Item - 2019.EC2.7

The Economic and Community Development Committee recommends that:

1.  City Council designate, based on the poll results respecting the intention to designate the Little Portugal On Dundas Business Improvement Area (BIA), the area described by Attachment 1 to the report (February 12, 2019) from the General Manager, Economic Development and Culture, as the Little Portugal On Dundas Business Improvement Area (BIA), under the Toronto Municipal Code, Chapter 19, Business Improvement Areas.

2.  City Council authorize the existing Dundas West and Little Portugal BIAs boards of management to remain in place and to continue with ongoing programming until the board of management for the new Little Portugal On Dundas BIA is established and a new budget is approved.

3.  City Council direct the City Solicitor to submit a by-law to designate the area described in Attachment 1 to the report (February 12, 2019) from the General Manager, Economic Development and Culture, as the Little Portugal On Dundas BIA.

4.  City Council approve those amendments necessary to Schedule A of the Toronto Municipal Code, Chapter 19, Business Improvement Areas, to include the Little Portugal On Dundas BIA.

The purpose of this report is to recommend that the area shown in Attachment No. 1 be designated as the Little Portugal On Dundas Business Improvement Area (BIA).

In accordance with the Toronto Municipal Code, Chapter 19, Business Improvement Areas, the City Clerk conducted a poll to determine if there is sufficient support to designate the area as the Little Portugal On Dundas BIA.  The area is generally along Dundas Street West, between Shaw Street and the Canadian National Railway rail tracks west of Lansdowne Avenue.  The City received a sufficient number of ballots to validate the poll and the majority of accepted ballots were in favour of establishing a BIA.

The proposed new Little Portugal On Dundas BIA represents the merger of the existing Dundas West and Little Portugal BIAs as shown in Attachment No. 2.  Further steps to transition from two (2) separate BIAs to one (1) BIA, including continuity of activities and the transfer of assets and liabilities, are also described in this report.

Council's approval of the Little Portugal On Dundas BIA boundary, represented by the Dundas West and Little Portugal BIAs boundaries, will result in a reduction of the number of the City's BIAs from eighty-three (83) to eighty-two (82).