Step Three, LDD Moths Across the City & July City Council

Dear Neighbours,

The City of Toronto is now in Step Three of the province’s Roadmap to Reopen plan. Step Three permits Toronto residents to gather indoors, eat indoors at bars and restaurants and resume going to gyms and recreation centres. Please review the City’s COVID-19 Reopening Guide for Toronto Residents for a list of activities that are permitted in Step Three.

July’s City Council meeting tackled a few big items including renaming Dundas Street, approving SafeTO, a community safety and well-being plan and the TransformTO Net Zero Building strategy. Items closer home include the request I put forward for extra supports to address the European Gypsy (LDD) Moth infestation in the Seven Oaks Community.

I presented this request at this month’s Infrastructure and Environment Committee meeting where it was amended to expand supports across the City for communities experiencing impacts by the LDD moth infestations. This request was successfully adopted at last week’s City Council meeting, where City Staff have been asked to provide additional supports including providing residents with information as well as holding public meetings for impacted communities.

For several years now, residents have contacted my office to report concerns regarding LDD Moth infestations throughout their community, with a significant number of inquiries from the Seven Oaks area. LDD Moths consume the regeneration tissues of trees causing them to expire. With the alarming growth of LDD Moths in the community, it is time for the City to take further action to protect the natural canopy and community members.

City staff is continuing to ask residents to report sightings of LDD moths/caterpillars via the city’s online reporting tool available at www.toronto.ca/gypsymoth or by calling 311. Homeowners can drop a point on the interactive map where they are seeing the caterpillars and report the volume they are seeing.

You can learn more about this item here: 2021.IE23.22 – LDD Moth (European Gypsy Moth) Infestation and if you missed July’s City Council meeting, you can watch the full recording at www.youtube.com/torontocitycouncillive.

All my best,

Paul