Toronto businesses seek stability in mayor’s second term

Amidst the bustling surroundings of Union Station, Dana Duncanson, managing director of the Downtown West Business Improvement Area (BIA), envisions a prosperous future for downtown Toronto. She says, "Toronto is really going through this, great evolution." Representing businesses north and south of Union Station, Duncanson emphasizes the need for improved coordination from city hall concerning construction and other issues.

She explains, "Timing things so that we can get these big projects taken care of, in a manner that doesn’t impact the city too much." Congestion and construction management emerged as key campaign issues during October's municipal election, as did promoting high-profile events.

Jon Kiru, speaking on behalf of an umbrella organization for all Toronto BIAs, shares the businesses' desire for predictability in funding and construction management. He remarks, "There was that predictability that I spoke about earlier, during construction, the on-again, off-again, the lack of planning, the lack of understanding."

Coordinating construction is deemed a priority by Braman Thillainathan, a spokesperson for Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow. She acknowledges there's more to accomplish in her second term but has made coordinating construction a top priority since taking office. The mayor established the Strategic Capital Coordination Office and appointed Toronto's first chief congestion officer.

According to Thillainathan, "Mayor Chow established the Strategic Capital Coordination Office and appointed Toronto’s first chief congestion officer."

Duncanson reiterates that the essence lies in basic principles: a city that moves, is safe, and clean. One initiative that has proven effective for the Downtown West BIA is the deployment of traffic agents at busy intersections. Currently, there are 100 active traffic agents, with plans to expand this number to 127 by early next year.