Council votes to allow sixplexes in 9 Toronto wards, leaving suburbs to opt in

Ethan Lang · CBC News

· Posted: Jun 25, 2025 8:14 PM EDT | Last Updated: 1 infinitesimal ago

Following a agelong statement Wednesday, Toronto councillors compromised connected whether to let sixplexes crossed the city, voting to let the multi-unit lodging successful lone 9 wards and giving different wards the accidental to opt-in.

Coun. Gord Perks, who was pushing for a city-wide adoption, yet introduced a motion "very reluctantly" to allow sixplexes successful 8 Toronto-East York territory wards and Ward 23 (Scarborough North), wherever a aviator is already successful place, saying helium wanted to summation lodging density successful immoderate capableness alternatively than none.

"I've spent a sizeable magnitude of clip and effort moving with my colleagues connected council, trying to find bulk enactment for doing what this assembly already committed to successful 2023, which is metropolis wide sixplexes," helium said aft hours of debate. "But I've been incapable to find that."

Along with Ward 23, the pursuing wards volition present let sixplexes:

• Ward 4, Parkdale-High Park.
• Ward 9, Davenport.
• Ward 10, Spadina-Fort York.
• Ward 11, University-Rosedale.
• Ward 12, Toronto-St. Paul's.
• Ward 13, Toronto Centre.
• Ward 14, Toronto-Danforth.
• Ward 19, Beaches-East York.

The question allows councillors of the remaining 16 wards to marque a petition to the city's main planner to opt successful if interested successful allowing sixplexes.

It besides directed metropolis unit to marque sure necessary neighbourhood infrastructure is disposable to enactment added density wherever sixplexes are built, including thoroughfare cleaning, nationalist realm attraction and improvements.

The ballot follows a metropolis unit study that recommended allowing low-rise sixplexes crossed Toronto as-of-right, truthful they could beryllium built without peculiar permission. That followed a determination to let fourplexes crossed the metropolis successful 2023.

Lengthy statement leaves councillors divided

City unit noted that allowing sixplexes would beryllium a "significant milestone" successful gathering Toronto's commitments nether the national Housing Accelerator Fund to let much low-rise, multi-unit lodging improvement done as-of-right zoning bylaws successful its neighbourhoods.

Coun. Perks warned councillors that the metropolis could beryllium denied backing if it voted against approving sixplexes.

But the contented remained divisive astatine council, with Coun. Stephen Holyday pushing back.

"That is the explanation of selling retired the residents for money," Holyday said. 

"Why don't we conscionable inquire the radical what they want?" helium said. "They're not satisfied with ramming done sixplexes successful communities that were ne'er designed to location them."

Parthi Kandavel, councillor for Scarborough Southwest, told reporters that adding sixplexes to wards similar his would enactment unit connected assemblage infrastructure, parking and spot costs.

"If you springiness much units the permissions, onshore worth increases," helium said. "This volition person a tremendous interaction for moving and mediate people families connected the way to location ownership successful the suburbs … and that's a superior portion of our concerns."

In a connection pursuing the vote, Mayor Olivia Chow said the metropolis needs to bash much to code the lodging affordability crisis, and she hopes each wards volition soon let sixplexes.

"I americium assured that, arsenic much radical spot the benefits of missing mediate housing, wherever mean rent is $830 cheaper than condos and 65% of units are family-sized, much councillors volition besides opt in," she said.