Since becoming Premier of the Province of Ontario in 2018, Doug Ford has constantly sought to weaken the City of Toronto and its progressive forces, while building a hegemonic planning regime oriented towards the financialization of housing and the maximization of real estate profits. This planning regime implies streamlined planning procedures avoiding critical views and contradictory debates both within the City Council and the provincial judiciary system. It also fosters a culture of secrecy among planners working for the Province or the City whose communication practices are closely scrutinized.

Drawing on the notion of “insurgent urbanism” (Friedmann, 1987; Hou, 2010; Canedo and Andrade, 2024), this paper explores the potential of community-led planning as a solution to overcome this authoritarian planning regime. To do so, we investigate two community-led planning processes conducted in disadvantaged neighbourhoods, one in Toronto’s east downtown (Sherbourne St.) by 230 Fightback, and one west of downtown (The Annex) by No Demovictions. These two processes experienced mixed fortunes, but they both show that planners need to reconnect with grassroots movements to achieve a more equitable city planning.