Rachel Chernos Lin

This Report recommends approval of the application to amend the Official Plan and Zoning By-law to permit a 42-storey (133.23 metres plus mechanical penthouse) residential building containing 540 dwelling units at 2810 - 2816 Bayview Avenue.

The proposed development is consistent with the Provincial Planning Statement (2024). The proposal is also consistent with the general intent of the City’s Official Plan, including the Council-adopted Renew Sheppard East Secondary Plan (Official Plan Amendment 777).

The purpose of this report is to recommend the additional approvals required to give effect to the 2025 Budget and includes the following matters:

2025 Property Tax Rates and Related Matters: City Council must enact a by-law to levy property tax rates that generate the tax revenue set out in the City’s budget. This report recommends the 2025 municipal tax rates, reflected in the 2025 Mayor's Proposed Budget.

For 2025, an average budgetary tax rate increase of 4.37 percent is proposed, as detailed in Table 1. This includes a 5.40 percent increase for residential and industrial properties and a 2.70 percent increase for multi-residential and commercial properties.

Additionally, this report recommends an incremental tax rate increase for the City Building Fund Levy to support critical capital investments in transit and housing. This includes a 1.50 percent increase for residential and industrial properties, and a 0.75 percent increase for multi-residential and commercial properties.

Table 1: 2025 Recommended Municipal Property Tax Rate Increases

Property Class

2025 Tax Rate Increase for Operating Budget

2025 Tax Rate Increase for City Building Fund

2025 Total Municipal Tax Rate Increase

Residential, New Multi-Residential, Farmland, Managed Forest, Pipelines

5.40%

1.50%

6.90%

Multi-Residential

2.70%

0.75%

3.45%

Commercial

2.70%

0.75%

3.45%

Industrial

5.40%

1.50%

6.90%

Total Tax Rate Increase

4.37%

1.21%

5.58%

This report further recommends:

• annual adjustments to the income threshold for the City’s property tax, solid waste and water relief programs;

• creating a new Co-operative Housing Grant Program for eligible low-income seniors or persons with disabilities who are members of, and who reside in, non-profit housing co-operatives;

• extending application deadlines for tax relief programs; and

• applying interest and penalties for the Municipal Accommodation Tax and the Municipal Land Transfer Tax programs in the same manner as property taxes.

2025 User Fees: User fees are reviewed and adjusted through the budget process, including the final rates and service fees for Rate Supported Programs (Solid Waste Management Services and Toronto Water). The 2025 Mayor’s Proposed Budget outlines estimated revenues from user fees, subject to City Council approval as required by the City of Toronto Act, 2006. This report seeks Council approval for user fee changes and the introduction of new fees.

Provincial Gas Tax and Canada Community Building Fund: In accordance with the directive to report annually to City Council through the capital budget process, this report provides an overview of the Provincial Gas Tax (PGT) and Canada Community Building Fund (CCBF) programs, which are vital to supporting Toronto's public transit and infrastructure investments. These programs, as outlined in the 2025-2034 Capital Budget and Plan, have enabled the City to fund key projects aimed at maintaining and expanding its transit network. Details of the planned eligible projects funded under these programs are included in Appendix B.

Other Items Requiring Council Direction: This report also makes recommendations with respect to matters related to the 2025 Budget that do not fall under the strong mayor powers:

• Requests for Program specific report backs and interdivisional collaboration

• Establishment of a new reserve fund

• Request for an amendment to the Development Charges Act to authorize the City of Toronto to prevent or change annual indexing requirements, to aid in incentivizing housing development

• Technical changes to the Toronto Municipal Code to reflect governance changes and responsibilities of the City’s Deputy Treasurers

• Amendment of Municipal Code Chapter 743, Streets and Sidewalks, Use of to support the implementation of Road Disruption Activity Reporting System (RoDARS)

Section 226.14 (2) of the City of Toronto Act, 2006 provides that the Mayor shall, in accordance with the regulations, prepare a proposed budget for the City and provide the proposed budget to City Council for City Council’s consideration. This report fulfills this requirement.

In the 2024 Budget we faced a $1.8 billion budget shortfall. That’s why, after a decade of neglect, we brought in a bold budget and a New Deal with the provincial government that worked to get our city back on track. We made significant progress over the last year with improved City services, faster emergency response times, and more shovels in the ground building affordable housing. And, for the first time in decades, we improved the City’s credit rating to AA+ – saving Torontonians money on borrowing costs related to transit, housing, and more.

Of course, our challenges are too great to solve in one year, but the hard choices made in 2024 are paying off for Toronto as seen in this year’s budget. The 2025 Budget began with a $1.2 billion budget shortfall. That’s a $600 million improvement from 2024. But closing this shortfall remains a challenge. To balance the 2025 Budget we are delivering another $680 million in reductions and offsets combined with the results of successful intergovernmental agreements that help us do more for Torontonians. 

The Mayor’s 2025 Budget makes important investments to build more homes faster, accelerate approvals for purpose built rentals, and rapidly increase the supply of affordable and non-market housing. The budget works to prevent evictions, the loss of affordable housing, and to support renters through investments in the new Renoviction by-law, as well as critical programs like Eviction Prevention in Community, the Rent Bank, RentSafe, the Multi-Unit Residential Acquisition Program and the Tenant Support Program. We are getting Toronto moving with historic investments in the TTC and traffic agents. We are improving TTC service while freezing fares. The budget feeds more kids through expanded School Food Programs, summer camps and continues to invest in youth with expanded after school programs, additional youth hubs, increases to grants for youth-serving organizations, and a new $5 million Youth Safety Initiative to stop rising youth violence in our city. This Budget also expands library hours as we move to seven day a week library service at every branch in the city. It works to build a more liveable city with improved 311 service, investments to fix our community centres, roads, parks, and public space, expanded hours for pools and recreation centres, alongside opportunities to help Torontonians reduce their climate footprint.

In the 2025 Budget, we are also introducing the first full-year of our City-wide fourth emergency service, Toronto Community Crisis Service (TCCS). It is a caring approach to supporting people in crisis, where trained crisis workers respond, de-escalate, and refer people to appropriate mental health and other social services. In addition, through the adoption of a multi-year hiring plan by the Toronto Police, 109 net new police officers will be added this year, including an expanded neighbourhood officer program. We are also adding 95 new frontline paramedics and 52 new firefighters to improve emergency response times across the city. And we are expanding eligibility for property tax deferral and cancellation programs, so thousands more qualify for support.

The Mayor's Proposed 2025 Tax and Rate Supported Operating Budget is $18.849 billion gross and $5.639 billion net. The Mayor's Proposed Tax and Rate Supported 2025-2034 Capital Budget and Plan is $59.597 billion gross and $10.524 billion debt. The Capital Budget and Plan focuses on investments in Transit Funding ($17.0 billion), Transportation ($6.1 billion), and Housing ($4.5 billion plus a further $4.5 billion provided through foregone revenues); and includes investments such as the Line 2 subway train replacement and e-Bus procurement, focuses on climate mitigation and adaptation actions aimed at reducing ~160,725 tonnes/CO2 across all capital projects in the 2025 budget, and reduction of State of Good Repair (SOGR) backlog with an additional $6.0 billion increase in SOGR spending over the next 10 years.

On January 28, 2025, the City of Toronto, the Government of Canada, and the Government of Ontario announced $975 million to accelerate the delivery of Waterfront Toronto’s revitalization plan. With this investment, this partnership will build more than 14,000 homes, including affordable rental housing; create an estimated 100,000 skilled trades jobs; and add $13.2 billion to the economy. Each order of government has agreed to contribute $325 million to this initiative. Based on this recent announcement, I have directed the Chief Financial Officer to report to City Council in the first quarter of 2025, allocating $325 million in available capital funding capacity to the 2025-2034 Capital Budget.

The City of Toronto has taken an increased role in the creation of new supportive and rent-geared-to-income (RGI) homes for people experiencing or at risk of homelessness, particularly since the adoption of the HousingTO 2020-2030 Action Plan (HousingTO Plan) and as a response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite increased action and investments, Toronto’s housing and homelessness crises have worsened. Deeply affordable rental housing is at risk of being lost, and difficult and volatile economic conditions have made the construction of new housing, particularly RGI, supportive, affordable rental homes, more challenging. The shortage of supportive homes, inadequacy of social assistance rates, and need for greater mental health and social supports is illustrated most starkly by the rising number of encampments in Toronto.

Concerted action and investment from all orders of government and the private, health, and social services sectors is needed to respond to these crises. Despite this growing need, federal and provincial investment in measures proven to be most effective – new supportive housing, mental health and social supports, and higher social assistance rates that match the cost of living – have not kept pace.

This report provides a summary of the City’s progress in creating new supportive homes, and requests authorities needed to complete existing in-flight developments creating more than 700 RGI and supportive homes and to advance new projects through an application for funding under a revised federal program to build more RGI and supportive homes.

On November 14, 2024, Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) announced changes to the Affordable Housing Fund (AHF), including the creation of a new permanent Rapid Housing Sub-stream. CMHC also announced that $963 million was being made available over five years (2025-2029) across Canada under this new program. The program replaces the former Rapid Housing Initiative (RHI), which was delivered through three phases between 2020 and 2022, for a total of $4 billion over three years nationally. The RHI supported the creation of rent-geared-to-income and supportive homes for people experiencing or at risk of homelessness, by providing capital grant funding to eligible projects covering up to 100 percent of capital costs. The City of Toronto and its Indigenous and non-profit housing partners received $610.8 million in capital funding under the RHI, supporting the creation of more than 1,500 new homes. These investments have enabled the City to expand its supply of newly built supportive housing and exceed targets under the first 24-Month Housing and Homelessness Response Plan, launched in 2020 as a response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Since 2020, 3,880 supportive housing opportunities have been secured, including 1,763 net new supportive homes, for people experiencing or at risk of homelessness.

This report outlines key program changes and requests authority from City Council for staff to make applications and enter into agreements with CMHC under the new program. Despite new limitations and reduced funding available under this program, it is recommended the City continue to invest in due diligence activities to bring projects forward to be considered by CMHC. This report also recommends City Council request the federal government:

• make significantly greater funding available under this new program,
• make changes to program design based on the elements of the RHI that were most effective in creating new supportive homes for people experiencing homelessness, and
• provide Toronto with a portfolio of funding and financing under a Canada-Ontario-Toronto Builds model.

Through this report, staff are also requesting Council approvals required complete in-flight projects creating more than 700 RGI and supportive homes, including authority for Purchase Order Amendments, authority to enter into operating and lease agreements with non-profit housing providers, and property tax exemptions.

City Council took significant action in 2024 to expand its housing programs to support the creation of a range of new rental homes, including the launch of a new Community Housing Pre-development Fund to support community housing providers with early due diligence, and approval of a new Rental Housing Supply Program offering funding and incentives to a range of rental homes. The City acting alone cannot address the housing and homelessness crises, particularly for the more than 12,000 Toronto residents currently experiencing homelessness. A whole-of-government and whole-of-community response is needed to effectively respond. This must include new and enhanced policy, program, and funding tools at the federal and provincial levels that are effectively designed and adequately scaled to meet the depth of need, and investment in upstream interventions such as social assistance programs and access to mental health and social services, to prevent more households from falling into poverty, housing precarity, and homelessness.

City Council on December 17 and 18, 2024, referred Motion MM24.15 to the Executive Committee for consideration.

Doug Ford’s latest overreach into municipal jurisdiction is another reminder that Canada's constitution was written when our country was largely an agrarian society. Large cities like Toronto are now responsible for delivering, and funding a large share of, transit, roads, social housing, recreation, and other services residents rely on every day. Yet the province can overturn any of our considered and debated decisions on a whim.

Constant provincial meddling in municipal affairs undercuts local democracy and threatens civic engagement. We risk Torontonians tuning out our public meetings and consultations if the sentiment that the province will just overturn Council decisions takes root.

Whether Torontonians agree with a Council decision regarding a development plan, how elections are conducted, or a bike lane, the level of government making the decision should be accountable. Toronto needs a new arrangement with senior levels of government that ensures we have the independence necessary for 21st century cities to thrive and achieve results for residents. Common in the United States and elsewhere, Charter Cities have supreme authority over “municipal affairs.” Also referred to as “Home Rule”, a Charter City’s law concerning a municipal affair will trump a state law governing the same topic.

It's time for Canada's largest city to have the tools it needs to effectively chart its own course to decide how we grow, get around, support each other, and improve our quality of life. A City Charter will also assist in making the division of roles and responsibilities between senior levels of government and City Hall more transparent and therefore more accountable to the public.

No one can be under any illusion that a Charter is possible at present given such a move would require support from the provincial government. However, it is important to start work on how greater independence could be structured and communicate the benefits to Torontonians, other municipalities, and senior levels of government. That’s why this motion requests the City Manager to establish a Program Advisory Body that would serve as a task force on Municipal Autonomy and Effective Local Governance that would include local advocates and governance experts.

The ReNew Golden Mile Environmental Assessment Study (EA Study) was initiated in 2022. The EA Study builds on the Golden Mile Secondary Plan and Golden Mile Transportation Master Plan approved by City Council in October 2020.

The Golden Mile area, generally consisting of lands located along Eglinton Avenue East and Craigton Drive, between Victoria Park Avenue and Birchmount Road, has been influenced by agricultural, industrial, and commercial eras of development. The area became known as the "Golden Mile of Industry" during the post-World War II era with the construction of large-scale manufacturing buildings along Eglinton Avenue East, between Pharmacy Avenue and Birchmount Road. Large-scale commercial development generally occurred during the 1990's, replacing many of the former industrial buildings that fronted onto Eglinton Avenue East.

The Golden Mile Secondary Plan advanced a vision for a new mixed-use community with a range of tall, mid-rise and some low-rise buildings to be constructed over the next 20+ years. There are 14 sites with active development applications within the Plan Area. City Council has approved or accepted settlement offers for 12 of the 14 sites. These approvals and accepted settlement offers, combined with the balance of development potential for other sites in the area, are currently estimated to accommodate approximately 32,700 residential units, 57,500 residents and over 20,000 jobs (including replacement jobs).

The EA Study is completing phases 3 (Alternative Designs) and 4 (Environmental Study Report) of the Municipal Class Environmental Assessment (MCEA) process and establishes the preferred alignments and designs of new and reconfigured streets to support future development and growth. The EA process completed to date involved developing and evaluating alternative street alignments and designs for the following transportation infrastructure:

-A potential reconfiguration of O’Connor Drive, along with an extension to Birchmount Road;

-A new east-west public street north of Eglinton Avenue East from Victoria Park Avenue to Birchmount Road (“Golden Mile Boulevard”);

-A potential realignment, widening and reconfiguration of Craigton Drive to directly connect to Ashtonbee Road; and

-A potential reconfiguration of Thermos Road and Sinnott Road at the Eglinton Avenue East intersection.

The Preferred Alignments and Designs resulting from the EA process for each of the corridors are provided in Attachment 1.

Additionally, other corridor improvements are recommended along Jonesville Crescent and Ashtonbee Road to Birchmount Road that do not require completion of phases 3 and 4 of the MCEA. The corridor improvements will ensure these streets are complete streets to support existing and future residents and businesses.

City Council considered an interim staff report on June 26, 2024, which provided an update on the EA Study. The report summarized the process of developing and evaluating alternatives for both alignments and street designs, consultation undertaken on the alternatives and feedback received, the evaluation of the alternatives and presented Preliminary Recommended Alignments and Designs. Council endorsed the Preliminary Recommended Alignments and Designs for the purposes of completing the mandatory public consultation required during phase 3 of the MCEA process. Council also directed City staff to further consult with three property owners in the area on the alignment of the O’Connor Drive Extension between Lebovic Avenue and Birchmount Road.

The purpose of this report is to summarize the consultation undertaken on the Preliminary Recommended Alignments and Designs, refinements made to Recommended Alignments and Designs to address feedback received, where appropriate, and present the final Preferred Alignments and Designs. The report seeks endorsement from Council on the final Preferred Alignments and Designs and authorization for City staff to proceed with preparing and filing the Environmental Study Report for the EA Study in accordance with the MCEA process for Schedule C projects, and requests direction to proceed with the recommended corridor improvements along Jonesville Crescent and Ashtonbee Road identified in the Study as part of future capital planning processes.

Additionally, in accordance with Council direction from Item - 2024.MM23.8, this report also provides a summary of the appropriateness and the process requirements of a four vehicular lane design for the O’Connor Drive Reconfiguration and Extension from the ReNew Golden Mile EA’s western limit to Birchmount Drive.

It is anticipated that the full delivery of all of the ReNew Golden Mile EA streets would be fully realized in a long-term horizon of over 20+ years.

This report responds to City Council's direction to the General Manager, Parks, Forestry and Recreation, now Parks and Recreation, in collaboration with the City Manager to develop a transition plan to change the governance and operations of Moss Park Arena from a Board of Management to a City-operated arena to come into effect by the end of 2025.

In addition, City Council directed that the Moss Park Arena Board, work with the General Manager, Parks and Recreation to review opportunities for the Moss Park Arena to enhance equitable community access to the Arena’s programs. City Council also directed the City Manager and General Manager, Parks and Recreation to report back on options to strengthen local access to programming and enhanced diversity of Board membership within current operating and governance structure of Moss Park Arena.

This report outlines the required actions to facilitate an effective transition, as well as implementation timelines and potential impacts including personnel, clientele and other liabilities and obligations.

The report also provides an analysis of the geographic reach of the Moss Park Arena programs as well as recent efforts to improve access to arena programs, and an update on Board diversity and enhanced local representation through the City's Public Appointments Policy.

For over two decades, Toronto’s Avenues have been part of the City’s strategy to manage growth and accommodate intensification. Through the Housing Action Plan (HAP) 2022-2026, Council directed City Planning to review the Official Plan to ensure that it aligns with the need for more housing in areas that can accommodate more residential growth. As part of the HAP Work Plan, the Avenues Policy Review examined opportunities to enable more housing by reframing the Avenues vision, policies, and mapping. This initiative represents one of 54 actions items in the HAP.

Avenues have attracted significant realized and potential growth. The City’s Development Pipeline bulletin for 2023 (January 2019 - December 2023) reported that Avenues contained the most proposed projects of any of the Official Plan’s growth management areas. In total, there are 640 development projects (271 under review, 227 active, and 142 built) that account for over 180,000 residential units and over 1 million square metres of non-residential gross floor area, representing 24 percent of the city’s units and 8% of its non-residential gross floor area in the pipeline. While not all of these projects are approved, under construction, or built, this data demonstrates the importance of Avenues in supporting transit supportive growth.

This report recommends an Official Plan Amendment (OPA) to update the Avenues policies in Section 2.2.3. It also introduces mapping changes to Map 2 to expand the Avenues geography and other policy updates necessary to implement the new vision and policy framework. These updates leverage the Avenues as a growth management tool, identifying more opportunities for housing across the city and creating a more streamlined policy framework with clear direction on the type of growth to be directed to Avenues. The most significant changes include:

• 283 kilometres of new Avenues, representing an increase of approximately 165 percent.
• Removing requirements for Avenue Segment Reviews and new Avenue Studies.
• Introducing a new monitoring program to assess the Avenues implementation.
• Directing growth along Avenues to be up to the height and scale of mid-rise buildings.
• Directing more growth near subway, light rail transit, and GO transit stations, approximately 36 percent of new and existing Avenues.
• Providing uses that activate the ground floor in developments along Avenues in Mixed Use Areas.
• Directing applicants to consult with small businesses, community service providers, and the local community when proposing developments that would result in the displacement of existing small businesses and community service providers, and to assess the potential of their return.

To implement this new vision, policies, and mapping for Avenues, this report also recommends next steps for staff to redesignate and rezone lands along and nearby Avenues. The new policies do not result in a net new development application submission requirement in the new Avenues policies.

Building on the Expanding Housing Options in Neighbourhoods (EHON) City-wide Multiplex Study, City Council directed staff to undertake an area specific study within an area that roughly corresponds to the boundaries of Ward 23 – Scarborough North. The study explored the potential of permitting multiplexes with up to six dwelling units on properties designated Neighbourhoods in the Official Plan, and increasing the maximum building depth up to 19 metres, regardless of the lot dimensions.

This report summarizes the work undertaken and recommends approving area specific Official Plan and Zoning By-law Amendments to permit multiplexes with five and six dwelling units (also referred to as fiveplexes and sixplexes, respectively) in all residential zones within the study area. The proposed amendments build on the existing city-wide multiplex permissions for up to four units, and do not include changes to built form performance standards. This study is a significant pilot which brings forward permissions to expand city-wide multiplex dwelling unit permissions from four to six units within a single residential home. This is one of 54 actions in Toronto's 2023 Housing Action Plan (HAP), which seeks to increase the housing supply within complete, inclusive, and sustainable communities with critical infrastructure to support growth. The new homes enabled by the HAP will contribute to the provincial housing target of 285,000 new homes in Toronto by 2031.

As part of the City’s commitments under the federal Housing Accelerator Fund (HAF), the City has committed to permit more low-rise, multi-unit housing development through as-of-right zoning by-laws in Neighbourhoods, including permissions for residential buildings with up to six dwelling units. Adoption of the recommendations in this report marks a significant milestone towards meeting this commitment in 2025.

The recommended amendments are consistent with the Provincial Planning Statement 2024 and also in keeping with the recently adopted new Chapter 1 to the Official Plan vision, which aims to eliminate disparities, prioritize climate action, and become the world’s most inclusive city.

The Ward 23 Multiplex Study consisted of a work program that included a jurisdictional scan of multiplex permissions in other cities; a detailed review of multiplex development applications submitted to the city; a three-phased analysis prepared in consultation with ReHousing; and engagement with local residents and industry professionals. The key findings of the above streams of work were analyzed and informed the recommended Official Plan and Zoning By-law Amendments.

Expanding the multiplex permissions will increase new low-rise housing options for Torontonians in Ward 23. New residents in low-rise neighbourhoods can help stabilize declining populations, optimize the use of existing infrastructure, and support local retail establishments and services. While it is anticipated that most multiplex units will be delivered as market rental housing, they would provide ground-related alternatives, adding to the range of housing in Toronto’s low-rise, mid-rise, and tall building types. Additionally, these new permissions could unlock additional opportunities for individuals to access funding and low interest rate loans for housing projects through the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC). While the proposed amendments will expand the planning permission for up to six units, this report also details potential challenges to their implementation beyond simply adjusting the zoning permissions.  These issues, and other lessons learned through the Ward 23 Multiplex Study, will inform ongoing work being undertaken by City Planning and other Divisions to permit and promote multiplexes city-wide.

This report recommends approval of zoning by-law amendments (ZBLA) to permit certain small-scale retail, service and office uses on Residentially-zoned properties within Neighbourhoods city-wide, and to update home occupations permissions in all areas. The ZBLAs provide for a more extensive list of permitted uses on major streets and more limited permissions on streets in the interior of Neighbourhoods. Changes are also proposed to home occupations permissions in all areas. This is the final report for Phase Two of the Expanding Housing Options in Neighbourhoods (EHON) –Neighbourhood Retail and Services Study. The report also recommends approval of a monitoring approach. This study was undertaken with a combined team of staff from the City Planning and Development Review divisions.

Draft zoning by-law amendments were presented to the Planning and Housing Committee in May 2024 and have been the basis for public and stakeholder consultations from June to October 2024, as well as internal discussions with City divisions. The proposed amendments have been revised to reflect feedback from these consultations. Amendments with respect to commercial use permissions in the Residential Zone category are appended in Attachment 1. Amendments with respect to home occupation permissions are appended in Attachment 2.

Small scale retail, service and office uses historically played an important role in many Toronto Neighbourhoods. This includes corner stores in the old City of Toronto, and small plazas in Etobicoke, York, North York and Scarborough. These uses, however, were strictly limited by Official Plan Policies and Zoning By-law provisions established in the mid-20th century and then carried forward over time into the current Official Plan and City-wide Zoning By-law. As a result, many residents have never had these amenities close to their homes, and others have seen them decline over decades, as existing establishments closed, and new ones did not take their place.

Recent developments in the city have enhanced the opportunity and the necessity to create greater opportunities for these community amenities. These changes include the dramatic shift toward working from home, and the anticipated new homes in Neighbourhoods driven by the EHON initiatives including laneway suites, garden suites, multiplexes and, on major streets, townhouses and low-rise apartments, as well as permissions for multi-tenant housing and components of the Housing Action Plan. Neighbourhoods with more residents, who spend more time close to home, are places which need more amenities and can support those amenities with more potential customers, employees and business owners. The focus of the proposed changes are to provide a city-wide policy environment that is more supportive of local businesses and services, allowing the flexibility for different communities to evolve in their own ways. In the pre-war City, “ghost store” buildings that were previously commercial and have switched to residential could be converted back into retail stores. In the parts of the city built in the post-war period, areas which have lost their local plaza or grocery store could see new stores along major streets where they were not permitted in the past.

The proposed ZBLAs, Attachments 1 and 2 to this report, build upon Official Plan changes approved by Council in 2022, to further complete and connect communities. The proposed amendments present a balanced approach to permit these uses while minimizing adverse impacts on nearby residents by permitting them in a physical scale, and in locations, that are compatible with and integrated into Neighbourhoods.

The City is committed to prioritizing and continuously improving shelter safety for staff and clients. On April 30, 2024, the Economic and Community Development Committee adopted the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) Shelter Safety Study and directed Toronto Shelter and Support Services (TSSS) to report back on the development of a Shelter Safety Action Plan in consultation with people with lived experience and the Housing Rights Advisory Committee (2024.EC12.13). This report outlines the Shelter Safety Action Plan, which advances the recommendations from the CAMH Shelter Safety Study, and builds on the expertise and guidance from people with lived experience, shelter providers, health and mental health partners, and the Housing Rights Advisory Committee, and sets out an implementation roadmap to support staff and client safety in the shelter system. To continue supporting people experiencing homelessness and living in encampments, including people with complex health and mental health needs, the City requires ongoing commitment, investment, and collaboration with all orders of government, community organizations and sector partners.

TSSS continues to implement the City’s 10-year Homelessness Services Capital Infrastructure Strategy, which aims to make physical shelter infrastructure accessible, safer, and better aligned to respond to the diverse needs of shelter clients, staff, and the surrounding community. In response to 2024.EC9.4, City staff have been working to review and improve community safety efforts in and around shelter sites in collaboration with existing community safety services. This includes continued collaboration with Toronto Police Service, Business Improvement Areas, City Divisions, community organizations and institutions, partnership tables, and local networks. In addition, this report seeks City Council authority to amend competitive blanket contracts 47025287 and 47025624 for Community Safety Team Services that enhance safety in shelter for staff and clients, and support two Toronto Community Housing Corporation social housing buildings with a concentration of tenants with complex needs.

A report back is provided based on an evidence-informed needs assessment supported by Toronto Public Health to continue overdose prevention at large temporary shelter hotels. The City aims to maintain and expand lifesaving supports available in large shelter hotel sites, which may be particularly important considering proposed provincial legislation which, if passed, may lead to a significant decrease in the availability of overdose prevention services across the city.

With the ongoing arrival of refugee claimants to Toronto since September 2021, the City requires the support of all orders of government, community organizations, and sector partners. In follow up to the Council request (2024.EC11.7), this report seeks City Council authority to provide reimbursement to churches and community organizations, many Black-led, for eligible expenses incurred while providing temporary emergency shelter and support to hundreds of refugee claimants who arrived in Toronto in 2023. It also seeks City Council authority to amend and extend non-competitive blanket contract 47024284 with Canadian Red Cross Society to continue providing temporary lodging services for refugees until December 31, 2025. Refugees continue to arrive in Toronto and require services beyond what the purpose-built shelter system can currently provide, as Toronto Shelter and Support Services gradually transitions from temporary shelter hotel sites as part of its Homelessness Services Capital Infrastructure Strategy.

These continued efforts are important measures to support people experiencing homelessness in need of immediate support. The City is committed to long-term solutions to homelessness including affordable housing and supportive housing, which, with adequate income support, remain the most important factors to end homelessness and to build safe and secure communities for the people we serve and all residents of Toronto.

Toronto is facing two housing crises – one where there is a lack of deeply affordable and supportive homes for low-income, marginalized, and vulnerable residents, as well as those experiencing homelessness; and a more recent one in which rising housing costs have made it increasingly unaffordable for middle income earners, key workers and professionals to live in the city. To respond to this dual crises, City Council has pledged to meet the Provincial housing target of 285,000 housing starts in Toronto by 2031,

As Toronto residents continue to struggle with rising inflation and cost of living, it is becoming increasingly difficult even for middle income earners to access the ownership market, including women-led households and those from equity-deserving communities. As of the 2021 Census, home ownership rates for Indigenous and Black-led households were 50 percent lower than the general population, and historical inequities in homeownership levels within low-income, racialized, and other equity-deserving groups means these groups have not experienced the benefits that typically accompany home ownership.

This report recommends key changes to the Home Ownership Assistance Program (HOAP), which was first introduced in 2010, enhancing the City’s approach to supporting new non-profit ownership housing development and administration, at a time when new housing solutions are needed across the housing continuum.  HOAP currently provides down payment assistance loans through the deferral of development charges for eligible homeowners.

This report recommends key changes to the HOAP program that respond to Toronto’s current housing context, will expand its reach and impact, and other actions to advance affordable home ownership in line with City Council’s target of approving 4,000 affordable ownership homes by 2030:

• That HOAP eligibility be expanded to include a new “attainable” program tier, with eligible household incomes and home price limits above the “affordable” thresholds prescribed by the City’s Official Plan;

• That the HOAP incentives package be expanded to increase the City’s contributions to non-profit ownership housing, and extended to include private/non-profit development partnerships, and;

• That the City provide funding and land contributions where available and appropriate, particularly to support the New Deal modular attainable housing initiative currently underway with the Province of Ontario.

The proposed changes are coordinated with statutory exemptions and discounts to municipal growth funding tools introduced by the Province. Recent legislative changes through Bill 23, the More Homes Built Faster Act, and Bill 134, the Affordable Homes and Good Jobs Act, provide non-profit and affordable rental and ownership housing developers with a variety of statutory exemptions from key municipal fees (development charges, parks levies and community benefits charges). The Province has indicated it would make the City whole for the impacts of legislation changes impacting municipal growth funding tools, but this has not yet been confirmed or received. Through the recommendations of this report the updated HOAP incentives package will build on these statutory exemptions to further support non-profit attainable and affordable housing developments. It is also proposed that the incentive package be extended to non-profit partnerships with private developers, which are currently not eligible for the provincial non-profit exemptions.

In 2020, the City’s Auditor General reviewed the City’s affordable ownership housing programs and recommended the program be revised to strengthen administration and oversight, program design, and to better monitor program outcomes. Following the Auditor's recommendations, the Housing Secretariat engaged the consultants Beam Group and BGM Strategy Group to conduct an evaluation of the program and make recommendations for a program redesign and relaunch. The reports prepared by the consultants are provided as Attachments 4 and 5 and support the recommendations and content of this report. The consultants’ reports and the proposed updates to HOAP address the issues raised by the Auditor General.

In September 2023, Premier Doug Ford and Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow announced a Working Group of senior public servants from the Government of Ontario and the City of Toronto. The Working Group’s "Ontario-Toronto New Deal Working Group - Term Sheet" was approved by City Council in December 2023 and included a modular attainable housing initiative targeting the development of five sites with Provincial and City support. The recommendations outlined in this report will support future New Deal modular attainable housing developments through the proposed expansion of the HOAP incentives package, as well as funding and land contributions. This report also recommends including HOAP opportunities in appropriate CreateTO and Toronto Community Housing Corporation (TCHC) redevelopments, with suitable TCHC developments providing the opportunity for TCHC tenants to become homeowners.

The City of Toronto has provided financial support to low-to-moderate income families and individuals, in the form of down payment assistance loans, and/or for the construction of new affordable home ownership housing, through various Federal/ Provincial and City programs since 2007. Since the introduction of HOAP in 2010, the federal/provincial and City programs have provided some 1,370 down payment assistance loans to eligible households worth a combined $54.5 million.

The recommendations in this report will support the delivery of the City’s HousingTO 2020-2030 Plan and targets in partnership with the federal and provincial governments, and non-profit and private development sectors. Increasing the supply of new homes across the housing continuum will reduce pressure throughout the housing system, improve housing affordability for lower and middle-income households, and support the growth of complete communities.

Like many cities around the world, Toronto is experiencing the effects of climate change with more frequent and extended heat events taking place outside of seasonal norms. Excessive indoor temperatures are a particular concern for tenants living in leased residential premises without air conditioning, or other cooling equipment such as heat pumps, who are at higher risk of heat-related health impacts. These impacts are intensified in multi-unit residential buildings and broadly in built-up urban environments with limited greenspace.

The City regulates indoor temperatures in leased residential premises through Toronto Municipal Code Chapter 497, Heating and Chapter 629, Property Standards. In the short term, heat-related impacts on residents are being managed through existing City measures such as the Heat Relief Strategy and Heat Relief Network, and in the longer term through policy and program initiatives spanning several City Divisions to support building improvements and enhancing the climate resilience of Toronto's aging housing stock.

This report outlines the City’s preliminary actions to address excessive indoor temperatures and is the first in a phased reporting approach to address this complex policy challenge. Building on existing measures, this report responds to City Council direction (2023.MM7.8) and endorses establishing a maximum indoor temperature standard of 26°C to protect tenant health from excessive heat, with implementation considerations and next steps to be outlined in a Q4 2025 staff report. This phased approach will allow for comprehensive stakeholder engagement in 2025 and will be informed by technical findings from a C40 Cities project examining the issue in Toronto and other large North American cities.

This report also recommends amending Chapter 497, Heating and Chapter 629, Property Standards to adjust the dates when heating and cooling equipment must be turned on and off to proactively address indoor temperatures in the shoulder seasons (i.e. May/June, September/October). The changes are recommended to come into effect on April 30, 2025, prior to the 2025 heat season.

This report also includes an update on the status of relevant Council directives and outlines actions taken to enhance the City's data on indoor temperature. The recommendations are informed by an analysis of climate and service request data, a review of public health research, engagement with residents, property owners and subject matter experts and a review of municipal regulations and provincial legislation.

Staff are committed to addressing excessive indoor temperatures while balancing the City’s climate and housing objectives to transition to net-zero energy systems, ensure vital services are maintained, and limit potential impacts on rental housing availability and/or affordability.

This report was developed by Municipal Licensing and Standards, Toronto Public Health, and Environment and Climate with input from the Customer Experience Division, City Planning, Toronto Building, Toronto Emergency Management, Toronto Employment and Social Services, and the Housing Secretariat. 

On February 29th, 2024, Executive Committee adopted EX12.1 - Vehicle-for-Hire and Private Transportation Industries Update Request, requesting staff to analyze driver wages in the vehicle-for-hire industry, which includes taxicabs, limousines and private transportation companies.

A team of researchers specializing in research and analysis of the vehicle-for-hire industry in Toronto and internationally, consisting of Dr. Mischa Young from the Université de l’Ontario Français and Dr. Steven Farber and Dr. Mashrur Rahman from the University of Toronto, were retained to complete an assessment of the vehicle-for-hire industry to inform Council about the current state of driver wages. This academic study is supplemented by information about wages and incomes received during public consultations directly from drivers, companies and other stakeholders.

The researchers found that the median PTC driver gross earnings was $33.52 per hour in 2023 and $33.18 per hour in 2024 for every engaged hour of work, which includes the time between when a driver accepts a trip request and drops the passenger off. When accounting for all time spent logged onto a platform, including times where there is no passenger, the median driver gross earnings were $25.23 per hour in 2023 and $22.46 per hour in 2024.

The researchers also calculated driver expenses, including fuel, insurance, depreciation, maintenance, repairs, financing, fees and taxes and found that after expenses are accounted for, the median driver net earnings were $15.31 per hour in 2023 and $15.34 per hour in 2024 when accounting only for engaged time, and $7.94 per hour in 2023 and $5.97 per hour in 2024 when accounting for all time spent on the platform. Due to a lack of taxicab trip data provided to the City, the researchers were unable to conduct a similar data-driven study of taxicab and limousine driver wages.

Wages and employment standards are regulated by the Ontario government through legislation such as the Employment Standards Act and the Digital Platform Workers' Rights Act. This report summarizes this legislation and provides context about their applicability to drivers in the vehicle for hire industry.

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 purpose of this report is to provide City Council with the Auditor General’s 2025 Work Plan, which contains projects that are in progress or will begin in 2025, and many new projects on the horizon to commence in either late 2025 or 2026. These audit projects are identified through a City-wide risk and opportunities assessment process that is conducted every five years and updated annually for changes in emerging issues, priorities, and trends in allegations made to the Fraud and Waste Hotline. The Auditor General also considers the views and experience of City Councillors and City management. The Auditor General may amend the Annual Work Plan if new priorities arise.

This report also provides the 2025 Budget Highlights for information only, as the Audit Committee considers the Auditor General’s 2025 Work Plan. The Auditor General is requesting $8.651 million and this 2025 budget request will be presented directly to the Budget Committee at its meeting on January 15-17, 2025 for consideration. The Auditor General's budget request reflects resources needed to address her 2025 Work Plan.

The Auditor General would like to thank the Audit Committee and City Council for their continued support of this Accountability Office, and of the important work we do. We look forward to continuing to add value to the City, make a positive difference in the lives of Torontonians through improved outcomes from our report recommendations, while taking an approach that helps to build relationships with auditees and stakeholders in a respectful manner.

This report seeks authority for the City, as landlord, to enter into a nominal lease agreement (the "Land Lease") with Community Music Schools of Toronto (the "Tenant") in respect of a portion of the property at 1785 Finch Avenue West (the "Leased Premises"), to design, build, finance, and operate a new not-for-profit music school. The Leased Premises is a portion of the current parking surface, along with an unused loading dock area, of the site of Toronto Public Library's ("TPL") York Woods Branch ("York Woods Library").

With City Council endorsement and direction to explore the feasibility of building a music school next to York Woods Library, City staff now recommend advancing this site for the proposed new music school which will serve the Jane Finch community. The TPL Board supports the proposed Land Lease to the Tenant. Social Development, Finance, and Administration and Economic Development and Culture have advised on the community consultation process, by engaging with a third-party consultant and the Tenant. Additionally, the proposed development of the music school in the Jane Finch community aligns with Action 1.13 of the Jane Finch Community Development Plan (EC10.1); a short-term action aimed at ensuring artists and organizations have access to local spaces to practice, create, exhibit, and operate their organizations.

The Tenant is a charitable organization founded in 1999 with a mission to help Toronto youth access high-quality music education. The Tenant's music programs are geared towards students ages three to 18 and are heavily subsidized to provide families who would not usually have access to music education due to their financial situation. Students participating in the Tenant's music programs can access instruments, music education, mentorship, and performance opportunities in a safe, supportive, and creative environment.

Toronto continues to face an unprecedented housing affordability crisis across the housing continuum, with a lack of deeply affordable and supportive homes for those with low-incomes, and high rents affecting middle-income earners who aspire to live and work in the city.

In Fall 2023, City Council adopted two key reports related to housing delivery:

- Item EX9.3, which set the stage for the generational change to transform and strengthen Toronto’s housing system and expedite delivery of the HousingTO and Housing Action Plan targets.

- Item EX10.2, which aligned the mandates of CreateTO and Toronto Community Housing (TCHC) and directed these organizations to work with the City on the delivery of the City's housing plans and targets, including new and explicit language on expectations and scope for greater alignment.

This report outlines additional steps to advance the City’s role as a Public Developer and supporter of partner projects, by bringing a singular focus to City-led and supported housing development, and strengthening coordination between the City, CreateTO and TCHC to achieve the City's affordable rental housing goals. Specifically, the City will increase its capacity to lead housing development, by establishing a Housing Development Office, reporting to the Deputy City Manager, Development and Growth Services, that will focus exclusively on advancing and accelerating the delivery of housing on City-led and City-supported sites. The City targets having a leader in place to lead the Office by Q2 2025, following a formal, competitive recruitment process.

Through this new Office, the City will either lead projects directly or leverage TCHC and CreateTO on a project-by-project basis, based on each organization’s unique expertise and best practices. Staff are recommending updated direction to both organizations, followed by a negotiated Master Service Agreement with the City for each respectively. While work is underway to establish the new Housing Development Office, it is critical that housing projects continue to move forward under the current project leadership structure to ensure no delay in the delivery of housing.

The purpose of this report is to advise City Council on the feasibility of mandating Lateral Protective Devices (‘side guards’) on all commercial trucks operating within the City of Toronto, including retrofitting the City's fleet. Side guards are protective railings or bars mounted on the sides of large trucks between the axles to prevent individuals from being pulled under a truck’s wheels in the event of a collision.

Research from various sources based in the United Kingdom, Australia, and Netherlands indicate that side guards could reduce cyclist fatalities by approximately 62 percent, pedestrian fatalities by 20 percent, and serious injuries for cyclists by 6 percent. However, there are currently no federal or provincial requirements for vehicles to be fitted with side guards. As the federal government sets national vehicle safety standards, the City of Toronto does not have the jurisdiction or authority to mandate all commercial vehicles operating within the City of Toronto be equipped with side guards.

However, City Council, through Vision Zero 2.0, authorized the implementation of side guards and a comprehensive fleet safety and accountability program for all Solid Waste Management Services vehicles, both in-house and contracted. Currently, thirty (30) units in the City’s fleet are equipped with side guards.

The addition of side guards to Solid Waste Management Services vehicles builds upon new and existing design and technological initiatives aimed at supporting safety. Engineering design changes to advance safety include the use of cabover chassis designs to improve visibility and reduced blind spots, the colouring of heavy-duty vehicles yellow and blue to increase visibility, the provision of convex mirrors for all trucks to widen the driver's field of view, and 360-degree cameras. Additionally, testing technological advancements, such as collision-avoidance sensors, and active driver assist systems provide real-time warnings and enhance driver awareness. The majority of City vehicles are also equipped with telematics devices that provide vehicle intelligence data on driver behaviors to support education and promote greater accountability.

As of 2024, commercial vehicles procured by the Fleet Services have included side guards. Vehicles are expected to be delivered within 18 to 24 months following the placement of an order.

In alignment with the principles of Vision Zero and previous Council direction regarding Solid Waste Management Services vehicles, Fleet Services is recommending retrofitting suitable commercial City of Toronto fleet vehicles with side guards. Vehicles suitable for retrofitting will be assessed using a risk-based approach to prioritize vehicles that are most likely to cause the greatest harm to cyclists and pedestrians in the event of a collision. It is estimated that 219 of 500 heavy-duty vehicles that are suitable for side guards will be retrofitted between December 2024 and December 2025, with all vehicles retrofitted by December 2026.

Fleet Services will also share with relevant City Agencies and Corporations, the best practices learned from retrofitting side guards on City-owned commercial vehicles.

In addition, while Fleet Services does not currently require side guards for contracted services, Fleet Services will consult with relevant City Divisions and explore the feasibility of requiring existing and new Suppliers, who use commercial vehicles to provide contracted City services, to have side guards installed on their vehicles, and will report back to City Council in the third quarter of 2025.

Since Vision Zero was first adopted by the City in 2016, it has incrementally grown to provide extensive, proactive, systemic and directed initiatives, informed by data and targeted to ensure that serious injuries and fatalities are eliminated on Toronto’s streets. This report provides an update on the Vision Zero Road Safety Plan and outlines continued and new programs, initiatives, and countermeasures.

This report provides status updates and recommended improvements to various components of the Vision Zero Road Safety Plan in the following areas:

1. Trends in Serious Injuries and Fatalities: describing changes over time for each emphasis area of the Vision Zero Road Safety Plan as well as comparison to other leading jurisdictions;

2. Speed Management Initiatives: providing updates on various ongoing and upcoming programs and initiatives under the speed management strategy that help address the frequency and / or outcome of relevant collision scenarios, including recommendations for a number of Community Safety Zones;

3. Improving Crossings for Pedestrians: providing updates on measures to address pedestrian crossing protection and recommendations to improve visibility at Pedestrian Crossovers;

4. Improving Intersection Safety: providing updates on measures to address safety of all road users at intersections; and

5. Other Updates: describing other enforcement measures, progress on other complementary City initiatives and an update on the School Safety Zone program.

This report recommends enacting 20 new or extended Community Safety Zones to support installation of Automated Speed Enforcement cameras focused on improving safety for older adults as well as expanding one existing location in Ward 16 as requested by the local Councillor that staff have reviewed and support. This report also recommends revising stopping prohibitions around Pedestrian Crossovers to meet current Provincial guidance.

Since 2016, the Vision Zero annual budget and spend rate has increased incrementally reflecting the demand for improved road safety as well as the capacity to deliver. The 2025 proposed budget of $99.1 million - $31.7 million in capital and $67.4 million in operating - is the largest annual budget for the Plan since inception and further demonstrates the importance of this initiative and Transportation Services’ ability to deliver the varied aspects of the work.

On March 15, 2024, a Zoning By-law Amendment application was submitted to permit  the construction of three residential buildings having  44, 35 and 9 storeys in height on the eastern portion of the subject site while retaining the existing 12 storey apartment building on the western portion of the site. Building A and B will be connected with a podium ranging in height from 2 to 6 storeys. Building C will be a standalone mid-rise building ranging in height from 4 to 9 storeys. The proposed buildings will have a gross floor area of 75,251 square metres which combines with the existing building for a total gross floor area of 97,115 square metres and an overall floor space index of 5.16.

On October 9, 2024, the applicant appealed the Zoning By-law Amendment application to the Ontario Land Tribunal (the "OLT") due to  City Council not making a decision within the 90-day time frame established in the Planning Act.

This Report recommends that the City Solicitor with the appropriate City staff attend the OLT hearing in opposition to the application in its current form, and to continue discussions with the applicant to resolve outstanding issues.

As part of the 2023 Housing Action Plan, City Council adopted a New Regulatory Framework for Multi-Tenant Housing ("MTH") and recognized this form of rental housing stock as a critical component of affordable housing options. This program brought new incentives and other financial supports to assist property owners in obtaining a licence for this housing in all areas of the City.

In response to MM20.30 Multi-Tenant Housing Framework: Parks Levy Exemption and Framework Application, this report seeks Council authority to exempt dwelling rooms in a multi-tenant house from parkland dedication requirements in Article III of Toronto Municipal Code Chapter 415, being the Parkland By-law ("Article III"). This amendment aligns with Council's priority for the development of this housing type and other financial considerations provided by the City.

Following Council's recent adoption of MM22.10 Supporting Transitional Housing in Toronto - 3 Cadillac Avenue (Neshama Hospice) and site-specific parkland dedication exemption for the development of a non-profit hospice, this report also seeks approval to apply the exemption to non-profit hospices city-wide to reflect Council's support of this type of development.

Finally, this report introduces amendments to Article III to clarify the intent and improve the readability and the interpretation of (a) exemptions relating to additional residential dwelling units on a parcel of land as well as additional residential dwelling units in apartment buildings, and (b) the definition of Environmental Lands specifically relating to the protected features within protected areas as defined and identified by Chapter 658 of the Municipal Code, being the Ravine and Natural Feature Protection By-Law.  The proposed amendments will ensure consistent interpretation and application of Article III.

This report recommends the adoption by City Council of interim 2025 Solid Waste Management Services (SWMS) Rates and Fees as set out in this report. The adoption of these interim rates and fees is requested in advance of the 2025 Tax and Rate Supported Operating and Capital Budgets to establish these interim rates and fees and provide City staff with the necessary authority to implement them effective January 1, 2025.

City Council may amend the interim rates when the 2025 Tax and Rate Supported Operating and Capital Budget is approved, which is expected in February 2025.

This report recommends an interim 3.75 percent increase in SWMS rates and fees effective January 1, 2025. The recommended increase, shown in Table 1 below by customer grouping, will allow Solid Waste Management Services to maintain all current service levels and address future capital needs.

Table 1: Interim Solid Waste Management Services Rates and Fees effective January 1, 2025 

Customer Group

Interim Rate Increase

Comments

Multi-Residential

3.75%

Maintain service levels and fund Capital Program

Single Family and Residential Units    Above Commercial (RUAC)

3.75%

Maintain service levels and fund Capital Program

Bag Tags, Bin Purchase

3.75%

Maintain service levels and fund Capital Program

Commercial, Divisions, Agencies        and Corp., Schools

3.75%

Maintain service levels and fund Capital Program

The recommended As-of-right Zoning for Mid-rise Buildings on Avenues is one of 54 Housing Action Plan initiatives to make changes to the City’s Official Plan, Zoning By-law and Urban Design Guidelines to enable more housing in neighbourhoods, along major streets and avenues. Other related action items include: the Expanding Housing Options in Neighbourhoods (EHON) Major Streets Study, As-of-Right Zoning for Avenue Studies with no Implementing Zoning, the Avenues Policy Review, Expanding Mixed Use Areas, and Implementing Zoning for new Mixed Use Areas. City Planning has either reported out on the actions such as the Major Streets Study or is working to advance these action items in a comprehensive and integrated manner.

This report recommends a zoning by-law amendment to permit as-of-right heights and densities for mid-rise buildings on lands identified as Avenues and designated Mixed Use Areas in the Official Plan. The recommended zoning by-law amendment implements urban design performance standards, including updated standards for rear transition alongside the increases to height and density permissions. These changes will enable and expand mid-rise development on the Avenues without the need for a site-specific zoning approval. Property owners would continue to be able to seek additional height or density through a minor variance where appropriate.  The recommended changes have the potential to unlock an increase of almost 61,000 dwelling units above the approximately 21,500 dwelling units achievable under existing zoning standards.

The recommended zoning by-law amendment would remove barriers, ease administration, and support the creation of more housing as part of the Housing Action Plan to achieve or exceed the provincial housing target of 285,000 new homes over the next 10 years.

City Planning has also been conducting a comprehensive review of the Mid-Rise Building Performance Standards Urban Design Guidelines and has completed initial updates to the performance standards for Rear Transitions between mid-rise buildings and other buildings or open space uses. The final updated Rear Transition Performance Standards 5A and 5B will be formally incorporated in the consolidated Mid-rise Building Urban Design Guidelines document and presented to Planning and Housing Committee in Q4 2024.

The purpose of this report is to seek City Council's authority to close portions of the eastbound lanes on the F.G. Gardiner Expressway and northbound lanes on the Don Valley Parkway for the Toronto Triathlon Festival event for 2025. The proposed route of the 2025 Toronto Triathlon Festival event will remain the same as 2024.

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.

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.

Parkside Drive is a major arterial road that serves as the eastern boundary of High Park and provides multi-modal connections to key destinations in the city with residential frontage on the east side. As directed by Council in November 2021, the Parkside Drive Study was initiated to explore possible design changes that could improve safety and mobility along the corridor with a focus on people walking, cycling and other vulnerable road users, as a companion to the High Park Movement Strategy. Over the last three years several improvements have been made to the roadway to manage vehicle speeds and improve road user safety.

The Parkside Drive Study builds on community advocacy for improved road safety. In the last ten years there were seven collisions that resulted in five serious injuries and three fatalities. All seven collisions involved vulnerable road users. Narrow and missing sidewalks, lack of bikeways, excessive vehicular speeds and aggressive driving, and a history of collisions resulting in fatality or serious injury are frequently heard concerns. The Parkside Drive Study recommendations support the City's Vision Zero Road Safety Plan efforts to implement changes that would prevent serious injuries and fatalities on our streets.

This report summarizes the findings from the Parkside Drive Study and seeks City Council endorsement in principle of the study recommendations to implement a road safety focused redesign project. Preliminary design and consultation for the road safety project on Parkside Drive have been completed, and installation is targeted for the near-term (2025 - 2027). The Parkside Drive road safety changes would add 3.8 lane kilometres (1.9 centreline kilometres) of new bikeways, reconstruct the Lake Shore Boulevard West intersection and improve vulnerable road user connections to the Martin Goodman Trail and include design changes to decrease motor vehicle speeds.

The Beaches-East York Pilot Project (“the Pilot Project”) is part of the Expanding Housing Options in Neighbourhoods ("EHON") initiative. The Pilot Project was initiated with the purpose of building a missing middle demonstration project in consultation with the community and the development industry on City-owned land within the Beaches-East York neighbourhood (Ward 19).

This report recommends amending the Official Plan and Zoning By-law to permit a development on a City-owned site located at 72 Amroth Avenue. The proposal includes a six-storey apartment building fronting Amroth Avenue with a height of 19.5 metres (23.5 metres with the mechanical penthouse), and a three-storey fourplex with a height of 9.95 metres and a three-storey duplex with a height of 9.65 metres at the rear of the lot. The development has a total of 34 residential units, 39 bicycle parking spaces and 2,353 square metres of gross floor area.

The proposal is an appropriate example of intensification within designated Neighbourhoods. It is in a form that is respectful of the adjacent low-rise detached houses, while making use of an underutilized site near a major transit station and adjacent Danforth Avenue. The Danforth Study from Coxwell Avenue to Victoria Park Avenue further recommends a mid-rise built form of up to eleven-storeys on this segment of Danforth Avenue. It advances a design which includes the provision of six accessible units, exceeding the Toronto Accessibility Design Guidelines requirement for 15 percent of the total number of units be accessible and adaptable, and a unit mix which meets the City of Toronto Growing Up Guidelines regarding the provision of two and three-bedroom units. As a City-initiated project, it will meet at least Version 4, Tier 2 of the Toronto Green Standard. The proposal preserves the five existing mature trees on site.

The processes and approaches developed through this initiative are intended to inform how missing middle projects may be built on other sites, both publicly and privately owned. In support of this goal, City staff have also developed a set of Key Findings to inform the creation of future policy and process changes for expanding housing options in neighbourhoods, including work on transition zones through the Housing Action Plan and work on enabling permissions for low-rise multi-unit residential buildings through the Housing Accelerator Fund. The Key Findings are included as Attachment 16 of this report.

City staff recommend approval of the City-initiated Official Plan and Zoning By-law amendments and associated recommendations.

On May 10, 2023, City Council adopted Official Plan and Zoning By-law Amendments to permit multiplexes city-wide. In recent years, Toronto City Council has made significant strides toward eliminating exclusionary zoning and promoting gentle density in Neighbourhoods across the city, including by legalizing multiplexes, garden suites, laneway suites, and permitting small-scale apartments on Major Streets.

A primary objective of the award-winning Expanding Housing Options in Neighbourhoods (EHON) program is to legalize diverse housing types as-of-right. The minor variance process often leads to delays and increased costs, hindering the construction of new housing units. It is essential to address gaps in the zoning by-law to ensure consistent interpretations, rather than relying on the discretion of individual planners or the Committee of Adjustment.

Stakeholders have raised concerns that the current interpretation of the Zoning By-law 569-2013 amendment to permit multiplexes is creating obstacles to building multiplex housing. Recently, applications for semi-detached fourplexes have been classified as one single apartment building instead of two multiplexes. This classification impacts building code requirements, financing options, and incentives – creating a barrier to building more missing middle housing.

One of the most powerful policy tools we have to enable more missing middle housing is development charge (DC) exemptions. Multiplexes with four or fewer units on a single property have development charges waived on the second, third, and fourth units. This waiver is vital: on a smaller missing middle project, the tens of thousands of dollars in development charges can make the difference between a project being financially feasible or cost prohibitive.

However, if an applicant intends to build a five-unit multiplex – the threshold at which they can access low-cost Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation financing – they have to pay development charges on all five units, making such projects less financially feasible.

A gap in the policy also exists where a builder or developer is building a four-plex in addition to a garden suite and/or a laneway suite. While Council has approved the development charge exemption for up to four units and a separate deferral program for development charges on laneway and garden suites, attempting to build both at once can trigger development charges on all units in the multiplex. This runs counter to the policy objective of maximizing the number of housing units in missing middle projects and must be addressed.

The Multiplex Study Final Report recommended establishing a monitoring program to track the uptake of new builds and to identify challenges in achieving multiplex housing. In line with that planned report, this motion requests that City Planning staff provide clarity on the correct interpretation of the zoning by-law. This motion is also requesting that the City Solicitor and Finance and Treasury Services consider revising the development charge bylaw to help enable more missing middle projects to move forward.

This report responds to the June 26, 2024, City Council directive to staff to develop a “Hamilton-style” renovictions bylaw (Renovictions Bylaw) and implementation framework to protect tenants and prevent "renovictions". A renoviction is when a landlord illegitimately evicts a tenant by alleging that vacant possession of a rental unit is needed to undertake renovations or repairs. Renovictions can include refusing to allow a tenant who has exercised their right of first refusal to return post-renovation, illegally raising the rent on a returning tenant, or not undertaking major renovations after evicting renters. This results in the displacement of tenants, the permanent loss of affordable market rental housing, and contributes to rising homelessness in Toronto.

As rent policies and landlord-tenant matters fall under provincial jurisdiction, the City of Toronto has urged the Province to take action against renovictions, including enforcing the Helping Homebuyers, Protecting Tenants Act, 2023 (Bill 97), improving Landlord and Tenant Board processes, introducing vacancy rent control, requiring temporary relocation assistance during renovations, and creating a centralized data system for rental properties and evictions. In the absence of these provincial changes, Toronto has developed local solutions. In 2022, City Council adopted a Renovictions Policy to guide the development of a bylaw to curb evictions done under the pretext of a renovation, protect tenants, and preserve affordable rental housing.

The City of Hamilton was the first Ontario municipality to pass a bylaw requiring landlords to obtain a licence before undertaking renovations that necessitate tenant eviction. In June 2024, the Planning and Housing Committee reviewed a staff report analyzing Hamilton’s bylaw and directed staff to undertake consultations with affected stakeholders and recommended a similar approach for Toronto. Over August and September, the City undertook a multi-channel consultation program consisting of focus groups with housing advocates, tenants rights experts, landlord and tenants associations, six city-wide in-person consultations and one virtual consultation, and a public survey. The results of this feedback, and analysis by City staff, have informed the Renovictions Bylaw proposed in this report that will require landlords to:

• Apply for a Rental Renovation Licence within seven days of issuing an N13 notice to end tenancy

• Obtain a building permit before applying for the Rental Renovation Licence

• Obtain and submit a report from a qualified person identifying that the renovation or maintenance work is so extensive that the tenant must leave the unit, and pay a Rental Renovation Licence fee of $700.00 per unit

• Post a Tenant Information Notice at the subject unit to inform the tenant of the licence application and to enable the tenant to seek information about their rights

• Complete a plan to provide tenant(s) who choose to return to their units with temporary, comparable housing at similar rents, or provide monthly rent-gap payments (based on post-2015 average market rents) to cover the rent difference, with tenants finding their own temporary housing

• Provide moving allowances to all tenants

• Provide tenants with severance compensation where the tenant is choosing not to return to the unit after the renovation or repair work is complete

• Post the issued Rental Renovation Licence on the door of the unit

This report recommends the Renovictions Bylaw take effect on July 31, 2025, allowing staff sufficient time to undertake appropriate education and communication efforts. The Toronto Building Division will implement and enforce the bylaw. Toronto Building staff are well positioned to inform landlords of their obligations under the bylaw early in the building permit process and will develop clear, understandable and multi-lingual public-facing guidelines to support compliance.  Staff heard clearly during public engagement of the importance of proactively updating tenants on the status of renovation licence and building permit-related work. Toronto Building will be actively monitoring building permits on units where renovation licences have been issued to support the timely completion of work and facilitate the ability of tenants to return to their rental unit as quickly as possible.

The proposed framework is intended to balance the need to address the misuse of renovations as an excuse to evict tenants, with the need for renovations and repair work that are necessary in Toronto with its often aging, existing rental housing stock. Adopting Toronto’s Renovictions Bylaw will significantly improve health, social, and economic outcomes for tenants and support the HousingTO Plan.

This staff report has been written in consultation with the Housing Secretariat, Municipal Licensing and Standards, Legal Services and Strategic Public and Employee Communications.

The CaféTO program supports Toronto's neighbourhoods and local economy by providing expanded outdoor dining opportunities for bars and restaurants. Since 2020, the program has continued to improve and evolve with each outdoor dining season (May 1 to October 15) based on a commitment to the city's economic recovery and balancing the diverse needs of Toronto's communities. While the City has expanded outdoor dining programs to include permitting programs for sidewalk and curb lane cafes, hardscaped surfaced parks, and through zoning provisions on private property, the focus of this report will be curb lane cafés located on the right-of-way, which is led by Transportation Services with support from Economic Development and Culture.

Since the CaféTO program became permanent in 2023, staff have implemented the Council-approved BIA Curb Lane Pilot Program. This initiative also enhances the efficiency of program rollout by allowing Business Improvement Areas (BIAs) to design streetscape and curb lane closures that meet the unique needs of their neighbourhoods. Throughout the 2024 CaféTO season and during the implementation of the Pilot Program, staff frequently engaged BIAs, restaurant operators and industry associations for feedback. This input will be used to inform improvements for the program in 2025.

Following an evaluation of the BIA Curb Lane Pilot Program, this report recommends that the pilot program become permanent and include recommended improvements identified over the 2023 and 2024 implementation seasons. In addition, staff have developed a second pilot program to provide the opportunity for retail businesses to temporarily use public parklets within the BIAs that are part of the Curb Lane Pilot program. It is recommended that this second pilot program be extended for another year to collect additional data. The report also outlines the 2024 CaféTO Property Improvement Program and introduces the new Dining District Grant.

Furthermore, this report recommends technical updates to the City of Toronto Municipal Code Chapter 742, Sidewalk Cafés, Parklets and Marketing Displays. The recommended changes include:

-Adjusting the timeline to cancel a café permit application if permit fees have not been paid;

-Amending the community notification process for flankage café applications;

-Allowing permit holders on King Street East and West, between Jarvis Street and Bathurst Street, the option to apply for and operate curb lane cafes seasonally, from both October 16 to April 30, and from May 1 to October 15.

Additional technical and wording amendments to Chapter 742 and 937, Temporary Closing of Highways, Chapter 27, Council procedures and Chapter 441, Fees and Charges are also proposed.

In March 2021, City Council considered a staff report, DM30.1 – Swiss Challenge Negotiated Request for Proposals for a Digital Government Platform, that detailed the Swiss Challenge Negotiated Request for Proposals process and outlined next steps for negotiation with the successful supplier, PayIt. At that time, City Council adopted a motion requesting the Auditor General to consider a review of the Strategic Partnerships Office (also known as the Toronto Office of Partnerships) as part of the next Auditor General’s Annual Work Plan, with a focus on its relationship to public procurement[1]. An audit was subsequently added to the Auditor General’s Office Work Plan[2].

The objective of this audit was to review the procurement of the PayIt Platform and outcomes achieved to date, to identify lessons learned and opportunities to clarify and / or improve the City’s Unsolicited Quotations for Proposals Policy and Process for Receiving and Reviewing Unsolicited Quotations and Proposals. The audit aimed to answer the following questions:

- Did the procurement with PayIt properly follow the City’s policy and process for unsolicited proposals?

- Did the implementation of the PayIt Platform achieve the intended financial and non-financial outcomes and benefits (as reported to City Council)?

Our audit report does not comment on the quality and advantages of the PayIt platform, as the audit solely focused on whether the City followed its unsolicited proposals policy and process and whether the City’s reported intended outcomes were achieved. In general, we found that PayIt followed the lead of City project staff.

This report presents the result of the audit. The report highlights that:

a. The policy and process for unsolicited proposals were not followed, even after concerns were raised internally amongst City management.

b. Expected benefits and outcomes of the PayIt implementation were not fully realized within the original timeframes indicated in the business case included in staff reports to City Council.

c. Records supporting key decisions were not properly retained.

The nine recommendations in this report are aimed at strengthening the oversight, and policy and process for receiving, reviewing, and responding to unsolicited proposals. This audit report also reinforces the importance of management’s leadership and commitment to ensuring openness, fairness, and transparency in City procurement.

[1] Agenda Item History - 2021.DM30.1 (toronto.ca)
[2] Refer to the Project Horizon for 2022-2023 included in Auditor General's Office 2022 Work Plan (toronto.ca) and the Project Horizon for 2024 included in Auditor General's Office 2023 Work Plan (toronto.ca)

The Auditor General’s 2023 Work Plan included an operational review of how the Parks, Forestry and Recreation Division manages and maintains over 1,500 parks in the City of Toronto. This report presents the first phase of the operational review, which focuses on the efficiency of daily park maintenance activities, compliance with the established service level standards, and identifying opportunities for improving how the Parks Branch performs day-to-day maintenance to help keep parks beautiful, clean, and safe.

The Parks, Forestry and Recreation Division’s mission is to improve the quality of life of Toronto’s diverse communities by providing safe, beautiful parks, a healthy, expanding urban forest, and high quality, community-focused recreational experiences. The Parks Branch is responsible for on-going care and maintenance of City-operated parks, including various amenities found in each park.

Our audit identifies opportunities for the Parks, Forestry and Recreation Division to improve parks crew productivity, supervision of maintenance activities and measuring the achievement of service level standards by:

a. Leveraging technology and improving scheduling, tracking, and monitoring processes.

b. Strengthening monitoring and on-site supervision of daily maintenance activities.

c. Setting performance expectations and measuring outcomes.

At its meeting on November 4, 2024, the FIFA World Cup 2026 Subcommittee considered
Item FWC2.1 and made recommendations to City Council.

This report provides an update on planning for the FIFA World Cup 2026 (FWC26) in Toronto, including a revenue strategy identifying ways to offset expenditures, a progress update on community workforce development and business opportunities for local and diverse suppliers through FWC26 procurements, and current state of play of the procurements, including awarded contracts to date and requests to award and negotiate on items captured in a confidential attachment. 

With planning ongoing and budget estimates converting from forecast to actuals, the cost of some goods and services quoted back are higher than projected. This report puts forward a revision to the procurement plan for goods and services for both capital and operational services previously approved by City Council on July 24, 2024 (EX16.32).

As has been previously reported to City Council, the estimated costs to host the FWC26 in Toronto total $380.0 million, which includes all operations, safety and security, and capital upgrades to ensure the City meets all FIFA requirements. Of the $380.0 million required to deliver the games $201.4 million is being offset by provincial and federal funding, resulting in the City required to identify a total of $178.6 million (or 47% of total costs). Of this, $83.6 million in revenue has been previously identified through existing municipal sources, commercial rights sales, rental fees, and in-kind contributions. As requested through EX11.12 – Update on Hosting FIFA World Cup 2026, this report outlines additional financial opportunities to the City of Toronto to offset the $95.1 million in remaining funding requirements without impacting the property tax base, including a review of existing revenue tools and new opportunities made available by hosting the games, such as donations, merchandise sales, music royalties, new commercial sales opportunities and revenues specific to FIFA Fan Festival. The FWC26 Toronto Secretariat, in consultation with Finance & Treasury, will continue to explore these targeted revenue opportunities. As they are further developed and refined, staff will report back to the FWC26 Subcommittee, as applicable, with additional information.

As the world’s most-watched sporting event, FWC26 represents a major economic opportunity for Toronto, the Province of Ontario, and Canada, as it welcomes hundreds of thousands of visitors. As noted above, the City is responsible for 47% of total costs, however has limited tools to capture revenue associated with the economic activity and benefits associated with hosting the games. Staff have undertaken a review of available funding sources to support the delivery of the FWC26 with the objective of restricting any potential impact on the existing property tax base and planned projects.

Of the revenue tools enabled by the City of Toronto Act, 2006 (COTA), the Municipal Accommodation Tax (MAT) provides the most effective opportunity to generate revenue directly from increased economic activity resulting from FWC26, while ensuring no impact to the City’s property tax base. Implementing a temporary incremental increase to the MAT, applied to hotels and short-term rentals, of 2.5% over a 14-month period (June 1, 2025 – July 31, 2026) is projected to generate an additional $56.6 million in revenue, offsetting the majority of the remaining funding requirement. It is anticipated that any potential impacts on hospitality operators will be largely offset by increased room demand and related visitor spending in the lead up, during, and following the FWC26, as well as substantial future benefits due to Toronto’s global visibility gained from hosting the FWC26.

In addition to recommending a temporary increase, staff will continue to monitor base performance of the MAT prior to the FWC26, along with other corporate revenues, which could help to further alleviate any remaining budget pressures. Further, to address any remaining funding requirements, staff also remain committed to ensuring cost mitigation strategies are in place for the delivery of the games to minimize financial impacts on the City of Toronto, residents, and businesses.

Toronto is facing two housing crises – one where there is a lack of deeply affordable and supportive homes for low-income, marginalized, and vulnerable residents, as well as those experiencing homelessness; and a more recent one in which rising rents have made it increasingly unaffordable for middle income earners, key workers and professionals to live in the city. To respond to this dual crisis, City Council has pledged to meet the Provincial housing target of 285,000 housing starts in Toronto by 2031, and has expanded its HousingTO 2020-2030 Action Plan (HousingTO Plan) targets to approve 65,000 rent-controlled homes, including rent-geared-to-income (RGI) and affordable rental homes, by 2030.

An adequate supply of purpose-built rental homes is central to a well-functioning housing system that can meet the housing needs of current and future residents. However, Toronto is facing a shortage of purpose-built rental homes as a direct result of insufficient investments from all orders of government since the early 1990s. As governments stepped back from investment in new purpose-built rental homes, new private investment in condominiums increased leading to a situation where 85% of all new rental homes created in Toronto in the past 10 years are from the secondary market (wherein condominium investors rent out their units). These homes provide less security for renters than purpose-built rentals, and on average have rental rates that are over 40% higher than existing purpose-built rental homes.

The current lack of purpose-built rental housing in Toronto is likely to worsen due to high interest rates and financing costs, inflation, and increasing construction costs which have resulted in a significant slowdown in new residential development. Housing starts in the City of Toronto for August and September, 2024, are down 75% and 81% respectively over the same months last year, indicating a significant slowdown in new housing development. Further, industry data indicate that between 18,000 to 26,000 purpose-built rental homes are currently stalled due to challenging market conditions.

All orders of government have historically played a larger role in shaping the housing system to create new purpose-built rental homes than they do today. While there have been recent federal and provincial actions aimed at supporting new rental housing development (including GST/HST waivers on purpose-built rental homes, and development charge discounts for rental units), these have not proven sufficient to significantly increase purpose-built rental housing supply. While the City has made significant investments in housing in recent years, particularly affordable rental housing, the constraints on the City’s finances are considerable and it cannot trade-off investments in infrastructure with un-capped incentives for purpose-built rental housing. Much more action is required from the federal and provincial governments to achieve the level of rental housing growth needed in Toronto, Ontario, and Canada.

The City is prepared to take a number of actions and lead the way in building a housing system that delivers the new rental homes Toronto’s current and future residents and economy needs to thrive. This report recommends City Council unlock 20,000 new rental homes comprised of 16,000 new purpose-built rental homes, and 4,000 affordable rental homes, primarily on private land. This report also recommends City Council invite other orders of government to collaborate with the City in making a generational shift in the housing system, where governments influence the housing system and work with private land-owners and investors to make the delivery of purpose-built rental housing a priority. As directed by Council in June, 2024, staff have undertaken consultation with industry stakeholders, and conducted extensive analysis with an independent third-party consultant, in order to inform the development of the recommendations in this report.

These 20,000 new homes will be delivered under a new Purpose-Built Rental Homes Incentives stream (as part of the recently approved Rental Housing Supply Program). A minimum of 20% of these homes will be provided as affordable rental homes, meeting the City’s new income-based definition of affordable rental housing, and be secured for a target of 99 years and a minimum of 40 years.  

To move immediately to action, this report also recommends City Council:

-  Support 7,000 new rental homes comprised of 5,600 purpose-built rental homes, and at least 1,400 affordable rental homes, to be identified through a rapid call for applications which will be released immediately upon Council approval;

-  Approve a New Multi-Residential Property (Municipal Reduction) Tax Subclass consistent with EX16.8, and direct staff to implement a 15% property tax reduction for all new purpose-built rental developments for a 35-year period as part of the 2025 budget process; and

-  Immediately support the 5,600 purpose-built rental homes by deferring development charges otherwise payable in respect of an eligible development, for as long as the development maintains the rental tenure.

The estimated value of the deferral of developments changes for 5,600 purpose-built rental homes is $210.8 million. Like all new purpose-built rental homes, they will also benefit from the 15% reduction in property taxes for 35 years (estimated value of $114.2 million).

The City’s contributions towards these purpose-built rental homes will complement financial incentives for the at least 1,400 affordable rental homes to be delivered through this call (estimated at $136.2 million, including foregone property taxes for 40 years and waived planning and building fees).

Subject to adoption of this report, staff will report back to Council on an implementation tool to provide incentives for purpose-built rental homes. To this end, staff will consider the use of a Community Improvement Plan, among other options.

The City’s jurisdictional and financial capacity to shift the housing system is limited, and it cannot act alone. As such, this report recommends City Council:

-  Request the Province immediately establish a Build More Homes Rebate estimated at $1.0 billion, for the value of development charges and 85% of property taxes for 10,400 purpose built rental homes. - ----  Upon approval by the Province, the City will release a call for applications to offer incentives for the next 13,000 rental homes, including 20% affordable rental homes (2,600 units);

-  Request the federal government to immediately allocate a $7.3 billion portfolio of low-cost financing to support the delivery of the new affordable and purpose-built rental homes described in this report (20,000 homes total); and

-  Request the federal and provincial governments work with the City in implementing a Canada-Ontario-Toronto Builds program that will align efforts and resources across three orders of government including land, funding & financing, partnerships, and approvals processes, to build more affordable and purpose-built rental homes for low- and moderate-income residents.

The proposed two-phase strategy to reach 20,000 new rental homes, including 4,000 affordable rental homes, is summarized in Table 1 below.

Table 1 – Summary of Rental Housing Outcomes Proposed through this Staff Report

Phase 1 - City–supported Quick Start

1,400

5,600

7,000

Phase 2 -Subject to Intergovernmental Support

2,600

10,400

13,000

Sub-total

4,000

(20%)

16,000
(80%)

20,000
(100%)

New federal and provincial housing programs including the Housing Accelerator Fund (HAF) and Building Faster Fund (BFF) have made capital funding contributions contingent on municipalities achieving targets for new housing starts. In addition to meeting the demand for rental homes, increasing new rental housing supply can support the City in accessing much needed capital funding which can be directed to funding new rent-geared-to-income and affordable rental homes, and housing enabling infrastructure.

Without immediate action by all orders of government to shape the housing system by ensuring sufficient supply of purpose-built rental homes, more residents, specifically renters, will experience housing instability and potentially homelessness; Toronto’s health and social service sector will face a deepening key worker staffing crisis; and Toronto’s businesses will be unable to attract the workforce and labour supply they need to grow, thereby limiting our economic growth.

This report outlines the analysis, consultation process, and recommended zoning amendments to advance the first phase of work to incorporate low-rise residential lands in Toronto and East York District into Zoning By-law 569-2013 (the "City-wide Zoning By-law). Staff recommend bringing low-rise residential lands into the City-wide Zoning By-law with zoning standards that are consistent with the applicable former municipal zoning by-law, consistent with recent city-wide zoning amendments, and in conformity with the Official Plan. These properties had active zoning by-law amendment or site plan control applications in 2012 and were excluded from the City-wide Zoning By-law through the transition protocol.

This study is part of the on-going work to simplify and modernize the City-wide Zoning By-law, and to support consistent application of the City-wide Zoning By-law. Bringing these lands into the City-wide Zoning By-law will remove barriers, ease administration, and enable the creation of more housing as part of the Housing Action Plan. In addition, the recommended zoning by-law amendment will enable properties to take advantage of the removal of parking minimums and permissions for a broad range of "missing middle" housing permissions in support of the Housing Action Plan and its target of 285,000 homes over the next ten years.

City staff have completed the first phase of the study's work plan for the Toronto and East York district, by reviewing approximately 327 properties subject to former municipal zoning by-laws and assessing the appropriateness of each property for inclusion in the City-wide Zoning By-law. This report recommends approval of the attached zoning amendments to incorporate approximately 190 low-rise residential properties into the City-wide Zoning By-law.

This report responds to MM5.3 – Place Names in the Port Lands and EX13.5 - New Island, New Beginnings: Furthering Reconciliation and an Indigenous Cultural Framework for the Port Lands.

Over the last year, City staff, in collaboration with MinoKamik Collective and LURA Consulting, facilitated an Indigenous community engagement process to discover, reflect on, and determine Indigenous names for the new island in the Port Lands. The proposed names were lifted up by an Indigenous Advisory Circle (the Circle), comprised of Elders, Knowledge Keepers, language speakers, youth and community members. The process was rooted in Indigenous traditions, teachings and cultural protocols, involving ceremonies, site walks, and deep discussions. The Indigenous Advisory Circle met seven times between April and October 2024. In addition, broader Indigenous communities were engaged at community events, in a survey and in other ways.

Circle discussions centered on the area’s history as former marshland, the cultural significance of the land and water, and long-term environmental restoration and stewardship, with a focus on water and native plants. The historical erasure of Indigenous languages and significance of language revitalization initiatives was also emphasized. The collaborative engagement process is detailed in Attachment 3.

As acknowledged at the April 9, 2024 Executive Committee meeting, the decision to hand over the power to name this place to Indigenous communities was both a symbolic and concrete step in turning words into actions that contribute to truth, justice, and reconciliation. The process itself is as meaningful as the names chosen. This process demonstrates ways of shifting power and priorities with respect for Indigenous worldviews, ways of knowing, cultural protocols, ceremonies, self-determination and leadership.

This report recommends naming the new island in the Port Lands Ookwemin Minising, (pronounced Oh-kway-min Min-nih-sing), meaning “place of the black cherry trees” in Anishinaabemowin/Ojibwemowin. As outlined in Attachment 3, this name honours the natural history of the land, recognizes a vision of environmental restoration, and highlights the future care of Indigenous plant communities. Local Elders recalled the waterfront’s original marshlands near the mouth of the Don River and the trees that grew throughout the waterfront area. The connections between past, present and future resonated with the Circle, with efforts to restore and revitalize both Indigenous names and plants. The name also aligns with other historical Ojibwe place names on Lake Ontario, including Adoobigok (Etobicoke) meaning “place of the alders.”

The area the Circle named Ookwemin Minising was previously referred to by several names through many years of planning, design and construction, including the Lower Don Lands, River Precinct, Cousins Quay, and Villiers Island. In November 2024, the “north plug removal”, a key milestone for the Port Lands Flood Protection project, will connect the Don River with the river valley and complete the transition of the landmass into an Island surrounded by water, from planning concept to physical reality. Ookwemin Minising will therefore be the formal name for this newly formed island, coinciding with its emergence as a significant ecological and cultural landmark on the Toronto waterfront.

Additionally, this report recommends naming the new park surrounding the Island Biidaasige Park, (pronounced Bee-daw-sih-geh), meaning “sunlight shining toward us” in Anishinaabemowin. As outlined in Attachment 3, this name relates to the hopeful light of a new day, shining on waterway restoration and reconciliation and acknowledges the relationship between the earth, water, sun, and moon as relatives and teachers. The name recognizes water awareness as central to the Port Lands Flood Protection project and creation of the renaturalized Don River, valley and park. The name honours the Indigenous water walker movement, Water Walkers including Josephine Mandamin, and the Indigenous communities who have helped highlight the significance of water as essential to life. The name connects with, and ties together, design elements throughout the island, including the bridges and the flow of the river from east to west, in line with the direction of the sunlight’s daily path.

In addition to the two names brought forward in this report, a new name for a portion of Cherry Street that was not realigned, between Commissioners Street and the Keating Channel, was determined by the Circle and will be discussed with landowners and then recommended to the Toronto East York Community Council in December 2024 as part of a staff report on road openings related to the Port Lands Flood Protection project.

Other names for the area will be recommended as needed through future related engagement processes. Other than the portion of Cherry Street referenced above, City staff are not recommending that any other existing civic assets be renamed at this time. Villiers Sankey, a former City surveyor, will continue to be commemorated through Villiers Street, an existing street that will be prominent on the new Island.

Through EX13.5 - New Island, New Beginnings: Furthering Reconciliation and an Indigenous Cultural Framework for the Port Lands, City staff were also directed to report back on an Indigenous cultural framework for waterfront revitalization in the Port Lands. In 2025, staff will present a report on the many ongoing initiatives related to the Reconciliation Action Plan and Indigenous cultural revitalization on the waterfront.

While Indigenous place naming is a significant part of ongoing efforts to advance Indigenous cultural revitalization on the waterfront, it is but a small step in a long journey. There are many ongoing initiatives and future opportunities for advancing Reconciliation Action Plan commitments in a forward-looking framework that involves First Nations, Inuit and Métis communities throughout the process.

Ongoing initiatives that the City and partnering agencies, including Waterfront Toronto and CreateTO, are collaborating on with Indigenous communities span from ecology, native plantings, and land/water stewardship to Indigenous art, design, and interpretive signage to language revitalization through place naming. First Nations rights holders, Elders and Knowledge Keepers, Indigenous artists and designers, urban Indigenous youth and community organizations and others are involved. The many communities involved are collaborating to ensure Ookwemin Minising and surrounding precincts are places with meaning and connection to Indigenous histories, cultures, values, and ways of knowing that center connection to the land, water, plants and animals.

Future opportunities will take shape alongside the evolution of the future mixed-use communities in Ookwemin Minising and the broader Port Lands. These opportunities can include affordable housing, economic development, land and water stewardship, cultural programming and placekeeping through public realm design. These will be discussed with Indigenous communities and begin to be outlined in a framework, with the vision for this new island, Ookwemin Minising, to be a place where Indigenous histories, worldviews, cultures, and ways of life hold a respected, celebrated, prominent and distinctive place on the waterfront.