Broadening Access to Our City Planning Processes

We need to find ways to ensure working groups and input into applications comes from a group of residents that is representative of the ethnocultural and economic diversity of a neighbourhood. A major barrier to public engagement identified by the community is the language barrier non-English speaking residents face when receiving notice of and participating in community meetings. The City already acknowledges it is important to provide information in languages other than English to Toronto's diverse communities to ensure that language is not a barrier to participation. Many City communications are already published in multiple languages, including "Let's Get Toronto Vaccinated" and our waste management calendars. This motion seeks to incorporate translation services as a regular part of City Planning's public engagement process, in addition to recommending the exploration of other measures, such as childcare, earlier access to community meeting materials, and continuing to provide a virtual community meeting option after the resumption of in-person meetings.

b. Continuing to provide virtual community meetings, in addition to in-person meetings, once Covid-19 pandemic restrictions are lifted. c. Providing electronic notifications to interested parties via email for public community meetings and decision notices. d. Ensuring that meeting materials, including presentations and reports, are available digitally in advance of community meetings. e. Improving translation services available at public community meetings by providing interpreters, as required. f. Standardizing the requirement for requiring the applicants to provide refreshments at in person public community meetings. g. Requiring, if requested, the applicants to provide childcare services at in person public community meetings. h. Requiring, if requested, the applicants to provide professional facilitators at community consultation meetings that are anticipated to be contentious.