Item - 2025.GG26.36

The General Government Committee recommend that:

1. City Council authorize the Executive Director, Corporate Real Estate Management, in consultation with the President and Chief Executive Officer, TO Live, and the Chief Procurement Officer, to negotiate and enter into any necessary agreements, including non-competitive agreements, with a value exceeding $500,000, and execute any necessary purchase order amendments, with a value exceeding $500,000 or more than 10 percent of the original commitment, for which the appropriate Committee and / or City Council approval would normally be required under City of Toronto Municipal Code Chapter 71, Financial Control By-law, and City of Toronto Municipal Code Chapter 195, Procurement, for the provision of goods and services including professional and construction services required to deliver renovations for the George Weston Recital Hall, provided that:

a. the procurement or purchase order amendment is necessary to meet the timelines associated with the donated funds;

b. the costs will be fully funded by the donations raised by the Toronto Live Foundation;

c. the competitive procurement and non-competitive procurement processes are completed in accordance with the City of Toronto Municipal Code Chapter 195, Procurement, and associated policies and procedures;

d. the terms and conditions of any such agreements and any amending agreements are acceptable to the Executive Director, Corporate Real Estate Management, the President and Chief Executive Officer, TO Live, and in a form satisfactory to the City Solicitor; and

2. City Council direct the City Manager to forward a copy of the report (November 21, 2025) from the Executive Director, Corporate Real Estate Services and the Chief Procurement Officer, to the Board of Directors of TO Live for their information.

The purpose of this report is to seek City Council authority to negotiate and execute any necessary agreements, including non-competitive agreements exceeding $500,000, for the provision of goods and services including professional and construction services required to deliver renovations to the George Weston Recital Hall at the Meridian Arts Centre (managed by TO Live, an agency of the City), utilizing funds raised for this purpose. This report outlines the procurement authorities required to support these renovations, which are solely and fully funded by private donations fundraised and held by the Toronto Live Foundation.

As part of the transition of the planning and delivery of TO Live’s 2024-2033 Capital Budget and Plan from TO Live to Corporate Real Estate Management, a governance framework was developed that ensures the timely continuation of in-flight projects that were initiated by TO Live and are at various stages of implementation. The renovation of George Weston Recital Hall is one such in-flight project. The planning and scope-setting phase for the George Weston Recital Hall renovations are underway and must continue to proceed as currently planned and scheduled, based on the confirmed project budget, in order to conclude this phase in January 2026 and allow construction to begin in July 2026.

As the renovations are funded through donations, this work was not included in the capital budget planning process and represents an unexpected addition to the project roster. Its unplanned nature requires that synergies with other necessary repair work within the George Weston Recital Hall must be explored as the work packages are developed and existing site conditions are assessed, enabling a coordinated “touch it once” approach. For example, one component of work to be funded through donations is the replacement of the theater seats in George Weston Recital Hall, which will also present an opportunity to complete any necessary flooring or electrical work beneath the seating.

To avoid impacts on already scheduled George Weston Recital Hall programming, all work must be completed by the fourth quarter of 2026. This compressed timeline combined with unplanned nature of the work necessitate flexible procurement authorities to ensure the donated funds are used effectively.

The scope of work supported by the donated funds include flooring, foundation, electrical and several cosmetic updates.

The procurement approach and accompanying authorities being sought in this report, which allow staff to enter into necessary agreements, including non-competitive, and purchase order amendments that would normally require Committee and / or City Council approval, are necessary to meet the accelerated timeline to complete renovations by October 2026. Expedited project delivery is required to ensure minimal impact on ongoing programming at the George Weston Recital Hall.

City Council approval is required in accordance with Municipal Code Chapter 195, Procurement, where the current request exceeds the Chief Procurement Officer's authority of the cumulative five-year commitment for each supplier, under Article 7, Section 195-7.3 (D) of the Procurement By-Law or exceeds the threshold of $500,000 net of Harmonized Sales Tax allowed under staff authority as per the Toronto Municipal Code, Chapter 71- Financial Control, Section 71-11A.

Non-competitive procurements would proceed under the exception related to cost sharing, where another organization is funding or substantially funding the procurement, and the City has determined in good faith that both the proposed procurement and the selected supplier, along with the terms and conditions of the contract are beneficial to the City (Toronto Municipal Code, Chapter 195, Procurement, Section 7.1K.).