Item - 2022.EC31.12

The Economic and Community Development Committee recommends that:

1. City Council adopt amendments to Toronto Municipal Code, Chapter 19, Business Improvement Areas as set out in Attachment 1 to the report (June 21, 2022) from the Interim General Manager, Economic Development and Culture, and subject to any necessary minor substantive or stylistic refinements as may be identified by the General Manager, Economic Development and Culture and the City Solicitor.

2. City Council direct the General Manager, Economic Development and Culture, to conduct additional review and consultation on other issues impacting Business Improvement Areas, including the potential for further amendments to the Municipal Code, Chapter 19, Business Improvement Areas, and report back by the Fourth Quarter of 2023.

3. City Council authorize the Danforth Mosaic Business Improvement Area to establish a one-year Broken Windows Pilot Program in 2023 in consultation with the Toronto Business Improvement Area Office.

4. City Council direct the General Manager, Economic Development and Culture, to report on the results of the Danforth Mosaic Business Improvement Area Broken Windows Pilot Program to City Council by the Fourth Quarter of 2023.

In order to address the evolving needs and programming of Business Improvement Areas, make technical or 'house-keeping' updates, and address feedback from Business Improvement Areas, the City of Toronto Municipal Code, Chapter 19, Business Improvement Areas (“Chapter 19”) is reviewed periodically by the Toronto Business Improvement Areas Office in consultation with Legal Services and City Clerks.

This report proposes a series of technical amendments to Chapter 19, including changes to the Business Improvement Area polling process, clarification on electronic financial transactions, updates to some definitions, and corrections related to inconsistent terminology. These proposed amendments are identified in Attachment 1. A review of more substantive issues – including on the changing nature, scale and scope of Business Improvement Areas – through further analysis, review and consultation, is proposed as a next step.

This report also responds to a Member Motion requesting staff to explore, as part of a Chapter 19 Municipal Code review, the opportunity for Business Improvement Areas to use their funds to repair windows broken through acts of vandalism, similar to current provisions regarding graffiti and poster removals. In response, the Economic Development and Culture division recommends a pilot project in the Danforth Mosaic Business Improvement Area, which has been significantly impacted by ongoing window vandalism, to test the applicability of the idea.