Recognizing the Needs of Entrepreneurs, and the Evolving Economy as it Relates to Housing Affordability (Rental and Ownership) within the Municipal Comprehensive Review and Our Plan Toronto Process - by Councillor Michael Thompson, seconded by Councillor Mark Grimes

As more Canadians enter the workforce and unemployment pressures affect people's outlook on their jobs and careers, the City of Toronto must ensure that its Planning frameworks and methodology recognize changing needs to ensure that new policies incorporate and foster growth and prosperity. The COVID-19 pandemic and the significant changes to the workplace has escalated the need to adapt our planning and land use policies to accommodate this changing workplace environment. As the economy adapts to the "new norm" with respect to business and entrepreneurs, the City of Toronto must ensure that planning policies and assessment of land use recognizes and adapts to these circumstances. According to the Future of Entrepreneurship in Canada Report by Intuit Canada, 1 in 5 Canadians started their own business within the past year, resulting in approximately 2 million more entrepreneurs totaling 9 million entrepreneurs. Housing affordability is a well-known challenge in the City of Toronto and is expected to be for the foreseeable future. This is true for young entrepreneurs that are pursuing their dreams of owning their own business. The need for affordable office space in tandem with the need for housing affordability creates opportunities to potentially address both issues through a contemporary approach to land use planning and developments that recognize the need for a truly Live/Work design. It is important that the Municipal Comprehensive Review and Our Plan Toronto recognize our evolving economy and the importance of land use planning as it relates to young entrepreneurs, particularly within the Black, Indigenous and people of colour, and Two Spirit, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans, Intersex, Queer, Questioning, communities. The City of Toronto has recognized the need to provide support to entrepreneurs through Enterprise Toronto which offers a number of important services, including Business Boot Camps, Business Plan review and one-on-one support. Incorporating the needs of entrepreneurs within the Planning process is a complementary step that will be consistent with the City of Toronto's support and encouragement of entrepreneurship. Live/Work development projects can assist the City in accommodating the types of employment anticipated in the future such as creative and knowledge-based economies and provide opportunities to address the changing nature of employment and living, such as small local businesses who seek space with access to transit in mixed-use communities and the growing trend for live-work, work-from home. Within the City of Toronto, there are potential opportunities to develop a mix of commercial office, retail and residential uses that can support provincial and municipal policy objectives for economic development, creating complete communities that include live-work opportunities and transit-supportive densities. This Motion is urgent as the Municipal Comprehensive Review and Our Plan Toronto process is currently underway with a provincially mandated deadline for municipalities to complete their review by July 1, 2022.