CreateTO raise employee wages and discuss housing progress

On March 6, 2026, CreateTO held a public meeting to discuss cost of living adjustments, ongoing development and the province’s science centre and convention centre announcements.

The meeting included a proposal to adjust compensation for its employees to align with an increased cost of living and an update to CreateTO’s ongoing development projects. CreateTO held the meeting online and in-person at City Hall. 

Chair Bruce Davis opened the meeting by thanking the City’s employees. “We can’t build housing, we can’t build a ferry terminal, we can’t build bridges without you,” he said.

CreateTO’s CEO Vic Gupta mentioned the province’s announcement of a new convention centre and a new site for the Ontario Science Centre. He said they were monitoring the situation. 

He added that the announcement of the new science centre would lead to conversations about what happens to the old one and about CreateTO developments in the area. Councillor Paula Fletcher said it seemed unclear what the implications of a new convention centre would be for the Canadian National Exhibition.

CEO Gupta proposed an adjustment to their staff’s pay due to a higher cost of living. In his report, he recommended a one per cent increase in order to pay a competitive rate and to help retain employees amid moderate inflation in the Canadian economy.

The CEO also proposed that they receive an update on how their housing projects are developing.

Out of their ongoing construction projects, they expect people to begin living in one of them in 2027 and for people to begin living in the remaining five of them in 2029. One more site at 1113-1117 Dundas St. W. is set to enter the construction phase in July this year. 

They have also added “Dunn House Phase 2” as a new project. This is going to be a partnership between all three levels of government and the University Health Network to provide 54 units of geared-to-income housing with health and social services accessible to tenants on site.

When discussing these updates, they also talked about how the opening of the Eglinton Crosstown LRT will affect their plans. Members discussed whether sites along the Crosstown corridor should be a higher priority.

Chair Bruce Davis also expressed frustration with a project underway at 705 Warden Ave. It’s meant to provide 600 new rentals but the project has stalled over the past few years. He wondered out loud about how to get the federal government to put money into it.

Key takeaways

• CreateTO has one housing project set to house people in 2027, and five projects set to house people in 2029.

• CreateTO has voted to give a one per cent raise to their staff members to match the rising cost of living.

• CreateTO discussed reprioritizing development opportunities along the Eglinton Crosstown LRT.

On-the-ground observations from our documenter, CHRISTIAN MALONG

I think it’s good that they decided to give a raise to their employees. We’ve all felt the rising cost of living firsthand and it’s good that the city is trying to keep up. I’m not entirely sure whether or not a one per cent increase is enough though.

I also think it’s good that these housing projects are underway but I’m a little concerned about how far away some of them are from completion. 2029 is three years away and there’s a need for homes in the meantime.

Of course, I can’t expect an entire apartment building to pop up in a week or two but I am left wondering whether these developments are enough to keep up with demand.

The part of this meeting that I found really interesting was how surprised they were by Doug Ford’s announcements about a new convention centre and the new science centre. I kind of expected our city councillors and bureaucrats to have been aware of it beforehand, but it seems like they found out around the same time we did. I’m wondering about how it’ll affect CreateTO’s plans and the City’s plans, and I guess they’re wondering about that too.

CHECK YOUR FACTS

March 6 meeting notes

Create TO staffing adjustment

705 Warden Ave.

Create TO housing progress update