Item - 2026.NS4.1
Tracking Status
- This item was considered by Nominating Panel - Sign Variance Committee on April 9, 2026 and was adopted with amendments.
NS4.1 - Appointment of Public Members to the Sign Variance Committee
- Decision Type:
- ACTION
- Status:
- Amended
- Wards:
- All
Confidential Attachment - Personal matters about identifiable individuals who are being considered for appointment to the Sign Variance Committee.
Panel Decision
The Nominating Panel - Sign Variance Committee recommends that:
1. City Council appoint the following candidates to the Sign Variance Committee for a term of office ending on April 24, 2030, and until successors are appointed:
Stephen Job
Farzana Jiwani
2. City Council appoint Derek Lett as Chair of the Sign Variance Committee for the remainder of his term ending December 16, 2027, and until a successor is appointed.
Decision Advice and Other Information
The Nominating Panel - Sign Variance Committee:
1. Directed that Confidential Attachments 1 to 3 to the report (March 24, 2026) from the City Clerk remain confidential in their entirety as they relate to personal matters about identifiable individuals being considered for appointment to the Sign Variance Committee.
Candidates' biographies:
Farzana Jiwani
Farzana brings to the position her expertise as an auditor in the Ontario College Quality Assurance Service, prior mediation experience, and as a trusted advisor in strategic planning and business development. She holds a Master’s degree in Dispute Resolution from the University of Massachusetts - Boston, and a PhD in Public Policy from Carleton University. She is eager to leverage her skills and experience to contribute to her community.
Stephen Job
Stephen Job, a member of the American Institute of Certified Planners, is an experienced manager and adjudicator of complex regulatory matters involving land use planning, environmental compliance, provincial and federal statutes and regulations, municipal by-laws and policies, and public-sector decision-making. He applies specialized expertise, clear analysis, and respectful communication in order to deliver fair and well-reasoned outcomes to complex challenges and contested matters.
Derek Lett
Derek Lett is a retired Ontario Public Service executive. His extensive public sector experience includes leadership roles in line ministries, central agencies and legislative oversight agencies of the provincial government. He is a Course Director in the School of Public Policy and Administration at York University; a trained mediator, the chair of the board of directors of the Canadian Black Policy Network and a former member of City of Toronto’s Committee of Adjustment (North York Panel).
Origin
Summary
The Nominating Panel – Sign Variance Committee will conduct interviews and recommend two candidates and a Chair to City Council for appointment to the Sign Variance Committee.
Background Information
https://www.toronto.ca/legdocs/mmis/2026/ns/bgrd/backgroundfile-285700.pdf
Confidential Attachment 1 - List of Candidates, Qualifications, Confidential Diversity Information Summary, and Applications for Appointment to the Sign Variance Committee
Confidential Attachment 2 - Diversity Information Summary for Current Public Members of the Sign Variance Committee
Confidential Attachment 3 - Interview schedule for April 9, 2026
Motions
That the Nominating Panel - Sign Variance Committee delete Recommendation 1:
Recommendation to be deleted:
1. The Nominating Panel – Sign Variance Committee recommend two public members to City Council for appointment to the Sign Variance Committee for a term of office ending April 24, 2030, and until successors are appointed, and recommend one public member for appointment as Chair.
and adopt instead the following:
1. City Council appoint the following candidates to the Sign Variance Committee for a term of office ending April 24, 2030, and until successors are appointed:
Stephen Job
Farzana Jiwani
2. City Council appoint Derek Lett as Chair of the Sign Variance Committee for the remainder of his term ending December 16, 2027, and until a successor is appointed.