Participatory Budgeting (PB) allows Ward 13 residents to suggest local enhancement projects within their community and then vote on which projects should be funded. Every year, Councillor Moise allots $750,000 for projects within some of the 6 zones in Ward 13. Projects are funded via Community Benefits Charges (CBCs), as well as using significant amounts of unspent funds remaining from pre-2023 Section 37 density bonusing for Ward 13.
Councillor Moise’s website lists 18 “neighbourhoods” (see note 1) in Ward 13, including 13 “associations” (Trefann Court isn’t listed). Elsewhere Moise says there are 14 neighbourhoods in Ward 13, which he divided into 6 clusters for PB. The cluster descriptions actually list 17 neighbourhoods (see note 2). (Can he count?)
• Cluster 1 – bounded by Bay, Bloor, College/Carlton, Sherbourne. (See note 3)
• Cluster 2 – bounded by Sherbourne, Bloor, Carlton (Sherbourne to Parliament) and Gerrard (east of Parliament), DVP.
• Cluster 3 – bounded by Yonge, Carlton, Queen, Parliament.
• Cluster 4 – appears on the map but its boundaries don’t appear to be stated anywhere.
• Cluster 5 – bounded by Bay, Queen Street, Esplanade, Parliament.
• Cluster 6 – bounded by Parliament Street, Shuter, Mill Street, DVP. (See note 3)
PB projects for Clusters 1, 5 and 6 were funded in 2023; Clusters 2 and 3 in 2024; Clusters 1, 5 and 6 again in 2025. No PB funding is mentioned for Cluster 4. A list of approved 2023 projects was published, the projects funded for 2024 are not listed.
Four projects for Cluster 6 were approved back in 2023; no visible progress yet on any of them. When will Moise deliver?
1) $100,000 for colourful LED lighting throughout below Richmond and Adelaide highway interchanges, along the King Street corridor.
2) $300,000 to turn the small green space at the intersection of King Street, Queen Street and River Street into an official parkette. Funding will go towards facility upgrades to recognize the green space as community space. (See note 4)
3) $80,000 for Corktown-themed tree guards throughout Corktown locations from Berkeley Street to River Street and from Shuter to Front Streets including King and Queen Street. Funding approved in March 2024.
4) $150,000 for permanent planters to beautify the old parking laybys along Bayview Avenue which are no longer in use due to the installation of the bi-directional cycle tracks. Funding approved in March 2024.
Why raise citizens’ expectations if chosen PB projects are controversial or not feasible? How many chosen PB projects never get implemented? PB seems frivolous, when dealing with numerous problems/issues in our ward would be better use of Moise’s limited staff. Is PB simply a ploy by Moise to “buy your vote”? or distract you from the significant amounts of Section 37 money used to fund projects Moise choses personally? Moise’s total annual Section 37 expenditures are not publicly summarized, but are significant ($7 million so far in 2025)
Notes
- Moise’s website identifies 18 “neighbourhoods” in Ward 13: Bay Cloverhill Community Association, Bloor East Neighbourhood Association (NA), Cabbagetown Residents Association (RA), Cabbagetown South RA, Canary District NA (CDNA), Church Wellesley NA, Corktown Residents & Business Association, Financial District, Garden District RA, Goodheram & Worts NA (GWNA), McGill Granby Village RA, Moss Park, Regent Park NA, St. James Town, St. Lawrence NA, Upper Jarvis, Winchester Park RA, Yonge-Dundas
- Neighbourhoods, by cluster:
• Cluster 1 – Bay Cloverhill, Bloor East, Church Wellesley Village, Upper Jarvis
• Cluster 2 – Cabbagetown, St. James Town, Winchester Park.
• Cluster 3 – Cabbagetown South, Downtown Yonge, Garden District, McGill-Granby, Moss Park
• Cluster 4 – Regent Park
• Cluster 5 – St. Lawrence
• Cluster 6 – Corktown, West Don Lands (now called CDNA), Distillery District (now called GWNA)
The Financial District is not listed as part of Cluster 5. - A few boundaries are defined inconsistently on Moise’s website:
• Is Cluster 1 south of Bloor, or south of Charles?
• Is Cluster 6 south of Queen, or south of Shuter? This map shows that Cluster 6 also includes the area bounded by River, Dundas, DVP and Queen.
• Boundaries for Cluster 4 don’t appear to be stated anywhere. - King/Queen Triangle: In Mach 2022, the local councillor gave $1.5 million of Section 37 money to Waterfront Toronto for Public Art at the King/Queen Triangle. A winning artwork team was selected Jan 2022. See Jan 2023 glossy report. It’s 3 years later; still no art. Has some? all of that money been spent on “consultants”? With that 2022 project unfinished, why is Moise providing another $300 k for the same site: “to turn the small green space at the intersection of King Street, Queen Street and River Street into an official parkette.”
(some history: A branch of King Street once connected through this triangle to Bayview Avenue below the Queen Street Viaduct. Vehicles exiting Bayview here would either turn right for Queen, or left for King St. This confusing intersection was closed in 2011 to create the triangular “park”.)