Addressing safety and integrity of Massey Square Bridge, and privately owned publicly accessible spaces into the future - by Councillor Brad Bradford, seconded by Mayor John Tory

This event took place in the early morning on a weekend. At any other time, there would have been a higher likelihood of injury or harm to individuals in the community. The regular maintenance and state-of-good-repair of the bridge was a concern to residents. Over several years, former City Councillor Janet Davis brought together the property owners and City divisions to address these concerns. Various inspections and studies were conducted by the City and the property owners. Repairs were planned or completed by both parties. Despite these efforts, a section of the bridge collapsed. It is critical that the City understand both the physical causes of the collapse as well as the regulatory gaps in property standards and state of good repair requirements for infrastructure that is not City owned. The joint-ownership of the Massey Square bridge makes it a valuable test case. While privately owned, publicly accessible infrastructure is not new, the number of these spaces is growing. These partnerships and shared spaces are positive opportunities to create new community amenity and connections between and within neighbourhoods. As such they should be encouraged. However, the City should have confidence in its mechanisms for ensuring good maintenance and safety for all that use them.

recommended actions for an Internal Review using Internal Audit resources or an independent inquiry into the City actions with respect to the Crescent Town bridge, including: i. inspection and enforcement activities; ii. interactions with and between other parties, including Pinedale Properties and the Toronto District School Board; iii. City policies and procedures within and between Divisions; and iv. any City regulatory, policy, and procedural changes for the City; c. current work being undertaken by the City and its agencies and divisions to improve monitoring and enforcement of privately-owned, publicly accessible infrastructure; and d. recommendations for future work and actions needed to improve safety standards for privately-owned, publicly accessible bridges including recommendations for legislative or regulatory changes to the Ontario Building Code or City By-laws related to building condition assessments and reporting requirements for private and public property owners.