Item - 2022.GL29.10

The General Government and Licensing Committee recommends that:

1. City Council authorize the Executive Director, Corporate Real Estate Management, or their designate, to continue negotiations to acquire the Project Requirements as set out in Appendix A to the report (March 8, 2022) from the Executive Director, Corporate Real Estate Management and as illustrated on the property sketch attached as Appendix B to the report (March 8, 2022) from the Executive Director, Corporate Real Estate Management, and as Approving Authority, authorize the initiation of expropriation proceedings for the Project Requirements for the purposes of expanding the Bloor-Yonge interchange station as part of the Bloor-Yonge Capacity Improvement project.

2. City Council authorize the Executive Director, Corporate Real Estate Management, or their designate, to serve and publish the Notices of Application for Approval to Expropriate Land for the Project Requirements, to forward to the Ontario Land Tribunal any requests for hearings received, to attend the hearing(s) to present the City's position, and to report the Ontario Land Tribunal's recommendations to City Council for its consideration.

This report seeks authority to initiate expropriation proceedings for fee simple and temporary easement takings from both freehold and leasehold properties located in the properties municipally known as 2 Bloor Street East and 90 Bloor Street East (the "Project Requirements"), for the purposes of expanding the Bloor-Yonge interchange station as part of the Toronto Transit Commission Bloor-Yonge Capacity Improvement project.

This is Stage 1 of the expropriation process. Should City Council adopt the recommendations in this report, staff may serve and publish the Notice of Application for Approval to Expropriate on each registered owner. Owners, as defined in the Expropriations Act, will have 30 days to request a hearing into whether the City's proposed taking is fair, sound and reasonably necessary.

Staff will report back to City Council with a Stage 2 report, providing details on property values and other costs, and if a hearing is requested, the report of the Ontario Land Tribunal. The proposed expropriation would only be effected, after adoption by City Council, as Approving Authority, of the Stage 2 report, by registration of an expropriation plan, which would then be followed by the service of notices as required by the Act.

Before the City could take possession of the expropriated property, offers of compensation based on appraisal reports must be served on each registered owner.