Toronto Councillor Dianne Saxe has been in the spotlight lately, and not for positive reasons.

On several major proposals, she stands accused of limiting or outright bypassing public consultation. It’s a pattern of communication that keeps leaving residents feeling blindsided, even when the city’s formal consultation boxes are ticked.

In fact, when Councillor Stephen Holyday (Etobicoke Centre) proposed robust public consultation and a public campaign to promote awareness and more inclusive participation for the contentious “Avenues” project — the one that removes barriers for building new mid-rise housing along avenues — Saxe voted NO. She followed through by keeping both Phase 1 and Phase 2 engagements low-profile, despite her ward (11) being one of only two in the P1 study.

The May 20

See Full Page