Toronto is buzzing with energy after an exciting election campaign, where a majority of elected candidates (15!) committed to TEA’s asks for next term - from planting more trees in hot neighbourhoods, to greening our buildings, to pausing AI data centres.

Not only did our re-elected Mayor commit to all 5 of TEA’s key asks for next term, but enough Councillors to form a majority vote did the same. This could reshape our city with new energy and investments for greening streets and parks, protecting Torontonians from escalating climate impacts like heat and flooding, cutting single-use trash, and cutting pollution from buildings.

The map below shows where Toronto elected candidates who signed the Greener City Pledge. When it’s time to vote on items like a maximum temperature bylaw or even the annual city budget, we’ll need your voices to remind elected Council members and the Mayor of their commitments. 

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The candidate pledge had 5 asks critical to building a greener city next term, including:

• A maximum temperature bylaw to protect renters during heat waves

• Planting more trees in Toronto’s hottest neighbourhoods

• Moving Toronto’s Single-Use Strategy forward with new policies to cut litter and support reuse

• Pausing AI data centre approvals until there’s a city-wide framework for assessing their impacts

• Supporting new policies/programs to cut building emissions and make them more energy efficient

This was also an election that shone a spotlight on environmental priorities that we didn’t think we’d need to defend. Clean drinking water and Toronto’s water system came under fire with a proposal from mayoral candidate Brad Bradford to hand this system over to the provincial government - a government who is currently gutting the Environmental Bill of Rights and continuing to weaken environmental protections to enhance profit for corporations. This would be an objectively risky and completely unnecessary move that could undermine everything from flood protection to water quality, and we’re glad to see it off the table. 

Sudden removal of the Bloor West bike lane by the province also sparked protest and controversy during the election, with candidates weighing in on both sides. In fact, the CBC’s Vote Compass tool noted that the most accurate predictor of how Torontonians would vote was whether or not they supported bike lanes. 

It’s clear that attacking environmental priorities like clean water and bike lanes is a losing strategy in Toronto. And it’s clear that the 20216-2030 Council term has the potential to bring good things for Toronto’s environment. 

We will still need a strong push from Torontonians to speak up at the right time in support of priorities like a pause on AI data centres, or programs to make buildings more energy efficient. But TEA will be there to rally your voices and help make a greener, healthier, more equitable Toronto.