Item - 2019.EC4.7

The Economic and Community Development Committee:

1.  Directed City staff to:

a.  Work with partners like Tourism Toronto to significantly step up the pace of applications to get more winter-focussed events and festivals in Toronto, more all-season patios and more winter recreation activities in Toronto's public parks; and

b.  Report back to the Economic and Community Development Committee with a plan to foster and enhance Toronto's night economy.

As you know, I have committed to a number of initiatives to ensure Toronto remains a safe, clean, and prosperous city.

One of those initiatives involves my continued support and encouragement of our businesses and commitment to strengthening our economy.

I want our city to grow in an ambitious, thoughtful and inspiring way so that we can draw admiration and investment from around the world, and maintain a quality of life that is good for residents and obvious to visitors and potential newcomers.

That will help us to continue to attract tourists to our great city, even in the winter months. We attracted 44 million tourists in 2017, a record year. But I don’t believe we should limit the fun you can have in Toronto to just the summer months.

And I want to see us create more records under my leadership in years to come because tourists mean jobs, investment and good advertising for our city.

Cities like Montreal, Quebec City, Ottawa, and Denver have all embraced the winter and the potential for exciting outdoor events.

I believe we must find a way to develop programming that will be enjoyed by residents and by visitors who may not think of Toronto as a place to be in winter.

I want Toronto to continue to attract tourists from around the world in increased numbers and all year long.

I also want to get the full potential out of our night economy. Toronto, like other global cities, is becoming a 24-hour city. And while that does raise some concerns that we must address in tandem, we cannot lose the opportunity that represents or let it start to become a nuisance. Instead, I want us to work together and arrive at a balanced plan.