Item - 2023.TM2.1

During the review of the Order Paper on July 19, 2023, City Council adopted a procedural motion to remove this Item from the jurisdiction of the Toronto and East York Community Council and bring it forward for consideration by City Council.

The Subcommittee on Metrolinx’s Ontario Line Construction recommends that:

1. City Council direct the Executive Director, Transit Expansion Division to recommend that the Province of Ontario and Metrolinx implement the following best practices in the construction of the Ontario Line:

Community Benefits

a. in consultation with the City’s Community Benefits Unit, develop project-specific “community benefit plans” for the construction of the Ontario Line that will include, at minimum, the following components:

1. measurable targets for local and social hiring opportunities that are intended to reach Indigenous, Black, and equity-deserving groups, and hiring opportunities that include both construction trade and PAT (professional, administrative, and technical) positions;

2. measurable targets for local and social procurement that create opportunities with local businesses and diverse suppliers, such as social enterprises, Indigenous-owned businesses and Black-owned businesses; 

3. transparent and accountable monitoring and oversight structure that includes community involvement and public reporting; and

4. consider the use of a Project Labour Agreement;

Business Supports

b. meet on a regular basis with Business Improvement Areas and the City’s Business Improvement Area Office to develop business support solutions based on lessons learned from the Eglinton Crosstown Light Rapid Transit to mitigate construction impacts on businesses from the Ontario Line, including to:

1. develop a communication and marketing strategy to support businesses;

2. install improved signage and wayfinding for customers and visitors to the area;

3. ensure any future planning along the alignment is coordinated with a strategy to manage traffic impacts and appropriately plan for parking in consultation with City staff;

4. maintain public access to businesses for the entire length of the Ontario Line during construction and continually identify opportunities to improve access and visibility for businesses;

5. undertake regular site inspections, provide 24 hour/7 day a week site contacts and require contractors to keep construction areas clean and orderly;

6. initiate and publish studies and benchmarks to track the economic impacts of Ontario Line construction;

7. provide direct support to businesses, including direct financial compensation, subsidies and business development supports; and

8. proactively develop plans for recovery and rebuild initiatives;

Community Engagement

c. ensure Construction Liaison Committees:

1. act as a forum for inclusive and meaningful two-way communication regarding the Ontario Line, allowing impacted communities to receive updates on construction from Metrolinx, to provide feedback to Metrolinx on community concerns and proposals, and to proactively identify and problem-solve local concerns and issues;

2. receive project information from Metrolinx in a prompt manner to address neighbourhood and community improvements and identify short and long-term impacts of project construction works, activities and operations, and steps being taken to address these impacts;

3. provide opportunity for community members to suggest potential mitigation options to address negative impacts of construction;

4. have an ability to provide input into station names;

5. include members from local elected officials, local businesses, Business Improvement Areas, community associations, social service providers/not-for-profits, condominium corporations, impacted community members and City staff; and

6. serve as a forum for accountability and transparency by providing an update on each of this report’s sections at each Construction Liaison Committee meeting;

d. provide detailed engagement plans with local communities impacted by Ontario Line construction, including strategies for how Metrolinx will engage and coordinate with community members that include but are not limited to local residents, businesses, Business Improvement Areas, schools and school boards, and Indigenous, Black and other equity-deserving communities that may be impacted. Engagement plans should include activities such as in-person and virtual open houses, with opportunities for multilingual engagement support;

e. ensure public notification for all community meetings at least two weeks in advance of the scheduled date; provide a two-month look-ahead calendar on the Metrolinx website for all community engagements with details on how the public can participate;

Traffic and Construction Management

f. regularly assess Ontario Line construction sites and associated road closures, in consultation with the City’s Transportation Services Division, to identify potential opportunities to optimize the size of staging areas and/or the duration of road closures and provide updates to the local Councillors;

g. review and implement best practices from comparable cities, as part of Traffic Management Plans, related to construction zone management, minimizing construction footprints, construction coordination and traffic mitigation, in consultation with the City’s Transportation Services staff;

h.  Metrolinx and their contractors follow the established provincial and municipal guidelines to ensure effective traffic management in the work zones; the traffic management plan should include appropriate signage for all road users and safe accommodation for pedestrians, and road users with accessibility needs and mobility challenges; the traffic management plan should protect cyclists by insuring safe passage throughout the traffic management area; and traffic management plans should maintain pedestrian access to transit service and businesses and include truck haul route plans and traffic impact analysis, including any modifications to traffic signal timing plans and turning restrictions; and

i. require its contractors to keep the construction area clean and tidy;

Affordable Housing and Rental Replacement

j. establish a minimum target for the delivery of affordable rental housing in all Transit Oriented Community proposals, consistent with the City’s Official Plan Inclusionary Zoning policy framework and apply best practices from the City’s Housing Now program;

k. work with the City and the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation to identify opportunities/programs that augment provincial investments and further enhance the delivery of affordable rental housing on each site;

l. apply Official Plan policies regarding the demolition of existing rental housing units and dwellings by requiring replacement rental dwelling units and/or dwelling rooms with similar rents, and that tenant relocation and assistance, beyond the requirements of the Residential Tenancies Act, be provided to impacted tenants to lessen hardship;

m. in consultation with the local Councillor, actively engage with community members that are immediately adjacent to and may be directly impacted by construction activities and develop an action plan that considers options to ensure their safety and comfort during construction including measures to reduce noise, vibration, and construction dust;

Parks and Neighbourhood Investments

n.in consultation with the City’s Park, Forestry and Recreation Division:

1. adhere to applicable municipal by-laws and associated compensation requirements on all public and private trees and proactively engage with City staff and the community on park restoration plans;

2. protect access to park facilities to allow residents continued use of park facilities;

3. explore additional opportunities for neighbourhood investments to add or enhance parkland impacted or adjacent to the Ontario Line construction area, including upgrades to existing parks and recreation facilities with funding from Metrolinx’s community benefits plan;

4. mitigate and minimize temporary and permanent impacts on parkland by avoiding park closures and, where possible, maintaining safe park access during construction; should a park asset require removal and/or relocation on site, this will be identified on a site plan provided to the City’s Park, Forestry and Recreation Division for review in advance; and this may also require further negotiation of interim park space and public consultation to satisfy Park, Forestry and Recreation;

5. in place of restoration plans at the time of an Urban Forestry permit application, submit cash in lieu consistent with the City's Tree By-law determined either by per tree or by area-based basis with the compensation guidelines at 3:1 for public and private trees at $583 per tree and for ravine areas the guidelines are area based at $26 per square metre; and

6. improve park access and provide park improvements of parks impacted by construction through restoration plans and detailed designs; restoration plans should consider current City standards and the site’s context detailing any park assets, the number of trees and/or shrubs to be replanted, and provide details and specifications for minimum soil quality, quantity and standard maintenance requirements during a warranty period; and this becomes the minimum standards to which Metrolinx's design and construction teams would be held accountable through the preparation of restoration plans and implementation;

Real Estate

o. as previously requested by City Council, make publicly available detailed mapping of all City land requirements, including land type, current use, size and extent of property interest (temporary or permanent takings), and provide updates on a semi-annual basis; and

p. for dispositions related to parkland, make all reasonable efforts to provide to the City an exchange of land of nearby property of equivalent or larger area and comparable or superior green space utility acceptable to the City.

2. City Council require the following condition be added on all permits issued for the construction of the Ontario Line:

a.  that Metrolinx submit their plan to the Construction Liaison Committee for that section of the Ontario Line.

3. City Council request the Executive Director, Transit Expansion to develop an approach which would recommend community improvements in the affected area when a permit is given, in consultation with the local Councillor.

4. City Council direct the Executive Director, Transit Expansion, as part of their semi-annual report to the Toronto and East York Community Council, to provide an update on the progress of the Ontario Line construction – including station development, rail development, rolling stock development, against Metrolinx's expected timelines, and to advise of any issues that may delay the delivery of the project.

5.  City Council direct the Executive Director, Transit Expansion to report back on the status of the requests made in the report (June 26, 2023) from the Executive Director, Transit Expansion as part of their semi-annual report to the Toronto and East York Community Council.

6. City Council direct the Executive Director, Transit Expansion, in consultation with local Councillors, to convene a meeting with representatives of the local Construction Liaison Committees along the Ontario Line to hear directly from Toronto residents about the effectiveness of the current Construction Liaison Committees.

The Executive Director, Transit Expansion gave a presentation on Ontario Line Subcommittee  - Best Practices Report Back.

Metrolinx’s Ontario Line will be approximately 15.6 kilometres in length and will include 15 stations along its route. The Ontario Line will connect to other higher-order transit options, including the Eglinton Crosstown LRT, Line 1, Line 2, and the GO network, in addition to numerous TTC streetcar and bus routes.

Coordinated and integrated action across all orders of government as part of the Ontario Line construction is critical to the project’s success and to ensuring and protecting the interests of residents and businesses impacted in Toronto. The Ontario Line continues to provide a unique opportunity for the Government of Ontario, in collaboration with the Government of Canada and the City of Toronto, to work together in optimizing public investments to meet their respective mobility, housing, and economic growth targets and, most importantly, to provide the type of transit needed for Toronto’s current and future residents.

City staff have provided updates to City Council on Metrolinx’s Ontario Line construction within the Toronto and East York District through the first report to the Ontario Line Subcommittee (Subcommittee), TE4.70 - Update on Metrolinx's Ontario Line Construction within the Toronto and East York District, and through TE5.46 - Report Back on Metrolinx's Ontario Line Construction within the Toronto and East York District. City staff have also responded to directives from City Council to provide additional information requested regarding the Ontario Line project through EX5.3 - Update on Metrolinx Subways Program – Second Quarter 2023.

The purpose of this report is to fulfill the Subcommittee’s mandate by consolidating City staff recommendations on reducing the construction impacts, providing opportunities for residents and businesses and supporting the communities most impacted by the Ontario Line construction. These recommendations incorporate public feedback provided throughout the Subcommittee’s duration, reflect City Council directives on the above-noted staff reports, and provide a clear and comprehensive package of initiatives that the Province and Metrolinx should implement to construct the Ontario Line.

This report recommends best practices regarding:

- Community benefits;

- Business supports;

- Community engagement;

- Traffic and construction management;

- Affordable housing and rental replacement; and,

- Parks and neighbourhood investments.