It's Time for Real Change in Ward 14: Putting Genuine Community Economic Development First

Hello Friends and Neighbours in Toronto - Danforth.

My name is Susan Chapelle, and I am running for City Councillor in Ward 14.

Eton House closed permanently after receiving an expropriation notice. Density alone is not progress.

Councillor Paula Fletcher has served our community for 23 years and has been deeply committed to many important causes. However, times have changed. With rapid shifts in technology, infrastructure demands, economic pressures, and the urgent need for balanced growth, it is now time for new leadership and a fresh approach.

I served two terms as a city councillor, where I successfully delivered positive change for my community. I am now ready to bring that proven experience and results-oriented leadership to fight for Toronto-Danforth.

As a researcher, policy analyst, operations expert, and long-time Ward 14 resident with an eMBA and specialized education in Community Economic Development, I have watched our neighbourhood steadily transformed into a high-density bedroom community that serves provincial housing targets and big developers far better than it serves families, small business owners, working people, and seniors.

The Failure of Density Without Prosperity or Infrastructure

For over two decades, residential intensification has been the dominant strategy along the Danforth, Gerrard, Pape, and beyond. The result? More people packed in, but no meaningful investment in the economic and arts foundations that make a neighbourhood thrive. This is not true Community Economic Development. It is top-down, housing-first planning that has left us with low-wage ground-floor retail jobs, professionals commuting, service workers who cannot afford to live near where they work, and the growing risk of empty storefronts.

This same failed model is repeating across Ward 14. In the Port Lands, the new Ookwemin Minising community is planned for over 21,000 residents, but is projected to create only 2,900 jobs over the next 25 years. Roughly one job for every seven new residents over a quarter of a century. High-density housing without strong local employment does not create vibrant communities. It creates empty streets, economic dead zones, and unaffordable retail spaces.

23 Years of Promises vs. Reality

Population growth has far outpaced investment in transit, roads, schools, and community services. TTC buses run overcrowded. Sidewalks and roads show years of wear. New developments promise vibrant mixed-use communities but too often deliver expensive ground-floor retail that sits vacant because rents, driven by high taxes, energy costs, and development charges, are unaffordable for independent businesses.

The economic mismatch is clear. People who work in our cafes, shops, and services often cannot afford to live here. This kills street vitality and creates the very real risk of empty employment slums amid towers full of residents. Danforth’s traditional main street has held up better than many new-build projects, but the overall direction is unsustainable.

My Vision: Real Community Economic Development Tools for Ward 14

It is time to move beyond platitudes and implement proven Community Economic Development tools that put local people and businesses first. If elected, I will fight aggressively for:

• Community Benefits Agreements that require developers to deliver real local gains, including local hiring targets of 20 to 30 percent for Ward 14 residents, job training programs, and subsidized affordable commercial space for small businesses for 10 to 25 years.

• Strong employment floorspace requirements in all new mixed-use developments, mandating a minimum 15 to 25 percent of gross floor area for productive uses like creative studios, light industrial spaces, offices, and maker spaces, not just token ground-floor retail.

• Local hiring and Project Labour Agreements so that new projects prioritize Ward 14 residents, apprentices, and equity-deserving groups for both construction and permanent jobs.

• Business Retention and Expansion programs with targeted incentives, such as micro-grants for energy efficiency, facade improvements, tax abatements, and support for business succession, to protect and grow our existing small businesses on the Danforth.

• Inclusionary zoning for commercial affordability and Community Land Trusts to secure long-term affordable commercial and live-work spaces so that service workers and local entrepreneurs can actually afford to be part of our community.

These are practical, proven CED mechanisms that build local ownership, retain wealth in the neighbourhood, create diverse livelihoods, and ensure growth respects our existing assets and infrastructure capacity.

Let’s Build a Ward 14 That Works for Everyone

Real Jobs. Real Streets. Real Change.

Ward 14 residents, whether you have lived here for generations or are a newer arrival, deserve leadership that listens to your daily realities: the long commutes, the struggling small businesses, the infrastructure that has not kept pace, and the desire for a truly complete, prosperous community.

This election is our chance to change direction. Density alone is not progress. True progress builds resilient local economies with good jobs, vibrant activated streets, and infrastructure that supports people, not just rooftops.

Join me in demanding better for Toronto-Danforth. Let us put people, small businesses, and genuine economic opportunity first. Together, we can win this fight for our community.

Elect Susan Chapelle on October 26th, 2026

Candidate for City Councillor,

Ward 14, Toronto-Danforth