Item - 2015.PE4.6

The Parks and Environment Committee requested:

1. The Deputy City Manager, Cluster A, to report to the September, 2015 Parks and Environment Committee meeting with business cases for meeting the following service standards in 2016:

a. Daily Grooming of all swimming beaches;

 

b. Horticultural bed rejuvenation being conducted on a five year cycle;

 

c. Implementation of the Parks Service Plan;

 

d. The protection of Environmentally Sensitive Areas and parks from invasive species;

 

e. A 10 year capital plan which would provide for parks sufficiency in all wards;

 

f. Park path clearing in the winter;

 

g. Establishment of five new community gardens per year;

 

h. Twice-yearly inspections and debris removal from ravines and watercourses; and 

 

i. Parks, Forestry and Recreation staff review of all development applications that require tree removal or injury prior to those applications being considered by Committee of Adjustment.

2.  The Deputy City Manager, Cluster A, to report to the September, 2015 Parks and Environment Committee meeting with a business case setting out the changes necessary to the service standard (including planting and maintenance) which would return the City to its original tree canopy goal established by City Council in 2008, and the necessary funding to achieve this goal.

3. The Chief Corporate Officer to report to the September, 2015 Parks and Environment Committee meeting:

a. with an outline of what service standard would be needed to start a program for examining all City Buildings for energy retrofits;

 

b. on the cost of increasing the corporate waste diversion rate beyond the rate currently being achieved;

 

c. on the target and cost to achieve the target for normalized energy consumption for corporate buildings that exceeds the global standard for municipal buildings; and

 

d. on the cost of accelerating plans to achieve greater energy efficiency of municipal buildings using recoverable debt.

4. The General Manager, Parks, Forestry and Recreation, given the impact on the City's service levels, to report to the September, 2015 Parks and Environment Committee meeting on any agreements or maintenance issues, and a summary of the length and current uses of Hydro 1 corridors in City parks and ravines.

The following gave a presentation to the Parks and Environment Committee:

-  General Manager, Parks, Forestry and Recreation

-  Director, Environment and Energy

City Council on May 5, 6 and 7, 2015, in adopting Item EX5.18, approved the review of the divisional service levels at appropriate Standing Committees in June 2015 http://app.toronto.ca/tmmis/viewAgendaItemHistory.do?item=2015.EX5.18

Staff will make presentations to the Parks and Environment Committee on the following:

- Parks and  Forestry

- Environment and Energy