Agenda

Meetings of Toronto City Council are being conducted by electronic means and the proceedings of City Council will be conducted publicly. 

These measures are necessary to comply with physical distancing requirements and a Provincial Order that limits public gatherings.

Notice to people writing to Council: The City of Toronto Act, 2006 and the City of Toronto Municipal Code authorize the City of Toronto to collect any personal information in your communication or presentation to City Council or its committees. The City collects this information to enable it to make informed decisions on the relevant issue(s). If you are submitting letters, faxes, e-mails, presentations or other communications to the City, you should be aware that your name and the fact that you communicated with the City will become part of the public record and will appear on the City’s website. The City will also make your communication and any personal information in it – such as your postal address, telephone number or e-mail address – available to the public, unless you expressly request the City to remove it.

Closed Meeting Requirements: If Council wants to meet in closed session (privately), a Member of Council must place a motion to do so and give the reason why Council has to meet privately (City of Toronto Act, 2006).

December 11, 2020.

toronto.ca/council

This agenda and any supplementary materials submitted to the City Clerk can be found online at www.toronto.ca/council. Visit the website for access to all agendas, reports, decisions and minutes of City Council and its committees.

- O Canada

- Moment of Silence

City Council will confirm the Minutes from the regular meeting held on November 25 and 26, 2020.

Report of the Executive Committee from Meeting 19 on December 10, 2020

Submitted by Mayor John Tory, Chair

Report of the Audit Committee from Meeting 7 on November 19, 2020

Submitted by Councillor Stephen Holyday

Report of the Civic Appointments Committee from Meeting 16 on December 8, 2020 

Submitted by Deputy Mayor Denzil Minnan-Wong, Chair

Report of the Economic and Community Development Committee from Meeting 18 on December 7, 2020

Submitted by Councillor Michael Thompson, Chair

Report of the General Government and Licensing Committee from Meeting 19 on November 30, 2020

Submitted by Councillor Paul Ainslie, Chair

Report of the Infrastructure and Environment Committee from Meeting 18 on December 1, 2020

Submitted by Councillor James Pasternak, Chair

Report of the Planning and Housing Committee from Meeting 19 on December 8, 2020

Submitted by Councillor Ana Bailão, Chair

Report of the Striking Committee from Meeting 7 on December 9, 2020

Submitted by Deputy Mayor Denzil Minnan-Wong

Report of the Etobicoke York Community Council from Meeting 20 on December 4, 2020

Submitted by Councillor Mark Grimes, Chair

Report of the North York Community Council from Meeting 20 on December 3, 2020

Submitted by Councillor James Pasternak, Chair

Report of the Scarborough Community Council from Meeting 20 on December 9, 2020

Submitted by Councillor Jennifer McKelvie, Chair

Report of the Toronto and East York Community Council from Meeting 21 on December 2, 2020

Submitted by Councillor Gord Perks, Chair

New Business submitted by City Officials 

Members of Council will declare interests under the Municipal Conflict of Interest Act.

Members of Council may file petitions.

Various presentations and announcements will be made at the City Council meeting.

City Council will review the Order Paper.

The Executive Committee recommends that:

1. City Council receive the report (November 26, 2020) from the City Manager for information.

This report provides an update to the City Manager's October 2020 report titled "Towards Recovery and Building a Renewed Toronto" (EX17.1) as requested by City Council.

Since October, Toronto has experienced a significant increase in the number of cases of COVID-19 and continues to respond with measures to combat the resurgence of the virus. As of Monday November 23,Toronto entered lockdown under provincial measures to slow the spread of COVID-19.

The City Manager will regularly update Members of Council and the public on the City’s response and recovery including on the reports from the Toronto Office of Recovery and Rebuild (TORR). This first update will be higher-level than future updates as the City Manager’s October report was only recently before City Council. Included in this report are updates on: 

• COVID-19 Response Activities
• Intergovernmental Strategy and Partnerships
• Status of Recommendations from the Toronto Office of Recovery and Rebuild’s report COVID-19: Impacts and Opportunities

Attachment 1 to this report provides updates on any significant changes to the implementation of TORR recommendations since October 28, 2020. A number of updates include information on reports that will be brought forward to Council through future agenda cycles or the 2021 budget process.

The Executive Committee recommends that:

1.  City Council authorize the City Manager, in consultation with the Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer, to apply for Federal and Provincial funding under the Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program  – COVID-19 Resilience Infrastructure Stream – Local Government Sub-Stream for projects set out in Attachment 1 to the report (November 26, 2020) from the City Manager.

 
2.  City Council authorize the City Manager, in consultation with the Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer, to apply for Federal and Provincial funding under the Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program – COVID-19 Resilience Infrastructure Stream – Long-Term Care Sector Sub-Stream for projects set out in Attachment 2 to the report (November 26, 2020) from the City Manager.

 
3.  City Council approve the receipt of funds, if any, from the COVID-19 Resilience Infrastructure Stream – Local Government Sub-Stream and the Long-Term Care Sector Sub-Stream for all City projects outlined in Attachments 1 and 2 to the report (November 26, 2020) from the City Manager.

 
4.  City Council authorize the Mayor and/or the City Manager to enter into and execute any agreements, including any amendments, with the Province of Ontario and/or the Government of Canada under the COVID-19 Resilience Infrastructure Stream – Local Government Sub-Stream and Long-Term Care Sector Sub-Stream on terms and conditions satisfactory to the City Manager and the Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer, and in a form satisfactory to the City Solicitor.

 
5.  Should Ontario or Canada reject one or more of the City's projects submitted as outlined in Attachment 1 to the report (November 26, 2020) from the City Manager, City Council authorize the City Manager, in consultation with the Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer, to apply for funding for projects under the Local Government Sub-Stream that meet mandatory program eligibility criteria and that best meet the following criteria:

a.  the project addresses COVID-19 health and safety impacts;

b.  the project addresses Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act requirements;

c.  the project supports vulnerable groups impacted by COVID-19;

d.  City Council has endorsed the project through a City strategy, plan or decision;

e.  the project is within the City's 10-year Capital Budget and Plan as approved by City Council or built in to the 2021 Budget request;

f.  the project is in a state of readiness with adequate level of design to proceed to construction;

g.  a site has been secured for the project (if applicable);

h.  the project advances the implementation of the Ravine Strategy (2020.EX17.1); and

i.  the project advances critical building repairs, retrofits and upgrades in City buildings, including in long-term care homes and shelters (2020.EX17.1).

6.  City Council request the Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer to inform City Council, through Budget Committee, and as part of the 2021 Budget process, of any changes required to the 2021 Staff Recommended Capital Budget and Plan based on City Council approval of projects in Attachments 1 and  2 to the report (November 26, 2020) from the City Manager.

In October 2020, the Province of Ontario announced the launch of the federal-provincial $1.05 billion, COVID-19 Resilience Infrastructure funding stream[1] under the Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program (ICIP). In response to COVID-19, the purpose of this funding stream is to build or renovate health and safety related projects in long-term care ($100 million), education ($700 million) and local governments ($250 million).

On November 17, 2020, Ontario launched the intake for the Local Government Sub-Stream. Toronto's allocation under this Sub-Stream is $24,266,076, and the City can submit up to five project applications for this funding. This Sub-Stream supports capital projects under four categories:

1.  Retrofits, repairs and upgrades for municipal, territorial, provincial and Indigenous buildings, health infrastructure and schools.
2.  COVID-19 response infrastructure, including measures to support physical distancing.
3.  Active transportation infrastructure, including parks, trails, foot bridges, bike lanes and multi-use paths.
4.  Disaster mitigation and adaptation projects, including natural infrastructure, flood and fire mitigation, and tree planting and related infrastructure.

On November 23, 2020, the Province also launched the intake for the Long-Term Care Sector Sub-Stream. Unlike the Local Government Sub-Stream, this Sub-Stream is merit-based and as such, the City did not receive a funding allocation. This Sub-Stream supports capital projects under two categories:

 
1.  Retrofits, repairs and upgrades for long-term care infrastructure.
2.  COVID-19 resilience infrastructure, including measures to support physical distancing in long-term care homes.

Under both Sub-Streams, the federal government will contribute up to 80% of eligible project costs for municipal projects and the Province will contribute the remaining 20%. Projects must start no later than September 30, 2021 and must be substantially completed by December 31, 2021.

This report recommends City Council confirm the list of projects to be submitted to the

Local Government Sub-Stream as outlined in Attachment 1 to maximize Toronto's full funding allocation. In addition, this report also recommends City Council confirm the list of projects to be submitted under the Long-Term Care Sector Sub-Stream as outlined in Attachment 2. The projects outlined in Attachment 1 and 2 have been identified as having the best probability of success as they meet the mandatory program criteria, and best meet the following criteria:

• Project addresses COVID-19 health and safety impacts.
• Project addresses Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA) requirements.
• Project supports vulnerable groups impacted by COVID-19.
• City Council has endorsed the project through a City strategy, plan or decision.
• The project is within the City's 10-year Capital Budget and Plan as approved by Council or built in to the 2021 budget request.
• Project is in a state of readiness with adequate level of design to proceed to construction.
• A site has been secured for the project (if applicable).
• Project advances the implementation of the Ravine Strategy (2020.EX17.1).
• Project advances critical building repairs, retrofits and upgrades in City buildings including in long-term care homes and shelters (2020.EX17.1). 

COVID-19 has resulted in disproportionate impacts on racialized and equity-seeking communities, and further deepened the inequalities that are already experienced by residents and neighbourhoods across our City. These recommended projects provide an opportunity to focus on the critical needs of residents, advance health and safety efforts including enabling residents to enjoy outdoor recreation opportunities, and create jobs as we tackle both resurgences of the virus and lay the foundation for a strong recovery together.

The Executive Committee recommends that:

1. City Council direct the Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer to undertake the following steps to develop a Vacant Home Tax Program and to report back with a recommended taxation, collection, exemptions and enforcement design for a Vacant Home Tax by the end of the second quarter of 2021 for implementation commencing in the 2022 taxation year:

a. establishing a dedicated interdivisional project team to lead the implementation of a Vacant Home Tax;

b. engaging with Provincial staff to develop any necessary regulations;

c. engaging with City Legal to develop the necessary by-law to implement a Vacant Home Tax;

d. engaging with CIT and others to build the necessary technical infrastructure to administer a Vacant Home Tax, including a universal declaration system, compliance/audit database and payment system;

e. undertaking public education and awareness campaigns to ensure homeowners are aware of the tax, applicability of the tax and requirement to declare on an annual basis;

f. form an audit and compliance team to develop audit procedures and protocols, review annual declarations, identify non-compliance with the tax and create annual reports on the impact of the tax; and

g. studying the creation and governance of an external advisory team consisting of industry experts and academic institutions who can advise the City of monitoring, evaluation and implementation.

2.  City Council request the Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer and the Executive Director, Housing Secretariat to report back to the Executive Committee by the end of the second quarter of 2021 on exempting the principal residence of tax payers from the application of the Vacant Home tax, such report to include:

a.  a review of the City of Vancouver's application of the Empty Home Tax Principal Residence policy and its applicability to the Toronto Vacant Home Tax;

b.  how a principal residence exemption can protect Toronto Snowbirds; and

c.  any possible impact of the Toronto Vacant Home Tax policy on the application of the Federal Capital Gains Tax on the sale of a principal residence.

3. City Council authorize a budget allocation of $5.0 million in 2021 and $6.0 million in 2022 to fund the estimated start-up costs associated with this Tax Program.

This report responds to all previous requests for information identified by City Council with respect to implementing a vacant home tax policy tool in Toronto.

The report presents the findings of a commissioned study by KPMG titled, “A Review of Issues to be considered for the Taxation of Vacant Homes in Toronto” (the Study) to address the public policy rationale for such a tax, potential tax design features, and a jurisdictional review of municipalities that have adopted such taxes.

The report further identifies current housing market conditions and challenges within the context of the COVID-19 pandemic and lays out a recommended path forward for Council consideration.

The public policy rationale features examined include: the impact a vacant home tax has had on the supply of affordable housing and rental vacancy rates in other jurisdictions;  a comparison of a vacant home tax with other strategies used by other jurisdictions to increase the supply of affordable housing and rental vacancy rates, e.g. incentives for purpose-built affordable rental apartment units;  the nature and trends in the Toronto housing market that perpetuate the occurrence of vacant homes and the duration of such vacancy;  the extent to which vacant homes are negatively affecting the supply of affordable housing or rental vacancy rates in Toronto; and whether a vacant home tax could achieve the objectives of increasing the supply of affordable housing and increasing rental vacancy rates in Toronto.

The potential tax design features and possible implementation of an effective and efficient vacant home tax program includes:  the definition of a vacant home, the means of identifying vacant homes; possible exemptions, amount per property to be levied, staffing and/or external consultants required to implement a vacant home tax, hardware and software costs, effective enforcement and timing required to successfully roll out a vacant home tax.

The Study contains a comparative analysis of the experiences and results of similar taxes implemented in Vancouver and Melbourne.  Although conditions in the Toronto will require a unique approach, planning will benefit from such detailed policy testing. 

The Study was substantially completed in March 2020 and provides insight into Toronto’s housing market and the conditions that gave rise to the phenomenon of vacant homes and the resulting public policy objectives associated with the legislative authority to tax such units.

The study of the vacant home phenomenon, market conditions, policy rationale and practicality of steps to implement such a tax have all been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic and the associated public health restrictions on all aspects of life in 2020. 

The KPMG study has been updated as at November 2020 (the Study Supplement) to include COVID-19 impacts on the topics discussed in the study.

The Study Supplement notes that although current real estate market conditions exhibit increased rental availability and downward trending rent prices, there is still much uncertainty in long-term projections for the market. Long term housing affordability and availability challenges will most likely persist into the future, and a VHT can be a helpful tool to address these challenges.

Thus, moving forward with the tax at this time must be balanced with considerations of urgency of need, market conditions that may have already affected the supply of housing and the practical ability to carry out the necessary administrative steps and public relations campaign to implement the tax. As the effect of the tax is to change the behaviour of certain homeowners who leave their homes unoccupied, sufficient notice and time to adjust such vacancy (e.g. sell or rent out homes) needs to be built into the implementation plan.

Economic and fiscal policy doctrines normally dictate that governments should not implement new forms of taxation during contractionary market conditions.

Notwithstanding the interplay of current economic conditions, vacant home taxes are designed primarily as a housing policy tool intended to affect the behaviours of owners of vacant homes to sell or rent out such homes and thereby make available homes for occupation, rather than a revenue generating tool for a municipality.

The Study provides an examination of the definition of what constitutes a vacant home for taxation, possible exemptions as well as identification methods, tax rates and potential impacts and effectiveness measurement means. The cornerstone of such a tax is the identification of vacant homes by way of a universal declaration method as proposed in this report, whereby every residential property owner in the City would be required to make an annual declaration as to the occupancy status of their home for the preceding year.

The Study provides a plan for the necessary steps to implement such a tax as directed by City Council and the related administrative and operational infrastructure components required to operate, collect, enforce, process appeals on such a tax.  Costs estimates of implementation and potential conversion rates and tax revenue projection ranges are also provided.

In light of its key findings, the Study lays out recommended actions to be taken to move this new policy tool forward for Council consideration including future staffing and resource needs with a detailed report back on key design features by the end of Q2 2021.

The Executive Committee recommends that:

1.  City Council approve the updated design for the Eglinton East Light Rail Transit project as described in Attachment 1 to the report (November 26, 2020) from the Chief Planner and Executive Director, City Planning and the Executive Director, Transit Expansion Office, and City Council direct the Chief Planner and Executive Director, City Planning and the Executive Director, Transit Expansion Office to update the business case and advance the Transit Project Assessment Process accordingly.

 
2.  City Council direct the Chief Planner and Executive Director, City Planning and the Executive Director, Transit Expansion Office to report back on updated business case analysis for the Eglinton East Light Rail Transit project, including project costs, recommended schedule and a phasing approach, prior to the 2022 Budget process.

Waterfront Transit Network

 
3.  City Council direct the Chief Planner and Executive Director, City Planning and the Executive Director, Transit Expansion Office to report back on the recommended schedule and funding requirements for the Union Station to Queens Quay Link and the East Bayfront Light Rail Transit section of the Waterfront Transit Network, including phasing options and an updated business case, as part of an update on Waterfront Transit Network priorities prior to the 2022 Budget process.

General

 
4.  City Council forward this report to the Toronto Transit Commission Board for its information.

The purpose of this report is to provide updates on components of the City of Toronto's priority transit expansion projects, namely the Eglinton East Light Rail Transit (EELRT) and the Waterfront Transit Network (WTN).

In April 2019, City Council confirmed the preferred design for the EELRT, per agenda item 2019.EX4.1. The EELRT is a 15 km extension of the Eglinton Crosstown LRT from Kennedy Station to Malvern, with up to 21 stops and three connections to GO Transit. Recent changes to transit plans in Scarborough due to the Province's Subway Program required the City to update the scope of the EELRT project. This report recommends City Council approve the updated design to further advance the project, and direct staff to report back on the project costs, schedule and phasing approach prior to the 2022 Budget process.

As part of 2019.EX4.1, City Council also approved the streetcar option as the preferred technology for the Union Station to Queens Quay Link as part of the WTN, and directed staff to undertake the preliminary design and engineering phase of the extension of streetcar service to the East Bayfront. This work is well under way, as a joint effort and partnership between the City, TTC and Waterfront Toronto. This report recommends City Council direct staff to report back on the recommended schedule and funding requirements for the Union Station to Queens Quay Link and the East Bayfront LRT section of the WTN, including phasing options and an updated business case, prior to the 2022 Budget process.

The Executive Committee recommends that:

1. City Council approve the 2021 Tax Supported Interim Operating Budget Estimates totalling $3.573 billion as detailed by City Program and Agency in Appendix 1 to the report (November 26, 2020) from the Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer.

The 2021 Tax Supported Operating and Capital Budgets are scheduled for Council approval in mid- February of 2021. The purpose of this report is to establish the 2021 Tax Supported Interim Operating and Capital Estimates in order to enable Tax Supported City Programs and Agencies to have the necessary spending authority to deliver current services, meet existing contractual commitments and to continue work on previously approved capital projects until the 2021 Operating and Capital Budgets are approved by City Council. 

The 2021 Tax Supported Interim Operating Estimates are $3.573 billion gross and require cash outflow funding of $3.074 billion. The 2021 Tax Supported Interim Capital Estimates total $1.149 billion and require debenture financing of $0.381 billion.

The Executive Committee recommends that:

1.  City Council establish a discretionary reserve fund called the 'OIC External Legal and Investigative Expense Reserve Fund' in Appendix B, Schedule 7, Corporate Discretionary Reserve Funds of the City of Toronto Municipal Code Chapter 227, Reserves and Reserve Funds, the purpose of which is to fund investigations or external legal services required by the Office of the Integrity Commissioner, with criteria as set out in Appendix 1 to the report (November 26, 2020) from the Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer.

2.  City Council amend Chapter 227, Reserves and Reserve Funds, in accordance with Recommendation 1 above and City Council direct the City Solicitor to introduce any necessary Bills to give effect to the City Council's decision.

3.  City Council approve a budget adjustment that reallocates $0.100 million from Legal and Investigative Expenses to Contribution to the newly created OIC External Legal and Investigative Expense Reserve Fund in the 2020 Approved Operating Budget of the Office of the Integrity Commissioner, having no impact on the 2020 Approved Net Operating Budget of the City.

This report seeks Council approval to establish a new discretionary reserve fund called the OIC External Legal and Investigative Expense Reserve Fund and to make an associated amendment to City of Toronto Municipal Code Chapter 227, Reserves and Reserve Funds ("Chapter 227"). The proposed reserve fund is needed to hold funds that will be required by the Office of the Integrity Commissioner (OIC) to fund future investigations and/or the hire of external legal services.

The Executive Committee recommends that:

1.  City Council receive the report (November 25, 2020) from the Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer for information.

The purpose of this report is to provide the following information:

1.  Performance of the Funds for the first six months of 2020

2.  General Market Update and Benchmark Performance

The City's General Group of Funds ("General Fund") that holds the City's working capital and the amounts designated for the City's reserves and reserve funds earned:

• $92.4 million in the first six months of 2020 (3.6% annualized rate of return)

The City's Sinking Fund portfolio that holds funds for future debt repayments earned:

• $17.2 million in the first six months of 2020 (2.3% annualized rate of return) 

Since January 1, 2018, the City's long-term investments have been managed by the Toronto Investment Board under a new Council adopted Investment Policy which is based on the prudent investor standard.

As at June 30, 2020, approximately 80 percent of both the Sinking Fund and the Long Term Fund were managed by external investment managers selected by the Toronto Investment Board.  At the end of 2019, four external fixed income managers controlled approximately 70 percent of the assets while two global equity pooled fund managers oversaw 7 percent of these funds.  A third global equity pooled fund manager started in February 2020 resulting in a total equity exposure of 10 percent at the fund level by June 30, 2020. The balance of these funds remain in cash and short-term securities until additional external fund managers can be funded.  Selection and contract negotiations for an additional global equity pooled fund manager and real asset managers continues in 2020.

All funds managed are compliant with the Council-approved Investment Policy. 

The Executive Committee recommends that:

1. City Council adopt:

a. effective January 1, 2021, a 1.5 percent rate increase to the combined water and wastewater consumption rates (paid on or before the due date) charged to metered consumers as shown below and in Appendix B to the report (October 30, 2020) from the Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer and the General Manager, Toronto Water:

Table 1 - Rate Increase to Combined Water and Wastewater Consumption Rates Charged to Metered Consumers

b. effective January 1, 2021, an increase of 1.5 percent to the water and wastewater consumption rates(paid on or before the due date) charged to flat rate consumers, as set out in Appendix B to the report(October 30, 2020) from the Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer and the General Manager, Toronto Water; and

c. effective January 1, 2021 the water and wastewater service fees, as set out in Appendix C to the report (October 30, 2020) from the Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer and the General Manager, Toronto Water.

2. With respect to assistance for low-income seniors and low-income disabled persons, City Council:

a. effective January 1, 2021, set the water rebate for eligible low-income seniors and low-income disabled persons at a rate of $1.2404 cubic metres, representing a 30 percent reduction from the Block 1 rate (paid on or before the due date).

3. City Council amend Municipal Code Chapter 441 - Fees and Charges, Municipal Code, Chapter 849 -Water and Sewage Services and Utility Bill, Municipal Code Chapter 851 - Water Supply, and Municipal Code Chapter 681- Sewers, and any other necessary Municipal Code Chapters as may be required, to give effect to City Council's decision.

4. City Council authorize the City Solicitor to introduce any necessary Bills required to give effect to City Council's decision and City Council authorize the City Solicitor to make any necessary clarifications, refinements, including stylistic, format and organization, minor modifications, technical amendments or By-law amendments as may be identified by the City Solicitor, the Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer and the General Manager, Toronto Water.

Operating and Capital Budgets

5. City Council approve the 2021 Operating Budget for Toronto Water of $468.824 million gross, $1,415.336 million revenue and $946.512 million net capital from current contribution for the following services:

6. City Council approve the 2021 staff complement for Toronto Water of 1,841.3 positions composed of 116.0 capital position and 1,725.3 operating positions.

7. City Council approve 2021 Capital Budget for Toronto Water with cash flows and future year commitments totalling $7.597 billion as detailed by project in Appendix 6a to the 2021 Staff Recommended Capital and Operating Budget Notes - Toronto Water.

8. City Council approve the 2022-2030 Capital Plan for Toronto Water totalling $7.188 billion in project estimates as detailed by project in Appendix 6b to the 2021 Staff Recommended Capital and Operating Budget Notes - Toronto Water.

9. City Council request that all sub-projects with third party financing be approved conditionally, subject to the receipt of such financing in 2021 and if such funding is not forthcoming, their priority and funding be reassessed by City Council relative to other City-financed priorities and needs.

Service Levels

10. City Council approve the 2021 service levels for Toronto Water as outlined in Appendix 1 to the report (November 6, 2020) from the General Manager, Toronto Water, titled "Recommended 2021 Service Levels - Toronto Water".

This report presents the recommended 2021 water and wastewater consumption rates and service fees arising from the concurrent adoption by City Council of the 2021 Toronto Water Operating and Capital Budgets.

In order to support the recovery from the impact of COVID -19, this report recommends a 1.5 percent water and wastewater consumption rate increase, effective January 1, 2021, and inflationary fee increases for certain existing water and wastewater service fees, reflecting cost recovery for these services.

The recommended 2021 water and wastewater consumption rates and service fees will allow the Toronto Water Program to remain fully self-funded and financially stable, with both operating and capital needs being met without excessive year-over-year fluctuations in pricing over the long term.

The Executive Committee recommends that:

1. City Council adopt, effective January 1, 2021, the Solid Waste Management Services Rates and Fees as set out in Appendix A to the report (November 6, 2020) from the Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer and the General Manager, Solid Waste Management Services.

 
2. City Council amend Municipal Code Chapter 441, Fees and Charges, and any other necessary Municipal Code Chapters as may be required to give effect to City Council's decision.
 

3. City Council authorize the City Solicitor to introduce any necessary Bills required to give effect to City Council's decision and City Council authorize the City Solicitor to make  any necessary refinements, including stylistic, format and organization, as may be identified by the City Solicitor, the Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer, and the General Manager, Solid Waste Management Services.
 

4. City Council direct the General Manager, Solid Waste Management Services to develop and submit the 2022 and 2023 Budgets as outlined in Appendix B to the report (November 6, 2020) from the Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer and the General Manager, Solid Waste Management Services, representing a 3 percent increase in 2022 and a 3 percent increase in 2023 to be applicable to all Solid Waste Management Services Rates and Fees in order to support the Divisions long term Capital Plan.
 

5. City Council direct the General Manager, Solid Waste Management Services to review, as part of the work of the Province's transition to extended producer responsibility programs and the amended Food and Organic Waste Policy Statement, the currently accepted items in the City's existing diversion programs with a primary focus on materials in the Green Bin stream and to report back to City Council with recommendations on items to remain or exclude from the list of accepted items using a triple bottom line approach which considers financial, environmental and social considerations.

 
6. City Council direct the General Manager, Solid Waste Management Services to review the current installment of waste collection bins in Parks and open spaces, and as a pilot project determine how the quality of recyclable materials generated in Blue Bin recycling can be improved and the quantities of litter disposed of in landfill can be reduced through the expansion of Green Bin organics and the adjustment of waste bin types, quantities and placement within in Parks.

 
7. City Council request financial support from the Province of Ontario to fully-recover transition costs the City may incur as a result of the Province's anticipated adoption and implementation of measures under the Resource Recovery and Circular Economy Act, 2016, that will implement a new Extended Producer Responsibility model for Ontario, including but not limited to increased service contract costs, specialized professional services support, additional communications, promotion and education support.

 
8. City Council authorize the General Manager, Solid Waste Management Services to establish and manage a First Nations Engagement Grant Fund for the Green Lane Landfill Renewable Energy Study Project funded through the capital program for qualifying local First Nations to retain, on a verified basis, technical services such as energy, environmental and/or similar consultants to assist with the engagement process. 

9. City Council authorize the General Manager, Solid Waste Management Services and/or designate, to negotiate and enter into an amending agreement with the City's current mattress recycling contractor for a term up to December 31, 2026, with specific requirements that allow for increased mattress recycling volumes and maintain or exceed existing capture rates for recoverable materials, and on any other terms satisfactory to the General Manager, Solid Waste Management Services, and each in a form satisfactory to the City Solicitor, in support of efforts to increase diversion of these materials from landfill.

 
10. City Council direct that all the rates, fees and charges set out in Appendix A to the report (November 6, 2020) from the Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer and the General Manager, Solid Waste Management Services, adopted by City Council in Recommendations 1 and 2 above, continue in full force and effect until such time as they are amended or repealed by City Council.

Operating and Capital Budgets

11. City Council approve the 2021 Operating Budget for Solid Waste Management Services of $361.973 million gross, $379.110 million revenue and $17.137 million net for the following services:

12. City Council approve the 2021 staff complement for Solid Waste Management Services of 1,125.3 positions composed of 47.6 capital position and 1,077.7 operating positions.

13. City Council approve the 2021 technical adjustments to user fees, market rate user fee changes, and other fee changes above the inflationary adjusted rate Solid Waste Management Services identified in Appendix 9 to the 2021 Staff Recommended Capital and Operating Budget Notes - Solid Waste Management Services, for inclusion in the Municipal Code Chapter 441 “Fees and Charges”.

14. City Council approve the 2021 Capital Budget for Solid Waste Management Services with cash flows and future year commitments totaling $549.159 million as detailed by project in Appendix 6a to the 2021 Staff Recommended Capital and Operating Budget Notes - Solid Waste Management Services.

15. City Council approve the 2022-2030 Capital Plan for Solid Waste Management Services totalling $188.295 million in project estimates as detailed by project in Appendix 6b to the 2021 Staff Recommended Capital and Operating Budget Notes - Solid Waste Management Services.

Service Levels

16. City Council approve the 2021 service levels for Solid Waste Management Services as outlined in Appendix 1 to the report (November 6, 2020) from the General Manager, Solid Waste Management Services.

This report outlines the recommended 2021 Solid Waste Management Services Rates and Fees arising from the adoption of the 2021 Solid Waste Management Services Operating and Capital Budgets. The recommended rate and fee increases will vary based on customer group and are highlighted in Table 1. 

Table 1 highlights the recommended key Solid Waste Management Services Rates and Fees effective January 1, 2021.

Table 1 - 2021 Recommended Rates and Fees Increases (Effective January 1, 2021)

The recommended blended 1.5 percent increase in Solid Waste Management Services Rates will continue to provide and maintain Council Approved service levels unchanged from the prior year and fund the 2021 Capital Budget and 10-Year Capital Plan. This is in line with the City's Economic Support and Recovery plan to assist residence and business in the City of Toronto recover from the impact of Covid-19. 

The 1.5 percent utility rate increase for 2021 is recommended to maintain the contribution to Waste Management Reserve fund to finance future capital investments, and to address affordability concerns resulting from the pandemic , which results in a loss of approximately $3.334 million (gross) in previously anticipated revenues when compared to the planned 2.7 percent blended rate increase for 2021.

The 2021 Operating Budget is $361.973 million, representing an increase of $1.236 million or 0.3 percent over the 2020 Operating Budget as well as a $17.137 million contribution to the Waste Management Reserve Fund, all of which are offset by total revenues of $379.110 million. The marginal increase in operating expenditures is attributable to contractual inflation increases and an increase in debt principal and interest payments to fund the 10-year Capital Budget and Plan as well as other balancing action taken by staff.  

The 2021 Capital Budget is $69.079 million including carry-forwards, which is comprised of $51.374 million in new 2021 funding and $17.705 million in funding carried forward from 2020 into 2021. The 2021 Capital Budget and Plan remains generally unchanged from last year focusing on the following key capital objectives and priorities for Solid Waste Management Services:

- To safely and efficiently collect materials from 875,000 homes, business and public spaces by implementing Council's direction on health and safety by installing telematics solutions on vehicles in support of Vision Zero 2.0;

 
- To manage 900,000 plus tonnes of material in an environmentally and fiscally sustainable manner by accelerating the development of the 3rd Anaerobic Digester;

 
- To continue investigating long-term disposal options including landfill capacity development and energy from waste as well as site contract renegotiations and strategically using alternate landfill sites; and

 
- To continue to develop and invest in renewable energy such as Renewable Natural Gas facilities.

The City Manager and the Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer have submitted recommendations for the 2020 Recommended Operating Budget and 2021-2030 Recommended Capital Budget and Plan for Toronto Parking Authority.

The Executive Committee recommends that:

1. City Council authorize the reallocation of cash flows in the Parks, Forestry and Recreation's 2020 Council Approved Capital Budget and 2021-2029 Capital Plan, for the deferral and acceleration of cash flow in the amount of $4.571 million, as included in Appendix 1 to the report (October 29, 2020) from the General Manager, Parks, Forestry and Recreation.

2. City Council authorize amendments to increase project costs and cash flows within the Parks, Forestry and Recreation's 2020 Council Approved Capital Budget and future year commitments in the amount of $1.619 million, as included in Appendix 2 to the report (October 29, 2020) from the General Manager, Parks, Forestry and Recreation, with no debt impact.

3. City Council authorize amendments to create five (5) new sub-projects with a total project cost of $1.633 million and cash flow commitments of $0.113 million in 2020, $0.820 million in 2021 and $0.700 million in 2022, within the Parks, Forestry and Recreation's 2020 Council Approved Capital Budget and 2021-2029 Capital Plan, as included in Appendix 3 to report (October 29, 2020) from the General Manager, Parks, Forestry and Recreation, with no debt impact.

4. City Council approve an increase in project cost to Parks, Forestry and Recreation's 2020 Council Approved Capital Budget and 2021-2029 Capital Plan for the North East Scarborough New Community Centre sub-project, as part of the Community Centre project, in the amount of $20.200 million, from $37.000 million to $57.200 million, with future year cash flow commitments of $13.400 million in 2023 and $6.800 million in 2024, with $18.800 million funded by Development Charges (XR2114), $0.700 million from the City-Wide Parkland Development Cash-in-lieu Reserve Fund (XR2211), and $0.700 million from the East District Parkland Development Cash-in-lieu Reserve Fund (XR2205), to meet the increased scope and implementation of Net Zero for City buildings.

This report requests authority from City Council to amend the Parks, Forestry and Recreation's 2020 Council Approved Capital Budget and 2021-2029 Capital Plan by adjusting project costs and future year cash flow commitments contained within the 10-Year Capital Plan.  These adjustments will align cash flows with capital project delivery schedules, multi-year contracts, and program requirements.  Amendments to cash flows and project costs are also requested to reflect the expanded scope of work resulting from the design process; to achieve net zero for a new building as directed through Council; to initiate design work; for projects that are experiencing unforeseen site conditions; or alternatively to advance projects into 2020 that are ready to proceed.

The recommended in-year adjustments, as presented in this report, will have no incremental debt impact on the Parks, Forestry and Recreation's 2020-2029 Council Approved Capital Budget and Plan.

The Executive Committee recommends that:

1. City Council approve in-year budget adjustments to the 2019-2028 Approved Capital Budget and Plan as detailed in Appendix 5 to the report (November 10, 2020) from the Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer that result in no incremental impact on debt financing.

The Executive Committee recommends that:

1. City Council approve a one-time amendment to the City's Annual Surplus Allocation Policy of contributing 75 percent of operating surplus to the Capital Financing Reserve to enable alternative surplus allocation requirements.

 
2. City Council approve the surplus allocation as detailed in Table 3 of the report (November 10, 2020) from the Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer, including a $213.751 million allocation to the Tax Rate Stabilization Reserve to be used to offset COVID financial impacts in the event adequate Federal/Provincial funding support is not forthcoming.

 
3. City Council approve the withdrawal from the Sony Centre Stabilization Reserve Fund (XQ2031) of $0.167 million and Toronto Centre for the Arts Stabilization Reserve Fund (XQ1060) of $0.167 million to partially mitigate the 2019 year-end deficit of TO Live.

The Executive Committee recommends that:

1. City Council approve in-year budget adjustments to the 2020-2029 Approved Capital Budget and Plan as detailed in Appendix 4 to the report (November 10, 2020) from the Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer that result in no incremental impact on debt financing.

The Executive Committee recommends that:

1. City Council approve the budget adjustments and any associated complement changes detailed in Appendix D to the report (November 10, 2020) from the Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer, to amend the 2020 Approved Operating Budget, such adjustments to have no impact on the 2020 Approved Net Operating Budget of the City.

2.  City Council direct that lease termination payments of $3.390 million received in 2020 by Court Services from the landlord at 70 Centre Avenue, representing payments made from the Provincial Offences Courts Stabilization Reserve (XQ0704) towards improvements to the facility in prior years, be returned back to the reserve with the necessary accounting adjustments made to reflect this change.

3.  City Council increase the Approved 2020 Operating Budget for Children's Services on a one-time in-year adjustment of $355,797 gross and $0 net, fully funded by Section 37 community benefits from Shiplake Properties Ltd. for transfer to the Canadian Mothercraft Society for the purpose to offset start-up costs for the child care facility to operate out of the premises located at 45 Dunfield Avenue.

The purpose of this report is to provide City Council with the Operating Variance for the nine months ended September 30, 2020 as well as projections to year-end. This report also requests City Council's approval for amendments to the 2020 Approved Operating Budget that have no impact on the City's 2020 Approved Net Operating Budget.

Since mid-March, the City of Toronto, consistent with other major Canadian and Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area municipalities has been experiencing significant financial impacts, both in the form of added costs and revenue losses as a direct result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

COVID-19 related financial impacts are anticipated to total $1.716 billion by year-end for the City of Toronto, prior to offsets achieved through a series of implemented mitigation strategies that focus on spending and workforce restraints ($533.8 million); and phase 1 Safe Restart Agreement funding confirmed in August ($669 million), reducing the year-end shortfall to a projected $514.1 million.

- COVID-19 related financial impacts predominantly reflect revenue losses, which account for approximately 80% of total COVID-19 impacts;

- Mitigation strategies are expected to collectively generate $533.8 million in total offset by year-end, comprised of $499.7 million in savings from workforce restraints, spending constraints and cost avoidance; $34.1 million in added offsets available from budget variance; and included the elimination of inflationary general salary increases for Non-Union staff, Mayor and Council; and

- On August 12, 2020 Safe Restart Agreement funding allocations for the City of Toronto as part of the phase 1 funding were identified totalling $669 million as follows:

- Municipal Transit Funding Phase 1 - $404.1 million allocated to Toronto proportionately based on ridership;

- Social Services Relief Fund Phase 2 - $118.7 million allocated to Toronto in addition to the $39 million previously received as part of Phase 1 funding; and

- Municipal Operating Funding Phase 1 - $145.7 million allocated to Toronto proportionately based on households.

The table below details the anticipated 2020 City-wide COVID-19 related financial impacts; projected offset from mitigations strategies and phase 1 Safe Restart Funding; and the resulting financial position that is reflected in the year-end variance projections:

Table 1 - 2020 Projected COVID-19 Financial Impacts

*Year-to-date savings of $13.0M (Toronto Parking Authority) and $1.3M (Toronto Community Housing Corporation) are reflected in impacts and factored in Year-End projections

Tax Supported Programs:

The following table summarizes the anticipated year-end COVID-19 financial Impacts; projected offset from mitigations strategies and phase 1 initial Safe Restart funding; and the resulting financial position of the City's Tax Supported Operations as of September 30, 2020 and the projection at year-end:

Toronto Parking Authority and Toronto Community Housing variance information is not reflected in table below, which details Tax Supported Programs only.

Table 2 - Tax Supported Operating Variance Summary

Year-to-Date and Year-End Spending Results:

As noted in Table 2 above, for the nine months ended September 30, 2020 Tax Supported Operations experienced an unfavourable net variance of $440.3 million or 5.8 percent of planned expenditures. This is mainly driven by COVID-19 related cost and revenue impacts experienced beginning from mid-March onwards. The impact on the year-to-date results are reflected in the following areas:

- Toronto Transit Commission - Conventional Service ($272.9 million unfavourable) primarily due to significant loss of ridership revenue from the impact of COVID-19. Ridership losses peaked at 86 percent below budget in late April and are currently projected to be 55 percent below budget through the fall. This was partially offset by the implementation of cost containment strategies and matching service capacity to demand.

- Shelter Support and Housing Administration ($22.7 million unfavourable) primarily due to unplanned COVID-19 related expenditures related to new physical distancing measures implemented in the City's shelter system offset by Safe Restart funding; as well as underachieved revenues in Hostels and the Social Housing Service.

- Transportation Services ($14.7 million unfavourable) due to lower capital recoveries, right-of-way permit & inspection fees; utility cut revenue linked to COVID-19 related contract delays.

For year-end, the City is projecting $1.636 billion in COVID-19 related financial impacts, reduced by $533.8 million in savings and offsets ($499.7 million in mitigation strategies/cost avoidance and $34.1 million in offsets from budget variance) and $668.5 million in phase 1 Safe Restart funding for a net unfavourable variance of $433.8 million or 3.7 percent of the 2020 Gross Operating Budget, adjusted for Toronto Building and excluding impacts to Rate supported programs and Toronto Community Housing Corporation impacts.

- The unfavourable variance is primarily driven by COVID-19 financial impacts, resulting in increased emergency social support costs such as Shelter, Seniors Services and Long Term Care, as well as lost revenue in City Services such as TTC, Zoo, Exhibition Place, and Corporate revenues such as Municipal Land Transfer Tax and Municipal Accommodation Tax.

As noted, the projected year-end pressure resulting from COVID-19 related financial impacts has been lessened through a series of mitigation strategies and other offsets, these include:

$499.7 million in projected savings generated through mitigation strategies and cost avoidance as detailed below:

- Workforce restraints including redeployment of staff to critical and essential service areas; implementing emergency and seasonal / part-time staff layoffs; the implementation of a hiring slowdown; and savings generated from labour negotiations.

- Spending restraints such as reducing discretionary spending; and reviewing all services for criticality (prioritize critical, essential and priority services).

- Cost avoidance arising from expenditure management and tracking and forecasting COVID-19 related savings.

An additional $34.1 million in offsets are available from budget variance experienced within MLTT revenues from January 1 to March 31 that will be used to reduce COVID-19 related MLTT financial impacts.

Based on these initiatives, the City has achieved $415.5 million in offsets within its Tax-Supported programs as of October 25, 2020 and expects to generate a total of $533.8 million in offset by year-end.

Rate Supported Programs:

Rate Supported Programs reported a favourable year-to-date variance of $0.8 million. The favourable variance is attributed to lower than budgeted expenditures from Toronto Water and Solid Waste Management Services which is mostly offset from lower than planned revenue in Toronto Parking Authority. At year-end, an unfavourable projected variance is anticipated to be $42.1 million, again primarily driven by significantly lower revenues from Toronto Parking Authority which is reflected in the City-wide COVID-19 financial impacts that are projected to total $514.1 million in 2020, when adjusting for savings and initial Safe Restart funding.

Rate Supported Programs are funded entirely by the user fees that are used to pay for the services provided and the infrastructure to deliver them. Solid Waste Management Services and Toronto Water's respective year-end surpluses, if any, must be transferred to the Wastewater and Water Stabilization Reserves and Waste Management Reserve Fund, respectively, to finance capital investments and ongoing capital repairs and maintenance.

Table 2 - Rate Supported Operating Variance Summary

Additional COVID-19 Related Impacts:

In addition to COVID-19 impacts to the City's Tax and Rate supported programs that are reflected in City variance report, further impacts have been experienced with the Toronto Community Housing Corporation (TCHC).

City and TCHC finance staff have been working collaboratively to track and project COVID-19 financial impacts.  The TCHC is estimating that impacts will total $13.5 million by year-end.

In total, it is projected that the City will experience $1.716 billion in COVID-19 financial impacts ($1.636 billion – Tax Supported Programs; $66.8 million – Toronto Parking Authority; and $13.5 million – Toronto Community Housing Corporation) prior to savings and offsets that collectively total $533.8 million; and phase 1 Safe Restart Funding of $668.5, reducing the year-end shortfall to a projected $514.1 million.

Safe Restart Agreement:

On July 27, 2020 the Ontario government in partnership with the federal government announced $4 billion in financial support for Ontario's 444 municipalities as part of the Safe Restart Agreement and on August 12, 2020 the City of Toronto was provided with initial phase funding allocations under the agreement totalling $668.5 million as follows:

- Municipal Transit Funding Phase 1 - $404.1 million allocated to Toronto proportionately based on ridership.

- Social Services Relief Fund Phase 2 - $118.7 million allocated to Toronto in addition to the $39 million previously received as part of Phase 1 funding.

- Municipal Operating Funding Phase 1 - $145.7 million allocated to Toronto proportionately based on households.
 

$668.5 million in new funding will be applied to projected 2020 year-end funding shortfall.

- It is estimated that the remaining 2020 funding shortfall for the City following phase 1 Safe Restart funding will be $514.1 million.

- Future phase funding of up to $2.129 billion will be allocated to municipalities by the Province on a needs basis between municipal transit needs ($1.334 billion), municipal operating needs ($695.0 million) and Public Health ($100.0 million).

- Needs based applications have/will be submitted under the Safe Restart Program to obtain further funding to offset remaining COVID-19 financial impacts within Transit Operations, Public Health and Municipal Operations

The Executive Committee recommends that:

1.  City Council authorize an in-year budget adjustment to the 2020 Capital Budget and 2021 Capital Plan for Toronto Fire Services by accelerating the cash flows for the Station B - Downsview project (CFR091-01) by $1.590 million from 2021, with no impact on the total project cost of $11.685 million, with adjusted cash flows of $5.087 million in 2020 and $2.296 million in 2021, funded through the Development Charge Reserve Fund (XR2118) for the construction of the new fire station.

2.  City Council authorize an in-year budget adjustment to the 2020 Capital Budget and 2021-2022 Capital Plan for Toronto Fire Services by accelerating the cash flows for the Personal Protection Equipment Replacement project (CFR133-01) by $0.820 million from 2021 and 2022, with no impact on the total project cost of $4.500 million, with adjusted cash flows of $2.026 million in 2020 and $2.380 million in 2021, funded through the Fire Equipment Reserve (XQ1020) for the lifecycle replacement of critical Structural Firefighting Bunker Suits approaching the 10-year expiry date.

This report requests City Council's authority to amend the Approved 2020 Capital Budget and 2021-2022 Capital Plan for Toronto Fire Services by accelerating total cash flows of $2.410 million from 2021 and 2022 for two (2) capital projects, funded from the Development Charge Reserve Fund (XR2118) and Fire Equipment Reserve (XQ1020), with no impact on the cost of either project.

These amendments are required to: 1) complete the construction of the Station B - Downsview capital project which advanced quicker than planned due to good weather, favourable site conditions, and the permission to continue working on an essential service facility through the pandemic; and 2) proceed with the lifecycle replacement of Personal Protection Equipment, i.e., Firefighter Bunker Suits approaching the 10-year expiry date, ahead of schedule to avoid potential delays arising from the second wave of COVID-19.

The Executive Committee recommends that:

1. City Council direct the Executive Director, Social Development, Finance and Administration, in collaboration with the Chief People Officer, to provide a report to the Toronto Accessibility Advisory Committee identifying how the City's Equity Responsive Budgeting initiative will align with the City's Data for Equity Strategy and support the use of sociodemographic data in the development of the Operating Budget in the fourth quarter of 2021.

Sarah Blackstock, Manager, Social Policy, Social Development, Finance and Administration Division provided a presentation on the City's Equity Responsive Budgeting initiative to the Toronto Accessibility Advisory Committee.

The Executive Committee recommends that:

1.  City Council amend the Simplified Procedures for Advisory Bodies to permit remote electronic participation in perpetuity.

2.  City Council request the Chief Technology Officer, in consultation with the City Clerk, to explore options for improving accessibility for all participants in remote meetings of Council and Committees, such as captioning, and to report back to the Toronto Accessibility Advisory Committee by the second quarter of 2021.

The purpose of this report is to provide an overview of the remote electronic participation amendments to the Simplified Procedures for Advisory Bodies which govern the meetings of Council Advisory Bodies, including the Toronto Accessibility Advisory Committee, as requested by the Committee.

At present, the amended Simplified Procedures permit any member of an Advisory Body to participate in meetings by electronic means, and be counted for quorum.

As it stands, these amendments will remain in place for a period of one year following the termination of the municipal emergency related to COVID-19.

The Executive Committee recommends that:

1. City Council request the Medical Officer of Health to report to the Toronto Accessibility Advisory Committee in the second quarter of 2021 or sooner on strategies and outcomes on how current health programs are reaching target demographics, including persons living with disabilities, in order to ensure their needs are being met.

2. City Council request the Medical Officer of Health to develop public health guidelines and recommendations to minimize the transmission of COVID-19 to people with disabilities living independently outside of congregate settings, and report back to the Toronto Accessibility Advisory Committee in the second quarter of 2021 or sooner, such recommendations to include:

a. expanding access to affordable, or free, personal protective equipment;

b. increasing access and delivery of the influenza vaccine via mobile medical units;

c. working with the Toronto Transit Commission and Wheel-Trans on flexible programs, and times, to accommodate medical appointments; and

d. a communication plan that takes into consideration the needs of all members of the disability community, including deaf people and people with developmental disabilities.

3. City Council request the Province of Ontario to work in partnership with Toronto Public Health to authorize paramedics or other emergency medical service providers to deliver COVID-19 testing.

4. City Council request the Province of Ontario to accelerate and expand the availability of mobile medical programs to include access to COVID-19 testing and the delivery of the influenza vaccine to populations disproportionately affected by COVID-19 including women, racialized and low-income populations, and people living with disabilities.

Dr. Eileen de Villa, Medical Officer of Health gave a presentation on Toronto Public Health's Response and Efforts Related to COVID-19 to the Toronto Accessibility Advisory Committee.

The Executive Committee recommends that:

1.  City Council request the Toronto Transit Commission Board to request Chief Executive Officer, Toronto Transit Commission to deploy and schedule larger fleet vehicles when providing Wheel-Trans ride share to facilitate physical distancing and other public health guidelines where needed and to incorporate verbal and visual announcements requesting passengers practice physical distancing while riding the TTC and to report back to the Toronto Accessibility Advisory Committee in the first quarter of 2021.

2.  City Council request the Toronto Transit Commission Board to request Chief Executive Officer, Toronto Transit Commission, to consult with accessibility stakeholders on options for remote participation in the Wheel Trans appeals process as well as establish public guidelines, in compliance with current Toronto Public Health recommendations, to promote in-person and remote appeals and to ensure accommodations are available as requested, and to report back to the Toronto Accessibility Advisory Committee in the third quarter of 2021.

Dwayne Geddes, Head of Wheel-Trans, TTC, provided an update on the public consultations held for customers to receive feedback from parents travelling with infants and strollers and the potential use of skype for appeals. The presentation included an overview of TTC’s service modifications as a response to COVID-19.

The Audit Committee recommends that:

1.  City Council approve the 2019 Audited Consolidated Financial Statements for the City of Toronto in Appendix A to the report (November 3, 2020) from the Controller and the Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer.

The Director, Accounting Services, and the Manager, Analysis and Financial Reporting, Accounting Services, gave a presentation on Year-End 2019: Shared Vision. Shared Commitment.

This report presents the City of Toronto's (City) Audited Consolidated Financial Statements (Statements) for the year ended December 31, 2019, for approval, to the Audit Committee and Council and provides highlights of the City's financial performance during 2019 and financial condition as of December 31, 2019. The Statements include all entities with City Council's control; a full list is included in the Notes to the Statements.

The Statements are attached as Appendix A. In addition, Appendix B - 2019 Financial Statement Review, provides information about each statement and explains the City's revenue and expenditure activities and financial position for the audited fiscal year.

The City's Statements have been prepared by management who is responsible for ensuring that proper internal controls have been applied to the presentations in each statement. The City's 2019 auditors, PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP (PwC), are responsible for providing an opinion on the fair presentation of the City's Statements in accordance with Public Sector Accounting Standards (PSAS). The Audit Committee is responsible for approving the Statements prior to City Council approval.

The City of Toronto 2019 Year-End Report to the Audit Committee (Year-End Report), Appendix C, includes a draft of the external auditor's opinion on the Statements. The report contains two internal control recommendations, unadjusted items that total $220 million which have been included on the Summary of Unadjusted items and the draft Independent Auditor's Report, which includes PwC's unqualified opinion as to the fair presentation of the Statements. The PwC final audit opinion will be received and dated the day following City Council approval.

Financial statements and auditor's reports are typically reported to the Audit Committee and Council in June, when external audit work is substantially complete. During the external auditor's normal engagement period, management's focus was on the COVID-19 response and meeting operational requirements. Additionally, public health restrictions put in place because of the pandemic required that the audit process be conducted in an extended fashion over a longer period of time. As a result, the completion of the 2019 Statements and external audit was delayed.

The Audit Committee recommends that:

1.  City Council approve the 2018 Audited Financial Statements and Management Letters for 33 Business Improvement Areas and the 2019 Audited Financial Statements and Management Letters for 63 Business Improvement Areas in Appendices A to CD to the report (November 13, 2020) from the Controller and the General Manager, Economic Development and Culture.

The purpose of this report is to present the City of Toronto's (City) Business Improvement Areas' (BIAs) audited financial statements and management letters for approval.

This report contains the 2019 audited financial statements and management letters for 63 entities and the 2018 audited financial statements and management letters for 33 entities. All 2018 audited financial statements have now been presented for approval, with the exception of Historic Queen BIA, which does not have any revenues or expenses to report. 

All of the in-scope BIAs have received an unqualified audit opinion for their financial statements. Several BIAs received audit recommendations for minor internal control and process improvements that have been accepted by the respective BIA Boards of Management – these audit recommendations can be found in the attached management letters.

The City will provide a separate report to the Audit Committee in 2021 to disclose the results of any fiscal 2019 external audits that remain outstanding at this time.

The Audit Committee recommends that:

1.  City Council approve the 2019 Audited Consolidated Financial Statements for the City of Toronto Trust Funds in Appendix A to the report (November 2, 2020) from the Controller.

The City of Toronto (City) and its agencies and corporations are the beneficiaries of assets from third parties intended to be used for specific purposes. These assets, mainly held in cash and investments, are administered by the City and two of its related parties, the Toronto Police Services Board and the St. Lawrence Centre for the Arts (TO Live). Although these trust funds are assets to the City and its consolidated entities, they represent liabilities to third parties and therefore, are not included in the City's consolidated financial statements.

This report presents the City's Audited Consolidated Trust Funds Financial Statements (Statements) for the year ended December 31, 2019 and provides highlights of the Trust Funds' 2019 financial performance and financial condition as at December 31, 2019.

The Trust Funds Financial Statements have been prepared by management who is responsible for ensuring that proper internal controls have been applied to the presentations in each statement. The City's 2019 auditors, PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP (PwC), are responsible for providing an opinion on the fair presentation of the financial statements in accordance with Public Sector Accounting Standards (PSAS). The Audit Committee is responsible for approving the statements prior to City Council approval.

In 2019, the Audited Consolidated Trust Funds Financial Statements received an unqualified audit opinion. In addition, no internal control recommendations were made by PwC.

Financial statements and auditor's reports are typically reported to the Audit Committee and Council in June, when external audit work is substantially complete. During the external auditor's normal engagement period, management's focus was on the COVID-19 response and meeting operational requirements. Additionally, public health restrictions put in place because of the pandemic required that the audit process be conducted in an extended fashion over a longer period of time. As a result, the completion of the 2019 Statements and external audit was delayed.

The Audit Committee recommends that:

1.  City Council approve the 2019 Audited Financial Statements for the City of Toronto Sinking Funds in Appendix A to the report (November 2, 2020) from the Controller.

The City of Toronto (City) maintains portfolios of sinking funds in order to build up funds used to repay City debt when it matures. Sinking fund contributions are invested; the investment earnings help reduce the amount of City own-source cash used to repay amounts borrowed. Sinking funds form part of the City's consolidated cash balances.

This report presents the City's Sinking Funds Audited Financial Statements for the year ended December 31, 2019 and provides highlights of the Sinking Funds' 2019 financial performance as of December 31, 2019.

The Sinking Funds Audited Financial Statements have been prepared by management who is responsible for ensuring that proper internal controls have been applied to the presentations in each statement. The City's 2019 auditors, PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP (PwC), are responsible for providing an opinion on the fair presentation of the financial statements in accordance with Public Sector Accounting Standards (PSAS). The Audit Committee is responsible for approving the statements prior to City Council approval. The 2019 Sinking Funds Financial Statements received an unqualified audit opinion from PwC. In addition, there are no internal control recommendations related to the 2019 Sinking Funds Audited Financial Statements.

Financial statements and auditor's reports are typically reported to the Audit Committee and Council in June, when external audit work is substantially complete. During the external auditor's normal engagement period, management's focus was on the COVID-19 response and meeting operational requirements. Additionally, public health restrictions put in place because of the pandemic required that the audit process be conducted in an extended fashion over a longer period of time. As a result, the completion of the 2019 financial statements and external audit was delayed.

The Audit Committee recommends that:

1.  City Council receive the Auditor General's 2021 Work Plan as outlined in the report (November 5, 2020) from the Auditor General.

The Audit Committee considered Items AU7.5 and AU7.6 together.

The Auditor General gave a presentation on Auditor General's 2021 Work Plan and 2021 Operating Budget.

The Auditor General's audits and investigations provide independent information for City Council to hold City administrators accountable for providing stewardship over public funds. The Auditor General's work helps to identify and mitigate risks the City faces, improve accountability, strengthen management controls, and enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of City operations.

The purpose of this report is to provide City Council with an overview of the work the Auditor General plans to conduct in 2021. Audit projects included in the Annual Work Plan are identified through a risk assessment process conducted periodically, a review of emerging issues, and an analysis of trends in allegations made to the Fraud and Waste Hotline. The Auditor General also considers the views and experience of City Councillors and City management. The Auditor General may amend the Annual Work Plan if new priorities arise.

Flexibility within the Auditor General's Work Plan is needed to address high-risk complaints to the Fraud and Waste Hotline, emerging risk areas, and unanticipated requirements for immediate audits or investigations. For example, in July 2020 City Council requested the Auditor General to report further on staff's report on "Ensuring Value for Money for Tree Maintenance Services - Update and Legal Advice". The work associated with this report was not anticipated in our 2020 Annual Plan and resulted in re-prioritization of projects and re-allocation of staff resources.

The Auditor General's 2020 Work Plan was impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Some of the audit projects that were in progress were delayed or put on hold to enable divisions, agencies and corporations to focus on the delivery of essential services. The deferred audit projects from the 2020 audit Work Plan are listed in Attachment 4. During this time, the Auditor General commenced work on the City-wide risk and opportunities assessment.

The City-wide risk and opportunities assessment is a major undertaking and was part of the Auditor General's 2020 Annual Work Plan. The assessment is performed every five years. The Office conducts a survey of over 50 City divisions and its major agencies and corporations. The purpose of the Auditor General's City-wide risk and opportunities assessment is to inform the development of her risk-based Audit Work Plan. It ensures that all significant areas of the City are evaluated from an audit risk perspective by using uniform criteria to identify areas that may warrant audit attention. Determining which areas to audit and the appropriate allocation of audit resources is essential in maximizing the value of an effective audit process. The risk factors criteria are included in Attachment 2.

The Work Plan includes projects that have been identified through the risk and opportunities assessment. Some of these projects are expected to be initiated in 2021 (refer to Table 1), while others are expected to commence shortly thereafter in 2022 (refer to Table 2). The list of projects to be completed over the longer term is included in Attachment 3. Our work on the City-wide risk and opportunities assessment is expected to continue into Q1 of 2021 and any additional potential audit projects will be incorporated into future Work Plans.

At the invitation of their respective Boards, the Auditor General has completed a risk and opportunities assessment for the Toronto Public Library and Toronto Police Service to inform the Auditor General's proposed risk-based audit plans for these entities. At their October 2020 Board meetings, the audit plan was adopted by the Toronto Public Library Board, and an emerging audit area was adopted by the Toronto Police Services Board. The proposed risk-based audit plan for the Toronto Police Service will be presented to its Board at their November 24, 2020 meeting. Potential audit projects requested by these two Boards have been included in this Work Plan, and the Work Plan will be updated following the consideration and adoption of the audit plan by the Toronto Police Services Board.

In light of the fiscal constraints faced by the City, the Auditor General has not included a budget enhancement request in her 2021 Operating Budget to address the requests for audits by these two Boards. Instead, the Auditor General's ability to include these projects in her Work Plan, while keeping budget and staffing levels in line with her 2020 base budget, means that the Office will conduct fewer audits of City divisions, agencies, and corporations within her mandate.

The Audit Committee recommends that:

1.  City Council receive the report (October 6, 2020) from the Auditor General for information.

The Audit Committee recessed its public session to meet in closed session to consider this item, as it relates to the security of the property of the City or local board.

City Council, at its meeting on October 27, 28 and 30, 2020, referred Item AU6.7 back to the Audit Committee for further consideration.

Summary from the report (October 6, 2020) from the Auditor General on Review of 260 Eighth Street Land Transaction: No Wrongdoing Identified [Item AU6.7]:

This report provides the Auditor General's findings from reviewing the 2018 sale of a property at 260 Eighth Street in Etobicoke, Ontario (the Property). This review was initiated based on concerns brought forward by a complainant in relation to the sale of the Property. They included that the sale amount of the Property was less than market value, the approval process for the sale of the Property was not conducted in accordance with City guidelines, and the best value for the Property was not attained.

We conducted an investigative review to evaluate whether there was evidence to support concerns of wrongdoing. This does not constitute an audit conducted in accordance with Generally Accepted Government Auditing Standards (GAGAS). However, we believe we have performed sufficient work in satisfaction that there was no wrongdoing in this transaction.

The Auditor General's review including hiring a designated professional real estate appraiser to conduct an independent appraisal of the Property. Based on this review, it was concluded that there was insufficient evidence to support a claim that the Property was sold at less than market value.

We also reviewed the process surrounding the special meeting related to this transaction. Proper procedures appear to have been followed in the process, including the notice for and conduct of the special meeting of the Boards of Build Toronto and Toronto Port Lands Company which occurred on April 15, 2019.

Given that the sale price of the Property was at fair market value and the appropriate processes were followed in the notice for and conduct of the special meeting, we decided not to investigate the matter of obtaining the best value for the property by maximizing the number of jobs. It is important to note that during our review, no evidence came to our attention to sufficiently support or refute the job creation numbers by any of the proponents or that would suggest that the Property's successful purchasers are likely to create fewer jobs than other developers.

Finally, there was a question regarding whether late, unsolicited offers received should have been accepted. In our view, it was appropriate for CreateTO to proceed with the agreement it already had in place, considering that fair market value was being received from the successful proponent, as well as the complexity of the transaction and environmental issues on the Property. In addition, it is important for the public to be able to rely on the City's open bidding process.

The Board of Health recommends that:

1.  City Council approve TO Supports: COVID-19 Equity Action Plan and the 25 equity actions and targeted and enhanced equity measures that the City of Toronto, Toronto Public Health, and partners are taking to support Torontonians disproportionately impacted by COVID-19, as outlined in Attachment 1 to the report (November 30, 2020) from the Deputy City Manager, Community and Social Services.

2.  City Council approve the inclusion of equity indicators in the Toronto Public Health COVID-19 Monitoring Dashboard in order to facilitate public reporting on the disproportionate impact of COVID-19 infection on certain population groups based on the social determinants of health such as income, racialization, and neighbourhood and to drive equity-focused policy and program actions.

3.  City Council recognize that a comprehensive approach to reducing the disproportionate impact of COVID-19 on Indigenous, Black, and racialized Torontonians, including newcomers, must be central to the COVID-19 emergency response, to COVID-19 immunization planning, and to Toronto's recovery and rebuild efforts.

4.  City Council request the Province of Ontario and the Government of Canada to establish dedicated not-for-profit sector stabilization and bridging funds to ensure the immediate and long-term resilience of the not-for-profit sector which is critical for inclusive economic and community recovery, including a $680 million Provincial fund, as advocated for by the Ontario Nonprofit Network, and a new $500-$700 million Federal Community Services COVID-19 Relief Fund, as advocated for by national human and community service federations.

5.  City Council urge the Province of Ontario to immediately extend, for at least the next six months, eligibility for the Ontario Works Emergency Assistance benefit to include all working-age adults who have tested positive for COVID-19 or reside in a household where someone has tested positive and have been advised by an employer, medical practitioner, nurse practitioner, public health official, or other government official to self-isolate and who do not otherwise qualify for either Ontario Works or Federal benefits.

6.  City Council request the Deputy City Manager, Community and Social Services, working with the Medical Officer of Health and Toronto's COVID-19 Incident Commander and in consultation with community stakeholders, to intensify, adapt, or revise TO Supports: COVID-19 Equity Action Plan as necessary to respond effectively to urgent COVID-19 health disparities as identified by the Medical Officer of Health on the basis of the Toronto Public Health COVID-19 Monitoring Dashboard equity indicators, COVID-19 data from Indigenous-led health organizations, or other COVID-19 evidence and information emerging from the community sector.

7.  City Council request the Executive Director, Social Development, Finance and Administration, working with the Medical Officer of Health and the General Manager, Shelter, Support and Housing Administration, and community sector partners, to assess the level of need and optimal services to support families (e.g., adults with dependent children or other dependents) who need to self-isolate due to COVID-19 infection.

8.  City Council forward the report (November 30, 2020) from the Deputy City Manager, Community and Social Services, to the Ontario Minister of Children, Community and Social Services, the Ontario Minister of Health, the Ontario Associate Minister of Mental Health and Addictions, the Ontario Minister of Long-Term Care, the Ontario Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing, the Ontario Solicitor General, the Federal Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, the Federal Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, and the Federal Minister of Health.

The Board of Health:

1.  Approved TO Supports: COVID-19 Equity Action Plan and the 25 equity actions and targeted and enhanced equity measures that the City of Toronto, Toronto Public Health, and partners are taking to support Torontonians disproportionately impacted by COVID-19, as outlined in Attachment 1 to the report (November 30, 2020) from the Deputy City Manager, Community and Social Services.

2.  Approved the inclusion of equity indicators in the Toronto Public Health COVID-19 Monitoring Dashboard in order to facilitate public reporting on the disproportionate impact of COVID-19 infection on certain population groups based on the social determinants of health such as income, racialization, and neighbourhood and to drive equity-focused policy and program actions.

3.  Recognized that a comprehensive approach to reducing the disproportionate impact of COVID-19 on Indigenous, Black, and racialized Torontonians, including newcomers, must be central to the COVID-19 emergency response, to COVID-19 immunization planning, and to Toronto's recovery and rebuild efforts.

4.  Endorsed the newly-announced measures to reduce crowding on the Toronto Transit Commission's bus routes supporting essential workers and neighbourhoods disproportionately affected by COVID-19 and urged the Toronto Transit Commission to continue to take all possible steps to facilitate safe physical distancing on transit vehicles.

5.  Requested the Medical Officer of Health, in consultation with the Deputy City Manager, Community and Social Services, to report to the January 18, 2021 meeting of the Board of Health on the potential value of universal paid sick leave as a measure to enable employees to follow public health guidance to stay home from work and self-isolate when feeling unwell and to seek COVID-19 testing, including:

a.  providing an overview of current paid sick leave provisions and protections available to workers in Toronto, including for part-time and temporary workers, through the Federal and Provincial Governments;

b.  identifying existing barriers and areas for improvement that could help the public to follow public health guidance; and

c.  options for the Federal and Provincial Governments to enhance paid sick leave to enable employees to follow public health guidance to stay home from work and self-isolate when feeling unwell and to seek COVID-19 testing.

6.  Requested the Medical Officer of Health, in consultation with the Deputy City Manager, Community and Social Services, Toronto's COVID-19 Incident Commander, and community stakeholders, to monitor the implementation of TO Supports: COVID-19 Equity Action Plan, including the new targeted and enhanced equity measures described in the Plan, and to report to the Board of Health in the first quarter of 2021 with a focus on results achieved for equity-seeking groups, including the impacts of implementing Indigenous-led COVID-19 health equity measures, Black-led COVID-19 health equity measures, and measures to minimize COVID-19 impacts on Torontonians living with a disability.

7.  Requested the Medical Officer of Health, in consultation with the Deputy City Manager, Community and Social Services, the General Manager, Shelter, Support and Housing Administration, and community sector partners, to assess the level of need and optimal services to support families (e.g., adults with dependent children or other dependents) who need to self-isolate due to COVID-19 infection.

The Deputy City Manager, Community and Social Services, gave a presentation on TO Supports: COVID-19 Equity Action Plan.

In March 2020, the City of Toronto, in coordination with Toronto Public Health, Toronto Public Library and hundreds of community-based partners, launched an unprecedented emergency response to meet the needs of Torontonians who have been disproportionately impacted by the spread of COVID-19 and by the sudden, serious consequences of the first pandemic "lockdown". The City's Emergency Operations Centre and nearly every City division, agency and corporation has contributed to this massive effort to support Toronto's most vulnerable residents during a time of crisis.

Many of the services, programs and systems mobilized for this effort - ranging from emergency food delivery to mental health supports to free 24/7 child care - are wholly new lines of operation and partnership for the City of Toronto and were designed, developed and then delivered into the community within mere days or weeks of the emergency declaration. These innovations have revealed the City's powerful creative and collaborative capacity. They have also demonstrated the value of maintaining and investing in a deep, interdependent relationship with a strong, activist community-based not-for-profit sector. The sector has continuously delivered front-line services and supports during the pandemic, championed the needs of highly vulnerable communities and held the City accountable to resolve emerging critical issues. Without the work of the community sector over the past 10 months, many Torontonians would be in a much more challenging situation than is currently faced.

The guiding framework to organize this multi-dimensional emergency response was rolled out in March 2020, through Social Development, Finance and Administration Division, under the title: TO Supports: COVID-19 Equity Action Plan. TO Supports prioritizes ten action areas related to the social determinants of health and contains twenty-five separate actions to stop virus spread and deliver immediate emergency support to the neighbourhoods and populations that have been hardest hit by COVID-19. Since March, this Plan has been constantly evolving, adapting and intensifying in light of new information and data, new partnerships, new resurgence plans and new pandemic conditions.

Attachment 1 to this report summarizes the City's implementation of TO Supports from March to November 2020. It includes key advice collected from community-based partners, current status indicators, and the City's work on the intergovernmental front to leverage the funding and legislative tools required to solve urgent problems facing equity-seeking groups during the pandemic. It also highlights plans for new, targeted and enhanced COVID-19 equity measures that were recently launched in conjunction with the announcement of Toronto's second pandemic "lockdown".

To support Torontonians who have been hardest hit by COVID-19 and to stop the virus spread, the City is taking urgent action on multiple fronts, in strong collaboration with community partners. Our COVID-19 Equity Action Plan is called, "TO Supports".

Ongoing cooperation and commitment from other levels of government is required for the City to meet the needs of residents during the pandemic and implement many of the actions in "TO Supports".

This report summarizes, in Attachment 1, the status of current Council-adopted intergovernmental requests to advance Toronto's COVID-19 equity actions.  

The Board of Health recommends that:

1.  City Council request the Provincial Government to provide resources and funding to support the community engagement plan being prepared by Toronto Public Health and Social Development, Finance and Administration to support community groups and other stakeholders to build knowledge and support for the COVID-19 immunization plan.

2.  City Council request the Ontario Ministry of Health to provide resources and funding to adequately prepare for Toronto's COVID-19 immunization plan, including support for required technology, staffing, and logistics.

3.  City Council request the Ontario Ministry of Health to ensure that the COVID-19 Vaccine Information System is created in consultation with Toronto Public Health and is a comprehensive and practical system that is simple to use.

The Board of Health:

1.  Requested the Provincial Government to provide resources and funding to support the community engagement plan being prepared by Toronto Public Health and Social Development, Finance and Administration to support community groups and other stakeholders to build knowledge and support for the COVID-19 immunization plan.

2.  Requested the Provincial Government to lead data collection on how people are managing the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic and ensure representation from those disproportionately impacted by COVID-19, encompassing representative data at the public health unit level.

3.  Requested the Ontario Ministry of Health to provide resources and funding to adequately prepare for Toronto's COVID-19 immunization plan, including support for required technology, staffing, and logistics.

4.  Requested the Ontario Ministry of Health to ensure that the COVID-19 Vaccine Information System is created in consultation with Toronto Public Health and is a comprehensive and practical system that is simple to use.

5.  Directed that the Toronto Public Health COVID-19 Community Survey Results in Attachment 1 to the report (November 30, 2020) from the Medical Officer of Health be forwarded to the Ontario Ministry of Health for information and consideration.

6.  Authorized the City Solicitor to commence proceedings under Section 24 of the Health Protection and Promotion Act to recover expenses incurred in carrying out directions given by the Medical Officer of Health to enforce any order issued under Section 22 of the Health Protection and Promotion Act to address COVID-19, including costs of the proceedings.

7.  Requested the Medical Officer of Health, in consultation with Toronto's COVID-19 Incident Commander, to provide a presentation at the January 18, 2021 meeting of the Board of Health on the City of Toronto's COVID-19 Immunization Task Force, the status of intergovernmental coordination, issues including the prioritization and distribution of COVID-19 vaccines, and the local work being led by Toronto Public Health and the City of Toronto, including public communication campaigns and measures responding to TO Supports: COVID-19 Equity Action Plan.

8.  Requested the Medical Officer of Health to work with appropriate partners to identify relevant trends from the Toronto Public Health COVID-19 Community Survey Results in Attachment 1 to the report (November 30, 2020) from the Medical Officer of Health and share these findings with stakeholders through community groups and Toronto's 13 COVID-19 Community Cluster tables.

9.  Requested the Medical Officer of Health to update Attachment 2 to the report (November 30, 2020) from the Medical Officer of Health with data and research from the remainder of 2020 and report to the Board of Health with the findings when the data analysis is complete.

The Medical Officer of Health, the Acting Manager, Surveillance and Epidemiology, Toronto Public Health, and the Acting Supervisor, Health Status and Epidemiology, Toronto Public Health, gave a presentation on Response to COVID-19: Update Presentation to the Board of Health.

This report provides a status update of the COVID-19 pandemic locally, Toronto Public Health's (TPH) response work to date, and provincial and local public health measures. As well, it provides an update on the City of Toronto's COVID-19 Immunization Task Force (ITF) planning, results of a community survey on the effects of the pandemic as well as a report on the indirect impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on mental health and well-being on Toronto's residents.

On November 24, 2020, Toronto moved into the "Grey - Lockdown" level of the Province's Keeping Ontario Safe and Open Framework in response to the significant rate of COVID-19 spread. This change adds further restrictions in Toronto, including: gathering restrictions, restricting people from having non-essential visitors inside their homes, closing indoor and outdoor dining at restaurants and bars, closing all indoor gyms, closing hair salons, barber shops, nail salons and tattoo parlours, and closing all retail, including malls, except for curbside pick-up or delivery. Essential businesses such as supermarkets, grocery stores, convenience stores, hardware stores, beer and wine and liquor stores, pharmacies and safety supply stores can be open for in person shopping at 50 per cent capacity.

Earlier in November, the City of Toronto formed the COVID-19 Immunization Task Force (ITF) as part of its pandemic response and recovery efforts. The ITF continues to work to ensure that the City is ready to play its role in helping Toronto residents get vaccinated in order to protect against COVID-19 infection. This work includes preparing for logistical considerations and partnering with community groups to build knowledge and support for the COVID-19 immunization plan. The Ministry of Health has indicated that it is working to establish an information system that can support the logistics of the COVID-19 immunization plan including registration, appointment booking, confirmation of vaccination and inventory management.

The first shipments of the COVID-19 vaccine are expected to be delivered in the first quarter of 2021 and will likely be reserved for provincially identified, higher-risk populations, such as residents of long-term care homes and health care sector workers. It is expected that vaccines will become available for additional populations in the spring of 2021.

TPH engaged Ipsos Reid to conduct public research to understand how residents of Toronto are managing the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic. This COVID-19 Community Survey was administered online between October 20 and October 30, 2020. The survey includes feedback from 1,201 Toronto residents. Overall, a majority of Toronto residents agree that the city needs to take "whatever measures are necessary" to control the spread of COVID-19 and reduce the number of deaths (90 per cent agree). There is also widespread support (83 per cent) for a second lockdown, if the number of cases continues to rise. Initial survey results can be found in Attachment 1.

The COVID-19 pandemic, as well as the public health measures put in place to prevent its spread, have been increasingly shown to impact mental health and well-being. To understand this further, TPH examined the impacts of the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic and associated public health measures on the mental health and well-being of Toronto residents. As TPH used data from the first wave of the pandemic to inform this research, TPH is working to update this research with data since the resurgence of COVID-19, and will report back to the Board of Health with its findings.

The Board of Health recommends that:  

1.  City Council appoint the physician in Confidential Attachment 1 to the report (November 30, 2020) from the Medical Officer of Health as an Associate Medical Officer of Health for the City of Toronto Health Unit.

2.  City Council forward its decision to the Ontario Minister of Health for the approval of the Associate Medical Officer of Health appointment in Recommendation 1 above.

3.  City Council authorize the introduction of the necessary Bill in City Council to appoint the physician in Confidential Attachment 1 to the report (November 30, 2020) from the Medical Officer of Health as an Associate Medical Officer of Health, subject to approval by the Ontario Minister of Health.

4.  City Council authorize the public release of Confidential Attachment 1 to the report (November 30, 2020) from the Medical Officer of Health, once adopted by City Council.

5.  City Council authorize the public release of Confidential Attachment 1 to the supplementary report (December 10, 2020) from the Medical Officer of Health, once City Council appoints the physician recommended for appointment as an Associate Medical Officer of Health for the City of Toronto Health Unit.

This report recommends the appointment of an Associate Medical Officer of Health (AMOH) for the City of Toronto Health Unit and updates the status of AMOH appointment By-laws.

This report provides a summary of the curriculum vitae for the physician recommended for appointment as an Associate Medical Officer of Health (AMOH) for the City of Toronto Health Unit.

The Board of Health recommends that:

1.  City Council reiterate the request to the Government of Canada to provide core funding for a national school food program.

2.  City Council request the Province of Ontario to make available sufficient funds to cover the extraordinary pandemic-related costs faced by student nutrition programs supporting in-school and remote learners, including increased food costs, requirements for safe program delivery, and limited access to volunteer help.

3.  City Council authorize the Medical Officer of Health to reinvest any funds that remain unspent after assessing applications from the late applications and appeals period towards providing additional funding to existing municipally-supported student nutrition programs.

The Board of Health:

1.  Reiterated the request to the Government of Canada to provide core funding for a national school food program.

2.  Requested the Province of Ontario to make available sufficient funds to cover the extraordinary pandemic-related costs faced by student nutrition programs supporting in-school and remote learners, including increased food costs, requirements for safe program delivery, and limited access to volunteer help.

3.  Requested the Medical Officer of Health to report to the January 18, 2021 meeting of the Board of Health with an update on additional resource needs and any other challenges facing municipally-supported student nutrition programs in Toronto.

4.  Requested the Medical Officer of Health to take appropriate action to enable the municipal student nutrition program funds to be used for the purchase of nutritious food for students who are learning remotely who otherwise would have accessed a student nutrition program.

The pandemic has resulted in many rapidly changing challenges to the Student Nutrition Program, which Toronto Public Health (TPH) and our school community partners have been working hard to mitigate since March 13 when the Province of Ontario closed schools across the province. Before the pandemic, thousands of vulnerable children and youth received a daily nutritious meal in school through the Student Nutrition Program. To support students during the rest of the spring term, funds were re-allocated to distribute grocery food gift cards to families in need with children who attend schools with nutrition programs.

During the partial return to in-class learning this fall, TPH and school community partners have continued to work through a wide range of challenges.

The Toronto Catholic District School Board (TCDSB) Student Achievement Board of Trustees, on December 3, 2020, approved a motion to "request the Province and Toronto Public Health to ensure that student nutrition funding is distributed with adequate flexibility to support students learning remotely, and to provide additional funding as required to continue in-school program delivery while expanding to support remote learners".

Recommendation 1 below responds to the request for flexibility. Within the existing framework of agreements and funding, the Medical Officer of Health will provide a formal communication clarifying that municipal funds may be used to support students learning remotely. Our school community partners -- the Angel Foundation for Learning, the Toronto Foundation for Student Success, and the two English-language school boards -- will have the flexibility to tailor to local needs the use of existing municipal funds for student nutrition programming as the pandemic situation continues to evolve.

Even with these changes, it is anticipated that there will continue to be challenges to ensuring that all students who would otherwise benefit from student nutrition programs are supported in the winter term, including increased food costs, requirements for safe program delivery, limited access to volunteer help, and ongoing changes to the number of students learning in-class, learning remotely, and temporarily isolating.

That is why I am recommending the Board of Health support the call to the Province to cover the extraordinary pandemic-related costs faced by student nutrition programs supporting in-school and remote learning. The Province of Ontario has not increased its funding commitment for local student nutrition programs in Toronto since 2017.

I am also recommending the Board of Health reiterate the request to the Government of Canada to provide core funding for a National School Food Program, which was a goal in the 2019 Federal Budget.

Additionally, TPH staff have identified a modest amount of additional funding that is likely to be available to be allocated relatively quickly for the winter school term, from the reserves held for late applications and appeals to the Student Nutrition Program. City Council authority is required to reinvest these funds into enhancing existing local student nutrition programs.

Finally, I am recommending the Board of Health request the Medical Officer of Health report back early in the new year with additional information on resource requirements to ensure that students who rely on the Student Nutrition Program continue to be supported whether they are learning in class or remotely. The necessary work is already underway with our school community partners.

No child should have to learn on an empty stomach in Toronto. The Student Nutrition Program is even more critical this year, when so many families are facing immense hardship, for supporting the success of thousands of vulnerable children and youth.

The Civic Appointments Committee recommends that:  

1. City Council appoint the following candidates to the TO Live Board of Directors, at pleasure of Council, for a term of office ending December 19, 2024, and until successors are appointed:

Myriam Gafarou

Mustafa Humayun

Dawn Maracle

2. City Council direct that the balance of Confidential Attachment 1 to the report (November 27, 2020) from the Interim City Clerk remain confidential as it relates to personal matters about identifiable individuals being considered for appointment to the TO Live Board of Directors.

Candidates' biographies:

Myriam Gafarou

Myriam is an associate partner with Ernst and Young. She advises major corporate clients on how to manage their third-party risk exposure. Myriam is a staunch advocate of Diversity, Inclusion, and Equity in all realms of the community. She loves life and believes in the power of teaming and thinking outside the box. Myriam holds a joint honors B.A. in economics and finance from McGill University and a Master in construction finance from Cornell University. 

Mustafa Humayun

Mustafa Humayun is a Partner at Sagard Holdings and the Portfolio Manager of its Private Credit business.  Prior to this role, he led CPPIB’s energy credit team in North America as well its Latin American credit investment platform. Before that, Mustafa was an investment professional in the Special Situations Group at Goldman, Sachs & Co in New York. He is an experienced board member and is passionate about bringing this experience to non-profits. He is active with his alma mater at Queen's University where he is a member of its EDII task-force. He is a past recipient of Canada's Top 40 under 40 award.

Dawn Maracle

Dawn T. Maracle is a Mohawk woman from Tyendinaga who sits with the Bear Clan. Dawn is an award-winning activist and organizer who has engaged Indigenous groups, communities and organizations for three decades in the fields of Indigenous Health, Education, Governance, Women and the Arts. A consultant, writer, speaker and dancer/performer, Dawn has performed across North America and Europe, and has held leadership positions across Canada and beyond. She has sat on numerous boards, has held National Chair positions and sat as an esteemed member of the UNESCO arts and education committee.

This report recommends the appointment of three public members to the TO Live Board of Directors.

The Civic Appointments Committee recommends that:  

1. City Council appoint the following candidates to the Toronto Atmospheric Fund Board, at pleasure of Council, for a term office ending July 16, 2023, and until successors are appointed:

Graysanne Bedell  

Wayne Miranda 

2. City Council direct that the balance of  Confidential Attachment 1 to the report (November 25, 2020) from the Interim City Clerk remain confidential as it relates to personal matters about identifiable individuals being considered for appointment to the Toronto Atmospheric Fund Board of Directors.

Candidates' biographies:

Graysanne Bedell 

Ms. Bedell, B.A., JD, acquired a broad range of legal and business experience through a 30 year career in law spent largely as the executive in charge of legal affairs for several corporations. An equally important part of her life involved service on the board of a charity, Street Haven at the Crossroads, and creation of a fund to help non-profit organizations. Since retiring from practise, she has sought to use her skills in support of environmental issues.

Wayne Miranda 

Wayne Miranda is a Director at the Centre for Social Innovation and Managing Director of TechSoup Canada serving 43,000+ non profits across Canada. He is the Founding CEO and Board Chair of Growth Mosaic, a B Corporation based in West Africa mobilizing US$21 million of impact investment across a portfolio of 96 social-purpose ventures in 3 countries.

This report recommends the appointment of two public members to the Toronto Atmospheric Fund (TAF) Board for a three year term of office, at pleasure of Council ending July 16, 2023, and until successors are appointed.

The Civic Appointments Committee recommends that:  

1.  City Council appoint Suzanne Brunelle to the Aboriginal Affairs Advisory Committee, at pleasure of Council, for a term of office ending on November 14, 2022.

Candidate's biography:

Suzanne Brunelle

Raised on the land near the Georgian Bay waters, Suzanne traces her Metis roots to Red River Valley. She retired from her Federal public service career in 2009. Her path led her to a coordinator role with the Community Ethics Network; Senator responsibilities with the Toronto and York Region Metis Council (TYRMC); and Executive Secretary functions with the Toronto Aboriginal Support Services Council. The TYRMC is the local government that represents the interests of this Urban area's Métis.

This report recommends the appointment of one public member to the Aboriginal Affairs Advisory Committee.

The Economic and Community Development Committee recommends that:

1.  City Council receive the presentation (December 7, 2020) from the General Manager, Economic Development and Culture, and staff, headed "Economic Development and Culture: Impacts of 2020 COVID-19 Pandemic Response on Current and Forecasted Service Levels", for information.

The following staff gave a presentation on Economic Development and Culture: Impacts of 2020 COVID-19 Pandemic Response on Current and Forecasted Service Levels:

-  The General Manager, Economic Development and Culture;

-  The Director, Business Growth Services;

-  The Film Commissioner and Director, Entertainment Industries;

-  The Director, Arts and Culture Services; and

-  The Director, Museums and Heritage Services.

The General Manager, Economic Development and Culture, will give a presentation on Economic Development and Culture - Impacts of COVID-19 Pandemic Response on Current and Forecasted Service Levels. The presentation will also focus on the status of major strategies and initiatives.

The Economic and Community Development Committee recommends that:

1.  City Council direct the Executive Director, Housing Secretariat, in collaboration with the General Manager, Shelter, Support and Housing Administration, to report to the Toronto Accessibility Advisory Committee in the first quarter of 2021 on an intersectional approach to support equity-seeking groups, including persons with disabilities experiencing homelessness, to access housing with appropriate supports.

At its meeting on November 20, 2020, the Toronto Accessibility Advisory Committee considered Item DI11.3, Supporting People with Disabilities in Toronto During and Beyond COVID-19 - Shelter, Support and Housing Administration.

The Economic and Community Development Committee recommends that:

1.  City Council direct the General Manager, Parks, Forestry and Recreation, in collaboration with the Chief Communications Officer, to update the City of Toronto's website to include all City recreation programs operating during the COVID-19 pandemic, indicating which programs are accessible, and communicate changes through all appropriate City channels and to report to the Toronto Accessibility Advisory Committee in the first quarter of 2021.

At its meeting on November 20, 2020, the Toronto Accessibility Advisory Committee considered Item DI11.4, COVID-19 Response and Accessibility - Parks, Forestry and Recreation Programs.

The Economic and Community Development Committee recommends that:

1.  City Council receive the report (November 18, 2020) from the Deputy City Manager, Community and Social Services, for information.

The purpose of the report is to provide an overview of the process that was used to establish the temporary shelter at 30 Norfinch Drive as requested by City Council through MM25.29, Process to Select and Open Temporary Sites for Physical Distancing in Shelters.

Shelter, Support and Housing Administration conducted a comprehensive search for physical distancing spaces for shelter residents as part of the City's COVID-19 response. As part of these ongoing efforts, the City identified the Holiday Inn Express North York located at 30 Norfinch Drive for use as a temporary shelter for physical distancing. Properties were assessed by an interdivisional team against By-law and program requirements. The site met all requirements of the selection process and the City signed a lease for the property commencing May 17, 2020.

The Economic and Community Development Committee recommends that:

1.  City Council authorize the General Manager, Shelter, Support and Housing Administration, to negotiate and enter into a new non-competitive contract with Neighbourhood Information Post for rent bank administration services in the amount of $1,098,348 gross and net $0 for the period of January 1, 2021 to March 31, 2023.

The purpose of this report is to seek City Council authority for the General Manager, Shelter, Support and Housing Administration, to enter into a non-competitive contract with Neighbourhood Information Post to ensure ongoing Toronto Rent Bank administration services for the period of January 1, 2021 to March 31, 2023. The potential contract value for the Toronto Rent Bank administration services is $1,098,348 Gross and Net $0.

The Toronto Rent Bank provides interest-free loans to low income tenants in imminent danger of losing their homes due to rental arrears, and to low income tenants for first and/or last month's rent deposits who are moving to more affordable and/or stable housing. The Toronto Rent Bank consists of a Rent Bank Loan Fund, from which funding for loans is drawn and repaid loans are deposited, and Rent Bank Administration. Both components of the Toronto Rent Bank are provincially funded.

In 2015, Neighbourhood Information Post (NIP) was successful in Request for Proposal (RFP) Number 9121-14-7149 to provide Rent Bank Administration. NIP's contract for Rent Bank Administration ended on September 30, 2020 and a bridge contract for the period October 1, 2020 to December 31, 2020 is currently in process to cover requirements pending approval of this report. A review of the Rent Bank program commenced in 2019, with the objective of incorporating recommended program changes into the RFP for Rent Bank Administration in 2020. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the completion of the review was delayed and implementation was put on hold. As a result, the new competitive procurement process for Rent Bank Administration services did not proceed during this time.

At present, NIP continues to administer the Toronto Rent Bank, meeting current requirements at fair market pricing. Based on their ability to meet our requirements and provide specialized services, the delays in the Rent Bank review, and the impact of COVID-19 on the procurement process, a non-competitive procurement with Neighbourhood Information Post is required to ensure ongoing Rent Bank service delivery. The continuation of the Toronto Rent Bank under the administration of NIP for an additional two-year period will permit staff to complete the program review and plan a procurement process for Rent Bank services starting April 1, 2023 that will incorporate the results of the review, as well as consider additional service revisions related to the COVID-19 pandemic response.

City Council approval is required under Municipal Code Chapter 195 Purchasing, where the current request exceeds the Chief Purchasing Official's authority of the cumulative five-year commitment for each vendor, under Article 7, Section 195-7.3D of the Purchasing By-law or exceeds the threshold of $500,000 net of HST allowed under staff authority as per the Toronto Municipal Code, Chapter 71 - Financial Control, Section 71-11A.

The Economic and Community Development Committee recommends that:

1.  City Council adopt and certify the 2021 recommended Operating Budgets and Levy requirements of the following Business Improvement Areas:

This report brings forward Business Improvement Area (BIA) annual Operating Budgets for approval by City Council as required by the City of Toronto Act, 2006. City Council approval is required to permit the City to collect funds through a special tax levy on the commercial and industrial properties within the respective BIA boundaries.

There are currently 84 established BIAs in the City of Toronto, of which 23 BIA 2021 Operating Budgets are submitted for City Council approval through this report.

The recommendation in this report reflects the Board-adopted 2021 Operating Budgets by the respective BIAs' Boards of Management and General Membership. Complete budgets and supporting documentation have been reviewed by City staff to ensure that the 2021 Operating Budgets for BIAs reflect Council's approved policies and practices.

Two COVID-19 related themes emerge in these budget submissions: a number of BIAs are specifically attempting to reduce financial demands on their memberships and a number of BIAs are exercising caution by postponing festivals and events.

The Economic and Community Development Committee recommends that:

1.  City Council direct the Executive Director, Social Development, Finance and Administration, in consultation with relevant City divisions, boards, and community agencies, to develop a pilot for a new dedicated community space for youth, including the programming, staffing, and other resources needed for operations, in the Oakwood and Vaughan area to launch in 2021, contingent on securing an appropriate space in the area.

2.  City Council direct the Chief Planner and Executive Director, City Planning, in consultation with relevant City divisions, to explore opportunities which may be presented through new development to secure a permanent future location in the Oakwood and Vaughan area for such a community space, should the pilot in Recommendation 1 above be successful.

This report responds to Council direction to assess service needs in the Oakwood and Vaughan area and identify opportunities for creating a vibrant and sustainable community hub by recommending the initiation of the development of a community program in an existing community space in a Toronto District School Board property, formerly known as the Vaughan Road Academy, as a pilot beginning in 2021. 

Included in this report is an overview of stakeholder and community engagement as well as an assessment of a potential site for new community services, with a summary of findings and immediate next steps.

The Economic and Community Development Committee recommends that:

1.  City Council amend Section 349-4.1A of the City of Toronto Municipal Code Chapter 349, Animals, to extend the UrbanHensTO pilot program until March 31, 2022.

2.  City Council direct the Executive Director, Municipal Licensing and Standards, to report to the Economic and Community Development Committee no later than January 31, 2022 on final recommendations related to the UrbanHensTO pilot program.

3.  City Council request the Executive Director, Municipal Licensing and Standards, to consult with relevant City divisions, including Social Development, Finance and Administration and Toronto Public Health, as well as the Toronto Food Policy Council, FoodShare Toronto, the public, and community organizations on the UrbanHensTO pilot program and to include a summary of these consultation efforts in the final report to the Economic and Community Development Committee in Recommendation 2 above.

This report recommends extending the UrbanHensTO: Backyard Hens pilot program for one additional year, within the same boundaries that City Council adopted in fall 2017. Unless extended, the UrbanHensTO pilot program will currently end on March 2, 2021.

While the Toronto Municipal Code Chapter 349, Animals, prohibits animals in the order Galliformes (which includes hens) in Toronto, hens registered under the UrbanHensTO pilot program are exempted from this prohibition. The UrbanHensTO pilot program began on March 2, 2018 and allows registered households to have up to four hens for the purposes of enjoyment and egg production; roosters are prohibited and hens cannot be raised as livestock to eat. The pilot program applies to four former City of Toronto wards (Wards 5, 13, 21, and 32). Ward changes occurred in 2018 and, as a result, the program currently applies to some parts of Wards 2, 3, 4, 8, 12, 14, and 19.

The impacts of COVID-19 are still being assessed City-wide; during this time, MLS staff recommend limiting the number of non-essential new or enhanced programs. Extending the pilot by one year will allow staff to continue to assess the program, undertake additional research, and focus resources on urgent COVID-19-related matters. Extending the program by one year will also provide clarity to registered households currently participating in the program.

Staff completed a review of the UrbanHensTO pilot program in summer and fall 2020. The review included an analysis of program registration and complaints, staffing and resource impacts, a jurisdictional scan, a survey to registered households, and stakeholder consultations. Since the start of the program, a total of 234 hens in 80 households have been registered, and the number of chicken-related service requests (complaints) about registered properties has been low. Staff heard that common reasons for participating in the program include access to fresh eggs, an interest in urban agriculture, enjoying keeping hens as pets, access to organic food, and teaching others about food production.

Through the review, staff found that there have not been any significant issues with the UrbanHensTO pilot program and that requirements currently align with other North American jurisdictions. This finding supports the proposed recommendation to extend the pilot program for one additional year; however, staff also identified factors that require further consideration prior to making final recommendations about the sustainability of the program. These factors include: determining whether sufficient staff resources exist to support expanding the program; determining the extent to which UrbanHensTO supports food security and food sovereignty in Toronto; further assessing the likelihood of increased nuisance-related concerns, pests (particularly rodents) and predators; monitoring for potential risks of bacteria and disease outbreaks; and a lack of veterinarians in Toronto accredited to care for hens.

In late 2018, the College of Veterinarians of Ontario began requiring veterinarians caring for urban farm animals (including hens) to obtain accreditation as food animal mobile veterinarians. No veterinarians in Toronto have this accreditation, while a small number are accredited within the broader GTA. Staff will continue to monitor this over the next year as access to veterinary care is an important program consideration.

Staff also undertook a preliminary review of the program using an equity lens, including consultation with the City's Confronting Anti-Black Racism Unit and Social Development, Finance and Administration (SDFA), broadly, and determined that further analysis is required to understand program inequities and inform next steps on the program.

Staff will continue analyzing the pilot program and will deliver a report with final recommendations on the UrbanHensTO program before March 2022, which will be the new end date of the pilot program, pending City Council's approval.

This report was developed in consultation with Toronto Public Health.

The Economic and Community Development Committee recommends that:

1.  City Council forward Attachment 1, the report from the City of Toronto's Economic and Culture Recovery Advisory Group headed "Building Back Stronger: Report of the Economic and Culture Recovery Advisory Group", to the City Manager for review and implementation as part of the City of Toronto's ongoing COVID-19 recovery efforts.

Blake Goldring, Co-Chair, City of Toronto's Economic and Culture Recovery Advisory Group, gave a presentation on Building Back Stronger: Report of the City of Toronto Economic and Culture Recovery Advisory Group.

I am pleased to submit the final report of the City of Toronto's Economic and Culture Recovery Advisory Group for your consideration.

Together with Co-Chair Blake Goldring, I convened this group of 20 remarkable community leaders to identify actions and priorities for Toronto's long-term economic and cultural recovery. Our report includes 18 recommendations that are grouped into four key areas: economic recovery, anti-racism and inclusion, workforce and talent, and arts and culture. Each of these areas is critical to our ongoing recovery efforts, and will position us to build back stronger – with a renewed economy, a dynamic, revitalized arts scene, and opportunities for all Torontonians, in all corners of the city. They also build on and complement the important work of the Toronto Office of Recovery and Rebuild.

Over the last nine months, we have seen partners in business, culture, and government come together like never before to face the challenges presented by COVID-19. Toronto entered this crisis from a position of economic strength made possible by the innovation, diversity and goodwill of our city's business and cultural communities. The road ahead will not be easy, but I am confident that together with partners in business and culture, we will build a more prosperous, resilient and successful Toronto.

The General Government and Licensing Committee recommends that:

1. City Council authorize the Controller to negotiate and enter into an amending agreement with Ernst and Young LLP to continue supporting Purchasing and Materials Management Division's Category Management and Strategic Sourcing initiative by increasing the value of the contract from $1.0 million gross ($1.018 million net of Harmonized Sales Tax recoveries) by an additional $8.985 million gross ($9.143 million net of Harmonized Sales Tax recoveries) to a potential upset limit of $9.985 million gross ($10.161 million net of Harmonized Sales Tax recoveries) broken down by:

a. adding $3.485 million gross ($3.546 million net of Harmonized Sales Tax recoveries) for consulting services related to developing category governance, improving reporting, strategic sourcing support and the development of a supplier relationship and contract management framework;

b. including a 5 percent success fee for Ernst and Young LLP's support in obtaining an estimated 110 million in benefits from category management and strategic sourcing events for an upset limit for a success fee of $5.5 million ($5.597 million net of Harmonized Sales Tax); and

c. extending the term of the agreement to May 31, 2022.

The purpose of this report is to request approval for a non-competitive contract with Ernst and Young LLP for continued support of Purchasing and Materials Management Division's Category Management and Strategic Sourcing Unit. 

The continuation of these services with Ernst and Young LLP is a cost mitigation strategy to help with the City's financial situation by realizing financial benefits through the strategic sourcing of procurements within the City's top 6 categories of spend:  Construction and Maintenance, Technology, Facilities Management, Fleet, Professional Services, Refuse and Waste Management which contribute to the $20 million in year savings target.  Purchasing and Materials Management Division, with the assistance of Ernst and Young LLP, has been able to obtain $41 million in benefits to date (between 2019 and April 2020) as part of the implementation of Category Management ("Phase 1").  The City entered into a new contract with Ernst and Young LLP to cover the period of May to October.  This further contract extension ("Phase 2") will deliver additional financial benefits of an estimated $110 million incremental to the $41 million in confirmed benefits to date.

Further to the strategic sourcing opportunities that will be pursued as part of Phase 2, Ernst and Young LLP will also work with Purchasing and Materials Management Division to create the governance framework and operationalize this practice in addition to the creation of category profiles and strategies to incorporate Divisional and City objectives and priorities. 

Ernst and Young LLP was originally retained through a competitive process for Phase 1 and completed their main contract for a value of $4.5 million in April 2020.  Purchasing and Materials Management Division entered into a non-competitive contract to extend Ernst and Young LLP for an additional 3 months for $0.5 million which was subsequently amended for another $0.5 million for a total contract value of $1.0 million.  This proposed further extension would increase the contract value by $3.485 million for consultancy work plus a 5 percent success fee for Ernst and Young LLP to assist the City in completing strategic sourcing events and achieving an estimated $110 million in additional confirmed benefits which will equal an estimated success fee of $5.5 million.  Overall this will increase the total contract value by $8.985 million net of Harmonized Sales Tax (for a total contract value of $9.985 million) and extend the contract until end of March 2022   

This supplementary report is to support the request for the approval of a non-competitive contract with Ernst and Young LLP (EY) for continued support of Purchasing and Materials Management Division's (PMMD).  This contract will enable PMMD to accelerate the adoption of Category Management and Strategic Sourcing strategy which was successfully piloted through the original competitive contract with EY.

This report also considers other staffing options to deliver the proposed strategy using some combination of reorganization, contract or permanent staffing decisions.

This proposed non-competitive contract will deliver up to $110M in annual benefits with an investment of up to $8.9M all while enabling PMMD and the City to continue our transition to be a self-sufficient best in class procurement organization.  This represents a return on investment of over $100M in less than 18 months.  A significant portion of the investment is tied to the achievement of results through a success fee model. Success fee is intended to ensure that EY is incentivized to help the City maximize the benefits.  EY will only be compensated for the success fee if the benefits identified are realized by the City.  Also, the rationale for undergoing this transformation include recommendations from past reports, Auditor General Findings, value for taxpayer’s dollars and to ensure that we are paying fair market value for the goods and services the City procures.

To date, EY has helped us achieving $41M in annual benefits with an investment of $4.5M, for a return of $36.5M in the first 2 years.  For clarity purposes, the report on GL16.4, indicated $41M in annual savings but should have said annual benefits, as the benefits achieved can be a combination of cost avoidance and cost reduction plus other qualitative benefits.  In addition the realization of these benefits will occur over the life of the contract and may change depending on how the contract is utilized. 

The City is still in the midst of developing its capability to execute on procurement more strategically.  The proposed contract is intended to deliver significant additional benefits and build further knowledge and capability in the City. Furthermore, their support is critical to expand existing PMMD resource capacity to operationalize key elements of the procurement transformation that will help unlock further value and sustain the benefits achieved in the process.  

Core components of the transformation include the continued standing up of the CMSS Unit, creation of  processes for Category Management, Supplier Relationship Management and Contract Management as well as the development of all the training material and the delivery of the training, the governance framework and approval processes to ensure visibility and oversight at the right levels of leadership are maintained with respect to categories and the sourcing opportunities and reporting on the benefits of the sourcing projects and category performance.  This occurs while PMMD continues recruiting for both CMSS and PMMD's new Program Support unit.

EY provides access to expertise and resources that the internal City staff does not possess or have access to at this time. Some of the key attributes of EY’s value for the City are the following:

- Local and global resources with subject matter knowledge;

- Subject matter experience on various spend categories, some of which is not readily available in the marketplace;

- Proprietary tools and templates (e.g. Compliance IQ, EY Process Benchmarks, etc.);

- Advanced data analytics tools and expertise (e.g. Alteryx modelling and Power BI visualization); and 

- Market intelligence (e.g. leading practice commercial constructs and supplier capability information through EY’s global network).

EY will help us in two key areas:

1. Complete the procurement transformation journey to make the City self-sustainable and best in class procurement organization. This will include developing and implementing processes and strategies that directly relate to the key components of the procurement transformation.

2. Deploy a team of resources on the ground and from around the globe (subject matter specialists) to help complete some of the largest and most complicated procurements at the City that will deliver an annual benefits of $110M. This includes a success fee component such that part of EY fees are held back until benefits are confirmed by the City staff. This will help incentivize EY to generate higher benefits for the City as noted above, PMMD will continue to recruit for positions as part of the overall reorganization journey PMMD has been on.  It is not possible, however, to recruit fast enough, be able to create the deliverables and work with the Divisions on strategic sourcing events in a way that would achieve the benefits within 17 months as it would be to work with EY. 

The General Government and Licensing Committee recommends that:

1. City Council amend the City of Toronto Municipal Code Chapter 545, Licensing, as follows:

a. add to the provision addressing the limit on licences to clarify that the effect of § 545-538 is to reduce the total number of licences issued under this chapter as licences issued under the Payday Loans Act, 2008 or Toronto Municipal Code, Chapter 545, Licensing cease to be valid, are revoked or expire; and

b. add a provision to clarify that the total number of locations is limited to the total number of locations operating within a ward (as each ward exists on the day it comes into existence) on May 1, 2018 which have been permitted by a licence under the Payday Loans Act, 2008.

2. City Council direct that changes to the City of Toronto Municipal Code Chapter 545, Licensing, come into force on January 1, 2021.

3. City Council request the Federal Government to:

a. require chartered banks to have branches in low-income neighbourhoods which offer credit lines to low-income people at the same rates they offer to other customers;

b. create a national database of payday loan establishment users to stop users from taking out loans to pay off other loans;

c. amend the Criminal Code of Canada to lower the maximum interest rate from 60 percent to 30 percent; and

d. work with partners such as credit unions, to encourage and steward the development of lower-cost financial products that can provide an alternative for users of payday loan establishments.

4. City Council request the Government of Ontario to:

a. strengthen its enforcement of online payday lending, including unlicensed online payday lenders;

b. introduce regulations for high-cost installment loans to better protect consumers from high-cost loans that fall outside the regulation of the Payday Loans Act, 2008; and

c. strengthen its regulation of payday lending advertising by proclaiming Subsection 77.16.1 of the Payday Loans Act, 2008 into effect, enabling the provincial government to make regulations to further govern and enforce advertising or signage in any medium with respect to a payday loan or a payday loan agreement, including the content, location and size of advertising or signage, and the ability to create regulations that prohibit licensees from making certain advertising or signage.

5. City Council direct the Executive Director, Social Development, Finance and Administration, in consultation with the General Manager, Economic Development and Culture, to include an update on improving access to relevant financial products and services such as access to cash for Toronto residents, in partnership with the financial services industry and the For Public Benefit (not-for-profit) sector, in the forthcoming 2021 Poverty Reduction Strategy update report to Council.

6. City Council request the Chief Planner to report to the Planning and Housing Committee on the necessary steps required to amend the zoning classification for payday loans to remove it from the category governing banks and credit unions, and that the report include requirements needed for municipalities to govern over payday loan establishments, including regulations on their locations and spacing.

7. City Council forward this Item to the Association of Municipalities of Ontario and the Federation of Canadian Municipalities.

This report builds upon regulations for payday loan establishments adopted by City Council in 2018, recommends that future work is undertaken through the Toronto Poverty Reduction Strategy and responds to the following outstanding directives to explore:

- the feasibility of creating minimum separation distances between payday loan establishments and schools

- the feasibility of establishing a process for the local Councillor to object to the relocation of a payday loan establishment

- options to restrict advertising, and discussions with the financial services industry on improving access to financial products

Capping the number of payday loan establishments to those that existed and were provincially licensed as of May 1, 2018 has provided the City with a mechanism to mitigate the proliferation of establishments, while enabling operators to continue to provide a product to meet consumer demand. Future work is required to address consumers' need for credit and explore options for low-cost lending alternatives through an anti-poverty lens.  

Research suggests that the number of residents who take out high-cost lending options (such as payday loans) may increase due to the ongoing financial effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. Due to the current absence of low-cost alternatives, there are concerns that if City Council were to further limit the number or location of payday loan establishments, residents would turn to higher risk or higher cost options. Potential further restrictions, such as minimum separation distances between schools and payday loan establishments, do not address the consumer's need to access low-cost financial products and services. The City's Poverty Reduction Office, under Social Development, Finance and Administration, will work to increase access and to advance inclusive economic development in Toronto and will report on the status of this work to City Council in 2021, as part of their Poverty Reduction Strategy Update.

This report recommends technical amendments to the By-law, such as updating the licensing regime to reflect the 25-ward model, and simplifying language in the By-law to provide clarity to residents and operators on the cap on the number of licensees and locations.

With respect to advertising, under the Payday Loans Act, 2008, the Government of Ontario prohibits payday loan establishments from advertising misleading or false information and requires all advertisements that mention the cost of borrowing to disclose specific information such as the maximum allowable cost of borrowing and the actual cost of borrowing. It is recommended that City Council request the Government of Ontario take further action by proclaiming Subsection 77.16.1 of the Payday Loans Act, 2008. Once this Subsection is proclaimed, the Government of Ontario can make regulations governing advertising or signage in any medium with respect to a payday loan, including the content, location and size of advertising or signage, and/or prohibiting advertising or signage. Payday loan establishments are prohibited from advertising on City property under Toronto Municipal Code, Chapter 545, Licensing. Adding restrictions that duplicate provincial requirements is not recommended and going further than the province could lead to a freedom of expression Charter challenge.

As directed by City Council in June 2020, staff engaged with the traditional financial services sector and reviewed feedback collected under the City's recovery and rebuild engagement process. Feedback collected by the Toronto Office of Recovery and Rebuild highlighted the financial challenges that residents are experiencing as a result of COVID-19, the lack of low-cost credit alternatives and the increased digitization of financial services. More information is included in Attachment 1.

In addition, this report provides an update on recent changes to the provincial Payday Loans Act, 2008. As part of the COVID-19 Economic Recovery Act, 2020, the Government of Ontario amended the Act to cap interest rates and fees on defaulted loans. While this amendment offers relief for new users of payday loans (that is, after August 20, 2020), it does not address the initial high cost of borrowing (that is, $15 for every $100) or the lack of low-cost alternatives. Staff are concerned that due to the increased digitization of financial services, accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic, more payday loans and high-cost installment loans are being obtained online.

The Government of Ontario is responsible for the enforcement of online payday lending and in previous conversations, has indicated challenges with enforcement. While attempts are made to make the online lender aware of the requirements of the Payday Loans Act, 2008, it is often difficult to determine the location of the online operator. In addition, high-cost installment loans (that is, loans above $1,500 but with interest rates as high as 59.9 percent) are not subject to the Payday Loans Act, 2008 or other consumer protection legislation such as the Consumer Protection Act, 2002. It is recommended that City Council request the Government of Ontario strengthen its enforcement of online payday lending and introduce consumer protection legislation for high-cost installment loans.

This report was written in consultation with Social Development, Finance and Administration, Economic Development and Culture, City Clerk's Office, City Planning, Legal Services and the City Manager's Office.

The General Government and Licensing Committee submits the item to City Council without recommendation.

At its meeting on October 27, 2020, City Council adopted MM25.1 - Supporting Taxi Operators from COVID-related Financial Hardship, which directed the City Manager, in consultation with the Executive Director, Municipal Licensing and Standards and the Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer, to undertake a broad review of relief measures for the taxicab industry and report to the November 30, 2020 meeting of the General Government and Licensing Committee, with any financial impacts to the City addressed through the 2021 budget process. Council directed that this review include the feasibility and impact of:

- a 12-month moratorium on enforcement of the age of vehicle provision for taxicabs and limousines, or an extension to the maximum age of vehicle provision for vehicles used as taxicab and sedan limousines by one year

- a reduction to the Vehicle-for-Hire Accessibility Fund Program's regulatory charges

- a 12-month moratorium on licensing renewal fees for taxicabs; and/or a significant reduction or elimination of taxicab licensing renewal fees for 2021

As with many licensed businesses, the vehicle-for-hire industry has suffered financially due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The closure of non-essential business, such as bars and restaurants, cancellation of large events such as concerts and sporting events, and a substantial increase in people working from home has contributed to lower consumer demand for vehicles-for-hire. While the taxicab industry does not currently provide trip data to the City, the Toronto Transit Commission Wheel-Trans has indicated that their taxicab contract has been operating at 35-40 percent of normal capacity (November 2020). Private transportation company trips continue to be down by approximately 65 percent (when comparing March to July 2020 to the same time period last year); however, at their lowest level in April 2020, they were down approximately 80 percent.

This report recommends that any changes adopted by City Council should be consistent for the entire vehicle-for-hire industry (taxicabs, limousines, and private transportation companies such as Facedrive, Lyft and Uber). This is considered an equitable approach, and is intended to mitigate the risk of possible legal court challenges.

Municipal Licensing and Standards reviewed the proposal to place a 12-month moratorium on the enforcement of the vehicle age provision for taxicabs and limousines and determined that this would only support 2013 model year owners. Further, this proposal is considered inequitable, as it would only apply to taxicabs and limousines, and not Private Transportation Company vehicles (such as Facedrive, Lyft and Uber) who have also reported lower ridership during the pandemic, posing the risk of possible legal court challenges.

To support the vehicle-for-hire industry, it is instead recommended that the maximum age of all vehicles licensed under the Vehicle-for-Hire By-law be extended by one year. The proposed change would extend the maximum age of taxicab, sedan limousine and Private Transportation Company vehicles from seven model years to eight model years, for vehicles of the 2013 model year and onward, and the maximum age of stretch limousine vehicles from eight model years to nine model years, for vehicles of the 2012 model year and onward. This change recognizes that all members of the vehicle-for-hire industry have been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. It would also be a longer-term support, as it is unknown when the pandemic will end and how long it may take the vehicle-for-hire industry to recover.

Staff have determined that this recommendation is feasible given that industry members have reported a decrease in ridership during the pandemic, and since the age of a vehicle is not necessarily linked to its state of repair. Members of the vehicle-for-hire industry expressed support for this proposal as a way to provide relief during the COVID-19 pandemic, in response to a survey conducted by Municipal Licensing and Standards. Taxicab brokerages, limousine service companies or private transportation companies would still be able to implement more restrictive vehicle age requirements, as a business decision.

With respect to regulatory charges for the Vehicle-for-Hire Accessibility Fund Program, Municipal Licensing and Standards worked with the Policy, Planning, Finance and Administration Division to determine that a 75 percent reduction in the monies to be collected from non-accessible vehicle-for-hire members in 2021 is feasible. This temporary reduction would allow the City to maintain the intention of the fund (that is, to offset the higher cost of providing wheelchair accessible vehicle-for-hire service for accessible vehicle-for-hire members), while providing immediate financial relief to the non-accessible vehicle-for-hire industry for one year. Financial impacts could be accommodated through the existing budget due to the City's initial self-funding of the Accessibility Fund Program in 2019 and regulatory charges collected thus far.

Staff also reviewed the proposal for a 12-month collection moratorium on business licensing fees and the proposal to significantly reduce business licensing fees. As mandated under the City of Toronto Act, 2006, business licensing fees are established based on cost-recovery. Therefore, any changes would result in negative budget pressures, and would need to be offset through other revenue sources, or through expenditure control measures during the budget process. To reduce the business licensing fees of one category, and not others is also likely to be seen as unfair by other licensed categories and may lead to requests for the same treatment. Municipal Licensing and Standards licenses and permits 99 different businesses. If reductions in one class of business licence are made, the City should consider reductions in to other licence classes, resulting in further negative budget pressures on the City's budget. In addition, reducing the business licensing fees for one licensing category, but not others, may also lead to legal challenges. 

A broader report on the vehicle-for-hire industry, including responses to outstanding directives, is expected later in 2021.

This report was prepared in consultation with Legal Services, Policy, Planning, Finance and Administration, the Office of the Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer and the City Manager's Office.

The General Government and Licensing Committee recommends that:  

1. City Council deem the unpaid property taxes levied in all years (including interest and penalties which have accrued on those unpaid taxes up to the time of write-off) on the 39 receivables listed in Attachment 1 to the report (November 13, 2020) from the Controller as uncollectible, and direct the Controller to remove these amounts from the tax roll.

This report recommends the write-off of property taxes deemed uncollectible for 39 receivable amounts relating to 14 individual property tax accounts for taxation years 2009 to 2019.  The receivable amounts relate to property tax accounts that are no longer returned on the assessment roll, making collection efforts and recovery of outstanding amounts impossible. The total estimated amount to be written off is $21,913, consisting of taxes of $12,205, and interest/penalty of $9,708.  All reasonable and appropriate collection efforts have been exhausted.  It is recommended that the property taxes, interest and fees that have accumulated over the period 2009 to 2019 be deemed uncollectible and written off.  The write-off of these amounts will have no impact on the current year's budget, as these amounts have all been previously provided for in the Allowance for Doubtful Tax Receivables Account in prior years.

The General Government and Licensing Committee recommends that:

1. City Council receive the report (October 20, 2020) from the Acting President, Toronto Parking Authority.

Every three (3) years Toronto Parking Authority undertakes a comprehensive review of the hourly parking rates and the hours of operation of its on-street paid parking program. The purpose of the rate review is to evaluate performance of the program and ensure rates and hours of operation are set to encourage the turnover in parking throughout the day. The last comprehensive review was undertaken in October 2017.

Given the widespread impacts that the Covid-19 pandemic has had on the commercial retail sector and in turn on parking demands in the city, Toronto Parking Authority’s on-street paid parking program has seen a significant reduction in both the total number of transactions and revenues generated. Parking activity during 2020 has also been affected by the variety of initiatives introduced by the City of Toronto (City) to support businesses, communities and residents during the first wave of the Covid-19 pandemic and subsequent recovery period. While Toronto Parking Authority has worked closely with Transportation Services to support the City’s CafeTO and CurbTO initiatives, these programs have together resulted in the elimination of at least 800 on-street paid parking spaces. Other programs, such as ActiveTO, which has delivered an accelerated implementation of cycling infrastructure on major arterial roads have also impacted the supply of on-street paid parking. Other external factors, such as the temporary postponement of enforcement activities by Toronto Police Services resulted in compliance concerns and parking activities that are not easily monitored.

Given the ongoing financial impacts associated with the pandemic and a continued effort to support the City and its residents, communities and businesses during this challenging time, Toronto Parking Authority is recommending that the 2020 on-street rate review be deferred to 2021 and that no adjustments to rates or hours of operation be considered at this time.

This report also responds to the request from Toronto City Council for Toronto Parking Authority to include a Parking Market Analysis as part of its annual Budget Submission.  The purpose of the analysis is to review the effect that rate changes have had in terms of usage levels and parking revenue as well as calculating the price elasticity associated with changes to rates. While the Parking Market Analysis required as part of the 2021 budget process would have assessed the impact of any rate adjustments implemented in 2020, no rates were changed and therefore no analysis can be undertaken.  A further Parking Market Analysis will be carried out and considered as part of the 2022 budget process.

The General Government and Licensing Committee recommends that:

1. City Council receive the report (October 20, 2020) from the Acting President, Toronto Parking Authority.

As part of its mandate to provide short-term parking (those parking for less than 3 hours), Toronto Parking Authority carries out a comprehensive annual review of the parking rates at all of its off-street parking facilities. Providing short-term parking supports Toronto’s neighbourhood retail and commercial sector as well as the City’s transportation network by discouraging commuter behaviour.  Establishing the appropriate parking rate structure is key in allowing Toronto Parking Authority to effectively manage use, serve the target market, and fairly allocate and encourage turnover of public parking spaces.

2020 has been a year significantly influenced by the Covid-19 pandemic. Wide-spread impacts to the retail and commercial sectors, the decentralization of the workplace and changing trends in commuter behaviour have all had far-reaching impacts on the demand for parking at Toronto Parking Authority’s car parks. Given the atypical conditions experienced, Toronto Parking Authority is not recommending any adjustments to the rates at its off-street parking facilities at this time. Toronto Parking Authority will continue to monitor parking activity and will further assess the impact of parking rates on parking demands through the remainder of the year and 2021.

This report provides an overview of the 2020 annual rate review of Toronto Parking Authority’s off-street parking facilities and summarizes the trends found across the portfolio. Toronto Parking Authority Board approval is also requested to establish monthly rates at 73 facilities where no monthly rates currently exist. The establishment of these rates will provide Toronto Parking Authority greater flexibility to consider short-term permit arrangements when needed by other City Divisions, Agencies and Corporations for special projects, events and mitigation of impacts related to construction projects.

This report also responds to the request from Toronto City Council for Toronto Parking Authority to include a Parking Market Analysis as part of its annual Budget Submission.  The purpose of the analysis is to review the effect that rate changes have had in terms of usage levels and parking revenue as well as calculating the price elasticity associated with changes to rates. While the Parking Market Analysis required as part of the 2021 budget process would have assessed the impact of rate adjustments implemented as part of the 2019 off-street rate review, there is insufficient information to assess the impact of these rate changes, which were implemented in February of 2020 just before the Covid-19 pandemic began. A further Parking Market Analysis will be carried out and considered as part of the 2022 budget process.

The General Government and Licensing Committee recommends that:

1. City Council receive the report (November 16, 2020) from the Executive Director, Corporate Real Estate Management for information.

This report provides an annual update on fire and life safety compliance at the City of Toronto ("the City"), as directed by City Council in AU13.11. The report reviews the 2019 compliance, as assessed by a third-party vendor, against the 2017 and 2018 baseline data. While both fire and life safety records completion and compliance rates demonstrate improvement, further work is needed to improve compliance with the Ontario Fire Code. As a result of this compliance review, the City made the decision to change some fire and life safety service providers. These findings indicate a potential need for regulation in the fire and life safety industry, which will be explored further in 2021 by Corporate Real Estate Management in consultation with Toronto Fire Services and other stakeholders.

In 2020, the Fire and Life Safety Program Office continued to implement work to centralize and standardize fire and life safety services across the City, as outlined in GL8.8. Despite challenges resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic, the Fire and Life Safety Program Office has made significant progress towards the development and implementation of a Master Fire Program, a comprehensive new Request for Proposal for inspections, testing and maintenance services, and the recruitment of new staff to enable the new service model.

The Government and Licensing Committee recommends that:

1.  City Council authorize the City, as Vendor, to enter into an Agreement of Purchase and Sale with the owners of 101 Spadina Avenue (DevGreat Inc.), as Purchaser/Developer, for:

a. a land exchange between the City and DevGreat Inc. of equal 214 square metre portions of land on 101 Spadina, 105 Spadina Avenue and 363 Adelaide Street West as outlined in Appendix A to the report (November 16, 2020) from the Deputy City Manager, Corporate Services, and the Acting President, Toronto Parking Authority;

b. the City sale to DevGreat Inc. of a 249 square meter portion of 363 Adelaide Street West as outlined in Appendix B to the report (November 16, 2020) from the Deputy City Manager, Corporate Services, and the Acting President, Toronto Parking Authority;

c. the City sale to DevGreat Inc. of the underground strata lands under the City park lands as outlined in Appendix C to the report (November 16, 2020) from the Deputy City Manager, Corporate Services, and the Acting President, Toronto Parking Authority with the result of the transactions described in a., b., and c.being that DevGreat Inc. will own the lands for the proposed development (the "Development Lands") and the City will own the strata lands for the new City park (the "Strata Park Lands");

d. the acquisition of stratified freehold title to portions of the underground parking garage containing a minimum of 70 parking spaces to be constructed by DevGreat Inc. to Toronto Parking Authority standards on the Development Lands (the "Public Parking Garage") as outlined in Appendix D to the report (November 16, 2020) from the Deputy City Manager, Corporate Services, and the Acting President, Toronto Parking Authority; and

e. the construction and delivery of a new public park at grade to be fully constructed by DevGreat Inc. and being approximately 1,000 square metres in area located at the corner of Spadina Avenue and Adelaide Street West within the Strata Park Lands (the "Public Park");

substantially on the terms and conditions set out in Appendix E to the report (November 16, 2020) from the Deputy City Manager, Corporate Services, and the Acting President, Toronto Parking Authority, including the confidential sale prices of the City sales and acquisition price for the Public Parking Garage and substantially in accordance with the estimated land values for the land exchange and estimated consideration for ancillary transactions, all as set out in Confidential Attachment 1 to the report (November 16, 2020) from the Deputy City Manager, Corporate Services, and the Acting President, Toronto Parking Authority, and together with such other terms and conditions as may be deemed appropriate by the Executive Director, Corporate Real Estate Management, in consultation with the Acting President, Toronto Parking Authority in respect of the Public Parking Garage and in consultation with the General Manager, Parks, Forestry and Recreation in respect of the Public Park, and in a form satisfactory to the City Solicitor.

2. City Council authorize the City to enter into all agreements and documentation contemplated under the Agreement of Purchase and Sale which require the City to be a party, solely in its capacity as land owner, including any construction and/or construction management agreements pertaining to the Public Parking Garage and/or the Public Park, easements, reciprocal cost sharing agreements, restrictive covenant agreements, limiting distance agreements, licence and/or occupancy agreements, closing documents and other agreements (the "Ancillary Transactions") on such terms and conditions as deemed appropriate by the Executive Director, Corporate Real Estate Management, in consultation with the Acting President, Toronto Parking Authority in respect of the Public Parking Garage and in consultation with the General Manager, Parks, Forestry and Recreation in respect of the Public Park, and in a form satisfactory to the City Solicitor.

3. City Council authorize the Executive Director, Corporate Real Estate Management, or their designate, in consultation with the Acting President, Toronto Parking Authority and the General Manager, Parks, Forestry and Recreation as applicable, to administer and manage the Agreement of Purchase and Sale and Ancillary Transactions, including the provision of any consents, approvals, waivers and notices, provided that the Executive Director, Corporate Real Estate Management may, at any time, refer consideration of such matters to City Council for its determination and direction.

4. City Council authorize any one of the Deputy City Manager, Corporate Services, the Executive Director, Corporate Real Estate Management, and the Director, Transaction Services, to execute and deliver the Agreement of Purchase and Sale and each of the Ancillary Transactions, on behalf of the City.  

5. City Council authorize the Executive Director, Corporate Real Estate Management, or their designate, to execute and deliver on behalf of the City, solely in its capacity as land owner, written consent to any planning or development application contemplated under the Agreement of Purchase and Sale, provided the applicant agrees to assume all obligations including costs and liabilities under such applications, and subject to such other terms and conditions deemed satisfactory to the Executive Director, Corporate Real Estate Management, and in form satisfactory to the City Solicitor.

6. City Council direct that any consent provided by the City, solely in its capacity as land owner, to a planning or development application shall not fetter the exercise by the City of all of its rights as a municipality, or impose any obligations on the City, in its role as a municipality, and the City shall not be prevented from or prejudiced in carrying out its statutory rights and responsibilities, including planning rights and responsibilities.

7. City Council direct that prior to all acquisitions by the City contemplated in these Recommendations, the City be in receipt of title opinions from the solicitors for DevGreat Inc., in form and content satisfactory to the City Solicitor.

8. City Council direct that the lands acquired for the Public Parking Garage be designated by bylaw for municipal parking purposes and managed by the Toronto Parking Authority.

9. City Council authorize the Executive Director, Corporate Real Estate Management, and the Executive Director, Housing Secretariat, to allocate all proceeds from transactions set out in this report, net of the funds required for the acquisition of the Public Park and the Public Parking Garage, to the Capital Revolving Reserve Fund for Affordable Housing (XR1058) with a commitment to the acquisition of affordable housing units in the area.  

10. City Council direct the Executive Director, Housing Secretariat, to work with the Chief Executive Officer, CreateTO, on a plan to redevelop the properties located at 15 Denison Avenue and 35 Bellevue Avenue for affordable housing use, and that consideration be given to selecting a not-for-profit partner as the development partner for both of these properties.

11. City Council direct the General Manager, Transportation Services, to work with the Acting President, Toronto Parking Authority, and the Chief Executive Officer, CreateTO, to locate replacement parking and implement the required by-law changes to compensate for the future loss in surface parking from both 15 Denison Avenue and 25 Bellevue Avenue.

12. City Council accept the acquisition of the 214 square metres of the land exchange component of the transaction so that all of the Public Park lands (including the City-retained lands for the Public Park) will be in City ownership prior to the issuance of the first above grade building permit, notwithstanding that the Public Park will be encumbered by an underground parking structure containing a Toronto Parking Authority operated facility in the upper levels, and may also be encumbered by Ancillary Transactions.

13. City Council approve a development charge credit against the Parks and Recreation component of the development charges for the design and construction by DevGreat Inc. of the above base park improvements to the satisfaction of the General Manager, Parks, Forestry and Recreation and in an amount that is the lesser of the cost to DevGreat Inc. of designing and constructing the above base park improvements, as approved by the General Manager, Parks, Forestry and Recreation, and the Parks and Recreation component of development charges payable for the development in accordance with the City's Development Charges By-law, as may be amended from time to time.

14. City Council approve that DevGreat Inc. will pay their cash-in-lieu of parkland dedication associated with the development site prior to the issuance of the first Above Grade Building Permit to fulfill its obligations under Section 42 of the Planning Act and Municipal Code Chapter 415, Article III.

15. City Council authorize the public release of Confidential Attachment 1 to the report (November 16, 2020) from the Deputy City Manager, Corporate Services, and the Acting President, Toronto Parking Authority, following the closing of the land exchange and sale transactions, the acquisition of the Public Parking Garage and the delivery of the Public Park, as identified in the report (November 16, 2020) from the Deputy City Manager, Corporate Services, and the Acting President, Toronto Parking Authority.

The purpose of this report is to obtain City Council's approval of the proposed terms of a property transaction involving two City-owned properties at 105 Spadina Avenue and 363 Adelaide Street West, and the privately owned property at 101 Spadina Avenue, owned by DevGreat Inc. The city-building benefits of this transaction are to create a new public park of 1,000 square meters (10,764 square feet), to significantly increase onsite below-grade public parking and to generate additional funds to be used for affordable housing.

As currently proposed, the transaction contemplates the partial land exchange and partial disposition of the City-owned surface parking lots at 105 Spadina Avenue and 363 Adelaide Street West to DevGreat Inc., the owner of the adjacent property at 101 Spadina Avenue.

Following the proposed land exchange and disposition, DevGreat Inc. will own the lands (the "Development Lands") for the development of a mixed-use high-rise development with public and private parking below-grade under both the proposed development site and the new public park (the "Proposed Development"). In respect of the retained strata public park in City ownership, the transaction requires DevGreat Inc. to construct a minimum 1,000 square meter park to base park condition with above grade improvements satisfactory to Parks, Forestry and Recreation. The Proposed Development consists of a 39-storey, mixed-use building with 28,107 square meters (302,541 square feet) of total gross floor area. A Zoning By-Law Amendment application has not yet been submitted by DevGreat Inc. and the final height of the development and mix of residential and non-residential gross floor areas are still to be finalized through the planning approval process, however as per the proposed transaction terms, the final height is not to exceed the currently proposed 39-storeys.

The 1,000 square meter stratified public park would be the result of the proposed real estate transaction between the City and DevGreat Inc. and is not to be considered the parkland dedication associated with the development application. The development application to be submitted by DevGreat Inc. will be subject to parkland dedication requirements to fulfill Section 42 of the Planning Act. For the development application, cash-in-lieu of parkland dedication will be required as per the Municipal Code Chapter 415, Article III. 

The new public park will be prominently placed at the southeast corner of Spadina Avenue and Adelaide Street West in a rectangular shape with good frontage and visibility from both abutting streets. The new public park is a positive addition to the downtown core as it regularizes the land parcels for both the City and DevGreat Inc. and creates a large green space amenity. DevGreat Inc., at their expense, will construct the retained City-owned public park to base park condition, inclusive of three (3) meters of soil depth, prior to the issuance of the first above grade building permit. DevGreat Inc. has agreed to construct the above base park improvements through a development charge credit against the Parks and Recreation component of the Development Charges applicable to the development site. The design of the public park will adhere to the City's Design Excellence standards. A minimum of 70 below-grade parking stalls will be constructed in accordance with Toronto Parking Authority specifications and operated by the Toronto Parking Authority as a municipal parking facility. As the proposed public park will be encumbered with a Toronto Parking Authority parking facility, City Council approval is required to accept these lands.

All remaining proceeds from this transaction are to be used by the Housing Secretariat and CreateTO to acquire an estimated 20-30 new affordable housing units in the area, with specific focus on potential affordable housing opportunities at the City-owned properties, 35 Bellevue Avenue and 15 Denison Avenue.

Staff conducted prior analysis and due diligence, and considered alternate options for unlocking the value of City assets at 105 Spadina Avenue and 363 Adelaide Street West. Given the financial and city-building merits of the proposal (including additional public parking spaces and public parkland in areas of significant deficiency), it was deemed to best meet the City's interest.

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 for the acquisition of the property interests listed in Appendix A to the report (November 16, 2020) from the Executive Director, Corporate Real Estate Management and outlined on the easement drawings attached as Appendix B to the report (November 16, 2020) from the Executive Director, Corporate Real Estate Management (collectively, the "Project Requirements"), and as approving authority, authorize the initiation of the expropriation process for the Project Requirements, for the purposes of the Port Union Road widening project and ancillary works.

2. City Council direct the Executive Director, Corporate Real Estate Management, or their designate, to serve and publish Notices of Application for Approval to Expropriate the Project Requirements, to forward to the Chief Inquiry Officer any requests for hearing that are received, to attend the hearing to present the City's position and to report the Inquiry Officer's recommendations to City Council for its consideration.          

The purpose of this report is to seek authority from City Council to commence expropriation proceedings to acquire permanent easements on part of the properties municipally known as 429 Port Union Road, 433 Port Union Road, 437 Port Union Road, 28 Rozell Road, 33 Rozell Road, 2 Cameron Glen Boulevard, 446 Lawson Road and 24 Fanfare Avenue (collectively, the "Properties"). The acquisition of these easements is essential for the construction of the proposed Port Union Road Widening project and ancillary works to improve vehicular traffic as well as cyclist and pedestrian safety in the area.

This report is the first stage of the expropriation process. After the application for approval to expropriate is authorized, staff will serve and publish notice on the registered owners of the Properties. Registered owners will have 30 days to request an inquiry into whether the proposed takings are fair, sound and reasonably necessary.

If no inquiry is requested, Council may approve the expropriation by a subsequent Stage 2 report. At that time, staff will report to Council with further details on the anticipated cost, based on appraisals. Following the Stage 2 report, the expropriation plan will be registered and notices of expropriation served. Statutory offers of compensation must be served prior to the City taking possession of the expropriated Properties.

Staff continue to negotiate with owners to secure the easements by agreement, rather than by expropriation. However, expropriation proceedings are being initiated in order to maintain project timelines.

The General Government and Licensing Committee recommends that:  

1. City Council adopt the confidential instructions to staff in Confidential Attachment 1.

2. City Council direct that Confidential Attachment 1 to the report (November 16, 2020) from the Executive Director, Corporate Real Estate Management and City Solicitor remain confidential in its entirety at the discretion of the City Solicitor, as it pertains to potential litigation involving the City of Toronto and contains advice that is subject to solicitor-client privilege.

In 2015, the City of Toronto (the "City") closed a former public highway located at 10 and 20 Meadowglen Place and sold the property to R.A.B. Properties Limited (the "Developer"). As part of the sale, the City reserved an easement in its favour to protect municipal infrastructure located beneath the property. In 2020, the Developer requested that this easement be released from title to facilitate its development at 10 and 20 Meadowglen Place. Following the release of this easement, the Developer submitted additional appraisal information to the City, disputing the market value paid by the Developer for the release and requesting that this value be adjusted. Confidential Attachment 1 contains information relating to legal advice from the City Solicitor relating to potential litigation and next steps.

The General Government and Licensing Committee recommends that:  

1. City Council receive the report (November 27, 2020) Report from the Executive Director, Corporate Real Estate Management, and the Chief Procurement Officer, Purchasing and Materials Management for information.

The purpose of the report is to inform the General Government and Licensing Committee regarding an emergency non-competitive contract that the City has entered into with Century Group Inc. under Purchase Order No. 6051271, to provide emergency structural remediation services at the East Wing of Union Station, in the amount of $2,968,877.09 net of Harmonized Sales Tax ($3,021,129.33 net of Harmonized Sales Tax recoveries).

As a result of the demolition undertaken as part of the Workplace Modernization Program to create office swing space at Union Station, it was discovered that there were significant structural issues with the roof and the floor and ceiling slabs of the second, third and fourth floors in the East Wing of Union Station. Once discovered, the structural issues needed to be addressed immediately, as required by the Ontario Building Code, to prevent possible collapse, and to ensure the safety of all personnel on site. The structural issues could not have been found by any due diligence processes prior to construction, as only full demolition exposed the structural issues.

Reporting back to City Council is required in accordance with Municipal Code Chapter 195, Purchasing, Article 7, Section 195-7.4(B) where a non-competitive contract over $500,000 was entered into on the basis of emergency. 

The General Government and Licensing Committee recommends that:

1. City Council authorize the General Manager, Fleet Services to increase the scope of non-competitive Blanket Contract Number 47022513 with Strongco Limited Partnership, for the supply and delivery to the City of Toronto (City), proprietary original equipment manufacturer parts and warranty and non-warranty maintenance and repair services to include all vehicle and equipment makes and models for which Strongco Limited Partnership is the sole authorized service provider within the Greater Toronto Area.

2. City Council direct that the term of the contract remain unchanged, having commenced on November 1, 2019, to October 31, 2020, with the option to renew the contract for four (4) additional separate one (1) year periods, subject to the exercise of each option year being at the sole discretion of the General Manager, Fleet Services and subject to the amounts payable under the contract being available under the current Fleet Services budget approval(s).

3. City Council direct that the contract be based on the condition that Strongco Limited Partnership continues to be the exclusive distributor for the proprietary original equipment manufacturer parts and specialized services, as determined with an official, verified letter from the manufacturer.

The purpose of this report is to seek City Council authority for the General Manager, Fleet Services Division to increase the scope of non-competitive Blanket Contract Number 47022513 with Strongco Limited Partnership to include the supply and delivery of parts, warranty and non-warranty maintenance and repair services for all vehicle and equipment makes and models in which Strongco Limited Partnership is the sole authorized service provider within the Greater Toronto Area.

This contract amendment will ensure ongoing requirements of the proprietary OEM services and parts supply including but not limited to maintenance and repairs on the approved equipment (Volvo, Case, Terex) and with the addition of Fassi and National to the list of the approved equipment for the City of Toronto's Fleet Services Division. The contract length and funding will remain unchanged as the approved budget is sufficient to fulfill our requirements through this amendment.

City Council approval is required under Municipal Code Chapter 195 Purchasing, where the current request exceeds the Chief Procurement Official's authority of the cumulative five-year commitment for each vendor, under Article 7, Section 195-7.3 (D) of the Purchasing By-Law or exceeds the threshold of $500,000 net of HST allowed under staff authority as per the Toronto Municipal Code, Chapter 71- Financial Control, Section 71-11A.

The General Government and Licensing Committee recommends that:  

1. City Council authorize the General Manager, Fleet Services to amend Purchase Order Number 6050803 by increasing the Purchase Order value by $21,577,224 net of Harmonized Sales Tax and all applicable charges (or $21,956,983 net of Harmonized Sales Tax recoveries), revising the current Purchase Order value from $17,211,134 to $38,788,358 net of Harmonized Sales Tax and all applicable charges ($39,471,033 net of Harmonized Sales Tax recoveries) and to extend the term of the Purchase Order to include the second optional year team under the provisions of the Vendor of Record Number OSS-00634452, from July 1, 2023 to June 30, 2024, to be exercised at the sole discretion of the General Manager, Fleet Services.

The purpose of this report is to seek authority from City Council to amend and increase Purchase Order No. 6050803 issued to City Buick Chevrolet Cadillac the authorized dealer for General Motors of Canada Company under the Vendor of Record Number OSS-00634452, for the provision of vehicle acquisitions and up-fitting - Category 1A - General Vehicle Acquisition, for various divisions as part of the Centralized Model.  The total Purchase Order Amendment being requested is for an additional amount of $21,577,224 net of Harmonized Sales Tax and all applicable charges ($21,956,983 net of Harmonized Sales Tax recoveries).

Should the optional years be extended by the Ministry of Government and Consumer Services for the final year, the General Manager, Fleet Services Division is seeking authority to extend the term to include the second 2nd optional year term from July 1, 2023 to June 30, 2024 for additional vehicle acquisitions and up-fitting, in accordance with the Vendor of Record Number OSS-00634452.

The initial term of the Contract is from September 14, 2018 to June 30, 2022 with the option to renew the Contract for two (2) additional separate one (1) year terms.

By adopting the manufacturer-direct service delivery model with General Motors of Canada Company under the Vendor of Record Number OSS-00634452 Fleet Services anticipates a total cost avoidance of $6,924,412 will be realized during the contract term, including any optional years.  This includes $1,362,060, for Toronto Paramedic Services and Toronto Fire Services as part of this amendment. 
  

This agreement also provides considerable efficiency improvements through increasing delivery time by 50-70 percent, which directly supports the reduction of vehicle downtime and state of good repair backlog (SOGR) reduction, resulting in reduced costs and improved service levels.

The General Government and Licensing Committee recommends that:

1. City Council authorize the Interim City Clerk to negotiate and enter into an amending agreement with Kodak Canada ULC for the provision of proprietary service, support and parts for the Kodak Digital NexPress Printer, for an additional five (5) year period, beginning January 1, 2021, at an estimated cost of $202,353 net of Harmonized Sales Tax, and $205,917, net of Harmonized Sales Tax recoveries, on the terms and conditions satisfactory to the Interim City Clerk, and in a form satisfactory to the City Solicitor.

2. City Council authorize the Interim City Clerk to negotiate and enter into a non-competitive contract for the purchase of Operator Replaceable Consumables for the Kodak Digital NexPress Printer with Spicers Canada ULC, the exclusive Canadian distributor or subsequent distributor should it change during the contract term, for a period of five (5) years, beginning January 1, 2021, at an estimated cost of $477,900, net of Harmonized Sales Tax, and $486,312, net of Harmonized Sales Tax recoveries, on the terms and conditions satisfactory to the Interim City Clerk, and in a form satisfactory to the City Solicitor.

The purpose of this report is to request authority for the City Clerk to negotiate and enter into a non-competitive contract with Kodak Canada ULC and Spicers Canada ULC for the continued supply of proprietary service, support, parts and operator replaceable component  consumables for the Kodak Digital NexPress Printer for a five-year period effective January 1, 2021 to December 31, 2025. The total estimated cost for non-competitive contracts with both Kodak Canada ULC and Spicers Canada ULC is $680,253, net of Harmonized Sales Tax and $692,229, net of Harmonized Sales Tax recoveries.

City Council approval is required in accordance with Municipal Code Chapter 195, Purchasing, where the current request exceeds the Chief Purchasing Officer's authority of the cumulative five year commitment limit for each vendor under Article 7, Section 195-7.3(D) of the Purchasing By-law or exceeds the threshold of $500,000 net of Harmonized Sales Tax allowed under staff authority as per the Toronto Municipal Code, Chapter 71, Financial Control, Section 71-11a.

The Infrastructure and Environment Committee recommends that:

1. City Council endorse the recommended design for the reconstruction of Yonge Street from Florence Avenue / Avondale Avenue to the Finch Hydro Corridor as generally shown in Attachment 1 to the report (November 17, 2020) from the General Manager, Transportation Services and refinements shown in Attachment 2 to the report (November 17, 2020) from the General Manager, Transportation Services.

2. City Council authorize the General Manager, Transportation Services to issue a Notice of Study Completion and file the REimagining Yonge Environmental Assessment Study in in the public record for a minimum 30 days, in accordance with the requirements of the Municipal Class Environmental Assessment.

Yonge Street from south of Sheppard Avenue to north of Finch Avenue is in the heart of North York Centre - one of four dynamic mixed-use Centres in Toronto with plans focused on growth of commercial office and residential uses existing side by side. Improving Centres outside the core is critical to balanced growth and prosperity across the City and it is also key to the affordability of City services since new employment uses have a positive impact on City finances.

Centres with a healthy mix of land uses help take pressure off public transit infrastructure and roads as they encourage people to live, work and play within a centralized geography.

The North York Centre Service Roads - comprised of Doris Avenue and Beecroft Road - form a ring road around the North York Centre, east and west of Yonge Street were planned and constructed to support traffic capacity, growth, and convenient rear access to residential, retail, and office buildings on Yonge Street. Supported by this broader transportation network, Yonge Street is envisioned as a Complete Street that provides a range of transportation options and safe passage to the many destinations in this vibrant, growing neighbourhood. 

Despite being second to Downtown in civic importance, scale, and growth, investment in the state of good repair and the quality of the Yonge Street streetscape has not kept pace with the area's transportation network and the scale and density of development. As a transportation asset, Yonge Street is at the end of its lifecycle - with full reconstruction for Yonge Street required within five to eight years.

Today, the area has numerous challenges including boulevards that have deteriorated to such a degree that full reconstruction is necessary, sub-standard (narrow) sidewalk

widths and few opportunities for safe pedestrian crossings, as well as an overall need to improve safety and health outcomes for people who walk and cycle.

Yonge Street, between Sheppard Avenue and Steeles Avenue, has been identified as a priority corridor for safety improvements under the Vision Zero Road Safety Plan.

Transportation Services has carried out a Municipal Class Environmental Assessment, referred to as "REimagining Yonge" that considers how the street can be improved at the time of reconstruction.

The overarching goals of the "REimagining Yonge" project are to:

- facilitate efficient movement of people, surface transit, and general traffic through better utilization of North York Centre's road network;

- improve safety and reduce the number of people who are killed and seriously injured on the street in keeping with the City's Vision Zero Road Safety Plan;

- improve vibrancy of the streetscape in keeping with the economic importance of North York Centre; and

- address state-of-good repair along the corridor.

“Transform Yonge" is recommended as the preferred alternative as it best supports these goals, as well as the City's broader policy objectives such as the City's Climate Action Strategy - TransformTO.

On March 5, 2018 the Board of Health requested the Medical Officer of Health to collaborate with Transportation Services to ensure health benefits are maximized through the REimagining Yonge study. Toronto Public Health’s research identify “Transform Yonge” as the preferred alternative which best delivers on the evidence-based design principles that promote health. It has many elements that facilitate physical activity and promote safety, especially for vulnerable road users.  Toronto Public Health noted that the “Transform Yonge” alternative provides greater connectivity, a diverse mix of land use and densities that encourage social interaction and invite active living better than other scenarios considered.

North York Centre - Transportation Network Integration and Phasing

As directed by Council in March 2018, Transportation Services has worked with the Toronto Transit Commission and other transit agencies (York Region Transit and GO Transit), to determine the surface transit operational impacts associated with the “Transform Yonge” alternative.

The updated modelling work compared the base future 2031 “Do Nothing” scenario against the 2031 “Transform Yonge” alternative (including transit mitigation measures). Both the “Do Nothing” scenario and “Transform Yonge” alternative include the North York Service Road extension that would link Doris Avenue and Tradewind Avenue south of Sheppard Avenue and east of Yonge Street. The results identified “Transform Yonge” as the preferred alternative to improving surface transit operations in 2031, as it does not hinder the long-term operational performance of surface transit buses along Yonge Street.

Prior to proceeding with the “Transform Yonge” alternative, other planned network improvements are recommended to be in place. The Doris Avenue (South Service Road), and Beecroft Road (north to Drewry Avenue) extensions are two integral pieces of transportation network infrastructure required to support growth and development priorities in North York Centre. The North York Centre: Doris Avenue Extension (South Service Road) Environmental Assessment Addendum, is being reported concurrently with this report. It is recommended that in order for the vision of REimagining Yonge to proceed, at least the initial phases of both the Doris Avenue and Beecroft Avenue extensions will need to be in place.

The Infrastructure and Environment Committee recommends that:

1. City Council authorize the General Manager, Transportation Services to issue a Notice of Completion and to file the Environmental Study Report Addendum for the North York Centre South Service Road Environmental Assessment Addendum Study in the public record for a minimum 30 days in accordance with the requirements of the Municipal Class Environmental Assessment.

The plan for North York Centre - one of four dynamic mixed-use Centres in Toronto - is focused on growth of commercial office and residential uses existing side by side. Centres with a healthy mix of uses help take pressure off public transit infrastructure and roads, as they encourage people to live, work and play within a centralized geography.

The North York Centre Service Roads - comprised of Doris Avenue and Beecroft Road - form a ring road around the North York Centre, east and west of Yonge Street.

The Service Roads serve several purposes, including:

- connecting North York Centre with a finer grained transportation network in order to better manage traffic flow along Yonge Street and other alternate routes;

- providing convenient rear access to residential, retail, and office buildings on Yonge Street; and

- forming a boundary for the high-rise development within North York Centre in relation to the adjacent stable residential neighbourhoods.

The completion of the southeastern portion of the Service Road that would link Doris Avenue and Tradewind Avenue across Sheppard Avenue and east of Yonge Street was first studied in detail in a 1996 Environmental Assessment, followed by an Environmental Assessment Addendum in 1998. In 2013, the study was reopened to address important changes in the study area, including extensive high-rise development in North York Centre. 

In the intervening period, various options for connecting Doris Avenue and Tradewind Avenue across Sheppard Avenue have been re-assessed (and presented to both Council and the public) with the objective of improving traffic flow to better accommodate growth in North York Centre and mitigating impacts to private property.  

As a result of the review that has been undertaken, this Environmental Assessment Addendum recommends a two phased approach as follows:

Phase 1 – Interim Condition:

- Tradewind Avenue would be extended up to Sheppard Avenue East.

- This would result in an offset intersection at Tradewind Avenue / Sheppard Avenue East and Doris Avenue / Sheppard Avenue.

- Traffic signal phasing would be coordinated at the offset intersection to optimize traffic flow.

- Bonnington Place would be closed off in a cul-de-sac south of Sheppard Avenue East, as proposed in the 1998 Environmental Assessment.

- This was identified as Option C in the Environmental Assessment process, and would complete a portion of the future condition intersection, south of Sheppard Avenue.

Phase 2 – Future Condition:

- Doris Avenue would be realigned approaching Sheppard Avenue East to meet the northern extension of Tradewind Avenue, as described above.

- This would result in a single four-legged intersection, with a skew on the north-east quadrant.

- The appropriate timing of implementation of this future condition would be subject to property acquisition and completion of detailed design to minimize impacts where possible.

- This is a revised version of Option B identified in the Environmental Assessment process.

Based on the traffic analysis completed, while ultimately a single intersection would provide the most improvement for traffic flow in the North York Centre, the interim condition would also improve the overall performance of the future network when compared to the Future Do Nothing Scenario, and could be implemented sooner, at less cost, and with less impact to private property. As such, it is recommended that detailed design and property acquisition required for the Interim Condition be initiated following the formal completion of the North York Centre South Service Road Municipal Class Environmental Assessment Addendum.

North York Centre - Transportation Network Integration

The Doris Avenue extension (South Service Road) is one of two integral pieces of transportation network infrastructure (the other being Beecroft Road extension north to Drewry Avenue) required to support growth and development priorities in North York Centre. The North York Centre: REimagining Yonge Environmental Assessment, is being reported concurrently with this report on the Doris Avenue Extension. It is recommended that in order for the vision of REimagining Yonge to proceed, at least the initial phases of both the Doris Avenue and Beecroft Avenue extensions will need to be in place.

The Infrastructure and Environment Committee recommends that:

1. City Council authorize the General Manager, Transportation Services to execute a Project Delivery Agreement with Waterfront Toronto, on terms and conditions satisfactory to the General Manager, Transportation Services, and in a form satisfactory to the City Solicitor, for the reconstruction of Lake Shore Boulevard East between the Don River and Carlaw Avenue, including the Lake Shore Boulevard bridge and all required active transportation and public realm components.

2. City Council direct City staff to continue working in consultation with Waterfront Toronto and the staff of the local Councillors' offices to coordinate and implement a public outreach and information program related to traffic mitigation for the duration of the project.

This report recommends that City Council authorize staff to enter into a Project Delivery Agreement with Waterfront Toronto for the purpose of reconstructing Lake Shore Boulevard East from the Don River to Carlaw Avenue, in accordance with the approved Environmental Assessment for the Port Lands Flood Protection project and the Council-adopted Gardiner Strategic Rehabilitation Plan. Waterfront Toronto would deliver the project, including the reconstruction of the existing Lake Shore Boulevard East bridge over the Don River, as well as active transportation and public realm components outlined in the Gardiner East EA. The preparation of an operations and maintenance manual for the completed project would also be undertaken by Waterfront Toronto.

The Port Lands Flood Protection project will provide permanent flood protection for approximately 290 hectares or 715 acres of land through the creation of a new, naturalized mouth of the Don River and other significant flood protection measures (e.g., river valley, wetlands, natural habitat, sediment management facility and other structures). In addition, the project will deliver the essential municipal services (e.g., roads, bridges, sewers, water supply, etc.) that must be undertaken concurrently with the flood protection works for technical and logistical reasons.

Widening the Don River mouth is a key requirement for achieving permanent flood protection in the Lower Don area. As such, the existing Lake Shore Boulevard bridge over the Don River must be lengthened from two bays to four, to accommodate flow discharges during flooding events. Additionally, the Gardiner East EA requires that the Lake Shore Boulevard bridge be widened to at least seven lanes in order to accommodate the expected increase in traffic resulting from the planned removal of the Gardiner's access ramps to Logan Avenue. Furthermore, the existing Lake Shore Boulevard bridge deck and girders are at the end of their service life and need to be replaced and/or extensively refurbished.

In June 2020, City Council directed City staff to enter into a Project Delivery Agreement with Waterfront Toronto to undertake detailed design, and to assess the potential advantages of combining relevant aspects of the Port Lands Flood Protection and Gardiner East EAs as a single project. Waterfront Toronto has, accordingly, completed its detailed design and due diligence assignment, and has delivered a cost estimate and a preliminary construction phasing plan. Waterfront Toronto continues to work on a traffic assessment and a traffic mitigation plan, in close consultation with City staff.

Based on the results of the design and due diligence work described above, City staff have concluded that a single project approach is the most efficient and practical method for implementing the components of the two EAs that apply to Lake Shore Boulevard East between the Don River and Carlaw Avenue. City staff are recommending that Council authorize staff to enter into a Project Delivery Agreement with Waterfront Toronto for the construction phase of the project.

The following is a summary of some of the key advantages of undertaking the work described in this report as a single project:

- Potential cost savings through economies of scale and minimization of "throw away" costs, i.e.: eliminate the requirement to provide temporary structural support for the removal of the Gardiner access ramps at Logan Avenue in advance of bridge construction. Waterfront Toronto estimates that these potential savings would be at least $35 million

- Reduced construction schedule impacts, with a savings of four years of scheduled construction

- Minimization of health and safety risks associated with undertaking heavy bridge work in the significantly confined space under the elevated Gardiner Expressway

- A one-time shorter duration disruption to vehicular traffic on Lake Shore Boulevard East, with 25 fewer months of disruption 
 

Given the extent of the project scope, significant disruption to vehicular traffic in the area is anticipated. In addition to undertaking the traffic impact assessment noted above, Waterfront Toronto and City staff are in the process of identifying and finalizing mitigation strategies and a new Construction Hub Pilot was proposed for the area as part of the MoveTO Congestion Management Interim Action Plan considered by City Council in October 2020. Details of the proposed mitigation and recommended actions will be subject to public outreach and information sessions in early 2021.  

In order to ensure permanent flood protection is provided by 2024, construction needs to commence in the third quarter of 2021. Accordingly, a public outreach and information program will be undertaken by Waterfront Toronto in consultation with staff from Transportation Services, Engineering and Construction Services, City Planning and offices of the local area Councillors.

The Infrastructure and Environment Committee recommends that:

1. City Council amend the Community Safety Zones as set out in Attachment 1 to the report (November 17, 2020) from the General Manager, Transportation Services.

2. City Council prohibit southbound right turns on a red signal at all times on Keele Street at York Boulevard / Canarctic Drive. 

3. City Council request the General Manager, Transportation Services to also consider, as part of the review and implementation for right-turn on red prohibitions, the implementation of other road safety improvements such as turn signal adjustments, reducing curb radii, and / or protected intersections where feasible and appropriate.

4. City Council refer the following recommendation to the North York Community Council for consideration:

That City Council reduce the speed limit from 60 kilometres per hour to 50 kilometres per hour on the following road segments:

a. Lawrence Avenue East, between Don Mills Road and Woodcliff Place; and

b. York Mills Road, between Bayview Avenue and Don Mills Road.

The purpose of this report is to respond to a number of requests made by City Council of the General Manager, Transportation Services concerning the following road safety items:

- evaluation of city-wide major arterial speed limit reductions;

- review of student project idea: Pedestrian Avoidance Warning System (P.A.W.S.);

- MOVE update and sharing traffic volume and collision data;

- Right Turn on Red Prohibition Strategy, including research on the impact of driver frustration on road safety;

- improving road safety of school age children through Automated Speed Enforcement; and

- 2020 collision trends to date.

In addition to responding to Council's requests, Transportation Services is also recommending the following items as part of the continued implementation of the Vision Zero 2.0 Road Safety Plan:

- additional major arterial speed limit changes to support the Speed Management Strategy;

- prohibition of right-turn-on-red movements at one location, with an additional 15 locations tentatively identified for future implementation; and

- Designation of additional Community Safety Zones at private high schools to support school safety and Automated Speed Enforcement.
 

- Update on Speed Management Strategy Evaluation: Transportation Services staff have assessed the impacts of the city-wide major arterial speed limit reductions that were implemented as part of the Vision Zero 2.0 - Road Safety Plan update approved in July 2019. This report outlines that, while the available data is limited, there is evidence that the speed limit reductions have resulted in some reductions in operating speeds of vehicles compared to similar control segments. The results support a continued pursuance of the Speed Management Strategy. Additional major arterial speed limit changes to support the Speed Management Strategy are recommended in this report.

- Review of Student Project Idea: Pedestrian Avoidance Warning System (P.A.W.S.): After review of the idea and looking at the potential benefits and drawbacks, this report does not recommend the development of a pilot, but highlights other ongoing initiatives aimed at addressing vulnerable road user safety at signalized intersections.

- MOVE Update and Sharing Traffic Volume and Collision Data: In December 2019, City Council approved a non-competitive contract with Code for Canada to supply a development team that will work over an 18 month period to transition a prototype software, MOVE to an active application used by over 100 city staff in their daily work, while retiring the legacy systems CRASH and FLOW. When fully deployed, MOVE will significantly reduce the data collection bottleneck, reducing service delivery times across a number of key programs including neighbourhood traffic investigations, school crossing guard investigations, corridor safety audits, reviews of road classification, signal coordination studies and road designs. Once developed, the MOVE platform will allow staff to manage volume data from all multi-modal data collection devices in the city and aggregate it to provide a summarized view of current trends.

- Right Turn on Red Prohibition Strategy, including Impact of Driver Frustration on Road Safety: Transportation Services staff have considered a blanket city-wide ban on right-turns-on-red (RTOR) and found that there would be a potential safety benefit at some locations, but that at other locations, introducing RTOR prohibitions may result in less safe conditions for people walking and cycling. To that end, staff have developed a strategy to identify intersection locations that would benefit from proactive RTOR prohibitions. Transportation Services staff have performed a literature review and have found no evidence that driver frustration, from practices such as RTOR prohibitions or speed limit reductions, result in increased safety concerns. This report recommends the prohibition of RTOR at 15 locations.

- Improving Road Safety of School Age Children through Automated Speed Enforcement: This report outlines the process for determining the allocation of Automated Speed Enforcement (ASE) cameras at schools within designated Community Safety Zones. In addition, the report identifies ongoing capacity challenges with having a greater share of ASE cameras at schools that are on major arterial roads.

- 2020 Collisions Trends to Date: Transportation Services staff have been closely monitoring the traffic patterns and collision data in 2020 to determine the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. The overall collision numbers have shown a significant reduction in serious injury and fatality collisions to date. It is suspected that the majority of this decrease is due to the reduced traffic volumes that resulted from the pandemic.

The Infrastructure and Environment Committee recommends that:

1. City Council request the General Manager, Transportation Services to report to the Infrastructure and Environment Committee, before issuing future Request For Proposals or contract extensions for road salt storage or application, on the feasibility of moving towards alternatives to, or further reduction in, salt usage.

On June 29, 2020, City Council considered item IE12.13, requesting the General Manager, Transportation Services to audit the existing road salt contracts to ensure that road salt is being applied in accordance with the City's Salt Management Plan in advance of issuing the tender for the next road salt contracts and to provide a response on the use of road salt and the environmental impacts.

The Infrastructure and Environment Committee recommends that:

1. City Council support the feasibility of placing a Traffic Agent at Allen Road and Eglinton Avenue to support the Toronto Police in its efforts to deal with traffic safety in that area.

At its virtual meeting held on September 17, 2020, the Toronto Police Services Board (Board) was in receipt of a report dated August 26, 2020, from Ryan Teschner, Executive Director and Chief of Staff, with respect to City of Toronto Council Decision – Metrolinx Eglinton Crosstown Light Rail Transit - Traffic and Pedestrian Safety Management along Eglinton Avenue West between William R. Allen Road and Old Park Road.

The Board approved the foregoing report and the following recommendations:

1. Refer this report to the Chief of Police to consider increasing Traffic enforcement in the area east of the Allen Road on Eglinton Avenue West from Glenarden Road/ Westover Hill Road to the Allen Road to deal with the unprecedented traffic safety concerns in the area of the Eglinton Crosstown construction.

 
2. Forward a copy of this report to the Infrastructure and Environment Committee.

The Infrastructure and Environment Committee submits the Item to City Council without recommendation.

This report provides an overview of the current Operations, Maintenance and Construction contract at the City's Green Lane Landfill and provides details of benefits to the City and cost savings to support the extension of the contract with CRA Landfill Operations Limited.

The Planning and Housing Committee recommends that:

1. City Council adopt Official Plan Amendment 482, Protected Major Transit Station Areas, for the Finch West Transit Station Area and Sentinel Transit Station Area, substantially in accordance with Attachment 1 to the report (November 24, 2020) from the Chief Planner and Executive Director, City Planning.

2. City Council authorize the Chief Planner and Executive Director, City Planning to seek approval of the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing of Official Plan Amendment 482, Protected Major Transit Station Areas, for Finch West Transit Station Area and Sentinel Transit Station Area, under Section 17 of the Planning Act for Protected Major Transit Station Areas pursuant to Section 16(15) of the Planning Act.

3. City Council adopt Official Plan Amendment 483, Keele Finch Secondary Plan, substantially in accordance with Attachment 2 to the report (November 24, 2020) from the Chief Planner and Executive Director, City Planning.

4. City Council direct the City Solicitor to withhold the introduction of the necessary Bill for Official Plan Amendment 483, Keele Finch Secondary Plan, until such time as:

a. the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing makes a decision on Official Plan Amendment 482, Protected Major Transit Station Area, for the Finch West Transit Station Area and Sentinel Transit Station Area; and,

b. the Chief Planner and Executive Director, City Planning confirms to the City Solicitor that Official Plan Amendment 483, Keele Finch Secondary Plan, does not require any changes, beyond stylistic and technical changes as may be required as a result of the Minister's decision.

5. City Council authorize the City Solicitor to make such stylistic and technical changes to the draft Official Plan Amendments, as may be required.

6. City Council classify the lands identified in Attachment 3 to the report (November 24, 2020) from the Chief Planner and Executive Director, City Planning, designated Mixed Use Areas located east of Keele Street within the Keele Finch Secondary Plan area as a Class 4 noise area pursuant to Publication NPC-300 (Ministry of Environment and Climate Change Environmental Noise Guideline - Stationary and Transportation Sources - Approval and Planning, August 2013).

7. City Council direct the Chief Planner and Executive Director, City Planning to review the Zoning By-law for the Keele Finch Secondary Plan area to comply with Official Plan Amendments 482 and 483 upon the Amendments coming into full force and effect. 

The Planning and Housing Committee held a statutory public meeting on December 8, 2020, and notice was given in accordance with the Planning Act.

The Project Manager, Strategic Initiatives Policy and Analysis, City Planning gave a presentation on the Keele Finch Plus Planning Study.

The Keele Finch Plus Study was initiated in 2016 to develop a plan to guide future growth and change for the area around Keele Street and Finch Avenue West. The study leverages recent and planned rapid transit investment and encourages transit-supportive development. Following extensive review and consultation on the study, this report recommends adoption of a Secondary Plan for the Keele Finch study area and associated amendments to the Official Plan. The OPA provides a balanced plan to encourage growth, place-making and community building, leverages transit investment, and provides for compatible land uses and built form. Approximately 10,500 people currently live in the Keele Finch area, and there are approximately 8,000 jobs. The Secondary Plan provides for an estimated population of up to 23,000 to 29,000 people, and up to 25,000 jobs over the long term.

This report also recommends adoption of a second OPA to delineate two protected major transit station areas (PMTSAs), brought forward as Site and Area Specific Policies, pertaining to the Finch West Transit Station Area and Sentinel Transit Station Area. The PMTSAs are in accordance with the prescribed requirements as outlined in Section 16 of the Planning Act.

The OPAs have regard to matters of Provincial interest listed in Section 2 of the Planning Act, are consistent with the Provincial Policy Statement (2020) and conform with the A Place to Grow: Growth Plan for the Greater Golden Horseshoe (2020). Further, the OPAs are also consistent with the general intent of the City's Official Plan.

The Planning and Housing Committee recommends that:

1. City Council amend City of Toronto Municipal Code Chapter 441, Fees and Charges and Chapter 442, Fees and Charges, Administration of, to establish a new Employment Areas Conversion Request User Fee of $20,000 per conversion request received from December 18, 2020 up to and including August 3, 2021.

2. City Council authorize the City Solicitor to introduce the necessary bills to give effect to City Council's decision, and appropriate City staff be authorized and directed to take the necessary actions to give effect thereto.

The City's Official Plan Growth Plan Conformity and Municipal Comprehensive Review (MCR) commenced on August 4, 2020.  The Work Plan adopted by City Council defines a year-long window between which City staff will receive formal written requests to convert lands designated as Core Employment Areas and General Employment Areas.  Conversion and Removal Policies for Employment Areas are provided in Official Plan policies 2.2.4.14 to 2.2.4.18.

Upon receipt of a conversion request, division staff work together to consider and evaluate the request.  The process includes reviewing the material submitted in support of the request; staff research on the site and surrounding area; and, the preparation of recommendations to City Council.  This equates to a cost of about $20,000 in salaries and benefits, indirect costs, and capital costs to the City for each conversion request.  The City's User Fee Policy states that user fees will be set to recover the full cost of a service where it is determined that it provides direct benefits to identifiable individuals, groups of individuals or businesses, beyond those that accrue to the general public.

This report provides details on City Planning staff's recommended new Employment Areas Conversion Request User Fee of $20,000 per request.  The recommended fee would only apply to requests received from December 18, 2020 up to and including August 3, 2021.  The fee would be waived in circumstances where a complete application for an Official Plan Amendment (OPA) has been received for the same address(es), including payment of the OPA application fee.

The Planning and Housing Committee recommends that:

Apartment Building Rating System

1.  City Council amend Toronto Municipal Code Chapter 354, Apartment Buildings, as follows:

a.  Require apartment building owners and operators to post a rating sign in a form satisfactory to the Executive Director, Municipal Licensing and Standards, displaying the evaluation score of the apartment building near the entrance and in a prominent location visible from the outside the apartment building to those entering or passing by the apartment building.

b.  Require apartment building owners and operators to ensure the rating sign is well-maintained, secured, and posted at all times.

2.  City Council direct the Executive Director, Municipal Licensing and Standards to develop colour-coded rating signs to include red, yellow, light green, and dark green based on the evaluation score of the building.

Fees

3.  City Council establish a fee to be applied when an application to re-evaluate an apartment building is submitted as detailed in Table 1 and amend the Toronto Municipal Code, Chapter 441, Fees and Charges accordingly.

Table 1: Chapter 441 Apartment Building Re-evaluation Application Fee

4.  City Council establish a fee for the replacement of an apartment building rating sign, as detailed in Table 2 and amend the Toronto Municipal Code, Chapter 441, Fees and Charges accordingly.

Table 2: Chapter 441 Apartment Building Rating Sign Re-issuance Fee

5.  City Council waive the fees in Recommendations 3 and 4 above for the following social housing providers:

a.  Toronto Community Housing Corporation;

b.  Non-profit providers of assisted or social housing under a program administered by the City of Toronto; and

c.  Dedicated supportive housing providers funded by the Province of Ontario.

Additional Amendments

6.  City Council direct that the following changes be made to the Toronto Municipal Code Chapter 354, Apartment Buildings:

a.  Amend Section 354-3.2 to require apartment building owners/operators to post their waste management plan on the tenant notification board.

b.  Amend Section 354-3.7 to clarify that the state of good repair plan for each apartment building must be developed and maintained in a form and manner satisfactory to the Executive Director, Municipal Licensing and Standards.

c.  Add a provision that the mailing address, email address, and phone number provided to Municipal Licensing and Standards through the registration and renewal process is up to date at all times, and that any written communication to an apartment building owner/operator from Municipal Licensing and Standards shall be deemed received by the owner/operator when delivered to the mailing address or email address on file.

d.  Add a provision that in addition to services required by statutory authority, notice may also be given by email as it relates to the property of a registered apartment building owner/operator.

Technical Amendments

7.  City Council amend Section 442-6 of the Toronto Municipal Code, Chapter 442, Fees and Charges, Administration of, to state that a service set out in Appendix C, Schedule 12 of Chapter 441, Fees and Charges that has been provided by the City or on the City's behalf shall be paid for by the person or persons receiving the service whether or not they requested the service.

8.  City Council direct that the following changes be made to the Toronto Municipal Code Chapter 354, Apartment Buildings:

a.  Amend Section 354-2.1 to require that building owners and operators provide an email address as part of the apartment building registration and renewal processes.

b.  Delete Section 354-7-1F and replace with the following: "When a corporation fails to comply with an order or other direction made under this Chapter, every director or officer who concurs in such contravention is guilty of an offence and on conviction is liable to a fine of no more than $100,000." 

Effective Dates for By-law Changes

9.  City Council direct that the changes to the Toronto Municipal Code Chapter 354, Apartment Buildings, and Toronto Municipal Code Chapter 441, Fees and Charges come into effect on June 1, 2021.

10.  City Council direct that the changes to the Toronto Municipal Chapter 442, Fees and Charges, Administration of, come into effect once adopted by City Council.

11. City Council request the Executive Director, Municipal Licensing and Standards to provide annual reporting with available data on RentSafeTO, broken down by year and category of request (heat, pests, etc.), including but not limited to:

a.  Number of service requests by category;
b.  Average and median initial investigation response time;
c.  Average and median total investigation time;
d.  Number of remedial actions taken;
e.  Number of times fines were imposed and the amounts
f.  Number of service requests outstanding;
g.  Number of service requests closed;
h.  Number of building audits performed;
i.  Number of orders to comply issued as a result of service requests;
j.  Number of orders to comply issued as a result of audits;
k.  Number of orders submitted to the courts; and
l.  Number of orders resolved by the courts.

The Planning and Housing Committee:

1.  Requested the Executive Director, Municipal Licensing and Standards to report to the December 16, 2020 meeting of City Council with available data on RentSafeTO, broken down by year and category of request (heat, pests, etc.), including but not limited to:

a.  Number of service requests by category;

b.  Average and median initial investigation response time;
c.  Average and median total investigation time;
d.  Number of remedial actions taken;
e.  Number of times fines were imposed and the amounts
f.  Number of service requests outstanding;
g.  Number of service requests closed;
h.  Number of building audits performed;
i.  Number of orders to comply issued as a result of service requests;
j.  Number of orders to comply issued as a result of audits;
k.  Number of orders submitted to the courts; and
l.  Number of orders resolved by the courts.

The Executive Director, Municipal Licensing and Standards gave a presentation on RentSafeTO: Colour-coded Rating System, By-law Amendments, and Program Updates.

As directed by City Council in November 2019, this report proposes the creation of a colour-coded rating system for apartment buildings in Toronto and responds to outstanding directives related to the RentSafeTO program. This report was initially expected at the Planning and Housing Committee in April 2020, but was delayed as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The RentSafeTO program is the first of its kind in Canada and builds on the City's previous Multi-Residential Apartment Buildings program. The objectives of the program are to strengthen enforcement of City by-laws, enhance tenant engagement and access to information, and promote proactive maintenance in apartment buildings to prevent the deterioration of critical housing stock. The program applies to all apartment buildings with 3 or more storeys and 10 or more units; this accounts for 30% of Toronto's residents who live in approximately 3,500 apartment buildings across the city.

The proposed apartment building rating system is modeled after the City's DineSafe program administered by Toronto Public Health, and the RentLogic program in New York City. The rating system would require apartment building owners/operators to display a colour-coded rating sign near the entrance in a prominent location visible to both tenants and the public. The rating sign would display the building's most recent evaluation score, provide information on the next evaluation or audit, and explain how to submit a service request to the City. All apartment building ratings will also be easily accessible on the City's webpage.

Buildings that score 50% or below would receive a red rating sign and the City would complete a full audit of the building. Buildings with a score between 51% and 65% would receive a yellow rating and be re-evaluated within a year. Buildings with a score between 66% and 85% will receive a light green rating and be re-evaluated within two years. Buildings with a score of 86% and above will receive a dark green rating and will be re-evaluated within three years. The majority of buildings currently fall into the light green rating category.

The proposed apartment building rating system also introduces a process to allow building owners to apply for a re-evaluation. This is intended to encourage apartment building owners/operators to make improvements, and supports the overall objective of the RentSafeTO program to ensure apartment building owners/operators comply with building maintenance standards and continuously improve the quality of rental housing stock in Toronto. This process will be new and separate from existing standard protocols (that is, where By-law Enforcement Officers follow up on Orders to Comply or Notices of Violation issued to property owners to confirm compliance). A process to address downward movement in a rating (for example, a high-scoring building develops deficiencies prior to the next scheduled evaluation) is currently being designed.

To support the implementation of the colour-coded rating system, this report recommends a cost-recovery fee of $316.06 for a re-evaluation application, as well as a $26.88 fee for the cost to re-issue a rating sign. These fees would be waived for social housing providers, as defined in this report.

In February 2020, staff undertook a public consultation process to gather feedback on a potential rating system and fees. This included an online survey that had 1,930 respondents and a public consultation meeting with approximately 100 attendees. Residents were generally supportive of the proposed rating system, with higher support among renters in apartment buildings. Owners/operators of apartment buildings were generally not supportive of the proposed rating system. Survey respondents liked the readability of the signs and commented that the proposed system may increase accountability and transparency. Respondents highlighted concerns about the evaluation criteria that informs the rating score and the potential of colour-coded signs to shame or stigmatize tenants living in low-scoring buildings.

This report addresses other outstanding directives related to Chapter 354, Apartment Buildings. This includes an update on changes to the criteria and approach used to evaluate apartment buildings, the feasibility of mandating insurance coverage, increased fines for non-compliance with the Apartment Buildings By-law, and an update on the Voluntary Tenant Contact List related to heat in apartment buildings.

This report also provides updates on divisional initiatives that will have an impact on the RentSafeTO program, such as improvements to internal processes to better undertake remedial action, standard operating procedures and service standards, and details on the planning and implementation of an administrative penalty system.

Last, this report outlines the City's COVID-19 pandemic emergency response efforts as they relate to the RentSafeTO program, including the enforcement of temporary health and safety measures in apartment buildings, and provides an update on recent operational improvements.

This report was written in consultation with Shelter, Support and Housing Administration (SSHA), Social Development, Finance and Administration (SDFA), Housing Secretariat, Legal Services, Solid Waste Management Services, and the Resilience Office.

The Planning and Housing Committee recommends that:

1. City Council authorize that up to 275 additional affordable rental units to be constructed on the lands known as Blocks 8/20 and Blocks 3W, 4W and 7W in the West Don Lands be exempt from the payment of development charges, building permit, planning application and parkland dedication fees and charges.

 
2. City Council authorize an exemption from taxation for municipal and school purposes for the additional 275 affordable rental units to be constructed on the lands known as Blocks 8/20 and Blocks 3W, 4W and 7W in the West Don Lands for a period of 99 years.

 
3. City Council authorize City staff to cancel or refund any taxes paid after the effective date of the tax exemption.

 
4. City Council authorize the Executive Director, Housing Secretariat to negotiate and enter into, on behalf of the City, a municipal housing facility agreement(s) with WDL 3/4/7 LP, by its general manager WDL 3/4/7 GP Inc., WDL 8 LP, by its general manager WDL 8 GP Inc. and/or its affiliates, to secure the financial incentives being provided through the Open Door Program on terms and conditions satisfactory to the Executive Director, Housing Secretariat and in a form approved by the City Solicitor.

In October 2017, City Council approved Open Door Program incentives for up to 390 affordable rental housing units to be constructed on the eight-acre site known as Blocks 8/20 and Blocks 3W, 4W and 7W in the West Don Lands under the Provincial Affordable Housing Lands Program.

In May 2019, City Council approved Open Door Program incentives for an additional 33 affordable rental units, plus an extension of the affordability period from 49 to 99 years.

This report provides an update on the Provincial Affordable Housing Lands Program and recommends City Council approval of Open Door Program incentives for up to an additional 275 affordable rental units at the Blocks 3W, 4W, and 7W and Block 20. This includes exemptions from payment of development charges, building, planning and parkland dedication fees and charges, and taxation for municipal and school purposes for the affordable homes.

At the present time, it is anticipated that up to 698 affordable rental units in total will be created in the West Don Lands through the Provincial Lands Affordable Housing Program, with 10 percent of all affordable units to be three-bedroom and 10 percent to be four-bedroom units.

The Planning and Housing Committee recommends that:  

1. City Council repeal City of Toronto Municipal Code Chapter 797, Tenant Support Grant Program.

2. City Council authorize the General Manager, Shelter, Support and Housing Administration, to administer a Tenant Support Grant Program in accordance with program guidelines, which may be updated at the discretion of the General Manager, Shelter, Support and Housing Administration, to ensure the program supports the preservation of affordable rental housing in Toronto.

3. City Council direct the General Manager, Shelter, Support and Housing Administration, to include as part of the Division’s 2021 Budget Submission, an increase of $25,000 to the Tenant Defense Fund to maintain the current service levels of 100 grants per year given the increase in available funding per grant from $1,000 to $1,250; and a further $75,000 to provide sufficient funds given the expanded role of the Tenant Defence Fund and the impacts of lockdowns during the 2020 pandemic which resulted in many residents losing wages and thus facing severe challenges with paying rent.

At its meeting on November 23, 2020, the Subcommittee on the Protection of Affordable Rental Housing considered Item RH4.1, a report (November 4, 2020) from the General Manager, Shelter, Support and Housing Administration on Tenant Support Grant Program Updates.

The Tenant Defence Fund (TDF) was created in late 1999 in response to the creation of the Provincial Tenant Protection Act, 1997. The TDF has two components: (1) a Tenant Support Grant Program for tenants to access legal representation to fight above guideline rent increases and (2) an Outreach and Organizing program to support tenant groups accessing a Tenant Support Grant. The TDF is complemented by a Tenant Hotline that provides telephone information services for private market tenants in Toronto.

The Tenant Support Grant Program is currently prescribed in Municipal Code Chapter 797. Meeting the requirements of a codified program, while also accommodating the quickly changing circumstances of private market tenancies in Toronto, is challenging, and some of administrative components of the program set out in Municipal Code Chapter 797 have become barriers to tenants attempting to access the Tenant Support Grant Program during the COVID-19 pandemic.

This report recommends program updates to increase the flexibility and streamline the administration of the Tenant Support Grant Program. The proposed updates will improve the safety and efficiency of grant processing during the COVID-19 pandemic. In order to facilitate the recommended program updates, this report recommends repealing Municipal Code Chapter 797 and replacing it with modified program guidelines.

The Planning and Housing Committee submits the item to City Council without recommendations.

The Planning and Housing Committee:

1. Directed staff to report directly to the December 16 and 17, 2020 City Council meeting with a review of any programs, funding sources, and legislative tools available to the Government of Canada, the Province of Ontario, and the City of Toronto to provide housing in the next several weeks.

The City of Toronto has taken extraordinary actions to deal with the housing crisis during the pandemic, but hundreds of people are still living outdoors. As the cold weather approaches, we must do more. However we cannot do it without the assistance of other orders of government.

Since the start of the pandemic, the City of Toronto has created 2,300 spaces in new temporary shelter and hotel programs for physical distancing.

The City has also referred more than 2,500 people experiencing homelessness to permanent housing through a combination of housing allowances and rent-geared-to-income units

There are more than 6,000 shelter spaces in the city today.

Through the City’s Streets to Homes teams and partner agencies, the City has helped more than 1,100 people move inside from encampments since the pandemic began. In the past two weeks, alone, 110 people have accepted offers to move inside.

The City’s winter services plan has also begun operations. Adding 620 additional spaces over the winter, this year’s plan offers more space than any other previous year and includes shelter space, hotel space and permanent housing. For the first time, there are four warming centres, an increase from one, across the city when an extreme cold weather alert is called.

The City offers 24-hour respite sites and drop-ins for infection prevention and control (IPAC), personal protective equipment (PPE), and is distributing more than 100,000 pieces of PPE to the homelessness sector each week for use by staff. The City screens staff and clients in shelters daily and refers anyone with symptoms to provincial assessment centres. Clients awaiting test results and those who test positive are transferred to a recovery/isolation site with medical supports.

All of these housing, shelter and respite spaces include medical supports, like mental health and addiction counselling, meals, clean linen and access to showers, to ensure people don’t return to living outside.

In April 2020, the City launched the Modular Housing Initiative that opens 100 new supportive homes by the end of the year. In 2021, an additional 150 modular supportive homes will also be created for people experiencing homelessness. Through the federal Rapid Housing Initiative, the City will be able to add a minimum of 417 affordable and supportive homes ready for occupancy by end of 2021.

Despite all of this, hundreds of people are still living outdoors.

Living outside is not safe. As of December 2, the City has identified 395 tents in 66 sites in parks across Toronto. This number includes wooden structures, tents and green pods. Encampments in parks and other public spaces pose a significant risk of fire and other hazards to those living in an encampment, as well as to emergency responders when called to a site. Open flames, generators and unsafe wiring, combined with the storage of gasoline, propane and other highly flammable substances makes living outside extremely dangerous.

To date this year, Toronto Fire Services has responded to 216 fires in encampments. That is a 218% increase over the same period in 2019. Sadly, one person has died as a result of an encampment fire this year. Seven people have lost their lives as a result of encampments fires in Toronto since 2010.

The recent emergence of makeshift shelters and pods in encampments represent a significantly increased danger to those who use them and anyone in the vicinity if these structures were to be involved in a fire. These pods are highly combustible, particularly those constructed of polystyrene insulation. They do not meet the definition of a structure under the provisions of the Ontario Building Code or Ontario Fire Code, but regardless, the City is significantly concerned about the unsafe conditions living outside – be it a tent or other structure – presents.

The installation of smoke and/or CO alarms do not mitigate risks, and are insufficient in providing fire safety and, in fact, may provide a false sense of security for those in them. Any fire is a risk for those in these structures, as well as to the community. Early detection of smoke, fire and/or carbon monoxide in an outdoor environment is highly unreliable due to temperature and humidity fluctuations. Given the highly combustible nature of these pods, for example, escaping a fire without serious injury is highly unlikely.

Despite all this work and public investment, demand for housing and shelter remains higher than ever before, and the system is at or near capacity most nights. This is why the City continues to open new space and has renewed calls for government partners to continue the cooperative work to implement more housing solutions.

The Striking Committee recommends that City Council adopt the following:

A.  Executive Committee:

(one member)

City Council appoint the following Member to the Executive Committee for a term of office from January 1, 2021 to November 14, 2022 and until a successor is appointed:

Councillor James Pasternak

The following Members are already appointed to the Executive Committee by virtue of position or having been appointed by Mayor John Tory as a Committee Chair:

Mayor John Tory, Chair

Deputy Mayor Denzil Minnan-Wong, Vice-Chair

Councillor Michael Thompson, Chair, Economic and Community Development Committee

Councillor Paul Ainslie, Chair, General Government and Licensing Committee

Councillor Jennifer McKelvie, Chair, Infrastructure and Environment Committee, effective December 21, 2020

Councillor Ana Bailão, Chair, Planning and Housing Committee

Councillor Gary Crawford, Chair, Budget Committee

B.  Standing Committees:

City Council appoint the following Members to the Standing Committees for a term of office from January 1, 2021 to November 14, 2022 and until successors are appointed:

1.  Economic and Community Development Committee

(five members)

Councillor Shelley Carroll

Councillor Joe Cressy

Councillor Michael Ford

Councillor Mark Grimes

Councillor Cynthia Lai

Councillor Michael Thompson having already been appointed Chair by the Mayor, under Council's Procedures.

2.  General Government and Licensing Committee

(five members)

Councillor John Filion

Councillor Stephen Holyday

Councillor Josh Matlow

Councillor Frances Nunziata

Councillor Paul Ainslie having already been appointed Chair by the Mayor, under Council's Procedures.

3.  Infrastructure and Environment Committee

(five members)

Councillor Mike Colle

Councillor Mike Layton

Deputy Mayor Denzil Minnan-Wong

Councillor James Pasternak

Councillor Anthony Perruzza

Councillor Jennifer McKelvie has been appointed Chair by the Mayor, under Council's Procedures, effective December 21, 2020.

4.  Planning and Housing Committee

(five members)

Councillor Brad Bradford

Councillor Paula Fletcher

Councillor Frances Nunziata

Councillor Gord Perks

Councillor Kristyn Wong-Tam

Councillor Ana Bailão having already been appointed Chair by the Mayor, under Council's Procedures.

C.  Special Committees:

City Council appoint the following Members to the Special Committees for a term of office from January 1, 2021 to November 14, 2022 and until successors are appointed:

1.  Audit Committee

(five members)

Councillor John Filion

Councillor Michael Ford

Councillor Stephen Holyday

Councillor Josh Matlow

Councillor Frances Nunziata

The Audit Committee elects its Chair from its Members.

2.  Budget Committee

(five members plus a Chair appointed by the Mayor)

Councillor Brad Bradford

Councillor Shelley Carroll

Councillor Mike Layton

Councillor Jennifer McKelvie

Councillor Frances Nunziata

Councillor Gary Crawford having already been appointed Chair by the Mayor, under Council's Procedures.

3.  Civic Appointments Committee

(five members including the Mayor or the Mayor’s designate as Chair, appointed by the Mayor)

Councillor Gary Crawford

Councillor Cynthia Lai

Councillor Mike Layton

Councillor Frances Nunziata

Deputy Mayor Denzil Minnan-Wong having already been appointed as the Mayor's designate as Chair, under Council's Procedures.

D.  Corporations

City Council appoint the following Members to corporations:

1.  Toronto Community Housing Corporation

(two members plus the Mayor or designate appointed by Council)

Councillor Ana Bailão

Councillor Paula Fletcher

Councillor Frances Nunziata as the Mayor's designate

for a term of office from January 1, 2021 to November 14, 2022 and until successors are appointed.

2.  Toronto Hydro Corporation

(two members plus the Mayor or designate appointed by Council)

Councillor Paul Ainslie

Councillor Stephen Holyday as the Mayor's designate

Deputy Mayor Denzil Minnan-Wong

for a term of office from January 1, 2021 to November 14, 2022 and until successors are appointed.

E.  City Boards

City Council appoint the following Members to City boards:

1.  Board of Health

(six members)

Councillor Paul Ainslie

Councillor Brad Bradford

Councillor Joe Cressy

Councillor Mike Layton

Councillor Gord Perks

Councillor Kristyn Wong-Tam

for a term of office from January 1, 2021 to November 14, 2022 and until successors are appointed. 

2.  CreateTO Board of Directors

(one member plus the Mayor or designate appointed by the Mayor)

Councillor Ana Bailão

for a term of office from January 1, 2021 to November 14, 2022 and until a successor is appointed.

Councillor Paula Fletcher is the Mayor's designate.

Members are also appointed to the Board of Directors of Build Toronto and the Toronto Port Lands Company.

3.  Exhibition Place Board of Governors

(four members plus the Mayor or designate appointed by Council)

Councillor Gary Crawford

Councillor Joe Cressy

Councillor Michael Ford

Councillor Mark Grimes, Chair and as the Mayor's designate

Councillor Anthony Perruzza

for a term of office from January 1, 2021 to November 14, 2022 and until successors are appointed.

4.  TO Live Board of Directors

(two members plus the Mayor or designate appointed by the Mayor - the Ward Councillors for the area in which the theatres are located (Wards 13, Toronto Centre and 18, Willowdale) have first right of appointment)

Councillor John Filion, Ward 18, Willowdale, has elected to take a seat on the TO Live Board of Directors; and

Councillor Kristyn Wong-Tam, Ward 13, Toronto Centre, has elected to take a seat on the TO Live Board of Directors;

for a term of office from January 1, 2021 to November 14, 2022 and until successors are appointed.

Councillor Gary Crawford is the Mayor's designate.

5.  Toronto Atmospheric Fund Board of Directors

(two members plus the Mayor or designate appointed by the Mayor)

Councillor Brad Bradford

Councillor Shelley Carroll

for a term of office from January 1, 2021 to November 14, 2022 and until a successor is appointed;

Councillor Mike Layton is the Mayor's designate.

6.  Toronto Parking Authority

(two members)

Councillor Brad Bradford

Councillor Mike Layton

for a term of office from January 1, 2021 to November 14, 2022 and until successors are appointed.

7.  Toronto Police Services Board

(two members plus the Mayor)

Councillor Michael Ford

Councillor Frances Nunziata

for a term of office from January 1, 2021 to November 14, 2022 and until successors are appointed.

Mayor John Tory sits on the Toronto Police Services Board.

8.  Toronto Transit Commission

(six members, including the Chair)

Councillor Brad Bradford

Councillor Shelley Carroll

Councillor Jennifer McKelvie

Deputy Mayor Denzil Minnan-Wong

Councillor Jaye Robinson, Chair

for a term of office from January 1, 2021 to November 14, 2022 and until successors are appointed.

Councillor Cynthia Lai was previously appointed to the Toronto Transit Commission for a term of office from October 30, 2020 to November 14, 2022 and until a successor is appointed.

9.  Toronto Zoo Board of Management

(two members plus the Mayor or designate appointed by the Mayor)

Councillor Paul Ainslie, Chair

Councillor Jennifer McKelvie

for a term of office from January 1, 2021 to November 14, 2022 and until successors are appointed.

Councillor Cynthia Lai is the Mayor's designate.

F.  Heritage Boards

City Council appoint the following Members to City heritage boards: 

1.  Heritage Toronto Board of Directors

(one member plus the Mayor or designate appointed by the Mayor)

Councillor Paula Fletcher

for a term of office from January 1, 2021 to November 14, 2022 and until a successor is appointed.

Councillor Mike Colle is the Mayor's designate.

2.  Toronto Preservation Board

(one member)

Councillor Mike Layton

for a term of office from January 1, 2021 to November 14, 2022 and until a successor is appointed.

G.  Other City Bodies

City Council appoint the following members to other City Bodies:

1.  Committee of Revision

(five members composed of the Deputy Mayor and the four Community Council Chairs – appointed by virtue of position)

Deputy Mayor Denzil Minnan-Wong

Chair, Etobicoke York Community Council

Chair, North York Community Council

Chair, Scarborough Community Council

Chair, Toronto and East York Community Council

for a term of office coincident with holding these positions.

2.  Debenture Committee

(four members composed of the Mayor, the Budget Committee Chair, the City Manager and the Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer)

Mayor John Tory, as Chair

Councillor Gary Crawford, Chair, Budget Committee as Vice-Chair

City Manager

Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer

for a term of office coincident with holding these positions.

3.  Aboriginal Affairs Advisory Committee

(one member)

Councillor Mike Layton

for a term of office from January 1, 2021 and ending November 14, 2022.

4.  Confronting Anti-Black Racism Advisory Committee

(one member as Chair appointed by Council)

Councillor Michael Thompson, Chair

for a term of office from January 1, 2021 and ending November 14, 2022.

5. Film, Television and Digital Media Advisory Board

(three members including one member as Chair appointed by Council)

Councillor Brad Bradford

Councillor Shelley Carroll

Councillor Paula Fletcher, Chair

for a term of office from January 1, 2021 and ending November 14, 2022.

6.  Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer and Two-Spirit (LGBTQ2S+) Advisory Committee

(two members including one member as Chair appointed by Council)

Councillor Paul Ainslie

Councillor Kristyn Wong-Tam, Chair

for a term of office from January 1, 2021 and ending November 14, 2022.

7.  Toronto Accessibility Advisory Committee

(one member as Chair appointed by Council)

Councillor Kristyn Wong-Tam, as Chair

for a term of office from January 1, 2021 to November 14, 2022 and until a successor is appointed.

8.  Toronto Francophone Affairs Advisory Committee

(one member as Chair appointed by Council)

Councillor Jennifer McKelvie, as Chair

for a term of office from January 1, 2021 and ending November 14, 2022.

9.  Toronto Music Advisory Committee

(two members plus the Chair of the Economic and Community Development Committee)

Councillor Ana Bailão

Councillor Brad Bradford, Chair

Councillor Michael Thompson, Chair of the Economic and Community Development Committee

H.  External Boards and Committees

City Council appoint the following Members to external boards and committees:

1.  Art Gallery of Ontario Board of Trustees

(two Members of Council, one of whom is the Councillor for the Ward in which the main gallery building is located)

Councillor Jaye Robinson

for a term of office from January 1, 2021 to November 14, 2022 and until a successor is appointed.

Councillor Joe Cressy, Ward 10, Spadina - Fort York, has been appointed to the Art Gallery of Ontario Board of Trustees for the term.

2.  Artscape Toronto

(one member)

Councillor Brad Bradford

for a term of office from January 1, 2021 to November 14, 2022 and until a successor is appointed.

3.  Canadian Film Centre Board of Directors

(one member)

Councillor Jaye Robinson

for a term of office from January 1, 2021 to November 14, 2022 and until a successor is appointed.

4.  Canadian National Exhibition Association, Municipal Section and Board of Directors

(five members plus the Mayor who is a Member by right of office)

Councillor Paul Ainslie

Councillor Stephen Holyday

Councillor Cynthia Lai

Councillor Mike Layton

Councillor Anthony Perruzza

for a term of office from December 1, 2020 to the Annual Meeting in the Spring of 2022 and until successors are appointed.

Mayor John Tory is a member by right of office.

5.  Canadian Stage Company Board of Directors

(one member)

Councillor Paula Fletcher

for a term of office from January 1, 2021 to November 14, 2022 and until a successor is appointed.

6.  Greater Toronto Airports Authority (GTAA) Consultative Committee

(two nominees for appointment)

Councillor Brad Bradford

Councillor Michael Ford

for a term of office from January 1, 2021 to November 14, 2022 and until a successor is appointed.

7.  Greater Toronto Area Agricultural Action Committee (GTA AAC)

(one member)

That City Council identify one Member for appointment for a term of office from January 1, 2021 to November 14, 2022 and until a successor is appointed.

for a term of office from January 1, 2021 to November 14, 2022 and until a successor is appointed

8.  Guild Renaissance Group Board of Directors

(one member)

Councillor Paul Ainslie

for a term of office from January 1, 2021 to November 14, 2022 and until a successor is appointed.

9.  Harbourfront Centre Board of Directors

(one member)

Councillor Joe Cressy

for a term of office from January 1, 2021 to November 14, 2022 and until a successor is appointed.

10.  Hockey Hall of Fame Board of Directors

(three nominees for appointment)

Councillor Mark Grimes

Councillor Stephen Holyday

Councillor Anthony Perruzza

nominated for appointment at the Annual Meeting in Spring 2021 to the Annual Meeting in Spring 2022.

11.  Housing Services Corporation

(one nominee for appointment)

That City Council identify one Member to be nominated for appointment for a term of office from January 1, 2021 to November 14, 2022 and until a successor is appointed.

for a term of office from January 1, 2021 to November 14, 2022 and until a successor is appointed.

12.  Toronto and Region Conservation Authority

(seven members)

Councillor Paul Ainslie

Councillor Shelley Carroll

Councillor Paula Fletcher

Councillor Mike Layton

Councillor Josh Matlow

Councillor James Pasternak

Councillor Anthony Perruzza

for a term of office from January 1, 2021 to November 14, 2022 and until a successor is appointed.

13.  Toronto and Region Conservation Authority Partners in Project Green: Executive Steering Committee

(one member)

Councillor Anthony Perruzza

for a term of office from January 1, 2021 to November 14, 2022 and until a successor is appointed.

14.  Toronto Arts Council

(two members)

Councillor Brad Bradford

Councillor Gary Crawford

for a term of office from January 1, 2021 to November 14, 2022 and until successors are appointed. 

15.  Toronto Symphony Board of Directors

(one member)

Councillor Jaye Robinson

for a term of office from January 1, 2021 to November 14, 2022 and until a successor is appointed.

The purpose of this report is to recommend Council Member mid-term appointments to City Council.

The Etobicoke York Community Council recommends that:

1. City Council direct the City Solicitor, together with appropriate City staff, to attend the Local Planning Appeal Tribunal (LPAT) hearing to oppose the applicant's appeal of the Zoning By-law Amendment application for 80 Thirtieth Street.

2. City Council authorize the City Solicitor and appropriate City staff to continue discussions with the applicant to address the issues outlined in this report and to report back to City Council on the outcome of discussions, if necessary.

3. In the event the Local Planning Appeal Tribunal (LPAT) allows the appeal in whole or in part, City Council direct the City Solicitor to request the LPAT to withhold the issuance of any Order(s) on the appeal for the subject lands until such time as:

a. The proposed Zoning By-law Amendment is in a final form satisfactory to the Chief Planner and Executive Director, City Planning and the City Solicitor;

b. The owner has agreed to the peer review of the Derailment Protection Report by the City's Peer Reviewer, at the owner's expense, to determine the appropriate building setback from the rail corridor and mitigation measures to the satisfaction of Metrolinx, the Chief Planner and Executive Director, City Planning and the City Solicitor;

c. The owner has submitted a revised Environmental Noise and Vibration Assessment to be further peer reviewed at the owner's expense and resolved to the satisfaction of the Chief Planner and Executive Director, City Planning and the City Solicitor;

d. The owner has submitted a revised Functional Servicing and Stormwater Management Report to determine the stormwater runoff, sanitary flow and water supply demand resulting from this development and whether there is adequate capacity in the existing municipal infrastructure to accommodate the proposed development to the satisfaction of the Chief Engineer and Executive Director, Engineering and Construction Services;

e. The owner has entered into the appropriate agreement with the City for the design, construction and provision of financial securities for any improvements to the municipal infrastructure to the satisfaction of the Chief Engineer and Executive Director, Engineering and Construction Services, should it be determined that improvements or upgrades are required to the infrastructure to accommodate this development;

f. The owner has provided space within the development for the installation of maintenance access holes and sampling ports on the private side, as close to the property line as possible, for both the storm and sanitary service connections, in accordance with the Sewers By-law Chapter 681;

g. The owner has submitted a revised Transportation Operations Review to the satisfaction to the General Manager, Transportation Services; and

h. The owner has submitted a revised Landscape Plan, all requirements and related approval processes of the City’s Tree By-laws have been completed and all Tree Preservation matters are resolved to the satisfaction of the General Manager, Parks, Forestry and Recreation.

The owner of the site at 80 Thirtieth Street has appealed the Zoning By-law Amendment application for these lands to the Local Planning Appeal Tribunal (LPAT) citing City Council's failure to make a decision on the application within the time period prescribed under the Planning Act. A Case Management Conference has been requested.

The application proposes to amend City-wide Zoning By-law 569-2013 to permit 14 back-to-back townhouse units in one block. The proposed townhouse units would be 4-storeys (14.5 metres) in height and have a total residential gross floor area of 1,993 m², representing a Floor Space Index of 0.92 times the area of the lot. The application proposes 18 surface parking spaces adjacent to the rail corridor and 14 parking spaces integral to the townhouses.

The purpose of this report is to seek City Council's direction for the City Solicitor and other appropriate City staff to attend the Local Planning Appeal Tribunal hearing to oppose the applications, as currently proposed. The proposed development is not consistent with the Provincial Policy Statement (2020) and does not conform with the Growth Plan for the Greater Golden Horseshoe (2020), the Official Plan, the Zoning By-law, rail safety criteria for new development adjacent to rail corridors, the City's Townhouse and Low-Rise Apartment Guidelines nor the Long Branch Neighbourhood Character Guidelines.

The Provincial Policy Statement (the PPS) provides policy direction on matters of provincial interest related to land use planning and development. Key objectives include: building strong communities; wise use and management of resources; and protecting public health and safety. City Council's planning decisions are required to be consistent with the PPS.

The Growth Plan for the Greater Golden Horseshoe provides a framework for managing growth in the Greater Golden Horseshoe including: directions for where and how to grow; the provision of infrastructure to support growth; and protecting natural systems and cultivating a culture of conservation. City Council's planning decisions are required to conform, or not conflict, with the Growth Plan. The policies contained in the Growth Plan are to be read in conjunction with all applicable provisions of the PPS.

Both these documents are high-level and broad reaching. The City is a development area and infill is encouraged under these policies. Policy 4.6 of the PPS states that the most important method of implementing the policies is a municipality's Official Plan which guides the method of intensification and where it should be focused. While the proposed development would achieve the goals of residential intensification, the development in its current form fails to conform to the Built Form and Neighbourhoods policies of the City of Toronto Official Plan and therefore is not consistent with the PPS. The proposed development does not represent good planning and is not in the public interest.

Staff are of the opinion that the consideration of the location and massing of the proposed development is premature until the Derailment Protection Report has been appropriately peer reviewed and accepted by both the City and Metrolinx. The subject site abuts a very active rail corridor and any redevelopment of this site must address concerns related to the risk to health and safety in the event of a rail accident as well as noise and vibration from regular operation of the rail line. The Derailment Protection Report must be satisfactorily reviewed to determine if the proposed building setback and mitigation measures are sufficient for the proposed development.

The Etobicoke York Community Council recommends that:  

1. City Council include the following properties on the City of Toronto's Heritage Register:

96 Superior Avenue

214 Queens Avenue

2. City Council request that the Senior Manager, Heritage Planning prepare a report for the Toronto Preservation Board and the Etobicoke York Community Council that evaluates the two surviving Frederic J. A. Davidson Cottages located at 96 Superior Avenue and 214 Queens Avenue against the criteria prescribed under Ontario Regulation 9/06 – Criteria for Determining Cultural Heritage Value or Interest for the purposes of municipal designation under Part IV, Section 29 of the Ontario Heritage Act, and provides recommendations related to the properties' designation at the March 10, 2021 meeting of City Council.

This report recommends that the three properties at 96-98 Superior Avenue and 214 Queens Avenue be included on the City of Toronto's Heritage Register and that City Council state its intention to designate the property at 98 Superior Avenue under Part IV, Section 29 of the Ontario Heritage Act.

Located on the west side of Superior and Queens avenues at the convergence of the two streets, just south of Cavell Avenue and the CN railway, the three subject properties contain a fine, unique collection of early-20th century stone cottages in the Mimico area.

Staff have determined that all three properties have cultural heritage value and recommend that City Council include the properties at 96-98 Superior Avenue and 214 Queens Avenue on the City of Toronto's Heritage Register. The property at 98 Superior Avenue has design value as a well-designed house-form building constructed in 1923 that incorporates elements of the British-inspired Cottage style with its symmetrically-arranged principal elevation and stone cladding. The property represents one dwelling in a fine collection of three stone cottages (along with 96 Superior Avenue and 214 Queens Avenue) that is unique in the Mimico area.

The Province and the City's policies seek the conservation of cultural heritage resources. The property at 98 Superior Avenue is the subject of a Committee of Adjustment application, which was deferred at the August 2020 meeting at the request of both the local councillor and the Senior Manager, Heritage Planning, to allow time for staff to research and evaluate the property for cultural heritage value. Subsequently an application to demolish the existing building on the property at 98 Superior Avenue was submitted to Toronto Building Department on November 2, 2020. Designation supports conservation of the property as it enables City Council to refuse demolition.

At its meeting on November 30, 2020, the Toronto Preservation Board considered Item PB19.4, a report (November 9, 2020) from the Senior Manager, Heritage Planning, Urban Design, City Planning on Inclusion on the City of Toronto's Heritage Register, 96-98 Superior Avenue and 214 Queens Avenue and Intention to Designate under Part IV, Section 29 of the Ontario Heritage Act - 98 Superior Avenue.

This report recommends that the three properties at 96-98 Superior Avenue and 214 Queens Avenue be included on the City of Toronto's Heritage Register and that City Council state its intention to designate the property at 98 Superior Avenue under Part IV, Section 29 of the Ontario Heritage Act.

Located on the west side of Superior and Queens avenues at the convergence of the two streets, just south of Cavell Avenue and the CN railway, the three subject properties contain a fine, unique collection of early-20th century stone cottages in the Mimico area.

Staff have determined that all three properties have cultural heritage value and recommend that City Council include the properties at 96-98 Superior Avenue and 214 Queens Avenue on the City of Toronto's Heritage Register. The property at 98 Superior Avenue has design value as a well-designed house-form building constructed in 1923 that incorporates elements of the British-inspired Cottage style with its symmetrically-arranged principal elevation and stone cladding. The property represents one dwelling in a fine collection of three stone cottages (along with 96 Superior Avenue and 214 Queens Avenue) that is unique in the Mimico area.

The Province and the City's policies seek the conservation of cultural heritage resources. The property at 98 Superior Avenue is the subject of a Committee of Adjustment application, which was deferred at the August 2020 meeting at the request of both the local councillor and the Senior Manager, Heritage Planning, to allow time for staff to research and evaluate the property for cultural heritage value. Subsequently an application to demolish the existing building on the property at 98 Superior Avenue was submitted to Toronto Building Department on November 2, 2020. Designation supports conservation of the property as it enables City Council to refuse demolition.

The Etobicoke York Community Council recommends that:

1. City Council request the City Clerk (Polling Registry Services) to poll eligible householders in English or any other language specified by Community Council, on Church Street, between Grattan Street and Cypress Street, to determine if property owners/occupants support the installation of traffic calming islands, according to the City of Toronto Traffic Calming Policy.

2. Subject to favourable results of the poll;

a. City Council authorize the installation of five traffic calming islands on Church Street, between Grattan Street and Cypress Street.

b. City Council direct the City Solicitor to prepare a by-law to alter sections of the roadway on Church Street for traffic calming enhancement, generally as shown on Drawing EY20-040A, dated October 2020 and circulated to residents during the polling process.

As the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) operates bus service on Church Street, City Council approval of this report is required.

Transportation Services is requesting approval to install traffic calming islands on Church Street, between Grattan Street and Cypress Street. Staff's assessment indicates that the criteria as set out in the Traffic Calming Policy has been satisfied. Therefore, traffic calming islands can be installed on this section of Church Street, subject to positive results of the traffic calming poll.

The Etobicoke York Community Council recommends that:

1.  City Council exempt the implementation of Permit Parking on Silverthorn Avenue, between Kenora Crescent and Aileen Avenue from the requirements of subsection 925-4B of City of Toronto Municipal Code Chapter 925, Permit Parking, until such time as Etobicoke York Community Council considers a request for implementation of Permit Parking at this location.

My office has received a number of requests for permit parking on this block of Silverthorn Avenue. Although signage indicates permit parking, Transportation Services staff have confirmed this block is not authorized. Rather than remove the signs, I would like to license this block to maintain the permit signage and allow residents the ability to be eligible for permits. Unfortunately due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the City was unable to conduct the polling process.

Subsection 925-4B, provides that:

Where permit parking is not currently available and where a petition requesting permit parking signed by the residents of a minimum of 25% of the total number of residential premises having a residential address on the street or the flank of the street is submitted to the General Manager, a poll shall be conducted in accordance with Chapter 190, Polling and Notification, to determine if the residents wish to have permit parking on their road or area, as the case may be. In the event of a positive polling result, the General Manager shall report such result to the appropriate community council, which community council under delegated authority, shall be authorized to pass any necessary by-laws to implement permit parking on the road or area. In the event of a negative result, permit parking shall not be extended to the road or area, and no further permit parking poll shall be conducted for a period of two years

I am seeking an exemption from the requirements of subsection 925-4B of City of Toronto Municipal Code Chapter 925, Permit Parking as a means of helping residents of Silverthorn Avenue obtain parking permits.

The Etobicoke York Community Council recommends that:

1. City Council authorize the installation of traffic control signals at the intersection of Islington Avenue and Orrell Avenue/Finchley Road.

As the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) operates bus service on Islington Avenue, City Council approval of this report is required.

Transportation Services is requesting approval to install traffic control signals at the intersection of Islington Avenue and Orrell Avenue/Finchley Road. Traffic control signals will provide enhanced safety for vulnerable road users.

The Etobicoke York Community Council recommends that:

1. City Council designate Burnhamthorpe Road, between Dundas Street West and Kipling Avenue as a Community Safety Zone and amend Municipal Code Chapter 950, Traffic and Parking, accordingly.

The Etobicoke York Community Council:

1. Requested Transportation Services staff to conduct traffic studies as soon as possible to identify and expedite any potential recommendations to improve safety on Burnhamthorpe Road between Dundas Street West and Kipling Avenue. 

2. Requested Transportation Services staff to report to the March 3, 2021 meeting of the Community Council on possible measures to improve safety on Burnhamthorpe Road between Dundas Street West and Kipling Avenue, such as: reducing the speed limit; installing permanent Watch Your Speed signage; installing physical barriers such as guardrails; reducing the number of lanes; pedestrian crossing protection; road re-classification; and any additional signage i.e. "hidden driveway" etc.

On March 12, 2020, Etobicoke York Community Council adopted my motion EY14.16 which directed Transportation Services to report back to the June 9, 2020 meeting of Community Council on all possible measures to improve safety on Burnhamthorpe Road between Dundas Street West and Kipling Avenue. 

Specifically, staff were asked to investigate opportunities which included but not limited to: reducing the speed limit; enacting a Community Safety Zone; installing permanent Watch Your Speed signage; reducing the number of lanes; pedestrian crossing protection; road re-classification; and any additional signage i.e. "hidden driveway" etc..

Transportation Services staff must conduct traffic studies before implementing many of the measures listed above.

Due to impacts of COVID-19, Transportation Services was not able to report back to the Etobicoke York Community Council on June 9, 2020. Traffic studies were suspended effective March 19, 2020, and Traffic Operations staff were reassigned to other priority projects within the City, therefore, a report to the June 9, 2020 Etobicoke York Community Council was not provided.  I am requesting that Transportation Services staff report to the next possible meeting of Etobicoke York Community Council with responses to each of the urgent safety requests listed above.

North York Community Council recommends that:

1. City Council amend Zoning By-law 7625, as amended, for the lands at 3401 Dufferin Street and 1 Yorkdale Road substantially in accordance with the draft Zoning By-law Amendment attached as Attachment No. 3 to this report (November 13, 2020) from the Acting Director, Community Planning, North York District.

2. City Council authorize the City Solicitor to make such stylistic and technical changes to the draft Zoning By-law Amendment as may be required.

North York Community Council held a statutory public meeting on December 3, 2020, and notice was given in accordance with the Planning Act.

This application proposes to amend the parking provisions in the site-specific by-law at 3401 Dufferin Street and 1 Yorkdale Road.

The proposed development is consistent with the Provincial Policy Statement (2020), conforms with A Place to Grow: Growth Plan for the Greater Golden Horseshoe (2020) and conforms with the Official Plan.

This report reviews and recommends approval of the application to amend the zoning by-law's parking requirements. Parking requirements for the site are currently based on a site-specific zoning by-law which is outdated and based on a specific gross leasable floor area (GLFA) which includes below grade storage, an area which does not generate any parking demand. The revised parking rates are intended to reflect a contemporary approach to parking in a way that is flexible to ensure future needs of retail tenants can be met.

North York Community Council recommends that:

1. City Council amend the Official Plan Number 208, for the lands at 5799 to 5915 Yonge Street, 45 and 53 Cummer Avenue, and 46 and 47 Averill Crescent substantially in accordance with the draft Official Plan Amendment attached as Attachment No. 3 to this report (November 13, 2020) from the Acting Director, Community Planning, North York District.

2. City Council amend Zoning By-law No. 7625, as amended, for the lands at 5799 to 5915 Yonge Street, 45 and 53 Cummer Avenue, and 46 and 47 Averill Crescent substantially in accordance with the draft Zoning By-law Amendment attached as Attachment No. 4 to this report (November 13, 2020) from the Acting Director, Community Planning, North York District.

3. City Council authorize the City Solicitor to make such stylistic and technical changes to the draft Official Plan Amendment and/or draft Zoning By-law Amendment as may be required.

4. Before introducing the necessary Bills to City Council for enactment, City Council require the Owner to enter into an amending Agreement pursuant to Section 37 of the Planning Act to secure the following community benefits:

a. the Owner provide for an expanded Community Recreation Facility of a minimum of 5190 square metres, finished, including a daycare of 900 square metres, and an abutting 300 square metres of outdoor play space, and subject to the following:

i. design and construction shall conform with City regulations, guidelines and design criteria;

ii. all materials, products, finishes, devices, signs, appliances and systems shall be designed with regard for the demands of an intensively used public building operated and maintained by the City;

iii. 11 parking spaces shall be provided to the City at no cost;

iv. prior to condominium registration containing the second tower of Phase 2/Block 2, the Owner will convey the Community Recreation Facility, as freehold strata title, to the satisfaction of the General Manager, Parks, Forestry and Recreation; and

v. the City and the Owner will enter into such reciprocal and cost agreements and provide such easements as are commercially reasonable and typical of a multiple-use, stratified, multiple-owner, integrated development block.

b. City Council authorize the City of Toronto to enter into, and the General Manager, Parks, Forestry and Recreation to execute on behalf of the City, a Construction Management Agreement with the Owner for the construction of the Community Recreation Facility, on terms and conditions deemed necessary and appropriate by the General Manager, Parks, Forestry and Recreation and the City Solicitor, in accordance with City policies applicable to capital projects;

c. City Council authorize the City of Toronto to enter into, and the General Manager, Parks, Forestry and Recreation to execute on behalf of the City, any other ancillary agreements necessary to complete construction of the Community Recreation Facility, on terms and conditions satisfactory to the General Manager, Parks, Forestry and Recreation and the City Solicitor;

d. City Council authorize the General Manager, Parks Forestry and Recreation to transfer up to $3.9 million from Parks, Forestry and Recreation, subject to entering into a Construction Project Agreement with the Owner, to fund the City's agreed cash portion for the development of the Community Recreation Facility; and

e. The following matters are also recommended to be secured in the Section 37 Agreement as a legal convenience to support the development:

i. Parks, Forestry and Recreation requirements around design, construction and specifications for the build out of the Community Recreation Facility, as described in Recommendations 4(a)(ii) and (iii), to the satisfaction of the General Manager, Parks, Forestry and Recreation.

North York Community Council held a statutory public meeting on December 3, 2020, and notice was given in accordance with the Planning Act.

In 2011 the owner of Newtonbrook Plaza (5799 to 5915 Yonge Street) made Official Plan and Zoning By-law Amendment applications to permit the redevelopment of the site to a mixed-use project.  The owner appealed Council's failure to make a decision to the Ontario Municipal Board, now the Local Planning Appeal Tribunal (LPAT).  The City and the owner settled the appeals at the City Council meeting of July 7, 2015.  One of the terms of the settlement was that the owner would construct a community recreation facility, including a daycare, having an area of 3,232 square metres.  Since the settlement, it has been determined that the size of the community recreation facility is not large enough to make optimal use of the City's programs and functions. 

City staff have had some discussion with the owner and they are amenable to entertaining an expansion of the community recreation facility subject to further increases in height and density and other permissions from the City.  On October 7, 2020, North York Community Council authorized staff to enter into discussions with the owner to explore the possibility of increasing the size of the proposed community recreation facility and to report back to North York Community Council no later than December 3, 2020 with possible mechanisms of implementation.  This report outlines the details of the expansion of the community recreation facility in exchange for certain permissions in height and density and attaches the proposed City-initiated Official Plan and Zoning By-law amendments to implement these changes as well as a financial analysis of proposed costs to the City.

The proposed development is consistent with the Provincial Policy Statement (2020), conforms with A Place to Grow: Growth Plan for the Greater Golden Horseshoe (2020), and also conforms to the City's Official Plan.

This report reviews and recommends approval of the City-initiated application to amend the Official Plan and Zoning By-law to expand the community recreation facility and to increase the height and density of approved mixed-use buildings in Phase 2/Block 2.  The expanded community recreation facility will result in an improvement to the community services for the North York City Centre, will help it develop as a complete community and it represents good planning.  The increased height and density in Phase 2/Block 2 respects the existing and planned built form context in the surrounding area and meets the objective of the built form and urban design policies of the Official Plan and the North York Centre Secondary Plan.

North York Community Council recommends that:

1. City Council direct the City Solicitor, together with appropriate City staff, to attend the Local Planning Appeal Tribunal (LPAT) to oppose the Official Plan and Zoning By-law Amendment applications in their current form for reasons as set out in this report (November 16, 2020) from the Acting Director, Community Planning, North York District, for 41 Chatsworth Drive.

2. City Council authorize the City Solicitor and appropriate City staff to continue discussions with the applicant and to seek revisions to the applications in an attempt to resolve the issues outlined in this report (November 16, 2020) from the Acting Director, Community Planning, North York District.

3. In the event the LPAT allows the appeal in whole or in part, City Council direct the City Solicitor to request the LPAT to withhold the issuance of any Order(s) on the Official Plan and Zoning By-law Amendment appeal for the subject lands until such time as:

a. the final form and content of the draft Official Plan and Zoning By-law Amendments are satisfactory to the Chief Planner and Executive Director, City Planning and the City Solicitor;

b. the Local Planning Appeal Tribunal has received confirmation from the City Solicitor that:

i. the Owner has at his sole expense provided a revised Functional Servicing Plan and Report and Stormwater Management Report, Hydrogeological Assessment Review, including the Foundation Drainage Report, and a Functional Road Plan and Pavement Marking and Signage Plan, all to be satisfactory to the Chief Engineer and Executive Director, Engineering and Construction Services, and the General Manager, Toronto Water;

ii. the Owner has submitted revised architectural plans and an updated shadow study reflecting the proposal, such plans and shadow study to be to the satisfaction of the Chief Planner and Executive Director, City Planning;

iii. the Owner has provided specific transportation demand management measures to meet the Toronto Green Standard v3 requirements AQ1.1, to reduce single occupancy auto vehicle trips generated by the proposed development by 15%;

iv. the Owner has provided a revised Arborist Report which accurately details the proposed effect of the project on the City owned trees and accurately details present conditions and size of the subject trees, to the satisfaction of General Manager, Parks, Forestry and Recreation;

v. the Owner has provided a revised Landscaping Plan showing soil volumes, species and planting details for the proposed trees to be planted on the City owned right of way to the satisfaction of General Manager, Parks, Forestry and Recreation;

vi. the Owner has submitted an updated complete Toronto Green Standards (TGS) Checklist and Statistics Template;

vii. the Owner has addressed the requirements of the Toronto and Region Conservation Authority as per their memo dated March 7, 2018; and

viii. all other required plans and reports have been submitted and accepted by relevant City Divisions and external agencies to enable the City to complete the review of the Official Plan and Zoning By-law Amendment applications.

This application proposes to amend the Official Plan and Zoning By-law to permit a 4 storey, 43-unit residential condominium building with 89 parking spaces on two and a half levels of a below-grade parking structure at 41 Chatsworth Drive. The 8,667 square metre building would have a height of 17.56 metres (exclusive of the mechanical penthouse) along Chatsworth Drive and a gross density of 1.96 times the lot area.

The applicant has appealed the Official Plan and Zoning By-law Amendments to the Local Planning Appeal Tribunal (LPAT).  The appeal was made citing Council's failure to make a decision on the application within the timeframe prescribed by the Planning Act.  A Case Management Conference was held on October 6, 2020. A further Case Management Conference is scheduled for January 12, 2021.  A Hearing date has not been scheduled.

In its current form, the proposed development is not consistent with the Provincial Policy Statement (2020) and does not conform with A Place to Grow: Growth Plan for the Greater Golden Horseshoe (2020), the City of Toronto Official Plan and the Townhouse and Low-Rise Apartment Guidelines.

This report reviews and recommends that the City Solicitor together with City Planning staff and other appropriate staff be directed to oppose the application in its current form at the LPAT.  This report also recommends that despite the applicant's appeal of the Official Plan and Zoning By-law Amendment application to the LPAT, City Planning staff continue to work with the applicant to address the issues raised in this report.

North York Community Council recommends that:

1. City Council direct the City Solicitor and appropriate City Staff to attend the Local Planning Appeal Tribunal to oppose the Zoning By-law Amendment Application for 16 Kirtling Place in its current form.

2. City Council direct the City Solicitor and appropriate staff to continue discussions with the applicant in an attempt to resolve issues outlined in this report (November 16, 2020) from the Acting Director, Community Planning, North York District.

3. In the event that the Local Planning Appeal Tribunal allows the appeals in whole or in part, City Council direct the City Solicitor to request that the Local Planning Appeal Tribunal withhold its Order until such time as the Tribunal has been advised by the City Solicitor that:

a. The final form and content of the draft zoning by-law amendments are satisfactory to the City Solicitor and Chief Planner and Executive Director, City Planning; and

b. The owner has addressed the comments in the Engineering and Construction Services memo dated December 24, 2019, as applicable, to the satisfaction of the Chief Engineer and Executive Director, Engineering and Construction Services.

4. City Council authorize the City Solicitor and necessary City staff to take such necessary steps, as required, to implement the foregoing.

On November 1, 2019, an application to amend the Zoning By-law was submitted to the City of Toronto for 16 Kirtling Place (the "Site"), which proposes to amend City of Toronto Zoning By-law 569-2013 and North York Zoning By-law 7625 to permit one block of townhouses having seven units, fronting York Mills Road (the "Zoning By-law Amendment Application").

On March 3, 2020, the applicant appealed the Zoning By-law Amendment Application to the Local Planning Appeal Tribunal (the "LPAT"). The appeal was made without revisions to the original proposal and citing City Council's failure to make a decision on the application within the timeframe prescribed by the Planning Act. A pre-hearing conference has not yet been scheduled.

This report recommends that the City Solicitor together with City Planning staff and other appropriate staff be directed to oppose the application, in its current form, at the LPAT. This report also recommends that despite the applicant's appeal of the Zoning By-law Amendment Application to the LPAT, City Planning staff continue to work with the applicant to resolve the issues detailed in this report.

North York Community Council recommends that:

1. City Council enact a Part Lot Control Exemption By-law with respect to the subject lands at 15 Mallow Road, as generally illustrated on Attachment 3 to this report (November 12, 2020) from the Acting Director, Community Planning, North York District, to be prepared to the satisfaction of the City Solicitor and to expire two years following enactment by City Council.

2. Prior to the introduction of the Part Lot Control Exemption Bill, City Council require the owner to:

a. provide proof of payment of all current property taxes for the subject lands to the satisfaction of the City Solicitor, prior to the enactment of the Part Lot Control Exemption By-law; and

b. register, to the satisfaction of the City Solicitor, a Section 118 Restriction under the Land Titles Act agreeing not to transfer or charge any part of the subject lands described in Schedule “A” in Attachment 5 to this report (November 12, 2020) from the Acting Director, Community Planning, North York District, without the written consent of the Chief Planner or his/her designate.

3. City Council authorize the City Solicitor to take the necessary steps to release the Section 118 Restriction from all or any portion of the lands in the City Solicitor's sole discretion after consulting with the Chief Planner and Executive Director, City Planning at such a time as confirmation is received that the Common Elements Condominium has been registered.

4. City Council authorize and direct the City Solicitor to register the Part Lot Control Exemption By-law on title.

5. City Council authorize the City Solicitor to make such stylistic and technical changes to the draft Part Lot Control Exemption By-law as may be required.

This application is requesting exemption from the Part Lot Control provisions of the Planning Act for a portion of the lands municipally known as 15 Mallow Road to facilitate the construction of 33 three-storey freehold townhouses with integral garages. An application for Draft Plan of Common Element Condominium (20 168572 NNY 16 CD) has also been submitted for approval in conjunction with this application. The common element condominium application is currently under review by the Chief Planner pursuant to the delegated approval under By-law 229-2000, which proposes to establish two private vehicular laneways and a pedestrian sidewalk.

The requested Part Lot Control Exemption is required to permit the creation of the 33 conveyable townhouse lots currently under construction, which will become the Parcels of Tied Land (POTLs) to the Common Element Condominium.

The proposed development is consistent with the Provincial Policy Statement (2020), conforms with the Growth Plan for the Greater Golden Horseshoe (2020), and conforms to the Official Plan. The lifting of Part Lot Control is appropriate for the orderly development of these lands.

This reports reviews and recommends approval of the Part Lot Control Exemption By-law. Furthermore, this report recommends that the owner of the lands be required to register a Section 118 Restriction under the Lands Titles Act against the subject lands, as descried in "Schedule A" in Attachment 5 of this report. This is to ensure the owner agrees to not convey or mortgage any part of the lands without prior consent of the Chief Planner or his designate.

North York Community Council recommends that:

1. City Council approve 4 and 6 Tippett Road Public Art Plan as attached (Attachment 1) to the report dated November 9, 2020 from the Director, Urban Design, City Planning.

The purpose of this staff report is to seek City Council approval of 4 and 6 Tippett Road Public Art Plan. The Plan, which is included as Attachment 1 of this report, outlines the method by which the owner will commission public art on a publicly-accessible area of the development site.

The Public Art Plan provides a framework and description of the commissioning of public art including: project team; project overview; public art background; public art opportunities; public art process; public art budget; and project schedule.

The attached plan meets the objectives of the City Planning's Percent for Public Art Guidelines and is supported by the Toronto Public Art Commission.

North York Community Council recommends that:

1. City Council direct Staff to:

a. schedule a community consultation meeting for the Zoning By-law Amendment Application located at 405 and 415 Mount Pleasant Road, 323, 323R and 325 Balliol Street together with the Ward Councillor; and

b. notice for the community consultation meeting for the Zoning By-law Amendment Application be given to landowners and residents within 120 metres of the application site, and to additional residents, institutions and owners to be determined in consultation with the Ward Councillor, with any additional mailing costs to be borne by the applicant.

2. City Council, pursuant to Subsection 22(2.2) of the Planning Act, not permit the applicant's request to amend the Yonge-Eglinton Secondary Plan prior to the second anniversary of the first day any part of the plan came into effect and City Council further direct Staff to return all related application fees submitted by the applicant in relation to their request to amend the Yonge-Eglinton Secondary Plan.

An application to amend City of Toronto Zoning By-law Nos. 438-86 and 569-2013 has been received for the lands at 405 and 415 Mount Pleasant Road, 323, 323R and 325 Balliol Street.  The application proposes a 9-storey, 32.68 metre high (36.54 metres to the mechanical penthouse) mixed-use building, which will be primarily used for seniors’ care and living.  The proposal consists of 8,822 square metres of gross floor area, including 325 square metres of ground floor retail/community use space, 372 square metres of office space, 68 memory care suites and 18 assisted living units.  Proposed at the rear of the 9-storey mixed-use building on the 323R Balliol Street portion are three, 3-storey, 9 metre high residential townhouses. The proposed density (floor space index) is 3.85 times the area of the lot.

In addition, a request has been received for permission to amend the City's Yonge- Eglinton Secondary Plan. The current Yonge-Eglinton Secondary Plan was approved by the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing as Official Plan Amendment 405 ("OPA 405") on June 5, 2019.  The related rezoning application was submitted on August 25, 2020 after OPA 405 came into force and effect, and it is subject to the policies of the current Yonge-Eglinton Secondary Plan.  The subject site is located at the southeast corner of Mount Pleasant Road and Balliol Street and is a consolidation of five properties. 

The site is subject to two land-use designations: Mixed Use Areas "C" fronting Mount Pleasant Road and Neighbourhoods fronting Balliol Street.  To facilitate the proposed redevelopment, an Official Plan Amendment to the Yonge- Eglinton Secondary Plan is required to permit vehicular access and landscaped open space accessory to the proposed seniors' care facility within the Neighbourhoods designated portion of the site.  Subsection 22(2.1.1) of the Planning Act states that: "No person or public body shall request an amendment to a secondary plan before the second anniversary of the first day any part of the secondary plan comes into effect". 

The applicant's request to amend the Yonge-Eglinton Secondary Plan has been submitted prior to the second anniversary of the Minister's decision approving OPA 405, and as a result is not permitted pursuant to the Planning Act.  However, subsection 22(2.2) of the Planning Act does permit a request to amend the Yonge-Eglinton Secondary Plan before the expiration of the two year period if City Council declares by resolution that the request is permitted.  Therefore, the recommendations of this Preliminary Report will provide City Council the opportunity to consider the applicant's request to amend the Yonge-Eglinton Secondary Plan and make a resolution pursuant to subsection 22(2.2) of the Planning Act to either permit or not permit that application prior to the expiration of the two year period.

This report provides information and identifies a preliminary set of issues regarding the application located at 405 and 415 Mount Pleasant Road, 323, 323R and 325 Balliol Street.  This report also recommends that City Council consider the applicant's request to amend the Yonge-Eglinton Secondary Plan prior to the second anniversary of the Minister's approval of OPA 405, and decide by resolution pursuant to subsection 22(2.2) of the Planning Act to permit or not permit that request. 

In the event that City Council issues a resolution to permit the request to amend the Yonge-Eglinton Secondary Plan, Staff will then schedule a community consultation meeting for the application in consultation with the Ward Councillor.

North York Community Council recommends that:

1. City Council amend the eastbound and westbound left-turn prohibitions in effect from 6:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m., Monday to Friday, at Avenue Road and Glencairn Avenue, to be in effect at all times.

2. City Council amend the eastbound through-movement prohibition in effect from 6:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m., Monday to Friday, at Avenue Road and Glencairn Avenue, to be in effect at all times.

3. City Council amend the westbound through-movement prohibition in effect from 6:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m., Monday to Friday, at Avenue Road and Glencairn Avenue, to be in effect at all times.

North York Community Council:

1. Directed staff to report back in one year's time on the efficacy and success of the new turn prohibitions at Avenue Road and Glencair Avenue, and consider the installation of traffic control signals as a future option.

As the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) operates bus service on Avenue Road, City Council approval of this report is required.

Transportation Services recommends the prohibition of eastbound and westbound left turn and through-traffic movements at all times at the intersection of Avenue Road and Glencairn Avenue. These prohibitions are intended to reduce the likelihood of collisions at the intersection.

Transportation Services completed a safety review of the intersection of Avenue Road and Glencairn Avenue that revealed a pattern of angle collisions. The majority of these collisions involved eastbound and westbound through or left-turning motorists crossing Avenue Road during the off-peak periods. These movements are already prohibited during the peak periods.

While traffic control signals are warranted based on the collision history at the intersection, the proposed prohibitions are recommended as a less restrictive measure to address these collisions. Also, the installation of signals would result in increased traffic on Glencairn Avenue, which may be concerning to Glencairn Avenue residents.

North York Community Council recommends that:

1. City Council deny the request for a permit to remove one privately owned tree located at 633 Glengrove Avenue.

This report requests that City Council deny the request for a permit to remove one privately owned tree located at 633 Glengrove Avenue. The application indicates the reason for removal is to allow for the property owner to plant and tend a garden for health reasons.

The subject tree is a black walnut (Juglans nigra) measuring 82 cm in diameter. The Tree By-law does not support the removal of this tree as it is healthy and maintainable.

North York Community Council recommends that:

1. City Council direct the City Solicitor to attend the Toronto Local Appeal Body, with appropriate City staff, in order to oppose the Appeal of the Committee of Adjustment's decision refusing the consent-to-sever and minor variances requested in Application Nos. B0021/20NY, A0335/20NY, and A0336/20NY, and any other variances that may be requested, regarding 217 Churchill Avenue.

                                                                                                                                                          
2. City Council authorize the City Solicitor to retain such outside consultants, as may be necessary, to oppose the Appeal.

3. City Council authorize the City Solicitor to attempt to negotiate a resolution regarding the Appeal, and that the City Solicitor be authorized to resolve the matter on behalf of the City, in her discretion, after consulting with the Ward Councillor and with the Director of Community Planning, North York District.

This motion will give the City Solicitor authority, along with appropriate City Staff, to attend the Toronto Local Appeal Body (the "TLAB") in order to support the Committee of Adjustment's (the "COA") decision refusing the consent-to-sever and minor variance applications regarding the subject property located at 217 Churchill Avenue (Application Nos. B0021/20NY, A0335/20NY, and A0336/20NY) (the "Application").

The Application sought consent to sever the subject property into two lots for the purpose of constructing a new dwelling on each of the newly severed lots. The subject property is zoned RD (f15.0; a550)(x5), under Zoning By-law 569-2013, which requires a minimum lot frontage of 15.0 metres and minimum lot area of 550 square metres. The proposed severed lots would have a lot frontage of 10.67 metres and lot areas of 461.7 square metres and of 461.9 square metres, respectively. Additionally, each proposed new dwellings require 11 variances to Zoning By-law 569-2013 and former City of North York By-law 7625 in order to: reduce the side-yard setbacks, reduce the lot frontage and area requirements, increase the lot coverage, increase the exterior main sidewall height, increase the building length, increase the overall building height, reduce the front-yard landscaping coverage, among others.