Economic and Community Development Committee
The full agenda, as filed
All 8 items in the clerk’s order. Each carries the city’s own words: the staff recommendation, what the body decided, and its status. Nothing below is written by us.
EC23.1received
Supporting a Safe Reopening in the Business and Culture Sectors
The Acting Director, Program Support, Economic Development and Culture and the Acting Director, Business Growth Services, Economic Development and Culture will give a presentation on Supporting a Safe Reopening in the Business and Culture Sectors. The presentation will provide an overview of key initiatives that the Economic Development and Culture Division is undertaking, including the ShowLoveTO campaign.
The Economic and Community Development Committee: 1. Received the presentation from the Acting Director, Program Support, Economic Development and Culture and the Acting Director, Business Growth Services, Economic Development and Culture, headed "Economic Development and Culture COVID-19 Response", for information.
EC23.2amended
Downtown West Services and Facilities Review - Workplan Progress
This report outlines the progress on the workplan for the coordinated Downtown West Service and Facility Review. The Review includes advancements in three areas: (1) use of St. Patrick's Market; (2) planning for the Grange Precinct; and (3) regularizing support for Alexandra Park Community Centre. The Downtown West area is bounded by Bay Street to the east, College Street to the north, Adelaide Street West to the south, and Bathurst Street to the west. Through the Review, opportunities for service improvements and coordinated planning have been identified by the Downtown West Interdivisional Working Group. This work applies a property intelligence lens to decision-making and long-term asset planning, including accommodating planned service interruptions or changes to achieve service improvements. This work also incorporates and implements City Council directions such as the Downtown Plan - Official Plan Amendment 406 (in force as of June 5, 2019) and its associated infrastructure strategies and those in the Toronto Recovery and Rebuild report. This interdivisional project jointly aligns divisional interests and advances priority projects to enhance the delivery of community services in the Downtown West area. This report contains a high-level summary of the workplan process approved by City Council in 2019, reviewing the first properties and divisional interests implicated in the response. The report also proposes advancing interim uses at St. Patrick's Market and includes the results of the completion of the Phase One analysis of the Grange Precinct and recommendations regarding regularizing supports to Alexandra Park Community Centre. Finally, in order to advance the work to further review properties and divisional interests within the Grange Precinct area, this report recommends the development of a Phase Two feasibility report for the Grange Precinct. This feasibility report would include extensive community engagement, due diligence and jurisdictional scan of existing properties, project vision, design principles, development of conceptual design and massing analysis, and analysis of costing and recommendations for implementation. Next steps for the workplan are also outlined.
The Economic and Community Development Committee recommends that: 1. City Council request the Executive Director, Corporate Real Estate Management, in consultation with the General Manager, Economic Development and Culture, the Executive Director, Social Development, Finance and Administration, the General Manager, Parks, Forestry and Recreation and the Chief Executive Officer, CreateTO, to enable the lease of St. Patrick's Market for up to five years for its interim activation, including community and cultural services, and recognizing the historic intent that the property host a public food market, to engage local stakeholders for St. Patrick's Market and St. Patrick's Square and the local Ward Councillor and to report to City Council for any necessary permissions and/or leases to activate those spaces. 2. City Council request the Executive Director, Corporate Real Estate Management, in consultation with the General Manager, Economic Development and Culture, the Executive Director, Social Development, Finance and Administration, the General Manager, Parks, Forestry and Recreation and the Chief Executive Officer, CreateTO, to explore opportunities for immediate pop-up uses of St. Patrick's Market and St. Patrick's Square to take place during the summer of 2021. 3. City Council request the Executive Director, Corporate Real Estate Management and request the Board of Directors of CreateTO to direct the Chief Executive Officer, CreateTO, in collaboration with the Downtown West Interdivisional Working Group, composed of representation from Social Development, Finance and Administration, Children's Services, Parks, Forestry and Recreation, City Planning, Transportation Services, Shelter, Support and Housing Administration, the Housing Secretariat and Economic Development and Culture, to: a. lead Phase Two of the Grange Precinct Plan; b. retain a design and planning consultant to undertake Phase Two of the Grange Precinct Plan with an overall budget and cash flow of $0.150 million in 2021, fully funded from the 2021 Council Approved Capital Budget for Corporate Real Estate Management under the Strategic Projects - Feasibility 2021 (CCA266-04) project; and c. report to the Executive Committee in the second quarter of 2023 on the process and results for Phase Two of the Grange Precinct Plan, including: 1. community visioning and stakeholder engagement on concepts; 2. environmental and infrastructure assessment based on the preferred option; 3. high-level cost estimates of options or the preferred option; 4. a capital funding strategy; and 5. recommendations for future implementation. 4. City Council request the General Manager, Toronto Employment and Social Services, to support COVID-19 pandemic recovery efforts by resuming the Community Navigator Pilot Project for the Alexandra Park and Atkinson Housing Co-operative community that was interrupted by the pandemic and to work in consultation with the Alexandra Park Community Centre to build on the evolving findings of the Pilot Project for long-term sustainable supports, resources and partnerships embedded in the Community Centre.
Staff recommendation as filed
The Executive Director, Social Development, Finance and Administration and the Executive Director, Corporate Real Estate Management recommend that: 1. City Council request the Executive Director, Corporate Real Estate Management, in consultation with the General Manager, Economic Development and Culture, the Executive Director, Social Development, Finance and Administration, the General Manager, Parks, Forestry and Recreation and the Chief Executive Officer, CreateTO, to enable the lease of St. Patrick's Market for up to five years for its interim activation, including community and cultural services, to engage local stakeholders for St. Patrick's Market and St. Patrick's Square, and to report to City Council for any necessary permissions and/or leases to activate those spaces. 2. City Council request the Executive Director, Corporate Real Estate Management and request the Board of Directors of CreateTO to direct the Chief Executive Officer, CreateTO, in collaboration with the Downtown West Interdivisional Working Group, composed of representation from Social Development, Finance and Administration, Children's Services, Parks, Forestry and Recreation, City Planning, Transportation Services, Shelter, Support and Housing Administration, the Housing Secretariat and Economic Development and Culture, to: a. lead Phase Two of the Grange Precinct Plan; b. retain a design and planning consultant to undertake Phase Two of the Grange Precinct Plan with an overall budget and cash flow of $0.150 million in 2021, fully funded from the 2021 Council Approved Capital Budget for Corporate Real Estate Management under the Strategic Projects - Feasibility 2021 (CCA266-04) project; and c. report to the Executive Committee in the second quarter of 2023 on the process and results for Phase Two of the Grange Precinct Plan, including: 1. community visioning and stakeholder engagement on concepts; 2. environmental and infrastructure assessment based on the preferred option; 3. high-level cost estimates of options or the preferred option; 4. a capital funding strategy; and 5. recommendations for future implementation.
EC23.3adopted
Youth Service Review - Investing in Youth Outcomes
The COVID-19 pandemic has challenged and changed the City's youth programs. Some have needed to pause, others have shifted online or made other adjustments to meet public health guidelines to keep young people safe. Despite these changes in regular programming, the eight City of Toronto divisions, agencies and corporations involved in the delivery of youth programming were able to advance the Youth Service Review through strong interdivisional collaboration, the assistance of an external consultant and extensive research on youth development and youth violence. The Youth Service Review brings under one frame the City's current portfolio of youth programs delivered directly, or in partnership with, community organizations. The Review also delivers Investing in Youth Outcomes: A Strategic Guide for City of Toronto Youth Programs. The Guide is a strategic approach for City of Toronto youth programs that supports positive youth development, contributes to violence prevention and fosters equity and inclusion. It has three key components: 1) the Youth Outcomes Framework, 2) the Youth Violence Prevention Spectrum, and 3) Promising Practices to Improve Program Access. These components are intended to guide program planning, monitoring and evaluation, service delivery and decision-making. Investing in Youth Outcomes: A Strategic Guide for City of Toronto Youth Programs is also aligned with SafeTO: Toronto's Ten Year Community Safety and Wellbeing Plan being considered in the July 2021 City Council cycle. The evidence-based Youth Outcomes Framework will establish a culture of monitoring and evaluation to maximize the impact of programming for Toronto youth (ages 12-29). Full implementation of the Youth Outcomes Framework will enable strategic and data-driven decision-making related to policies and programs that support the wellbeing of all Toronto youth, including those most vulnerable to serious crime and violence. Toronto City Council has consistently expressed commitment to youth violence prevention in the City's portfolio of youth programs. Using the Youth Violence Prevention Spectrum, the Youth Service Review distinguishes between universal programs that prevent the development of risk factors for youth violence and highly targeted programs that focus on youth that are experiencing risk factors for serious crime and violence. Most of the City's youth programs, such as the well-established and popular youth hubs and youth spaces, are universal programs aimed at the general youth population and contribute to preventing the development of risk factors to crime and violence through the promotion of positive youth development. Along the Youth Violence Prevention Spectrum, however, there are a few "targeted prevention" and "intervention" programs in the City's youth service portfolio. These types of programs, such as TO Wards Peace and Community Healing, are high dosage (i.e. frequency, intensity, and duration) and target youth that are either experiencing risk factors for violence or are already involved in violence, crime and/or high risk activities. Both types of programming are valuable to support more systemic efforts to achieve broad-scale community safety in Toronto and support the development of healthy and resilient young adults. Based on the findings of the Youth Service Review, staff recommend continued investment in the development of the TO Wards Peace model to advance a balanced spectrum of universal and targeted programming in the City of Toronto's youth portfolio. The Interdivisional Youth Service Working Group has also identified a list of high impact City of Toronto youth programs that will be incorporating one or more Promising Practices to Improve Program Access in the upcoming year. These practices, summarized in Attachment 2, will help optimize the impact of youth programs across the Youth Violence Prevention Spectrum, including enhancing the ability of universal programs to serve youth facing structural inequities due to income, gender, race, disability, sexual orientation, immigration status, and/or the neighborhoods they live in. Finally, the Youth Service Review highlights the need for increased support and investment in building the capacity of City divisions, agencies and corporations to monitor and evaluate all youth programs in order to improve outcomes for Toronto youth .
The Economic and Community Development Committee recommends that: 1. City Council approve Investing in Youth Outcomes: A Strategic Guide for City of Toronto Youth Programs in Attachment 2 to the report (June 16, 2021) from the Executive Director, Social Development, Finance and Administration. 2. City Council request all City divisions at the City of Toronto that deliver youth programs, including Economic Development and Culture, Parks, Forestry and Recreation, Social Development, Finance and Administration and Toronto Employment and Social Services, to implement Investing in Youth Outcomes: A Strategic Guide for City of Toronto Youth Programs, including the collection of socio-demographic data identified in Attachment 2 to the report (June 16, 2021) from the Executive Director, Social Development, Finance and Administration for the purpose of measuring program outcomes through monitoring, evaluation and analysis. 3. City Council forward the report (June 16, 2021) from the Executive Director, Social Development, Finance and Administration to the Boards of Directors of the City of Toronto's Agencies and Corporations that deliver youth programs, including Toronto Community Housing Corporation, Toronto Public Library and Toronto Police Service, and request that they implement Investing in Youth Outcomes: A Strategic Guide for City of Toronto Youth Programs, including the collection of socio-demographic data identified in Attachment 2 to the report (June 16, 2021) from the Executive Director, Social Development, Finance and Administration for the purpose of measuring program outcomes through monitoring, evaluation and analysis .
Staff recommendation as filed
The Executive Director, Social Development, Finance and Administration recommends that: 1. City Council approve Investing in Youth Outcomes: A Strategic Guide for City of Toronto Youth Programs in Attachment 2 to this report. 2. City Council request all City divisions at the City of Toronto that deliver youth programs, including Economic Development and Culture, Parks, Forestry and Recreation, Social Development, Finance and Administration and Toronto Employment and Social Services, to implement Investing in Youth Outcomes: A Strategic Guide for City of Toronto Youth Programs, including the collection of socio-demographic data identified in Attachment 2 to this report for the purpose of measuring program outcomes through monitoring, evaluation and analysis. 3. City Council forward this report to the Boards of Directors of the City of Toronto's Agencies and Corporations that deliver youth programs, including Toronto Community Housing Corporation, Toronto Public Library and Toronto Police Service, and request that they implement Investing in Youth Outcomes: A Strategic Guide for City of Toronto Youth Programs, including the collection of socio-demographic data identified in Attachment 2 to this report for the purpose of measuring program outcomes through monitoring, evaluation and analysis .
EC23.4adopted
St. James Town Community Food Table
At its meeting on November 25 and 26, 2020, City Council directed the Executive Director, Social Development, Finance and Administration to convene and facilitate a community-led food table in St. James Town. The purpose of the St. James Town Community Food Table was to develop a collaborative framework to address food security in the neighbourhood and report back on the outcomes. The community food table has brought together local community-based agencies, including the OASIS Food Hub, Toronto Community Housing, relevant City divisions and other stakeholders to co-develop this framework. The St. James Town Community Food Table began meeting in January 2021. This report details the outcomes of the table to date which include: the development of an Interim Collaborative Framework that describes a collective vision for food programming in St. James Town, the identification of three key actions and corresponding next steps to address food security in the neighbourhood, and a list of local spaces that could be made available for food-related programming and initiatives as well as the processes to secure these spaces. The St. James Town Community Food Table will continue with three Co-Chairs from the community for the next 6 months to move the table forward and finalize the Interim Collaborative Framework. Toronto Community Housing will also release a Request for Expression of Interest for their space at 200 Wellesley Street East in the fourth quarter of 2021 to further support food-related initiatives in the neighbourhood.
The Economic and Community Development Committee: 1. Received the report (June 16, 2021) from the Executive Director, Social Development, Finance and Administration for information.
Staff recommendation as filed
The Executive Director, Social Development, Finance and Administration recommends that: 1. The Economic and Community Development Committee receive this report for information.
EC23.5adopted
Development of an Industry-Led Live Music Venue Insurance Program
The purpose of this report is to provide an update on the development of industry-led solutions for an insurance program for live music venues in Toronto. At the request of the Economic and Community Development Committee, staff have continued to investigate options to support live music venues with securing insurance coverage. Faced with increasingly challenging market conditions, venues are struggling to find appropriate insurance coverage, which will be necessary for reopening once COVID-19 restrictions are lifted. Since the last report by staff to the Economic and Community Development Committee in March 2021, the music sector, with leadership from the Canadian Live Music Association (CLMA), has made progress in developing options for an industry-led insurance program for live music venues. Accordingly, it is no longer necessary for the City to consider providing a financial backstop for such a program, or to assume any financial risk. Instead, the City can continue to support Toronto's live music venues by providing advice and encouraging the development of viable programs by the insurance industry in collaboration with partners such as the CLMA.
The Economic and Community Development Committee: 1. Received the report (June 16, 2021) from the Interim General Manager, Economic Development and Culture for information.
Staff recommendation as filed
The Interim General Manager, Economic Development and Culture recommends that: 1. The Economic and Community Development Committee receive this report for information.
EC23.6adopted
Changes to the Mount Pleasant Village Business Improvement Area Board of Management
The purpose of this report is to formally remove a director from the Mount Pleasant Village Business Improvement Area (BIA) Board of Management following their resignation from the Board, in accordance with the requirements of City of Toronto Municipal Code Chapter 19, Business Improvement Areas. The Mount Pleasant Village BIA falls within two Community Council boundaries.
The Economic and Community Development Committee recommends that: 1. City Council, in accordance with the City of Toronto's Public Appointments Policy, remove the following director from the Mount Pleasant Village Business Improvement Area Board of Management set out below: Jessica McEwan
Staff recommendation as filed
The Interim General Manager, Economic Development and Culture recommends that: 1. City Council, in accordance with the City of Toronto's Public Appointments Policy, remove the following director from the Mount Pleasant Village Business Improvement Area Board of Management set out below: Jessica McEwan
EC23.7adopted
The purpose of this report is to request authority from the Economic and Community Development Committee to amend Blanket Contract Number 47022957 issued to R Courier for the provision of courier services for COVID-19 related documents and specimens from various Toronto Public Health (TPH) locations to City of Toronto residents' home locations and local area hospitals and assessment centres. This report requests an amendment to increase the contract value by $850,000 net of Harmonized Sales Tax ($864,960 net of Harmonized Sales Tax recoveries), increasing the contract value from $950,000 to $1,800,000 net of Harmonized Sales Tax ($1,831,680 net of Harmonized Sales Tax recoveries). On March 23, 2020, the Mayor declared a state of emergency for the City of Toronto due to the COVID-19 pandemic. TPH is currently responding to active COVID-19 cases. Part of the COVID-19 case management process involves the timely transfer of documentation, such as test results and instructions on next steps, between TPH, individuals diagnosed with COVID-19 infection and other health care providers, in order to mitigate impact and spread of the virus. In addition, TPH supports the rapid transfer of specimens from the location of a COVID-19 test to assessment centres and local hospitals for select COVID-19 cases. These strategies are vital to achieving our long-term goals of decreasing rates of community transmission, preventing and containing outbreaks, and continually improving our operational response to COVID-19. The amendment to Blanket Contract Number 47022957 is required in order to continue providing these services as part of TPH's continuing COVID-19 response. The Economic and Community Development Committee's approval is required in accordance with City of Toronto Municipal Code Chapter 195, Purchasing, where the current request exceeds the Chief Procurement Officer's authority of the cumulative five year commitment limit for each vendor under Article 7, Section 195-7.3(D) of the Purchasing By-law or exceeds the threshold of $500,000 net of Harmonized Sales Tax allowed under staff authority as per City of Toronto Municipal Code Chapter 71, Financial Control, Section 71-11.1.
The Economic and Community Development Committee: 1. In accordance with Section 71-11.1C of City of Toronto Municipal Code Chapter 71, Financial Control, authorized an amendment to Blanket Contract Number 47022957, issued to R Courier for the provision of courier services for Toronto Public Health's COVID-19 related services, by an additional $850,000 net of Harmonized Sales Tax ($864,960 net of Harmonized Sales Tax recoveries), revising the current contract value from $950,000 net of Harmonized Sales Tax ($966,920 net of Harmonized Sales Tax recoveries) to $1,800,000 net of Harmonized Sales Tax ($1,831,680 net of Harmonized Sales Tax recoveries).
Staff recommendation as filed
The Medical Officer of Health and the Chief Procurement Officer recommend that: 1. The Economic and Community Development Committee, in accordance with Section 71-11.1C of City of Toronto Municipal Code Chapter 71, Financial Control authorize an amendment to Blanket Contract Number 47022957 issued to R Courier for the provision of courier services for Toronto Public Health's COVID-19 related services by an additional $850,000 net of Harmonized Sales Tax ($864,960 net of Harmonized Sales Tax recoveries), revising the current contract value from $950,000 net of Harmonized Sales Tax ($966,920 net of Harmonized Sales Tax recoveries) to $1,800,000 net of Harmonized Sales Tax ($1,831,680 net of Harmonized Sales Tax recoveries).
EC23.8adopted
Harbourfront Centre is currently in discussions with a prospective tenant, Reptilia, for the north building located at 245 Queens Quay West, and has asked that I bring this matter forward on their behalf, as a member of the Harbourfront Centre Board and local Councillor representing the central waterfront. Reptilia is a reptile zoo and visitation centre with established locations in Whitby and Vaughan. The proposed tenant would provide the waterfront with another key tourist attraction complementing the CN Tower, Toronto Islands and the Aquarium, when post-COVID-19 tourism returns. Reptilia's proposed program includes animals that fall under the Prohibited Animals list in City of Toronto Municipal Code Chapter 349, Animals. City staff can determine if a site-specific exemption for this site is appropriate through a review process that includes evaluation of accreditations, standards of care, and area health and safety issues. The By-law has a number of exempted sites, including the Toronto Zoo, Riverdale Farm, and Ripley's Aquarium of Canada, which received an exemption in 2017.
The Economic and Community Development Committee: 1. Requested the Executive Director, Municipal Licensing and Standards to report by the end of the fourth quarter of 2021 on the proposed Reptilia facility at 245 Queens Quay West, including the following: a. a recommendation on whether or not to include the facility under the Prohibited Animals exceptions in Section 349-4 of City of Toronto Municipal Code Chapter 349, Animals; b. the specific prohibited animal species that would be permitted, if City Council grants the exception; and c. health and safety considerations for staff and the public, including but not limited to, access to antivenin and consultation with local hospitals.
Staff recommendation as filed
Councillor Joe Cressy recommends that: 1. The Economic and Community Development Committee request the Executive Director, Municipal Licensing and Standards, to report by the end of the fourth quarter of 2021 on the proposed Reptilia facility at 245 Queens Quay West, including the following: a. a recommendation on whether or not to include the facility under the Prohibited Animals exceptions in Section 349-4 of City of Toronto Municipal Code Chapter 349, Animals; b. the specific prohibited animal species that would be permitted, if City Council grants the exception; and c. health and safety considerations for staff and the public, including but not limited to, access to antivenin and consultation with local hospitals.