Item - 2021.EX22.1

Tracking Status

  • City Council adopted this item on April 7, 2021 with amendments.
  • This item was considered by Executive Committee on March 30, 2021 and was adopted with amendments. It will be considered by City Council on April 7, 2021.

EX22.1 - COVID-19 Recovery and Rebuild Update

Decision Type:
ACTION
Status:
Amended
Wards:
All

City Council Decision

City Council on April 7 and 8, 2021, adopted the following:

 

1. City Council direct the City Manager and the Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer to continue to engage with the Federal and Provincial Governments to obtain funding commitments to fully address remaining COVID-19 related financial impacts anticipated in 2021; to obtain funding commitments for 2021 refugee response costs; and, consistent with Provincial assurances, to obtain firm commitment for the reimbursement of Public Health COVID-19 response and vaccine rollout costs and 2021 supportive housing costs and City Council authorize the City Manager to receive funds and to negotiate, enter into and execute any required agreements in respect of any such funding commitments.

 

2. City Council authorize the City Manager, in consultation with the Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer, to receive funds and to negotiate, enter into and execute any agreements with the Government of Canada and/or Community Foundations of Canada and other applicable partners under the Canada Healthy Communities Initiative, including any amendment thereto, for successful City applications, in a form acceptable to the City Solicitor.

 

3. City Council authorize the Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer to receive funds and to negotiate, enter into and execute any required Transfer Payment Agreement, including any amendments thereto, with the Province of Ontario under the Audit and Accountability Fund on terms and conditions satisfactory to the Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer, and in a form acceptable to the City Solicitor.

City Council Decision Advice and Other Information

City Council considered Items EX22.1 and HL26.1 together.

Background Information (Committee)

(March 16, 2021) Report from the City Manager on COVID-19 Recovery and Rebuild Update
https://www.toronto.ca/legdocs/mmis/2021/ex/bgrd/backgroundfile-164978.pdf
Attachment 1 - 2020 COVID-19 Response and Recovery Reports
https://www.toronto.ca/legdocs/mmis/2021/ex/bgrd/backgroundfile-164979.pdf
Attachment 2 - COVID-19 Response and Recovery 2021 Accomplishments
https://www.toronto.ca/legdocs/mmis/2021/ex/bgrd/backgroundfile-164980.pdf
Attachment 3 - Recovery Updates by Theme
https://www.toronto.ca/legdocs/mmis/2021/ex/bgrd/backgroundfile-164981.pdf
Attachment 4 - Renewed Intergovernmental Strategy
https://www.toronto.ca/legdocs/mmis/2021/ex/bgrd/backgroundfile-164982.pdf

Background Information (City Council)

(April 6, 2021) Supplementary report from the City Manager on Supplementary Report on Existing Intergovernmental Requests (EX22.1a)
https://www.toronto.ca/legdocs/mmis/2021/cc/bgrd/backgroundfile-165558.pdf
Attachment 1 - Point-in-Time Review of Existing Intergovernmental Requests (Dec 2018-2020)
https://www.toronto.ca/legdocs/mmis/2021/cc/bgrd/backgroundfile-165576.pdf
(April 7, 2021) Supplementary report from the City Manager and the Chief Financial Officer on 2021 COVID-19 Intergovernmental Funding Update (EX22.1b)
https://www.toronto.ca/legdocs/mmis/2021/cc/bgrd/backgroundfile-165648.pdf

Communications (Committee)

(March 24, 2021) E-mail from Anders Ross (EX.Supp)
(March 29, 2021) Letter from Susan McMurray, Executive Assistant, on behalf of the Toronto and York Region Labour Council (EX.New)
https://www.toronto.ca/legdocs/mmis/2021/ex/comm/communicationfile-129946.pdf
(March 29, 2021) Letter from Emmay Mah, Executive Director, Toronto Environmental Alliance (EX.New)
https://www.toronto.ca/legdocs/mmis/2021/ex/comm/communicationfile-129957.pdf

Communications (City Council)

(March 23, 2021) Submission from Jeiny Ruiz (CC.New)

Motions (City Council)

1 - Motion to Amend Item (Additional) moved by Mayor John Tory (Carried)

That City Council adopt the following recommendations in the supplementary report (April 7, 2021) from the City Manager and the Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer [EX22.1b]:

 

1. City Council direct the City Manager and Chief Financial Officer to continue to engage with the Federal and Provincial Governments to obtain funding commitments to fully address remaining COVID-19 related financial impacts anticipated in 2021; to obtain funding commitments for 2021 refugee response costs; and consistent with provincial assurances, to obtain firm commitment for the reimbursement of Public Health COVID-19 response and vaccine roll out costs and 2021 supportive housing costs, and authorize the City Manager to receive funds and to negotiate, enter into and execute any required agreements in respect of any such funding commitments.

 

2. City Council authorize the Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer to receive funds, and to negotiate, enter into and execute any required Transfer Payment Agreement, including any amendments, thereto, with the Province of Ontario under the Audit and Accountability Fund on terms and conditions satisfactory to the Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer, and in a form acceptable to the City Solicitor.

 

3. City Council authorize the City Manager, in consultation with the Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer, to receive funds, and to negotiate, enter into and execute any agreements with the Government of Canada and/or Community Foundations of Canada and other applicable partners under the Canada Healthy Communities Initiative, including any amendment thereto, for successful City applications, in a form acceptable to the City Solicitor.


Motion to Adopt Item as Amended (Carried)

Point of Privilege by Mayor John Tory

Mayor Tory, on a Point of Privilege, stated that in his earlier comments he had lauded the Premier of Ontario for giving the City of Toronto money and gives credit to where credit is due.


Point of Privilege by Councillor Shelley Carroll

Councillor Carroll, on a Point of Privilege, apologized to Mayor Tory and stated that her comments about paid sick leave were directed at Premier Ford and not the Mayor.

EX22.1 - COVID-19 Recovery and Rebuild Update

Decision Type:
ACTION
Status:
Amended
Wards:
All

Committee Recommendations

The Executive Committee recommends that:  

 

1. City Council receive the report (March 16, 2021) from the City Manager for information.

Decision Advice and Other Information

The Executive Committee directed the City Manager and the Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer to report directly to the April 7 and 8, 2021 meeting of City Council outlining the funds received from the Federal and Provincial Governments in response to the City’s budget shortfall due to the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Origin

(March 16, 2021) Report from the City Manager

Summary

This report is the eighth COVID-19 Response and Recovery Update from the City Manager since April 2020. The City Manager’s reports have detailed public health responses, emergency operations and services put in place since the beginning of the pandemic to support Toronto’s residents, business and communities and set the foundation for longer-term recovery planning.

 

Over the past year, City divisions, agencies and the Board of Health have provided Council with additional reports, recommendations and information on programs and services that have been modified and introduced or amended by-laws required to respond to the pandemic. Deputy City Managers, the Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer and their staff have provided information, reports and presentations to Council's standing committees and the public outlining the impacts of COVID-19 and their division’s response actions and recovery strategies.

 

This report provides information and updates from the first quarter of 2021 on:

 

Public Health and Emergency Response Actions

 

- The status of COVID-19 cases, including information on the variants of concern.

- Continued public health actions since the start of the year, including immunization planning and deployment.

- Emergency actions taken by the City in response to COVID-19 since the start of 2021.

- Information provided in a Board of Health report that will come forward to City Council in the same Council cycle. 

 

Recovery Actions

 

- Status of recovery actions since the start of 2021 on a range of matters presented under broad themes, and with reference to recommendations from the COVID-19: Impact and Opportunities report, the Economic and Culture Recovery Advisory Group, and the City Manager's recovery reports, building on information included in previous reports.

 

- Highlights and links to related Council reports issued during the first quarter of 2021 that provide more detailed updates on specific recovery actions, as well as noting any upcoming reports on specific recovery actions.

 

- The City's finances related to COVID-19 recovery since the 2021 Budget was adopted by Council on February 18, 2020.

 

Renewed Intergovernmental Strategy

 

- Progress on a renewed strategy that will ensure a coordinated, unified approach to engage and advocate to all levels of government to achieve the City's strategic objectives.

 

- The intergovernmental strategy's foundational pillars update the following:  

 

- Roles and responsibilities;

- Priority issues for Toronto and aligning shared outcomes with other governments;

- Intergovernmental networks, tables and agreements;

- Intergovernmental partnerships with community/stakeholders ("whole of community"); and

- Transparency and accountability. 

 

Recovery Communications Strategy

 

- Information about a communications strategy that includes the development of a Recovery Portal for ongoing updates and information to City Council and the public on recovery actions.

 

Building Back Better

 

Aside from these important updates, information is also provided in this report on how the City's senior leadership are looking ahead to how to coordinate all recovery actions in order to build a better City, rather than focus on a return to the normal that we knew before the pandemic.  This imperative was illustrated across the issues identified during the Budget Committee and Council discussions on the 2021 budget, and the discussions held by the City's senior leadership team and Division heads on how to implement priorities for the next two years efficiently and effectively.

 

The focus of the City Manager and his senior leadership team includes how best to coordinate across functions to build capacity in the city's neighbourhoods and communities, strengthen partnerships with local groups and organizations and more effectively respond to evolving issues and advance equity.  In future reports, the City Manager will provide additional updates and information on organizational and administrative strategies to support the City as we Build Back Better.

Background Information

(March 16, 2021) Report from the City Manager on COVID-19 Recovery and Rebuild Update
https://www.toronto.ca/legdocs/mmis/2021/ex/bgrd/backgroundfile-164978.pdf
Attachment 1 - 2020 COVID-19 Response and Recovery Reports
https://www.toronto.ca/legdocs/mmis/2021/ex/bgrd/backgroundfile-164979.pdf
Attachment 2 - COVID-19 Response and Recovery 2021 Accomplishments
https://www.toronto.ca/legdocs/mmis/2021/ex/bgrd/backgroundfile-164980.pdf
Attachment 3 - Recovery Updates by Theme
https://www.toronto.ca/legdocs/mmis/2021/ex/bgrd/backgroundfile-164981.pdf
Attachment 4 - Renewed Intergovernmental Strategy
https://www.toronto.ca/legdocs/mmis/2021/ex/bgrd/backgroundfile-164982.pdf

Communications

(March 24, 2021) E-mail from Anders Ross (EX.Supp)
(March 29, 2021) Letter from Susan McMurray, Executive Assistant, on behalf of the Toronto and York Region Labour Council (EX.New)
https://www.toronto.ca/legdocs/mmis/2021/ex/comm/communicationfile-129946.pdf
(March 29, 2021) Letter from Emmay Mah, Executive Director, Toronto Environmental Alliance (EX.New)
https://www.toronto.ca/legdocs/mmis/2021/ex/comm/communicationfile-129957.pdf

Speakers

Anders Ross
Caryl Arundel, Social Planning Toronto
Sean Meagher, ConveneToronto
Gil Penalosa, Our Third Act

Motions

1 - Motion to Amend Item (Additional) moved by Mayor John Tory (Carried)

That the Executive Committee direct the City Manager and the Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer to report directly to the April 7 and 8, 2021 meeting of City Council outlining the funds received from the Federal and Provincial Governments in response to the City’s budget shortfall due to the COVID-19 Pandemic.


Motion to Adopt Item as Amended moved by Mayor John Tory (Carried)
Source: Toronto City Clerk at www.toronto.ca/council