Dundas Renaming
One of the most contentious issues Moise spearheaded was the costly and widely unpopular renaming of Yonge-Dundas Square and two subway stations. Most citizens saw the move as completely unnecessary, especially during a time of fiscal pressure, and were upset there was no public consultations. Moise manufactured a revisionist narrative painting Henry Dundas as one of the primary facilitators of the trans-Atlantic slave trade, when in fact Dundas was known as the ‘practical abolitionist,’ and sought to end slavery. His defamation of Dundas was akin to character assassination, and he lied when he said on the record that Dundas was ‘Minister of Immigration and Slavery,’ a cabinet post which never existed in Colonial Scotland.
Adding fuel to the controversy, Moise imposed a Ghanaian name with no historical or cultural connection to Toronto. The fiscal impact of the renaming was $2.7 million, much of which was to be drawn from public coffers. In June 2024, when a constituent presented a 30,000-signature petition opposing the renaming and made a strong case against it, Moise dismissed the individual by labeling them a ‘racist.’ This renaming alienated Torontonians across the city, resulted in several resignations from the Yonge-Dundas Square board, and was demonstrative of Moise’s radical agenda to reshape Toronto. In a January 2025 Executive Committee meeting, Moise laughably called this episode a ‘success story.’
In February 2024, Moise once again stirred controversy during a TTC board meeting about the renaming of Dundas and Dundas West stations. According to eyewitness reports, he hurled insults at members of the public who questioned this initiative. This led to TTC Chair Jamaal Myers taking Chris to the side for a talking to. Strangely, video footage of the meeting was lost due to “technical difficulties,” prompting further skepticism. To save face, Moise himself led a sham investigation into the missing footage, though the final report concluded with no clear root cause. The most plausible explanation is obfuscation.
Assault on Moss Park Arena
In June 2024, Chris Moise set his sights on another cherished downtown institution: the beloved Moss Park Arena. Citing concerns that the board was not ‘diverse enough,’ Moise attempted to strong-arm the board into resigning. He then filed a motion to explore dismantling the arena’s long-standing governance structure, proposing that it be taken over by Parks and Recreation. This move threatened to undermine decades of community-building and disrupt the arena’s tradition of enhanced programming, including skating clubs, house leagues, and co-ed hockey schools. In a Toronto Sun article, board members expressed frustration, stating that Moise ‘treated them like crap.’
By January 2025, after facing backlash over his tactics, Moise amended the motion to preserve the governance model. However, he imposed burdensome new responsibilities on the board—well beyond their mandate and those of other similar board-run rinks. Most recently, Moise introduced another motion to City Council, seeking to oust all current members of the Moss Park Arena board and stack them with his own appointees, including those associated with developers and political donors – circumventing the standard process for board nominations. This aggressive campaign against a beloved community institution highlights Moise’s troubling use of council powers. Weaponizing his position to dismantle community-led boards is a predatory approach that runs counter to the principles of collaboration and respect that should define an elected official’s relationship with their constituents.
Graft
In September 2024, a CBC News exposé revealed that the top three donors to Moise’s 2022 municipal election campaign were members of the same developer family linked to Fitzrovia Real Estate. The expose revealed that almost 12% of all campaign donations came from associates of Fitzrovia. This revelation heightened concerns about potential conflicts of interest, corruption, and questioned the councillor’s integrity. Fitzrovia has multiple development applications in Toronto-Centre, including the highly controversial proposal at 191-201 Sherbourne Street—a project Moise actively championed. Despite significant opposition from anti-poverty and affordable housing advocates, the development was ultimately approved by City Council.
Budget Controversy
More recently, as a member of the Budget Committee, Chris Moise has been a vocal advocate for an unprecedented 23.4% tax increase over the past three years. During a budget town hall in January 2025, a concerned resident asked Moise about his plans for future renaming initiatives and the associated costs. In response, Moise shockingly labeled the constituent a ‘white supremacist’—an appalling and disrespectful reply to a legitimate question from a taxpayer. His continued pattern of bullying and slandering those he is elected to represent is both disgraceful and a betrayal of the trust placed in him by residents of the ward.
Board of Health
As Chair of the Toronto Health Committee, Moise pushed for the unchecked establishment and preservation of injection sites across the ward, including those in close proximity to kindergartens, elementary schools, and public parks. Despite his advocacy for these sites, public drug use and discarded paraphernalia continue to plague the streets of Toronto-Centre, posing ongoing safety and health concerns.
