Members of Council and Staff:  Please keep this agenda and the accompanying material until the City Council meeting dealing with these matters has ended.  The City Clerk’s Office will not provide additional copies.

Special Assistance for Members of the Public:  City staff can arrange for special assistance with some advance notice. If you need special assistance, please call 416-392-4365, TTY 416-338-0889 or e-mail lsc@toronto.ca.

Closed Meeting Requirements:  If the Licensing and Standards Committee wants to meet in closed session (privately), a member of the Committee must make a motion to do so and give the reason why the Committee has to meet privately.(City of Toronto Act, 2006)

Notice to people writing or making presentations to the Licensing and Standards Committee:  The City of Toronto Act, 2006 and the City of Toronto Municipal Code authorize the City of Toronto to collect any personal information in your communication or presentation to City Council or its committees.

The City collects this information to enable it to make informed decisions on the relevant issue(s). If you are submitting letters, faxes, e-mails, presentations or other communications to the City, you should be aware that your name and the fact that you communicated with the City will become part of the public record and will appear on the City’s website. The City will also make your communication and any personal information in it – such as your postal address, telephone number or e-mail address - available to the public, unless you expressly request the City to remove it.

The City videotapes committee and community council meetings. If you make a presentation to a committee or community council, the City will be videotaping you and City staff may make the video tapes available to the public.

If you want to learn more about why and how the City collects your information, write to the City Clerk's Office, City Hall, 100 Queen Street West, Toronto ON  M5H 2N2 or by calling 416-397-7769.

Declarations of Interest under the Municipal Conflict of Interest Act

Speakers/Presentations: A complete list will be distributed at the meeting

Confirmation of Minutes: January 14, 2010

Communications/Reports

The Executive Director of Municipal Licensing and Standards recommends that the Licensing and Standards Committee:

1.         Direct Municipal Licensing and Standards, in consultation with TABIA, ORHMA and any other relevant associations, to work with resident and business groups, as well as individual nightclub and entertainment establishments, to implement strategies, such as the Entertainment District BIA’s nightlife establishment best practices, in order to reduce violence and nuisances associated with the operation of eating and entertainment establishments;

2.         Direct Municipal Licensing and Standards to monitor issues with eating and entertainment establishments under its jurisdiction and to report back to the Licensing and Standards Committee, as appropriate, on whether any additional measures are required to reduce violence and nuisances associated with the operation of these establishments; and

3.         Authorise and direct City staff to take any other action deemed necessary to implement the above recommendations.

This report is a response to a direction from City Council to report back on regulatory and non-regulatory mechanisms for reducing alcohol-related violence in liquor-licensed establishments, with particular consideration given to the possibility of making the Safer Bars training program one of these mechanisms.

Staff concluded that the regulatory regime should be more sensitive to the varying scope of entertainment activities provided by bars, nightclubs and restaurants.  This regulatory regime is cross-divisional and requires further study and collaboration from the pertinent City Divisions.  From a non-regulatory perspective, staff recommend that ML&S continue to work with Toronto Association of Business Improvement Areas (TABIA), Ontario Restaurant, Hotel and Motel Association (ORHMA) and concerned businesses and residents to promote best practices in the industry and that staff subsequently evaluate the effectiveness of these efforts and provide the Licensing and Standards Committee with further recommendations, as required.  Staff are of the opinion that the implementation of the Safer Bars training program to (liquor) licensed establishments is beyond the scope of the City’s mandate and that it should be left to the Province, specifically the Alcohol and Gaming Commission, to implement, if deemed appropriate.

The following internal and external stakeholders were consulted, as considered appropriate, in the formulation of this report: Legal Services, Social Development, Finance and Administration, City Planning, Toronto Public Health, Toronto Police Service, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario, the Ontario Restaurant, Hotel and Motel Association, and the Entertainment District Business Improvement Area (BIA).

There are no financial implications beyond those in the current budget arising from the recommendations of this report.

The Executive Director, Municipal Licensing and Standards Division recommends that:

1.         Taximeters in Toronto licensed taxicabs be recalibrated to reflect the newly Harmonized Sales Tax (H.S.T.) of 13% to be charged on taxicab fares as of July 1, 2010; and

2.         The appropriate City officials be authorized to undertake the necessary action to give effect thereto.

Public notice has been given in a manner prescribed in the Toronto Municipal Code Chapter 162, Notice, Public.

The purpose of this report is to advise the City of Toronto regarding adjustments necessary to taxicab fares in Toronto due to the harmonization of the Province of Ontario’s 8% Provincial Sales Tax (P.S.T.) with the Federal government’s Goods and Services Tax (G.S.T.) of 5%.  This Harmonized Sales Tax (H.S.T.) of 13%, which will be applied to all taxicab fares in the Province of Ontario, will come into effect on July 1, 2010.

The adoption of the recommendations in this report will require MLS to use approximately six thousand of the ten thousand taximeter seals already purchased for 2010, in order to accommodate the taximeter testing and resealing task associated with any change to the taxicab fare.  New tariff cards for use in each taxicab, reflecting the change in the taxes on taxicab fares, will also need to be printed at a cost of approximately $400.00 to MLS.  MLS will also need to take out an advertisement in the Taxi News, at a cost of $210.00, to inform the Toronto taxicab industry of the scheduling and location for the testing and resealing of the taximeters.

It is estimated that with the staff required for the testing and resealing of the taximeters, MLS will incur overtime staffing costs of approximately $2,000.00.  All of the required expenditures will be accommodated within the 2010 operating budget.

The Deputy City Manager and Chief Financial Officer has reviewed this report and agrees with the financial impact information.

The Executive Director, Municipal Licensing and Standards recommends that:

1.         This report be received for information purposes only.

The purpose of this report was to fulfil Council’s direction that Municipal Licensing and Standards (MLS) review the categories and fees for Non-Motorized Refreshment (NMR) Vehicle Licences and Refreshment Assistant Licences with a view to making it easier and more cost effective for assistants in the Toronto a la Cart program to obtain licences.

Street food vending plays a role in creating vibrant, safe street life in large cities.  The Toronto a la Cart project adds to the diversity of food offerings and vibrant streetscape of Toronto.  It is believed that this street food vending initiative would be more successful if changes were made to the regulations governing the pilot, including a reduction of associated licensing fee costs. 

Licensing fees are established based on a cost recovery model within a fee class; changes would affect the entire business class and negatively impact the cost recovery methodology.

There is no financial impact beyond what has already been approved in the current year’s budget.

However, if a fee reduction is pursued, it would result in a loss of revenue for MLS as the reductions will be applied to the affected fee classes.  (A 10 per cent licence fee reduction would lead to revenue loss of $156,117.17 in 2010).

The Deputy City Manager and Chief Financial Officer have reviewed this report and agrees with the financial impact information.