August
21, 2013
- Welcome
Letter from Councillor Wong-Tam
- Council Updates: June and July Highlights
- A Toronto First: Parklets on Church Street
- Murals on Church Street
- Environment Day
- Ai Weiwei
- 11 Wellesley Street West
- Toronto's Record Summer Storm
Welcome
Dear Constituents,
Neighbourhood
planning has been top of mind for many this summer. Ward 27 is being
improved, celebrated, and activated in preparation for World Pride 2014
and the Pan Am Games 2015. City Council has once again debated
significant transit funding priorities and many of you have written to
me with your concerns on this matter and others.
This summer marks a Toronto first, with the Church-Wellesley Village's
launch of parklets. Currently on Church Street from Maitland to
Monteith, parklets are expansions of the sidewalk that allow for new
patio seating, community activities, as well as general-use public
space and seating. With beautiful plantings, these parklets feature the
best elements of similar programs in cities such as San Francisco and
Halifax. Pop-up music events will be coming to the Village, sponsored
by the Pan Am organizing committee on August 17.
Also in advance of World Pride 2014, an ambitious mural program is
being rolled out on Church Street from McGill to Monteith. Eleven
murals featuring incredible gallery-quality artists' work will be in
place for this fall. I look forward to sharing the results in upcoming
newsletters!
After hearing from many of you and receiving shockingly high
cost-estimates that overshadowed earlier reports, I voted at City
Council to support the previously approved LRT plan for Scarborough.
The proposed upgrade to a subway turned out to be neither cheap nor
simple. Not only does Ward 27 struggle to meet immediate transit
capacity issues of its own at Bloor and Yonge, but the city has capped
or cut-back funding from many other departments and programs that are
integral. If we are expected to raise most of the money for a
billion-plus dollar plan, it must go towards the city's collective
transit needs before spending it on one-off wish lists.
Residents and business operators of Yorkville are currently engaged in
the 'Yorkville: East of Bay' series of workshops. These meetings are
bringing together residents, business owners, developers and municipal
planning staff to work towards a vision for development that takes a
more comprehensive approach to the record levels of new towers that are
being proposed.
I've stated before that Ward 27 is
undergoing a parks renaissance and the evidence is appearing across our
14 residential neighbourhoods and five business improvement
areas. New parkland improvements and expansions are under
consideration and underway from Moore Park to Moss Park. Please check
our website www.ward27news.ca for updates and
community meetings.
Finally, everyone is invited to this year's Community Environment Day
which will be held at Allan Gardens on September 15 from 10am-2pm. This
is a great chance to meet neighbours in the ward, dispose of electronic
waste, get some valuable compost, and enjoy a barbeque lunch.
I invite you to read through the articles that follow. Ward 27 is a
remarkably diverse and vibrant place to live, work, study and play. My
staff and I have been honoured to lead and assist in many of the
ongoing community initiatives from Moore Avenue to Queen Street.
I remain yours in service,
Kristyn Wong-Tam
Toronto City
Council meeting of June 11, 12 and 13,
2013
Electoral reform
in Toronto
Council adopted several motions on electoral reform in Toronto. The
City will ask the Ontario government to amend legislation and allow
permanent residents to vote in municipal elections whether or not they
are Canadian citizens. The City will also request amendments to the
Municipal Elections Act to permit Toronto to use ranked ballots and
instant runoff voting in its municipal elections.
Managing traffic
congestion
Council endorsed taking steps to better manage Toronto's traffic
congestion and improve traffic operations across the city. The plan
includes improving the co-ordination of traffic signals at about 1,000
intersections on priority routes over the next three years, along with
making technological upgrades and other steps for better traffic flow.
Seniors and
Toronto Community Housing
Council adopted the recommendations of a report documenting the City
Ombudsman's recent investigation into Toronto Community Housing's
eviction of seniors on the basis of their rent being in arrears. In
addition, Council adopted a series of motions aimed at protecting
seniors who are living in Toronto Community Housing units and may face
eviction because of difficulties paying their rent.
University of
Toronto athletic field
After a thorough debate, Council affirmed its support for the
University of Toronto's Pan Am Field Hockey Centre/Back Campus Fields
Project, including the use of artificial turf at that location. Council
directed the City Manager to ask the university to create a project
liaison and monitoring committee and to conduct a formal impact
assessment after 10 years.
Angel Cradles
program
Council directed staff to work with provincial health officials to
create an Angel Cradles program in a Toronto hospital for the
acceptance of newborns from mothers who are unable to care for them.
The intention is to provide a safe, anonymous and effective alternative
for such mothers.
Aboriginal
employment strategy
Council adopted a motion calling for the preparation of a City strategy
to ensure that more Aboriginal people are employed at the City of
Toronto and that the increase mirrors the proportional representation
of Aboriginal people in Toronto's population. The plan will include
consultation with the Aboriginal Affairs Committee.
Funding transit
and
infrastructure
Council adopted a motion to research the use of various kinds of
municipal bonds that could be used to reduce the cost of servicing
municipal debt and increase a city's ability to build and maintain its
infrastructure. Governments in other jurisdictions, including the
United States, have reduced interest rates and the cost of carrying
municipal debt by implementing various tax breaks or rebates. The City
of Toronto will spend $400 million to service its debt in 2013 and the
City faces major costs for infrastructure projects.
Managing
contracts for road resurfacing
Council adopted Audit Committee recommendations aimed at ensuring
adequate, effective management of the City's local road resurfacing
contracts. Transportation Services is placing emphasis on preventive
maintenance to extend the useful life of roads, and last year spent
about $30 million on local road resurfacing contracts.
Care of animals
in Toronto
Council approved amendments to the City of Toronto Municipal Code that
will strengthen the provisions for the care and well-being of animals
in Toronto and seek to achieve service efficiencies. The amendments
resulted from the findings of the Core Service Review, an Auditor
General's review and public consultations.
Economic impact
of Grey Cup
game/festival
Council offered congratulations to the Toronto Argonauts and Chris
Rudge, Chief Executive Officer of the Toronto Argonauts Football Club, on
winning the 100th Grey Cup last fall and on hosting a successful 2012
Grey Cup Festival. Council also extended congratulations to Mark Cohon,
Commissioner of the Canadian Football League, on the successful event.
The event generated a total of about $133 million in economic activity
in Ontario - $95 million of it in Toronto.
Toronto City
Council meeting of July 16, 17, 18 and 19, 2013
Support for a
Scarborough subway
After two days of debate, Council confirmed its support for a Scarborough
subway contingent on the provision of new federal funding equal to 50
per cent of net capital costs and a provincial contribution of $1.8
billion. Council specified that no funding outlined in the
Metrolinx/City of Toronto master agreement is to be re-allocated from
the Sheppard LRT (light rail transit), the Finch LRT or the Eglinton
LRT to fund the proposed extension of the Bloor-Danforth line (the
Scarborough subway project), and there is to be no reallocation of City
revenues from other services to pay for the subway. Council also
approved other actions and conditions for the subway project, including
a commitment to fund the City's share of the costs by means that
include property taxes and development charges.
Loss of
provincial pooling funds
Council voted unanimously to urge the provincial government to rescind
its recent decision to eliminate Toronto Pooling Compensation funding
or, at a minimum, to maintain the social housing component of the
funding. The province recently announced that $149.4 million in Toronto
Pooling Compensation - most of which Toronto uses for social housing
expenses - will be phased out starting next year, ending in 2016. The
loss of the funding would result in an increase in property taxes
and/or a reduction in services for some of the most vulnerable people
in Toronto.
Water
infrastructure and flood damage
Council adopted numerous motions concerning water infrastructure and
damage caused by the July 8 rain storm/flooding. Actions to be taken as
a result of the motions include, for example, requesting provincial and
federal financial assistance to help pay for damage caused by the
flooding, considering an increase in City subsidies available to
residents for basement flooding protection, and working on ways to
finance increased investment in Toronto's water and sewer
infrastructure.
Fair wages in
Toronto
Council amended the Toronto Fair Wage Bylaw to increase the Schedule C
wage rates, which include wage rates for workers performing cleaning
services for the City and its agencies. All fair wage schedule rates
will now be updated every three years by the Fair Wage Office to ensure
they remain consistent with prevailing market rates.
Child-care
funding model for Toronto
Council endorsed principles and evaluation criteria to guide the
establishment of a new child-care funding model for Toronto. The model,
tied to a new provincial child care-funding framework, is a
made-in-Toronto funding model for child-care programs to support
Toronto families. The report considered by Council emphasized that at
present, provincial allocations do not support the growing demand for
fee subsidies in Toronto.
Toronto Pan
Am/Parapan Am Games showcase
Council endorsed the Host City Showcase Program for the Toronto 2015
Pan American/Parapan American Games, with anticipated expenditures of
up to about $20 million for 16 showcase initiatives supporting
Toronto's role as the official host city. Council also approved the
establishment of a reserve fund for major special events, initially as
a reserve for the Pan Am/Parapan Am Games. The Games in August 2015 are
expected to draw at least 10,000 athletes and officials and up to
250,000 visitors to the Toronto region.
Integrity
Commissioner's annual report
Council endorsed a recommendation to move from a part-time to a
full-time Integrity Commissioner beginning with the next Integrity
Commissioner appointment in 2014. The decision came after Toronto's
current Integrity Commissioner, Janet Leiper, gave a presentation to
Council with highlights of her 2013 annual report. The City of Toronto
established the Integrity Commissioner position in 2004 to provide
advice/education to members of Council and local boards to assist them
in maintaining a high standard of ethical behaviour.
Heritage grants
for 2013
Council approved the awarding of grants for restoration work on 24
heritage properties in Toronto. The grants, which constitute the
Toronto Heritage Grant Program for 2013, range from $3,000 to $40,000.
This year’s grant recipients include homeowners, condominiums, places
of worship and commercial heritage properties.
Implementing
Toronto's recreation service plan
Council adopted an implementation plan for the Toronto recreation
service plan that was approved at the end of 2012. The recreation
service plan aims to increase overall participation in recreation,
decrease financial barriers, and improve local and geographic access.
The implementation plan, which covers 2013 to 2017, includes 27 actions
addressing the service plan as well as initiatives for community
engagement in Toronto's delivery of recreational services.
St. Lawrence
Market North
Council authorized the continuation of architectural design work for
the redevelopment of St. Lawrence Market North and directed the City
Manager to prepare a plan aimed at increasing revenue to help offset
the project's costs. The building initiative is intended to improve the
utility of the market complex, which has been hub of economic activity
in the area for more than 200 years.
Review of EMS
and Fire Services
Council approved a series of recommendations aimed at achieving
efficiencies while maintaining the quality of the service in Toronto's
emergency medical and fire services. The actions approved follow a
study that assessed the possible consolidation of the EMS and Fire
Services. The independent consultant concluded that merging the two
organizations would not yield enough benefits to warrant consolidating
fire and paramedic services. Council directed the City Manager to look
into other ways of achieving efficiencies in the two emergency service
operations.
Long-term
strategy for waste management
Council adopted terms of reference for the development of a strategy
that will guide decision-making on Toronto's waste management for the
next 30 to 50 years. Achieving the established target of 70 per cent
waste diversion by 2016 would extend the life of the City's Green Lane
Landfill until 2036, but there will be a need for disposal capacity
beyond that date. The Solid Waste Management Services division will
explore long-term options for Toronto's residual waste.
Common-sense
parking enforcement
Council committed to taking action to make sure the work of Toronto
Police parking enforcement staff is mainly focused on helping achieve
City priorities such as relieving traffic congestion and keeping
traffic moving. The motion under consideration said that certain kinds
of parking infractions do not warrant the same level of police
enforcement as others.
Truck deliveries
on busy
streets
Council supported a motion asking for a report on strategies to
discourage commercial deliveries and truck traffic on busy routes
during peak commuting hours to help relieve congestion.
City/school boards
task force
Council approved establishing a task force made up of City councillors
and Toronto school board trustees to identify issues that would benefit
from better co-ordination between the City and the school boards and to
advise City Council and school trustees on how to achieve better
co-ordination.
Invasive species
threatening Great Lakes
Council agreed to communicate with the federal and provincial
environment ministers, urging their co-operation with the United States
Army Corps of Engineers to identify a preferred solution to the problem
of invasive carp and to move forward quickly to implement that
solution. The motion says the Asian carp is one of the most serious
invasive-species threats ever presented to the Great Lakes and its connecting
waterways.
Toronto and
Austin music alliance
Council endorsed an Austin-Toronto Music City Alliance that will
position Toronto as a leading tourist destination for live music and
promote Toronto's music industry. The City of Austin, Texas has
committed to the partnership with Toronto. Council also adopted a
motion for the City of Toronto to take steps to establish a music
advisory committee and create a strategic action plan for the City's
support of the music industry in Toronto.
Council Highlights is an informal summary of decisions made by Toronto
City Council. The City Clerk provides the formal documentation at http://www.toronto.ca/council.
The Church-Wellesley Village BIA, in
partnership with Councillor Wong-Tam's Office, the 519 Church Street
Community Centre, Toronto Planning Partnership, Carpenters' Union Local
27 and the Home Depot broke ground on July 15th for
Toronto's first ever parklet project. This innovative project aims to
expand public access to green, natural spaces and to create a more
walkable and accessible neighbourhood.
'Parklets' ranging from 5 to 22 meters in length have been installed
within existing on-street parking areas along Church Street. The
parklets consist of licensed and unlicensed patios buffered by green
spaces which help to integrate the installations into the surrounding
street.
The project is part of a broader neighbourhood plan to be released in
September 2013 in preparation for World Pride 2014 and the Pan Am/Para
Pan Am Games in 2015, and will help gauge the type of public realm
improvements that the community wants and will use. The Village
parklets will also serve as a model for future Toronto-wide
installations. Go check out the up-and-running parklets yourself as you
take in the vibrant street life of our Village community. For more
information, please visit www.ProudoftheVillage.ca.
In June 2014, Toronto will play host to World Pride and to hundreds of
thousands of visitors from across the country and around the globe. As
the historical home to Toronto's LGBT2IQ community, The
Church-Wellesley Village will be a central hub for visitors and for
World Pride events. StreetARToronto, the Art Gallery of Ontario,
Tourism Toronto, Dulux Paints, The Home Depot, the Church-Wellesley
Village BIA, and The Canadian Lesbian and Gay Archives have partnered
together with Councillor Wong-Tam's Office to celebrate this rich
history and invigorate the streetscape of the Village in preparation
for World Pride through the Church Street Mural Project.
The project will celebrate and re-affirm Village identity through a
series of 11 publically accessible murals. Thirteen professional,
gallery quality artists have been selected from a group of over 50
applicants to bring the history, culture and community stories of the
neighbourhood to life for visitors and long-time residents alike. This
project will make The Village home to one of the largest open-air
galleries and will remain for years to come once World Pride is over.
Painting for The Church Street Mural Project has already begun and will
be completed by November 1st, 2013. A website for this
project is live at www.churchstreetmurals.com.
Councillor Wong-Tam will hold a community meeting on April 23 with area
residents and stakeholders to discuss the future of Jarvis Street at
Jarvis Collegiate Institute. The meeting will start at 6:30 pm.
In 2009, work on an Environmental Assessment (EA) for Jarvis was
halted, stopping the development of a plan to recognize the street's
historic and cultural significance through a comprehensive
streetscaping strategy. Though Jarvis was the home to nearly all of
Toronto's early residents and prominent families, much of that history
has been lost with new development pressures and neglect by the city.
Councillor Wong-Tam hopes a new streetscaping strategy can be
formulated that accounts for the rich history and present cultural
significance of the street – helping to make it a more livable and
enjoyable street for the community and the city at large.
Sunday,
September 15, 2013 is the annual Environment Day in Ward 27.
Join Councillor Wong-Tam and neighbours at our exciting new location:
Allan Gardens! Environment Day events will be set up at the south-west
corner of Sherbourne Street and Carlton Street.
Visit between 10:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. to get your free compost,
garbage and compost bins, sustainable shower heads, and much more!
Also on September 14, the 51 Division Community Police Liaison
Committee (CPLC) is hosting a BBQ, sponsored by Great Gulf Homes at
Allan Gardens from 11:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
When:
Saturday, September 14, 2013 from 10:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.
Where:
Allan Gardens (at the corner of Sherbourne Street and Carleton Street)
If you can make it, make a stop at Allan Gardens in September for the
Ward 27 Environment Day!
On June 18,
the reflecting pool in Nathan Phillips Square was transformed into an
art installation, as the City of Toronto, in partnership with the Art
Gallery of Ontario unveiled Circle
of Heads/Zodiac Animals, by internationally renowned artist
and Chinese dissident, Ai Weiwei.
The installation is just a taste of what's to come, as later this
summer, the AGO will be the only Canadian stop of According to What?, Ai
Weiwei's travelling exhibition, currently at the Smithsonian.
I was pleased and honoured to act as master of ceremonies at the
unveiling ceremony. I encourage everyone to visit Nathan Phillips
Sqaure and enjoy for free, the work of one of the most vibrant and
important contemporary artists in the world.
The 2.1 acre site was slated in the 1980's to become home to Toronto's
new ballet and opera companies. Those plans were subsequently cancelled
by the provincial government in 1991 and the lands then sat dormant for
over twenty years.
In early 2011, Councillor Wong-Tam began working with local residents'
associations urging the provincial government to partner with the City
of Toronto to turn the property into a much needed public park. After
submitting multiple petitions, painting murals and slogans on the
construction hoarding boards, passing council motions, writing letters
to the Premier and Ministers and even marching onto the Ontario
Legislative Assembly – the two year long community campaign ended when
the provincial government sold the land to prominent condominium
developer Lanterra for $65M. A price so steep - that the City of
Toronto and local community could not afford to compete on their
own.
On June 19, we held our first official public meeting for 11 Wellesley
Street West with the Lanterra Developments, local residents, parkland
advocates and City planning staff. Instead of presenting the two
tower application (54 and 45 storeys) that was officially submitted to
City Planning, Lanterra Development revised their development at the
urging of Councillor Wong-Tam. Lanterra presented their new
vision for a very large one-tower proposal that would also provide for
over one acre of parkland. Although Councillor Wong-Tam would have
preferred to secure the entire site for parkland from the province, she
is nevertheless pleased to have the opportunity to work with Lanterra
on their evolving application. She remains committed to achieving the
best possible outcome for the neighbourhood. This includes responsible
and sustainable development with the ambitious expansion of green
public space.
Councillor Wong-Tam will be working with the Planning Department, Parks
and Recreation, as well as Lanterra, to convene future public consultations
on park design and implementation, as the development application
continues to be reviewed through the planning process.
If you would like to be a part of future discussions on green space
design at 11 Wellesley and have not already communicated your interest,
please send an email to councillor_wongtam@toronto.ca.
On July 8, Toronto was hit by a major
weather event. The storm that evening dropped a record 120mm of rain in
just over an hour and left 70,000 without power. While Ward 27 was
spared disruptions of that scale, many constituents were left stranded
where they were at the time of the storm and others experienced
property damage.
Residents' quick action and reporting of damages significantly assisted
in the clean-up operations of the City and identified immediate needs
along Ward 27's ravines and trails. If you are aware of outstanding
damages that have not been fixed, please contact the City by either
calling 3-1-1 or emailing 311@toronto.ca.
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