Item - 2020.EC12.1

The Economic and Community Development Committee recommends that:

1.  City Council request the Executive Director, Social Development, Finance and Administration, the General Manager, Economic Development and Culture, and the Chief Planner and Executive Director, City Planning, in collaboration with the heads of other key divisions, including Toronto Employment and Social Services, Transportation Services, Parks, Forestry and Recreation, and Children's Services, to undertake an engagement process with community members, including local residents, businesses, stakeholder groups, and Indigenous communities, to identify needs, priorities, and aspirations as part of the Jane-Finch Initiative.

2.  City Council approve and direct the Executive Director, Social Development, Finance and Administration, the General Manager, Economic Development and Culture, and the Chief Planner and Executive Director, City Planning, in collaboration with other City staff, to implement the inter-divisional approach to the work and deliverables for the Jane-Finch Initiative outlined in Section 3 of the "Comments" section in the report (February 25, 2020) from the Executive Director, Social Development, Finance and Administration, the General Manager, Economic Development and Culture, and the Chief Planner and Executive Director, City Planning.

3.  City Council request the Executive Director, Social Development, Finance and Administration, and the General Manager, Economic Development and Culture, in consultation with the Chief Planner and Executive Director, City Planning, and the heads of other involved divisions, to report with a draft Community Development Plan for the Jane-Finch area and a summary of community input received by the fourth quarter of 2021.

4.  City Council request the Chief Planner and Executive Director, City Planning, in collaboration with Social Development, Finance and Administration, Economic Development and Culture, Toronto Employment and Social Services, Transportation Services, Parks, Forestry and Recreation, Children's Services, Shelter, Support and Housing Administration, and Toronto Water, and in consultation with the Toronto Public Library Board, the Toronto District School Board, and the Toronto Catholic District School Board, to report with a Proposals Report recommending land use policy directions for the Jane-Finch area and a summary of community input received by the fourth quarter of 2021.

5.  City Council request the Executive Director, Social Development, Finance and Administration, the General Manager, Economic Development and Culture, and the Chief Planner and Executive Director, City Planning, to establish a Jane-Finch Community Advisory Committee that is composed of a diverse and equitable representation of residents, stakeholders, and business representatives to provide community oversight and accountability in the creation of the engagement strategy and the development of a Community Development Plan and an updated Land Use Planning Framework for the Jane-Finch Initiative.

This report seeks City Council direction to commence a collaborative community planning initiative and associated resident, stakeholder, and Indigenous engagement processes in the Jane-Finch area. It also requests Council support to adopt the proposed approach to the initiative outlined in this report.

The Finch Avenue West corridor is anticipated to undergo significant change and development in the coming years. An 11-kilometre, 18-stop light rail transit line (LRT) is under construction along the corridor running from the TTC's Finch West Station to Humber College, with expected completion in 2023. The LRT will provide convenient and reliable rapid transit to area residents, businesses, and institutions, bringing improved connections to the City's higher-order transit network for a part of the City that has been underserved.

In December 2015, City Council directed staff to undertake planning studies for focus areas along the Finch Avenue West Corridor in advance of the opening of the new transit line. The intent was to leverage the public investment in transit infrastructure for the benefit of local communities. City Council identified the Keele-Finch area as the first priority for study. City Council approved the Jane-Finch area as a subsequent priority for a future planning study.

In anticipation of this transit investment and the potential for growth and change in the area, several City divisions are seeking City Council direction to collaborate on a community planning exercise in 'Neighbourhood 24 - Black Creek' and 'Neighbourhood 25 - Glenfield-Jane Heights', centred on the intersection of Jane Street and Finch Avenue West (see study area map in Attachment 1).

Through an engagement process that will allow residents to help shape the planning of their community, the purpose of the Jane-Finch Initiative is to align people- and place-focused initiatives into an integrated complete-community framework for the area.

The initiative would involve three integrated streams of work:

1.  comprehensive engagement;

2.  a community development plan, including a local economic opportunities plan; and

3.  an update to the land use planning framework.

The community development plan and the updated land use planning framework would work in tandem to advance social equity and economic inclusion for current and future residents, manage future growth and development, and guide investment in infrastructure and services.