Item - 2019.EC10.6

The Economic and Community Development Committee recommends that:

1.  City Council adopt the proposed amendments to Chapter 79, Fire Services, as outlined in Attachment 1 to the report (November 19, 2019) from the Fire Chief and General Manager, Toronto Fire Services, to establish the responsibility for the Fire Chief and General Manager, Toronto Fire Services to maintain a record available to the general public concerning Ontario Fire Code inspection and enforcement activities of Toronto Fire Services in multi-unit residential and institutional occupancies in a manner and form as approved by the Fire Chief and General Manager in accordance with the proper administration and efficient operation of Toronto Fire Services.

Since December 2017, Toronto Fire Services (TFS) has maintained a searchable online database, available to the public, for TFS inspection activities related to fire safety at high-rise residential buildings. This online portal, known as the "High-rise Residential Fire Inspection Results" contains data on all completed inspections conducted at high-rise buildings within the City of Toronto. This report responds to a March 2018 request from the Executive Committee for Toronto Fire Services to consider expanding the information available via the portal on Fire Inspections.

The Fire Chief and General Manager, TFS proposes enhancing the information being provided on the portal to include information on both active and completed inspection matters for multi-unit residential occupancy types including high-rise, low-rise, small multi-unit buildings, rooming houses/group homes, hotels, motels, detention centres, and all vulnerable occupancy buildings. This expanded online portal will be renamed as the Fire Inspection Portal. The information posted on this expanded portal will continue to be available on the City's Open Data portal as well.

Once the High-rise Residential Fire Inspection Results portal was established, TFS was contacted by Ombudsman Toronto, asking TFS to consider an expanded portal which would include additional public information on inspection matters. TFS consulted with Legal Services, IT Services as well as the City Clerk's Office to ensure this increased transparency is balanced with meeting all relevant privacy requirements. It is expected that the expanded Fire Inspection Portal will be fully operational by the end of 2020.