One Great Idea to make Toronto a better place to live? Here are 20 of the best for you to vote on

We asked for ideas, and you delivered. 

Some are unique. Many we saw were suggested repeatedly from different people. As you might expect, a good number of the ideas had to do with traffic, transit and getting around, and many others dealt with housing and homelessness. That’s no surprise, as those consistently show up as big civic concerns in polls.

But another theme that emerged clearly had to do with community connection — people suggesting ways to get neighbours talking to each other, knowing each other, working with each other.

We hope this list itself gets neighbours talking to each other about things they could do together to make Toronto a better place to live.

We read through the submissions and narrowed it down to a shortlist of 20, included here (we also compiled a list of some of the runners-up that made us think or smile).

Now it’s back to you to vote for your favourites. Use the voting tools online at thestar.com to vote for which one you think is Toronto’s One Great Idea.

Let’s grown a thousand vertical farms

Let’s convert vacant office and commercial real estate in the downtown core into giant, vertical greenhouses to grow affordable, local, vegetables year-round. 

With recent innovations in “turnkey” growing systems we could quickly set up vertical farms downtown to help feed Torontonians, addressing food insecurity while also shrinking our climate footprint. Local distribution would mean fewer big trucks on the road and may lead to less gridlock in the core and on the 401. Likewise, with more people working remotely and towers occupied by plants, there could be less daily traffic congestion. —Ryan Frigault

Let’s bring parks to life

Imagine if Toronto’s local parks boasted charming, small kiosks, serving espresso, ice cream, simple sandwiches — maybe even pastries or gelato — with a few seats and tables scattered nearby. People would linger longer and conversations would flow easier around this new focal point. The park becomes a genuine community hub.

In winter, roll out a few heaters and blankets and keep the magic going as long as possible to supply skaters with hot cocoa and warm mugs of apple cider.

Toronto already has world-class parks, but we’ve been far too hesitant to permit small food businesses in them.

Café kiosks in parks bring together the community, create focal points for our world-class parks, offer parents a chance to sit and connect with friends while children play nearby, offer low-barrier entrepreneurship opportunities for young Canadians, and enhance Toronto’s tourist appeal. What’s not to love? —Grant Oyston

Let’s expand subsidies for rent

Radically expand rental subsidies. It’s a cheaper and more immediate solution to homelessness.

Based on limited available data, rental subsidies likely account for a very small percentage of the total affordable housing budget in Toronto. This suggests a significant opportunity: scaling up rental subsidies could rapidly house people using existing housing stock, rather than waiting years for new builds. 

We talk endlessly about building affordable housing. But what about the existing homes sitting empty, priced out of reach? Why not unlock them now? Instead of waiting years for new units, we could immediately house people experiencing homelessness by subsidizing rent in available properties and adding wraparound supports as needed.

We must stop treating homelessness as inevitable and start treating it as solvable. Let’s make Toronto a city where no one is left outside. —Anne Marie Aikins

One Great Idea to make Toronto a better place to live? Here are 20 of the best for you to vote on

Ramon Ferreira/Toronto Star illustration using Dreamstime images

Let’s make gondolas to the Toronto Islands

My big idea is to build ski-lift-style gondolas to the Toronto Islands. They could either span the harbour to the various islands or run along the Waterfront, through the Port Lands, onto Ward, Centre Island and Hanlan’s Point terminuses. It would be far more efficient and economical than building a new fleet of ferry boats that also need icebreakers in the winter. —Matt Byrnes

Let’s scramble up those intersections

I have been advocating for scramble intersections for years after seeing how effective they are in other cities. Although there are a few in Toronto, the city messed them up by allowing traffic and pedestrians in the intersection at the same time. The result is they are unsafe and ineffective. 

Each scramble intersection should be a three-stage signal. First, east/west vehicle traffic gets a green light with no pedestrians in the intersection. Then, north/south vehicle traffic gets the green. Cars can make turns because there are no pedestrians in the intersection. Finally, pedestrians get a green signal and can move in any direction including diagonally without any cars in the intersection. No turns are allowed on red lights for cars. It’s a win-win. They work! —Chris Churchill (Similar idea suggested by Gary Fish)

Let’s give a train ride along the Don River a real lift

There is a very old, elevated electric suspension train in Germany (the Wuppertal Suspension Railway) that gives riders a scenic and rapid trip through their city. My idea would be to construct a similar train, using the same technology, over the Don River here in Toronto. The city would not have to dig one tunnel or disrupt one single street for construction of this system. This elevated train would also have the advantage of being high above the floodwaters of the Don, which happens to overflow and block the roads next to it on a fairly regular basis.

Not only would this elevated train provide a much needed relief line for the commuters but it would also be a fantastic tourist attraction. —John Kurtz (Similar idea suggested by Jean Fortier)

Let’s get streetcars moving during rush hours

An easy way to make a dramatic improvement to the lives of many commuters, is to remove every second stop during peak rush hours on streetcar routes. Streetcar stops are generally placed very close to each other, and by removing half of them, it would allow commuters to get to their destinations much faster. —Daniel Neville

Let’s throw a citywide ‘porch party’

I think Torontonians should take part in seasonal “Porch Days.” Once a season, say on a Sunday afternoon, everyone grabs something to sit on and hangs out on their porch, stoop, or the curb outside their building.

Neighbours could catch up, or indeed meet each other for the first time; people passing by could stop and chat, have a drink, introduce their kids. The idea is for people to get together in a casual, low-obligation way.

We know strong social capital is crucial and enhances our individual and collective well-being. And we know that isolation has far-reaching negative impacts. 

In my experience, Torontonians, who have a national reputation of being standoffish, are warm and friendly and dying to connect with each other. They just need a strong nudge and a sense of permission to chat to strangers. —Bronwen Keyes-Bevan

Let’s ban left turns to speed up streetcars

Turning left can be a long wait. A single car driver waiting to turn left can delay a streetcar with hundreds of riders, damaging TTC reliability and every rider’s commute time.

The 505 Dundas streetcar famously meanders past many small streets, serving 40 eastbound stops. But it may have to stop for car drivers turning left at 47 additional locations! 

A simple rule to never turn left when driving on streetcar tracks would remove a significant source of slowdowns, and help more people get to work and school and events reliably.

And here’s the best part: you can make this your own personal rule and know you’re helping transit even when you have to drive. —Cameron MacLeod 

One Great Idea to make Toronto a better place to live? Here are 20 of the best for you to vote on

Ramon Ferreira/Toronto Star illustration using Dreamstime images

Let’s scrub the streets of this dirty old town

The city needs a thorough cleaning. We should power wash streets and garbage bins, use street sweepers regularly, fine errant dog owners and enforce dog litter bylaws. It’s embarrassing to walk around and see just how dirty the city is. —Gary via thestar.com comments

Let’s build more places to go — for when you need a place to go

Add new year-round, 24/7, free public washrooms with flush toilets and running water to meet a basic biological need for all people. These should be available in all subway stations and parks.

Public washrooms are great for everyone but they particularly support an aging population and people who need to use the washroom more frequently for a variety of medical conditions. It is an accessibility imperative.

Paris has 400 free single-user, self-cleaning washrooms called Sanisettes, which could be a model for Toronto. We have a few similar ones in Toronto but they are fee based, and often broken, and closed in winter. —Rosa via thestar.com comments (similar idea suggested by Jem Sustar)

Let’s limit terms at city hall

We absolutely need term limits on Toronto councillors and the mayor. No more than two terms. This way we get fresh blood, ideas and debates. —John Roxton

Let’s set up mental health teams to help in homeless shelters

Some homeless people are so severely mentally ill with conditions such as schizophrenia and psychosis, sometimes with co-morbid substance abuse, that they lack the capacity to engage with supports and Housing First programs.

Currently, the only way to treat their mental disorder is to hospitalize them — sometimes involuntarily.

Yes. A Quebec program called PRISM provides psychiatric hospitalization in a modified section of a homeless shelter by a team of a social worker, nurse shelter worker and psychiatrist. After 8 to 12 weeks, 75 per cent of clients obtain housing with ongoing mental health supports.

As a psychiatrist, I am working with the Toronto Alliance to End Homelessness to replicate PRISM in Toronto. —David Heath

Let’s turn Old City Hall into a new city museum

I suggest that our city open up a museum to show off the history, culture and attractions that continue to bring in tourists and immigrants.

Many cities ranging from very large New York to much smaller North Bay have museums to explain and celebrate how they become important places that have influence beyond their city limits.

A Toronto museum has been long talked about, but we’ve seen little progress. Let’s build a Toronto museum that will become an attraction for schoolchildren and tourists and more at Old City Hall. This historic building would be a great place to show off the past, present and future of our hometown. —Jeffrey Kay

Let’s create a bond to pay for major municipal projects

Create a 25-, 50- or 100-year Toronto Improvement Bond (similar to wartime Victory Bonds) to fund TTC expansion, or possibly other projects. A plan is needed to expand transit to a hundred-mile radius of Toronto. —Craig Mullins

Let’s offer local health care through community centre medical hubs

I would like to see the city dedicate community centre medical hubs that can serve surrounding neighbourhoods. These medical hubs would consist of family physicians, nurses, nurse practitioners and specialists. These hubs would also include on-site blood work. After-hours urgent care would also be provided.

Instead of Torontonians having to visit the ER, walk-in clinics, or travel hours to see a family physician in a completely different city, this provides local care. It would ease the strain on emergency departments and it would be integral in keeping communities healthy and informed on their health through education and information initiatives on various topics. —Felicia Alli

Let’s make public transit free for those in need

We should have lots of free public transit to help with the climate and make life easier for seniors and the disabled. —Susan Starkman (similar ideas submitted by multiple readers)

Let’s make Toronto independent of Queen’s Park

Toronto needs to get out from under the oppressive jackboot of the province of Ontario. Only then can Toronto do some important things that would improve the quality of civic life, such as place tolls on the Gardiner, install speed cameras, have bike lanes, control the size of city council, require green roofs, run supervised drug consumption sites, and so on.

Until Toronto is an independent, self-governing municipality, all other ideas for improving the city are vulnerable to provincial whim. —Carol Damioli

Let’s put a price on the roads to support local business, cut pollution

Implement congestion pricing in Toronto. It encourages people to walk, ride bicycles, and use transit to go about their activities in the city. It reduces pollution, increases health, and supports local businesses.

Many cities around the world have implemented congestion pricing including London, Stockholm, Milan, and New York City.

The pricing system should be designed and implemented in such a way as to discourage private vehicular use during selected times of day. The net revenue from congestion pricing must be directed to improvements in public transportation, including the subway, bus and commuter rail infrastructure. —Sharon Bider

Let’s convert bike lanes into skating lanes

Every winter, Toronto spends millions plowing bike lanes that almost no one uses. What if, instead, we froze them?

The “Iceway Network” would transform select bike paths, ravine trails, and side streets into linked skating routes — a new, seasonal mode of transportation connecting parks, schools, and workplaces. Using the same crews and equipment that flood outdoor rinks, the city could pilot a one-kilometre corridor next winter from the Bentway to Coronation Park: a floodlit trail for commuters and families alike. During the coldest months, the Iceway would turn underused asphalt into a joyful, zero-emission commuting network. Neighbourhood cafés, arenas, and sponsors could maintain stretches and capitalize as “warm stops.”

If expanded citywide, the Iceway could connect the city’s ravines and bike lanes into a uniquely Canadian commuting network — where sustainability meets sheer delight. Toronto doesn’t need to escape winter. It can glide through it. —Jeremey Nelson