Councillor Brad Bradford Responds to the Retirement of Gregg Lintern, Chief Planner and Executive Director of City Planning at the City of Toronto

November 13, 2023

I have had the unique perspective of working for Gregg Lintern as a civil servant in the Chief Planner’s Office, working with him as a City Councillor, and working shoulder-to-shoulder to tackle our housing crisis as the Chair of Planning & Housing in the former administration.

Gregg will be remembered as one of the most transformative Chief Planners the city has ever seen, in both outcomes and approach. I have never encountered a more thoughtful and empathetic leader in the public service. Gregg was truly beloved by his staff because of how deeply he cared about his team and the city at large, and I know his leadership will be missed. He has been a reassuring presence in City Planning for 40 years, and has had his hand on some of the most important city-building initiatives over that time, including the revitalization of Regent Park, the creation of Dundas Square, and the complex Mirvish Village redevelopment.

Greg has also demonstrated humility in fixing some of the historic policies that have contributed to Toronto’s housing crisis. I was grateful to work closely with him to develop and advance the Housing Action Plan, including ending exclusionary zoning through the legalization of multiplexes and multi-tenant housing city-wide. Many more initiatives are underway, such as upzoning our major streets and avenues and reforming urban design guidelines. When this work bears fruit in the years to come, Gregg Lintern will be remembered as the one who planted the seed that led to a Toronto with more abundant, affordable and varied housing options.

While it’s easy for columnists and armchair quarterbacks on Twitter to take shots from afar, the reality was that Gregg was in the public meetings and Council chamber, doing the real work to drive change through building community capacity and support. Gregg: Thank you for your leadership and your friendship, and know that your many contributions will have a lasting and positive impact for generations to come.

Sincerely,

Brad Bradford
Toronto City Councillor
Beaches-East York | Ward 19