233 Carlton Street - Request for Additional Accountability and Transparency for the Lease Agreement - by Councillor Kristyn Wong-Tam, seconded by Councillor Mike Layton

The leased premises at 233 Carlton Street is the intended new location for the Adelaide Resource Centre for Women, which includes a 24-hour women's drop-in centre operated by Fred Victor in partnership with other government-funded service agencies. We believe it is in the public's interest for the City of Toronto to release as much detail as possible outlining the process used to identify, secure and decision on the location. Of particular interest, the public members are asking how did the site come to the attention of senior City Officials, what evaluation criteria was used to select the property, who from the WE-related organizations communicated with the senior Officials that had final decision-making authority, and if the value paid for the lease is inline with current market valuation for comparable properties. This matter is urgent because the real estate and financial matters of the WE Charity and ME to WE social enterprise are currently before the Ethics Committee in Ottawa, and while there is controversy, it is important for the City of Toronto to demonstrate that any decisions made by staff through delegated authority were done appropriately through a transparent and accountable process.

how did the property first come to the attention of senior City officials; b. who from the WE-related organizations communicated with the senior city officials that may have affected final delegated decision-making on site location and financial terms; and c. if the value paid for the lease agreement is inline and competitive with fair market valuation for comparable properties.