Minutes Confirmed on May 6, 2025

The Economic and Community Development Committee:

1. Received the report (March 24, 2025) from the General Manager, Seniors Services and Long-Term Care, for information.

This report responds to City Council’s request that Seniors Services and Long-Term Care (SSLTC) work with specified City divisions and sector partners and report back with a plan for Naturally Occurring Retirement Communities (NORCs), and to explore incorporating the results of that work into the third Toronto Seniors’ Strategy.

The demographic profile of the City of Toronto is changing. In 2021, there were 477,000 adults aged 65 years and older, and by 2041 it is estimated that number will grow to 719,000. This represents a 50 per cent increase in just 20 years, with the number of adults over the age of 75 years forecasted to grow by 90 per cent. Seniors and older adults in Toronto are also more diverse than in previous generations and have expressed a clear preference for aging in their homes and communities,[i] which drives increased demand for specialized supports in many neighbourhoods. This aging demographic is not only a reality for Toronto; it is also being experienced to differing degrees around the globe. In response, social scientists and researchers have developed the concept of “Naturally Occurring Retirement Communities” (NORCs) as a way of describing places that have become home to a high density of seniors and older adults. NORCs can include vertical NORCs (apartment buildings and condominiums), and horizontal NORCs (houses in neighborhoods spread out over a specific geographical area).

Through the Toronto Seniors’ Strategies 1.0 and 2.0, the City advanced 52 key recommendations to ensure all seniors have equitable access to City services and programs. The success of these strategies led Toronto City Council to direct SSLTC to develop the third Toronto Seniors’ Strategy, currently underway. Recognizing the increasing diversity of Toronto’s seniors and their desire to age in their homes and communities, the third Toronto Seniors’ Strategy will identify and deliver initiatives that enable and support seniors’ and older adults’ desire to age in place, with an intentional focus on seniors who identify as Indigenous, Black or as a member of an equity-deserving group.

To advance this work, SSLTC held interdivisional engagements to identify a range of City programs and services, policies, and areas of investment that enable seniors and older adults to age in their homes and communities. SSLTC also engaged with the University Health Network’s NORC Innovation Centre to learn more about their work in supporting NORCs. This report identifies new and existing activities that protect and promote seniors’ health, safety and well-being, and investments and policies that inform urban design and planning, shaping neighbourhoods, so that they become inclusive and accessible places where seniors and older adults can thrive, including NORC residents. As part of this work, SSLTC and partner divisions focused on understanding activities undertaken in 2024 and opportunities for increased action in 2025. This includes, but is not limited to, the continued operation of Community Paramedic-Led Clinics, the targeted installation of park benches and implementation of pedestrian safety improvements through the Vision Zero Road Safety Plan in neighbourhoods with high concentrations of seniors, construction of seniors-focused affordable housing, and the consideration of seniors’ priorities when considering the mitigation of commercial displacement of existing businesses and services, such as mall and plaza redevelopment.

The Economic and Community Development Committee:

1. Received the report (March 24, 2025) from the General Manager, Seniors Services and Long-Term Care, for information.

The purpose of this report is to provide an update to the Economic and Community Development Committee on how the City of Toronto, through its divisions and agencies, will continue to support the Toronto Seniors Housing Corporation (TSHC) to meet tenants’ priorities for programs and services offered in the buildings they manage.

Staff in Seniors Services and Long-Term Care (SSLTC) used data collected by Toronto Seniors Housing Corporation staff in 2024 on tenants’ priorities for agency-led programming to shape this report. The activities and initiatives of City divisions and agencies outlined in this report build on the City of Toronto’s existing commitments and partnerships with Toronto Seniors Housing Corporation and will supplement its current tenant-facing programs and services in 2025 and beyond.

Toronto Seniors Housing Corporation will continue to leverage its current and future partnerships with the community and health sectors to respond to tenants’ unmet program and service priorities.

The Economic and Community Development Committee:

1. Deferred consideration of the item until the May 6, 2025 meeting of the Economic and Community Development Committee.

This report responds to City Council's direction (MM20.11) to review the 2011 Outdoor Ovens in City Parks Policy to identify opportunities, if any, and to reduce administrative or financial barriers to the community use of outdoor ovens, while also ensuring public health, safety, and liability considerations continue to be met.    

Toronto maintains the largest outdoor public oven network in Canada and facilitates public enjoyment of these amenities both through City-delivered programming and opportunities for individuals and groups to book the ovens for their own use. This review finds that Toronto's outdoor ovens are not used as much as they could be and recommends opportunities to reverse that trend with the recommended removal of booking fees and other administrative processes that may serve as barriers for communities to self-activate these amenities, while continuing to mitigate risk appropriately.

The Economic and Community Development Committee:

1. Received the report (March 24, 2025) from the General Manager, Parks and Recreation, for information.

In response to City Council direction (2024.EC11.4), this report presents a status update on the findings of the monitoring and evaluation from August 2, 2024 to October 20, 2024 in parks where alcohol is permitted for personal consumption.

The Alcohol in Parks Program continues with a high level of satisfaction among park visitors, with few issues arising, and minimal operational impacts across all parks included in the program.

Monitoring and evaluation findings of the parks allowing personal consumption of alcohol did not reveal any major concerns or issues. Findings showed that over 80 per cent of park visitors who responded to a survey were satisfied with their visit and felt safe and welcomed. The majority of park visitors said people drinking in parks were considerate, and there were no significant increases in service requests for amplified noise, disruptive behavior, or overflowing garbage/recycling bins, nor an increase in calls to Toronto Police Services, including in parks most recently included in the program. Moving forward as a permanent program, staff will address any issues that may emerge related to the program through established channels and processes.

The Economic and Community Development Committee recommends that:

1. City Council amend Toronto Municipal Code Chapter 349, Animals to amend section 349-15.1A(4) so it reads:

(4) That a warning sign is posted in the form and location required by the Executive Director, with such locations potentially including, but not being limited to, the following:

(a) on the owners' private property in a location where it is visible to any person passing or entering the property;

(b) on the outside of the unit door for the apartment unit or condominium unit where the dog owner resides.

2. City Council direct that the Executive Director, Municipal Licensing and Standards, in consultation with the City Solicitor, to amend public webpages and/or develop a public document or bulletin that outlines in more detail the elements used by staff to determine the severity of a dangerous dog act, including but not limited to, the following:

a. The bite scale posted on the City’s website;

b. The nature of the person and/or domestic animal’s injuries, including if they required medical attention such as wounds requiring sutures or other wound repair or surgery, broken bones, severe sprains, or any other similar serious injury; 

c. Whether the dog behaved in a manner that may pose a menace to the safety of persons or domestic animals.

3. City Council direct the Executive Director, Municipal Licensing and Standards to issue letters to the following groups to notify them of the by-law change and requirements to post signage where applicable: 

a. Issue a letter to Dangerous Dog owners residing in condominiums.

b. Issue a letter to all Condominium Boards and property management groups where the property has a Dangerous Dog.

4. City Council direct the Executive Director, Municipal Licensing and Standards to implement a plan for by-law officers to deliver warning signs and complete compliance checks to ensure that owners of dangerous dogs have the signage posted and to complete annual compliance checks.

5. City Council amend section 349-15D(1) of Municipal Code Chapter 349, Animals, to require the following information be added to the City's public record listing of information from dangerous dog orders to comply in order to ensure public awareness of where dangerous dog orders have been served and to protect the health and safety of residents as part of the City's dangerous dog enforcement program:

(a) all six digits of the owner’s postal code where the Executive Director finds the dangerous act was severe; or

(b) the first three digits of the owner’s postal code for all other dangerous acts.

The City is committed to continuous improvement of dangerous dog investigation processes, prevention of dangerous acts, and enforcement of Dangerous Dog Orders.

In November 2024, staff reported to City Council on the recent steps taken to address dangerous dogs, including the standardization of the dangerous dog warning sign, development and launch of the Dangerous Dog Orders map, and a comprehensive public education campaign (2024.EC16.3).

City Council requested additional information from the City Solicitor and Municipal Licensing and Standards as part of 2024.EC16.3, including information on the number of children bitten by dogs, dangerous dog signage in condos, information on the dangerous dog map, and the quantification of severity. The City Solicitor is providing a separate report to provide comments on the directives.  

This report recommends an amendment to Chapter 349, Animals to support compliance with the dangerous dog order signage and the issuance of clear guidelines to the public about how staff assess the severity of dangerous dog acts.

At its meeting on November 13 and 14, 2024, City Council requested Legal Services to report back on the following:

a. how condos can be required to be brought into compliance with City requirements to post dangerous dog signage; 

b. options to include the entire postal code related to a dangerous dog order on the City’s website; and 

c. what steps could be taken to publicly quantify the severity chart.

This report responds to these requests and contains action Council could take in relation to these items.

The Economic and Community Development Committee recommends that:

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

          Heller, Gregory (Greg)

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

The Economic and Community Development Committee recommends that:

1. City Council adopt and certify the 2025 recommended Operating Budgets and Levy requirements of the following Business Improvement Areas:

2. City Council elect to have the subclasses for the commercial and industrial property classes apply for 2025, and to apply the respective Business Improvement Area special levy rate reductions to the subclasses, all as set out in Appendix C to the report (March 25, 2025) from the Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer.

This report brings forward Business Improvement Area (BIA) annual Operating Budget for approval by City Council as required by the City of Toronto Act, 2006. City Council approval is required to permit the City to collect funds through a special levy on the rateable commercial and industrial properties within the respective Business Improvement Area boundaries.  Special levy rate reductions for the subclasses have been set out in Appendix C, for properties in the subclasses of the commercial and industrial property classes.

The Business Improvement Area is an association, independently managed from the City and operated by local businesses and property owners, joining together to organize, finance, and deliver capital streetscape improvements, and to promote economic development in a district with its own governance structure as set out in Chapter 19 of the Toronto Municipal Code and the City of Toronto Act, 2006.

There are currently 85 established Business Improvement Areas in the City of Toronto. City Council previously approved the 2025 Operating Budgets for 65 Business Improvement Areas through Report 1 at its meeting on February 5, 2025 (Item 2025.CC26.1). Included in this Report 2 is the 2025 Operating Budgets for the 17 Business Improvement Areas for City Council approval. One Business Improvement Area, Historic Queen East, is inactive. The 2025 Operating Budgets for the remaining 2 BIAs will be presented to Council once the board-adopted budgets are available. No City funding is required since the financing of individual Business Improvement Area Operating Budgets is raised by a special levy on the rateable commercial and industrial properties within the respective Business Improvement Area boundaries.

Under current Chapter 19 of the Toronto Municipal Code, the Business Improvement Areas By-law does not have specific provision requiring a Business Improvement Area maintain a certain amount in their accumulated surplus. Should a Business Improvement Area find itself in a deficit, be dissolved or becomes inactive, City Council has the authority to collect funds required and liabilities including interests, through the Business Improvement Area levy as stipulated under the By-law. If a board is dissolved and the liabilities exceed the assets assumed by the City, Council shall recover the difference.

The recommendation in this report reflects the board-adopted 2025 Operating Budgets by the respective Business Improvement Areas’ Boards of Management and General Membership. Complete budgets and supporting documentation have been reviewed by City staff to ensure that the 2025 Operating Budgets for Business Improvement Areas reflect Council’s approved policies and practices.

The Economic and Community Development Committee:

1. Directed the General Manager, Economic Development and Culture to consider including the creation of an inventory of City-delivered services in French in the Toronto Francophone Affairs Advisory Committee’s 2026 work plan, given current priorities regarding the US tariff response-related work.

2. Requested the City Manager to explore ways to enhance City-delivered services in French, including through future applications for relevant programs with other orders of government.

At its meeting on February 13, 2025, the Toronto Francophone Affairs Advisory Committee considered item FA4.2 and made recommendations to the Economic and Community Development Committee.

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

Creating a comprehensive inventory of services that are delivered by the City of Toronto to the public and are offered in French is feasible but will require staff to be reassigned away from their current duties.

The Economic and Community Development Committee:

1. Requested the City Manager to report back to the Toronto Francophone Affairs Advisory Committee by the end of 2025 on the status of the City of Toronto rejoining the Association française des municipalités de l’Ontario as previously directed in item 2021.EX22.12, in consideration of AFMO’s role in advocating for improved provincial funding for municipally-delivered French services

At its meeting on February 13, 2025, the Toronto Francophone Affairs Advisory Committee considered item FA4.4 and made recommendations to the Economic and Community Development Committee.

Summary from the letter (February 12, 2025) from Councillor Alejandra Bravo, Chair and Christine Michaud, Vice-Chair, Toronto Francophone Affairs Advisory Committee:

In our review of the Item FA4.2 on our agenda, we believe that the City of Toronto joining with other municipalities will be a key part of advocating for improved funding from the provincial government for improved municipally delivered French services.

In 2021, City Council directed the City Manager to join the Association française des municipalités de l'Ontario (AFMO) (in item 2021.EX22.12). This motion seeks an update from the City Manager’s Office on the status of this work.

Announcements

The Chair acknowledged that the Economic and Community Development Committee was meeting on the traditional territory of many nations including the Mississaugas of the Credit, the Anishnabeg, the Chippewa, the Haudenosaunee and the Wendat peoples and is now home to many diverse First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples. The Chair also acknowledged that Toronto is covered by Treaty 13 with the Mississaugas of the Credit.

The Chair acknowledged that the City of Toronto acknowledges all Treaty peoples – including those who came here as settlers – as migrants either in this generation or in generations past - and those who came here involuntarily, particularly those brought to these lands as a result of the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade and Slavery. We pay tribute to those ancestors of African origin and descent.

Where the Members of the Economic and Community Development Committee listed in the attendance for this meeting participated remotely, they were counted for quorum as permitted by Section 189(4.2) of the City of Toronto Act, 2006, and City Council's Procedures.