Agenda

City Council adopted Parks, Forestry and Recreation's 2013-2017 Recreation Service Plan in November 2012.  The Plan will guide the City of Toronto's planning and delivery of recreation programs and services over the next five years.  An Implementation Plan was approved in July 2013.

This report responds to several City Council directions to Parks, Forestry and Recreation related to user fees: a review of user fees; the extent to which user fees are a barrier to participation; the health and social benefits of recreation; the financial impact of extending universal access to all recreation programming; and the financial implications of eliminating leisure swimming fees for children and youth in 2014.

This report aligns with the 2013-2017 Recreation Service Plan and is consistent with the  Corporate User Fee Policy approved in 2011 that ensures consistency in establishing and administering the City's user fee program.  Parks, Forestry and Recreation will be reporting to City Council in late 2015 with a formal user fee review of all recreation programs and services as required by the policy.

At its meeting on November 4, 2013, the Toronto Board of Health considered a report (October 24, 2013) from the Medical Officer of Health titled "Racialization and Health Inequities in Toronto" and directed that the report be forwarded to City Council as part of the background information in City Council's consideration of Item CD24.3 from Community Development and Recreation Committee on "Overview of Fees for Recreation Programs".

Youth violence remains a continuing concern in the city of Toronto. Much research and many reports have studied the challenges of youth violence and proposed recommendations for tackling the issue, however actions to date have not adequately addressed the root causes of violence. Two main reasons for this have emerged: one, the youth services sector as a whole is vast and poorly coordinated across communities, service providers, and governments; two,  youth  most in need of supportive intervention to reduce the likelihood of involvement in violence are those who face the most barriers to accessing those supports.

The Toronto Youth Equity Strategy (TYES) seeks to support youth (aged 13-29) who are most vulnerable to involvement in serious violence and crime both by taking steps to better coordinate youth service delivery in Toronto, and by identifying specific service enhancements directed at those youth who are most vulnerable to involvement in serious violence and crime.

While an issue as challenging as youth violence cannot be addressed by a municipal government alone, through the TYES, the City of Toronto can lead in responding to both these challenges. The Strategy identifies 28 key issues and corresponding recommendations. The Strategy proposes 110 specific actions that can be taken by City divisions, agencies, and corporations to build resiliency in our youth and create the supportive systems that can help young people resist the frustration and disillusionment that can lead to involvement in violence and crime.

This report details the development of the Strategy, explains the reasoning behind its development, and sets out a plan for ensuring accountability and assessing impact.

The financial implications associated with the 110 recommended actions identified in Attachment Two are summarized as follows:

1.         77 actions for which implementation can be achieved within the existing resources identified in the 2014 Staff Recommended Operating Budget pending Council Approval,

2.         Six (6) actions which will require funding beyond the 2014 Staff Recommended Operating Budget, to be considered by Budget Committee on January 8, 2014 (Extended Library hours, Expansion of Youth Spaces, and Youth Equity Strategy 2014 Funding) estimated at $2.477 million gross and net, which will require Council approval as part of the 2014 budget process; and

3.         27 actions identified which will be implemented in 2015 or beyond, and may have budget implications for the 2015 and future budget processes.

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

The General Manager, Children's Services, recommends that:

1.         City Council receive this report for information.

This report responds to Community Development and Recreation Committee's request for information on the implementation of the Provincial Schools-First Child Care Capital Retrofit Policy.  This policy provides capital funding to school boards to retrofit existing child care space and non-instructional space, so that it can be used for child care for younger children.

As requested by the Committee, the report contains the initial ranked list that was prepared by City staff for consideration by the boards of education.  The report also describes the two-stage process for determining capital investments in child care in schools under this policy.  The list ranks every school-based child care centre in the City, based on principles of the City's Child Care Service Plan which prioritizes areas of high need that are underserved.  The report also identifies additional factors that will impact the feasibility of space conversions in schools. 

The General Manager, Children's Services recommends that:

1.         City Council authorize the Children's Services Division to enter into a contract with the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE) at the University of Toronto for a five-year project to enhance and quantify the evidence base supporting the impacts of child care fee subsidy on children, families, financial partners and the greater economy.

This report seeks approval to enter a partnership to undertake longitudinal research that will contribute to the body of knowledge surrounding the impact of affordable child care on child and family outcomes and on the general economy.  The Ontario Institute for Studies in Education has approached the Children's Services Division to partner in research that will demonstrate how child care fee subsidy impacts child cognitive, language, and school readiness outcomes as well as parental behaviours and responsivity. This is important research that will add knowledge and quantify the value of investment in high quality child care programs and the return on investment of these programs for children, families and financial partners.

The cost for Children's Services to support this research is estimated to be $523.0 thousand, with a funding contribution from the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE) of $469.2 thousand over the 2014-2018 five-year period.

The 2014 cost associated with conducting this study, which is estimated to be $85.4 thousand, is included in the 2014 Budget Committee Recommended Operating Budget for Children's Services. The 2014 funding contribution of $88.0 thousand, which will be received in 2014 from OISE to support the implementation and management of this research, will be reported though the 2014 Operating Variance Report.

The future-year cost of providing the research and the future-year contributions from OISE will be included in the 2015-2018 Operating Budget Submissions for Children's Services. As well, OISE will contribute additional resources to support this project through the use of its libraries, laboratories, office space, technology, phones, computer support, financial oversight and management, and related research support services.

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

The cost for Children's Services to support this research is estimated to be $523.0 thousand, with a funding contribution from the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE) of $469.2 thousand over the 2014-2018 five-year period.

The 2014 cost associated with conducting this study, which is estimated to be $85.4 thousand, is included in the 2014 Budget Committee Recommended Operating Budget for Children's Services. The 2014 funding contribution of $88.0 thousand, which will be received in 2014 from OISE to support the implementation and management of this research, will be reported though the 2014 Operating Variance Report.

The future-year cost of providing the research and the future-year contributions from OISE will be included in the 2015-2018 Operating Budget Submissions for Children's Services. As well, OISE will contribute additional resources to support this project through the use of its libraries, laboratories, office space, technology, phones, computer support, financial oversight and management, and related research support services.

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

This report updates Community Development and Recreation Committee (CDRC) on the progress of consultations with community agencies and service users to determine the feasibility of opening a 24-hour safe drop-in for women and/or a women-only low-barrier harm reduction shelter.

Research and consultations conducted to date support the need for an overnight low-threshold drop-in to address the needs of street involved women. Additional consultations and focus groups with service providers, service users and legal and public health professionals are planned for January and February to help define service delivery details.

Staff will report to the April 17, 2014 meeting of CDRC on the results of the consultations, including options for a service delivery model, appropriate services, suitable location and the financial impact.