Council Highlights

Toronto City Council meeting of September 30 and October 1 and 2, 2015   

Council Highlights is an informal summary of decisions made by Toronto City Council. The City Clerk provides the formal documentation at http://www.toronto.ca/council.

Taxis, limos and Uber  

Council voted to ask staff to report in 2016 on a way to equitably regulate all providers of ground transportation – including taxis, limousines and Uber vehicles – and to begin consulting on regulations that will ensure a "level playing field" for providers and take into account the City of Toronto's accessibility objectives. In addition, Council voted to reduce the starting fare of licensed taxis from $4.25 to $3.25 effective November 1.

Resettlement of Syrian refugees        

Council approved a detailed proposal for a Syrian refugee resettlement program in Toronto and asked Mayor Tory to send a letter to the Prime Minister requesting funding assistance for the program in areas such as affordable housing, social assistance and child care. This resettlement initiative is consistent with the Toronto Newcomer Strategy adopted in 2013, which recognizes the City's role in the successful settlement/integration of immigrants and refugees in Toronto.

Review of City of Toronto Act   

Council approved amendments that the City will propose to the province of Ontario for consideration as part of the province's current review of the City of Toronto Act, 2006. The City's submission will also include a series of comments from Council involving the Municipal Elections Act on matters such as ranked-choice (also known as ranked-ballot) voting, ward boundaries and candidate spending limits in municipal elections.

Rehabilitation of the Gardiner Expressway  

Council approved a plan for the rehabilitation of the Gardiner Expressway from end to end. Council authorized staff to proceed with an alternative financing and procurement/P3 approach, including a request for proposals (RFP) – subject to the federal government approving funding to cover one-third of capital construction costs that are eligible for federal funding. In addition, Council supported arranging for a third-party review of the proposed financial calculations ("value-for-money analysis") for the project. The Gardiner Expressway has been in service for almost 60 years and the concrete deck on the elevated section is near the end of its design life.

Closing the housing gap   

Council agreed to urge federal election candidates in Toronto ridings to commit to action on city housing issues. Council wants the federal government to "close the housing gap" by covering one-third of Toronto Community Housing's 10-year capital repair needs, creating a long-term affordable housing strategy, reversing the withdrawal of funds from non-profit and co-operative housing, and reinvesting those funds back into social housing to meet the needs of low- and moderate-income Canadians.

Standards for emergency shelters  

Council approved an updated version of the Toronto Shelter Standards. The document, produced with extensive stakeholder involvement, provides expectations for service delivery that will help the City establish consistency in its delivery of shelter services that are client-centred and respectful of client diversity. The City's homeless shelter system consists of about 4,000 shelter beds funded by the City at 59 locations across Toronto.

Review of Paramedic Services   

Council called for a consultation process involving the union and paramedics as well as other front-line staff addressing Toronto Paramedic Services' five-year plan and efforts to improve employee engagement and morale. A related report says management anticipates that recent increases to staffing and improvements to equipment, technology, communications and infrastructure, as proposed in the five-year plan, will continue to improve workplace conditions, employee engagement and the morale of frontline staff. 

Green spaces for healthy city living    

Council adopted recommendations from the Board of Health in support of providing plentiful, diverse, well-maintained green spaces as important features of a healthy city. Presented under the title Green City: Why Nature Matters to Health, the board's recommendations address matters such as Toronto's tree canopy, school green spaces/sports facilities, and investment in green spaces in the City's designated neighbourhood improvement areas.

Increased fines for parking infractions   

Council authorized increased fines for vehicle parking and stopping infractions as part of the City's efforts to manage and reduce traffic congestion. The new fine amounts include substantial increases – set at $150 instead of the current $60 – for stopping illegally on sidewalks, in transit areas or too close to intersections, and for parking in live lanes of traffic. Fines for no-parking offences (expired pay-and-display receipt) are increasing from $40 to $50.

Pay-and-display parking   

Council approved changes to hourly rates and hours of operation for on-street parking at certain locations that have pay-and-display parking machines. The changes, which follow a Toronto Parking Authority review of the on-street parking program, will align hours of operation more closely with periods of higher parking demand at the designated locations. Council adopted an amendment to the agenda item to address the matter of musicians unloading equipment at music venues on streets affected by the parking-fee changes.

Red-light cameras    

Staff received Council's authorization to finalize a contract with the company chosen in a formal bid process to supply, install, operate, maintain and eventually remove red-light camera systems at selected Toronto intersections for the five-year period from 2017 to 2021. The current phase of the red-light camera program runs to the end of 2016. Red-light camera operations have been found to reduce the frequency of red-light running and the severity of collisions.

Progress on shared internal services      

Council authorized proceeding with the implementation of shared services for learning/training, insurance, procurement and information technology as part of a shared services project involving City divisions, agencies and corporations. Begun in 2014, the project aims to reduce duplication and costs.

Food services at City Hall    

Council supported establishing an advisory committee composed of members of the public with experience in the food industry to explore having a social enterprise food service provide food services in Toronto City Hall. The current lease with City Hall's Café on the Square restaurant will be extended beyond the current expiry date of December 31 until the City has a new agreement in place for food services at City Hall. Council decided to defer pursuing the idea of a restaurant development for Nathan Phillips Square.

Public access to private pools           

A motion asking staff to look into the possibility of pursuing agreements with condominium boards for public use of their swimming facilities received Council's support. The motion noted that some condominium buildings have pools with entrances that would enable members of the public to access the pool without entering other private space. As envisioned, this initiative would enhance year-round swimming instruction across Toronto by making the participating condo boards recreation partners with the City.

Maple Leaf Forever tree projects       

Council directed staff to give the Toronto Archives complete documentation, including digital photographs, of all Maple Leaf Forever Tree projects. A total of 65 individual projects, 153 unique designs and 4,025 individual items were produced from the wood of the Maple Leaf Forever Tree. The tree, a silver maple at 62 Laing St. that is believed to have been the inspiration for Alexander Muir's song Maple Leaf Forever, was felled by a storm in 2013.

Photo Laureate for Toronto    

Council approved the terms of reference for a Photo Laureate. An appointment to the new, honorary position is expected in 2016. Similar to the Poet Laureate, who is the City's official champion of poetry and literary arts, the Photo Laureate will be the City's official champion of photography and visual culture. A panel will be convened to nominate a candidate every three years, as is done with the Poet Laureate.

Council Highlights

Toronto City Council meeting of July 7, 8 and 9, 2015         

Council Highlights is an informal summary of decisions made by Toronto City Council. The City Clerk provides the formal documentation at http://www.toronto.ca/council.

Confronting poverty in Toronto

Council adopted an interim report on a strategy to address poverty in Toronto. In addition to adopting the vision and objectives for TO

Prosperity: Interim Poverty Reduction Strategy, Council directed staff to undertake further discussions with residents and to provide Council with a final poverty reduction strategy and detailed implementation plan. Council also supported taking action on subjects such as eye examinations for schoolchildren in specific neighbourhoods and pursuing partnerships with the private sector to support the City's poverty-reduction efforts.

Traffic management

Council authorized Transportation Services' expansion of the City's traffic-monitoring-camera program as part of the implementation of the earlier-approved Congestion Management Plan and for monitoring work zones. The Congestion Management Plan focuses on strategies for managing traffic in Toronto, using methods/initiatives such as intelligent transportation systems, congestion and engineering studies, enhanced incident/event response, improved construction co-ordination and the provision of better information for travellers.

Construction projects and traffic

Council authorized the City's introduction, on a pilot-project basis, of contractual measures to help address anticipated traffic disruptions associated with a delayed/prolonged construction project. Construction contract provisions that take into account the monetary worth of early or late completion projects are a proven way to support the reduction of traffic congestion related to construction projects. The City plans to test contract measures such as addressing "acceleration and delay" costs for pertinent contracts to be tendered this fall and in early 2016.

Social housing in Toronto

Council adopted a series of recommendations pertaining to the report Transforming Social Housing: Renewing the Partnership with the City's Social Housing Providers. The goal is to make the social housing system more sustainable, effective and better integrated with the range of affordable housing options available to low- and moderate-income households in Toronto. The City administers and funds social housing that provides about 95,000 units, including about 70,000 rent-geared-to-income (RGI) units. The system includes City-owned Toronto Community Housing Corporation and more than 240 community-based, non-profit and co-operative housing providers.

Waterfront revitalization

Council adopted recommendations and provided direction to staff aimed at ensuring continued work on, and effective management of, Toronto's waterfront revitalization. Council expressed support for a second phase of waterfront revitalization supported by tri-government funding and governance, and for Waterfront Toronto to continue as the primary delivery entity for the revitalization. Council supported the City's initiation of an intergovernmental negotiation process on funding commitments.

Emergency preparedness

Council provided direction for further work by City staff and Toronto Hydro in light of the latest in a series of reports on the City's response to the 2013 ice storm and on the City’s ability to prepare for, respond to and recover from emergencies in general. For example, Council is requesting that Toronto Hydro continue with efforts that will make Toronto's electricity supply more resilient and will reduce power disruptions – in part by converting overhead power lines to underground lines.

Expanded gaming at Woodbine Racetrack           

Council debated expanded gaming at Toronto's Woodbine Racetrack and passed a resolution in support of the proposal, subject to conditions.

The approval sets the stage for the development of an integrated entertainment complex including gaming and non-gaming development at the Woodbine site in the northwest part of the city. Council also agreed to explore the possibility of designating some of the revenues from expanded gaming to a community benefits fund, and supported certain employment-related requirements tied to the expansion of gaming.

Cycle tracks for east downtown area  

Council approved extending the Richmond Street and Adelaide Street cycle tracks to Parliament Street in the east downtown area, with associated regulations for vehicles, on a pilot-project basis. The Richmond Street pilot will extend from Parliament Street to York Street for westbound cyclists. The Adelaide Street pilot will extend from Simcoe Street to Parliament Street for eastbound cyclists. Council also supported having staff look into the possibility of upgrading the bike lanes on Dundas Street East in the Don Valley area to become protected bike lanes.

Car-pooling app – UberPool      

Council supported a motion to request a report on the anticipated effect of the public's use of Uber's new car-pooling app, known as UberPool, on Toronto Transit Commission/public transit ridership.

UberPool, which was recently made available in Toronto, tracks similar ride requests and links them, enabling passengers to share a ride and split the cost with another person who requested a ride along a similar route.

Canada Post's community mailbox program   

Council agreed to ask Canada Post to provide detailed information in response to questions the City is asking about Canada Post's plans for implementing the community mailbox program in Toronto. It is anticipated that Canada Post will begin its transition from door-to-door mail delivery to a community mailbox system in Toronto starting in 2017. The City's questions address matters such the accessibility, financial and public realm implications for the City of Toronto.

Name changes for board and committee       

Council approved new names for the City's film board and disabilities committee. As a result, the former Disability Issues Committee is now called the Disability, Access and Inclusion Advisory Committee. The former Film, Television and Commercial Production Industry Committee is now called the Toronto Film, Television and Digital Media Board.

New fireboat – the William Thornton    

Council approved the name William Thornton to identify a fireboat recently acquired by Toronto Fire Services. Originally a Canadian Coast Guard vessel, the William Thornton will serve as a backup vessel to the City's William Lyon Mackenzie fireboat. The name William Thornton is historically significant for Toronto Fire Services and the City. The death of William Thornton in 1848 was recorded as the first fallen firefighter in Toronto, and the first in Ontario.

Bike racks       

A motion to donate to Toronto's school boards 150 bicycle racks that the City bought and installed at Pan Am Games venues this summer received Council's approval. The bike racks, each of which provides parking for eight bikes, will be given to the Toronto District School Board and the Toronto Catholic District School Board after the Games as a legacy of the TO2015 Games. Council also supported authorizing the allocation of City funds to provide for more bicycle parking at parks and community centres across the city.