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Back to 1998 By-laws index





        

Authority:     Emergency and Protective Services Committee Report No. 3(6) April 16, 1998

Intended for first presentation to Council: April 16, 1998

Adopted by Council:  April 16, 1998      CITY OF TORONTO



                                       BY-LAW No. 133-1998 



            To impose fees and charges for services and activities provided or done by

                           the Fire Department of the City of Toronto.



        WHEREAS section 220.1  of the Municipal Act,  R.S.O. 1990, c. M.45, as  amended, permits a

municipality to pass  by-laws imposing fees  or charges  on any class  of persons for services  or

activities provided  or done by  or on behalf  of it, among  other things, subject  to the  terms,

conditions and limitations set out in the section; and



        WHEREAS subsection 2(1) of the City of Toronto Act, 1997, S.O. 1997, c. 2 incorporated the

City of Toronto as a body corporate on January 1, 1998; and



        WHEREAS subsection 2(2) of the City of Toronto Act, 1997, makes the City of Toronto a city

and a local municipality for all purposes; and



        WHEREAS  subsection 2(4)  of the  City of  Toronto Act,  1997, provides  that the  City of

Toronto stands in the place of the old municipalities of the former Metropolitan Toronto; and



        WHEREAS subsection  2(7) of the City  of Toronto Act,  1997 provides that every  by-law or

resolution  of an old  council of an old municipality of  the former Metropolitan Toronto that was

in force before  January 1st, 1998 is considered  to be a by-law  or resolution of  the Council of

the  City  of  Toronto and  remains  in  force  in  respect  of the  geographic  area  of the  old

municipality to which it  applied until the council of the City of Toronto repeals it or amends it

to provide otherwise; and



        WHEREAS the old  councils of the  six old area  municipalities of the former  Metropolitan

Toronto imposed by by-law  or resolution  fees or charges for  services or activities provided  or

done by their respective fire departments; and



        WHEREAS these by-laws are now by-laws of the Council of the City of Toronto and remain  in

force;



        WHEREAS the Council of the City of Toronto intends to impose fees or charges  for services

or activities provided or done  by its Fire Department and replace  those imposed for  services or

activities  provided or  done by the  fire departments of the  six old area  municipalities of the

former Metropolitan Toronto;

        The Council of the City of Toronto HEREBY ENACTS as follows:



        1.     Definitions



               In this By-law, unless the context requires otherwise,

               (a)      City  means City of Toronto; 



               (b)      charges  include any interest  payable pursuant to section 7 and any costs

                       incurred by the City pursuant to section 10;



               (c)      Council  means the council of the City of Toronto;



               (d)      fee   or  fee  for services   means  any fee  for  services imposed  under

                       section 2 and billed pursuant to section 3;



               (e)      false fire alarm  means malicious false alarm and nuisance false alarm;

               (f)      Fire  Department  means  the  fire  department  of  the  City  of  Toronto

                       established under By-law  No. 132-1998, as may be  amended or replaced from

                       time to time, and includes its officers and members;

               (g)      malicious  false alarm ,  as  referred  to  in  Schedule   A ,  means  the

                       negligent  or intentional misuse  of a fire  alarm system  resulting in the

                       activation  of the system,  but does not  include the activation  of a fire

                       alarm  system under  circumstances  that would  have  caused a  careful  or

                       prudent person to believe that a  fire related emergency was in progress at

                       the owner s building  or in circumstances where the owner  has notified the

                       Fire Department in advance of work being done on the fire alarm system that

                       could cause a false fire alarm;



               (h)      nuisance  false  alarm ,  as  referred  to  in  Schedule   A ,  means  the

                       activation of a fire  alarm system through a mechanical  failure, equipment

                       malfunction or improper maintenance or installation of the system, but does

                       not  include the activation  of a  fire alarm  system where  the activation

                       occurred as a result of accidental damage to the system; and



               (i)      owner  means a person who is shown as the assessed owner or tenant of real

                       property in the assessment rolls for  the City in respect of which property

                       services and activities  were provided or done  by the Fire Department  and

                       includes the registered owner  or mortgagee in possession of  such property

                       and includes a person in actual occupation of such property,



                       (i)    under an  agreement with the assessed owner for the  purchase of it;

                              or



                       (ii)   sold  by the  Director in  accordance  with  the Veterans   Land Act

                              (Canada);



                       but 



                       (iii)  in the case  of a  false fire alarm  originating from a  condominium

                              building, means  the condominium corporation  having control of  the

                              common elements of the building; and



                       (iv)   in the case of  a vehicle, means person  who is the registered owner

                              of the  vehicle and includes  person who is licensed  to operate the

                              vehicle.



        2.     Fee for Services



               The  City shall impose the fee for services set out in Schedule  A  for services or

activities (including without limitation inspections) provided or done by the Fire Department.



        3.     Payment of Fee



               (1)     The  owner  of  any  property  or vehicle  to  which  services  set  out in

Schedule  A  were  provided or done by the Fire Department, regardless of whether requested by the

owner or an agent of the owner or not, shall pay the  fee imposed for such services under  section

2 and billed to the owner by the City.   



               (2)     Where there  is more than one  owner, their liability for  payment shall be

joint and several.



        4.     Service of Invoice



               An  invoice for  services  billed  pursuant to  subsection  3(1) may  be served  by

personal service  on the owner or by regular  letter mail, in which  event service shall be deemed

to have been  made on the third  day after the day  of mailing, or  by electronic  transmission or

telephone  transmission of a  facsimile, in which event service shall  be deemed to have been made

on the first  day after the  day of  transmission, or by  some other method  that allows proof  of

receipt.



        5.     Invoice for Services



               Any invoice  for services  billed pursuant  to subsection  3(1) shall  describe the

service provided or done by the Fire Department, when and where the service was provided or  done,

the reason for the service, the  fee for the service, the terms  of payment of the  fee prescribed

in this By-law, and  the consequences of failing to pay the fee for the service as provided for in

this By-law.  

        6.     When and How Fee to be Paid



               The fee for services shall be  payable to the City, by cash, money order, cheque or

credit card, no later than thirty days from the date of the invoice for the services. 



        7.     Interest



               Where  the fee for  services remains unpaid, in  whole or in part,  for a period in

excess of  thirty days  from the date  of the invoice  for the services,  the owner shall  pay, in

addition to  the  outstanding balance  of  the  fee, interest  on  the outstanding  balance,  such

interest to be calculated at  a rate equal to the  prime lending rate  charged to the City by  its

banker from time to time plus one percent (1%) per annum.





        8.     Debt of Owner



               The fee  for services, plus  any interest that may have  accrued on the outstanding

balance under section 7, shall constitute a debt of the owner to the City. 



        9.     Collection of Debt



               The City may take such action as it considers necessary and  as is permitted by law

to collect the debt constituted under section 7. 



        10.    Collection Costs



               The owner  shall be liable to  pay to the  City any costs incurred  by the City  in

collecting the debt constituted under  section 7; and such costs shall  also constitute a  debt of

the owner to  the City; and section  9 shall apply  to the recovery of such  costs, with necessary

modifications.



        11.    Addition to Tax Roll



               (1)     Without restricting  the generality of sections 9 and 10, where the fee for

services or  charges or all or any  of them remains unpaid, in whole or in  part, for a period  in

excess of ninety days, such fee or charges  or all or any of them shall be  added to the tax  roll

for any real property within  the territorial limits of  the City owned,  in whole or in part,  by

the owner and shall be collected in a like manner as municipal taxes.



               (2)     Subsection (1)  does not  apply to a  fee or charge  for false  fire alarms

originating from a condominium building, which fee or charge may be recovered by action.



        12.    Joint and Several Liability



               All of the  owners of the real  property to whose tax roll  the fee for service  or

charges  or any  or all  of them were  added pursuant to  section 11  shall be liable  jointly and

severally for  paying such fee and  charges, and such fee and charges shall be collected in a like

manner as municipal taxes.

        13.    False Fire Alarm Reimbursement



               (1)     Subject to  subsection 13(3), where an owner  of a building has  paid a fee

for services  set out in  Schedule  A  for  services or activities  provided or done  by the  Fire

Department in respect  of a false fire  alarm at the owner s building and the  owner has since the

false fire  alarm installed in the  building a proper  security system or taken  other measures to

reduce  the likelihood of the occurrence of a false fire alarm at  the building in the future, the

owner may apply to the City to be reimbursed for the fee so paid.



               (2)     An application for reimbursement under subsection 13(1) shall include proof

of the installation  of a proper  security system  or of  the other measures  taken to reduce  the

likelihood of the occurrence of a false fire alarm at the building in the future, or both.



               (3)     Where the Fire Chief, in his sole judgment, is satisfied that the owner has

installed a  proper security system  or taken such  other measures that  the Fire Chief  considers

sufficient   to reduce  the likelihood of  the occurrence  of a false  fire alarm  at the  owner s

building  in the  future, the City,  on the  recommendation of the  Fire Chief, may  reimburse the

owner up  to a maximum of  ninety percent (90%)  of the fee paid  by the owner for  the false fire

alarm at the building in respect of which the services of the Fire Department were provided.



               (4)     The reimbursement under subsection 13(3) shall not include reimbursement of

any charges  levied against  the owner  under this  By-law in  respect of  an overdue  fee or  the

collection of such fee by the City. 



        14.    Number and Gender



               Unless the  contrary  intention  appears,  words  importing  the  masculine  gender

include  the feminine  or neuter gender  and words in  the singular  include the  plural, and vice

versa.



        15.    Severability



               If any section or part of this By-law or any  item in a schedule to this  By-law is

found to  be illegal or beyond  the power of the City's council to  enact, such section or part or

item shall  be deemed  to be severable  and all other  sections or parts  or items of  this By-law

shall be deemed to be separate and independent therefrom and to be enacted as such.



        16.    Repeal



               (1)     Schedule H  of Chapter 91 of  the Etobicoke Municipal Code  with respect to

Administrative Fees,  being By-law Nos. 1991-7-78  and 1994-55  of The Corporation of  the City of

Etobicoke, By-laws Nos.  32771 and 32773  of The  Corporation of the  City of North York,  By-laws

Nos. 24794  and 24971 of  The Corporation  of the  City of  Scarborough, Paragraph  178-14 of  the

Toronto  Municipal Code, being By-law No. 1996-0091 of The Corporation of the City of Toronto, By-

laws Nos. 3250-96 and 3439-97 of The Corporation  of the City of York, and any amendments thereto,

all  of  which  were  passed  by the  councils  of  the  old  area  municipalities  of  the former

Metropolitan  Toronto and all  of which were in force immediately  before the coming into force of

the City  of Toronto Act, 1997 and, by virtue of section 2(7) of the Act, are deemed to be by-laws

of the Council and remain in force in respect of the part  of the urban area to which they applied

immediately before  the coming into  force of the  Act, are repealed,  but only to  the extent  to

which any such  by-law deals with  the imposition  of fees or  charges for services or  activities

provided by the fire department of the old area municipality.



               (2)     Any other by-law (or part of it) and  any resolution of any of the six  old

area municipalities  of the  former Metropolitan  Toronto relating to  the imposition  of fees  or

charges for services  or activities provided by the  fire department of  the old area municipality

(and any amendments thereto) and not expressly mentioned in subsection (1) are  also repealed, but

only to the  extent to which  the by-law or resolution deals  with the imposition of such  fees or

charges.



        ENACTED AND PASSED this 16th day of April, A.D. 1998.



CASE OOTES,                                                                NOVINA WONG,           

        Deputy Mayor                                                                    City Clerk



(Corporate Seal)



                               SCHEDULE  A  TO BY-LAW No. 133-1998

                      Fee Schedule - All Fees include G.S.T. where required.

 SERVICES/INSPECTIONS                                                                   FEE     



 1.      Day Care/Group Homes                                                            $100.00



 2.      Provincial Licencing - L.L.B.O.                                                  160.00

 3.      Provincial Licencing - Teletheatre                                               160.00



 4.      Industrial/Mercantile/Service <1000m2                                            120.00



 5.      As above - each additional 1000m2                                                 35.00



 6.      Multiple Unit Occupancy - Bldg. In Gen.                                          120.00

 7.      Multiple Unit Occupancy - Per Unit                                                75.00



 8.      Office Building - 1st storey                                                     120.00



 9.      Office Building - each storey above or below 1st storey                           30.00



 10.     Office Building - Per Office Unit                                                 75.00

 11.     Residential Building - 1st storey                                                120.00



 12.     Residential Building - each storey above or below 1st  storey                     30.00



 13.     Residential Building - Per Subsidiary Unit                                        75.00



 14.     Two unit residential occupancy                                                   150.00

 15.     Residential Retrofit - 1st storey                                                500.00



 16.     Residential Retrofit - each storey above or below 1st storey                      50.00



 17.     Residential Retrofit - Per Subsidiary Unit                                        75.00



 18.     Fire Route processing and approval - if not on Building Permit                   200.00

 19.     Letter related to Fire Prevention issues                                          70.00



 20.     Copies of Fire Report or Information from files                                   60.00



 21.     Copies of Fire Inspection Reports from file                                       60.00

 22.     Additional units in same building - Per Unit                                      10.00



 23.     Fill in the blank Fire Safety Plans                                               25.00



 24.     Fireworks display permit                                                         200.00



 25.     Special request services/person hour - min. of 4 hours                            45.00





 26.     Third and subsequent malicious false alarms, for same address,                   300.00

         per year, per fire vehicle dispatched



 27.     Third and subsequent nuisance false alarms, for same address,

         per 2 month period, per fire vehicle dispatched                                  300.00



 SERVICES/INSPECTIONS                                                                   FEE     

 28.     Emergency Response to vehicle incident - non City resident

         First hour or part thereof, per fire vehicle                                     300.00

 29.     Emergency Response to vehicle incident - non City Resident

         Each additional half hour or part thereof, per fire vehicle                      120.00



 

   
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