Item - 2018.HL24.10

The Board of Health:

1.  Directed the Medical Officer of Health to report to the March 5, 2018 meeting of the Board of Health with a public health assessment of the safest and healthiest option of those outlined in the REimagining Yonge (Sheppard to Finch) Municipal Class Environmental Assessment Study.

As the Board of Health has previously discussed in the context of Complete Street Guidelines, how a City designs its streets directly contributes to the health of the people who use them.

In recent years, Toronto has continued to experience the tragic stories of pedestrians and cyclists injured or killed on our streets. More can and should be done to make our streets safer for all.

In recent years, City of Toronto staff from the Transportation Services and City Planning divisions have reviewed options for a redesign of Yonge Street, as part of the REimagining Yonge Municipal Class Environmental Assessment Study. In a few months, City Council will consider these options and vote on redesigning Yonge.

In order to ensure that safety of all road users is considered as part of this critical discussion, it would be prudent to have the Medical Officer of Health's assessment of the options to redesign Yonge Street available to City Council.

Therefore, I am asking the Board of Health to endorse the following direction for consideration at our next meeting.