Item - 2019.GL9.20

The General Government and Licensing Committee:

1.  Requested the Deputy City Manager, Infrastructure and Development Services, to report to the General Government and Licensing Committee in the first quarter of 2020 on the following:

a.  identifiable and measurable performance standards for responding to complaints received by the Municipal Licensing and Standards Division; and

b.  the redeployment of Investigation Services staff to the North York Civic Centre in order to reduce staff travel times.

On September 4, 2019, the General Government and Licensing Committee (GGLC) considered Item GL7.16, Municipal Licensing and Standards - Enforcement Strategies and Service Standards. This item provided current service standards and enforcement strategies, as well as an overview of the process by which MLS is reviewing these standards and modernizing service delivery. The Committee referred the item to staff, with a request to report back on three additional items related to enforcement services provided by MLS. These items were:

1.  setting performance standards for service requests received by Bylaw Enforcement and Investigation Services;

2.  the impact that relocating staff from the North York Civic Centre (NYCC) has had on Investigation Services' response times in North York; and

3.  staffing levels, training, response times, and service standards for Toronto Animal Services.

MLS regularly conducts customer satisfaction surveys in order to establish benchmarks, identify progress and opportunities for improvement, and inform MLS' ongoing review of service standards. Overall, a majority of residents report being satisfied with their interactions with MLS. Although each case is different, the main reasons for why people were satisfied included speed, efficiency, and convenience. The primary factors for dissatisfaction are lack of action and delays. Shortening response times, more effective By-law enforcement, and better communications have been identified as three opportunities to improve service delivery.

Defining customer-facing standards for how MLS responds to, and resolves, By-law issues is challenging. Each case is unique and officers use their discretion to apply the variety of tools available to them to achieve By-law compliance. Although both the length of time to initially contact a complainant and the length of time to close a file are useful metrics, MLS is taking action to move towards outcome-based performance standards. This will allow MLS to better assess both the specific outcomes of service requests and identify opportunities for further improvement.

On August 28, 2019, 26 Investigation Services staff located at NYCC were relocated, in part, to consolidate the Investigation Services operation into a three-district model, realize efficiencies, and promote consistency among MLS' business units. More time is required for MLS to adequately assess the outcomes resulting from this move. A preliminary assessment indicates improvement to service requests with a 24-hour response time; however, there remain opportunities to improve the response to service requests with a five-day response time. MLS is committed to taking steps to meet or exceed all performance targets and will continue to assess the enforcement service delivery in North York and make evidence-based operational changes.

Toronto Animal Services (TAS) has a staff complement of 70 Animal Care and Control Officer positions. Between 2012 and 2018, the number of annual service requests has more than doubled to 80,509. TAS has implemented a number of measures to achieve efficiencies and manage this increase in service requests. All Animal Care and Control Officers undergo a comprehensive training program that includes a six-month onboarding program. A review of response times and standards indicates that, on average, TAS is meeting its established standards for Emergency and Priority 1 service requests in 2019. However, this standard has not been consistently met for Priority 2, Priority 3, and Normal service requests.