Item - 2015.LS4.1

The Licensing and Standards Committee:

1.  Requested the Executive Director, Municipal Licensing and Standards to report back to the Licensing and Standards Committee with recommendations on how to enforce and regulate the following:

a.  illegal activities on licensed holistic establishments; 

b.  the number of clothing drop boxes on private property and City boulevards in an area; and

c.  on how improper activities from "holistic parlours" and other improper activities can be shared with Revenue Canada on a stream-lined basis.

2.  Requested the Executive Director, Municipal Licensing and Standards to report to the Licensing and Standards Committee, by the end of 2016, on the division's progress towards implementing its strategy to introduce online services for clients as part of the division's business transformation project.

This report presents the framework for a comprehensive review of Chapter 545, Licensing. Chapter 545 is the By-law used by the City to permit, prohibit, and limit businesses for the protection of public health and safety and assurance that businesses operate lawfully. The By-law has evolved over time through Council-approved amendments.

Municipal Licensing and Standards (ML&S) has identified the need to modernize the Licensing By-law to improve the City's ability to ensure public health and safety while also reducing red tape for businesses. The purpose of this review is to improve and modernize the service provided to customers related to licence issuance, enhance by-law enforcement, and identify efficiencies for businesses.

The goals of the comprehensive review of Chapter 545, Licensing, include:

-   Streamlining/simplifying processes and reducing red tape;

-   Reducing duplication and inconsistency throughout the By-law;

-   Removing licensing requirements that are no longer applicable;

-   Reviewing and modernizing existing categories and ensuring alignment with the City of Toronto Act, 2006, Zoning by-laws, and other relevant laws and policies; and

-   Enhancing the By-law's structure to make it easier to understand.

This review aligns well with the Province's recent announcement that it is partnering with the City of Toronto to reduce the unnecessary burden and red tape on businesses through the joint Burden Reduction Working Group.

This review is an integral contribution to ML&S' business transformation process that is currently underway. It is also part of the division's Strategic Directions and Objectives to ensure by-laws, procedures, and tools are appropriate and relevant, ensure divisional processes are efficient, and streamline and improve access and usability of services.

The comprehensive review will be completed in four phases, with a report to Licensing and Standards Committee at the completion of the review.