Markets to Main Street
Why Now
Our main streets and malls should be magnets for community life—not monuments to disuse. Yet in Ward 1, commercial vacancies persist even as residential demand surges and development reshapes our neighbourhoods. This is the moment to bridge that gap.
Toronto’s 160+ community markets already support over 4,000 entrepreneurs, and the City’s forthcoming Public Markets Action Plan gives us a clear policy runway. I’m ready to run with it—turning empty plazas into thriving hubs through public markets, night markets, and affordable spaces for local makers.
But this isn't just about filling storefronts. It’s about reimagining our corridors: Live-Make Units above strip plazas, missing-middle commercial space for small tenants, revived malls as gathering places, and a nighttime economy strategy that keeps our streets alive after dark.
We have the policy, the demand, and the spaces—from open-air plazas and historic halls to seasonal streets, vacant storefronts, and parks. Now we need the will to activate them.
How Does This Impact Me?
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More hangout spots: Transforming malls into community hubs gives you safe, indoor places to study, socialize, and host youth events without needing a car.
First-job access: Pop-up retail and new co-working spaces create entry-level retail, food-service, and creative jobs close to home.
Affordable meeting space: New creative hubs and public markets offer low-cost venues for student clubs, art shows, and pop-up passion projects.
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Shorter commutes: Mid-rise housing above shops lets you live right where you work, play, and run errands (transit-oriented development).
Affordable startup space: Co-working and creative co-location tax breaks make it cheaper to launch a side hustle or small business without leasing an entire office.
Nightlife options: The "Nighttime Economy" pilot means later dining, entertainment, and cultural events, giving you more after-work social options in your own neighborhood.
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Convenient family errands: Public markets and revitalized malls mean fresh groceries, local produce, and services within walking distance, saving you time.
Career stability & local hiring: Supporting local businesses keeps jobs in Ward 1, reducing the risk of storefront vacancies that lower property values and safety.
Housing for aging parents/kids: Mid-rise units above shops provide "missing middle" housing so your young adult children or aging parents can stay nearby, not move away.
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Walkable daily needs: Public markets and mall hubs reduce your need to travel far for fresh food, pharmacies, and social activities—key for mobility.
Social connection: Community hubs in malls give you warm, indoor spaces for senior groups, coffee chats, and recreational programs, fighting isolation.
Safer, active streets: Revitalized main streets with pop-ups and foot traffic mean better-lit, cleaner sidewalks and more eyes on the street for your safety.
First 100 Days
Day 30: Host a planning session to transform Albion Mall, Woodbine Mall & Fantasy Fair, and Rexdale Mall and Plaza into true Community Hubs.
Day 60: Rezone strip plazas for mid-rise housing above shops, and introduce a by-law to support pop-up retail in vacant storefronts.
Day 75: Conduct a study into how to use Creative Co-Location Facilities Property Tax Subclass to attract qualifying creative hubs and membership-based coworking spaces to Ward 1.
Day 100: Launch a "Main Street Revitalization" to Identify locations for Public Markets in Ward 1.
Road Map
(1-4 Year Projects)
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Live-Make Units bridge the "missing middle" in commercial real estate—offering affordable, flexible spaces (500–1,500 sq. ft.) for small bakeries, clinics, and boutiques that are too big for home offices yet too small for sprawling retail chains. This solution transforms underused strip malls by developing co-owned, pedestrian-friendly mid-rises (5–15 stories) that fit existing neighborhoods.
Ground floors house locally-owned workshops and services, while upper levels provide family apartments:
Live/Work: Unit functions primarily as a home, where working is secondary and must not disturb neighbors (e.g., an accountant's office).
Work/Live: Units that are primarily a workspace, where living is the secondary function. This allows for higher-impact activities like retail or light manufacturing (e.g., bike repair, bakery) that generate noise or foot traffic.
Make-Live (Maker Space): Units for specifically for craftsmanship and production. It integrates "maker spaces" and studios with living quarters, allowing for creative industries that require tools or equipment.
This strategy aims to protect employment lands, industrial zones and avoid airport flight paths while delivering communities where entrepreneurs can work for someone else or run their own business—actually work from home, with proper workspace downstairs and family space upstairs, stabilizing Main Street.
Major Activities
Live Above the Shop: Children nap while parents operate the business below—no commute, no second rent.
Intergenerational Transfer: Co-ownership allows the unit to be passed to children or sold within the co-op, keeping the business in the community.
On-Site Childcare: Commercial units can be leased to ECEs (Early Childhood Educators) within the same block, creating drop-off convenience for working parents.
School Catchment: Mid-rise blocks are embedded in existing neighbourhoods with established schools.
Stable Ownership: Strata condominium ownership means no landlord can triple rent or evict for redevelopment—business and home are secured in perpetuity.
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This project activates “Meanwhile Spaces": short-term, low-cost leases that let entrepreneurs test markets, launch pop-ups, and run community creative projects. With zoning updates (EHON) and placemaking tactics like PlazaPOPS, we can turn underused plazas into vibrant, community-owned destinations.
It's a "venue ladder" that helps small businesses grow from home-based startups to plaza storefronts, and eventually to prominent corridor locations. No high-rises. No displacement. Just smart, temporary solutions that build permanent community wealth—one renovated plaza at a time.
Entrepreneur Venue Ladder
The Launchpad (Home-Based)
The Shared Market (Temporary Pop-ups)
The Incubator (Shared Retail)
The Micro-Space (Kiosk or Pop-Up Lease)
The Destination (Permanent Plaza Lease)
Strip plazas are neighborhood lifelines—offering affordable space for immigrant-owned shops and everyday essentials. We will explore opportunities at:
Kipling Plaza (2141 Kipling Ave)
Finchwood Plaza (19 Finch Ave W / near Highway 27)
SmartCenters Rexdale (2267 Islington Ave)
Martin Grove Mall (2200 Martin Grove Rd)
Rexdale Commercial Centre (Rexdale Blvd)
FInchdale (2552 Finch Ave W)
Rosedale (2972 Islington Ave)
Queens Plate Centre (200 Queens Plate Dr)
Elmhurst Plaza (2428 Islington Ave)
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Nightlife is more than just entertainment; it includes essential services, 24/7 manufacturing, logistics, and cleaning services.
Permanent nighttime governance models are needed to manage tensions between the "three pillars" of the night: residents, visitors, and the people who keep Toronto running while others sleep.
I will convene local businesses, Humber College and Woodbine Entertainment for the following initiatives:
The Dusk to Dawn Squad: I will appoint a community-led council for permanent nighttime governance structures that support proactive management rather than reactive policing over "other half of the day" (6 PM to 6 AM) .
Develop a Ward 1 Nighttime Economy Strategy that supports late-night retail, dining, and cultural activities while addressing noise, safety, and transportation needs.
Support for 24/7 Businesses: Work with the City to develop a Nighttime Economy framework that coordinates the needs of residents, business operators, and night workers to balance vibrancy with safety.
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Albion Mall: Campus of Care Integration
Co-Locate Services Within the Mall: Negotiate leases or municipal acquisitions of mall retail space to expand satellite health services, library programs, and community gathering spaces, directly activating vacant units.
Connect and Activate Community Assets: Develop physical “campus connectors" (pathways, signage) and shared programming between the mall and surrounding assets (Albion Library, Rexdale Community Health Centre, Albion Arena, etc.) to function as a unified civic hub.
Formalize as a “Campus of Care" Zone: Work with City Planning to designate the Albion Mall catchment area as a priority zone for health and social service integration, streamlining approvals for community infrastructure and unlocking dedicated funding.
Woodbine Mall & Fantasy Fair: Entertainment District Revival
Conduct Anchor & Cultural Feasibility Studies: Commission a feasibility study on securing Lotte Corporation (backed by a $200M EDC guarantee) as an international anchor tenant at Woodbine Mall to align the Mall’s development to the city's Woodbine Secondary Plan for a transit-oriented community, the Woodbine Lands, at the adjacent Woodbine Casino and Racetrack.
Casino Woodbine Integration: Support the enforcement of the Community Access to Space Policy under the Woodbine Casino Community Benefits Agreement to enable low- or no-cost access to THE THEATRE at Great Canadian Casino Resort Toronto, ensuring the venue is programmed with a minimum of one large-scale community event per month.
Modernizing the Fantasy Fair: Engage early with the landowner (Romspen) during its redevelopment planning to ensure the cherished Fantasy Fair is preserved and integrated into any new mixed-use concept.
Retail Spaces for Unions and Coops: Commission a feasibility study to leverage the new $800M+ Canadian Built Opportunities Platform—a partnership between Fiera Capital and the Carpenters' Union that funds union-built real estate and infrastructure projects across Canada —to finance retail spaces for entrepreneurs, essential services, and local job creation while generating stable returns for the union's pension fund.
Secure Workforce Development Pipeline: Initiate a formal workforce development agreement with Humber College to establish work-based learning programs in Construction, Hospitality, Event Management, and the Longo Faculty of Business to directly tie to the mall’s redevelopment.
Rexdale Mall: Community Hub & Mixed-Use Redevelopment
Activate Vacant Space Immediately: Fill existing vacant retail units with short-term community programming, including pop-up markets, artist studios, and satellite health services, while long-term redevelopment plans are finalized.
Align with Surrounding Growth: Leverage the mall’s strategic location near the Etobicoke North GO Station and Highway 401 to position the site as a mixed-use transit-oriented hub that complements surrounding high-density residential developments and the existing Rexdale Community Hub.
Establish a Community Benefit Agreement: Engage with the receiver (Ernst & Young) and future purchasers to secure a legally binding Community Benefit Agreement, ensuring affordable commercial space, community service facilities, and public realm improvements are included in any redevelopment.
