Item - 2024.PH10.8

The Planning and Housing Committee:

1. Deferred consideration of the item until the April 5, 2024 meeting of the Planning and Housing Committee. 

This report responds to an October 26, 2023 direction from the Planning and Housing Committee for the Chief Building Official and Executive Director, Toronto Building ("CBO") to review and report back with potential amendments to the Sign By-law (Chapter 694 of the Toronto Municipal Code) to streamline and provide greater clarity to the Sign By-law Amendment process, as well as ensure that Sign By-law Amendment applications are not being used as a substitute to the Sign Variance process.

Toronto's Sign By-law is a harmonized, City-wide set of regulations governing signs which was adopted in 2010. The Sign By-law contains a process for any member of the public to apply to Council to amend the Sign By-law to implement significant changes to the sign regulations for a specific property or area. Applications are commonly made requesting amendments to the Sign By-law to allow signs that are prohibited, to remove permissions for signs in an area, or to modify the administrative requirements of the Sign By-law. The Chief Building Official and Executive Director brings applications to amend the Sign By-law together on an annual basis for City Council consideration; this allows City Council to assess the overall and cumulative impact of these applications on the city's-built environment, and the Sign By-law itself.

In recent years, there has been a concern that a number of Sign By-law Amendment applications submitted to City Council do not reflect the intended scope of the Sign By-law amendment process. This report was requested to examine if these applications align with the intended amendment application scope or if they should be more suitably addressed through the Sign Variance process.

The report recommends modifications to the Sign By-law based on the results of sign industry consultation and feedback, as well as staff review of Sign Bylaw amendment applications that have been received over the past five years. The proposed changes aim to enhance the Sign By-law amendment application process, decrease the volume of Sign By-law amendment applications reviewed by the City Council, and ensure applications more appropriate for the Sign Variance Committee are routed accordingly, resulting in a more efficient use of City Council resources. The amendments recommended in this report will also help to eliminate any perception by members of the public that applicants gain unfair advantages by manipulating sign approval processes or through offering donations other benefits, increasing trust and confidence in the sign approvals.

The recommendations proposed in this report include delegating authority to the Chief Building Official to directly submit Bills to City Council for updating the Schedule A, Maps (Sign District Maps) in the Sign By-law where City Council has changed the Official Plan and/or Zoning designation of a property, bypassing the need for reports to the Planning and Housing Committee and City Council. The Chief Building Official and Executive Director is also proposing amendments to provide the Chief Building Official and Executive Director with authority to stream applications for Sign Variances and Sign By-law Amendment according to the substantive nature of the application; and, to refuse Sign Variance and Sign By-law Amendment applications that are in contravention of applicable City of Toronto Policies and By-laws. Lastly, it recommends deleting criterion 694-30A(2) from the Sign Variance criteria in the Sign By-law to increase the flexibility of the Sign Variance process for third-party sign applicants.

The Sign By-law provides a comprehensive set of regulations for new signs, including regulations governing their size, height, illumination, and location, it also establishes sign districts to reflect the city’s character and has created open and transparent processes to obtain approvals for signs and properties. The recommendations in this report will enhance procedural fairness in sign approvals and will enhance the integrity of the Sign By-law Amendment and Sign Variances processes, both of which were developed through comprehensive engagement with the sign industry and input from the public.