Municipal Non-Profits include 15,666 units of LD/GTI housing funded through the OHC system.

The Community and Neighbourhood Services Committee reports, for the information of Council, having received an overhead presentation, entitled "Devolution and Reform of Social Housing Programs", from Ms. Joanne Campbell, General Manager, The Metropolitan Toronto Housing Company Limited.

(City Council on April 16, 1998, adopted this Clause, without amendment.)

The Community and Neighbourhood Services Committee recommends the adoption of the recommendation of the Board of Directors of The Metropolitan Toronto Housing Company Limited embodied in the following communication (February 6, 1998) from the Corporate Secretary:

The Board of Directors of The Metropolitan Toronto Housing Company Limited on February 6, 1998, had before it a report (January 20, 1998) from the City Solicitor advising that although amending By-law No. A-15 was enacted by the Board of Directors at its meeting of December 5, 1997, for the purposes of making the terminology of the Company's by-laws consistent with the creation of the new City of Toronto, several "Metropolitan" references still remain; submitting a copy of the draft amending By-law No. A-18; and recommending that:

(1) the draft amending by-law attached to this report be enacted as a by-law of the Housing Company;

(2) the amending by-law enacted pursuant to Recommendation No. (1) be forwarded to the Clerk of the City of Toronto for confirmation by the Council thereof; and

(3) the appropriate members of the Housing Company staff be authorized to take the necessary action to give effect to Recommendation No. (2).

The Board of Directors adopted, without amendment, the aforementioned report.

Purpose:

To replace certain "Metropolitan" references in By-laws Nos. A-4 and A-9 with "City" references.

Recommendations:

It is recommended that:

(1) the draft amending by-law attached to this report be enacted as a by-law of the Housing Company;

(2) the amending by-law enacted pursuant to Recommendation No. (1) be forwarded to the Clerk of the City of Toronto for confirmation by the Council thereof; and

(3) the appropriate members of the Housing Company staff be authorized to take the necessary action to give effect to Recommendation No. (2).

Background:

Although amending By-law No. A-15 was enacted by the Board of Directors at its meeting of December 5, 1997, for the purposes of making the terminology of the Company's by-laws consistent with the creation of the new City of Toronto as of January 1, 1998, several "Metropolitan" references still remain.

Discussion:

The draft amending by-law will replace the two references to the Metropolitan Corporation in subsection 2(4) of By-law No. A-4 (dealing with the extent of services, including municipal staff, to be provided to the Company by its shareholder) with references to the City, and replace the reference to the Metropolitan Clerk in subsection 4(4) of By-law No. A-9 (dealing with payment for copies of Land Register data) with a reference to the City Clerk.

Although every by-law passed by the Board of Directors becomes effective in accordance with its terms as soon as it is passed, its effectiveness will cease unless the by-law is confirmed at the next shareholder's meeting, which in the case of the Housing Company is a meeting of its shareholder's Council at which shareholder functions with respect to the Housing Company are carried out. Recommendation No. (2) therefore calls for transmittal of the enacted by-law to the Clerk of the City for confirmation by the new Council in due course.

Contact Name:

Derek Brown: 392-8055

BE IT ENACTED as a By-law of the Company as follows:

1. Subsection 2(4) of By-law No. A-4 is amended by

(a) striking out the words "The Municipality of Metropolitan Toronto" in the second line and substituting therefor "City of Toronto"; and

(b) striking out the words "Metropolitan Corporation" in the second and third lines and substituting therefor "said City".

2. Subsection 4(4) of By-law No. A-9 is amended by striking out the words "Metropolitan Clerk" in the last line and substituting therefor "Clerk thereof".

ENACTED this ^th day of , 1998.

WITNESS the Corporate Seal of the Company.

PRESIDENT SECRETARY

(City Council on April 16, 1998, amended this Clause by adding thereto the following:

"It is further recommended that the Commissioner of Community and Neighbourhood Services be requested to submit a report to the Community and Neighbourhood Services Committee on the workplan and budget of the Homelessness Action Task Force, such report to also address the status of the Federal government contribution.")

The Community and Neighbourhood Services Committee recommends that an upset limit of $170,000.00 be established for the City of Toronto's direct charges by the Homelessness Action Task Force, chaired by Dr. Anne Golden.

The Community and Neighbourhood Services Committee submits the following report (March 9, 1998) from the Commissioner of Community and Neighbourhood Services:

Purpose:

The purpose of this report is to outline the resource requirements identified for the various task force initiatives in the Community and Neighbourhood Services area, and to inform Committee that an allocation of $500,000.00 has been established within a Corporate expenditure account to support these initiatives, subject to budget approval.

Funding Sources, Financial Implications and Impact Statement:

For each of the task forces, in-kind staff support and supplies are being provided. However, the terms of reference of five inter-related task forces identify resources that cannot be absorbed within existing operating budgets. To meet these additional resource requirements, an allocation of $500,000.00 for the 1998 budget year has been requested.

Recommendation:

It is recommended that this report be received for information.

Council Reference/Background/History:

On January 2, 6, and 8, 1998, Council adopted Report No. 1 of the Striking Committee which established a number of task forces, including: the Homeless Strategy Task Force (The Council Strategy Committee for People Without Homes) chaired by Councillor Jack Layton; the Children's Action Committee chaired by the Children's Advocate, Councillor Olivia Chow; and the Task Force to Develop a Strategy of Issues of Concern to the Elderly (Senior's Task Force), chaired by Councillor Anne Johnston. The terms of reference for the task forces were submitted to the Special Committee to Review the Final Report of the Toronto Transition Team (the Miller Committee) for approval at the March 4, 1998, meeting of City Council.

In addition to these task forces, in January, Mayor Lastman announced the striking of the Homelessness Action Task Force, chaired by Dr. Anne Golden to "develop solutions to the growing crisis of homelessness in Toronto." This Task Force's mandate is to the end of 1998. As well, the Mayor announced a Youth Summit on Employment to be held this spring.

Comments and/or Discussion and/or Justification:

Each of the initiatives is at a different stage of implementation, and has varying levels of support provided to it at this time. A common characteristic of the initiatives, however, is that they are action oriented and will require additional resources to explore, and in some cases pilot, local community-based initiatives to improve services. This requires additional resources beyond those that have already been absorbed within operating budgets . Appendix A provides a summary of how additional resources would be allocated to the initiatives.

The Children's Action Committee has held two formal meetings of the full committee. The mandate of the Committee extends to the end of 1998. Five staff from Community and Neighbourhood Services, and a staff person from Urban Planning and Development are providing support to the Committee on a part-time basis. A detailed workplan and budget is before the March 26, 1998, meeting of the Community and Neighbourhood Services Committee for approval. In addition to the in-kind staff support that have been identified, $150,000.00 is being requested to support task force activities. Of the $150,000.00 requested, $50,000.00 is allocated to support youth initiatives.

The Youth Employment Summit is receiving support from two Community and Neighbourhood Services staff and a staff person from Urban Planning and Development. However, additional resources will be required to stage the summit. An amount of $30,000.00 has been identified for that purpose.

The Task Force to Develop A Strategy of Issues of Concern to the Elderly is receiving staff support from Community and Neighbourhood Services and the Healthy City Office. $100,000.00 is proposed to support the Task Force's work in reviewing service needs and gaps and proposing innovative local responses.

The terms of reference for the Council Strategy Committee for People Without Homes request designated staff from Community and Neighbourhood Services to support its activities. As well, Community and Neighbourhood Services staff continue to support the Advisory Committee on Homeless and Socially Isolated Persons and the Alternative Housing and Services Committee. An amount of $50,000.00 has been identified to support initiatives arising from the Council Strategy Committee.

The Homelessness Action Task Force, chaired by Dr. Anne Golden, is an independent task force reporting directly to the Mayor, but with strong linkages to the Council Strategy Committee for People Without Homes. The terms of reference for this Task Force were provided to the Miller Committee as an attachment to the submission by the Council Strategy Committee for People Without Homes. The budget totals about $700,000.00. Of this amount, $300,000.00 is being provided by the Federal Government, and the United Way and Clarke Institute are covering some in-kind staffing costs. Two policy staff from Community and Neighbourhood Services have been seconded to the Task Force on a full-time basis until the end of 1998. As well, two Chief Administrative Office staff and one Corporate Services staff provide administrative support to the Task Force. Office space and supplies have also been provided by the City of Toronto. In total, in-kind costs totalling $95,000.00 have been absorbed by Community and Neighbourhood Services, and $166,600.00 by the rest of the City. However, this still leaves a net amount of $170,000.00 that cannot be absorbed within existing operating budgets.

This report has been reviewed by the Chief Administrative Officer and the Treasurer and they concur with its direction and the recommendations.

Conclusions:

There are a number of task force initiatives underway related to Community and Neighbourhood Services. In-kind resources, including staffing and supplies, are being provided by Community and Neighbourhood Services, Corporate Services, Urban Planning and Development and the Healthy City Office to support these initiatives. However, additional resource requirements have been identified

for these initiatives that cannot be absorbed within existing operating budgets. Therefore, an allocation of $500,000.00 has been established in a Corporate expenditure account, pending budget approval, to support these initiatives.

Contact Name and Telephone Number:

Eric Gam - 392-8238

Task Force Additional Resources Required

($000s)

Homelessness Action Task Force 170.0

The Council Strategy Committee for 50.0

People Without Homes

Children's Action Committee 150.0

Task Force to Develop A Strategy 100.0

of Issues of Concern to the Elderly

Youth Employment Summit 30.0

Total 500.0

(City Council on April 16, 1998, adopted the following recommendations:

"It is recommended that:

(1) the report dated April 9, 1998, from the Commissioner of Community and Neighbourhood Services, headed 'Mayor's Youth Employment Summit', embodying the following recommendation, be adopted:

'It is recommended that the Commissioners of Community and Neighbourhood Services and Urban Planning and Development Services report back to City Council on the outcome of the Youth Employment Summit, and provide recommendations regarding the City's role in conjunction with other levels of government and the private sector, in implementing strategies developed at the Summit.';

(2) Federal and Provincial MPs be invited to participate in the Mayor's Youth Employment Summit;

(3) part of the mandate of the Summit be the proposal that the City of Toronto set a hiring target of students by the year 2000;

(4) the City of Toronto engage in private sector ventures;

(5) the City of Toronto request the Federal government to 'kick start' their youth initiative and millennium fund as soon as possible;

(6) the final report to City Council on the Mayor's Youth Employment Summit be submitted through the Economic Development Committee;

(7) every Member of City Council be requested to employ one student/youth this summer; and

(8) Councillor Mario Silva be included in the membership of the Committee organizing the Mayor's Youth Employment Summit.")

The Community and Neighbourhood Services Committee reports having directed that the following communication (February 26, 1998) be forwarded to Council; and further that Mayor Mel Lastman and the Commissioner of Community and Neighbourhood Services be requested to submit directly to Council for consideration at its meeting to be held on April 16, 1998, a status report thereon, and on the proposed summit meeting on youth employment:

The Toronto Community Council, on February 18, 1998, had before it a communication (February 5, 1998) from Councillor Michael Walker respecting the crisis in youth employment.

The Toronto Community Council:

(1) referred the following recommendations to the Community and Neighbourhood Services Committee:

(i) that the ideas and concept expressed in the communication (February 5, 1998) from Councillor Walker be endorsed in principle;

(ii) that the urgency to the matter of youth unemployment and underemployment in Toronto be recognized; and

(iii) that the concept of commencing a dialogue with Mayor Lastman, Councillor Walker, Councillor Chow and other interested Councillors to discuss the idea of a summit meeting on jobs for youth be endorsed.

(2) referred the matter of the creation of a Task Force to deal with youth unemployment under the leadership of Councillor Chow to her for her comments.

Over the past several years, a crisis has evolved that concerns every young person in our City, our Province, and across Canada. The rate of youth unemployment and underemployment has reached epidemic proportions and is continuing to spiral out of control.

There are 600,000 jobless young people in Canada setting the unemployment rate for this demographic category at 16 percent. In Toronto, as indicated by the recent Toronto Transition Team Report, one half of all employed young people are in part time or temporary jobs. In my view this is an unacceptable situation.

Past and Present governments at all levels have been relatively ineffectual in dealing with the youth unemployment issue and, until recently, have not even recognized the severity and consequences of systemic underemployment.

Youth unemployment and underemployment is not just a Federal issue. It cannot and will not be solved by any one level of government acting alone. All levels of government have a responsibility to tackle this issue, and municipal government is an essential part of that equation. We still have the power to change things, and we have a responsibility to ensure that our City still provides real opportunities for our young people.

To achieve this we must have citizen input, co-operation and support of the private sector. From the outset we must have partnerships of youth, business and government who are committed to developing a comprehensive strategy, in this case municipally driven, and seeing it through to resolution. We need to develop a variety of actions and initiatives on a small scale right here in Toronto, and start creating "good jobs" for our City's youth. Finally, we need a schedule - a defined set of goals with a specific time frame in which to achieve them.

By allowing this problem to fester without address, it has become increasingly broad and complex. Unless we approach the matter with an agenda and a serious commitment to keeping to it, youth unemployment and underemployment will only get worse.

With this in mind I submit a report, entitled "The Crisis In Youth Employment", which attempts to identify the problem; why it has happened; and what can be done to rectify it at a municipal level. Mayor Lastman, and several Councillors, as well as myself, identified this issue during the last municipal election campaign and made a commitment to do something about it. It is time to deliver.

I would like to begin a dialogue with the Mayor, Councillor Olivia Chow, and other interested Councillors to discuss the idea of convening a summit meeting on jobs for youth, which the Mayor referred to in his inaugural address, in the hopes of bringing this issue to the forefront. To solve this crisis we need co-operation, consensus, and commitment, and we need it now.

One of my lasting impressions of last fall's campaign leading up to the November municipal election was the widespread level of concern over the unemployment and underemployment of young people in our City. Even though this matter was rarely raised by candidates or the media during the campaign, and is not generally viewed as a municipal issue, I believe that the remarkable depth of public concern expressed to me in North Toronto is a compelling indicator of the need to now re-think our attitudes and our assistance to our youth.

What is the Problem?

In a phrase, youth unemployment and underemployment have reached crisis proportions. There are a staggering 600,000 jobless and underemployed young people in Canada, representing a population greater than the former City of North York. While unemployment rates have remained persistently high in recent years, they have been higher for youth than for any other working age demographic, hovering at 16 percent. A recent report of the Toronto Transition Team indicated that about half the young people that have work are in part-time or temporary jobs. That is, for those fortunate enough to find work, half face a level of underemployment that denies the full expression of skill, talent, achievement and reward.

The result is a generation who for the first time since World War II do not expect to exceed the standard of living of their parents. The result is a generation whose horizons have been artificially lowered; whose prospects have been unnecessarily denied; and whose well-being as contributing members of society is in serious jeopardy.

Why Has This Happened?

The factors contributing to this situation are already well understood.

One is corporate downsizing and cutbacks, which means fewer jobs, fewer promotion opportunities and limited seniority protection. While the short term economic value of spending restraint and debt reduction are important, they must surely be balanced by a concern for the long-term economic value of a productive and expanding workforce.

Consider monopolies and oligopolies. Why are banks, for example, who are declaring earnings in the billions, who have Presidents and Chairpersons who make seven figure salaries and receive tens of millions of dollars in combined stock options, still able to insist that they must downsize and cut jobs in order to remain competitive? Corporations in government sanctioned monopolies, such as Canada's banks and cable companies, are continuously increasing fees, accumulating more and more holdings and using their earnings in their own interests rather than in the interests of their communities. On one hand, these companies are benefiting from a protected status, insulated from the realities of a freely competitive marketplace. On the other hand, they insist that they cannot be subject to special regulations or controls affecting employment.

They cannot have it both ways. Government protected sectors receive preferential treatment, and it must be repaid with preferential public benefits. I believe that one of the most important ways of doing this is through meaningful job creation for current and future generations.

Another contributing factor is government short-sightedness.

Over the last few years, the Provincial Government has undermined Ontario's apprenticeship programs - an important assistance network whose removal has and will have dire consequences for youth. Under these programs, students apprentice for several years to learn a skilled trade, such as that of a plumber or electrician. Many apprenticeship initiatives have been cancelled because they were deemed too costly. Ottawa's two-year, $440 million apprenticeship funding has expired, and it provided assistance to only 30,000 of an estimated 400,000 unemployed youth.

The Ontario Student Assistance Plan, our provincial student loan program, required that students begin repaying loans six months after graduation. This requirement, along with having to pay rent and other living expenses, often places an unreasonable burden on the new graduate, particularly in an expensive city such as Toronto.

The ideological disposition of Queen's Park places a higher value on private sector efficiency than it does on public sector investment. In the long run, that will represent a major strategic error, producing a new generation of cynical, disillusioned, underemployed and undervalued people. It is plain to me that this runs contrary to the commonly agreed need for human resource investment that is essential for competing and succeeding in the information age. It is equally plain to me that we are inviting new and systemic social problems. It is plain that we simply are not doing enough.

What Can Be Done?

On the positive side, there are small victories beginning to emerge. The recent series on youth in the Toronto Star was enlightening. The Federally-implemented Millennium Fund, a one and a half billion dollar student assistance program, is a good step in the right direction. So is the recently announced Ontario Liberal Forum on Ontario Youth. The current negotiations involving the Toronto Catholic School Board and Human Resources Development Canada towards a new youth employment program are also encouraging.

But more must be done, and at all levels of government.

At the municipal level, we should consider the following:

- publicly promoting reinvestment in Ontario apprenticeship and student aid programs;

- offering grants to create pilot employment projects;

- encouraging or requiring large public sector suppliers to hire youth;

- mounting pressure on government-protected sectors such as banks, trust companies and cable companies to devise and expand youth employment initiatives; and

- bringing people together to highlight issues, find consensus and develop action plans at the local level.

I believe that the first stop in dealing with this crisis is to listen to the experience and concerns of those affected: young people, parents, community workers, service providers, educators and business people. I invite everyone to write, fax call or e-mail me with comments and ideas that might be helpful in developing local strategies.

I will be setting up a website on the Internet as a way of collecting and gathering intelligence and suggestions. My office will also use the website to post information and advice relating to employment, which sectors of the economy offer the most opportunity for young people; which fields offer the best prospects for advancement; which institutions offer specialized training, and any other helpful data we can assemble.

The bottom line is that we must begin taking the issues of youth unemployment and underemployment more seriously. The well-being of an entire generation is truly at stake.

(City Council on April 16, 1998, had before it, during consideration of the foregoing Clause, the following report (April 9, 1998) from the Commissioner of Community and Neighbourhood Services:

Purpose:

To brief City Council on the Mayor's Youth Employment Summit.

Funding Sources, Financial Implications and Impact Statement:

Five Hundred Thousand Dollars has been approved by the Budget Committee to support the various task force initiatives in Community and Neighbourhood Services. Within that, there is an allocation of $30,000.00 identified specifically to support the Mayor's Youth Employment Summit.

Recommendation:

It is recommended that the Commissioners of Community and Neighbourhood Services and Urban Planning and Development Services report back to City Council on the outcomes of the Youth Employment Summit, and provide recommendations regarding the City's role in conjunction with other levels of government and the private sector, in implementing strategies developed at the Summit.

Background:

At the March 26 and 27, 1998 meeting of the Community and Neighbourhood Services Committee, the Committee had before it correspondence from Councillor Walker, entitled the "Crisis in Youth Employment". The Committee recommended that:

(i) the ideas and concept expressed in the communication (February 5, 1998) from Councillor Walker be endorsed in principle;

(ii) that the urgency to the matter of youth unemployment and underemployment in Toronto be recognized; and

(iii) that the concept of commencing a dialogue with Mayor Lastman, Councillor Walker, Councillor Chow and other interested Councillors to discuss the idea of a summit meeting on jobs for youth be endorsed.

Mayor Lastman and the Commissioner of Community and Neighbourhood Services be requested to submit directly to Council for consideration at its meeting to be held on April 16, 1998, a status report thereon, and on the proposed summit meeting on youth employment.

This report was prepared in consultation with Mayor Lastman's office. It provides an overview of the upcoming Mayor's Summit on Youth Employment: Count Me In and addresses the above recommendations.

Comments and/or Discussion and/or Justification:

As part of Mayor Lastman's inaugural speech he made a commitment to deal with the issue of youth unemployment in the City. The following facts illustrate the severity of the problem and the need for action:

(a) youth between the ages of 15-24 represent 14.6 percent of the adult population, and account for 12.5 percent of the labour force;

(b) the average annual rate of unemployment for youth (15-24 years old) in 1997 in the City was 14.5 percent compared to the overall rate of 9.2 percent. However, youth with some secondary education had an average annual unemployment rate of 28.9 percent;

(c) between 1991-96 the number of youth over the age of 24 living at home with their parents has increased by 24 percent;

(d) 5,750 youth were admitted to the emergency shelter system in 1995; and

(e) approximately 27,000 youth between 15-24 years of age are in active receipt of General Welfare Assistance - based on the City's March 1998 caseload.

Youth are often the last to benefit from growth in the economy, and they are finding it more and more difficult to find jobs that offer real opportunities for growth and advancement. An increasing number of at-risk youth are forced to rely on social assistance and to use our shelter system.

Many youth who face barriers to employment are trying to take positive steps by participating in employment training and placement programs. But training won't help them unless they can find real job opportunities. Without job prospects, youth become disillusioned and lose faith in their future. We need training and job creation programs that will meet the needs of both job-ready and at-risk youth.

The City must play a leadership role in addressing youth unemployment because we understand the local economic conditions and are closest to the problem. The City is well positioned to foster effective collaboration among all levels of government, businesses, community-based agencies, and youth in order to improve employment prospects for our youth.

The business community must also do its share to solve the problem of youth unemployment. The private sector has benefited from a recovering economy and strong growth. Business leaders understand that sustained growth depends on the ability of Toronto's youth to find jobs. Business and government must work together to offer work experience and economic opportunity for Toronto's young people.

Human Resources Development Canada (HRDC) has defined at-risk youth as a priority for its 1998 employment programs. The City's commitment to addressing at-risk youth is critical in building upon our partnership with HRDC, forming new partnerships with other stakeholders, and in leveraging resources from other sources.

To move forward on this commitment, Mayor Lastman is sponsoring a Youth Employment Summit to be held on April 27, 1998. The theme of the Summit is Count Me In. Its purpose is to bring together the key stakeholders required to deal with the issue of youth unemployment and to develop real strategies to employ the youth of our City. The Mayor is inviting representatives from the federal and provincial levels of government, labour, education, youth agencies, business community and most importantly, the youth themselves.

The Summit is being organized by a group consisting of senior federal and provincial staff, City staff, the Community Action for Youth Employment Partnership, the Learning Partnership, Ontario Association of Youth Employment Centres and Angus Reid. Corporate sponsors include the CIBC and CityTV.

The Summit will generate strategies to address three key areas: becoming job ready, getting and keeping a job, and creating jobs. In addressing these areas, the Summit will begin to meet the challenges articulated in Councillor Walker's communication dated February 5, 1998.

The expected outcomes from the Summit include:

(a) strengthened partnerships among the corporate sector, federal and provincial governments, and community service providers to address youth unemployment in the City of Toronto; and

(b) a commitment from the City of Toronto and its partners to allocate resources to develop and implement the strategies identified at the Summit.

This could be accomplished by establishing an inter-sectoral working group to ensure ongoing commitment from the partners.

A report will be forwarded to City Council on the outcome of the Summit and the next steps required to address the Youth Employment problem, including the appropriate role for the City of Toronto in this area.

Conclusions:

We must make sure that young people in our city get their fair share of support from the federal and provincial governments, that all governments and the private sector work together rather than at cross-purposes, and that young people are involved in addressing the issue. The Summit on Youth Employment is an important step towards reaching those goals.

Contact Name:

Nancy Matthews, 392-8614.)

(City Council on April 16, 1998, adopted this Clause, without amendment.)

The Community and Neighbourhood Services Committee recommends the adoption of the following report (March 11, 1998) from the Commissioner of Community and Neighbourhood Services:

Purpose:

The purpose of this report is to update City Council on the progress of Ontario Works (O.W.) implementation to date, the issues that have affected implementation, and steps the Social Services Division will take in 1998 to complete implementation.

Funding Sources, Financial Implications and Impact Statement:

There are no immediate direct financial implications.

Recommendations:

It is recommended that:

(1) the Province be urged to change the current method for establishing participation targets by developing a formula for setting targets which focuses on program results, and which takes into account both the capacity of local communities to provide placements and the service needs of the local client population; and

(2) the appropriate City officials be authorized and directed to take the necessary action to give effect thereto.

Background:

On June 12, 1996, the Minister of Community and Social Services announced the launch of Ontario Works, the Province's mandatory welfare to work program. Shortly after its launch, Metropolitan Council authorized the Community Services Department to negotiate an Ontario Works Business Plan with the Ministry. A Business Plan was required of all municipal delivery agents as a first step in implementing the O.W. program. The Department's Business Plan was submitted to Council in January 1997 and subsequently approved. A detailed submission was provided to the Province in March 1997, which was approved in July 1997.

The Social Services Division is currently in the process of implementing Ontario Works. Since the launch of the program, the Department has continually provided Council with up-to-date information and analysis, and sought necessary direction. This report describes the progress of Ontario Works implementation to date, and discusses the key issues which have affected the implementation process. Issues and activities related to the next phase of implementation are also discussed.

The Broader Context of Social Assistance Reform:

When the term social assistance is used it has historically referred to the General Welfare Assistance (G.W.A) Act and the Family Benefits Act (F.B.A.). Both Acts were passed more than thirty years ago. G.W.A. has been delivered by municipalities and provided income support to employable people who were not expected to be out of the labour force for extended periods. Some municipalities, notably Toronto, have also provided employment supports to clients to help them return to work, even though these services were discretionary under the G.W.A Act. The Family Benefits program, delivered by the Province, has provided benefits to disabled people, or people who were not employable, such as seniors and single parents.

In June 1997 responding to a long standing recognition that these programs had been overwhelmed by major changes in the economic and social environment, the Province tabled new legislation in the form of the Social Assistance Reform Act (S.A.R.A.). In July 1997, the Department reported to Metropolitan Council on the details of the new legislation (Clause No. 2 of Report No. 10 of the Human Services Committee).

Passed in November, S.A.R.A. is the umbrella legislation under which important changes to social assistance are being made:

- it gives effect to the new municipal social assistance funding and program delivery responsibilities recommended by the provincial Who Does What panel; and

- it creates a wholly new social assistance delivery system through two new pieces of program legislation: the Ontario Works Act (O.W.A.) and the Ontario Disability Program Support Act (O.D.S.P.A.). These statues replace three existing Acts: G.W.A., F.B.A., and the Vocational Rehabilitation Services (V.R.S.) Act.

The O.W.A. forms the basis for a completely new approach to delivering employment supports and income support to employable people. A primary goal of the Act is to assist clients become self reliant through employment. The O.D.S.P.A. focuses solely on persons with disabilities. Appendix A provides a brief description of G.W.A. and F.B.A.

The Ontario Works Act, plus the regulations accompanying the Act, are expected to take effect May 1, 1998. The O.D.S.P.A. will not be proclaimed until later in 1998. It is clear that the new O.W.A. regulations will potentially affect every area of operations, with substantial impacts for the Social Services Division. Upon their release, the Division will report to Council on the impact and extent of the changes.

Discussion:

(I) Introduction:

The Community Services Department has aimed, within the provincial program framework, to develop an Ontario Works delivery system which meets the employment and training needs of social assistance recipients in the City. The Department's Business Plan was guided by principles approved by the former Metropolitan Council, and supported by community agencies and organizations (see Appendix B), and by the knowledge, gained from extensive experience delivering social assistance and employment programs, that clients want to work and become independent of assistance.

There are three distinct program components under O.W.: Employment Supports, Community Participation and Employment Placement.

(a) Employment Supports (E.S.):

Employment Supports replaces and consolidates many of the employment services and programs for social assistance recipients previously funded by the Province. It includes approved activities, including those initiated by clients, that support participants' efforts to become job-ready, and find the shortest route to paid employment (e.g., structured job-search assistance, job-specific skills training). Supports such as child care and Employment Related Expenses (E.R.E.) are also available. Communities and public, non-profit and private-sector organizations can be involved in delivery locally.

(b) Community Participation (C.P.):

Under Community Participation, clients can update their work experience and work-related skills, build basic networks, enhance self-confidence and benefit the community through unpaid placements sponsored by community agencies and/or public, non-profit organizations. It includes approved self-initiated placements proposed by a participant. Participants can normally spend no more than six months at any one approved placement, and no more than 70 hours per month in placements.

(c) Employment Placement (E.P.):

Employment Placement supports job ready participants through placement into unsubsidized, competitive employment, and assists participants interested in self-employment to develop business enterprises. Recipients must not be in receipt of any other wage or training subsidy. A recipient may not be registered with any one placement agency for more than ten months.

Ontario Works also introduces a completely new method of funding program administration costs, which are compensated on a fee for performance model. This means that the Province reimburses municipalities based on provincially approved participation targets in each program component. Payment for services is provided on a unit of service basis, per participant per year. There is no base budget. The funding structure imposes a penalty if targets are underachieved by more than 10 percent.

Given the extensive service and financial monitoring and reporting requirements for the delivery agents under O.W., the Province developed Ontario Works Technology (O.W.T.) to support the delivery of the program. It is the only technology that the Province will fund.

In previous reports, the Department identified a number of fundamental concerns related to the design and implementation of Ontario Works, including:

- the rapid time frames that the Province has established to fully implement the program;

- the arbitrary process the Province has established for setting and approving participation targets;

- the capacity of O.W.T. to support the delivery of Ontario Works in Toronto given the size of the caseload, and the overall effectiveness of the technology.

These are still pressing concerns. They will be addressed below, among other issues that have impacted Toronto's implementation process.

(II) Program Implementation Update:

To date, Toronto's implementation process has been successful. Initial 1997 participation targets for the Employment Support component were exceeded, although service targets were not met for C.P. and E.P., due to the preparation time necessary to effectively organize the community infrastructure necessary to implement these components.

As noted, the Province has mandated extremely tight time frames for implementation. This has placed substantial pressure on the City for several reasons:

- the size of the social assistance caseload, averaging 94,000 cases in 1997, and the consequent scale of the delivery structure, incorporating 14 offices and over 1,700 staff;

- the need to rapidly create a basic infrastructure to deliver the program, including providing extensive training to over 1,400 staff in the Social Services and Children's Services Division and contracting with numerous community organizations to deliver services to clients; and

- the need to communicate the program to the large number of community groups and delivery partners which the Department must work with to implement the program in Toronto.

In response to these realities, the Social Services Division has phased-in O.W. implementation, with an initial focus on establishing the necessary program infrastructure to deliver O.W. effectively.

Ontario Works Technology:

O.W.T. was obtained from the Province in late July 1997, rather than April 1, as originally scheduled, subsequently pushing back implementation of the program. Technology installation and testing began immediately in preparation for implementation of the Division's pilot O.W. site.

Initial Pilot and Roll-out:

After extensive preparations, and with access to O.W.T., the Division began implementation of O.W. at its pilot site, the Rogers Road office, on July 30, 1997. Following successful completion of the pilot phase between September 1 and November 20, 1997, the Ontario Works program was implemented in 13 of 14 Area Offices. The final Area Office, which has experienced site limitations, is anticipated to be operational in May 1998.

Staff Training:

Staff training to support program implementation proceeded throughout the latter half of 1997, focussing on three key areas - eligibility determination, technology and program requirements. In total, over 1,300 staff were trained in the Social Services Division in 1997. Staff received between five and ten days training per person, representing 7,297 staff training days, or the equivalent of 49 full-time positions.

Procurement Processes:

Delivery of Ontario Works necessitates the involvement of a wide range of community agencies and organizations. In 1997, the Division focused resources on developing rigorous procurement processes for all three components, in accordance with Provincial guidelines. A large scale, and hence lengthy, procurement process was required to identify service providers from the city's substantial agency/private sector base. Over 2,000 profit and non-profit organizations were contacted. Over 200 proposals were received, reviewed and responded to. Service contracts were established with a range of providers in each program area. Time intensive approval processes were needed to ensure quality control and compliance with provincial program requirements.

Participation Targets:

As noted, the Division exceeded its 1997 targets for the Employment Support. 1997 C.P. and E.P. targets were 2,500 placements and 230 client placements respectively. In the case of C.P., actual placements were not initiated until late in 1997, and less than 20 placements were achieved by the year's end. In E.P., no placements were achieved in 1997 since the procurement process was not completed. 1998 service targets are listed in Appendix B.

Implementation of Separate Program Components:

(A) Employment Supports:

All clients with mandatory participation requirements under O.W. are initially enrolled in the E.S. component. For the period of September 1-December 31, 1997, the Division's target was to enroll an average of 22,000 participants per month. These targets were exceeded. The average number of monthly participants for 1997 was 43,370.

The Skill Development option under this component enables clients to enroll in short-term training courses in order to acquire the knowledge and skills they need to return to work. A Request For Proposal to identify service providers was initiated in September 1997, and finalized in December 1997. In this phase:

- 43 qualified training providers were selected through the process;

- 36 signed service agreements are in place and five more are being finalized, giving clients access to 182 training courses; and

- to date, 1,470 referrals have been made to agencies providing qualified training courses.

(B) Community Participation:

Guided by the principles endorsed by Metropolitan Council, the Division has sought to create value added placements that demonstrably assist clients. The procurement process is ongoing. To date:

- over 120 organizations have expressed interest in becoming "host sites" for client placements;

- 26 signed service agreements are in place representing 137 potential placements;

- 62 placements have been filled representing over 4,000 hours of community service activity per month; and

- placements obtained to date average 65 hours and provide meaningful training and upgrading opportunities to participants in a range of areas (e.g., computer programming and training, word processing, and administration related activities).

Additional placements have been reviewed and approved, but are pending signed service agreements or actual client placement.

(C) Employment Placement:

This component is designed to enable private and non-profit job placement agencies to assist job ready clients to secure sustainable paid employment. The self-employment option offers clients the opportunity to develop and start their own business enterprises.

Through the procurement process:

- 23 organizations were selected from among the 256 agencies who received a Request for Information; and

- signed service agreements are now in place with 12 organizations and staff are in the process of identifying clients for referrals to these organizations.

(III) Issues Impacting Implementation:

A number of key issues affected the implementation process, and impeded the Division's ability to implement the C.P. and E.P. components rapidly without seriously compromising program quality. Many of these issues, most of which are related to basic program design, will continue to affect the Division's capacity to deliver the Ontario Works program in Toronto.

Participation Targets:

The levels at which participation targets are set is crucial under Ontario Works since funding is provided based on the number of participants in each program component. At this point, however, targets have been set in an arbitrary way across the entire Province. For the Department the key issue is that one has experience in setting targets for these new program components. In addition, targets are being established based on a rigid provincial approval process which does not consider the capacity of the community to provide placements, or the service needs of Toronto's client population.

An informal survey undertaken by the Division indicates that most of larger municipalities in the Province have just initiated the C.P. and E.P. component, and that they are only slowly obtaining placements. Most agreed that the targets mandated by the Province are not realistically achievable in the short term. They consequently also expressed substantial concern about their ability to meet targets, and the threat of financial sanctions if they did not.

Front line workers are increasingly diverting time from helping people find work to enrolling clients in the O.W. program, and to performing tasks that move people into C.P. or E.P. activities so that participation targets can be met. This is occurring because targets are based on levels of service activity, and not results.

Ironically, at this time, the caseload is declining, and many clients are using the Division's resources, such as Employment Resource Centres, to move into jobs as the labour market improves. However, the Division receives no credit, or incentive, under the current structure of Ontario Works for these successes. The implication in the current context is that a declining caseload may in fact penalize the Division because there will be fewer people to participate in O.W. activities. It also means that those who are most job ready find work and exit social assistance, leaving a larger proportion of hard to serve clients, such as older workers and people who have substantial employment barriers.

The Division will continue to advocate at the staff level with the Province to establish service targets which focus on results rather than activities, which recognize the community's and client's capacities, and which take into account the outcomes which are achieved in the program.

Program Prescriptiveness:

By its design, O.W. is highly prescriptive. To date, an inordinate amount of Divisional staff time has been spent negotiating what program guidelines mean, and how they are to be implemented. Delivery agents need more latitude in interpreting and implementing these guidelines to account for the vastly different circumstances facing municipalities across Ontario. The Division will continue to identify areas where greater operational discretion is required, and seek greater flexibility.

Ontario Works Technology:

Significant problems have been and continue to be identified with the technology, from a design, performance, and validity perspective. These problems have increased workloads and impacted negatively on implementation efforts. At this point, O.W.T. still does not function as a supportive tool in the service planning interview with clients, which increases the time staff require simply to enroll clients. Neither does it not provide necessary information to manage the program, on either a short or longer term basis. These problems are being faced across the Province, and other municipalities are experiencing substantial problems obtaining up-to-date and accurate information about basic program statistics.

Program Design:

Basic program design has acted as a barrier to rapid implementation in several ways:

- onerous Provincial guidelines have contributed to an inability to recognize self-initiated C.P. placements; and

- limited financial rewards for E.P. agencies, combined with the substantial investments required of agencies who wish to participate in this component, means a limited number of organizations are prepared to accept the financial risks of becoming a service provider.

These factors continue to negatively affect the Division's capacity to generate large numbers of placements.

Community Issues:

Ontario Works remains a controversial program in Toronto. A number of community advocates in Toronto, such as the Ontario Coalition Against Poverty and North York Fight Back, have aggressively opposed the program. As a result, some agencies have been reticent to become Community Participation hosts. Others have been reluctant to be involved at all in the early stages of Ontario Works. This has clearly limited the Division's ability to sign-up agencies as Community Participation "hosts".

A related issue involves the unwillingness of many clients to allow the voluntary activities they are currently participating in to be considered as a community participation placement. Clients have indicated they do no wish to disclose they are receiving assistance.

(IV) Phase 2 of Implementation: Key Activities in 1998:

The Division's focus in 1998 is to move from implementation to full-scale operation of Ontario Works. In this context, a number of key activities will occur:

(a) all Ontario Works eligible clients will be enrolled in the program, including family heads, spouses and adult dependents;

(b) beginning May 1, 1998, single parents with school aged children will have mandatory participation requirements, and will be enrolled in the program;

(c) staff will work with existing C.P. host organizations to maximize the number of placements, and to identify and implement strategies to engage more organizations in the C.P. host role, including service clubs and public sector organizations;

(d) further efforts will be made to more effectively communicate requirements and benefits of program to clients and the community;

(e) the third release of the Province's O.W.T. will be implemented, hopefully resolving some of the existing problems with the technology, and the Division will implement additional automated tools (Intranet) to support staff in managing the program more effectively; and

(f) the Division will continue to refine and streamline internal administrative procedures, including exploring new ways to streamline the participation agreement process.

Phase two of the Skills Development procurement process will also be completed in 1998. To address service gaps identified at the end of the first phase, 110 agencies were invited to respond to a Request for Proposals. Pending review of the 40 proposals received so far, agencies will be selected to provide specific employment preparation and training programs.

Since March 1997, Divisional staff have been meeting with Human Resources Development Canada (H.R.D.C.) staff from the Toronto region to strengthen arrangements related to the delivery of employment related services. Steps are being taken in a number of key areas to better co-ordinate the delivery of services to support social assistance clients (see Appendix D).

At the same time as phase two activities are being implemented, the Division will take on responsibility for managing single parent and foster children cases currently in receipt of Family Benefits. Overall, as a result of legislative changes and the transfer of single parent cases, it is anticipated an additional 26,000 cases will be added to Toronto's caseload.

A Joint Provincial-Municipal Planning Implementation Group has been struck to oversee the transfer of F.B.A. cases, comprised of senior staff from both the Provincial M.C.S.S. Area Office and the City of Toronto. An implementation plan is now being developed. In accordance with Provincial time frames, the aim is to commence the transfer in mid-year, and complete the process by the end of 1998, subject to the resolution of key issues. The Division has factored the new caseloads into key budget decisions, and into estimates of the need for child care and other supports. However, there will be additional workload implications related to the transfer process, affecting a host of administrative and service delivery functions.

Conclusion:

The Division is working actively with the Province to resolve ongoing issues related to Ontario Works, including increasing the effectiveness of Ontario Works Technology, establishing a flexible process for setting realistic participation targets, and addressing program prescriptiveness. The Division will report out on the implications of the new O.W.A. regulations and the transfer of provincial single parent cases as more information becomes available.

Social Assistance In Ontario:

Until December 1997, Ontario had a two-tiered Social Assistance system. Municipal Governments had a mandatory responsibility to deliver General Welfare Assistance. Family Benefits (F.B.A.) was delivered by the Provincial Government through the Ministry of Community and Social Services.

General Welfare Assistance was designed for persons who were more likely to be in need of short term financial assistance, while the Family Benefits Allowance was geared towards assisting people with long term needs. The Provincial Government was responsible for administering both the General Welfare Assistance Act and The Family Benefits Act.

(I) General Welfare Assistance (G.W.A.):

Responsibility for delivering G.W.A across Metropolitan Toronto was assumed by the Metropolitan Toronto in 1966.

The program provided support to all residents of Toronto who met the eligibility criteria for under the General Welfare Assistance Act.

The December 1997 caseload was 92,348 cases. Out of that total, 50.5 percent applied for assistance because of an inability to obtain employment, 26.1 percent were single parent families, 9.1 percent were in school, 7.6 percent were on for reasons of short term illness, 4.9 percent for long term illness and 1.8 percent were in other categories (i.e., aged, foster care, etc.). Of the people on assistance in December, about 49,600 were children under the age of eleven. Over the twelve months of 1997, the Division provided services to an estimated 330,000 individuals.

Eligibility:

G.W.A. eligibility was based upon need. It provided the necessary resources to sustain, usually on a short term basis, a basic standard of living and care. Eligible clients received a basic allowance, which varied according to the size of the family unit. A shelter allowance was paid to those with shelter costs, based on family size and actual rental costs up to a maximum amount.

The needs test looked at:

- residency; applicant must be legally entitled to stay in Canada;

- asset levels; and

- income in relation to monthly allowance.

Program Elements:

G.W.A. was composed of four elements: General Assistance, Supplementary Aid, Special Assistance and Mandatory Special Necessities.

General Assistance: provided basic living allowance on a monthly or bi-monthly basis.

Supplementary Aid: paid at the discretion of Municipalities for extraordinary cost to people who receive other government benefits, such as Family Benefits or Canada Pension.

Special Assistance: paid at the discretion of Municipalities for extraordinary costs to anyone in financial need.

Mandatory Special Necessities: provided by Municipalities to all eligible persons for diabetic or surgical supplies and medical travel and transportation.

In addition to the basic financial components of the program, several other mandatory items were provided to clients on G.W.A. Eligibility for the items listed below was based on individual criteria for each item:

(1) Back to School Allowance;

(2) Winter Clothing Allowance;

(3) Community Start-up Allowance;

(4) Employment Start-up Allowance;

(5) Child Care Start-up Costs; and

(6) Special Necessities.*

* These items were included as special necessities under the legislation:

- diabetic supplies;

- surgical supplies;

- medical transportation; and

- ostomy supplies.

The G.W.A. Act allowed for municipal discretion, bound by some Provincial parameters, in some policy areas. Assets levels are an example of this. It was up to the individual municipality to set asset levels for their area.

Employment and Other Support Programs:

Under General Welfare Assistance, Toronto used its discretionary authority to develop a wide range of programs and supports to assist clients who were seeking employment, including: education, training, job search supports, employment/self-employment, voluntarism, and personal adjustment programs. Many of these services were provided through purchase of service arrangements with community providers, or through referrals to community agencies. To provide these supports, the Division introduced a range of initiatives, such as Employment Resource Centres (E.R.C.) in social services offices and co-location and development of service delivery partnerships with community agencies and other government providers.

The Social Services Division also developed program and services to support other client groups, including:

- assistance with immigration matters, housing and community liaison, family court, and with accessing other income support programs; and

- assistance with the purchase of medical supplies, assistive devices, custom-made equipment, hearing aids and requests for funerals and burials.

Municipal Cost Sharing:

Under G.W.A., municipalities shared program and administration costs as follows:

General Assistance (excluding sole support) 20 percent;

Supplementary Aid 20 percent;

Special Assistance 50 percent;

Administration Costs 50 percent;

Municipalities were not responsible to share the costs of sole support parent cases or cases where the recipient has not been a resident of Ontario for a least twelve months.

Relationship Between Family Benefits and General Welfare Assistance Programs:

Over time, the General Welfare Assistance delivery system provided an entry point to a wide range of other income support programs, including F.B.A., Canada Pension Plan, Unemployment Insurance, Workers Compensation etc. Although disabled and permanently unemployable persons in need could apply directly to the provincial system, they were normally first served through the G.W.A. system, due to immediate financial need.

(II) Family Benefits (F.B.A.):

F.B.A. was delivered and funded exclusively by the Province.

Eligibility:

F.B.A. eligibility is based upon need and categorical eligibility (single parent, blind, disabled or permanently unemployable person, foster child(ren) and persons 60 years and over), and provides allowances and benefits on a long term basis. Similar to G.W.A., basic and shelter allowance are paid to eligible clients.

Other benefits provided include:

- prescription drugs (co-payment required);

- eyeglasses and hearing aids;

- special payments in October for all dependent children;

- free dental care for children and the disabled;

- costs associated with essential home repairs; and

- incentives to participate in employment or training.

Allowable liquid assets were significantly more generous than under G.W.A. The special needs of recipients of provincial benefits were met by granting Supplementary Aid through the G.W.A. delivery system.

Due to changes in funding for sole support parents and the inability of the F.B.A. system to absorb a large caseload increase in Toronto, the number of sole support parents receiving G.W.A increased rapidly through the 1990s. Since June 1995, there have been more single parent families on G.W.A. than there were on F.B.A. Currently, there are approximately 25,400 single parents in receipt of G.W.A. and less than 17,000 in receipt of F.B.A.

(a) make participation voluntary;

(b) provide meaningful and relevant opportunities through job creation, training, education and voluntarism;

(c) allow the social assistance system and the client to design a strategy which is sensitive to his or her skills, interests and barriers;

(d) provide adequate resources and supports for participation;

(e) treat the program as part of an overall economic strategy that ensures jobs are available; and

(f) obtain clarity in program objectives, resources, supports and evaluation criteria.

*Does not include single parent cases transferred from the Province Family Benefits caseload.

The Social Services Division and Human Resources Development Canada have jointly worked on a number of initiatives over the past year. Chief among them are the following:

- co-ordinating local level employment related activities;

- planning services to assist integration of immigrants into the labour market;

- establishing new and better technological linkages;

- co-ordinating youth employment related services;

- developing and implementing a common client assessment process;

- facilitating labour market and economic development research and analysis; and

- co-ordinating purchased programs and services.

The Community and Neighbourhood Services Committee reports, for the information of Council, having received an overhead presentation, entitled "Ontario Works Update", from Ms. Heather MacVicar, General Manager, Social Services Division, Community and Neighbourhood Services.

(City Council on April 16, 1998, amended this Clause by adding thereto the following:

"It is further recommended that:

(1) the Commissioner of Community and Neighbourhood Services be requested to submit a report to the Community and Neighbourhood Services Committee on:

(a) an advocacy strategy, in concert with the long-term care services community and the six Regional governments identified in the report; and

(b) the City of Toronto's role in providing long-term care facilities in the future; and

(2) a copy of this Clause be forwarded to the Task Force to Develop a Strategy for Issues of Concern to the Elderly.")

The Community and Neighbourhood Services Committee recommends the adoption of the following report (March 9, 1998) from the Commissioner of Community and Neighbourhood Services:

Purpose:

To summarize the findings and recommendations from the Dementia Task Force, which was comprised of staff from the municipalities of Toronto, Hamilton-Wentworth, Halton, Peel, Niagara, York, and Durham.

To provide facts related to dementia projections specific to the population of the City of Toronto, and to detail additional recommendations based on assessed potential impact relevant to the City of Toronto.

Funding Sources, Financial Implications and Impact Statement:

There is no net impact as a result of the recommendations contained in this report. Rather, the report sets out the urgent need for the Ministry of Health to make immediate and future investments in care and service for individuals with dementia. Without significant new and sustained financial investment in this area of health care delivery, there will be a growing and unacceptable gap in service for individuals suffering from Alzheimer's Disease and related dementias, and their families. As a result, these individuals will be placed at significant risk.

Recommendations:

It is recommended that:

(1) City Council support the recommendations detailed in the report of the Dementia Task Force, namely:

(a) that the Province formally recognize the current and future funding shortfall for long-term care service in the "seven regions" including long-term care facilities and community services, by immediately allocating additional resources for these areas of need;

(b) that the Minister of Health allocate financial resources for specific research into the prevention, cause, cure, and management of Alzheimer's Disease and related dementias; and

(c) that a copy of the report be sent to the Premier of Ontario, Minister of Health, Minister without Portfolio responsible for Seniors Issues, local MPPs, Opposition Leaders and Health Critics, District Health Council, Alzheimer Association, Association of Municipalities of Ontario, Ontario Association of Non-Profit Homes and Services for Seniors, Health Services Restructuring Commission, Ontario Public Health Association, Association of Local Public Health Agencies, and Ontario Community Support Association;

(2) City Council advocate for the enhancement of funding and resources to provide care and service for individuals with dementia and their families within the City of Toronto which focus on supporting the individual in an environment that is as normalized as possible, and includes both facility and community options, and:

(a) support the Health Services Restructuring Commission's (HSRC) recommendation that an additional 5,207 new long-term care beds be added by 2003;

(b) support the HSRC's recommendation that an additional 4,181 new long-term care spaces be added by 2003; and

(c) encourage the Ministry of Health's adoption of a resident classification system that captures the care and service needs of a population with dementia;

(3) future care and service delivery for those with dementia within the City of Toronto be planned and implemented with recognition of unique needs encountered as a result of the multicultural and linguistic diversity of the City's population;

(4) future financial investments by the Ministry of Health include dedicated enhanced funding for the provision of (short-term) respite services, in both facilities and the community; and

(5) the appropriate City officials be authorized and directed to take the necessary action to give effect thereto.

Background:

In April 1997, Dr. Robert Hopkins, Ph.D., Psychogeriatric Unit, Kingston Psychiatric Hospital, shared his clinical research bulletin, "Dementia Projections for the Counties, Regional Municipalities and Districts of Ontario", at a panel presentation hosted by the Alzheimer Society of Durham Region.

Dr. Hopkins' projections were based on population projections prepared by the Province of Ontario and dementia prevalence rates validated in clinical research. His dementia rates focused on "severe and moderate" dementia only, identifying that these are the individuals who will require support from the health care system. As a result, Dr. Hopkins' projections should be seen as conservative, at best.

Persons with dementia are defined as having "severely impaired memory and reasoning ability, usually with disturbed behaviour, and associated with damaged brain tissue." Individuals with "severe to moderate" dementia require 24-hour supervision, assistance with daily functions such as eating and dressing, and experience a range of behavioural problems, including hallucinations, depression, paranoia, aggression, etc.

Based on the significance of the data shared by Dr. Hopkins at the abovementioned conference, Durham Regional Council initiated an invitation to the Regional Chairs from the seven regions in the Greater Toronto Area to have staff knowledgable in the care of individuals with dementia participate on a Task Force mandated to study and respond to this serious issue. Two staff from the Homes for the Aged Division participated on the resultant "Dementia Task Force," on behalf of the former Municipality of Metropolitan Toronto. In addition, staff from the Regional Municipalities of Durham, Peel, Halton, Niagara, York, and Hamilton-Wentworth participated in the initiative.

The Task Force met on a number of occasions over the period of April 1997 until December 1997, and finalized and released its report to the relevant Mayors/Chairs of the participating municipalities in January 1998.

This report attempts to provide members of the Community and Neighbourhood Services Committee with an understanding of the significance of Dr. Hopkins' findings, in terms of the capacity of the current health delivery system to respond to the growing dementia rates; to summarize the findings and recommendations of the Dementia Task Force; to outline the significance of the demographic projections specific to the City of Toronto; and to comment on the enhancements that will be required in the current health delivery system to ensure that it is adequately prepared to meet the needs of individuals with dementia residing within the City of Toronto who will require care and service now and in the future.

Discussion:

Both population projections and dementia projections are critical in determining the health care needs of a future population and the health delivery system's capacity to meet these needs. First, Dr. Hopkins' clinical work identifies that the elderly population (i.e., over the age of 65) will increase 53 percent by the year 2010, and by nearly 120 percent by the year 2021. This growth will result in a significant increase in age-related medical disorders and an expanded demand for services to seniors in a variety of areas, including social and recreational programming, transportation, assistance with financial management, safety and security, home help, and personal support.

Second, there is evidence that the prevalence of dementia in society is increasing, as our capacity to successfully treat physical illnesses improves. Dr. Hopkins' clinical research studies detail a projected increase in Ontario's dementia rate of 85 percent by the year 2010 and 150 percent by the year 2021. In terms of numbers of individuals with dementia, statistics show that Ontario was caring for 82,000 persons with dementia in 1992; this number swelled by over 15,000 by 1997; by 2021, there will be 206,000 persons with dementia who will require care and support.

Dr. Hopkins' data indicated that these problems will be especially dramatic in the municipalities across the Province which have grown rapidly during the 1970s and 1980s. As an example, the dementia rate in Durham Region will grow by 209 percent. The average increase in the combined municipalities of Durham, Halton, Hamilton-Wentworth, Niagara, Peel, Toronto, and York is 124 percent. The increases in individual communities within this group range from 80 percent in Niagara to a 250 percent increase in Peel Region. The projected increase for Toronto is 81 percent. Appendix 1 illustrates the projections in dementia cases in each region.

In terms of numbers of individuals with dementia dependent on Toronto's health delivery system for care, there were 20,367 individuals with dementia in 1992, and 22,315 in 1995. Based on projection rates, there will be 35,988 individuals with dementia by the year 2011 and 44,251 by the year 2021.

(a) Work of the Dementia Task Force:

It is clear that these increases will present a significant challenge to the respective communities' ability to service the health, social, and economic needs of this target population. The public and private costs to society as the number of individuals with dementia increases will be high, given the nature of the care and service that they will require.

Due to the nature of dementia, there is a need for enhancement in the full range of services, from community-based options to long-term care facilities, specifically designed to meet the unique needs of a population with severe dementia. It is imperative for planners to realize that physical environments in both existing and future long-term care facilities will require appropriate design and structural changes to effectively care for the dementia population. Funding to support augmented staffing levels will be required; staff will require additional training with respect to the specialized care that individuals with dementia require.

Next, there is a need to address this serious and complex issue within a framework of health policy planning. Early intervention from all levels of government is crucial in order to adequately prepare, plan, and fund organizations to meet the needs of this target population. Significant investment is required in both research and service delivery. Health research is a key initiative in the development of prevention and treatment for dementias. Current health care deliverers must work collaboratively to improve co-ordination of information, care and service.

Consideration must also be given to reinvesting a substantial portion of the savings realized from hospital restructuring in order for the overall health system to be able to adequately respond to the future demands for dementia care; reinvestment is required in both community-based care and long-term care facilities.

Last, legislation regarding financial (e.g., tax) incentives to assist caregivers in the community, on both the provincial and federal levels, should be considered to alleviate some of the financial burden associated with the challenge of providing care at home.

(b) Other Issues Relevant to the City of Toronto:

There are 68 long-term care facilities within the City of Toronto (including nursing homes and homes for the aged), offering a total of approximately 11,850 beds. There are currently 5,020 individuals on the waiting list for placement in these long-term care facilities. The City of Toronto owns and operates 10 of these facilities; there are 2,641 beds within the City's 10 Homes for the Aged (i.e., 22 percent of the total number of beds); and 1,050 persons are currently awaiting admission in one of the City's homes (30 percent of the total waiting list). Currently, 65 percent of the residents living in the City's homes suffer from cognitive impairment, mental health problems, and/or dementia. In addition, the severity of dementia is evidenced to have increased amongst both applicants/residents of the Homes for the Aged and clients of the Division's supportive housing and homemakers programs.

Within the Homes for the Aged, a total of 19 beds have been approved by the Ministry of Health to offer short-term (respite) admissions; a significant number of the admissions done to these beds are for individuals with dementia whose caregivers require short-term relief in order to continue coping with the day-to-day pressures of providing care. In addition to the 19 short-term beds within our own Homes for the Aged, there are an additional 64 short-stay beds in the other 58 long-term care facilities within the City boundaries. This level of resource will be grossly insufficient to respond to the projected future need.

Although the Division operates five Adult Day Centres and provides service to a number of individuals with dementia in these Centres, none of the Centres receive the higher level of funding set aside for designated Alzheimer's Day Programs.

In addition to the care and service directly provided by the Homes for the Aged Division, the Community Services Department funds a number of community-based organizations that deliver service to this client group. There are 15 Alzheimer's Day Centres within the City of Toronto; in addition, there are six Day Centres which specialize in services to the frail elderly, and five integrated Day Centres which provide service to both cognitively impaired and cognitively intact clients. The Community Services Department also provides a grant to the Alzheimer's Society.

Notwithstanding the levels of service currently provided within Toronto, and the commitment of the City's service providers to respond to the specialized needs of individuals with dementia, there will be substantial gaps in future service delivery if provincial planning and investment does not occur now. First, the huge increase in individuals with dementia will place extra significant demands on the hospital system. Already, the decrease in emergency room capacity is having a negative effect on the elderly; individuals are waiting long periods of time for admission, or are being turned away; this introduces significant risk as individuals with dementia require comprehensive assessment for possible acute medical problems, as they do not have the communication skills to detail their own complaints. The frail, confused elderly do not have the capacity to cope with long waits in emergency departments, and their health may be further compromised when emergency department staff have other legitimate priorities.

Second, there are no funded Regional Geriatric Programs (RGP) in the municipalities that surround Toronto. Without the creation and funding of such programs in the broad Greater Toronto Area, all individuals with dementia from the GTA will rely on the RGP in Toronto, for the specialized assessment and treatment available for this target group. This reliance and gravitation to the larger urban centre will increase the health care costs in Toronto, and negatively impact the system's ability to care for its own citizens.

Next, the long-term care facilities within Toronto are not universally designed to care for a dementia population. The Ministry of Health must commit to making an investment in retrofitting a number of existing physical plants to meet the specialized needs of this growing target group. It is worthy of note that a number of individuals with dementia currently residing in our facilities are below the age of 65; younger persons with dementia are able-bodied, have high energy levels, and present a number of challenges with respect to designing their care programs. Specific design features should be built into new construction to meet the needs of this special group.

Next, there is a marked need for a major increase in the number of long-term care "spaces" available for community care. Short-stay/respite programs must be increased and funded adequately. Adult Day Centres must be designed and staffed to provide quality programming to individuals with dementia.

The Health Services Restructuring Commission (HSRC) recognized the growing need for enhanced long-term care services and recommended that 5,207 new long-term care beds be added within the City of Toronto; the Commission also recommended that 4,181 non-institutional spaces be added, including attendant care, respite care, and supportive housing. This expansion is a critical step to ensure that hospital restructuring does not totally incapacitate the already over-burdened and under-resourced long-term care system.

Last, the cultural diversity of the City of Toronto poses a number of issues related to dementia care not generally seen in other communities. For example, 19 percent of the residents in our Homes for the Aged speak a language other than English; 9 percent speak no English at all. These statistics are approximately double the provincial average. This profile presents a unique challenge to staff, that is further exacerbated when the individual also suffers from dementia. Many individuals with dementia lose the ability to speak English, especially if it is a second language. Loss of culture and language familiar to the individual has the impact of adding to anxiety and exacerbated behavioural problems. In turn, these issues place higher demands on the staff providing care and service.

Conclusions:

The prevalence of dementia and its associated health care costs are staggering; Dr. Hopkins notes that the estimated costs of treating individuals with dementia throughout Canada in 1991 was over $3.9 billion. Dr. Hopkins' dementia projections provide evidence that unless significant changes are made in the level and type of resource available to this population in the future there will be a crisis in health care which will result in a heavy burden on their communities and on society as a whole.

There is an urgent need for proactive action at the provincial level. The Dementia Task Force has made a number of recommendations, which are fully endorsed by staff, in order to respond to this growing crisis. In addition, the health delivery system within the City of Toronto could be improved by enhanced planning and co-ordination, and by advocating for and securing much needed funding, in order to meet the needs of our future population.

Contact Name:

Sandra Pitters, General Manager, Homes for the Aged Division

Tel: 392-8907; Fax: 392-4180; E-mail: sandra_pitters@metrodesk.metrotor.on.ca

The Community and Neighbourhood Services submits the following communication (March 4, 1998) from Mr. John Daly, Legislative Co-ordinator, Regional Municipality of Peel:

I am writing to advise that Regional Council approved the following recommendation at its meeting held on February 26, 1998:

Recommendation HS-15-98:

"That Regional Council support the recommendations contained in the report from the Dementia Task Force, dated January 29, 1998, comprised of representatives from the Region of Durham, the Region of Halton, the Region of Hamilton-Wentworth, the Region of Niagara, the Region of Peel, the City of Toronto and the Region of York;

and further, that the Minister of Health formally recognize the current and future short-falls for Long-Term Care Services in the "Seven Regions", including Long-Term Care Facilities and Community Services, by immediately allocating additional resources for these areas of need;

and further, that a copy of the report of the Commissioner of Social Services, dated February 5, 1998, titled "Dementia Task Force," be forwarded to all area MPPs, the Peel District Health Council, Peel Community Care Access Centre (CCAC), the Alzheimer's Society of Peel, Peel's Area Hospitals, the Region of Durham, the Region of Halton, the Region of Hamilton-Wentworth, the Region of Niagara, the Region of York, and the City of Toronto;

and further, that a copy of the subject report be forwarded to the Federal Minister of Health for a response;

and further, that the Regional Chair request a meeting with the Provincial Minister of Health to seek approval for additional Long-Term Care Beds in the Region of Peel."

(A copy of the Report of the Dementia Task Force, referred to in the aforementioned communication, was forwarded to all Members of Council with the agenda of the Community and Neighbourhood Services Committee for its meeting on March 26 and 27, 1998, and a copy thereof is on file in the office of the City Clerk.)

(City Council on April 16, 1998, adopted this Clause, without amendment.)

The Community and Neighbourhood Services Committee recommends the adoption of the following report (March 10, 1998) from the Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer:

Purpose:

The purpose of this report is to advise the results of the "Request for Quotation" issued for the supply and delivery, in accordance with specifications, of food and related supplies for Child Care Centres during 1998 with the option to extend the contract for two additional one year periods, as requested by Community and Neighbourhood Services - Children's Services, and to request the authority to issue a purchase order to the recommended bidder.

Funding Sources:

Funds in the estimated amount of $1,200,000.00 including all charges and applicable taxes are provided in the Community and Neighbourhood Services - Children's Services - Operating Account for 1998 and funds will be provided in this account for the option years.

Recommendations:

It is recommended that:

(1) the quotation submitted by Derry Foods Limited in the estimated amount of $1,200,000.00, including all charges and applicable taxes, for the supply and delivery of food and related supplies in 1998 be accepted, being the lowest acceptable quotation received with the option to extend the contract for two additional one year periods; and

(2) this report be forwarded to the next meeting of Council.

Council Reference/Background/History:

Nineteen firms were invited to submit quotations. Two bids from the following firms were received for the supply and delivery of food and related supplies for the Child Care Centres.

(1) Derry Foods Limited; and

(2) The Palmer Group

The Manager, Fair Wage and Labour Trades Office, has reported favourably on the firm recommended.

Comments and/or Discussions and/or Justification:

The bids received were evaluated by the Community and Neighbourhood Services Food Service Advisory Committee for completeness and conformance to specifications. The bid received from The Palmer Group offered substitutes for approximately 37 percent (50 of 133) of specified products. A sub-committee of the Community and Neighbourhood Services Food Services Advisory Committee was struck to review the substituted products offered. After review and testing of 29 key items of the 50 substituted products, it was found that 16 of the substitutes did not meet the Community and Neighbourhood Services - Children's Services requirements, i.e., ingredients, nutritional value, packaging size, labelling. The bid from Derry Foods Limited met all of the Community and Neighbourhood Services - Children's Services requirements.

The Commissioner of Community and Neighbourhood Services concurs in the recommendations made.

Conclusion:

This report requests authority to award the contract for the supply and delivery of food and related supplies to Child Care Centres to the lowest acceptable bidder, Derry Foods Limited.

Contact Name and Telephone Number:

Mr. L. A. Pagano

Director, Purchasing and Material Supply

Tel: 392-7312

(City Council on April 16, 1998, adopted this Clause, without amendment.)

The Community and Neighbourhood Services Committee recommends the adoption of the following report (March 10, 1998) from the Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer:

Purpose:

The purpose of this report is to advise the results of the Request for Proposals issued for the supply and delivery of food products and related computer hardware and software to ten Homes for the Aged and four Hostels, as requested by Community and Neighbourhood Services - Homes for the Aged and Hostel Services for the period ending December 31, 1998, with the option to extend the contract for two additional one year periods and to request the authority to issue purchase orders to the recommended proponent.

Source of Funds:

Funds in the estimated amount of $4,927,000.00, including all charges and taxes, are provided in the Community and Neighbourhood Services - Homes for the Aged and Hostel Services - Operating Accounts for 1998 and funds will be provided in these accounts for the option years.

Recommendations:

It is recommended that:

(1) the proposal submitted by Gordon Food Services in the estimated amount of $4,927,000.00, including all charges and taxes, for the supply and delivery of food products be accepted, being the proposal meeting all requirements of Community and Neighbourhood Services - Homes for the Aged and Hostel Services, with the option to extend the contract for two additional one year periods; and

(2) this report be forwarded to the next meeting of Council.

Council Reference/Background/History:

Nineteen firms were invited to submit proposals: five proposals were received from the following firms for the supply of food products to ten Homes for the Aged and four Hostels.

(1) Gordon Food Service;

(2) Serca Foodservice Inc.;

(3) Strano Sysco Foodservice;

(4) Burgess Wholesale; and

(5) Derry Foods Limited.

The Manager, Fair Wage and Labour Trades Office, has reported favourably on the firm recommended.

Comments and/or Discussion and/or Justification:

The Homes for the Aged and Seaton House Hostel are linked with the current food products supplier by an online ordering/inventory management system. The Request for Proposal included a mandatory requirement that the successful proponent provide upgraded computer hardware and software to these locations at no cost to the City to maintain the online ordering/inventory management functions. The proposal submitted by Derry Foods Limited was unacceptable as the company failed to meet this mandatory requirement.

A market basket of food products consisting of the items with the highest volume based on the quantities purchased in 1997 was put together to compare prices of the remaining four companies.

(1) Serca Foodservice Inc. $2,433,084.00

(2) Gordon Food Service 2,510,743.00

(3) Strano Sysco Foodservice 2,770,927.00

(4) Burgess Wholesale 2,841,527.00

The proposals submitted by Strano Sysco Foodservice and Burgess Wholesale were unacceptable as both companies failed to meet the requirement of the specifications to guarantee a maximum time of 1.5 hours to respond to an emergency repair of any juice dispenser that had malfunctioned and both companies were also higher in pricing on the market basket of food products.

The proposals submitted by Serca Foodservice Inc. and Gordon Food Service were both acceptable pending an inspection report of their distribution facilities. The inspections were conducted by both a Purchasing and Material Supply Inspector and an independent food service laboratory.

The report on the Serca Foodservice Inc. showed that the warehouse did not satisfy all requirements of the Canadian Food Inspection Agency which was not acceptable to Community and Neighbourhood Services - Homes for the Aged and Hostel Services. The report on Gordon Food Service indicated that the warehouse is a first class facility that is acceptable to Community and Neighbourhood Services - Homes for the Aged and Hostels Services, and satisfies the requirements of the Canadian Food Inspection Agency.

The Commissioner of Community and Neighbourhood Services concurs in the recommendations made.

Conclusion:

This report requests authority to award the contract for the supply and delivery of food products to the Homes for the Aged and Hostels to the acceptable proponent, Gordon Food Service.

Contact Name:

Mr. L. A. Pagano

Director, Purchasing and Material Supply

Tel: 392-7312

(City Council on April 16, 1998, received this Clause, for information.)

(a) 1998 Operating and Capital Budgets.

The Community and Neighbourhood Services Committee reports having:

(a) recommended to the Budget Committee the following with respect to the 1998 Operating Budgets under its purview:

Arts, Culture and Heritage:

(1) that Tourism Toronto be requested to provide assistance to the Arts, Culture and Heritage Division for its marketing and communications strategies, having regard that Tourism Toronto's grant was not reduced;

Grants:

(2) that any grants programs that have been inadvertently not included in the 1998 budget base be reinstated by the Budget Committee and referred to the Municipal Grants Review Committee for consideration;

(3) that the amount of $200,000.00 be reinstated to the Homeless Initiatives Grants Program;

Community and Neighbourhood Services -

Children's Services/Children's Action Committee:

(4) that any savings from further welfare caseload reductions, achieved after the budget is approved, be redirected to provide child care support to families involved in the Ontario Works Program as a first priority; and further that the Commissioner of Community and Neighbourhood Services be requested to report on an implementation plan which addresses these and any other unmet social service needs;

(5) that the communication (G) dated March 11, 1998, from the Children's Advocate recommending Council approval of the workplan and budget for the Children's Action Committee be adopted;

Parks and Recreation:

(6) that the Commissioner of Community and Neighbourhood Services be requested to report to the Community and Neighbourhood Services Committee prior to implementing the second proposed set of increases in ice rates for "Community Youth," such report to include the impact of the initial increases and the anticipated impact of the proposed future increases on minor hockey and on other ice surface users; and

Public Health:

(7) that the recommendations by the Board of Health embodied in communication (L) dated March 25, 1998, from the City Clerk with respect to reports from the Medical Officer of Health on "Investing in Public and Children's Health" and "Child Nutrition Programs" be endorsed, viz:

"The Board of Health at its meeting on March 24, 1998:

(1) amended Recommendation No. (1) of the report dated March 11, 1998, from the Medical Officer of Health respecting Investing in our Children's Health by revising the requested amounts therein so as to read:

"(1) That the Board of Health forward to the Budget Committee for consideration of allocation of funds to Public Health totalling $2,905,100.00 on an annualized basis, including $2,450,300.00 for 1998 in operational costs and $130,000.00 in capital costs for children's health services in the City of Toronto (as per Appendix 1)";

and adopted the report, as amended, and directed that this report also be forwarded to the Community and Neighbourhood Services Committee and the Children's Action Committee for their consideration in the development of a children's strategy;

(2) deleted Recommendation No. (2) of the report dated March 11, 1998, from the Medical Officer of Health respecting Child Nutrition Programs in Toronto and adopted the report; and requested that this report be forwarded to the Community and Neighbourhood Services Committee, the Budget Committee, the Children's Action Committee, the Toronto District School Board, the Toronto Catholic School Board and all Members of Council for information; and

(3) adopted the report dated March 12, 1998, from the Medical Officer of Health respecting Investing in Public Health and directed that it be forwarded to the Budget Committee, the Community and Neighbourhood Services Committee and all Members of Council for information.";

Children's Services/Children's Action Committee:

(b) referred the reports (D) and (E) from the Commissioner of Community and Neighbourhood Services to the Budget Committee for information:

(D) March 11, 1998, respecting the pressures facing child care programs serving subsidized clients; and

(E) March 11, 1998, respecting child care demand related to the Ontario Works Program;

(c) requested the Commissioner of Community and Neighbourhood Services to report to the Community and Neighbourhood Services Committee clarifying the cost of adjusting child care per diem rates and provider rates to reflect the cost of inflation; and

(d) referred communication (F) dated March 9, 1998, from the City Clerk to the Commissioner of Community and Neighbourhood Services with a request that she report to the Community and Neighbourhood Services Committee on the implications of the principles outlined by the Children's Action Committee:

(A) (March 11, 1998) from the Commissioner of Community and Neighbourhood Services providing a status report on the Community and Neighbourhood Services 1998 Operating and Capital Budgets; attaching a summary of the budgets as submitted, and the changes made during the budget review process to date; and recommending that the report be received for information;

1998 Operating Budgets:

(B) (March 24, 1998) from the City Clerk submitting, for review and comment, the 1998 Operating Budget for Arts, Culture and Heritage, noting that:

(1) the Budget Committee proposes to recommend to the Strategic Policies and Priorities Committee for its meeting to be held on April 14, 1998, the adoption of the following budget, subject to the amendments proposed by the Chief Administrative Officer as embodied in Section "C" or equivalent thereof; and

(2) such budget will again be considered by the Budget Committee at its meeting to be held on March 31, 1998;

(C) (March 24, 1998) from the City Clerk submitting, for review and comment, the 1998 Operating Budget for Community and Neighbourhood Services, noting that:

(1) the Budget Committee proposes to recommend to the Strategic Policies and Priorities Committee for its meeting to be held on April 14, 1998, the adoption of the following budgets, subject to the amendments proposed by the Chief Administrative Officer as embodied in Section "C", and also subject to the deletion of funds in the amount of $298,000.00 requested in the 1998 Operating Housing Budget for housing demonstration projects and grants:

(i) Hostels;

(ii) Housing;

(iii) Children's Services;

(iv) Homes for the Aged;

(v) Community Development and Support;

(vi) Social Services; and

(vii) Social Services and Housing Administration; and

(2) such budgets will again be considered by the Budget Committee at its meeting to be held on March 31, 1998;

(D) (March 11, 1998) from the Commissioner of Community and Neighbourhood Services responding to the requests of the Children's Action Committee and the Budget Committee to report on the pressures being faced by child care programs serving subsidized clients and the priority areas in need of support; outlining recent changes in the traditional cost-sharing formula for child care, and highlighting the role resulting from user fees collected from subsidized clients in the overall funding of the system; and recommending that the report be received for information;

(E) (March 12, 1998) from the Commissioner of Community and Neighbourhood Services responding to the request of the Budget Committee to provide additional information concerning the current levels of child care service in support of social assistance recipients, and to identify the future child care service demand related to the Ontario Works program; and recommending that the report be received for information;

(F) (March 9, 1998) from the City Clerk advising that the Children's Action Committee on March 6, 1998, recommended that the following principles be considered during the 1998 Operating Budget process:

(1) that there be expansion of child care subsidies to ensure that the 2,000 vacancies in the licensed child care system are filled;

(2) that adequate services are provided to children whose parents are participating in the Ontario Works program;

(3) that any savings in Public Health incurred as a result of amalgamation be redirected back into services for children;

(4) that there be sufficient resources available to ensure equitable access to services for children and youth across the City of Toronto;

(5) that the budget for the general grants programs be maintained at existing levels, and specifically that the funding of children's and youth programs be maintained at current levels; and

(6) that opportunities to explore creative, flexible and optimal use of resources to meet the needs of children and youth be facilitated;

(G) (March 11, 1998) from the Children's Advocate outlining the workplan and budget for the Children's Action Committee; advising that the Children's Action Committee is proposing a budget of $150,000.00 to support its activities; noting that this is included in the request for $500,000.00 under a Corporate expenditure account to cover the budget requirements for all the task forces related to Community and Neighbourhood Services; and recommending that:

(1) Council approve the workplan and budget for the Children's Action Committee; and

(2) the appropriate City officials be authorized and directed to take the necessary action to give effect thereto;

(H) (March 25, 1998) from the City Clerk submitting, for review and comment, the 1998 Operating Budget for the Hummingbird Centre for the Performing Arts, noting that:

(1) the Budget Committee proposes to recommend to the Strategic Policies and Priorities Committee for its meeting to be held on April 14, 1998, the adoption of such budget, and

(2) such budget will again be considered by the Budget Committee at its meeting to be held on March 31, 1998;

(I) (March 24, 1998) from the City Clerk submitting, for review and comment, the 1998 Operating Budget for Parks and Recreation, noting that:

(1) the Budget Committee proposes to recommend to the Strategic Policies and Priorities Committee for its meeting to be held on April 14, 1998, the adoption of such budget, subject to the amendments proposed by the Chief Administrative Officer as embodied in Section "C"; and

(2) such budget will again be considered by the Budget Committee at its meeting to be held on March 31, 1998;

(J) (March 25, 1998) from Councillor Brad Duguid, Scarborough City Centre, respecting the 1998 Operating Budget for Parks and Recreation; and recommending that staff be requested to report back to the Community and Neighbourhood Services Committee prior to implementing the second proposed set of increases in ice rates for community youth", such report to outline the impact of the initial increases and the anticipated impact of the proposed future increases on minor hockey and on other ice surface users;

(K) (March 19, 1998) from the City Clerk submitting, for review and comment, the 1998 Operating Budget for Public Health, noting that:

(1) the Budget Committee proposes to recommend to the Strategic Policies and Priorities Committee for its meeting to be held on April 14, 1998, the adoption of such budget, subject to the amendments proposed by the Chief Administrative Officer as embodied in Section "C", with the exception of the user fee proposed for prenatal and infant parenting classes;

(2) it does not support the concept of the reinvestment of savings within a Department or envelope and any new programs be submitted through the normal process; and

(3) such budget will again be considered by the Budget Committee at its meeting to be held on March 31, 1998;

(L) (March 25, 1998) from the City Clerk advising that the Toronto Board of Health on March 24, 1998, had before it reports (March 11, and 12, 1998) from the Medical Officer of Health with respect to investing in public and children's health and child nutrition programs; and indicating that the Board took the following action with regard to the recommendations contained therein:

(1) amended Recommendation No. (1) of the report dated March 11, 1998, from the Medical Officer of Health respecting Investing in our Children's Health by revising the requested amounts therein so as to read:

"(1) That the Board of Health forward to the Budget Committee for consideration of allocation of funds to Public Health totalling $2,905,100.00 on an annualized basis, including $2,450,300.00 for 1998 in operational costs and $130,000.00 in capital costs for children's health services in the City of Toronto (as per Appendix 1)";

and adopted the report, as amended, and directed that this report also be forwarded to the Community and Neighbourhood Services Committee and the Children's Action Committee for their consideration in the development of a children's strategy;

(2) deleted Recommendation No. (2) of the report dated March 11, 1998, from the Medical Officer of Health respecting Child Nutrition Programs in Toronto and adopted the report; and requested that this report be forwarded to the Community and Neighbourhood Services Committee, the Budget Committee, the Children's Action Committee, the Toronto District School Board, the Toronto Catholic School Board and all Members of Council for information; and

(3) adopted the report dated March 12, 1998, from the Medical Officer of Health respecting Investing in Public Health and directed that it be forwarded to the Budget Committee, the Community and Neighbourhood Services Committee and all Members of Council for information;

(M) (March 19, 1998) from the City Clerk submitting, for review and comment, the 1998 Operating Budget for the Toronto Public Library, noting that:

(1) the Budget Committee proposes to recommend to the Strategic Policies and Priorities Committee for its meeting to be held on April 14, 1998, the adoption of such budget, subject to the amendments proposed by the Chief Administrative Officer as embodied in Section "C"; and

(2) such budget will again be considered by the Budget Committee at its meeting to be held on March 31, 1998;

1998 Capital Budgets:

(N) (March 24, 1998) from the City Clerk submitting, for review and comment, the 1998 Capital Budget for Arts, Culture and Heritage, noting that:

(1) the Budget Committee proposes to recommend to the Strategic Polices and Priorities Committee for its meeting to be held on April 14, 1998, the adoption of such budget, subject to the following amendments:

(a) transferring the amount of $99,000.00 allocated to the Capital Maintenance - Health and Safety Repairs category, to the 1998 Operating Budget; and in future years it be considered as an operating expense;

(b) deleting $300,000.00 from the Guild Inn Capital Budget which was allocated for repairs;

(c) the amount of $35,000.00 allocated to the Guild Inn for conducting a feasibility study for future uses of the facility being conditional upon the Guild Inn providing Terms of Reference for this feasibility study;

(d) an amount of $50,000.00 being allocated to the Etobicoke Public Art Acquisition Project; and

(e) $26,000.00 be deleted for the replacement of a vehicle; and

(2) such budget will again be considered by the Budget Committee at its meeting to be held on March 31, 1998;

(O) (March 24, 1998) from the City Clerk submitting, for review and comment, the 1998 Capital Budget for Community and Neighbourhood Services, noting that:

(1) the Budget Committee proposes to recommend to the Strategic Policies and Priorities Committee for its meeting to be held on April 14, 1998, the adoption of the following budgets:

(a) Hostels;

(b) Homes for the Aged;

(c) Housing; and

(d) Social Services; and

(2) such budgets will again be considered by the Budget Committee at its meeting to be held on March 31, 1998;

(P) 1998 Capital Program for Parks and Recreation; and

(Q) (March 19, 1998) from the City Clerk submitting, for review and comment, the 1998 Capital Budget from the Toronto Public Library, noting that:

(1) the Budget Committee proposes to recommend to the Strategic Policies and Priorities Committee for its meeting to be held on April 14, 1998, the adoption of such budget, subject to the following amendments:

(a) that the loan for the Burrows Hall Library in the amount of $270,000.00 be repaid and such funds be allocated from the Capital Reserve Fund;

(b) that funds in the amount of $137,500.00 be allocated for Project No. 809 - Minor Capital Program (Toronto); and

(2) such budget will again be considered by the Budget Committee at its meeting to be held on March 31, 1998.

(b) Current Gaps in Public Health Services for Children.

The Community and Neighbourhood Services Committee reports having received the following communication:

(February 26, 1998) from the City Clerk advising that the Board of Health on February 23, 1998, recommended that the report (February 11, 1998) from the Medical Officer of Health identifying current gaps in public health services for children and families across the City of Toronto be forwarded to the Children's Action Committee and the Community and Neighbourhood Services Committee for consideration, and to the Budget Committee with a request that the Medical Officer of Health report to that Committee with respect to the amount of funding required.

(c) The State of the City's Health: Implications for Public Health.

The Community and Neighbourhood Services Committee reports having received the following communication:

(February 26, 1998) from the City Clerk advising that the Board of Health on February 23, 1998, had before it a report (February 19, 1998) from the Medical Officer of Health respecting the State of the City's Health: Implications for Public Health which updates the view of health and health trends in Toronto and outlines key issues for Public Health programs and resource allocations; and that the Board recommended that the report be forwarded to the Community and Neighbourhood Services Committee, the Budget Committee, and City Council for consideration during the budget process.

(d) General Education Development Preparation Courses.

The Community and Neighbourhood Services Committee reports having received the following report and communication:

(i) (March 12, 1998) from the Commissioner of Community and Neighbourhood Services responding to the request of the Committee on February 12, 1998, to report on a communication from Dr. Dale Shuttleworth of The Training Renewal Foundation seeking funding through purchase of service under Ontario Works for the Foundation's General Education Development (G.E.D.) preparation course; advising that the Social Services Division surveyed a range of G.E.D. preparation courses provided and summarizing the findings from such survey; outlining the Division's position concerning the funding of G.E.D. through Ontario Works; and recommending that the report be received for information; and

(ii) (March 19, 1998) from Dr. Shuttleworth providing the comments of The Training Renewal Foundation with respect to the aforementioned report; and requesting that interim funding of $4,500.00 per month be provided to ensure the continued operation of the GED Preparation Centre in serving the employment preparation needs of social assistance recipients.

Dr. Dale Shuttleworth appeared before the Community and Neighbourhood Services Committee in connection with the foregoing matter.

(e) Proposal for Affordable Shared Accommodation.

The Community and Neighbourhood Services Committee reports having directed that:

(1) the following communications and briefs be referred to the Commissioner of Community and Neighbourhood Services for a report thereon through the Council Strategy Committee for People Without Homes (Homeless Strategy Task Force), such report to include:

(a) an exploration of models that provide necessary supports within the proposed pilot project for those in need, but which are outside the housing project budget;

(b) suggestions on how the private sector can become involved in the pilot project;

(c) the potential impact of the distribution/location of this type of housing; and

(d) the feasibility of a separate policy, including waiting lists, for this type of housing; and

(2) the Commissioner of Community and Neighbourhood Services be requested to approach Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation to ascertain their interest in providing funds for development of this pilot project:

(i) (March 12, 1998) from Councillor Jack Layton, Ad Hoc Committee on Shared Accommodation, advising of the need to create pilot projects for affordable housing for singles in private bedrooms within shared apartments; indicating that this second stage housing would benefit those currently in the hostel system and those in danger of becoming homeless due to their inability to continue paying market rent; and recommending that:

(1) the Community and Neighbourhood Services Committee adopt the proposal from the Ad Hoc Committee for Shared Accommodation;

(2) City of Toronto allocate staff time and outside consulting up to an amount of $10,000.00 to develop the specifications of the shared accommodation model;

(3) the City of Toronto direct a 96-unit pilot project as outlined in the proposal; there would be no subsidy, excepting a loan guarantee; the City of Toronto would guarantee the construction loan and mortgage up to a maximum of $2.5 million, this project would be developed by City staff and owned by the City after completion; and

(4) based on the nature of the above pilot project, the City of Toronto develop calls for proposals (to be evaluated by City staff and returned to Council for review):

(i) asking private developer/managers to develop proposals to identify the extent of subsidy required to provide the specified accommodation and building management;

(ii) asking agencies and private firms to develop proposals, which incorporate varying levels of accommodation, management and services;

(ii) the proposal from the Ad Hoc Committee for Shared Accommodation, submitted by Mr. Bob Barnett, Architect; and

(iii) (March 26, 1998) from Dr. Bob Frankford, a regular general practitioner at Seaton House.

The following persons appeared before the Community and Neighbourhood Services Committee in connection with the foregoing matter:

- Mr. Bob Barnett, Architect; and submitted a brief in regard thereto, together with a communication from Touchtone Youth Centre in support of the foregoing proposal;

- Mr. Larry Chilton, Hometeam, and Toronto Rooming House Association; and submitted a brief in regard thereto; and

- Councillor Jack Layton, Ad Hoc Committee on Shared Accommodation.

(f) Response to the Joint Report of the Co-Chairs, Advisory Committee on Homeless and Socially Isolated Persons.

The Community and Neighbourhood Services Committee reports having referred the following communication to the Advisory Committee on Homeless and Socially Isolated Persons:

(January 27, 1998) from Mr. Richard Barnhorst, Director, Health Policy Branch, Ministry of Health responding to the recommendations contained in the joint report of the Co-Chairs, Advisory Committee on Homeless and Socially Isolated Persons; attaching a copy of the Ministry's response to the Chief Coroner on the recommendations and issues identified as a result of the Coroner's Inquest into the deaths of Eugene Upper, Mirsalah-Aldin Kompani and Irwin Anderson; outlining types of initiatives within the mental health area to serve the homeless population; and noting that the Ministry is continuing to develop strategies that will improve services for homeless people with serious mental illness.

(g) Homelessness in the City of Toronto.

The Community and Neighbourhood Services Committee reports having referred the following communication to the Commissioner of Community and Neighbourhood Services for a response thereto:

(February 11, 1998) from the Regional Clerk, The Regional Municipality of Durham, advising that on February 11, 1998, the Council of the Regional Municipality of Durham adopted the following recommendations of its Health and Social Services Committee in response to the resolution passed by the Metropolitan Council on October 8 and 9, 1997, regarding "Homeless Families in Metropolitan Toronto":

"(a) That staff of the Social Services Department be directed to liaise with the City of Toronto to maintain an accurate estimate of alternative housing arrangements;

(b) that an estimate be provided of the number of individuals who may be transferred to the Region of Durham;

(c) that an estimate of the long term financial effects associated with emergency housing, the pooling of GTA Social Housing and Welfare costs be provided; and

(d) that the Region of Durham not endorse the following:

(i) asking the Province to insist that other municipalities pay the administrative costs incurred by Metro as a result of Metro staff having to make arrangements for emergency housing accommodation in these other municipalities;

(ii) requesting other GTA municipalities provide an estimation of the accommodation that may be available within their respective jurisdictions for homeless people; and

(iii) examining the feasibility of an office inside the immigration office at Pearson International Airport, in order to simplify the process of assisting people to settle within the Greater Toronto Area;

at this time."

(h) Municipal Support Services to Seniors and People with Mobility Limitations in the City of Toronto.

The Community and Neighbourhood Services Committee reports having received the following report; and having directed that a copy thereof be forwarded to the Task Force on Developing a Strategy for Issues Concerning the Elderly:

(March 11, 1998) from the Commissioner of Community and Neighbourhood Services responding to the request of the Committee on January 15, 1998, to report on the cost of providing home support services to seniors and people with disabilities, including program areas such as snow removal and gardening; providing an overview of the support services the City of Toronto provides and/or funds to enable senior citizens and citizens with mobility limitations to continue to maintain residency within the community; and recommending that:

(1) this report be forwarded to the Task Force on Developing a Strategy for Issues Concerning the Elderly for consideration in the development of a seniors' strategy; and

(2) the appropriate City officials be authorized and directed to take the necessary action to give effect thereto.

(i) Parks and Recreation - Facility Planning Initiatives.

The Community and Neighbourhood Services Committee reports having received the following report; and having referred the following communication from Councillor Irene Jones to the Commissioner of Community and Neighbourhood Services with a request that Councillor Jones be consulted during consideration of the terms of reference for the proposed studies:

(i) (March 11, 1998) from the Interim Functional Lead, Parks and Recreation respecting the need to undertake two major planning studies for Parks and Recreation, the first a feasibility study for the development of three major Parks and Recreation facilities, and the second to undertake a facility rationalization study of existing facilities; advising that the immediate costs of these studies are identified in the 1998 Capital Works Program submission; noting that both studies will include a public consultation process with steering committees consisting of local Councillors and staff from Parks and Recreation and other departments; and recommending that the report be received for the information of the Committee; and

(ii) (March 25, 1998) from Councillor Irene Jones, Lakeshore Queensway, requesting the opportunity to provide input into the terms of reference for the studies referred to in the aforementioned report on facility planning initiatives.

(j) Development of Uniform Policy - Leashed and Unleashed Dogs in City Parks.

The Community and Neighbourhood Services Committee reports having referred the following communication to the Commissioner of Community and Neighbourhood Services and Medical Officer of Health for a report thereon to the Community and Neighbourhood Services Committee:

(February 2, 1998) from the City Clerk advising that York Community Council on January 21, 1998, recommended to the Community and Neighbourhood Services Committee that the Medical Officer of Health be requested to report on the development of a City-wide uniform policy regarding leashed and unleashed dogs in City Parks.

(k) Request for Recreation Centre in Cedarvale Park, York.

The Community and Neighbourhood Services Committee reports having referred the following communication to the Budget Committee for consideration with the 1998 Capital Budget for Parks and Recreation:

(February 16, 1998) from Mr. Chaitanya K. Kalevar advising that he has a petition from over 1,000 residents in support of building a recreation centre in Cedarvale Park, behind the Arlington Middle School.

Respectfully submitted,

GORDON CHONG

Chair

Toronto, March 26 and 27, 1998

(Report No. 3 of The Community and Neighbourhood Services Committee, including an addition thereto, was adopted, as amended, by City Council on April 16, 1998.)

Clause Page

1 An Eviction Prevention Strategy for
the City of Toronto 1729

2 Status of Devolution and Reform of
Social Housing Programs 1740

3 Amendments to Terminology of
Housing Company By-laws Nos. A-4 and A-9 1746

4 Resources to Support Inter-Related Task Forces 1749

5 Crisis in Youth Employment 1752

6 Ontario Works Implementation: Phase 1 Update 1760

7 Report of the Dementia Task Force 1775

8 Quotation for Food and Related
Supplies for Child Care Centres 1782

9 Proposal for Food Products for the
Homes for the Aged and Hostels 1784

10 Other Items Considered by the Committee 1786