A Glimpse into our Workload
I hope this message finds you well. I wanted to take a moment to reflect on my first year in office, and an important matter that has been on our minds since we arrived at City Hall.
As your City Councillor, I'm deeply committed to serving the needs and interests of residents across Etobicoke-Lakeshore. My small office of 8 dedicated staff and I have been working tirelessly since we first took office under a year ago. When we arrived, we received no documentation on prior work done in the office, and worked tirelessly with City of Toronto staff and local residents to get up to speed on hundreds of complex projects and initiatives across the ward.
Etobicoke-Lakeshore is the largest municipal ward in the country, with 142,000 residents, and one of the fastest growing wards in the City. My small team receives an average of over 300 inquiries every day on a wide range of topics – from road safety measures to support with access to housing – and as a new office, we tackle specific questions about issues we are encountering for the first time every day.
Additionally, we are actively managing hundreds of open capital improvement projects throughout our ward. This high volume of inquiries and projects is a testament to the incredible civic engagement in our community, and I couldn't be prouder of that.
Here is a glimpse into the work we manage:
Over 130 active development applications, including major developments like the former Mr. Christie site, the Cloverdale Mall redevelopment, and 220 Lake Promenade.
Around 2700 requests to 3-1-1 every month, many of which we escalate and manage with City staff.
Hundreds of infrastructure projects – from local sewer maintenance projects to engagement for new parks.
Serving on 11 City Committees and Boards that meet monthly, where we do the deep policy work to advance key priorities for the City.
Many of you have reached out to us via email and phone with your concerns, ideas, and requests. I truly appreciate your engagement. While we are committed to responding to every email, returning every phone call, and advancing every project, I know there have been delays. I want to emphasize that any delay in our response is not a reflection of our commitment to your concerns but rather a result of the sheer volume of work we're currently managing.
Your concerns are our top priority, and we are working hard to ensure that each one is addressed comprehensively. This means reaching out to City staff to get the appropriate information, deep diving into specific bylaws or applications, and meeting with dozens of stakeholders, community organizations, and resident groups every week.
We are constantly exploring ways to improve our processes, streamline our communications, and ensure that your concerns are addressed in a timely manner. Your understanding, patience, and continued support mean the world to us. We are genuinely committed to our role as public servants and to making Etobicoke-Lakeshore a better place for all.
If you have not received a response from my office, please do not hesitate to follow up by phone or email and we will do our best to expedite our response.
Thank you for being active and engaged members of our community. Together, we can achieve positive change and enhance the quality of life in our ward.
Yours in community service,
Amber Morley
City Councillor, Ward 3 Etobicoke-Lakeshore
