alarm bells. There’s already a 10-year backlog of overdue repairs and the budget committee did not make adjust­ments for local density and in­tensity needs.

Other examples of the budget committee failing to address the density deficit, relate to small business and luxury off­sets. Once again, because of over-intensification, we have much higher property values per square foot than our subur­ban friends – more than twice as high in some cases. Our land value is closer to that of down­town Paris than downtown Eto­bicoke.

This means that even relative­ly small commercial properties are already too expensive or too large to access the proposed “small business” benefits. And the increased levies for high value properties are not affect­ing mega mansions, but local properties where the land val­ue is calculated on its “best and highest use” i.e., skyscrapers not strip malls.

These density deficits are pervasive in the budget com­mittee’s decisions. But, in the last stages of budget commit­tee theatre, there’s often some last-minute posturing to give the appearance of horse trading. Frankly, these are table scraps: of the total $18.9 billion in oper­ational funds, the budget com­mittee allocated $2 million for councillors to argue over.

Here’s how these pet projects were divvied up:

Ward 17 (Don Valley North): Rat Response & Coyote Strate­gy $355,000

Ward 23 (Scarborough North): Youth Innovation Hub $300,000

Ward 25 (Scarborough – Rouge Park): Complimentary Zoo School Trips $200,000

Ward 9 (Davenport): Toron­to Tenant Support Program $185,000

Ward 23 (Scarborough North): Scarborough Food Tourism Pi­lot $150,000

Ward 15 (Don Valley West): Park Rehabilitation $150,000

Ward 10 (Spadina – Fort York): Cecil Street Community Centre $100,000

Ward 3 (Etobicoke – Lake­shore): Drop-In Winter & Hy­giene Supplies $100,000

Ward 17 (Don Valley North): Seniors Housing Pest Removal Pilot $90,000

Ward 23 (Scarborough North): MyMalvern Initiative $80,000

Ward 5 (York – South West­on) Weston Community Associ­ation $75,000

Ward 14 (Toronto – Danforth): Greektown Micromobility Pilot $50,000

Ward 18 (Willowdale): Street Pole Banners – Little Iran $45,000 Ward 18

Ward 18 (Willowdale): Cana­da Day – Mel Lastman Square $35,000 Ward 18

Ward 17 Neighbourhood Cli­mate Action Grants $32,000

Ward 5 (York – South West­on) Weston Area Emergency Support $30,000

Ward 23 (Scarborough North): Brookside Theft Prevention Pi­lot $15,000

Ward 15 (Don Valley West): Thorncliffe Park Sports Associ­ation $15,000

https://thebridgenews.ca/the-budget-committee-density-deficit/
Nicki Ward – Op Ed on the failure(s) of the budget committee
Short version: Ward 13 - Toronto Centre got "shortchanged".

The Density Deficit

It’s an election year. So, Toron­to’s civic budget, as in all elec­tion years is less about substance than about creating the optics that re-elect the budget-makers.

Let’s look at how the budget committee has served us in Ward 13, Toronto Centre.

The committee’s decision to take $1.7 billion from the re­serve fund has drawn criticism from all sides of the political spectrum. Those on the right have described this as “Finan­cial malpractice […] mortgaging the city’s future.” Even staunch progressives have described it as part of a series of “red flags” arguing that city reserves are not rainy-day funds or a minor accounting buffer, but money specifically set aside for bring­ing roads and infrastructure back to good repair.

This is bad for Ward 13, To­ronto Centre. We have suffered the most from over-intensifica­tion. Our density is the highest in Canada. More people, more cars, more housing per square kilometre means that our roads, sewers and transportation sys­tems wear out more quickly than anywhere else; twice as fast as our nearest neighbours, and five to ten times faster than some suburban wards.

The city’s transportation and parks are also sounding infra­structure alarm bells. There’s already a 10-year backlog of overdue repairs and the budget committee did not make adjust­ments for local density and in­tensity needs.

Other examples of the budget committee failing to address the density deficit, relate to small business and luxury off­sets. Once again, because of over-intensification, we have much higher property values per square foot than our subur­ban friends – more than twice as high in some cases. Our land value is closer to that of down­town Paris than downtown Eto­bicoke.

This means that even relative­ly small commercial properties are already too expensive or too large to access the proposed “small business” benefits. And the increased levies for high value properties are not affect­ing mega mansions, but local properties where the land val­ue is calculated on its “best and highest use” i.e., skyscrapers not strip malls.

These density deficits are pervasive in the budget com­mittee’s decisions. But, in the last stages of budget commit­tee theatre, there’s often some last-minute posturing to give the appearance of horse trading. Frankly, these are table scraps: of the total $18.9 billion in oper­ational funds, the budget com­mittee allocated $2 million for councillors to argue over.

Here’s how these pet projects were divvied up:

Ward 17 (Don Valley North): Rat Response & Coyote Strate­gy $355,000

Ward 23 (Scarborough North): Youth Innovation Hub $300,000

Ward 25 (Scarborough – Rouge Park): Complimentary Zoo School Trips $200,000

Ward 9 (Davenport): Toron­to Tenant Support Program $185,000

Ward 23 (Scarborough North): Scarborough Food Tourism Pi­lot $150,000

Ward 15 (Don Valley West): Park Rehabilitation $150,000

Ward 10 (Spadina – Fort York): Cecil Street Community Centre $100,000

Ward 3 (Etobicoke – Lake­shore): Drop-In Winter & Hy­giene Supplies $100,000

Ward 17 (Don Valley North): Seniors Housing Pest Removal Pilot $90,000

Ward 23 (Scarborough North): MyMalvern Initiative $80,000

Ward 5 (York – South West­on) Weston Community Associ­ation $75,000

Ward 14 (Toronto – Danforth): Greektown Micromobility Pilot $50,000

Ward 18 (Willowdale): Street Pole Banners – Little Iran $45,000 Ward 18

Ward 18 (Willowdale): Cana­da Day – Mel Lastman Square $35,000 Ward 18

Ward 17 Neighbourhood Cli­mate Action Grants $32,000

Ward 5 (York – South West­on) Weston Area Emergency Support $30,000

Ward 23 (Scarborough North): Brookside Theft Prevention Pi­lot $15,000

Ward 15 (Don Valley West): Thorncliffe Park Sports Associ­ation $15,000

The Budget Committee– Density deficit – The Bridge News HomeArticlesThe Budget Committee– Density deficit The Budget Committee– Density deficit Post categories In 2026, March 2026 Nicki Ward – It’s an election year. So, Toron­to’s civic budget, as in all elec­tion years is less about substance than about creating the optics that re-elect the ...

Please share this widely - There's no ideology at stake when its this cold.

Later, when its warmed up we can ask why there are so few facilities in our neighbourhood.

Warming Centres The City’s Warming Centres and surge sites are currently open. Find the locations using the map below.   Warming Centres are part of the City’s Winter Services Plan for people experiencing homelessness. The City activates Warming Centres when Environment and Climate Change Canada forecasts temp...

Chris Moise endorsed this monstrosity.

This 139-year-old Toronto church could be turned into a skyscraper The building will tower above a Cabbagetown church and include more than 100 units of affordable housing

Massey Dialogues on Affordable Housing
Live streamed on youtube tonight

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gy6I3m15NhY

All three governments today are wrestling with the problem of housing affordability. Social housing and housing cooperatives are two of the ways in which past governments have subsidized accommodation. This panel will draw upon the experiences of residents to ask how well these alternatives have worked, and what can be done to make them more effective.

Even by local standards (which are awful) this is disgraceful. It is expected to stand at abut 800 feet - Roughly 1/4 of a kilometre tall!

Even with the artist's "creative" rendition and perspective tricks... it is 700% larger than it's next door neighbour.

The Privately-Owned "Publicly accessible Space" is being pitched as "park like"

Cynics or students of actual history will note the these spaces rarely remain "publicly accessible"

Ugh... Seriously?

Toronto Centre / Ward 13 does NOT need more condos...or higher density. We need daylight, genuine parkspace and a break from non-stop overdevelopment.

There are literally hundreds of acres of underdeveloped land all over the rest of Toronto that are crying out for housing.

The reason this vertical pollution gets dumped on us can be found at City Hall.

69 Storeys Proposed Within Walking Distance of Sherbourne Subway | UrbanToronto Developer KingSett Capital has submitted Zoning By-law Amendment and Site Plan Approval applications for a high-rise at a site located within walking distance of iconic city spots including Toronto Reference Library and Allan Gardens.

Long Read, but here's the bottom line:

Toronto deserves to govern itself - The Province sets unreasonable demands and then takes away the tools needed to meet those targets.

As a Charter City, Toronto could actually set it's own targets and use alternative revenue generating tools (not just raising taxes on rents and condos)

Nicki Ward

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

BIG NEWS FOR CHARTER CITY SUPPORTERS!
On June 14, Toronto city council will vote on a proposal to significantly advance progress on a City Charter for Toronto.

Councillor Jamaal Myers (Scarborough North) and Deputy-Mayor Jennifer McKelvie (Scarborough-Rouge River) will present a motion directing city staff to investigate pathways to a City Charter and, crucially, to seek public input on the idea.

The motion asks city staff to:

• Examine how to achieve a City Charter
• Look at budgetary implications
• Seek public input on what powers Toronto should have over local decision-
making, including taxation, elections and city planning
• Investigate a legal mechanism for enshrining greater Toronto autonomy in the
Canadian Constitution.

These steps are exactly what Charter City Toronto thinks are necessary to kick off serious discussion about the place of cities in 21st century Canada.
If you support the Charter City initiative, please ask your
city councilor to vote for the motion!

Go to the bottom of this e-mail for a sample message
and to find your councillor's e-mail address.
WHAT THIS MOTION WILL DO

If passed, the Myers-McKelvie instructions to city staff will for the first time set in motion a process to begin looking into a City Charter for Toronto. They will begin to address many questions: what’s the process for negotiating a City Charter? What should it say? What powers should cities have? How can we fix the relationship between the province and its big cities? What is the best way to constitutionally protect whatever new powers and revenue sources are negotiated in City Charter talks?

A City Charter would lay out how Toronto will be funded in the future and what authority and autonomy it will have to deal with its own affairs, free from provincial interference on purely local matters.

A single-province constitutional amendment under Section 43 of the Canadian Constitution would protect the City Charter from changes the city doesn't approve. It will recognize Toronto and Ontario’s other large cities as a level of government in their own right.

A constitutionally-protected City Charter is the only way to achieve a new deal for cities in a single process, in the shortest period of time and with maximum public input.

This motion, to look into the idea, consult the public and report back before the end of the year is a necessary and welcome step in the right direction and hopefully, every right-thinking councillor will vote yes.

WHY IT MATTERS

There’s a near-consensus among city builders, urbanists, economists and municipal politicians that cities need not just one new deal, but three:

A new financial deal. Cities are being constantly asked to do more with the same money or less. 90% of all taxation raised in the city of Toronto goes to senior levels of government. Toronto relies on the province for 20% of its day to day budget because it hasn’t the fiscal capacity to raise the money it needs. And there is still a billion-dollar hole in the budget, this year and next year again. Plus an unfunded $46 million in badly-needed capital projects. And a housing crisis.

Instead of giving the city new revenue tools, the province takes them away. In 2017, the city voted to tol the DVP and Gardiner; the province said no. In 2023, the province took away the city’s ability to levy charges on new development to pay for the services the people living in those developments need, like water, sewer, roads, parks and transit. That's a loss of $5 billion for municipalities across Ontario.

A new deal on municipal powers and authority. Cities are being asked to do their work without the authority to do it. In the now classic example, it took the city of Toronto six years to get provincial permission to hire street crossing guards. The province has the final say on land use planning and imposes decisions whether the city likes it or not. Cities like Toronto—larger and with bigger economies than many provinces—have no innate powers of their own. They are mere “creatures of the province”.

A new deal on constitutional status. The powers Toronto was given to design its own governing structures in the 2006 City of Toronto Act were taken away in 2018 by the Ford government without consultation or notice when he slashed city council in half in the middle of an election. It’s not just Toronto: the city of London had already transitioned to ranked ballots in municipal elections before the Ford government forced them to drop the popular voting method—and forbade any other city from following London’s lead. Cities need to control local decision-making. They need protection from the whims of a provincial government that wants to run cities from Queen Park.