Agenda

Marie-Anne Coninsx, Ambassador of the European Union to Canada, will present on the Canada-European Union Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) and its anticipated benefits for Toronto.

The Chair of the Economic Development Committee, along with the General Manager, Employment and Social Services, the General Manager, Economic Development and Culture and the Executive Director, Social Development, Finance and Administration will present awards for the third annual Partnership to Advance Youth Employment (PAYE) Leadership Awards.

The Construction Sector Workforce Development Pathway Pilot aims to provide equity-seeking and low income job seekers in Toronto with streamlined access to construction apprenticeship training and employment opportunities.  The General Manager, Employment and Social Services will provide an overview of collaborative work being done in Toronto to establish a workforce development training and employment pathway for the construction sector.

The General Manager, Economic Development and Culture, recommends that:  

1.  City Council adopt Spotlight on Toronto: A Strategic Action Plan for the Toronto Film, Television and Digital Media Industry, enclosed as Attachment 1.

2.  City Council direct the General Manager, Economic Development and Culture to report to the Economic Development Committee in the first quarter of 2018 with an implementation plan for Spotlight on Toronto.

3.  City Council direct the General Manager, Economic Development and Culture, to implement actions in Spotlight on Toronto that could commence in 2017.

This report presents Spotlight on Toronto, the Toronto Film, Television and Digital Media Board's new strategic action plan for the screen industry, for City Council's consideration.

The film, television and digital media industry has grown to become one of Toronto's key economic drivers, contributing a record-breaking $2.01 billion to the city's economy in 2016 and supporting an estimated 30,000 jobs. However, Toronto faces increasing competition from other jurisdictions in North America, which have invested heavily in new studio spaces and tax incentive programs to attract and retain new business. The Board's new strategic action plan is designed to empower sector stakeholders to succeed in this highly competitive market.

If Spotlight on Toronto is adopted by City Council, the implementation of the plan's recommended actions will be accommodated within the Economic Development and Culture (EDC) Division's budget beginning in 2018, including by re-allocation where required. Where appropriate, EDC will begin to implement actions that can be delivered within its 2017 Approved Operating Budget.

EDC will continue to monitor demand for services from the film, television and digital media industry. Should additional resources be required in response to industry growth, EDC may request them in a future year budget submission.

The Deputy City Manager and Chief Financial Officer has reviewed this report and agrees with the financial impact information.

At its meeting on May 5, 2017 the Toronto Film, Television and Digital Media Board requested the Film Commissioner and Director of Entertainment Industries to finalize "Spotlight on Toronto: A Strategic Action Plan for the Toronto Film, Television, and Digital Media Industry", taking into account input from the Toronto Film, Television, and Digital Media Board, for submission to the Economic Development Committee at its meeting on May 30, 2017.

The General Manager, Economic Development and Culture recommends that:

1.  City Council receive this report for information.

From January 23 to 25, 2017, Mayor John Tory led a delegation of 36 screen-based industry leaders to Los Angeles to strengthen existing relationships with Toronto's key investment partners in film, television and digital media production and to secure future investment and seek new opportunities within the entire production including visual effects, animation and post production. The delegation built awareness of Toronto's competitive advantage as a preferred investment destination. The delegation presented a unified group of service providers and content creators and showcased Toronto's commitment to this sector, which contributed $2 billion to the city in 2016.

This report provides a summary of the Mayor's Los Angeles Film Mission including highlight on key activities, outcomes and follow-up initiatives of the mission.

There are no financial implications resulting from this report. Net costs of the trade mission to the City of $32,690 were included in EDC's 2017 Approved Operating Budget, under the Film and Entertainment Industries activity. There are no costs to the City for agreements signed during the mission. Future investments in Toronto by companies and institutions met in Los Angeles may result in benefits to the City.

The Deputy City Manager and Chief Financial Officer has reviewed this report and agrees with the financial impact information.

The General Manager, Economic Development and Culture, recommends that:

1.  City Council direct the General Manager, Economic Development and Culture to:

a.  in consultation with the fashion industry establish a Fashion Industry Advisory Panel, to advise the Economic Development and Culture Division, and report back to the Economic Development Committee annually on the panel's activities and accomplishments;

b. forward a copy of the survey recommendations regarding a new model for Toronto fashion week to the various fashion week event organizers for their information and consideration;

c. forward a copy of the best practices identified by the respondents to the Toronto fashion industry survey to the Fashion Industry Advisory Panel, once established, to determine those that could benefit Toronto's fashion sector; and

d. continue to work with the fashion industry to address key short-term issues identified in the survey that impact the industry's growth, including: increased support for entrepreneurship, export development assistance, and support for hiring skilled labour, among others.

In July 2016, IMG announced it was cancelling Toronto Fashion Week. Many were concerned, and Council requested that the General Manager, Economic Development and Culture undertake a consultation with the fashion sector to determine what impact this cancellation would have on the sector, and to identify industry best practices and next steps. In December 2016, a fashion industry roundtable was held with key sector stakeholders and a Working Group was created to assist staff with the consultation process. The results of the roundtable helped to inform a broader online survey undertaken in April 2017. Completed surveys were received from 350 members of Toronto's fashion industry. This report provides a summary of the industry's views on key issues, and recommendations for actions to help support the growth of Toronto's fashion sector.

There are no financial impacts associated with the adoption of the recommendations in this report. Support to the Fashion Industry Advisory Panel, if established, would be accommodated within the Economic Development and Culture Division's current and subsequent budgets. All other supports to the fashion industry in recommendation D are funded as part of existing responsibilities of staff of the Sector Development Unit of EDC.

The Deputy City Manager and Chief Financial Officer has reviewed this report and agrees with the financial impact information.

The General Manager, Economic Development and Culture, recommends that:

1.  City Council approve the allocation of $296,790.00 to the following organizations through the Culture Build Investment Program:

The purpose of this report is to recommend the 2017 Culture Build Investment Program grant allocations for five non-municipally owned cultural facilities. Funding for the Culture Build Investment Program was approved by City Council as part of the Economic Development and Culture Division's 2017 operating budget.

The Culture Build Investment Program provides matching funds to assist Toronto's not-for-profit cultural sector with state of good repair capital projects. The arts and cultural organizations that are supported by the program provide a wide variety of opportunities for Toronto residents to engage in the arts as creators, participants, volunteers or audience members.

The allocations recommended in this report are the result of a review of eligible applications by a peer advisory committee. All applications were received by the February 3, 2017 deadline and assessed by the committee according to established criteria. The program is administered in accordance with the City of Toronto Community Grants Policy as adopted by City Council.

This report recommends the allocations of program funding for the Culture Build Investment Program to the five above-mentioned cultural organizations.

The funding for the Culture Build Investment Program is included in the 2017 Approved Operating Budget of the Economic Development and Culture Division.

The Deputy City Manager and Chief Financial Officer has reviewed this report and agrees with the financial impact information.

The General Manager, Employment and Social Services recommends that:  

1.  City Council receive this report for information.

Though the size of the Ontario Works (OW) caseload has decreased in recent years, other changes to the caseload are occurring that have implications for the delivery of Ontario Works in Toronto.

This report presents an overview of the OW caseload, providing a description of the people served in 2016. As well, the report highlights key changes in caseload composition since 2010. The most important trend over this period is the increase in the length of time people remain on OW and the accompanying increases in the range of intensity of client need. These trends indicate a growing intensity of need among OW clients. However, over the same periods overall caseloads have declined. 

Given the increased length of stay of people on OW, the associated shift in client's needs and recent changes in the labour market, this report discusses the significant implications for Toronto Employment and Social Services (TESS), from the impacts on the division's ability to move people into jobs, to the efforts to design and put in place approaches, services, supports and partnerships that will effectively meet the needs of people currently receiving OW. The report also addresses the challenges related to adapting TESS's service delivery and service planning models to meet new and emerging needs in the context of provincial funding models that focus exclusively on caseload volumes.

There are no financial implications arising from this report.

The Deputy City Manager and Chief Financial officer has reviewed this report and agree with the financial impact information.

The General Manager, Economic Development and Culture, recommends that:

1.  City Council approve the amendments to Municipal Code Chapter 19, Business Improvement Areas, in relation to, among other matters, clarity respecting Business Improvement Area (BIA) membership; voter eligibility and non-member (designate) voting at annual general meetings; the authority of City staff to attend and address BIA meetings; financial procedures; minor adjustments to BIA boundaries; board of management procedures and practices; removal of directors for attendance reasons; filling board vacancies mid-term; and definitions, substantially as set out in Attachment No. 1 to this report and subject to any necessary minor substantive or stylistic refinements as may be identified by the General Manager of Economic Development and Culture and the City Solicitor.

The purpose of this report is to recommend substantive, minor and technical amendments to the City of Toronto Municipal Code Chapter 19, Business Improvement Areas (the "Chapter") pertaining to, among other matters, clarity respecting Business Improvement Area (BIA) membership; voter eligibility and non-member (designate) voting at annual general meetings; the authority of City staff to attend and address BIA meetings; financial procedures; minor adjustments to BIA boundaries; board of management procedures and practices; removal of directors for attendance reasons; filling board vacancies mid-term; and definitions.  The proposed amendments are identified in Attachment No. 1 (see crossed-out and bolded text).

The Chapter is subject to a staff review approximately every two years so that it can best assist the City's BIAs to operate in a transparent, effective and efficient manner.   Those proposed amendments which are substantive, as opposed to those which are minor or technical in nature, are explained below.

There are no financial implications resulting from the adoption of this report.

The Deputy City Manager and Chief Financial Officer has reviewed this report and agrees with the financial impact information.

The General Manager, Economic Development and Culture, and the Executive Director, Financial Planning, recommend that:

1.  City Council approve the amended Business Improvement Area (BIA) Capital Cost-Sharing Program Guidelines described in this report and set out in Attachment No. 1.

2. City Council establish a new project in the 2018-2027 Capital Plan for Economic Development and Culture (EDC) entitled ”BIA Streetscape Master Plan Funding Program" with annual cash flow of $0.100 million, based upon the program guidelines set out in this report and in Attachment No. 2, by reallocating funding from the BIA Equal Share Funding Program, and authorize the General Manager of Economic Development and Culture to enter into agreements with BIAs under the Program.

3. City Council direct the General Manager of Transportation Services, Executive Director of Engineering and Construction Services, and General Manager of Economic Development and Culture undertake a review of project administration charges applied to Business Improvement Area (BIA) capital projects and the priority assigned to BIA projects with regard to permits and approvals.

4.  City Council direct the General Manager of Economic Development and Culture report annually to Economic Development and Culture Committee on the allocation of Business Improvement Area (BIA) Capital Cost-Share Funding, the requests for funding from BIA Cost-Share Programs, and trends in BIA net financial assets, detailed by size of BIA, as reported in BIA Audited Financial Statements.

The BIA Capital Cost-Sharing Program represents a successful and long-standing partnership with the City's Business Improvement Areas (BIAs).  Through this program the City has cost-shared $39.3 million in streetscape improvements over the past 10 years to beautify, enhance and improve city streets and public spaces.  BIAs pay for 50 percent or more of the cost of projects funded under this Program and 100 percent of the long-term maintenance.

In response to a presentation by the Toronto Association of BIAs (TABIA) to Economic Development Committee on November 24, 2015, this report provides the results of a review of the Program looking at ways to maximize the amount of funding leveraged from BIAs and support long-term, cost-effective BIA streetscape improvements.

The report concludes that there are opportunities to leverage additional funding from BIAs without increasing City debt targets by amending the Cost-Share Guidelines to provide more consistency and flexibility, introducing a Streetscape Master Plan Funding Program to encourage BIAs to undertake long-term streetscape planning, and pursuing a further review of the policies affecting BIA cost-shared projects with other City divisions.

There are no immediate financial pressures resulting from the adoption of this report.  Funding for the "BIA Streetscape Master Plan Funding Program" with annual cash flow of $0.100 million will be accommodated through reallocation from the BIA Equal Share Funding Program.  This will ensure that BIA Capital Cost-Share projects are subject to planning diligence consistent with processes for other City Capital projects.  It is anticipated that the proposed adjustments to the BIA Capital Cost-Share Program Guidelines will support increased utilization of funds allocated by BIAs for Capital projects.

The Deputy City Manager and Chief Financial Officer has reviewed this report and agrees with the financial impact information.

The General Manager, Economic Development and Culture recommends that:

1.  City Council state its intention to designate the area described by Attachment 1, as an expanded Business Improvement Area (BIA) under Chapter 19 of the City of Toronto Municipal Code.

2.  City Council direct the City Clerk to send out a notice of City Council's intention to pass a by-law designating the area described by Attachment 1 as the expanded Weston Village Business Improvement Area (BIA), in accordance with Chapter 19 of the City of Toronto Municipal Code.

3.  City Council direct the Chief Information Officer of Information and Technology to prepare designation by-law maps of the area as described by Attachment 1, and submit them to the City Solicitor.

The purpose of this report is to recommend that the City Clerk conduct a poll to determine if there is sufficient support to expand the boundaries of the Weston Village Business Improvement Area (BIA) as per Attachment 1.

Upon completion of the poll, the General Manager, Economic Development and Culture will report the results to the Economic Development Committee.  Subject to a positive poll result, staff shall prepare the necessary by-law and bills to give effect thereto.

Capital budgets may be impacted in future years should streetscape or other capital improvements be undertaken by the expanded Weston Village BIA.  These capital improvements are generally cost-shared equally between the BIA and the City.

The Deputy City Manager and the Chief Financial Officer has reviewed this report and agrees with the financial impact information.

The General Manager, Economic Development and Culture, recommends that:  

1. Economic Development Committee receive this report for information.

The Commonwealth Games is one of the world's premiere international sporting competitions, attended by more than 6,000 athletes and officials from the 70+ countries and territories of the Commonwealth of Nations. Held every four years, the Games are recognized for generating significant economic, cultural and community benefits for their host city. The Games are also a leader in access and equity for sport, as the first and only international event to fully integrate para-sports across its sporting program.

The 2022 Commonwealth Games were initially awarded to Durban, South Africa. However, in March 2017, the Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) announced that Durban had lost the right to host the Games, citing serious financial concerns and questions about the city's ability to complete venue construction in time for the event. The CGF has since embarked on an expedited bidding process to name a replacement host city.

The Commonwealth Games Association of Canada, the national chapter of the CGF, responded to a call for expressions of interest from the CGF to explore the possibility of hosting the 2022 Games in Canada. Representatives of Australia, Malaysia and the United Kingdom have also indicated an interest in hosting the 2022 Games. The CGAC will now put forward candidate cities in Canada for consideration. Vancouver and Victoria are reported to be considering bids, and there is no limit to the number of cities that any one country can nominate. The CGF has asked that any prospective candidates declare their intention to bid by early July and submit a formal bid proposal by the end of August. The CGF hopes to name a host city by the end of the year.

Staff have reviewed the opportunity to bid on the 2022 Commonwealth Games using the evaluation criteria set out by the Mayor's Advisory Panel on International Hosting Opportunities. While hosting the Games has the potential to generate significant economic and tourism benefits for Toronto, staff are recommending that Toronto not pursue a bid at this time given the following major risks and constraints:

Lack of confirmed support from other orders of government: The Mayor's Advisory Panel is clear that the support of the federal and provincial governments must be confirmed before making a bid for a major event such as the Commonwealth Games. This approach mitigates financial, operational and reputational risks to the City. Given the scale and complexity of the Games, a multi-party cost-sharing agreement between all three orders of government similar to that used during the 2015 Pan Am / Parapan Am Games would need to be in place to successfully host the 2022 Games in Toronto. A senior order of government would also be required to provide a deficit guarantee for the Games. Per the Federal Policy for Hosting International Sport Events, the Government of Canada does not guarantee against operating losses, leaving the Province to act as the guarantor.
 

At this time, it is not clear that Toronto can secure the required financial and logistical support from other orders of government. While the federal government has indicated that it would consider a potential bid from a Canadian city, there has been no confirmation that either the federal or provincial governments would offer financial support, or that the Province of Ontario would provide a deficit guarantee for the Games. There is also a risk that a request for investment in the Commonwealth Games could come at the expense of funding for other City priorities such as transit and housing.

Lack of certainty on the availability of resources to host the Commonwealth Games: Costs to the host organization, net of revenues (ticket sales, sponsorship, etc.) would be expected to be very significant and therefore would require very significant subsidization. If the experiences of the Pan Am Games, the Glasgow Commonwealth Games and the expected experience of the upcoming Gold Coast Commonwealth Games are used, a substantial public sector operating subsidy will be needed to host the Games in Toronto, likely in the hundreds of millions of dollars. Any cost sharing arrangement involving all three orders of government will likely require a City contribution. No funding source currently exists for any meaningful amount of money from the City.

While there are many existing facilities in Toronto that could be used for the Commonwealth Games, capital investment could be required for athletes' housing and venue upgrades. The Pan Am Village has now been converted and passed on to the permanent residents. It may be possible to use university and college residences for temporary housing, but this is not clear. A new village could be part of a social housing project but the time to determine this is well beyond the few months needed to put in an official bid. Secondly, Toronto's existing track and field facilities could require capacity upgrades to meet the standards of the CGF. This may or may not be resolved within the timeline to submit a bid.
 

Lack of community engagement and consultation: The Mayor's Advisory Panel strongly recommends that the City meaningfully involve local residents in the bid process to determine whether the event opportunity provides sufficient benefits and legacies for the community. At this time, no consultation has taken place to gauge community or business support for hosting the 2022 Commonwealth Games. Given time constraints, the City cannot conduct meaningful outreach and engagement before a decision is required on whether to proceed with a bid.

Lack of resources and expedited timelines to bid: Normally, the bidding process for a major event such as the Commonwealth Games would take place over at least 1-2 years, allowing for a candidate city to complete full due diligence by assessing infrastructure requirements, identifying legacy opportunities, conducting a comprehensive cost-benefit analysis and consulting with community partners. While it is possible to complete a bid on an expedited timeline by the end of August, the City does not currently have any resources in place to do so and would incur significant unbudgeted costs for third-party support to complete the necessary work.

There is no financial impact associated with the adoption of this report.

If Toronto were to pursue a bid for the 2022 Commonwealth Games, the City would incur unbudgeted costs to prepare a bid on a condensed timeframe in 2017. The City does not have any staff or budget resources in place to complete a bid at this time. Costs related to bidding are estimated to be in the hundreds of thousands of dollars.

If Toronto is successful in making a bid, the City would incur very significant expenses related to event planning, operations and capital infrastructure over the next five years. Hosting the Commonwealth Games would be a major corporate initiative requiring coordination, support and resources from multiple City divisions and agencies. While exact costs are not known at this time, staff estimate that operating expenses would be comparable to the 2015 Pan Am / Parapan Am Games, with City expenditures in the tens of millions of dollars. Capital investment would also be required for projects such as a new Athletes Village, which are not currently part of the City's capital plan. It would be expected that operating and capital costs for the Games are cost-shared between all three orders of government, but no such support is confirmed at this time.

The Deputy City Manager and Chief Financial Officer has reviewed this report and agrees with the financial impact information.

Councillor Mary Fragedakis, seconded by Councillor Michelle Holland, recommends that:

1. City Council request the General Manager, Economic Development and Culture to establish a working group composed of staff from the Economic Development and Culture Division, other appropriate City staff and representatives from local Marathons, Running Canada and the business and tourism sector to develop a strategy to strengthen running tourism in Toronto, and to report to the Economic Development Committee by April 2018 on the recommended strategy.

City Council on April 26, 27 and 28, 2017, referred Motion MM28.9 to the Economic Development Committee.

The sport of running and running tourism are both growing in popularity worldwide. Marathons in particular are important sporting and tourism events in many of the world's major cities.

The City of Toronto benefits from running tourism, which provides a significant economic impact to the business community and employment.

However, when compared to many major cities, Toronto has an opportunity to expand its economic activity through the promotion of running tourism. For example, the Boston Marathon contributes about $192 million to the local economy. Many marathoners bring family members with them and make a vacation out of it, spending money on hotels, food, transportation, running apparel and more. Sports industry experts say Boston’s payout is part of a lucrative global trend that’s been playing out in Chicago, New York, London and other cities that stage major marathons drawing competitors and spectators from around the world.

Toronto has an opportunity to compete internationally to attract these competitors and spectators to our great City by leveraging Canada's position globally as a peaceful and safe nation, and a competitive currency with respect to the United States and European countries.

Canada and more specifically Toronto generally ranks within the top 10 fastest and largest marathons based on finishers. Toronto can leverage this growing international reputation to attract more runners by learning and adopting best practices, and increasing its advocacy in North America and globally, thereby creating a net positive economic impact to our City.

Tourism of this nature has the added benefit of complimenting the City's efforts to market itself for direct investment.

The General Manager, Economic Development and Culture recommends that:

1. City Council receive this report for information.

The attached Toronto Economic Bulletin summarizes the most recent data available for key economic indicators benchmarking the city's economic performance.

There are no financial implications resulting from this report.

Mayor John Tory, Councillor Michael Thompson, and Councillor Joe Cressy, recommend that:

1. City Council increase the 2017 Economic Development and Culture Operating Budget by $100,000 gross, $0 net, fully funded from the Major Special Events Reserve Fund, to provide a grant to 6 Degrees for the 2017 event.

Building inclusive communities is a critical priority for our city. As we continue to work together to build welcoming and inclusive spaces for all our residents, we are faced with increasing instability around the world. The importance of broadening our work is now more critical than ever – both to building a welcoming and equitable Toronto, but also for the economic and cultural vibrancy of our city.

The Institute of Canadian Citizenship (ICC) is at the forefront of this critical work. A national charity, the ICC delivers programs and special projects that inspire inclusion, create opportunities to connect, and encourage active citizenship. In 2016, the ICC launched an innovative and dynamic festival in 6 Degrees Citizen Space.

Supported by the City of Toronto as a Presenting Partner, the inaugural 6 Degrees Citizen Space explored the importance of creating truly inclusive societies through conversation, exchange, and artistic representation. More than 5000 people – politicians, activists, artists, writers, entrepreneurs, and more – and over 130 organizations from across the country and around the world, joined together for 3 days of bold programming and bold conversation. Attendees participated in innovative and diverse exchanges, including the LaFontaine-Baldwin Lecture, a free performance from A Tribe Called Red, the Adrienne Clarkson Prize for Global Citizenship, keynote addresses, one-on-one exchanges and dialogue, and more.

Over the course of three days, thousands of people gathered and talked – about how to support each other, about their own work and the work of countless citizens across the country, about the problems we need to solve and how to solve them.

The inaugural 6 Degrees had a wide-reaching impact on our city's economic development and vibrancy. Hotel and catering services were critical in 2016, given the overall size and attendance at each of the headline events. Additionally, 6 Degrees events contributed more than $800,000 in 2016 to Toronto's economy, through partnerships with local businesses, venue rentals, staffing, and restaurant and hotel use.

Over the past year, the ICC has been hard at work on 6 Degrees events for 2017. Principal venues will once again be the Art Gallery of Ontario and Koerner Hall/Telus Centre, with free events likely taking place once again at the University of Toronto. 6 Degrees has also committed to hotel spaces, catering for a lunch and two receptions, as well as other informal arrangements already underway.

In 2016, the City of Toronto provided $100,000 in support as a Presenting Partner at 6 Degrees. Given the growing economic and cultural impact, as well as the critical work of 6 Degrees in building conversations about inclusion in our communities.