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Scarborough Community Council · 2026-07-09 · 2026.SC33.34

The record misleads

689 Morrish Road fence exemption decision deferred pending site plan review

A property owner at 689 Morrish Road is requesting a fence exemption from Toronto Municipal Code Chapter 447 to maintain a 2.0-metre aluminum fence and mechanical gates that exceed the permitted 1.2-metre height and visibility standards. Council discussion was minimal and the transcript does not record a final decision, motion, or vote on the exemption itself.

Item 2026.SC33.34 is titled 'Request for a Fence Exemption to the Toronto Municipal Code, Chapter 447' for 689 Morrish Road.

POSTPONEScarborough Community Council · Thu, Jul 9Watch

Who did what

  • Councillor Michael Thompson (Ward 21) questioned staffAsked the deputy questions about community consultation, unit mix, parking, tree preservation, and school impacts on the development.
  • Councillor Jamaal Myers (Ward 23) questioned staffQuestioned whether individual studies examine the development in isolation or area-wide; asked about basement flooding areas and tree removal impacts on water runoff.

From the floor

We have increased the two and three-bedroom units, increased the proportion of parking, reduced the number of units, and are now preserving 20 additional trees, 50 percent of the trees on the site, which I think is very notable for an urban site.Speaker not identified
The individual studies are prepared for the application but they are all termed by our terms of reference to look at the area as a whole. Traffic, engineering, water servicing, and community services facilities all need to look at existing populations.City staff
For the average person that's a technicality in that they would see developments, but for us, if the engineering was on one side of the street, depending on what it connected to, that would be a different report.Councillor Jamaal Myers (Ward 23)

Also in this item

Transcript discussion focuses on a mid-rise development at or near 689 Morrish Road with changes to unit mix (increased 2 and 3-bedroom units), parking, and 50 percent tree preservation, but the fence exemption agenda item itself receives no recorded decision.

The journey

Thu, Jul 9 · Scarborough Community Council · postpone

What happens next

If the exemption is still pending: residents may depute at the next Scarborough Community Council meeting or contact their council member before any vote. Check the official meeting minutes for the actual decision record.

Watch it happen

Jump to this item in the meeting video

Why is this story here?
RoutineA site-specific fence exemption is a localized, bounded decision affecting one property owner and neighbouring sightlines. No change to policy, process, or institution. It is reversible without cost and does not constrain future councils.Invisible to residentsA fence height exemption on one residential property does not affect the daily life of any Toronto resident outside that immediate location. Most residents do not encounter this property or its fence. The decision is technical and site-specific.

Stories are ordered by how much weight a decision carries and how directly it reaches daily life. They rise as a decision date approaches and fall as they age.

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Official title: 689 Morrish Road - Request for a Fence Exemption to the Toronto Municipal Code, Chapter 447 · meeting video