Toronto officials have picked a new city planning chief to lead the charge in developing and sustaining the city’s neighbourhoods and infrastructure.
Jason Thorne, a former Hamilton planning manager, will take over the role on Dec. 30.
On Friday, the city confirmed to TorontoToday Thorne was hired as chief planner and executive director of the city planning division.
The city called Thorne an “accomplished city builder with more than 25 years of private and public professional experience.”
In his new role, Thorne will be responsible for policy development and creating strategies to support building communities and promoting a sustainable, healthy and economically vital Toronto.
He will take over the position from former planning chief Gregg Lintern, who retired last year.
Prior to accepting the job, Thorne was an urban planning leader at Stantec, a global consulting firm. He was earlier the general manager of the planning and economic development department at the City of Hamilton — a role he held for a decade.
Thorne has also held positions as director of policy and planning at Metrolinx and as senior associate and manager with the provincial Ministry of Public Infrastructure Renewal.
“Throughout his career, Jason has greatly contributed to non-governmental organizations as a community organizer and environment activist,” the city said in a statement.
In a post congratulating Thorne on social media, Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow said she looks forward to “working together to build more housing and create vibrant communities.”
She also thanked Kyle Knoeck for stepping in as the city’s interim chief planner.
I’m excited to welcome Jason Thorne as Chief Planner and Executive Director of City Planning. He's a proven city builder with 25+ years of experience in the public and private sectors. I look forward to working together to build more housing and create vibrant communities.
— Mayor Olivia Chow (@MayorOliviaChow) December 6, 2024
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Thorne will be tasked with answering a number of Toronto’s urban development questions, including whether small-scale retail spaces should be allowed to operate on residential streets and about various complex apartment development changes.
A June job posting for the role said the city’s chief planner will “navigate legislative frameworks and policy processes to drive forward large-scale development projects and support local planning initiatives.”
Thorne is a full member of the Canadian Institute of Planners and the Ontario Professional Planners Institute.
