Jasminder Bilkhu

The role of a Zoning Examiner is complex — Toronto's zoning bylaw is dense, property-specific, and constantly evolving. That complexity is understood and respected. What is not acceptable is using that complexity as cover for failing to communicate with the citizens you are employed to serve. In multiple interactions, emails went unanswered for weeks at a time. Follow-up emails were sent — more than once — and still received no response. When a member of the public is trying to resolve a zoning matter and cannot get a response from the assigned examiner despite persistent, polite follow-up, that is a failure of the most basic professional obligation: showing up for the people you are there to help. A Zoning Examiner who does not respond to citizens is not doing the job. The complexity of the work does not excuse the absence of communication. Residents navigating zoning issues — many of them homeowners dealing with permits, renovations, or compliance questions for the first time — deserve timely, respectful responses. The City of Toronto must hold its zoning staff to that standard.