Agenda

This meeting of the Infrastructure and Environment Committee will be conducted with members participating in person and remotely.  

Members of Council, City Officials, and members of the public who register to speak will be provided with the video conference details closer to the meeting date.

To provide comments or make a presentation to the Infrastructure and Environment Committee:

The public may submit written comments or register to speak to the Committee on any item on the agenda. The public may speak to the Committee in person or by video conference.

Written comments may be submitted by writing to iec@toronto.ca.

To speak to the Committee, please register by e-mail to iec@toronto.ca or by phone at 416-392-4666. Members of the public who register to speak will be provided with instructions on how to participate in the meeting. 

Special Assistance for Members of the Public: City staff can arrange for special assistance with some advance notice. If you need special assistance, please call 416-392-4666, TTY 416-338-0889 or e-mail iec@toronto.ca.

Closed Meeting Requirements: If the Infrastructure and Environment Committee wants to meet in closed session (privately), a member of the Committee must make a motion to do so and give the reason why the Committee has to meet privately (City of Toronto Act, 2006).

Notice to People Writing or Making Presentations to the Infrastructure and Environment Committee: The City of Toronto Act, 2006 and the City of Toronto Municipal Code authorize the City of Toronto to collect any personal information in your communication or presentation to City Council or its Committees and Boards. The City collects this information to enable it to make informed decisions on the relevant issue(s). If you are submitting letters, faxes, e-mails, presentations or other communications to the City, you should be aware that your name and the fact that you communicated with the City will become part of the public record and will appear on the City’s website. The City will also make your communication and any personal information in it - such as your postal address, telephone number or e-mail address - available to the public, unless you expressly request the City to remove it.

Many Committee, Board, and Advisory Body meetings are broadcast live over the internet for the public to view. If you speak at the meeting you will appear in the video broadcast. Video broadcasts are archived and continue to be publicly available.

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 call 416-392-4666. 

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 and Boards.

Declarations of Interest under the Municipal Conflict of Interest Act

Speakers/Presentations: The speakers list will be posted online at 8:30 a.m. on March 20, 2023

Communications/Reports

Confirmation of Minutes - January 30, 2023 

The General Manager, Parks, Forestry and Recreation, recommends that:  

1. City Council authorize the General Manager, Parks, Forestry and Recreation, in consultation with the General Manager, Transportation Services, to negotiate and sign on behalf of the City of Toronto a non-exclusive nominal fee licence agreement with Toronto Artscape Inc., for a term of three years with a renewal term of up to three years at the General Manager's discretion, for the purposes of providing community programming at Spectrum Park (Regent Park Boulevard Park) and the adjacent road allowance, on terms and conditions satisfactory to the General Manager, Parks, Forestry and Recreation and General Manager, Transportation Services, and in form and content satisfactory to the City Solicitor.

The purpose of this report is to seek authority from City Council to enter into a non-exclusive nominal fee licence agreement with Toronto Artscape Inc., a registered charity. The agreement would initiate a community partnership to govern the use of park space and provide community programming at Spectrum Park (Regent Park Boulevard Park) and the adjacent road allowance. These outdoor spaces were built as part of the Regent Park redevelopment to facilitate public programming and events. The proposed agreement would facilitate enhanced community programming through a collaboration with Artscape.

Spectrum Park (Regent Park Boulevard Park) is a 1,289 square meter strip of hardscaping that includes street trees and benches, and is surrounded by sidewalk, either privately owned or part of the public road allowance. It has hosted permitted events in 2015 (3), 2017 (3) and 2018 (1), generating a total of $415.21 in permit revenue. Several permits were under the free-of-charge Arts in the Park booking category.

The proposed licence agreement would be non-exclusive, meaning other groups could book the space when the Licensee is not using it.

There are no financial implications resulting from the recommendation included in this report in the current budget year or in future years.

The Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer has reviewed this report and agrees with the financial implications as identified in the Financial Impact section.

The General Manager, Parks, Forestry and Recreation, recommends that:  

1. City Council authorize the General Manager, Parks, Forestry and Recreation

 to negotiate and sign, on behalf of the City of Toronto, a management agreement with Fred Victor Centre, for a term of five years with a renewal term of up to five years at the General Manager's discretion, for the purposes of managing the greenhouse complex including the bake oven and adjacent garden at Regent Park on the City of Toronto's behalf, on terms and conditions satisfactory to the General Manager, Parks, Forestry and Recreation, and in form and content satisfactory to the City Solicitor.

The purpose of this report is to seek authority from City Council to enter into a management agreement with Fred Victor Centre, a registered charity. The agreement would initiate a community partnership to govern use of park space and would allow Fred Victor to manage, on behalf of the City, the greenhouse, bake oven and community garden complex at Regent Park for community benefit. This approach is intended to ensure these park amenities live up to their full potential for serving the community.

The 2023 Council Approved Capital Budget and 2024-2032 Capital Plan for Parks, Forestry and Recreation does not include funding for rehabilitation and/or improvements to the greenhouse, bake oven amenities and community garden complex in Regent Park. Any funding requirement, if needed, to address future capital improvements and repairs in these City-owned assets will be included in future year budget submissions for consideration.

Fred Victor Centre will pay nominal licence fees for the use of the park amenities and all costs related to the maintenance, management and programming of the facilities would be at a cost to Fred Victor Centre under the Management Agreement, as described in the report. There are no additional costs to Parks, Forestry and Recreation operating budget from the execution of this management agreement.

The Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer has reviewed this report and agrees with the financial implications as identified in the Financial Impact section.

The Deputy City Manager, Corporate Services recommends that:  

1.  City Council approve changes to the Residential Energy Retrofit Program in accordance with Attachment 1 to the report.

2. City Council amend the Residential Energy Retrofit Program By-law, By Law 1105-2013, to reflect the recommended changes in Part 1 above.

Launched in 2014, the Home Energy Loan Program (HELP, the 'Program') is administered by the Environment and Climate Division in coordination with other Divisions, including Revenue Services. The Program provides funding to support homeowners interested in making their homes more comfortable, healthier and energy efficient, while also reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and is a key program of TransformTO, Toronto's net-zero strategy.

Through HELP, Toronto homeowners can access low-interest loans to cover the costs of a wide range of decarbonisation and energy efficiency measures including air-source heat pumps, window/door replacements, rooftop solar photovoltaics, electric vehicle chargers and more. Since July 2022, with up to $9.7M in funding from the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM), the City has been able to offer a limited amount of zero-interest financing to homeowners on a first come, first served basis which has generated a significant spike in uptake. The City received over 1200 applications after the launch of the zero-interest stream, with financing only being available for a maximum of approximately 300 applicants. The City is engaging with those waiting in the queue on other options to support their retrofits, including accessing the low-interest HELP stream, and is undertaking a broader review of HELP as per direction received during the 2023 Budget process.

At its December 14, 2022 meeting, City Council adopted Member Motion MM2.11 which requested the City Manager to review the homeowner eligibility requirements for HELP with respect to allowing residents who have a minor late payment to qualify for the Program. This report details the results of a review of homeowner eligibility within the scope of tax and utility account history, including arrears, late payments and other fees or charges. It recommends changes to HELP's current eligibility criteria and applicant approval process aimed at relaxing criteria and providing greater clarity for homeowner qualification.

There are no additional funding requirements to the City resulting from this report.  

The Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer has reviewed this report and agrees with the information as presented in the Financial Impact section.

The General Manager, Transportation Services recommends that:

1. City Council endorse the Preferred Design for a new north-south complete street and realignment of Cowdray Court, generally as shown in Attachments 2, 3 and 4 of the report (March 7, 2023) from the General Manager, Transportation Services.

2. City Council authorize the General Manager, Transportation Services to prepare the Environmental Study Report (ESR) for the Southwest Agincourt Transportation Connections Study, issue the Notice of Completion, and post the ESR in the public record in accordance with the requirements of the Municipal Class Environmental Assessment process for Schedule C projects.

3. City Council direct the Chief Planner and Executive Director, City Planning, to prepare an Official Plan Amendment to reflect the planned right-of-way width of 25 metres for Cowdray Court.

4. City Council endorse the additional transportation improvements identified as part of the Southwest Agincourt Connections Study and request the General Manager, Transportation Services to program the design and implementation of the improvements as part of future capital planning processes.

Southwest Agincourt is intensifying with areas transitioning from predominantly low-rise residential and employment uses to higher-density mixed-use buildings. Planned and proposed developments between Highway 401 and Sheppard Avenue East, from Kennedy Road to West Highland Creek, will result in approximately 12,000 new residents living in the area along with new retail and office spaces. Transportation infrastructure improvements are needed to support the growing number of people living and working in this area. Increased traffic from anticipated developments will lead to greater traffic congestion without alternative routes, and the area lacks safe active transportation routes.

The City's Official Plan and the Agincourt Secondary Plan identifies the need for a new north-south street between Sheppard Avenue East and Village Green Square. The provision of this new street will address some of the needed transportation improvements in the area. The street will improve transportation network safety, connectivity to local destinations, and emergency access, and has the potential to improve traffic flow along Kennedy Road and Sheppard Avenue East.

On July 23, 2018, City Council authorized the General Manager, Transportation Services to initiate the Municipal Class Environmental Assessment for the extension of a new north-south street connecting Sheppard Avenue East and Village Green Square with funding provided by Gemterra (Cowdray) Inc., an area developer. The Southwest Agincourt Transportation Connections Study is satisfying Schedule 'C' Municipal Class Environmental Assessment requirements for the new north-south street, where alternative alignments and designs were assessed to arrive at a Preferred
Design for the street.

The Preferred Design for the street, referred to as the 'New Complete Street', will provide an alternate street connection from Sheppard Avenue East to Village Green Square by extending Gordon Avenue southward across the existing CP Rail corridor. The Preferred Design has one vehicle lane in each direction, sidewalks, protected cycle tracks, tree planting areas and space for green infrastructure, new signalized intersections at Cowdray Court and Sheppard Avenue East, and protects for potential future bus service. Cowdray Court is also proposed to be realigned to enable the street to connect at a 90 degree angle to the New Complete Street.

As part of the Study, other opportunities were identified to better connect intensifying mixed-use areas to transit through active transportation network improvements that would be pre-approved projects under the Municipal Class EA process. Additional transportation improvements recommended in the Study include:

· A north-south multi-use trail on the east side of Village Green Square to Sheppard     

  Avenue East, parallel to the Highland Creek under an existing CP Rail bridge

  connecting to key destinations including Agincourt GO station and Collingwood Park;

· Sidewalks along Collingwood Street;

· Cycle tracks along Sheppard Avenue East between Gordon Avenue and Agincourt GO

  station driveway;

· On-street parking and advisory bike lanes on Reidmount Avenue;

· An expanded public realm with enhanced pedestrian and cycling connections to the     

  GO Station through the closure of a portion of Dowry Street to motor vehicles; and

· Pedestrian and cycling safety enhancements at the Sheppard Avenue intersection at the

  Agincourt GO driveway.

Public involvement was an integral part of this Study. The project team engaged with a broad range of residents, businesses, and stakeholders through two rounds of public consultation, stakeholder meetings, online questionnaires, and other consultation activities.

This report summarizes the outcomes of the Southwest Agincourt Transportation Connections Study, and seeks Council endorsement on the Preferred Design for a new north-south complete street, authorization to proceed with filing the Environmental Study Report for the Southwest Agincourt Transportation Connections Study in accordance with the Municipal Class Environmental Assessment process for Schedule C projects, and direction to proceed with the recommended transportation infrastructure projects identified in the Study as part of the future capital planning process.

The Preferred Design for the New Complete Street includes the implementation of a new underpass under the CP Rail to accommodate the street. It's estimated that the construction cost for the New Complete Street will be $41.5M. This estimate is preliminary and based on a conceptual level of design only. The estimate excludes the cost for detailed design and property acquisition. Cost estimates will be further refined as detailed design progresses. A portion of the street located through an active development site may be designed and delivered through Planning Act approvals.

No provision has been made for the projects identified in this Study in Transportation Services' 2023-2032 Capital Plan. Any potential City funding requirements would be considered part of future year Capital Budget processes.

The Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer have reviewed this report and agree with the financial impact information.

Councillor Josh Matlow has submitted the following Administrative Inquiry:

I am submitting this administrative inquiry under Municipal Code Section 27-7.11 to seek information regarding the status of the Gardiner East “hybrid” construction project.

A February 2016 Staff Report estimated the lifecycle cost of the Hybrid 3 option (which was ultimately chosen by Council) for the Gardiner East rebuild to be $1.053 billion in

2013 dollars ($1.31 billion in 2022 dollars).

Question 1: What is the updated cost estimate for the Gardiner East Hybrid 3 option?

An October 19, 2022 CP24 article included a statement from a City spokesperson confirming that only $500 million in contracts have been committed to the Gardiner East project. The spokesperson also confirmed that the design has not been finished, no contracts have been awarded for the easternmost portion of the project, and that construction is not scheduled to start until 2026. 

Question 2: Is the $500 million figure regarding contracts awarded for the Gardiner East rebuild cited in the CP24 article still accurate?

The Board of Directors of Toronto Parking Authority recommends that:

1.  City Council approve (as required by Section 441-11 of Chapter 441, Fees and Charges, of the City of Toronto Municipal Code) the following adjustments (excluding Harmonized Sales Tax) to the Bike Share Toronto program rate structure to take effect April 3, 2023:

a. annual 30 Membership Fee of $105.00;

b. annual 45 Membership Fee of $120.00;

c. annual Membership Overage Fee charges of $0.12 per minute exceeding the user’s selected Annual Membership limit;

d. annual Members E-bike per minute charge of $0.10;

e. casual customer Iconic bike per minute charge of $1.00 unlock fee + $0.12 per minute;

f. casual customer E-bike per minute charge of $1.00 unlock fee + $0.20 per minute;

g. a 90-minute Iconic bike day pass (24h) of $15.00 +$0.12 for each additional minute; and

h. annual Bike Share Toronto Low-Income Program Membership Fee of $5.00.

At its meeting on March 3, 2023, Board of Directors of Toronto Parking Authority considered Item PA2.6 and made a recommendation to City Council.

Summary from the report (February 27, 2023) from the President, Toronto Parking Authority:

Bike Share Toronto is a convenient, affordable and sustainable mobility option that has emerged as an integral component of Toronto’s transportation network. Since its inception in 2011, the program has seen tremendous success, growing from a system of 80 stations and annual ridership of 400,000 to one of North America's largest bike share systems with a network of over 680 stations, 7100 bikes (including 525 e-bikes) and ridership of 4.6 Million in 2022.

Toronto Parking Authority aspires to make Bike Share Toronto the premiere bike sharing system in the world. Management's Bike Share Growth Strategy will deliver a significant expansion to all 25 Wards including electrification of 20 + percent of the fleet. These programmes are designed to elevate customer satisfaction, drive geographic breadth, improve customer accessibility, and deliver a strong platform for sustainable growth over the long term.

Bike Share Toronto's success to date can be attributed in large part to management's focus on delivering a consistent, reliable customer experience for each and every ride. These efforts were rewarded by securing our best ever customer satisfaction score of 92 percent during our peak summer season in 2022.

However, as Bike Share continues to enjoy double-digit ridership growth, our operating performance is beginning to be stressed reflecting market place demand exceeding supply-particularly during peak operating hours. This traffic drove a 19.4 percent increase in programme expenses in 2022 exacerbated by inflation, investments in frontline resources and more-costly E-bike operations. Failure to address the imbalance between volume growth and cost pressures will degrade key operating metrics and ultimately undermine customer experience.

In order to address this material risk and ensure the sustainable growth of the programme, management is recommending modest changes to its rate structure, which has been unchanged since 2017 despite the programme tripling in size.

This report provides an update on Bike Share's rate structure review, including an overview of the research methodology used to develop recommendations for a new and modernized Bike Share Toronto rate structure, that, if approved, will take effect on April 3, 2023.

Councillor Dianne Saxe and Councillor Alejandra Bravo recommend that:

1. City Council request the General Manager, Transportation Services to include a study and near term implementation cycling and pedestrian project on College Street between Lansdowne Avenue and Manning Avenue in the next Near Term Cycling Network Plan (2025-2027) and report back as part of the next Cycling Network Plan update.

2. Subject to the adoption of Recommendation 1, City Council request the General Manager, Transportation Services to undertake public consultation with local residents, Business Improvement Areas, and vulnerable road user groups as part of the College Street between Lansdowne Avenue and Manning Avenue project.

College Street is one of the busiest corridors for cycling in Toronto, with thousands of cycling trips per day, year-round. Road safety continues to be a primary concern for residents of our wards, with 25 vulnerable road users having been seriously injured on College Street between 2010 and 2020. As the local Councillors who represent the majority of College Street, we’ve heard from our residents that safe options for active transportation on major corridors is needed.

At its April 7, 2022 meeting, City Council authorized upgrades to College Street including the installation of separated cycle tracks from Manning Avenue to Bay Street. During public consultation for the College Street Upgrades project, residents expressed interest in extension of the bikeway further west.

To create a complete cycling route on College Street, and to complement the existing changes being made between Manning Ave and Bay St, we are proposing a cycling project which would extend bikeways west to Lansdowne Ave.

In addition to road safety, creating a complete cycling connection on College Street will help the City meet our TransformTO goals of ensuring that 75% of trips under 5 kilometres are taken via active transportation by 2050. It will improve connectivity to existing infrastructure on the West Toronto Railpath and to other planned projects, including the Railpath extension, Bartlett-Havelock-Gladstone Cycling Connections project, and the Palmerston-Tecumseth Cycling Connections project. It will also support local businesses, as cycle track installation is shown to improve business spending on the corridors where they are located.

As part of this project, we are recommending that consultation is conducted with local residents, businesses and vulnerable road users so that the project’s design is informed by the needs of community, and to ensure that safety is improved, active transportation is promoted, and local businesses are supported.

Councillors Dianne Saxe and Shelley Carroll recommend that:

1. Infrastructure and Environment Committee direct the General Manager, Transportation Services to conduct a comprehensive review of winter maintenance services for the 2022-2023 season and report back to the September 20, 2023 Infrastructure and Environment Committee as part of the Extreme Winter Weather Plan update, including but not limited to:

- Options to prevent city maintenance staff and contractors from putting snow or ice from roads or driveways onto sidewalks or bike lanes and remove any snow or ice that is put on sidewalks or bike lanes;

- And in consultation with the City Solicitor and Municipal Licensing and Standards, options to prevent private property owners and their winter maintenance staff and contractors from putting snow or ice from roads or driveways onto sidewalks or bike lanes, and to remove any snow or ice that they put on sidewalks or bike lanes.

2. Infrastructure and Environment Committee direct the Executive Director, Customer Experience, to review the scope of winter maintenance complaints received in the 2022-2023 winter season and the efficacy of the existing reporting system and report back to the September 20, 2023, Infrastructure & Environment Committee as part of the Extreme Winter Weather Plan update.

Sidewalks that are obstructed with snow and ice create a serious hazard for pedestrians, especially for seniors and the disabled, as well as for individuals transporting groceries, young children etc. As documented in Invisible Women, inconsistent sidewalk clearing is inequitable, creates a serious risk of life-altering injuries and disproportionately harms women and the most vulnerable.

The city invests heavily in clearing sidewalks and bike lanes of snow and ice. Unfortunately, this investment is wasted when cleared sidewalks and bike lanes are then obstructed by snow and ice that are put onto them in order to clear the road or a private driveway. Safe passage for pedestrians is more important than bare pavement for motor vehicles. It is never acceptable to obstruct a public sidewalk with snow and ice in order to clear roads and driveways for motor vehicles.

In addition, a review to the Infrastructure and Environment Committee is timely as our winter season comes to a close, and captured in the recommendations.

Thank you for your consideration of this request.

Councillor Saxe recommends that:

1.  Infrastructure and Environment Committee request the City Solicitor, in consultation with Finance and other City divisions and the Toronto Region Conservation Authority as appropriate, to report back to the June 5, 2023 meeting of the Infrastructure and Environment Committee on options for:

a. Requiring the owners of adjacent private property, that would directly benefit from ravine slope stabilization, to contribute to the cost of such work, and/or to transfer ravine land to the city or the TRCA in lieu of such payment,

b.  Notifying insurers of the adjacent private property of the risk of slope instability, and

c. Registering the risk of slope instability against the title of directly affected adjacent lands.

As climate change intensifies, erosion is causing more and more damage in Toronto’s ravines. In many cases, city infrastructure, water flow paths and ravine ecosystems are at serious risk unless active measures are taken to stabilize the ravine slopes. In addition, adjacent properties may be susceptible to serious damage from such erosion and the risk of slope failure.

Together with the Toronto Region Conservation Authority, it has been the city’s practice to request adjacent property owners to share the cost of slope stabilization. This was confirmed in the April 2014 staff report, Coordinated Watercourse Management Plan.

Unfortunately, in many cases, the adjacent property owner does not respond or does not consent. As a result, the necessary slope stabilization work may not be done. If the necessary slope stabilization work is not performed, the slope may fail, putting public and private assets, public safety and the ravines at risk. In order to prevent this result, the public purse may sometimes pay the entire cost of the necessary work. If so, this provides a substantial unearned benefit to uncooperative property owners at public expense, and encourages further lack of cooperation.

This problem is expected to become more severe as climate change increases.

Councillor Nunziata recommends that:

1. City Council amend the existing permit parking regulation in effect from 12:00 midnight to 6:00 a.m. daily, except no parking from 7:00 p.m. 1st day to 7:00 p.m. on the 16th day of each month, inclusive, April 1 to December 1, inclusive on the even (west) side of Blackthorn Avenue, from house #308 to #424 to be in effect from Rogers Road to a point 38.8 metres north of Rowntree Avenue and from Kenora Crescent to a point 50 metres north of Aileen Avenue.

2. City Council amend the existing permit parking regulation in effect from 12:00 midnight to 6:00 a.m. daily, except no parking from 7:00 p.m. on the 16th day of each month to 7:00 p.m. on the 1st day of each month, inclusive, April 1 to December 1, inclusive and no parking anytime from 7:00 p.m. Dec.1 of one year to 7:00 p.m. Apr. 1 of the next following year, inclusive on the odd (east) side of Blackthorn Avenue, from house #293 to #425 to be in effect from Rogers Road to a point 38.8 metres north of Rowntree Avenue and from Kenora Crescent to a point 50 metres north of Aileen Avenue.

3. City Council authorize permit parking to be in effect from 12:00 midnight to 6:00 a.m., daily on the odd (east) side of Blackthorn Avenue, from Rogers Road to Kenora Crescent.

4. City Council amend the existing parking prohibition in effect from the 16th day to the last day of each month from April 1 to November 30, inclusive, on the east side of Blackthorn Avenue, between a point 60.1 metres south of Helen Avenue and a point 50 metres north of Aileen Avenue to be in effect from Rogers Road and a point 38.8 metres north of Rowntree Avenue and from Kenora Crescent and a point 50 metres north of Aileen Avenue.

5. City Council amend the existing parking prohibition in effect at all times, from December 1 to March 31, inclusive on the east side of Blackthorn Avenue, between a point 60.1 metres south of Helen Avenue and a point 50 metres north of Aileen Avenue to be in effect from Rogers Road and a point 38.8 metres north of Rowntree Avenue and from Kenora Crescent and a point 50 metres north of Aileen Avenue.

6. City Council prohibit parking at all times on the west side of Blackthorn Avenue, between Rogers Road and Kenora Crescent.

7. City Council amend the existing prohibit parking in effect from the 1st day of each month to the 15th day of each month, Apr. 1 to Nov. 30, inclusive on the west side of Blackthorn Avenue, between a point 60.1 metres south of Helen Avenue and a point 50 metres north of Aileen Avenue to be in effect from Rogers Road and a point 38.8 metres north of Rowntree Avenue and from Kenora Crescent and a point 50 metres north of Aileen Avenue.

8. City Council direct that Blackthorn Avenue be returned to its pre-construction traffic and parking regulations when the project is complete.

On July 14, 15 and 16, 2021, City Council adopted Item IE23.9, entitled "Award of Contract Number 21ECS-LU-01TT to EBC Bessac Canada (FSPSTT) Joint Venture for the Construction of the Fairbank Silverthorn Storm Trunk Tunnel and Micro-Tunneled Storm Collectors for Basement Flooding Protection Program Study Area 3".

My office has been notified by City staff that the above referenced construction project requires 18 months road closure for vehicular traffic on Silverthorn Avenue, between Dunraven Drive and Aileen Avenue, and between Kenora Crescent and Rogers Road. This road closure will block driveway access for several residents. The impacted property owners have been issued temporary parking permits on the adjoining streets including Blackthorn Avenue between Rogers Road and Kenora Crescent, in Permit Parking Area 13N, where permit parking is permissible and spaces are available.

Currently, permit parking on Blackthorn Avenue between Rogers Road and Aileen Avenue alternates every 2-weeks between April 1 and November 30. Between December 1 and March 31, permit parking is restricted to the west side. To maximize the number of permit parking spaces available to residents during construction, the current parking prohibitions on Blackthorn Avenue need to be amended. The current inventory of permit parking spaces on Blackthorn Avenue, between Rogers Road and Kenora Crescent, is comprised of 21 and 27 spaces on the west and east sides, respectively.

This motion seeks to temporarily amend the current permit parking regulations on Blackthorn Avenue between Rogers Road and Kenora Crescent to allow for permit parking on the east side throughout the year, during construction. This amendment is reflected in Recommendations 3 and 6, below. Additional recommendations are required as the current bylaw affects addresses in both Ward 5, York South-Weston and Ward 9, Davenport, and as such is being brought to the Infrastructure and Environment Committee.

Councillor Crisanti recommends that:

1. City Council request that the General Manager, Transportation Services, in consultation with the City Solicitor, report to the Infrastructure and Environment Committee on options for enhanced safety measures in Senior Safety zones, including but not limited to the feasibility for doubling fines for speeding, reducing the speed limit, and creating larger signage in Senior Safety Zones.

I am requesting your support in calling on the Province of Ontario to double the speeding fines in the Senior Safety Zones in order to enhance our ongoing efforts to protect our seniors.

As the Seniors Advocate for the City of Toronto, it is my priority to ensure that Toronto seniors have the ability to age with greater dignity and navigate their communities without fear for their well-being and safety. The proportion of Toronto's population over age 65 is projected to grow to 21.2% by 2041, and City Council have taken the first steps toward improving the safety of seniors on City streets through the implementation of 64 Senior Safety Zones.

The Toronto Police data states that the majority of victims in fatal collisions were pedestrians (76%). Similarly, the majority of victims in life threatening collisions were also pedestrians (63%). Of the 71 fatalities that have occurred within these safety zones, approximately 44 occurred prior to the zones being designated as Senior Safety Zones and after its implementation, only 27 have been reported from 2018-2022. There has also been a 51% decline in fatalities and a 20% decline in life threatening/altering collisions, within these zones.

The incidence of collision reports within Senior Safety Zones have drastically decreased but this is not enough. The doubling of speeding fines within these zones will protect the security and further improve the safety of Toronto's senior community, especially in areas with larger right-of-way which result in higher vehicular speeds.

Councillor Perruzza recommends that:

1. Infrastructure and Environment Committee request the General Manager, Transportation Services to review requirements for project information signage at utility construction sites on public property and report back to the Infrastructure and Environment Committee in the third quarter of 2023 as part of the report requested through IE29.11.

In a 2022 motion, IE29.11 Oversight and Accountability within the Utility Cut Process, was approved to report back to the Infrastructure and Environment Committee in the third quarter of 2023 on a number of items to improve on the level of service around third party utility construction permits. Through the motion below, I am requesting staff to investigate an additional item to improve customer service through the utility permitting process.