Item - 2021.NP4.1

The Nominating Panel - Property Standards Committee recommends that:  

1. City Council appoint the following candidate to the Toronto and East York Panel of the Property Standards Committee for a term of office ending May 15, 2023 and until a successor is appointed:

Stephen Job

2. City Council appoint the following candidates to the Property Standards Committee for a term of office ending May 5, 2025 and until successors are appointed:

Etobicoke York Panel

James Douglas

Lawrence Lo

North York Panel

Kevin King

Robert Ruggiero

Scarborough Panel

Lisa Mallia

Jan Seaborn

Toronto and East York Panel

Johanna Braden

Laura Herbert

3. City Council direct that Confidential Attachments 1, 2, 3, and 4 to the report (April 8, 2021) from the Interim City Clerk remain confidential in their entirety as they relate to personal matters about identifiable individuals being considered for appointment to the Property Standards Committee.

Candidates' biographies:

Etobicoke York

James Douglas

James Douglas was employed by the Ontario Government from 1989 until retiring in in 2019.  He mainly worked for the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing, with positions related to non-profit housing development, housing policy and building regulation. He has expertise related to the legislation, regulations and standards governing building construction and maintenance.  He holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees, both in geography, from Queen’s University and McMaster University.

Lawrence Lo

As a former Partner/Project Manager in a construction company, Lawrence has 20 years hands-on experience working in partnership with the City's Buildings Department. Lawrence learned how to facilitate mediated discussions on a wide variety of topics during her volunteer terms on the Executive of the Board of Directors of her community centre/condo and Parent Council committees. Her 20+ years' experience as an Operations Manager has also given Lawrence a strong understanding of risk assessment.

North York

Kevin King

Kevin completed Business Administration at George Brown College and Public Administration at University of Western Ontario and Education at Brock University. He completed law school at Osgoode Hall and articled with Gowling Lafleur Henderson LLP, where he focused on commercial litigation matters. During his undergraduate career, Kevin was president of his student association, chair of Toronto Youth Cabinet and selected as one of the 8 future world leaders representing Canada at the world leaders’ summit. Kevin has received a number of distinctions including the Premier’s Award for Leadership, Harry Jerome Award for Leadership, the Pioneer Award for Community Services, and listed in MacLeans Magazine’s Top 30 under 30 in Canada.

Robert Ruggerio

Robert Ruggiero is a community planner with experience in development, cultural planning, engagement, and public facilitation. He is a Registered Professional Planner, Member of the Canadian Institute of Planners and has been qualified as an expert witness in Land Use Planning by the Local Planning Appeal Tribunal. He was previously a member of the Etobicoke York Community Preservation Panel. He is part of a sponsorship team settling a Syrian refugee family.

Scarborough

Lisa Mallia

Lisa is a Toronto native, growing up in the west end of the city, enjoying the Junction and High Park areas. A lawyer with a focus on administrative law, Lisa balances her work with time spent with her husband, their four year old son and two cats in their east end home and time spent running and playing goalie for a women's recreational hockey league.

Jan Seaborn

Jan de Pencier Seaborn is a lawyer by training and life-long resident of the City. Ms. Seaborn’s legal practice focussed on administrative law and she appeared before both provincial and federal  tribunals and boards as well various levels of courts.  Ms. Seaborn most recently served as Vice Chair of the Ontario Municipal Board (ELTO) where she spent close to 20 years as an adjudicator of all kinds of land use planning disputes.

Toronto and East York

Johanna Braden

Johanna Braden spent 19 years as a litigator at the Toronto firm Stockwoods LLP, focused on civil, commercial and administrative law.  Her practice included professional regulation, securities litigation, employment law, commercial disputes and health law.  From 2014 to 2017, Ms Braden was an adjunct faculty member of Osgoode Hall Law School, where she taught administrative law.  She received a B.A. (First Class Honours) from McGill University in 1993 and an LL.B. from Queens University in 1996.

Laura Herbert

Laura Herbert moved to in 1999. She is working and raising her family in a successful housing cooperative in the downtown core and is very much interested in municipal and community issues. Her career path in the design and construction industry has allowed her to combine her love of building and design with her penchant for codes, standards, and laws. She would like to share the knowledge she has gained to improve the experience of living and working in the city with other citizens.

Stephen Job

Stephen Job, AICP, is an urban planner working in housing development. He holds an Honours BA with high distinction from the University of Toronto, and a Master of Planning from the University of Southern California. He has served as a director of the University of Toronto Business Board, Trinity College Senate, and several private companies. Stephen is a member of the American Institute of Certified Planners.

The Nominating Panel – Property Standards Committee will conduct interviews and recommend nine candidates to City Council for appointment to the Property Standards Committee.