Item - 2025.CC30.3

City Council on May 21 and 22, 2025, adopted the following:

1. City Council direct City staff to implement the Ombudsman's recommendations from his investigation report, An Investigation into the City’s Response to a Vital Services Outage in a Multi-Tenant Home (May 13, 2025):

Recommendation 1- Municipal Licensing and Standards should develop guidance for staff on the types of situations where it may be acceptable to make an exception to the requirement that bylaw officers attend a Priority 1 service request within 48 hours, and that bylaw officers issue an Order within 48 hours of their attendance, as well as factors that should weigh against making exceptions. This guidance should be incorporated into the Priority Response Standard Operating Procedure.

Recommendation 2- Municipal Licensing and Standards should incorporate guidelines into its General Investigations Standard Operating Procedure for when decisions and reasons should be communicated to complainants in writing, considering factors such as the complexity and urgency of the matter and the vulnerabilities of the affected parties. These guidelines should require Municipal Licensing and Standards to outline the results of the investigation and any relevant factors that informed the decision as set out in the Standard Operating Procedures and the bylaws. As part of this written communication, Municipal Licensing and Standards should include information about how to make a complaint.

Recommendation 3- Municipal Licensing and Standards should update the General Investigations Standard Operating Procedure, the Notebooks and Case Management Standard Operating Procedure the Priority Response Standard Operating Procedure, and the Vital Services Standard Operating Procedure to make specific reference to the Bylaw Compliance and Enforcement Policy when enforcement action is contemplated and/or when officers may be expected to exercise discretion.

Recommendation 4- In consultation with the Housing Secretariat, and as required by the Toronto Housing Charter, Municipal Licensing and Standards should revise its Standard Operating Procedures relevant to rental housing standards enforcement to consider impacts on the right to adequate housing, including preserving affordable housing under the HousingTO Action Plan. This revision process should include the Bylaw Compliance and Enforcement Policy, General Investigations Standard Operating Procedure, Priority Response Standard Operating Procedure, Remedial Action Standard Operating Procedure, and Vital Services Standard Operating Procedure.

Recommendation 5- Municipal Licensing and Standards should develop a process in the Vital Services Standard Operating Procedure for responding to scenarios which fall under the exceptions in Municipal Code chapters § 629-32 and § 835-8. This revision should include guidelines on how to interpret these provisions, and outline the steps a bylaw officer should take to: 1) accurately determine the minimum time necessary to conduct repairs, 2) communicate deadlines for completing repairs to the landlord, including reminders and follow-ups, 3) reassess whether a bylaw breach exists if the landlord has not met deadlines, and 4) provide tenants with referrals to housing supports in the interim while the landlord is doing repairs.

Recommendation 6- Municipal Licensing and Standards should develop a process for responding to vital service shutoffs ordered by utility providers and incorporate that process into the Vital Services Standard Operating Procedure.

Recommendation 7- The processes referred to in Recommendations 5 and 6 should reiterate the need for a “proportionate and risk-based response” under the Bylaw Compliance and Enforcement Policy and explicitly state that evidence of impact on tenants should inform the level of urgency of Municipal Licensing and Standards’ response.

Recommendation 8- The processes referred to in Recommendations 5 and 6 should take the human right to adequate housing into account by prioritizing security of tenure, preservation of affordable housing units, and minimizing impacts on tenants.

Recommendation 9- In consultation with Toronto’s major utility providers, Municipal Licensing and Standards should identify a liaison within each organization whom staff can directly contact for information about vital service shutoffs and to troubleshoot complex cases. The Vital Services Standard Operating Procedure should be updated to set out the role of these liaisons and when Municipal Licensing and Standards staff should contact them. Municipal Licensing and Standards should assign a staff position to be responsible for regularly reviewing and updating this contact information to ensure it is up to date.

Recommendation 10- Municipal Licensing and Standards should develop a file closure checklist for Priority 1 Service Requests to be completed by supervisors, to ensure that bylaw officers have followed Standard Operating Procedures, adhered to all applicable timelines, exercised discretion appropriately, and met all case management expectations. This checklist should be created and implemented by March 31, 2026.

Recommendation 11- In consultation with supervisors and management, Municipal Licensing and Standards should revise its process for automatically generated reports and identify what information is necessary for supervisors to receive on a weekly basis, and how to present that information in a way that is useful for supervisors.

Recommendation 12- Municipal Licensing and Standards should develop a written procedure for conducting monthly one-on-one check-ins between bylaw officers and supervisors, including expectations for what will be reviewed, how the check-in will be documented, and the process for addressing performance concerns. Supervisors should be trained on this procedure, and staff should be made aware of the check-in process.

Recommendation 13- Municipal Licensing and Standards should develop and implement a training plan to ensure that all bylaw officers working in rental housing standards receive training on the vital services bylaws. Municipal Licensing and Standards should ensure that all bylaw officers working in rental housing standards receive this training by December 31, 2025.

Recommendation 14- Municipal Licensing and Standards should organize their policy database so that bylaw officers can easily access the policies and Standard Operating Procedures most relevant to their unit. This should be completed by December 31, 2025.

Recommendation 15- Municipal Licensing and Standards should ensure that the revisions made to the Bylaw Compliance and Enforcement Policy, General Investigations Standard Operating Procedure, Notebooks and Case Management Standard Operating Procedure, Priority Response Standard Operating Procedure, Remedial Action Standard Operating Procedure, and Vital Services Standard Operating Procedure under Recommendations 1–12 are incorporated into training materials for its frontline staff and management working in rental housing enforcement. Bylaw officers working in rental housing enforcement should receive refresher trainings which address these revisions.

Recommendation 16- The City, in its delivery of training on the human right to adequate housing, should ensure that all Municipal Licensing and Standards frontline staff and management who work in rental standards enforcement are trained on the Toronto Housing Charter and the human right to adequate housing by December 31, 2025.

Recommendation 17- Eviction Prevention in the Community should develop a procedure for the services it delivers through Toronto Emergency Management's ("TEM") emergency response protocol. These procedures should define which Eviction Prevention in the Community services are available, eligibility criteria, response times, and guidelines for the use of discretion.

Recommendation 18- The Eviction Prevention in the Community Program Model should be updated to include the services Eviction Prevention in the Community provides under the Toronto Emergency Management’s emergency response protocol and refer to the relevant policies and procedures which guide the delivery of those services.

Recommendation 19- The City should, in its upcoming revision of Toronto Emergency Management’s Emergency Human Services Policy, formalize Eviction Prevention in the Community’s role in delivering services. This revision should include information about when Eviction Prevention in the Community will become involved, eligibility criteria and referral information.

Recommendation 20- The City should publish on its website basic information about Eviction Prevention in the Community’s role in supporting tenants under Toronto Emergency Management’s emergency response protocol.

Recommendation 21- The Housing Secretariat should consult with Ombudsman Toronto in its upcoming review and revision of Eviction Prevention in the Community’s policy framework to ensure consistency with the principles of administrative fairness and the right to adequate housing.

Recommendation 22- Eviction Prevention in the Community should establish their own service standards for response times to service requests, in order to account for the urgency of Eviction Prevention in the Community’s work.

Recommendation 23- The Housing Secretariat should develop guidelines on exercising discretion in the delivery of Eviction Prevention in the Community services, including requirements for documenting discretionary decisions.

Recommendation 24- The Housing Secretariat should ensure that all Eviction Prevention in the Community staff are trained on the Toronto Housing Charter and the human right to adequate housing by December 31, 2025.

Recommendation 25- The Housing Secretariat should fulfil City Council’s direction in CC2.1 – 2023 Housing Action Plan to provide recommendations to support multi-tenant home tenants in the event of unexpected closures, including any necessary requests for funding, bylaw changes, or the creation of new programs by December 31, 2025. The Housing Secretariat should consult with Municipal Licensing and Standards in the development of these recommendations.

Recommendation 26- In implementing Recommendation 25, the City should consider whether to update or replace the Rooming House Emergency Response Plan.

2. The City Manager should provide a status update to the Executive Committee on the implementation of all these recommendations by November 1, 2025, and quarterly thereafter; additionally, the City Manager report to the Housing Rights Advisory Committee within a year.

3. City Council direct the Deputy City Manager, Infrastructure Services to report to the September 25, 2025 meeting of the Planning and Housing Committee, with:

a. options and considerations for City staff on undertaking required work on Priority 1 service requests (including those related to lack of vital services) at the property owners’ cost, if voluntary compliance has not been achieved in a timely manner; and

b. an anonymized list of the 10 most recent Priority 1 service requests related to multi-tenant houses, listing publicly shareable details on what work was required, how the service request was resolved, and a summary of any disclosable information on whether the City considered carrying out required work, and reasons for why the City carried out or did not carry out the required work. 

4. City Council request the City Manager to report to the September 25, 2025 meeting of the Planning and Housing Committee on:

a. how no heat, no power and no water was reported out by 311 as “Property Standards and Maintenance Violations”;

b. description of previous work undertaken by WoodGreen and which is now delivered by EPIC; and 

c. what steps were taken with the manager, supervisor and bylaw enforcement officer involved in this investigation.

5. City Council direct the Deputy City Manager, Infrastructure Services, the Deputy City Manager, Development and Growth, and the Deputy City Manager, Community and Emergency Services to report to Planning and Housing Committee by December 31, 2025, on recommendations to support multi-tenant house tenants in the event of unexpected closures and/or circumstances that may render their homes uninhabitable, including availability of emergency temporary accommodations for displaced tenants, bylaw changes, creation of new programs, and associated funding requirements.

6. City Council direct the Deputy City Manager, Infrastructure Services, in consultation with the Chief Procurement Officer, to ensure the City has engaged a roster of contractors who, if required, are able to carry out emergency repairs, mold and pest abatement, and other remediation to restore vital services and ensure multi-tenant houses and other rental properties are habitable in a timely manner.

7. City Council direct the Deputy City Manager, Development and Growth and the Deputy City Manager, Community and Emergency Services to provide support for multi-tenant house tenants in the event of unexpected closures and/or circumstances that may render their home uninhabitable through expanded eligibility and additional investments for the Eviction Prevention in Community program and services of Toronto Emergency Management, and by leveraging the City’s Specialized Program for Inter-divisional Enhanced Responsiveness (SPIDER) program.

8. City Council request the Executive Director, Municipal Licensing and Standards, to:

a. provide an annual report on enforcement action in all buildings under the purview of the Multi-Tenant Housing and RentSafe by-laws that includes a description of outcomes achieved by By-Law Enforcement Officers regarding by-law violations deemed “Priority One”, including Vital Services, Property Standards or Heating Bylaw, and other violations that pose a risk to the health and safety of residents, including mould and pests; and

b. ensure that By-Law Enforcement Officers file work orders independently for violations occurring in common areas and assist tenants to complete work orders regarding in-unit violations.