Agenda

This meeting of the Economic and Community Development Committee will be conducted with members participating in person and remotely.

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 toronto.ca/council

This agenda and any supplementary materials submitted to the City Clerk can be found online at 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

Confirmation of Minutes – September 18, 2024

Speakers/Presentations – The speakers list will be posted online at 8:30 a.m. on October 23, 2024

Communications/Reports

The General Manager, Economic Development and Culture, recommends that:

1. City Council adopt and direct the General Manager, Economic Development and Culture, to implement the actions in Culture Connects: An Action Plan for Culture in Toronto (2025-2035), as outlined in Attachment 1 to this report.

2. City Council direct the General Manager, Economic Development and Culture, and other relevant City divisions to include the staffing and resources required for implementing Culture Connects: An Action Plan for Culture in Toronto (2025-2035) for consideration through the 2025 Budget process and subsequent years budget processes.

3. City Council authorize the General Manager, Economic Development and Culture, to negotiate, enter into, and amend any agreements necessary to support the implementation of Culture Connects: An Action Plan for Culture in Toronto (2025-2035) and these recommendations, within the resources included in the operating or capital budget, on terms satisfactory to them, and in forms and terms satisfactory to the City Solicitor.

4. City Council direct the General Manager, Economic Development and Culture, to develop an online dashboard to report on the impacts of Culture Connects: An Action Plan for Culture in Toronto (2025-2035).

5. City Council direct the General Manager, Economic Development and Culture, in collaboration and consultation with other relevant City divisions, agencies and corporations to report to the Economic and Community Development Committee in 2027 on implementation progress and outcomes of the actions in Culture Connects: An Action Plan for Culture in Toronto (2025-2035).

6. City Council forward Culture Connects: An Action Plan for Culture in Toronto (2025-2035), outlined as Attachment 1, to the following provincial ministries for their consideration: Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Gaming and Ministry of Sport; and Ministry of Economic Development, Job Creation, and Trade; and request these ministries work with the City to address the urgent need for actions to address funding, stability, and affordability for the cultural sector and collaborate with City staff to advance the Action Plan.

7. City Council forward Culture Connects: An Action Plan for Culture in Toronto (2035-2035), outlined as Attachment 1, to the following federal departments for their consideration: Canadian Heritage; Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario; Innovation, Science, and Economic Development Canada; and request these departments work with the City to address the urgent need for actions to address funding, stability, and affordability for the cultural sector and collaborate with City staff to advance the Action Plan.

Culture Connects: An Action Plan for Culture in Toronto (2025-2035) sets an ambitious 10-year vision for Toronto as a city for culture and creativity, where everyone, everywhere, can discover, experience, and create culture. This vision positions Toronto as an undeniable global cultural capital, celebrated for its exciting and expansive cultural and creative industry offerings as well as its accomplished talent. Culture is engrained in this city, making Toronto a better place to live, work, and visit. It drives economic growth, strengthens community bonds, and promotes social well-being, helping to create thriving, healthy communities.

It has been over a decade since the City’s last culture plan, Creative Capital Gains, was introduced in 2011. Since then, there have been significant economic, cultural, and societal shifts – and a devastating global pandemic. Emerging from the COVID-19 pandemic, Toronto’s culture sector is at an inflection point and faces great instability. Challenges include access to space, affordability, equity, changing audience habits, and sponsor supports. As emphasized in public consultations, the Action Plan also has a significant focus on ensuring culture becomes more available to people across the city, wherever they live, close to their homes, and embedded in their communities. A new Action Plan is needed to address the current obstacles and seize the opportunities of the next 10 years. Inaction would threaten Toronto’s vibrancy, liveability, and prosperity. Now is the moment to invest in culture, chart a forward path, and reinforce and reimagine culture in Toronto.

Culture Connects: An Action Plan for Culture in Toronto (2025-2035), included as Attachment 1, has been shaped and guided by community input. The Action Plan includes 28 actions grouped into four priority areas: 1) Culture Everywhere; 2) Culture for All; 3) Culture for the Future; and 4) Culture Beyond our Borders. These priorities are based on input shared by more than 4,000 residents throughout the Action Plan’s community engagement process, comprehensive research conducted by the University of Toronto, and best practices from leading cities from around the world.

This report outlines the need for an action plan, detailing the engagement process and key results as well as the Action Plan’s vision, priorities, and core components. This includes the Year One focus, the framework for ongoing engagement, and accountability measures, such as regular progress reporting.

The Action Plan includes both urgent actions to immediately address critical challenges, and long-term actions to drive systemic change. The urgent need to invest and connect will be the focus of Year One of the Action Plan, including increased support for the Toronto Arts Council; funds to support stabilization and transformation for cultural organizations; and hosting the inaugural Mayor’s Culture Summit. Throughout its implementation, the Action Plan will focus on impacts and outcomes, continued engagement, transparency, and accountability. With Culture Connects, the City presents a bold strategy to transform current realities and seize opportunities to create a vibrant and prosperous future for culture in Toronto.

This report presents and seeks City Council approval for Culture Connects: an Action Plan for Culture in Toronto (2025-2035), a comprehensive 10-year plan. While aspects of this work will proceed with existing resources, new and future investments will be required to achieve the vision and outcomes of the Action Plan. Further, as the Action Plan is designed to be responsive to emerging opportunities and needs over its 10-year span, future requests may be brought forward through future year budget processes.

The 2024 Operating Budget for Economic Development and Culture Division (EDC) included an increase of $0.800 million to support the implementation of this Action Plan. These funds are being allocated as follows: $0.400 million in enhancements to the Toronto Arts Council, $0.180 million supporting sector stabilization through funding for organization transformation and capacity building, and the balance supporting the development of a Cultural Infrastructure Study to identify city-wide cultural space needs, a dedicated staff position to lead the implementation of the Action Plan, expertise to strengthen data collection, analysis, and performance measurement, and initiatives to ensure ongoing communications and engagement as part of the plan implementation. 

As listed in the Culture Connects Workplan for 2025-2027, located in Attachment 2 to this report, urgent action items, except those noted below, can be implemented within existing resources including funds approved for the Action Plan in EDC’s 2024 Operating Budget. To continue actions in 2025, EDC has reviewed the current capacity and staff resources and has identified additional funding requests for consideration as part of the 2025 Budget Process.

The following operating resource requirements to advance Urgent Actions in the Action Plan are planned and subject to approval through the 2025 Budget Process.

To implement the Action Plan, the following increases are recommended to the Operating Budget of the Economic Development and Culture Division:

1. To expand and improve funding programs to support artists and arts organizations through the Toronto Arts Council, an increase of $2.000 million will be required annually for the next five years, starting in 2025.

2. To increase funding to Local Arts Service Organizations, by doubling funding from 2024 levels and applying an equitable distribution approach, an increase of $0.379 million will be required annually for the next five years, starting in 2025.

3. To enhance investment to support festivals and special events and deepen investment in creative industries, $1.065 million will be required in 2025, with an incremental increase of $0.200 million in 2026 and $0.100 million in 2027, including:

a. $0.565 million for enhanced investment to support festivals and special events in 2025, with an incremental increase of $0.200 million in 2026.

b. $0.500 million to deepen investment in the creative industries in 2025, with an incremental increase of $0.100 million in 2027 will be required consisting of:

i. $0.300 million for the development of targeted community engagement and training initiatives to enable historically underrepresented groups to access opportunities in Toronto's film and interactive digital media sectors.

ii. $0.200 million for incubator programs that support organizational capacity development and financial sustainability for creative entrepreneurs and small creative businesses in Toronto's film and interactive digital media sectors.

4. To establish and implement tools to strengthen and protect cultural districts as directed by City Council in 2021.EC25.3, $0.365 million will be required annually starting in 2025.

5. To enable and increase the audience development efforts of local arts, heritage, and cultural organizations citywide with investments in audience development, collective marketing, and discoverability, $0.075 million is required annually starting in 2025.

6. To advance investments in cultural tourism and promotion, $0.050 million is

in 2025, with an incremental increase of $0.050 million in 2026.

7. Staffing resources to support the implementation of the actions described in the Action Plan will be required. This would include 5.5 FTEs at $0.346 million in 2025, an incremental cost of $0.365 million in 2026 and $0.005 million in 2027.

8. To add an automatic annual inflationary adjustment to Cultural Grants, effective January 1st of each year commencing in January of 2025.

Table 1: 2025 Incremental funding requirements and future year impacts

* Inflationary increase is based 2.5% in 2025, preliminary 2% in 2026 and 2027

The Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer has been advised of the financial impacts associated with this Action Plan to be considered along with the other priorities in future budget processes.

The General Manager, Economic Development and Culture recommends that:  

1. City Council adopt Sidewalks to Skylines: An Action Plan for Toronto's Economy 2025-2035, as outlined in Attachment 1.

2. City Council direct the General Manager, Economic Development and Culture and other relevant divisions, to include the staffing and resources required for Action Plan implementation for consideration through the 2025 Budget Process and subsequent years.

3. City Council direct the General Manager, Economic Development and Culture, in partnership with relevant divisions, to implement the actions in Sidewalks to Skylines: An Action Plan for Toronto's Economy 2025-2035, and report annually to the Economic and Community Development Committee on the progress of implementation, with the first annual report back by the first quarter of 2026.

4. City Council direct the General Manager, Economic Development and Culture, in consultation with relevant divisions, to identify success indicators or relevant tracking measures for actions identified in the 2025-2029 Five-Year Work Plan as outlined in Attachment 1 in its first annual report back report to the Economic and Community Development Committee.

5. City Council direct the General Manager, Economic Development and Culture, in consultation with relevant divisions, to report to the Economic and Community Development Committee in the fourth quarter of 2029 on the implementation of the actions in the Five-Year Work Plan and on a new five-year work plan for the second term of the Action Plan for Toronto's Economy, spanning 2030-2035.

6. City Council direct the General Manager, Economic Development and Culture, to develop a major event bidding and hosting strategy in partnership with Destination Toronto, other orders of government, stakeholders from the private sector and the hospitality industry and report back to the Economic and Community Development Committee by the fourth quarter of 2027.

7. City Council direct the General Manager, Economic Development and Culture to develop a growth management strategy for Business Improvement Areas to enhance the formation, management, support, and coordination between and governance of Business Improvement Areas and report back to the Economic and Community Development Committee by the fourth quarter of 2025.

8. City Council direct the General Manager, Economic Development and Culture, in consultation with the Director, Indigenous Affairs Office, to partner with local Indigenous Nations, organizations, groups, businesses, and community members to co-develop an Indigenous Economic Strategy and report back to the Executive Committee by the fourth quarter of 2026.

9. City Council authorize the General Manager, Economic Development and Culture to apply for, negotiate and enter into agreement(s) with other governments, institutions, agencies, and vendors as required to advance the Action Plan for Toronto's Economy (2025-2035), including partnership agreements, data sharing agreements, and funding agreements, in a form acceptable to the City Solicitor.

10. City Council forward the Action Plan for Toronto's Economy (2025-2035), as outlined in Attachment 1, to the following organizations and agencies for their consideration: Destination Toronto, PortsToronto, and the Greater Toronto Airports Authority.

11. City Council forward the Action Plan for Toronto's Economy (2025-2035), as outlined in Attachment 1, to the following provincial ministries for their consideration: the Ministry of Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade; the Ministry of Finance; the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing; the Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development; the Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services; and the Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Gaming.

12. City Council forward the Action Plan for Toronto's Economy (2025-2035), as outlined in Attachment 1, to the following federal departments and agencies for their consideration: Department of Finance Canada; Employment and Social Development Canada; Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario; Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada; Transport Canada; Destination Canada; Invest in Canada; and Global Affairs Canada.

It has been over a decade since the launch of Collaborating for Competitiveness, the City of Toronto’s last plan to advance economic development, with a focus on job creation and economic growth. Since then, new trends, challenges, and opportunities have emerged both at the global and the local level, reshaping the city's and regional industry competitiveness, supply chains, workforce dynamics and land use pressures. Given its fundamental strengths, Toronto is well positioned to face these challenges and leverage opportunities toward an economy that is competitive, inclusive, and advancing towards net zero emissions. Achieving this vision, however, will require a long-term plan with impactful actions, dedicated resources, and intentional and collaborative coordination with partners. Before aspirational targets for inclusive and sustainable economic growth can be met, the integrity of basic City services and the foundation they create for economic growth must first be addressed. This Action Plan sets out a vision to both get the basics right and set an aspirational agenda to drive Toronto's economy forward, confronting its challenges and leveraging its many strengths.

Guided by this bold vision, Sidewalks to Skylines - an Action Plan for Toronto's Economy (2025-2035) provides a roadmap for the City to strategically maximize its levers and collaborate with its partners to enhance Toronto's economy with a focus on livability, inclusivity, and prosperity in the next ten years. The Action Plan is the result of robust research and analysis of best practices in other jurisdictions, as well as extensive engagement and consultation with over 1,000 stakeholders, including business leaders, academics, small businesses, business associations, major employers, institutions, community coalitions, labour unions, and residents. It identifies three priorities: Strong Main Streets, Quality Jobs, and Global Competitiveness. These priorities are anchored by a foundational priority, Getting the Basics Right, which focuses on key City levers to improve quality of life and enable a business environment that optimizes conditions to achieve broader economic ambitions and facilitate economic prosperity.

The success of the Action Plan will be dependent on effective partnerships; it will also depend on the access to resources and revenues commensurate with the City's responsibilities as a municipal government to support Toronto's role as Canada's leading global centre for commerce, creativity, and capital. To guide these efforts, in addition to a five-year work plan, the Action Plan highlights 29 leading actions, including 10 to strengthen the foundation and 19 to advance the priorities to drive meaningful change. To monitor the progress of the Action Plan, each of the 29 leading actions is accompanied by one or more success indicators. Progress will be reported to City Council on an annual basis.

In 2030, informed by the success of and lessons learned from the first five years, a new five-year work plan responsive to the economic context of the time will be presented for consideration by City Council. Through the implementation of the Action Plan, the City will help advance liveability, inclusion, and shared prosperity beyond the traditional measure of economic growth in partnership with other organizations and for all communities across Toronto.

This report presents Sidewalks to Skylines: An Action Plan for Toronto's Economy, a comprehensive ten-year plan, and seeks City Council approval for the implementation of a mix of actions, as outlined in Attachment 1, that can be advanced within existing corporate resources, with other components requiring new or enhanced investments.

Short-term action items, except those noted below, can be implemented within existing resources and/or reallocation of budgets within impacted divisions. For 2025, the following resource requirements to support the implementation of the Action Plan are subject to approval and will be considered as part of the 2025 Budget Process:

• To hire an Indigenous Economic Development Officer to lead Indigenous economic development actions, the Economic Development and Culture Division will require $0.068 million for 1 permanent FTE in 2025, annualized to $0.138 million in 2026 (Action 5 and Action 64);

• To increase City business with Indigenous suppliers by co-developing an Indigenous procurement policy, the Purchasing and Materials Management Division will require ongoing funding of $0.300 million in 2025, which will increase to $0.450 million in 2026 (Action 9);

• To boost main street resilience and support thriving local commerce, the Economic Development and Culture Division will require ongoing funding of $2.000 million in 2025 ($1.000 million in Operating and $1.000 million in Capital), which will increase to $3.000 million in 2026 ($1.000 million in Operating and $2.000 million in Capital). In addition, $0.198 million is required for 3 permanent FTEs in 2025 ($0.135 million in Operating and $0.064 million in Capital), which will increase to $0.819 million for 6 permanent FTEs in 2026 ($0.556 million in Operating and $0.263 million in Capital) and $1.121 million for 8 permanent FTEs in 2027 ($0.849 million in Operating and $0.271 million in Capital) (Actions 11, 14, and 15);

• To advance local workforce development, and build community wealth and local employment opportunities, the Economic Development and Culture Division will require ongoing funding of $1.200 million (Actions 18 and 19);

• To grow Toronto’s global competitiveness in key anchor and high growth sectors, the Economic Development and Culture Division will require funding of $0.138 million for 2 permanent FTE in 2025, annualized to $0.281 million in 2026 (Action 23). In addition, one-time funding of $0.500 million is required in 2025 and ongoing funding of $1.165 million which will increase to $1.235 million in 2026 and $1.280 million in 2027 (Actions 22, 27, 29, 63, and 70).

Table 1: 2025 Funding requirements and future year impacts

The total funding required to implement the Action Plan in 2025, beyond existing resources, is $5.570 million and 6 FTEs. Future financial impacts beyond 2025 will be considered in future year Budget processes, subject to the City's financial and resource capacity against other critical City-wide capital priorities and operating impacts. The full implementation of the Action Plan requires ongoing resources and commitment from partners and multiple levels of government - the City does not have the resources, funding, authority, and jurisdiction to achieve all its goals independently.

The Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer has been advised of the financial impacts associated with this Action Plan to be considered along with other priorities in future budget processes.

The Executive Director, Municipal Licensing and Standards recommends that:

1. City Council reiterate its request to the Government of Ontario to amend the Dog Owners’ Liability Act (DOLA) to provide an expeditious process to hear Dog Owners’ Liability Act proceedings, as well as an explicit mechanism for municipalities to recover costs incurred by the municipality when it holds an animal pursuant to a warrant or interim control order under the Dog Owners’ Liability Act.

2. City Council amend Toronto Municipal Code Chapter 349, Animals to replace Section 349-15.1(6) with the following:

“(6) That arrangements are made with the City to enable the City to collect photographs of the dangerous dog that:

(a) are clear and have a neutral background,

(b) show the front, back, left side and right side of the dangerous dog,

(c) do not contain personal information as defined by the Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (MFIPPA), such as information that would identify a person or address, and

(d) include any other necessary identifying information of the dangerous dog as determined by the Executive Director, Municipal Licensing and Standards.”

The City is committed to continuous improvement of the dangerous dogs program to support prevention of dangerous acts and effective enforcement of Dangerous Dog Orders. Following an increase in dangerous dog service requests since 2022, as part of Item 2024.EC10.2, the City reviewed its procedures and processes and has recently taken a number of education and enforcement actions to address dangerous dogs in Toronto, and support public safety.

So far in 2024, the number of Dangerous Dog Orders and written warnings served by Toronto Animals Services (TAS) is trending down compared to previous years. Toronto Animals Services has also issued fewer charges for dog owner non-compliance with a Dangerous Dog Order so far in 2024, indicating increased bylaw compliance even with an increase in proactive enforcement visits.

This update report includes the following sections:

1. Recent actions to address dangerous dogs

• Details on key proactive actions the City has initiated since spring 2024, including a standard dangerous dog warning sign, development of the Dangerous Dog Orders map, and steps to address off-leash dogs on school properties.

2. 2024 and 2025 public education campaigns

• Results from a summer 2024 campaign, and plans for an enhanced campaign starting in 2025.

3. Responses to City Council directives

• Staff address outstanding directives resulting from Item 2024.EC10.2 and Item 2024.EC13.1.

4.    Service standards for dangerous act investigations

• Clarification of Toronto Animals Services’ service standards related to dangerous dogs.

This report was developed in consultation with Legal Services and Strategic Public and Employee Communications.

There is no financial impact resulting from this report.

As part of Item 2024.EC10.2, City Council has requested that the Mayor include resources in the 2025 Budget (up to $500,000) for the Municipal Licensing and Standards Division to implement a proactive communication strategy and public education campaign to support compliance and enforcement with the goal of reducing the occurrence of dangerous acts. Accordingly, as part of its 2025 Operating Budget submission, MLS intends to request $350,000 for a public education campaign starting in 2025, as well as funding for additional Animal Control Officers (ACOs) to support enforcement of Dangerous Dog Orders and other animal-related issues. Moving forward, MLS intends to invest annually in public education on dangerous dogs.

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

The Executive Director, Municipal Licensing and Standards recommends that:

1. City Council amend Toronto Municipal Code Chapter 591, Noise as follows:

a. Add a definition of “Grassroots Cultural Organization” to mean “A small community-led organization or collective, determined in consultation with the General Manager, Economic Development and Culture or their designate, to have a defined cultural or community mandate.”

b. Amend section 591-3.2G.1 such that it reads as follows: “Despite anything contained in § 591-3.2., where an application for an exemption permit is made by a not-for-profit corporation or a grassroots cultural organization, the applicant will not be required to pay the associated exemption permit application fee in Chapter 441, Fees and Charges.”

2. City Council direct that the by-law amendment above come into effect immediately on the date a by-law is adopted.

3. City Council direct the Executive Director, Municipal Licensing and Standards to work with private waste collection operators and other relevant stakeholders to respond to reports regarding noise from waste collection, particularly those resulting in overnight and/or early morning disturbances, and monitor the response to noise reports.

4. City Council direct the Executive Director, Municipal Licensing and Standards, to work with waste collection operators and other relevant stakeholders to develop and publish online guidance documents for waste collectors, property managers and residents, that may be referred to for best practices to mitigate noise from waste collection operations.

5. City Council direct the Executive Director, Municipal Licensing and Standards to

expand the established mediation referral program to include waste collection noise issues and disputes.

The purpose of this report is to provide an update on outstanding directives related to the Noise By-law, including options to reduce noise from waste collection, a recommendation to provide a noise exemption permit application fee waiver for grassroots cultural organizations, and an assessment of amplified sound levels that exceed ambient levels. This report also provides an update on the status of implementation of amendments made to the Noise By-law in June and September 2024, including ongoing efforts to respond to motor vehicle noise.

Per direction from Council to explore options to reduce noise from waste collection, staff recommend keeping the waste collection noise exemption in place, given limited data available on waste collection noise sources, locations and timing, and the benefits of mitigating waste buildup, odour, safety issues, and congestion by allowing collection during non-peak hours. To address noise disturbances from waste collection, staff recommend implementing programmatic changes to aid in identifying and reducing specific sources of waste collection noise on a case-by-case basis, by working with industry to address noise reports and developing noise mitigation guidelines. MLS will monitor how private collectors respond to waste collection noise reports, and escalate cases where issues are not resolved to community mediation. This process will be monitored until the end of 2025, at which time further recommendations can be considered if the process is not effective at reducing noise reports.

Council also directed staff to explore the feasibility of waiving the noise exemption permit application fee for grassroots cultural organizations, which staff are recommending as part of this report.

This report was prepared in consultation with Economic Development and Culture and Solid Waste Management Services.

The recommended waiver of noise exemption permit applications fees for grassroots cultural organizations is expected to have minimal financial impact. Other recommendations have no financial implications 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, Economic Development and Culture recommends that:

1.  City Council remove the following directors from the Fairbank Village Business Improvement Area Board of Management.

          Mian, Asad

          Sousa - Freire, Jessica

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

There are no current or known future year financial implications resulting from the adoption of the recommendation contained in 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 Board of Directors of Toronto Seniors Housing Corporation recommends that:

1. The Economic and Community Development Committee receives this report for information.

At its meeting on Thursday October 17, 2024 the Toronto Seniors Housing Corporation Board adopted the following recommendation:

The Chief Executive Officer recommends that the Board approves the report from the Chief Executive Officer dated October 8, 2024, and directs that the report package be transmitted to Toronto City Council through the Economic and Community Development Committee on behalf of the board.

The materials from the adopted recommendations are attached to this transmittal letter.

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) from the 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 Housing Rights Advisory Committee:

1. Requests updates on the Housing Unit’s Housing Rights Framework at each Housing Rights Advisory Committee meeting in 2025.

At its meeting on September 23, 2024 the Housing Rights Advisory Committee considered Item HS3.3 and made a recommendation.

Summary from the presentation (September 13, 2024) from the Acting Deputy Ombudsman (Housing):

Luke Brown, Acting Deputy Ombudsman (Housing) will present Housing Unit’s Status Update, which overviews the Unit’s activities since its inception in July 2023. This will be followed by a presentation on the Unit’s Housing Rights Framework.

The Toronto Music Advisory Committee recommends that the Economic and Community Development Committee:

1. Request the General Manager, Economic Development and Culture, in consultation the Executive Director, Development Review, and any other divisions as needed, to continue efforts to address the current precarious state of live music venues, by taking proactive steps to protect existing venues and encourage establishment of new venues, such steps to include but not be limited to:
 

a. initiate an inter-divisional City team to explore the use of tax incentives, cultural heritage designations, flexibility in land use permissions, noise mitigation measures, modernizing regulations, and any other strategies to preserve and encourage robust live music venues;

b. ensure that any new recommended initiatives and strategies are aligned with the policies and priorities identified in the City’s ongoing New Action Plan for Toronto’s Culture Sector and the New Action Plan for Toronto’s Economy;

c. work with industry stakeholders, venue operators, and engage audiences, to inform potential strategies identified; and

d. report back to City Council in the third quarter of 2025 with a draft set of recommendations for consideration.

At its meeting on September 24, 2024 the Toronto Music Advisory Committee considered item MA4.2 and made recommendations to the Economic and Community Development Committee.

Summary from the presentation (September 24, 2024) from the Manager, the Senior Planner, and the Assistant Planner, Community Planning.

Staff from City Planning will present ideas for a study exploring potential policies to support preserving existing music spaces and encouraging new models for performance and presentation.

Councillor Paul Ainslie recommends that:

1. City Council direct the Executive Director, Municipal Licensing and Standards and the Chief Technology Officer, in consultation with the Executive Director Customer Experience, to create a webpage on the City’s website that provides transparency regarding noise exemption permits, and noise by-law complaints, by the second quarter of 2025.

I am writing to propose the creation of a dedicated page on the City of Toronto's Licensing website that provides transparency regarding noise exemption permits and noise by-law complaints. This page would serve as a valuable resource for businesses and residents alike, offering a clear and accessible overview of noise-related activities and potential impacts within the city.

The proposed page would include the following information:

Noise Exemption Permit Locations: A map or list indicating the locations where noise exemptions have been granted, along with relevant details such as the date, duration, and reason for the exemption.

Noise Bylaw Complaint Data: A summary or visualization of noise by-law complaints received, including the areas affected, the nature of the complaints, and any resulting actions taken.

By making this information readily available, the City would be promoting transparency, accountability, and informed decision-making. Businesses could use this data to assess the potential noise impact of their operations and to make informed decisions regarding their licensing applications. Residents could also use the page to stay informed about noise-related activities in their neighborhoods and to report any concerns.

I believe that the creation of this transparency page would be a significant step towards improving the quality of life for both businesses and residents in Toronto. I urge the Economic and Community Development Committee to consider this proposal and to take the necessary steps to implement it.

Thank you for your attention to this matter.

Councillor Stephen Holyday recommends that the Economic and Community Development Committee:

1. Request that Toronto Animal Services review and update the City’s Coyote Response Strategy inconsideration of new best practices of other municipalities, with additional attention to:

a. attacks to attended pets resulting in injury/death or consequential injuries to humans in those interactions
b. groups/families of coyotes
c. provocation of coyotes that leads to problematic interactions

2. Request that Toronto Animal Services, in consultation the Customer Experience Division and 311, review and consider enhancements to the contact intake process and available public information on coyotes, based on best practices of other municipalities and on the data-gathering necessities of the City to monitor and respond to coyote encounters.

On or about the July 1, 2024 Canada Day Long Weekend, a number of residents and media reports brought attention to three or four physical attacks by a group of coyotes on dogs which were being walked by local dog owners. Videos were published documenting some of the attacks, and there were reports of injuries to the dogs, and injuries sustained by one dog owner connected with the attack. These incidents were linked to Princess Margaret Park, a city park in Etobicoke Centre with a wooded area, open space and a playground. For many weeks following, residents reported and documented encounters with multiple coyotes in the surrounding neighbourhood and public spaces. These included incidents of coyotes approaching dogs.

Toronto Animal Services promptly investigated the attacks and canvassed the local neighbourhood. It was discovered that a family of coyotes had suddenly relocated to Princess Margaret Park from another larger ravine valley park nearby. Several theories exist why the family relocated, however it became clear that there was a family with a mother, father, a juvenile, and three to four yearling coyotes. In addition, there were a litter of pups in a den within the park bringing the total number to approximately twelve at the time.

A well attended public meeting was held on August 1, 2024 with community members, Toronto Animal Services, Coyote Watch Canada, and the local Councillor. At the meeting there were presentations, questions and answers, public comments and information exchange. Several residents expressed concerns about public safety and asked that the City euthanize the coyotes immediately. A petition exists requesting similar action. In addition, some circulating inaccurate information was identified about trapping, capturing or attempting to relocate animals which has caused confusion or distorted the situation and expectations of the public.
 

As demonstrated by the discourse of the meeting, ambiguity exists about the role of the municipality in addressing wildlife such as coyotes, the legal and regulatory context, the threshold of what constitutes a threat to public safety, and about how to report information about coyote encounters to the Toronto Animal Services. Expectations of the City and opinions on the Coyotes varied, due in part to the difficulty of easily accessing factual information and a clear policy.

The City of Toronto has a Coyote Strategy first approved in 2003. It was considered again in 2004 to provide certain exemptions for the use of firearms in managing coyotes. The strategy was reviewed again in 2013. The decision is located here: https://secure.toronto.ca/council/agenda-item.do?item=2013.LS23.3

Several municipalities have recently updated their coyote strategies and public facing communications to assist residents with contextual information about urban wildlife encounters, and clarity about the role of the municipality in escalating classifications of incidents to ensure that there is an appropriate response and data collection. Some examples include Vaughan, Oakville, and Collingwood.

The purpose of the recommended motion is twofold; to request a review and update to the City’s coyote strategy based on the newest best practices, and to seek opportunities to improve the capture of reports and information about coyotes from the public to better respond and monitor coyotes in the city.