Toronto City Councillor
Ward 25 Don Valley West

This is not intended to serve as an official record of the meeting.

 REVIEW OF TORONTO'S GOVERNANCE SYSTEM

Council decided to establish a three-member advisory panel to participate in a review of Toronto's governance system. The City anticipates receiving new powers and a new legislative framework as a result of the joint City/Province review of the City of Toronto Act. The advisory panel, which consists of Centennial College president Ann Buller, University of Toronto law professor Sujit Choudhry, and businessman and community leader Martin Connell, will lead an engagement process to hear from civic leaders, community members and other stakeholders.

 PROPERTY ASSESSMENT

At the previous meeting of Toronto City Council, Council adopted my motion to have representatives from the Municipal Property Assessment Corporation (MPAC) report to the next meeting of the Policy and Finance Committee on three aspects of Current Value Assessment (CVA) which are of great concern to many Ward 25 residents - (1) unstable assessments which swing significantly from year to year; (2) large assessment increases for properties which were successfully appealed in the prior year; and (3) the obscurity of the CVA system in which property owners have great difficulty understanding how their assessments are derived. The presentation that took place at Policy and Finance Committee was unsatisfactory. As a result, I moved that MPAC representatives prepare a revised and more comprehensive report and present it to the Policy and Finance Committee in December. The motion was adopted without further amendment.

 RECYCLING IN APARTMENT AND CONDOMINIUM BUILDINGS

Multi-unit residential buildings in Toronto will be required to establish effective recycling programs for their waste or they will soon face a financial levy for excess garbage. Council approved the strategy, which is based on the proven effectiveness of financial incentives to increase waste diversion. The City, which intends to begin applying the levy in 2006, will help building owners or managers set up the required recycling programs in their apartment, condominium and co-op buildings.

SALVATION ARMY SITE

City Council adopted the recommendations of the North York Community Council that the property at 2130 Bayview Avenue (formerly occupied by the Salvation Army) be 'listed' on the City of Toronto Inventory of Heritage Properties. Listing a property on this Inventory allows Heritage Preservation Services to become involved when applications for municipal permits or approvals are made to assist and manage alterations to heritage properties. Any future owner of the site will be required to consider the historical listing within their development plans.

 SWIMMING POOL STRATEGY

Council supported a general strategy called Everybody in the Pool, which is intended to promote more swimming in the City's indoor pools. The main thrust of the strategy involves investing in new, larger pools while gradually phasing out City support for old, smaller pools -- many of them in schools and in poor condition. The City wants its pool strategy to increase aquatic activity, as well as to improve the quality and safety of swimming experiences in City pools. As part of the implementation, Council agreed to set up an advisory committee.

 WAGE HARMONIZATION FOR LOCAL 79 MEMBERS

Council authorized funding to cover the costs resulting from a recent arbitration award that harmonizes the pay scales of unionized inside workers at the City. The ruling affects about 10,000 members of the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) Local 79, reducing some 2,500 job classifications (inherited from the pre-amalgamation municipalities) to 335 job classes. The arbitrator also introduced a pay equity system that brings the wages of Local 79's female-dominated jobs in line with male-dominated jobs involving work considered to be of equal value. The wages of the City's outside workers in CUPE Local 416 were harmonized earlier.

 CITIZEN ROLE IN ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT

Council approved plans for the City to assemble a group of up to 25 interested Toronto residents to help undertake an environmental assessment of options for dealing with the city's residual solid waste. Residual waste refers to trash that cannot be recycled or composted. Toronto currently trucks its residual waste to a landfill site in Michigan. The citizen group will work closely with Council's Works Committee over the next four to six years. Qualifications for selection as a member of the team include expertise in, or experience with, Ontario's environmental assessment process. 

 REGULATION OF PROFESSIONAL DOG WALKERS

Council agreed to temporarily allow dog walkers to take as many as five dogs a person for walks and exercise in parks. A relatively new City bylaw limits the number of dogs to three and bylaw officers were preparing to enforce the limit by fining offenders. Professional dog walkers have complained that the three-dog limit is unreasonable. The City is reviewing the bylaw, which is designed to help control the large numbers of dogs that sometimes run free in off-leash areas of public parks.

 DISTRIBUTION OF OLD COMPUTERS

Council approved a policy for the disposal of the City's information technology assets, modifying an existing Technology Asset Disposal Strategy. The City will distribute its outdated, surplus computers and related equipment at no charge through a provincial program called Computers for Schools Ontario. After the local school boards have an opportunity to take any of the surplus City equipment that they want, not-for-profit organizations that are supported by City grants will be next in line. Then, other not-for-profit groups will have an opportunity to receive any computers that remain available. 

 REGULATING PEDICABS

Under a new bylaw adopted by Council, operators of pedicabs (two-wheeled carriages pulled by a person on foot) are no longer allowed on certain downtown streets and must charge standard fares on the basis of time rather than based on the number of passengers. Pedicabs are prohibited on Front, King and Queen streets between Spadina and Jarvis streets, and on Gerrard Street between Yonge and Bay streets in the interests of nuisance control and public safety. Passenger rates are $30 for the first half hour (or less) and $15 for each additional hour.

CLEAN AND BEAUTIFUL

Council announced a new recognition program, the Clean and Beautiful City Approbation Awards, to identify outstanding contributions by individuals, groups and the private sector to Toronto's Clean and Beautiful City initiative.

If you know of an individual, group or company in Ward 25 that has made a positive difference to the cleanliness and beautification of the city, please contact my office and let us know so that we can make arrangements to submit an application before the September 12, 2005 deadline.

The project must have been in progress during the period of September 1, 2004 to September 1, 2005. Types of eligible projects include clean-ups, wall murals, or planting of flowerbeds, to name a few. Entries will be accepted from various groups and individuals, including neighbourhood beautification projects, volunteer and community groups, schools, businesses, service clubs, BIAs, and not-for-profit organizations.

Four award recipients from each ward will be recognized at Community Council meetings in October. In addition, photographs of the selected projects will be on display in civic centres during the week of October 11 and recipients will be invited to a celebratory party at Toronto City Hall in November.

For more information about eligibility and to receive an application form, contact my office at 416 395-6408 or visit www.toronto.ca/cleanandbeautiful

HARDCOPY NEWSLETTER

My annual hardcopy newsletter is now in the final stages of production. It should be delivered in July. I will be sending out a note to you when it is in the hands of the delivery organization. At that time, I'd appreciate it if you would confirm whether or not you received it, so that we can exercise quality control.
 

Cliff Jenkins

Councillor, Ward 25