Toronto Licensing Tribunal 2023 Annual Report

The Tribunal is comprised of seven citizens chosen by City Council for a four-year term, and it receives administrative support from the City of Toronto's Court Services Division. Between January to April 2023, the Tribunal operated with a complement of six members, after which more members were onboarded. In 2023, the Toronto Licensing Tribunal scheduled 185 appearances before a hearing panel. There were a total of 49 electronic hearing dates. There were no hearing dates in-person. In 2023, the top licence types that appeared before the Tribunal were: Taxicab Owner's Licences, Tow Truck Driver's Licences, and Vehicle for Hire Driver's Licences. As indicated in the Toronto Municipal Code and the Relationship Framework for the Toronto Licensing Tribunal, the Annual Report contains recommendations of the Chair for improvements or changes to the Toronto Licensing Tribunal policies and procedures. In the 2023 Annual Report, the Chair made recommendations to: 1. Change the layout of hearing submissions to ensure that all parties can fully participate in electronic hearings using various devices; 2. Return to the previous practice of scheduling interpreters in advance of hearing dates to support parties who require interpretation services; and 3. Formalize the Rules of Procedure for the management of Business Meetings.