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Reposted by Blair Scorgie 🍁

Alex Freeman @northernnerd.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

Planning skeets are great but @blairscorgie.bsky.social dropped a great explainer on some committee overreach yesterday that just would not have reached (or read) as well here.

I left today’s Committee of Adjustment hearing for 529 Gladstone Avenue pleased with the result, but also more concerned than before about how some Committee members understand their role.

The project proposes a permitted six-unit detached houseplex and rear garden suite. The Committee was asked to consider three dimensional variances: height from 11.0 m to 11.76 m, building depth from 19.0 m to 21.5 m on a 46.6 m-deep lot, and a reduced north side-yard setback for the garden suite adjacent a commercial property on Bloor Street.

A mature boundary tree, located on the south side lot line, may be affected by the garden suite. That is a legitimate concern. But there was no variance seeking permission to remove the tree. Urban Forestry had separately reviewed the application, did not object to the requested variances, and retained full authority over any permit to injure or remove the tree.

Despite that, two Committee members questioned whether the application should be refused, or whether the garden suite should effectively be abandoned, because the tree issue remained unresolved. At one point, I was asked whether I would prefer a deferral rather than risk refusal. My response was that there was no basis for refusal under the four tests in the Planning Act, the matter was not within the purview of the Committee, and that the tree issue would be subject to a separate process with Urban Forestry. A third Committee member made a point of stating that they agreed with my interpretation. This was subsequently challenged by one of the previously mentioned dissenters. It was embarrassing to watch.

The Committee is entitled to consider real planning impacts associated with a variance. But that is different from allowing an unresolved approval under a separate regulatory process to become a substitute basis for refusing a planning application that otherwise satisfies the applicable tests. If the Committee were looking to hand me a favourable TLAB decision on a silver platt…

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Blair Scorgie 🍁 @blairscorgie.bsky.social · 25/08/2026

Taking a stroll down Memory Lane in Leslieville. Proof that we can have nice things behind our main streets.

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Lanrick Bennett @lanrickbennett.bsky.social · 22/08/2026

Connect with @blairscorgie.bsky.social and others not to tell constituents in #TorontoDanforth how to vote, but to give them a full understanding of what has happened over the last 23 years, and what we fundamentally need to demand as a community to get to a more equitable and just #Ward14. /End

A New Agenda for
Local Democracy:
Building Just,
Inclusive, and
Participatory Cities
COVID-19 exposed a crisis of growing inequality in
Canadian cities. In light of this, governance models
must change to allow for greater participation and to
expand the role of marginalized communities in
decision-making processes. This paper explores how
cities can introduce a more inclusive model of
governance to improve representation of equitydeserving groups.
Design consultation for dialogue. Go
beyond merely informing the community.
Strategize to defuse conflict and encourage
listening.
By: BrittanyAndrew-Amofah,
AlexandraFlynn,andPatricia
Wood
COVID-19 exposed a crisis of growing inequality in
Canadian cities. In light of this, governance models
must change to allow for greater participation and to
expand the role of marginalized communities in
decision-making processes. This paper explores how
cities can introduce a more inclusive model of
governance to improve representation of equity deserving groups.

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Reposted by Blair Scorgie 🍁

Lanrick Bennett @lanrickbennett.bsky.social · 21/08/2026

This is #TorontoDanforth My good friend @blairscorgie.bsky.social #TOpoli ❤️📢✊🏾

The past 24 hours have been extraordinary.
•••
X
Since Councillor Paula Fletcher announced that she will not seek re-election, I have been overwhelmed by calls, texts and emails urging me to put my name forward in Toronto-Danforth. Paula herself also reached out suggesting I throw my hat into the ring.
I am genuinely humbled by that confidence. I have spent much of the past day thinking carefully about what it would mean-not only to run, but to serve.
However, I have decided that I will not be a candidate in this election.
Over the past two years, I have built Scorgie Planning from the ground up, and I have serious commitments to my clients and students. Most importantly, my children are still very young, and I want to be present for this stage of their lives.

Running for office should not be a decision made simply because an unexpected opportunity arises. A campaign-and the responsibility of serving on City Council-deserve a full commitment. I know myself well enough to know that, if I do this one day, I will want to do it properly. This is not the right time.
There are strong, capable people prepared to step forward now. Once the field is clear, I intend to support the candidate I believe can best serve Toronto-Danforth and to continue contributing however I can.
To everyone who reached out: thank you. Your confidence in me has meant a great deal. I remain deeply committed to this community and its future.

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Blair Scorgie 🍁 @blairscorgie.bsky.social · 27/07/2026

More information here: www.scorgieplanning.com/store/p9/the...

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Blair Scorgie 🍁 @blairscorgie.bsky.social · 26/06/2026

The missing middle conversation is changing. We've spent years debating whether cities should permit more housing. The next challenge is implementation. Enjoyed discussing these questions on the BLD Financial Podcast. www.youtube.com/watch?v=CQsW...

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Blair Scorgie 🍁 @blairscorgie.bsky.social · 16/06/2026

Bill 98 was the last nail in the coffin of Neighbourhood protectionism in Toronto.

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Blair Scorgie 🍁 @blairscorgie.bsky.social · 10/06/2026

The longer I live, the more it feels like I was put on this Earth to break everything that needs to be broken.

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Blair Scorgie 🍁 @blairscorgie.bsky.social · 02/06/2026

Someone referred to me as "a weapon" during a lunch meeting today

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Reposted by Blair Scorgie 🍁

Lanrick Bennett @lanrickbennett.bsky.social · 28/05/2026

@blairscorgie.bsky.social, this is such important work. The Mixed-Use Laneway Study can be downloaded here www.scorgieplanning.com/store/p8/The...

Blair Scorgie

• 1st

Managing Principal, Scorgie Planning

17h • Edited •

I am pleased to share the public release of the Mixed-Use Laneways Study, prepared by Scorgie Planning in collaboration with LGA Architectural Partners, SOCA | Studio of Contemporary Architecture, Gladki Planning Associates, LEA Group, and urbanMetrics.

The study examines whether some of Toronto’s public laneways can accommodate modest, low-impact, neighbourhood-serving commercial, employment, and community-serving activity while maintaining their established residential and service functions.

Toronto’s laneways have historically been treated as rear-service spaces, providing access to garages, parking areas, waste storage, deliveries, utilities, and rear yards. More recently, the introduction of laneway suites has begun to shift how they are understood within neighbourhoods. This work builds from that shift, while remaining careful about the limits of what laneways can and should take on.

The study does not propose turning residential laneways into main streets, nor does it recommend broad as-of-right commercial permissions across the laneway network. Many laneways remain too narrow, constrained, fragmented, or residentially sensitive to support additional activity. The more specific question is where laneway-adjacent uses may be appropriate, what constraints would need to be managed, and what kind of policy, zoning, design, servicing, and operational framework may be needed over time.

The work is framed in relation to the City of Toronto’s recent EHON Neighbourhood Retail and Services amendments, which create a first layer of new permissions for small-scale commercial activity in Residential zones, including some residence-linked home occupations in ancillary buildings. Those permissions do not, on their own, establish a complete mixed-use laneway framework. They do, however, create an important implementation context for Jason Thorne and his team at Toronto City Planning to monitor what becomes feasible, what remains constrained, and where more targeted laneway-specific guidance may eventually be warranted.

The objective is to better understand where some laneways may have a larger role to play in supporting local work, small businesses, community-serving uses, and more complete neighbourhoods.

Thank you to the full consultant team, advisory participants, and design contributors who helped inform, test, and illustrate the work. This includes Jon Cummings Architecture, Office Ou, Studio for Architecture and Collaboration Inc., Samantha Eby, SOCA | Studio of Contemporary Architecture, Anya Moryoussef, Janna Levitt, Tura Cousins Wilson, Christopher Sidlar, Robert Walter-Joseph, Peter Thoma, Graig Uens, Shea Gallagher, Conrad Speckert, Alex Beheshti, RPP, Craig Race, Lanrick Jr Bennett, Danielle Goldfinger, Lina Al-Dajani and Gabriel Fain. It takes a village to create something like this.

In memory of my friend Michelle Senayah, who helped plant the seed for this work several years ago.

The study can be downloaded here (https://lnkd.in/e9h4pSee)

The Mixed-Use
Laneways Study June 2026

Image of map of Toronto with laneways across the city highlighted in black

MIXED-USE LANEWAYS
1.0
Introduction
1.1 Study Purpose
The Mixed-Use Laneways Study (“Study”) examines the feasibility
of introducing non-residential uses into public laneways within
residential neighbourhoods across Toronto. It evaluates the policy
and regulatory framework, built form considerations, transportation
and servicing requirements, and market conditions needed to
support laneway-based commercial and employment activity.
The Study identifies prototypical site and block conditions, tests
development scenarios and design concepts, and provides
recommendations to inform future policy, zoning, design, and
implementation guidance. Prepared in the context of the City’s
EHON Neighbourhood Retail and Services initiative, the Study
uses the resulting permissions as a current implementation context
for evaluating laneway-adjacent conditions.
1.2 Study Area
The Study examines public laneways within residential neighbourhoods
throughout the City of Toronto, recognizing their prevalence and
concentration in specific districts. Laneways are most commonly found
in the Former City of Toronto, the former City of York, and the former
Borough of East York, where the street network is finer-grained and
where public laneways have historically served as secondary access
routes. However, the Study also considers public laneways in North York,
Scarborough, and Etobicoke, which have different spatial configurations,
urban development patterns and opportunities. By taking a city-wide
approach, the Study ensures that its findings and recommendations
remain relevant across diverse neighbourhood contexts.

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Reposted by Blair Scorgie 🍁

Rodney 🚧🚇 @chanface.bsky.social · 24/05/2026

Was so cool to finally meet Missing Middle Housing legend @blairscorgie.bsky.social in person after years of being online mutuals!!

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Blair Scorgie 🍁 @blairscorgie.bsky.social · 20/05/2026

New profile picture. Fighting in the name of urbanism has aged me significantly.

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Blair Scorgie 🍁 @blairscorgie.bsky.social · 14/05/2026

Pleased to share that the Leslieville neighbourhood has been awarded support through The Laneway Project’s Collabs initiative for a public laneway enhancement project south of Queen Street East, between Caroline and Berkshire.

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Blair Scorgie 🍁 @blairscorgie.bsky.social · 11/05/2026

Let the record show that I had nothing to do with this.

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Blair Scorgie 🍁 @blairscorgie.bsky.social · 21/04/2026

Once again, I appear to have found myself in the centre of controversy. toronto.citynews.ca/video/2026/0...

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Blair Scorgie 🍁 @blairscorgie.bsky.social · 09/04/2026

Rumours are swirling, and I feel the need to set the record straight. Despite being asked on several occasions, and joking about the possibility, I am happily married to my "job" and have no intention of running against Paula Fletcher in the upcoming municipal election. Thanks.

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Blair Scorgie 🍁 @blairscorgie.bsky.social · 09/04/2026

You may know me as an Urban Planner. But did you also know this?

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Blair Scorgie 🍁 @blairscorgie.bsky.social · 27/03/2026

Think your neighbourhood has a good sense of community? I'm going to see the Wu Tang Clan with all of the dads on my block.

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Blair Scorgie 🍁 @blairscorgie.bsky.social · 21/03/2026

If you're going to repeatedly tell me how busy you are, please bear in mind that I am one human being running a successful consulting firm without any staff, leading twenty projects at a time, while teaching five university courses, writing multiple books, and raising two children. Thank you.

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Reposted by Blair Scorgie 🍁

Jens von Bergmann @jensvb.bsky.social · 16/03/2026

Simple truths

It’s not reasonable to live in a growing city and believe your neighbourhood will never change.

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Blair Scorgie 🍁 @blairscorgie.bsky.social · 16/03/2026

It is time to reform the committee of adjustment, eliminate legacy zoning regulations in their entirety, and delegate authority where needed. I am not above leveraging whatever soft power I possess to do my part in order to help ensure that this happens. www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/edit...

theglobeandmail.com

Globe editorial: A committee to duck density and democracy

Toronto’s appointed committees of adjustment are thwarting the pro-housing reforms approved by city council

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Blair Scorgie 🍁 @blairscorgie.bsky.social · 05/03/2026

Say it with me, all Committee of Adjustment members: "I pledge allegiance to Section 45 of the Planning Act, of the Province of Ontario, and the four tests upon which a Minor Variance decision must adhere."

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Blair Scorgie 🍁 @blairscorgie.bsky.social · 28/02/2026

What she said. Councillor, what gives?

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Reposted by Blair Scorgie 🍁

yaning @yannning.bsky.social · 27/02/2026

Glad to see Olivia Chow wants to clamp down on this kind of behaviour.

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Reposted by Blair Scorgie 🍁

Damien Moule @damienmoule.bsky.social · 27/02/2026

No surprise who. No matter where you try and put housing, in this case on Major Streets (which he voted for), councillor Kandavel still comes around and says "not here".

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And, boo! 👻 @g026r.leftblank.org · 27/02/2026

Do you want to get angry at people this morning? Because there are a lot of people saying the quiet parts of NIMBYism loudly. "To us, it’s basically a rooming house" "One person living the next street over wondered what the “target demographic and income bracket for prospective tenants” would be"

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Blair Scorgie 🍁 @blairscorgie.bsky.social · 27/02/2026

Let this serve as a warning to any member of the Committee of Adjustment who feels it is within their rights to operate outside of their mandate, and any City Councillor who feels it is appropriate to influence the outcome of a delegated decision-making process. www.thestar.com/news/gta/six...

thestar.com

Six storeys, 10 units: On paper, it seemed the kind of housing Toronto wants. Then its Scarborough neighbours weighed in

Mayor Olivia Chow is looking to reform the committee of adjustment after it rejected a building the developer says conforms to the city’s new housing goals.

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Blair Scorgie 🍁 @blairscorgie.bsky.social · 25/01/2026

I was honoured to be inducted into Lambda Alpha International earlier this week. Thank you to Dino Lombardi and Ian Lord for the nomination and support. LAI plays an important role in advancing thoughtful dialogue at the intersection of land economics, planning, development, and public policy.

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Blair Scorgie 🍁 @blairscorgie.bsky.social · 08/01/2026

I had a conversation with my client this morning that started with them saying "everyone loves you, by the way. I think you should know that." Gave me the feels.

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Blair Scorgie 🍁 @blairscorgie.bsky.social · 13/11/2025

In the end, we won. Neighbourhood retail has been re-legalized.

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Dan Seljak @anotherglassbox.bsky.social · 13/11/2025

A win! But it took thousands—including petition signatories, tour participants, emailers, Matlow’s staff, the mayor’s staff, the councillors themselves, and some I surely forgot—to keep momentum and morph this into consensus. Thank you all.

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Blair Scorgie 🍁 @blairscorgie.bsky.social · 12/11/2025

Very pleased to share that our Minor Variance Application for 661 O’Connor Drive received unanimous approval from the Toronto & East York Committee of Adjustment today. A big milestone for gentle density in Toronto. 🧵👇

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Dan Seljak @anotherglassbox.bsky.social · 10/11/2025

so @joshmatlow.bsky.social has posted a motion that allows councillors to adopt neighbourhood retail in their own wards, effectively allowing the removed attachment to be adopted on a ward-by-ward basis. it's not perfect but it's something!!!

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