Decisions

The Economic and Community Development Committee recommends that:

1. City Council appoint Shahaddah Jack to the position of City of Toronto Youth Poet Laureate for a term beginning October 15, 2024, until December 31, 2026, or until a successor is appointed.

Shahaddah Jack, gave a presentation to the Economic and Community Development Committee.

This report recommends that City Council appoint Shahaddah Jack as the City of Toronto's inaugural Youth Poet Laureate, for a term beginning October 15, 2024, and ending on December 31, 2026. This term may be extended beyond the end of December to allow for the appointment of a successor.

The Youth Poet Laureate Program was initiated at the recommendation of the Toronto Youth Cabinet in November 2023 to recognize and celebrate their 25th Anniversary. The Youth Poet Laureate will serve as a literary ambassador for young people across Toronto, working to elevate the status of poetry, language, and young writers by inspiring and engaging youth to share their stories through written and spoken word.

Shahaddah Jack, a 20-year-old bilingual spoken word poet and activist, uses her poetic lens to explore human rights, the Black experience, and the challenges of adolescence. Shahaddah has performed on over 100 stages, including events such as the Toronto International Festival of Authors and Nuit Blanche, and she recently released both her debut novel and single. She has been recommended for appointment following a competitive process adjudicated by the City's current Poet Laureate, Lillian Allen, and representatives from the Toronto Youth Cabinet.

The Economic and Community Development Committee:

1. Received the presentation by VIA High Frequency Rail (HFR) for information.

Vinay Sharda, Vice President, Local Government and Community Partnerships of VIA High Frequency Rail, gave a presentation to the Economic and Community Development Committee.

In December 2022, the Federal Government established the VIA Rail Subsidiary—VIA High Frequency Rail to support High Frequency Rail. The High Frequency Rail (HFR) project is a proposed investment to create a new train network that will run on mostly dedicated tracks at higher frequencies, higher speeds and with greater reliability between Toronto and Québec City.

The High Frequency Rail project presents a unique economic development opportunity by:

• Achieving greater connectivity for people living in and around major cities and communities between Toronto and Québec City, and to major airports and universities/ colleges in the region.

• Supporting economic growth by creating new employment opportunities in infrastructure, in new centres of economic activity and bringing people closer to markets and businesses.

• Promoting a competitive marketplace that gives Canadians more flexibility and affordable options for intercity travel.

• Increasing equitable access to passenger services for all people regardless of physical ability or socio-economic background.

Vinay Sharda, Vice President, Local Government and Community Partnerships of VIA High Frequency Rail, will provide a presentation on the economic development benefits and opportunities of High Frequency Rail.

The Economic and Community Development Committee recommends that:

1. City Council authorize the Executive Director, Social Development, Finance and Administration to negotiate, enter into, and amend any service and funding agreements with the Urban Alliance on Race Relations to co-fund and administer the Diversity Youth Fellowship Program, and implement recommendations for improvements based on the 2024 program evaluation.

2. City Council authorize the Executive Director, Social Development, Finance and Administration and the City Clerk to work with Eshkiniigjik Naandwechigegamig Aabiish Gaa Binjibaaying (ENAGB) Indigenous Youth Agency to administer a full-time Indigenous Youth Fellowship program, subject to approval of funding for the program through the 2025 Budget Process.

3. City Council request the Executive Director, Social Development, Finance and Administration and the City Clerk to work with the Urban Alliance on Race Relations to develop flexible options for youth participating in the Diversity Youth Fellowship Program to complete the total hours of the fellowship over a condensed period of full-time work or a longer period of part-time work.

4. City Council request the Executive Director, Social Development, Finance and Administration and the City Clerk to work with the Urban Alliance on Race Relations and Eshkiniigjik Naandwechigegamig Aabiish Gaa Binjibaaying (ENAGB) Indigenous Youth Agency to develop clear and collaborative processes around identification of Council members’ offices to participate in the program and for matching of fellows with Council members’ offices to ensure inclusive and relevant quality work experiences that aligns well with the interests of the fellows and needs of the Council members’ offices.

This report responds to Council direction, EC26.7, by providing details on the outcomes of the enhanced Diversity Youth Fellowship Program for 2022-2024 endorsed by City Council and advising on the feasibility of co-developing targeted Diversity Youth Fellowship programming for Indigenous youth.

The Diversity Youth Fellowship is a leadership and career development program for young people 18 to 29 years old from equity-deserving communities to gain hands-on experience working with Toronto's elected officials at City Hall. The Fellowship includes training, mentorship, placements in Council Members’ offices and financial support to undertake a community project. The program currently serves approximately 30 youth annually.  The program began in 2018 as the Muslim Youth Fellowship in partnership with the Urban Alliance on Race Relations. The Fellowship has since expanded to include the Black Youth Fellowship, Tamil Youth Fellowship, Filipino Youth Fellowship and Chinese Youth fellowship.  The program ensures 50 percent of the fellows are women or identify as women. The Fellowship provides equitable access to opportunities for equity-deserving communities by supporting young people with career navigation, job experience and professional network development. It amplifies the experiences and needs of equity-deserving communities in municipal decision-making spaces and ultimately, enhances representation in municipal government and politics. 

Moving forward, this report recommends enhancing the Diversity Youth Fellowship with a Newcomer Youth Cohort, and the implementation of an Indigenous Youth Fellowship beginning in 2025 in partnership with Eshkiniigjik Naandwechigegamig – A place for healing our youth Aabiish Gaa Binjibaaying? – Where did we come from? -Youth Program, known as ENAGB Indigenous Youth Agency.

The Economic and Community Development Committee recommends that:

1. City Council remove the following director from the Upper Village Business Improvement Area Board of Management set out below:

            Jaffrey, Mazher (Marz)

The purpose of this report is to make a change to the Upper Village Business Improvement Area Board of Management, in accordance with the requirements of the City of Toronto Municipal Code Chapter 19, Business Improvement Areas. The Upper Village Business Improvement Area falls within two Community Council boundaries.

The Economic and Community Development Committee recommends that:

1. City Council authorize the General Manager, Economic Development and Culture, to negotiate and enter into agreements with the Art Gallery of Ontario and the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts to loan "Barren Ground Caribou" by Joyce Wieland for a period beginning October 14, 2024, and expiring on March 31, 2026, with an option to extend the term of the agreement at the discretion of the General Manager, in a form satisfactory to the City Solicitor.

This report recommends that City Council authorize the General Manager, Economic Development and Culture, to enter into agreements to temporarily loan "Barren Ground Caribou", an artwork by Joyce Wieland owned by the City of Toronto, to the Art Gallery of Ontario and the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts. City Council authority is required to approve the loan since the artwork has an appraised value of over $100,000.

Joyce Wieland (1930-1998) was a conceptual artist who worked in film and mixed media and is recognized globally as one of the leading Canadian contemporary artists of the 20th century. The Art Gallery of Ontario and the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts are preparing to stage a major retrospective of Joyce Wieland's work and have approached the City with a request to loan "Barren Ground Caribou" to feature prominently in the exhibition. "Barren Ground Caribou" is a large-scale quilt depicting caribou roaming across a tundra landscape that was commissioned for the Spadina subway station in 1975.

The exhibition will run at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts from February to May 2025 and is expected to open at the Art Gallery of Ontario in June 2025, before closing in January 2026. Following the exhibition, "Barren Ground Caribou" will be re-installed in its original location near the north entrance of Spadina station. The Art Gallery of Ontario and the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts will assume all costs related to the loan of the artwork, and will ensure that its transportation, exhibition, storage, and re-installation are completed in accordance with professional museums standards.

The Economic and Community Development Committee recommends that:

1. City Council receive the report (June 20, 2024) from the General Manager, Economic Development and Culture for information.

At its meeting on July 5, 2024, Film, Television and Digital Media Advisory Board considered Item FB4.6 and made recommendations to the Economic and Community Development Committee.

Summary from the report (June 20, 2024) from the General Manager, Economic Development and Culture:

On May 8 and 9, 2024, Mayor Olivia Chow led a delegation of 32 Toronto screen industry organizations to Los Angeles to nurture existing relationships and foster new ones with Los Angeles' leading film, television, and digital media companies in order to secure more investment in Toronto.

This report provides an overview of the Mayor's Los Angeles Mission including key activities, objectives, and outcomes of the mission.

The Economic and Community Development Committee:

1. Requested the General Manager, Economic Development and Culture, the Chief Planner and Executive Director, City Planning, and the Chief Executive Officer, CreateTO to continue consultations with the Film, Television, and Digital Media Board throughout the planning phases of the McCleary District Precinct Plan.

2. Requested the General Manager, Economic Development and Culture, the Chief Planner and Executive Director, City Planning, and the Chief Executive Officer, CreateTO to consider both the McCleary District Precinct Plan and the Business and Implementation Plan:

a. maintain building height peak along Lake Shore Boulevard East and lower peak alongside Commissioners Street,

b. provide support for film workers by being eligible as preferred residents for new affordable housing in the McCleary area,

c. include Agent of Change principles, with a focus on awareness of proximity to film production, in place for area real estate purchases,

d. provide support for film-friendly features throughout the area as defined in the Urban Design Guidelines (including access to grid power, parking areas and laybys, removable street furniture), and

e. leverage public art as a means of celebrating the local film industry.

At its meeting on July 5, 2024, Film, Television and Digital Media Advisory Board considered Item FB4.3 and made recommendations to the Economic and Community Development Committee.

Summary from the Film, Television and Digital Media Advisory Board:

The Chair, Infrastructure and Sustainability Working Group will provide an update on the group's recent meeting.

The Economic and Community Development Committee:

1. Requested the Confronting Anti-Black Racism Unit, Social Development, Finance and Administration to invite the Ontario Human Rights Commission to present on the From Impact to Action: Final report on anti-Black racism by the Toronto Police Service, to share key findings and recommendations from the report.

2. Requested the Confronting Anti-Black Racism Unit, Social Development, Finance and Administration to invite the Chair, Toronto Police Service Board to present their existing anti-Black racism initiatives and work to consider and adopt findings in the From Impact to Action: Final report on anti-Black racism by the Toronto Police Service.

At its meeting on September 4, 2024, the Confronting Anti-Black Racism Advisory Committee considered Item CR4.2 and made recommendations to the Economic and Community Development Committee.

Summary from the letter (August 19, 2024) from Walied Khogali Ali, Member, Confronting Anti-Black Racism Advisory Committee:

The motion I am proposing is centered on a review of the From Impact to Action report by the Ontario Human Rights Commission (OHRC). This report critically explores anti-Black racism within the Toronto Police Service (TPS) and offers a range of recommendations aimed at addressing systemic challenges. Given the importance of these findings, I believe it would be highly beneficial for our committee to invite a representative from the OHRC to present on the recommendations enclosed in the report.

In addition to examining anti-Black racism at Toronto Police Services (TPS), this report highlights ways anti-Black racism is impacting Black Torontonians living in Toronto Community Housing (TCHC). As City agencies, it is important for the Committee to better understand anti-Black racism issues within these agencies to provide relevant recommendations and advice to City Council to enhance the experience and delivery of critical public services.

Furthermore, to understand the progress made toward advancing these recommendations, I think it is important for the Committee to receive an update directly from the City agencies identified in the report.

I believe this presentation will provide our committee with valuable insights into the progress made thus far, and highlight areas where further strategic action is needed, to continue to advance the Committee’s mandate.

The Economic and Community Development Committee:

1. Deferred consideration of the item until the October 23, 2024 meeting of the Economic and Community Development Committee.

City Council on July 24 and 25, 2024, referred Item CC20.3 to the Economic and Community Development Committee for consideration.

Summary from the report (July 17, 2024) fromthe Ombudsman on Ombudsman Toronto Housing Unit Status Report 2024.

Pursuant to section 170(2) of the City of Toronto Act, 2006 (COTA), the purpose of this report is to provide City Council with a status report describing the activities of Ombudsman Toronto’s Housing Unit since its creation in July 2023. In less than a year, the Housing Unit has been fully staffed, developed its infrastructure, launched two investigations, provided consultations to City staff, and met with more than 170 people through their engagement work. Notably, the Housing Unit has also developed a framework that uses the concept of housing as a human right to guide their investigations, the first of its kind for an Ombudsman organization in Canada.

The Economic and Community Development Committee:

1. Referred the item to the General Manager, Economic Development and Culture for consideration and appropriate action in support of Councillors Colle and Nunziata, local restaurants and BIA’s to organize a city-wide event.

City Council on June 26 and 27, 2024, referred Motion MM19.32 to the Economic and Community Development Committee for consideration.

Toronto is well-known for our incredible food scene, and for our residents' long held and strong opinions for where to get their favourite dishes.

In an effort to support our small businesses, Business Improvement Areas, and to encourage Torontonians in celebrating their favourite restaurants — the City should host the first ever Toronto International Pizza Festival.

Our City has incredible street festivals and food-related events that draw hundreds of thousands of visitors to locations across Toronto in order to experience the culinary excellence of Toronto. With thousands of pizzerias and related restaurants this festival provides a unique opportunity to encourage Torontonians to support small and local businesses, while also giving residents the opportunity to promote the many traditional and unique styles of pizza that can be found across Toronto.

The reason for urgency is to ensure that City staff has sufficient time to process this request by the September meeting of City Council.