Item - 2017.PG22.10

The Planning and Growth Management Committee:

1.  Deferred consideration of the item until its October 12, 2017 meeting.

This report is the City Planning Division's annual update on the Study Work Program.  The report outlines the Division's 28 completions to-date in 2017 and 84 projected completions to the end of the calendar year as shown in Attachment 1.  Further, the report's Attachment 2 presents a preliminary forecast of the additional 114 items anticipated to be completed by the end of this term of Council.  In response to the request by Planning and Growth Management Committee, this report's Attachment 3 also lists study work that is targeted for completion beyond 2019 or is currently on hold.

The volume of study work undertaken by the Division reflects the dynamic and broad range of evolving issues facing Toronto. The current work program is ambitious in terms of the number of items included.  To this end, the Division prioritizes the projects based on criteria outlined in this report. This report highlights key drivers of the Study Work Program and how the Division is addressing city-wide matters while advancing the implementation of the Official Plan and Council's priorities. 

With the upcoming municipal election in 2018, the report's attachments listing forecasted completions for 2017 and 2018 capture the Final Reports of many large studies launched at the start of this term of Council.  The items listed in the attachments reflect the capability to meet service levels in the face of workload pressures and a changing regulatory environment.  

The Study Work Program also represents the middle- and long-term time horizons.  This report highlights emerging pressures that will continue to generate study work beyond 2018.  These drivers include responding to new Provincial legislation, investment in under-utilized large sites, and ongoing delivery of reports to meet the Division's service levels.