- Finch West LRT launch problems
- Metrolinx CEO Michael Lindsay acknowledges the new Finch West LRT has struggled on cold days since its December launch. Service has been repeatedly suspended because of issues with track switches. On Boxing Day trains stopped for several hours. Lindsay said Metrolinx kept full bus service on Finch Avenue West in parallel during the ramp-up.
- Parallel bus service kept by Metrolinx and TTC
- Officials intentionally maintained full bus routes alongside the LRT during the early operations phase “knowing that we would face challenges.” The parallel bus service remains in place to protect commuters while teething problems are addressed.
- Technical cause and weather impact
- Repeated suspensions have been linked to failures of switches used to control trains when temperatures fall deep into the negatives. Cold-weather reliability for switches and other systems is under review; no firm timeline for fixes was provided.
- Chrystia Freeland resignation and byelection timeline
- Former finance minister Chrystia Freeland’s resignation as MP took effect Friday as she takes a voluntary advisory role with the Ukrainian government. Her departure creates a vacancy in University—Rosedale. Under the Canada Elections Act the writ must be issued between 11 and 180 days after the Speaker notifies Elections Canada; a byelection must be held at least 36 days after it’s called and no more than 50 days after. The move leaves Prime Minister Mark Carney two seats short of a majority, per the report.
- Provincial deferral of development fees hits city plans
- The Ford government’s policy allowing developers to defer municipal fees until occupancy will stall almost $2 billion from Toronto’s long-term building plan, the city warns. The 2026 budget includes a 2.2% tax increase; staff plan to delay hundreds of millions in parks and library spending to absorb the gap.
- Budget squeeze and housing slowdown
- City finance notes current developer-fee revenue is “insufficient to support approved and planned spending.” The report pins part of the squeeze on a near halt in the housing industry and recent provincial policy changes that immediately reduced revenue.
