Liberty For All

About the Liberty For All Study

There are poor decisions made over many decades that have created challenges with traffic, gridlock, and development that are putting pressure on our neighbourhood. I share your concerns and understand the need for spaces like a community centre, school or library, that don’t currently exist in Liberty Village. That’s why Liberty For All is so important.

• The study builds on the Liberty Village Public Realm Strategy approved in Spring 2024, which included a Neighbourhood Streets Plan and Parking Study.
• It will ensure better planning for neighborhood growth, including necessary spaces and services like a community centre, school, or library, and options to use City-owned sites for public use.
• Liberty For All will result in a plan for the future of Liberty Village, supporting investment in community services and facilities, an expanded public realm, active transportation, and heritage conservation.
• The final study recommendations will be presented to City Council for approval in Spring 2026.

Park Upgrades

Lamport Stadium Park 

New Playground upgrades are coming to Lamport Stadium Park! (east side). Engagement occurred in Fall 2024 via a public survey and site pop-ups. We continue to work with City staff on the best options to activate this space and will keep residents updated.

I am also working with the Liberty Village BIA and City staff to explore options around activating the west side of the park, which has been returfed.

34 Hanna Park

A new park is coming to 34 Hanna (the parking lot across from the Liberty Market) in Liberty Village! It is slated for construction and  completion following the FIFA World Cup, and design work is underway. Community engagement began in Fall 2024, with the establishment of a Community Advisory Committee (CAC), as well as a public survey.

A design competition has launched for this site to ensure we are bringing the best in bold and innovative design to this incredible neighbourhood. a. The winner of the competition will be announced in June 2026, with park construction is slated for late 2027 and park opening in 2029.

A comprehensive Parking Study was completed for the neighbourhood as part of the Liberty Village Public Realm plan, which found that conversion of this lot was feasible. This is also in compliance with City Council directives around better leveraging these types of lots for public benefit. 

34 Hanna Park Interim Improvements

I was so proud to work closely with City staff in Parks Forestry and Recreation,  and the Liberty Village BIA, and contributed funding to activate a portion of the parking lot on the corner of East Liberty and Hanna for all in the neighbourhood to enjoy. We launched the Park in Progress in June 2025, and it continues to serve as passive recreation space with seating, planters, and flexibility for programming for community events. We continue to work to ensure the space can be activate and enjoyed in all seasons.

The “Park in Progress”  will be in place throughout the FIFA World Cup in 2026 until the final park is under construction in 2027.

Traffic and Transportation

Gardiner Construction Work 

This fall, we reopened all six lanes of the Gardiner Expressway, 18 months ahead of schedule! This was made possible by strong collaboration between the City and provincial government. 

Liberty Village Traffic Action Plan 

I brought forward my Liberty Village Traffic Action plan in Summer of 2024 as a response to traffic and congestion in the neighbourhood reaching a boiling point, especially amid the King Street W closure

• It was aimed at establishing immediate, short-term and longer-term solutions to ongoing traffic congestion in the area 
• My office solicited and heard feedback from hundreds of Liberty Village residents on the biggest challenges and opportunities in the neighbourhood through our survey
  • We engaged with:
    • the Liberty Village Residents’ Association
    •  Liberty Village BIA
    • The broader community at local movie nights and community events , with residents at  local grocery stores, on social media, and more
  • We brought City Transportation staff on the ground to neighbourhood events to hear your concerns and suggestions, and answer your questions
• In fall 2024 at  City Council, we approved the new and improved Liberty Village Traffic Action Plan, integrating feedback from community stakeholders from our survey, as well as leadership from the Liberty Village Residents’ Association and Liberty Village BIA.

Together, we:

• Had Traffic Agents on the ground during special events
• Reduced wait times at key intersections by 67%
• Reopened King St W 10 weeks ahead of schedule 

We’ll keep working together, including around advocacy for ongoing presence of traffic agents at key intersections like East Liberty/Strachan/Ordnance, and Dufferin/Liberty. Read the plan. Find the most recent updates at ausmamalik.ca/lvtraffic 

Special Event Management

My team and I work closely with senior Transportation staff at the City around planning for special events affecting the  neighbourhood, including around BMO Field, Budweiser Stage, and ongoing events at Exhibition Place. 

Examples of large flagship events include the Honda Indy, the CNE,  and Caribana. For these events, my team shares plans for how to navigate your route through the neighbourhood through our newsletter, with local stakeholder groups, via our community e-newsletter, and on our website.

FIFA World Cup 2026

I am working closely with City staff at the FIFA Secretariat, alongside the Liberty Village BIA to plan for the world coming to Liberty Village in 2026 for the World Cup. These preparations include advocacy around neighbourhood sidewalk installations and upgrades. I’m committed to ensuring this exciting event is planned well and is sustainable for neighbourhood residents.

We hosted our first in a series of neighbourhood meetings to engage with local residents of Liberty Village and Fort York on the planning and to get your feedback in November 2025. Sign up for updates to get the latest.

Liberty New Street

We know that many issues with traffic in Liberty Village stem from there only being one main road through the neighbourhood. For years, there has been discussion around the potential for a new street to relieve some of this congestion. 

I am working closely with City staff to hold Metrolinx and the Province accountable to contributing their fair share for this critical project. Funding has been allocated in the City’s Budget for this project. I continue to advocate for the soonest possible opening.

Metrolinx Advocacy 

Pushing Forward King/Liberty Station

• We continue to push the Province and its arms-length agency, Metrolinx, to invest in promised new transit links and reliability in the neighbourhood so we can incentivize other forms of transit and take more cars off the road, easing congestion
  • including pushing the Province to step up to commitments for the long-planned station at King/Liberty 

Fighting Back Against Dump Trucks in Liberty Village

• Working alongside the Liberty Village Residents Association (LVRA) and local advocates, we significantly  reduced the number of planned dump trucks at key intersections in the neighbourhood for Exhibition Station work.
  • We won! Metrolinx revised their plan after hearing from us and feeling the pressure. 

Ongoing Engagement on Exhibition Station

• My team and I continue to engage at local Construction Liaison Committee 
• station meetings for Exhibition Station to ensure plans are responsive to local community needs.
  • We are connecting residents directly w/Metrolinx community engagement staff for their local buildings if sufficient notice for work is not occurring 

Preserving Artwork on the Liberty Village Silos 

Working in close collaboration with the Liberty Village BIA, we pushed for every option to retain the painted silos that have been  a part of the community since 2017. While they were structurally unable to be preserved and retained, I pushed Metrolinx to ensure there was engagement with local artists and that the artwork could be preserved. 

Public Realm Improvements 

Liberty Village Pedestrian Bridge

Over the course of my term, I have worked with City staff to ensure the elevators on  Liberty Village pedestrian bridge, long out of service, were finally restored. Any further outages reported to us by the community are treated with seriousness as the accessibility concern they are. 

I have also worked to address graffiti issues, ensure litter pickup is done regularly,  and to install parabolic mirrors in stairwells for additional security. 

Please contact 311 or my office if you’re noticing any ongoing concerns.

My team has also worked with developers at the nearby construction site at 1071 King St. W to ensure street accessibility, install public art on hoarding to beautify the neighbourhood, and to maintain bicycle access on the North side of King during construction.

65-85 East Liberty Boulevard Upgrades 

I’m pleased to announce that thanks to advocacy from my office and local residents, the long-promised boulevard greening and sod and interlocking brick upgrades outside 65-85 East Liberty Street were completed in Fall 2025. This work was done collaboration with the City and the local condo management there who were consulted on design.

Road Safety Improvements

Other approved public realm/road safety improvements include:

• speed humps approved and installed on Western Battery Road 
• speed reductions from 40km to 30km on East Liberty St (between Hanna and Strachan) to align with other collector roads in the area
• A planned safer crossing on Western Battery Rd to the LV Pedestrian Bridge following advocacy from my office and local accessibility advocates,  to be installed near the elevator entrance for the King-Liberty pedestrian/cyclist bridge.

Planning and Development

Liberty Village Public Realm Strategy 

The Liberty Village Public Realm Strategy and Neighbourhood Streets Plan were adopted at City Council in 2024. This was a culmination of a multi-year process with input from the local community, City staff, my team, and my Council predecessor. The Strategy includes a vision for high-quality streetscapes, open spaces and right-of-way connections and sets clear expectations of what we expect from developers.

As part of the Neighbourhood Streets Plan, neighbourhood feedback around changes to streets (for example, making streets one way, implementing pedestrian crossings, etc) was solicited. The entire neighbourhood was assessed for all potential options.  City staff recommended in the final report any improvements that they did not anticipate might cause other concerns or challenges  for road users.

The plan also included a Parking study that assessed utilization and demand in the neighbourhood.

New Development Applications in Liberty Village 

We know that many poor planning decisions over decades have caused significant issues in Liberty Village, one of our most populated downtown communities, when it comes to increased concerns about congestion, and lack community services. 

We know that we are lacking in community services in this neighbourhood, which have not come alongside this significant growth. I am committed  to addressing this issue through the Liberty for All Study and through advocating for investments in the 2026 Budget.

I am committed to ensuring developers know the high priority we need to place around building affordable housing, prioritizing rental housing wherever possible, and responding to community needs.

Some recent gains were made with the securing of additional nonprofit childcare centres at 19 Western Battery Road and 80-86 Lynn Williams St, to serve the considerable demand for childcare in the community.

We understand that the provision of community services on any particular development site is limited, due to decisions made by the Provincial government which have significantly affected the planning regime at the City. 

Developments are currently required to pay a Community Benefits Charge (CBC) on each development  The Planning Act gives the developer a choice of whether to pay that CBC as a monetary contribution (in a sense, a tax) or to provide an in-kind contribution instead as a community facility, affordable housing, etc. The Planning Act also limits the charge to 4% of the land value. The City cannot legally go above the 4%, and cannot legally force the developer to provide an in-kind contribution. Previously, under what was called Section 37, there was significantly more ability for the City to negotiate and secure more extensive community benefits. 

Public Spaces in our Community

Liberty Village Chapel 

This historic chapel, located behind Liberty Village Park, is currently slated to become an art gallery space, with a cafe and small meeting space onsite. 

We continue to hold the developer accountable to completing necessary restoration work on this important site in as timely a way as possible. We will keep residents updated.

Lamport Stadium Operator Project 

The City is seeking an operator for Lamport Stadium and wants community feedback to ensure the Stadium continues to meet the needs of its users and the surrounding community. City staff hosted a survey in late 2024  to hear from permit holders and the community and were onsite at pop-up meetings.I am committed to ensuring that this space remains affordable and accessible. We will keep residents updated on next steps.

Public Safety

69 Fraser Respite Site

My office has attended ongoing Community Liaison Committee meetings since the beginning of my term in fall 2022 with the operator of the respite site, St. Felix Centre, as well as representatives from local stakeholder groups surrounding the site. City staff from the Encampment Office and Streets to Homes also attend as the area surrounding the site formerly saw encampment activity. We share information and address community concerns in a proactive and solutions-oriented way. 

St Felix has Community Safety Teams (CST)s  doing patrols in the area and supporting with needle and waste pickup. Residents can connect with their team at  [email protected] to flag any concerns. 

Encampments 

In late 2023, when Lamport Stadium Park was seeing a high volume of encampments, my team led a neighbourhood walk with community stakeholders from the Liberty Village Residents’ Association and BIA, as well as senior staff from a number of City divisions to be on the ground together in the community. A number of recommendations were made and implemented around waste, lighting, security measures, and more. These encampments were also prioritized for finding alternative indoor space. 

We know that encampments are not an alternative to permanent housing. While the City has a number of initiatives to address and improve the supply of affordable and supportive housing, every order of government must step up to its responsibilities to fund affordable housing. 

Coyotes

I take the issue of coyotes in our downtown, including  in Liberty Village very seriously, and have worked closely with senior City staff, and community advocates to increase patrols, ramp up public engagement and patrols. In February 2025, I advanced a Downtown Coyote Action Plan and advocated for a  third party expert panel review of the City’s recommendations.   Find updates on my most recent advocacy at ausmamalik.ca/coyotes 

Being in Community 

I love being in Liberty Village and the surrounding area. I’m so pleased to have attended a variety of events in the neighbourhood over my term including: 

• Movie nights hosted by the Liberty Village Residents Association 
• Liberate Your Locker events hosted by the Liberty Village Residents Association
• Give Me Liberty Street Festival (hosted by the Liberty Village BIA) 
• Green Liberty Village eco fair and other eco events
• Important condo board meetings 
• Mural unveilings and public art events at Exhibition Place
• Pumpkin parades on Joe Shuster

Reach out to invite me to your event in the neighbourhood!