'I lost all privacy': Toronto woman speaks out over neighbour's 2-storey garden suite

Sandy Chambers has lived in her two-storey home in this quiet Greenwood and Danforth neighborhood for 37 years. One of her favorite parts of the home, the backyard. So imagine her surprise when, after a one-week vacation last summer, I see contractors up there periodically. she returned to find this structure taking shape over her backyard. It was... Completely shocking. The problem, she says, is that the new city rules allow people to build two-story structures adjacent to a neighbor's yard with no ability for the neighbors to have a say. All you've needed since 2022 is a city-issued building permit. Getting one doesn't allow for any public feedback, in most cases. That realization fired her up, Chambers says. After you get past the shock, you go through a little bit of anger because I lost all privacy in my yard. So she started a campaign to get the city to roll back some of those new rules. She printed up lawn signs and launched an online petition. And she is getting some sympathy. Now the challenge with it is... Real estate broker Justin Bregman... Said he's hearing similar stories from homeowners who've been blindsided by the new fast-track approval process for neighbouring garden suites. You're taking away a lot of people's sun when it comes to their backyard, their privacy. And what about a home's resale value when a garden suite is opened next door? It's a turn off. Others disagree that the new rules are unfairly intrusive. Bob Aaron is a Toronto real estate lawyer. When you live in a big city, that's what you get. Chambers' complaints may be falling on deaf ears at City Hall, too. City staff told CBC Toronto in an email that they sympathize with neighbours who feel their privacy is being violated. But as long as homeowners are living up to the building code, the city's hands are tied. Mike Smee, CBC News, Toronto.