Agenda

Members of Council and Staff: Please keep this agenda and the accompanying material until the City Council meeting dealing with these matters has ended.

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The City makes a video record of committee and community council meetings. If you make a presentation to a committee or community council, the City will be video-recording you and City staff may make the video record available to the public.

If you want to learn more about why and how the City collects your information, write to the City Clerk's Office, City Hall, 100 Queen Street West, Toronto ON M5H 2N2 or by calling 416-338-5089. 

toronto.ca/council

This agenda and any supplementary materials submitted to the City Clerk can be found online at www.toronto.ca/council. Visit the website for access to all agendas, reports, decisions and minutes of City Council and its committees. 

Declarations of Interest under the Municipal Conflict of Interest Act

Confirmation of Minutes - January 15, 2015

Speakers/Presentations: A complete list will be distributed at the meeting

Communications/Reports

The Fire Chief and General Manager, Fire Services, recommends that:

1.  City Council adopt the Master Fire Plan 2015-2019.

The Toronto Fire Services (TFS) 2015-2019 Master Fire Plan supports the Division's ongoing efforts to increase fire safety and fire prevention through education and prevention mechanisms and to provide high quality, efficient, and effective emergency response such that life safety outcomes are improved for all residents across the city.

The Master Fire Plan provides strategic direction for TFS and outlines the critical initiatives that TFS will implement over the next five years in order to achieve its strategic objectives. The strategic objectives include keeping communities safe, empowering people, strengthening partnerships and improving performance.

The Master Fire Plan addresses a number of major issues which form the basis of the work to be carried out over the five year term of the plan. This includes technological improvements, accreditation through the Commission on Fire Accreditation International (CFAI) as well as a number of service priorities such as vertical growth, densification and congestion, diversity, fiscal sustainability, and the importance of fire prevention and public education.

Guiding divisional priorities and investments over the next five years and beyond, the Master Fire Plan is intended to align TFS service and priorities in preparation for the accreditation process and to prepare TFS for a commitment to continuous improvement. The Plan will act as the foundation and transition document to support TFS' upcoming application for accreditation through the CFAI. 

There are no financial implications associated with the adoption of this report. Any financial implications associated with the implementation of the Master Fire Plan will be considered through separate reporting to the Community Development and Recreation Committee, or considered as part of future-year Capital and Operating Budget processes.

The Deputy City Manager and Chief Financial Officer has reviewed this report and agrees with the financial impact information.

The General Manager, Shelter, Support and Housing Administration (SSHA), recommends that:

1. City Council request the Director, Real Estate Services, to assist Shelter, Support and Housing Administration staff to identify appropriate facilities for use as the 15 potential new emergency shelter sites, both temporary and permanent, that will be needed in the next five years.

2. City Council request the General Manager, Shelter, Support and Housing Administration, to work with the Chief Corporate Officer and the Director of Equity, Diversity and Human Rights to identify strategies to increase the number of physically accessible shelter beds available.

3. City Council request the General Manager, Shelter, Support and Housing Administration, to report through the 2016 budget process on the impacts of the strategies identified in this report in achieving a 90 percent occupancy target in each emergency shelter sector, and the implications for additional resources needed.

4. City Council refer the report (March 9, 2015) from the General Manager, Employment and Social Services, in particular the workplan on a Mental Health and Substance Use strategy in shelters, to the Board of Health for information.

5. City Council request the Federal and Provincial Governments provide additional funding to create additional supportive housing spaces for long term shelter users with significant health, mental health and addiction issues.

This report sets out an infrastructure and service improvement plan to guide transformation of the emergency shelter system. This plan reflects the City's Housing First approach to ending homelessness by assisting people to move from emergency shelter into permanent housing as quickly as possible, while recognizing the importance of maintaining a robust and responsive emergency shelter system to provide assistance to people in crisis. The plan also supports the City's Poverty Reduction Strategy.

The report provides a detailed overview of the emergency shelter system in a city that is seeing less and less affordable housing, rising property values, and increased poverty. It discusses how the system is structured, who uses it and current service use trends. It highlights areas that need to be changed in order for client needs to continue to be met in an effective and efficient manner. This analysis lays the foundation for a range of proposed actions, including:

-  Development of a new program that focuses on housing long term shelter users to free up shelter beds for their original emergency purpose. The report outlines a range of Housing First approaches to achieve this objective, including partnership opportunities with Local Health Integration Networks (LHINs) to provide housing and supports for clients with complex physical, mental health and substance use issues.

-  An overview of the additional shelter capacity required to meet a 90 percent occupancy target in each emergency shelter sector, while also responding to the need for relocation of multiple existing shelter sites, including those related to George Street Revitalization and the displacement of existing shelters caused by real estate development initiatives. The report sets out a clear process for identifying and seeking approval for new shelter sites that will be needed, and outlines a plan for the capital investments required.

-  An update on a number of strategic initiatives underway to improve access and the effective operation of the emergency shelter system. These include updating the Shelter Standards, review of the use of transitional shelter programs, development of an enhanced centralized access system for emergency shelters, development of a harm reduction framework and development of strategic performance indicators and a new funding model that creates incentives to support clients in moving to permanent housing.

The 2015 Recommended Operating budget for SSHA includes funding of $3.8 million to increase capacity in the shelter system to achieve the target of 90% occupancy in each emergency shelter sector by adding 127 new beds in the Coed, Men's and Women's shelter sectors, 54 new beds for LGBTQ2S youth, and continued funding for 32 existing beds that were added in 2014. These measures provide funding for an overall increase of 57,158 bed nights in 2015.

This report also identifies a number of strategies aimed at reducing demand for emergency shelter, in particular by creating a Housing First pilot program to assist long term shelter users to move into permanent housing.

Staff will monitor the impact of these initiatives on occupancy levels through 2015 and report on any future financial implications of strategies identified in this report through the 2016 budget process, including:

1.  start-up costs of relocating existing shelter sites;

2.  achieving the goal of increasing the number of accessible spaces available to 20 percent of all available shelter beds;

3.  replacement of flex beds to return surge capacity function to the emergency shelter system; and

4.  extending the Housing First in shelters pilot program.

The financial impact of the George Street Revitalization (GSR) and transition plan will be brought to Council for consideration in September 2015 as part of a comprehensive staff report on GSR.

The Deputy City Manager and Chief Financial Officer has reviewed this report and agrees with the financial impact information.

The General Manager, Shelter, Support and Housing Administration (SSHA), recommends that:

1.  The Community Development and Recreation Committee receive this report for information.

The purpose of this report is to update Community Development and Recreation Committee (CDRC) on the implementation status of the 2014-2019 Housing Stability Service Planning Framework (HSSPF), which was unanimously adopted by City Council in December 2013. The HSSPF guides Shelter, Support and Housing Administration (SSHA) and its partners in the planning, management and delivery of housing and homelessness services over a five year period.

The report provides a high level overview of the actions being taken to respond to the nine strategic directions identified in the framework. Taken together, these actions are intended to transform the existing service system: from one based on historic funding program silos and focused on emergency responses to homelessness and administration of downloaded social housing programs to an integrated client-centered, outcome-focused service system that addresses homelessness and improves the housing stability of Torontonians.

Ongoing broad based engagement is a cornerstone of the service planning framework. This report describes how staff are engaging with the Toronto Alliance to End Homelessness (TAEH) – a community based multi-stakeholder group – on approaches and priorities within the service planning framework. A key product of this engagement in 2014 was the definition of objectives, phased milestones, and performance indicators, that form the basis for the implementation plan outlined in this report.

The costs associated with the 2015 activities described in this report are included in the 2015 recommended Operating Budget for SSHA.

The costs associated with activities that impact service delivery in 2016 and beyond will be considered as part of the budget processes for 2016 and subsequent years.

The Deputy City Manager and Chief Financial Officer has reviewed this report and agrees with the financial impact information.

The General Manager, Employment and Social Services, recommends that:

1. The Community Development and Recreation Committee receive this report for information.

The purpose of this report is to provide an update on the funding levels and utilization of the Housing Stabilization Fund (HSF), focusing on the delivery of the Fund in 2014. The report also discusses the impacts of the changes made to the Fund in 2014, which were intended to address issues identified by service users and community agencies. Based on ongoing input from service users and service providers, further improvements to the delivery of the Fund are described.

There is no financial impact associated with this report in 2015. Funding of $27,957 million, unchanged from 2014, for the Housing Stabilization Fund (HSF) is provided in the 2015 Operating Budget for Toronto Employment and Social Services (TESS). TESS will continue to carefully monitor expenditure levels throughout the year and will report back to City Council through the quarterly variance process on any major variances to budget.

The Deputy City Manager and Chief Financial Officer has reviewed this report and agrees with the financial impact information.

The Acting Executive Director, Social Development, Finance and Administration, recommends that:

1.  City Council approve allocations for the following three Investment Funding programs, as recommended in Appendices A and B to the report (March 9, 2015) from the Acting Executive Director, Social Development, Finance and Administration, subject to the approval of the 2015 Recommended Operating Budget for Social Development, Finance and Administration:

a.  a total of $122,000 to 15 organizations for the 2015 Community Festivals and Special Events Investment Program;

b.  a total of $560,000 to 23 organizations for the 2015 Pan Am/Parapan Am Games Festivals and Events - Local Animation Through Collaboration; and

c.  a total of $460,000 to 15 organizations for the Community Recreation Investment Funding Program.

2.  City Council direct that an amount of $70,000 be held for appeals for the annual Community Festivals and Community Recreation Investment Programs.

This report recommends funding for the following three 2015 Investment Funding programs:

i.  Community Festivals and Special Events Investment Program;

ii.  Pan Am/Parapan Am Games Festivals and Events - Local Animation Through Collaboration (Pan Am Festivals and Events); and

iii.  Community Recreation Investment Funding Program (Community Recreation).

Of the 230 applications received for these three programs, 53 are recommended for funding in the amount of $1,142,000.  An additional $70,000 has been held for appeals for the annual Community Festivals and Community Recreation Investment Funding programs.

Grants help the City of Toronto achieve its social, economic and cultural goals for its residents. The City's goals are better achieved by supporting the work of organizations that are closer to the communities they serve.

Community Investment programs provide time-limited funding to established and emerging not-for-profit groups in the City of Toronto to test new ideas or enhance existing models that lead to meaningful change in organizations and communities.

The Pan Am Festivals and Events funding aims to enhance the experience of the Games while advancing the City's goals for sport development and healthy living, resident engagement and cultural celebration, and economic development and tourism.

The recommendations in this report will have no impact beyond what has already been included in the 2015 Operating Budget for Social Development, Finance and Administration, considered by City Council at its meeting of March 10-11, 2015.

This report recommends allocations for 53 organizations totalling $1,142,000.00 with an appeal fund of $70,000 for two of the three grant programs.

The Deputy City Manager and Chief Financial Officer has reviewed this report and agrees with the financial impact information.

The Acting Executive Director, Social Development, Finance and Administration, recommends that:

1.  The Community Development and Recreation Committee receive this report for information.

This report presents the 2015 Q1 edition of the Toronto Social Development Dashboard (SDD). The Dashboard provides a graphical summary of the most relevant and recent socio-economic indicators available to help inform Community Development and Recreation Committee's decision-making on a range of social development issues.

The SDD reports available indicators that reflect the most current characteristics on social wellbeing. The SDD provides high-level, citywide metrics, which complement current place-based social data reporting systems such as the City's Wellbeing Toronto (www.toronto.ca/wellbeing), and other dashboards like the Toronto Economic Dashboard being used at Economic Development Committee.

The adoption of the recommendations contained in this report has no financial impact.

Councillor Pasternak recommends that:

1. The Acting Executive Director, Social Development, Finance and Administration be requested to report to the Community Development and Recreation Committee with regular updates on the progress of expanding and designing the City of Toronto Poverty Reduction Strategy.

Councillor Pasternak recommends that the General Manager, Parks, Forestry be requested to report to the Community Development and Recreation Committee by September 2015, with a Toronto Tennis Excellence Strategy that would include:

1.  Programming opportunities for the City of Toronto to expand the tennis lessons and clinics.

2.  An update on the inclusion of permitting City of Toronto tennis courts to private groups or individuals interested in running tennis lessons as part of The Review of Park Permitting Procedures.

3.  New programs to encourage youth to use City of Toronto tennis courts including partnering with tennis organizations and related companies in the private sector.

4.  A strategy for building Toronto as a centre of tennis excellence.

5.  The potential of hiring a Tennis Excellence Development Officer who can make Toronto a centre of tennis excellence.

6.  Input from the City's Partnership Office on reaching out to Tennis Canada, Ontario Tennis and other partners.

7.  Consultation with the Chair, Parks and Environment Committee on the status of the city's tennis facilities and any needed improvements or updates.

The recent success of Canadian professional tennis stars Eugenie Bouchard and Milos Raonic has ignited a rising interest in tennis in Toronto.

The City of Toronto operates over two hundred tennis courts. Courts are available under two categories - public and club. Public courts are free and available at all times. The majority are operated on a first come, first served basis for users. Club courts are generally permitted by community tennis clubs, which encourage the growth of tennis by providing programs and organizing events for their members.These clubs are not-for-profit community clubs run with the support of volunteers.

Outside of clubs, the City of Toronto does not currently offer opportunities for individuals or groups to permit the city's tennis courts for lessons and instructions. There are many individuals and private groups who are interested in permitting Toronto tennis courts for tennis lessons. This is currently under review.

Councillor Pasternak recommends that:

1.  The General Manager, Parks, Forestry and Recreation be requested to review the NXT City Prize initiative outlined in the attached letter and report to the Community Development and Recreation Committee on whether there are ways for the City to be involved and review the possibility of utilizing such groups to assist in improving public spaces.

Attached is a letter from Distl. regarding an initiative called NXT City Prize where young people submit creative ideas for public spaces. While I understand it is not possible to provide funding at this time, there may be other ways to be involved and may be merit in utilizing such groups and initiatives to make improvements to our public spaces.

Councillor Pasternak recommends that:

1.  The General Manager, Parks, Forestry and Recreation be requested to report to the Community Development and Recreation Committee with a plan for several workshops at City Hall for Councillors and their staff to attend.  Workshops would provide information on the recreation facility needs within each ward, the options available for funding community recreation improvements including partnerships, and the steps involved to implement such improvements.

There is a strong desire among Toronto residents to see new recreation facilities built and existing facilities enhanced in their local communities.  There are a variety of sources of funding that are available for City Councillors to use. Workshops for City Councillors and their staff would help ensure that funds are spent on vital projects in local neighbourhoods in a timely manner.