Breaking the Log Jam: Addressing the Post-COVID-19 Committee of Adjustment Backlog and Creating Immediate and Real Jobs - by Deputy Mayor Denzil Minnan-Wong, seconded by Councillor Michael Thompson

There are currently 1,250 active Committee of Adjustment applications, which can only be expected to increase now that property owners and developers can submit applications again. Typically, each Committee of Adjustment panel reviews an average of 40 applications per hearing, meeting twice per month. Currently this capacity is reduced to 20 applications, with plans to bring it up to 30, as the system for virtual hearings is refined. With current capacity, and facing a deluge of applications that couldn't be submitted from March through to the start of June, we are facing a growing backlog. According to the Building Industry and Land Development Association (BILD), Toronto will lose 10,000 jobs per year due to reduced construction activity and intensity in the multi-family sector. BILD reports that financial implications in construction from the impact of COVID-19 include a loss or delay beyond 2021 of approximately $850 million in government revenues, including $52.5 million in lost municipal Land Transfer Tax revenues. There are three major causes of the building slowdown: COVID-19 related disruptions to the supply chain, worksite slowdowns relating to COVID-19 safety protocols, and the suspension of planning and building applications by municipalities. The City can support the resumption of the construction industry, and all of the economic benefits it brings to Toronto by finding ways to increase our capacity for processing and approving applications. The review of Planning Applications at the City is done on a full cost recovery basis. Therefore, with no increase in expenses we can scale up all operations that support the application process, from preliminary consultations to the Committee of Adjustment approval. This is a high-impact, practical measure to support Toronto's economy as we enter the Recovery and Rebuild period.

2. To support the clearing of the application backlog by the end of 2020, City Council direct the Chief Planner and Executive Director, City Planning to report to City Council, through the Planning and Housing Committee in September 2020, on increasing the capacity of the Committee of Adjustment by: a. increasing the staff complement for processing and/or reviewing applications; and b. appointing additional Committee of Adjustment members in order to create either additional panels or expand existing panels, enabling them to meet more frequently. 3. City Council direct the Chief Planner and Executive Director, City Planning to identify and expedite the implementation of action items from the "End-to-End Review of the Development Review Process" that will have immediate and near-term impact in improving capacity for processing Committee of Adjustment applications. 4. City Council direct that Committee of Adjustment Chairs be invited to speak to the Planning and Housing Committee when the Chief Planner and Executive Director's report is before the Committee.