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 416-397-7768, TTY 416-338-0889 or e-mail pgmc@toronto.ca.

Closed Meeting Requirements:  If the Planning and Growth Management 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 Planning and Growth Management 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 416-392-7340.

Declarations of Interest under the Municipal Conflict of Interest Act

Confirmation of Minutes - November 4, 2009

Speakers/Presentations – A Complete list will be distributed at the meeting

The Deputy City Manager, Cluster B recommends that:

1.         City Council amend the draft by-law attached as Appendix A to the November 27, 2009 report from the Deputy City Manager, Cluster B and the Deputy City Manager and Chief Financial Officer to:

A.        amend the proposed Chapter 694 to make all decisions of the Sign Variance Committee final and binding with the exception of decisions of the Sign Variance Committee to grant a variance to Chapter 694, which is only final and binding 21 days after its issuance, unless the decision is referred by the Ward Councillor to City Council for final decision in accordance with the mechanism for referral contained in Article V – Variances and By-law Amendments of the proposed Chapter 694; and

B.         add a new subsection to Article V – Variances and By-law Amendments of the proposed Chapter 694, to create a mechanism for the Ward Councillor to require a decision of the Sign Variance Committee to grant a variance to Chapter 694 to be referred to City Council for final decision; such mechanism to include the following:

i.           referrals shall be initiated only by the Ward Councillor for the Ward where the sign is proposed to be erected, displayed, modified or restored;

ii.          the Ward Councillor shall provide the requisite notice to the Chief Building Official, in writing, within 20 days of the decision of the Sign Variance Committee;

iii.        the Community Council for the Ward in which the sign is proposed to be erected, displayed, modified or restored shall hear the Ward Councillor appeal and make recommendations to City Council with respect to granting a variance to the proposed Chapter 694; and

iv.        City Council will be the final decision making authority with respect to granting variances to the proposed Chapter 694 referred to City Council at the request of the Ward Councillor.

2.         City Council amend the City of Toronto Municipal Code Chapter 27, Council Procedures, by adding a new Section 11 to Appendix B – Committees, IV Duties of Community Council to add to the list of Community Council responsibilities and make it the responsibility of the Community Councils to hear the Ward Councillor appeal and make recommendations to City Council with respect to final decisions concerning variances to Chapter 694.

3.         City Council authorize the City Solicitor to prepare the necessary Bills for introduction in Council to implement the above recommendation subject to such stylistic and technical changes to the draft bills as may be required.

At its meeting of November 30, December 1, 2, 4 and 7, 2009, Toronto City Council requested that the Deputy City Manager, Cluster B report to the Planning and Growth Management Committee on possible amendments to the proposed Chapter 694, Signs, General and to Chapter 27, Council Procedures, of the City of Toronto Municipal Code, which would implement a mechanism to permit decisions of the Sign Variance Committee granting variances to the proposed Chapter 694 to be appealed to City Council for final decision.

The proposed appeal mechanism may only be triggered by the affected Ward Councillor following a decision of the Sign Variance Committee to grant a variance to the proposed Chapter 694.  The relevant Community Council would hear and make recommendations to City Council for final decision concerning granting a variance to Chapter 694.

The Chief Planner and Executive Director, City Planning recommends that:

1.         The Chief Planner and Executive Director, City Planning, prepare zoning regulations for Rooming Houses that would be incorporated in the New Zoning By-law that would define and permit Rooming Houses in  Residential Multiple (RM) zones, where five or more units are permitted, Residential Apartment (RA) zones, Commercial Residential (CR) zones, Commercial Residential Employment (CRE) zones and those parts of the Residential (R) zone in the Draft Zoning By-law that coincide with the existing provisions for Rooming Houses found the R2, R3, R4 and R4A zones in the former City of Toronto Zoning By-law.

2.         The Executive Director of Municipal Licensing and Standards, in consultation with the Fire Chief, the Medical Officer of Health and the Chief Planner and Executive Director, City Planning, prepare a city-wide Rooming House licensing regime and enforcement strategy which takes into account the proposed zoning approach outlined in Recommendation 1.

3.        The Chief Planner and Executive Director, City Planning, and the Executive Director of Municipal Licensing and Standards consult with the public and stakeholders after preparing the draft zoning and licensing regulations.

4.         The Chief Planner and Executive Director, City Planning, and the Executive Director of Municipal Licensing and Standards report to the Planning and Growth Management Committee following the preparation of and consultation on the draft zoning by-law and licensing by-law changes.

The Chief Planner and Executive Director, City Planning recommends that:

1.         In order to more effectively administer the provisions of Section 111 of the City of Toronto Act, City Council request the Ministers of Municipal Affairs and Housing, Government Services and Finance and the Chief Executive Officer of the Financial Services Commission, in consultation with the City Solicitor, to amend application forms and web site information to make reference and appropriate links to City of Toronto information on the establishment of co‑ownerships and equity co‑operatives (with share capital) involving the conversion of rental properties.

2.         City Council direct City Planning staff to:

a.         continue to liaise with Provincial staff in the relevant application intake offices of the Ministry of Government Services and Financial Services Commission to explore alternative methods of advising potential registrants of corporations involving the conversion of rental property in the City of Toronto of the requirements under Section 111 of the City of Toronto Act; and

b.         update public information on the requirements of Section 111 as it pertains to the conversion of rental housing to co-ownership, and disseminate such information to the Ministry of Government Services and Financial Services Commission, and to other key stakeholders to reiterate and reinforce the City’s requirements in this regard. 

At present, corporations functioning as co-ownerships, including equity co-operatives, are established through a provincial incorporation and registration process.  However, the formation of some of these corporate entities involves the conversion of rental housing which is contrary to Section 111 of the City of Toronto Act and subject to prosecution under that legislation.

Based on the recommendation of the Planning and Growth Management Committee, City Council at its meeting on October 29 and 30, 2008, directed City staff to meet with provincial staff to develop a protocol to resolve concerns related to the creation of co-ownerships through the conversion of rental housing.

Efforts have been made by the Mayor’s office and City staff to meet with Provincial staff and seek changes to relevant legislation and administrative review processes.  To date, these efforts have met with limited success.  This report describes the work undertaken to resolve the issue and presents several recommendations for further action.

This report has been prepared in consultation with staff from the Legal Services Division.

At its meeting of September 16, 2009, the Planning and Growth Management Committee considered a motion from Councillor Di Giorgio concerning possible amendments to the Official Plan intended to facilitate Toronto Housing Charter opportunities for all residents of the City. Specifically, the motion addressed allowing the conversion of existing affordable rental units to provide affordable homeownership in various parts of the City, and stems from a recent Court decision pertaining to an OMB hearing on 1465 Lawrence Avenue West.

The Committee requested that the Chief Planner, in consultation with Legal staff, report on the matter. Affordable Housing Office staff has also been consulted during the preparation of this report.  Planning and Legal staff consider that the Official Plan housing policies are in conformity and consistent with the broader provincial policy framework including the Provincial Policy Statement.  As well, these policies are consistent with the intent of the Toronto Housing Charter.  No amendments to the Official Plan are necessary or desirable to facilitate the implementation of the Toronto Housing Charter.

The Chief Planner and Executive Director, City Planning recommends that:

1.         Planning and Growth Management Committee approve the preparation of a Community Improvement Plan to extend the Commercial Façade Improvement Program to 20 new Business Improvement Areas.

2.         Notice for the public meeting under the Planning Act be given in accordance with the regulations under the Planning Act with the public meeting targeted for Spring 2010.

3.         This report be forwarded to the Economic Development Committee for information.

4.         The appropriate City officials be authorized and directed to take the necessary actions to give effect thereto.

This report seeks authority to prepare a by-law to adopt a Community Improvement Plan (CIP) to extend the Commercial Façade Improvement Program grants to property owners within new Business Improvement Areas once the Business Improvement Area (BIA) becomes eligible and other eligibility requirements have been met.

There are no financial implications contained in this report.

The Chief Building Official and Executive Director, Toronto Building recommends that:

1.         That authority be granted for the introduction of a Bill revising the list of appointed Inspectors under the Building Code Act, 1992.