Councillor McMahon is committed to improving Toronto and Ward 32 through transparency, collaboration and hard work. Below are her stances on some key issues affecting Torontonians and Ward 32 constituents.

Latest position statements by the Councillor:

• Councillor McMahon on the Expansion of the Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport
• Councillor McMahon on a Casino in the GTA
• Silverbirch Boathouse----Moving Forward
• Councillor McMahon on the Silverbirch Boathouse
• Councillor McMahon on Toronto's coyotes

To see Councillor McMahon’s voting record at City Hall, visit the City of Toronto’s Voting Record tool.

Casinos

Councillor McMahon strongly opposes the construction of a casino in our city. Casinos damage the social environment of cities and do not offer the economic benefits they advertise. Allowing a casino to be built in the GTA is therefore an inadvisable way to generate revenue for the city. She believes alternative, more innovative and less damaging ways exist to solve Toronto’s financial troubles. Councillor McMahon was pleased to see that many Torontonians demonstrated their opposition to a casino at the five public consultations held in 2012. She is more supportive of charging road tolls and parking levies, for instance, to close the financial gaps at the municipal level. Councillor McMahon will not be supporting any proposal to place a casino in our city.

Term Limits

Councillor McMahon supports starting a conversation about term limits for City Councillors and Mayors in Toronto. Keeping a healthy turnover in elected representatives will ensure that new perspectives and fresh ideas are always being brought to the table. This is an issue that the Councillor campaigned on in 2010. She believes city politics is a public service, not a career. She will continue to explore limiting the length of time municipal politicians can serve to promote new ideas and fresh faces in our democracy.

Transit

Councillor McMahon supports improving and expanding Toronto’s transit network. As an environmentalist, she strongly believes that an accessible, convenient and expansive transit system is essential for protecting the planet and our health. She supports subways, LRTs and streetcars, and believes each mode of transit should be built where appropriate for the surrounding community. Councillor McMahon is in favour of solutions that will have the strong impact on downtown car displacement. She continues to work hard to shed light on the revenue tools available to better fund transit. She will continue to vote to make smart investments for Toronto’s transit system.

Urban Agriculture

Councillor McMahon has a long history of promoting food security and connecting urban residents with locally grown food. As the vice-chair of the Parks and Environment Committee, she has supported and championed a large number of urban agriculture initiatives. This includes a plan to scale-up Toronto’s urban agriculture to ensure that large-scale urban agricultural entrepreneurs are supported in our city and a plan to make it simpler for communities to build bake ovens in Toronto’s parks. She will continue to support initiatives that promote urban agriculture and food production in our city.

Planning & Development

Councillor McMahon strongly believes the integrity of our community must be protected from over development. She supports removing Toronto from the jurisdiction of the Ontario Municipal Board (OMB). The OMB is an appointed body which frequently overturns decisions made Toronto’s elected officials. In 2012, she helped coordinate the creation of the Queen Street East Urban Design Guidelines, which City Council passed, changing the way condo development applications are treated in Queen Street East neighbourhood.

Regarding small scale development, the Committee of Adjustment is a non-political process that takes a dispassionate look at minor applications in planning and development. Councillor McMahon does not interfere with the COA process and remains neutral on applications before the committee. The Councillor has offered to facilitate a meeting between the property owner and local residents. 

Parks & Community Spaces

Councillor McMahon believes in reaching harmony between building and green, balancing city growth against social, city-building and environmental priorities. She has worked hard on issues such as community bake oven policies and tree inventory permits. She has held meetings on issues such as the Emerald Ash Borer and promoted community spaces such as the Leslieville Farmer’s Market. Councillor McMahon played a pivotal role in bringing together City Councillors in 2011 to support a coherent and community-minded approach to waterfront planning. She took her colleagues from the suburbs on walking tours of the waterfront area that emphasized these vital urban areas as a shared asset for all Torontonians. She will continue to support beautification and parks issues, and is an avid support of community building in our neighbourhoods.

Arts & Culture

Councillor McMahon is a strong supporter of the arts and promotes local arts groups in our neighbourhood. She is deeply concerned with the cuts and stagnation in investment that has been proposed for arts funding in our city. Councillor McMahon is working with other Councillors to ensure that increased and stable funding for arts activities are secured for next year and in perpetuity. She has been an active member of the Young Peoples Theatre Board of Directors.

Transparency at City Hall

Councillor McMahon campaigned on a pledge to speak for Ward 32 and not any political party or ideological group. She has collaborated with councillors on both sides of City Council and is working hard to help cut red tape and find compromises on the important issues that face our city.

If you haven’t signed up for our e-newsletter, in which the Councillor communicates often about issues such as these, sign up online or contact the Councillor.