Item - 2020.EC14.5

The Economic and Community Development Committee recommends that:

1.  City Council direct the Steering Committee for the Business Improvement Area in Willowdale and the City of Toronto's Business Improvement Area Office staff to bypass the requirement that the General Manager, Economic Development and Culture, conduct a formal public consultation meeting as required under Subsection 19-2.2A(3)(e) and the requirements under Subsection 19-2.2 C to H of the City of Toronto Municipal Code Chapter 19, Business Improvement Areas, and proceed to notice and polling under Section 19-2.3 of the City of Toronto Municipal Code Chapter 19, Business Improvement Areas.

2.  City Council state its intention to designate the area outlined in Attachment 2 to the letter (July 6, 2020) from Councillor John Filion as the Willowdale Business Improvement Area under the City of Toronto Municipal Code Chapter 19, Business Improvement Areas.

3.  City Council direct the City Clerk to send out a notice of City Council's intention to pass a By-law designating the area outlined in Attachment 2 to the letter (July 6, 2020) from Councillor John Filion as the Willowdale Business Improvement Area, in accordance with the City of Toronto Municipal Code Chapter 19, Business Improvement Areas.

4.  City Council direct the Chief Technology Officer to prepare designation By-law maps of the area outlined in Attachment 2 to the letter (July 6, 2020) from Councillor John Filion and submit them to the City Solicitor.

The Steering Committee for the BIA in Willowdale has asked that I present a motion to the Economic and Community Development Committee to expedite the process to be designated an official Business Improvement Area (BIA) in Willowdale. Their specific request is that City Council consider waiving the requirement to hold an interest meeting to establish a general sense of support for a BIA among businesses in the area:

Municipal Code Chapter 19-2.2A(3)(e):  Notice and polling - new business improvement areas

A.  A steering committee shall be formed to undertake the following with the assistance of City staff:

(3)(e)  Decide on whether to request the General Manager to proceed to a formal public consultation meeting.

City Council has authority to waive requirements of the Code particularly when it is in the public interest. Council has done so in the past. In this case, an expedited process will better equip the local business community to address the severe impacts of COVID as an issue requiring urgent and immediate attention. For this reason, the waiving of the interest meeting has been requested in consultation with the Manager of the Toronto BIA Office by the Willowdale BIA Steering Committee, which has already done extensive consultation with the local business community, including a flyer delivered to 1,800 businesses in the area earlier this year, as shown in Attachment 3.

That public interest meeting outlined in Municipal Code Chapter 19-2.2 culminates with a secret ballot made by all business representatives in attendance. Though the usual procedure of a physical meeting is unable to be followed at this time due to COVID, the City has no protocol for conducting a secret ballot through a virtual meeting. Moreover, the City also depends on the Steering Committee to drop off notice to business tenants which is unwise in a pandemic.

These factors create a unique importance and urgency for expediting the BIA process at this time. The notice and polling conducted by the City Clerk would still be required as the next step.

Based on the work of the Steering Committee to date, and the number of businesses who have expressed firm interest and support, I fully endorse their request and agree that it is in the best interest of businesses in Willowdale that a BIA be formed as soon as possible to help with the immediate need of economic recovery and the long-term commercial vitality in the area.