LACE UP for Gathering
Why Now
Roads move goods. Broadband moves data. But Leisure, Arts, Culture, and Entertainment (LACE) move people toward one another—and right now, that motion has stalled. We are not just lonely; we are economically fragile. Social recession is a tax on our health, our safety, and our local businesses.
This strategy—LACE UP—treats human connection not as a nice-to-have, but as a public utility. It demands deliberate investment, active protection, and ongoing maintenance, just like our water mains and power grids. It is an operational blueprint to stop treating our "third places" (libraries, parks, galleries, music venues) as budget line-items to cut, and start treating them as structural pillars of a resilient city.
The math is simple: Isolation costs us billions. Connection pays us back.
LACE UP invests in:
Leisure to keep us healthy (cutting healthcare claims).
Arts to keep us thinking (attracting top talent).
Culture to keep us rooted (fighting displacement).
Entertainment to keep us spending (fueling the local tax base).
How does this impact me?
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Access to affordable or free arts "prescriptions," pop-up studio spaces, and satellite festival events mean you have creative outlets, portfolio-building opportunities, and safe, engaging places to hang out with friends outside of school hours.
The Artist Residency and studio spaces create paid internship opportunities, part-time creative jobs, and a vibrant social scene that makes staying in Etobicoke after class actually fun instead of boring. -
Access to affordable, professional theatre and arts programming within a 10-minute drive means cheaper weekend entertainment, less time commuting downtown, and enriching cultural exposure for your kids without the hassle.
A year-round calendar of markets and festival spin-offs turns our ward into a destination, which boosts local nightlife, gives you networking opportunities at events, and increases the foot traffic that helps our local cafes and shops thrive. -
A year-round calendar of markets and festivals increases foot traffic to local shops, which boosts property values and gives you diverse "date night" and social gathering options right in your own backyard.
Securing studio spaces and theatre dates provides structured, high-quality cultural activities for your family’s weekends, while the "Woodbine District" plan ensures your property taxes support tangible amenities that keep your family entertained locally rather than commuting downtown. -
The "Arts Prescriptions" program combats social isolation by providing free, structured, indoor winter activities that are accessible, encourage gentle movement, and offer easy meeting spots close to home.
The winter-spring arts programs and accessible theatre dates offer affordable, indoor social gathering opportunities. Your voice will be heard through working groups that create events that appeal to all ages, not just the young.
first 100 days
Day 30: Trigger the Woodbine CBA to book the first 3–4 community dates for the Theatre within the first 60 days.
Day 60: Secure an Artist Residency Pop-Up Space in one vacant retail unit in Woodbine Mall (or a city-owned facility) to initiate a 2027 winter-spring arts prescriptions program.
Day 75: Launch Creative Co-Location Facilities RFP to explore how Ward 1 can use the Creative Co-Location Facilities Tax Subclass to secure studio spaces within the next 12 months.
Days 90: Convene a “Woodbine District" Working Group of Woodbine Entertainment, local businesses, arts organizations, and Humber College to create a year-round calendar of events, markets, and satellite festival spin-offs in Ward 1 for Summer 2027.
ROAD MAP
(1-4 Year Projects)
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Canada's PaRx program lets doctors prescribe time in nature—at least two hours a week—for better physical and mental health. But a prescription only works if the park is worth visiting.
Too many of our public spaces fall short: diesel‑spewing food trucks, inaccessible washrooms, broken wayfinding, and nowhere comfortable to sit.
This 12‑month pilot, Leisure for All Seasons, will assess and upgrade every public recreation space in Ward 1 to remove barriers to participation and add climate resilience for year-round leisure options.
Accessibility will be central—not an afterthought. We will bring together people with disabilities, employment centres and design firms to create accessible wayfinding, furniture, bathrooms, fitness machines, pool lifts, and zero‑barrier recreation venues.
Youth Climate Corps apprentices—supported by federal funding—will work alongside City staff and local businesses to study and install solar power projects, upgrade washrooms with renewable energy and automated cleaning, install smart waste systems, and redesign landscapes for play to deliver climate-friendly leisure experiences.
Major Activities:
Creating sensory-friendly play areas for kids, adventure spots for teens, and exercise zones for seniors.
Improving spaces for disability-friendly events and programs like outdoor movies, group fitness, adaptable sports, and picnics in parks.
A 12‑month pilot launching alongside the City's Park Mobile Vending Pilot to test the feasibility of “plug-and-play” shops in parks to lower vendor operating costs, reduce noise, and limit air pollution from diesel powered vehicles.
Upgrade activity stations for park rangers to conduct guided tours, outdoor sports, and nature prescriptions.
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The “Third Places for the Therapeutic Arts" initiative funds North Etobicoke's cultural calendar by channeling healthcare budgets into arts programming through social prescribing—a preventative model where clinicians prescribe arts activities to improve wellness. This unlocks sustainable, non-grant revenue for cultural organizations.
Beyond grants, operational funding flows through public libraries and the Creative Facilities Co-Location Tax program, which supports new shared arts spaces. The result: arts funding reframed as preventive health investment—enriching community life while delivering measurable wellbeing outcomes.
Priority projects include:
Arts on Prescription Integration – Start planning with Rexdale Community Health Centre, Alliance for Healthier Communities, local libraries, and Arts Etobicoke to formalize a partnership between Economic Development and Toronto Public Health, making arts-based therapy a publicly supported social prescription.
Arts Etobicoke Satellite Residency Pilot – Partner with Arts Etobicoke for a 3‑month pop-up residency (e.g., at Woodbine Mall) serving 4–6 West Toronto artists, ending in a public exhibition or workshop.
Community & Cultural Spaces Trust (CCST) Adoption – Champion the Creative Co‑Location Facilities Property Tax Subclass to secure affordable studio, rehearsal, and third spaces across Ward 1.
Creative Co-Location Facility for Social Prescribing: Through a Public-Community Partnership with Toronto Public Library, community health organizations, and the Community Cultural Land Trust, transform vacant Woodbine Mall space into a multi-use cultural venue where creators work and communities heal through prescribed music and movement therapy.
Woodbine CBA Community Events Pilot – Activate the Casino’s theatre for 12 annual community dates, starting with a monthly "North Etobicoke Arts Showcase" featuring local musicians, theatre, and dance.
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This initiative formally designates Woodbine Casino, Racetrack, and Mall as North Etobicoke’s central Entertainment District for events that can be enjoyed by any age, size, or ability.
I will work with residents and businesses to develop governance structures for the Nighttime Economy (6 p.m. to 6 a.m.) beyond traditional bars and clubs by promoting family-friendly cultural events, alcohol-free community spaces, live music, and early-evening recreation for children, teens, and older adults.
I will also collaborate with emergency services and late-night businesses to develop support services for non-entertainment workers—including cleaners, Casino workers, factory staff, Pearson airport employees, and Humber College students.
Priorities include:
Cultural Hotspot Satellite Festival Pilot: Advocate for a permanent budget set‑aside (e.g., 15%) for spin‑off festivals (e.g., Rumba on Rexdale, TIFF Next Wave, AfroFest, Festa on Finch) to test demand and logistics.
Entertainment District Designation: Partner with City Planning and Etobicoke councillors to officially designate the Woodbine area in the Official Plan, mandating cultural infrastructure in all future developments.
Green Entertainment: Work with renewable energy co-ops to develop localized grids for dynamic power sharing among theaters, restaurants, and public plazas. Activate sustainable frameworks like the Toronto Green Standard to replace diesel event generators with clean mobile power, and support venues in transitioning to cleaner energy.
“Here Comes the Night” Teen Safety Strategy: Have teens audit evening transit stops, parks, and venues using photography and mapping. They will co-design solutions—improved lighting, seating, and art—and present recommendations to the City's Night Economy Working Group, fostering safer, more inclusive spaces for youth.
Nighttime Economy Zoning & Licensing Reform: Amend zoning by-laws and liquor licensing to convert retail spaces for hybrid use to test demand and logistics of daytime cafes, indoor listening lounges, indoor nightclubs (e.g. live-to-air DJ sets and broadcasts), night markets, and late-night cultural venues inside of Woodbine Mall’s vacant storefronts.
