Community Update: July 29, 2024

Neighbour --

In the past two weeks, we’ve experienced just how urgent it is that all orders of government invest in infrastructure to prepare for the serious impacts of climate change that are already happening now.

As more than 100 millimetres—or two months worth—of rain fell on Toronto in a matter of hours last week, entire sections of the city, including in Davenport, experienced power loss and flooding, disrupting or disabling our transit system and roadways. The City’s emergency response acted swiftly to rescue people in need and minimize physical danger, but the damage from the storm will take time and resources to repair. 

Over a decade ago, governments stepped away from investments in programs that help to reduce paved areas, create more permeable surfaces, and increase groundwater absorption. We need to return to these flood-prevention methods. At council this past week, I supported Mayor Chow’s motion to increase stormwater mitigation programs, while exploring incentives for homeowners and businesses to invest in green infrastructure and water-friendly surfaces.

If you haven’t already installed a sump pump, backwater valve, or disconnected your weeping tiles, I encourage you to explore the City’s Basement Flooding Protection Subsidy Program which can provide up to $3,400 per property to install flood protection devices. Owners of a single-family, duplex, triplex or fourplex residential home can apply online. 

There is also good news to share. Council approved the allocation nearly $2 billion from the City’s New Deal with the Province that uploaded the cost of the Gardiner and DVP highways. The recommendation is to invest this money in TTC, parks, and priority infrastructure projects. This will help to tackle our repair backlog and make much-needed improvements to how we get around our city and to our parks and green spaces, as well as how we protect our infrastructure. 

You can find more updates from City Council, including many updates on my community-driven policy-making approach, local news, and my upcoming Community Movie Night below.

Sincerely,

Alejandra Bravo
City Councillor • Ward 9 • Davenport
Chair, Economic & Community Development Committee

In this edition

• City Council Update
• Community Movie Night on August 9th!
• Postponed: Community Environment Day
• Addressing issues with water meter transmission units
• Update on Toronto parking violation increases
• Learn about Toronto's update noise by-law
• Updated rules for short-term rentals
• Apply for Tax & Utility Relief Programs
• Share your thoughts: Housing & homelessness in Toronto's Black community
• Reminder: Leash your dogs in public
• Construction & Work Notices
• Programming at Parks & Libraries
• In the community
• Community Events
• Other updates

City Council Update

Local Policy-Making

Bringing issues from our community to the floor of Council continues to be a priority for me. At this past week’s meeting of City Council, I advanced many policy proposals that were driven by what I’ve heard from the people of Davenport:

Developing a Rat Reduction Plan: It’s hard not to agree that with the dubious honour of being Canada’s “rattiest city”, Toronto is long overdue for a real plan on rodent control. This is something I’ve heard about from many people in Davenport, so I put forward a proposal to create a rat reduction plan and it was approved by City Council this week. 

Making Licence and Permit Applications Easier: Across Davenport, residents and small businesses have spoken to me about the difficulties they’ve had getting a City licence or permit. City Council adopted my proposal to create an action plan to simply applications and requirements, accelerate technology improvements, improve communication, and speed up response and processing time. 

Getting Vehicles out of City Parks: I've also heard frustration about vehicles driving through parks and impacting local use of green space. City Council adopted my request for a full review of the standard operating procedure for vehicles in park green spaces, with a look towards reducing their use and procuring alternative types of vehicles for City workers.

Protecting Youth from Vaping Harms: City Council adopted my request to Municipal Licensing & Standards to enhance the response to the illegal sale of vape products to children and youth. Local schools and parents have reached out with their concerns, so I’m making sure that the City takes action to deal with bad-actor retailers and provides an update on ongoing education and outreach initiatives at schools across Toronto. 

Improving Access to Outdoor Ovens: I seconded a motion to look at improving access to outdoor ovens in City Parks. The Dufferin Grove Park community has been a model for how outdoor ovens can bring together communities—there’s ways that other park communities can learn from Dufferin Grove’s successes and how we can make outdoor oven access even better at our local park.

Schoolyard Improvements at École élémentaire Charles-Sauriol: I moved to provide $500,000 from Section 37 funds obtained as part of the development at 386-394 Symington Avenue, 485 Perth Avenue and 17 Kingsley Avenue to improve the schoolyard at École élémentaire Charles-Sauriol. As part of this funding, a 20-year agreement will be signed to guarantee local community access to the schoolyard outside of school hours for recreation. 

I believe that good policy-making begins at the community level. My team and I are always excited to hear new ideas and suggestions that you may have for how we can tackle challenges and make improvements together for our neighbourhoods and communities. Together, we are making a contribution to making life better in our city. 

City-wide Updates

Improving the Multi-Tenant Housing Framework: Toronto’s new Multi-Tenant (Rooming) Housing Framework helps to ensure that multi-tenant homes are safer. I moved to further strengthen the framework by requesting that an exemption from the requirement for parkland dedication funding is drafted, like the exemption already granted for many other fees—making units more affordable and reducing upfront costs. In addition, many refugee houses have come to me with questions about the applicability of the framework to their unique services, so Council has requested clarification to ensure that refugee houses can continue to operate and expand. 

Release the Canada-Ontario Housing Benefits: The Canada-Ontario Housing Benefit program is funded by the Federal and Provincial governments, to help people and families that are experiencing homelessness secure permanent housing that they can afford. Toronto's shelter system is well over capacity, with over 230 people each night not matched to a shelter bed because there is no space available in the shelter system. Since March 31, Toronto has been waiting for the provincial government to release this year’s allocation of benefits so that we can urgently help people find permanent housing. Council adopted my motion to call on the provincial government to release the COHB allocation and asking for it to be at least $54 million. 

Canada-wide Early Learning & Child Care Implementation: As Chair of the Economic & Community Development Committee, I convened a roundtable of Toronto’s child care sector to discuss the ongoing challenges in the implementation of the Canada-wide Early Learning and Child Care Agreement. The roundtable identified that the agreement needs to be implemented in a way that is fair, sustainable, and promotes growth. This isn’t feasible without additional support from the provincial and federal governments.

In addition, Council adopted my motion calling on the provincial government to reverse their recent decision to cancel 48 previously-approved child care projects that would’ve create 3,083 new spaces, including 98 planned spaces in Davenport at Pope Francis CES and St. Nicholas of Bari CES. 

Acceleration of Gardiner Expressway Construction: Mayor Olivia Chow secured a $73 million investment from the provincial government to accelerate construction on the Gardiner construction and do even more of the work around-the-clock. It is estimated that this additional investment will reduce construction time by one year. 

Updates on 2026 World Cup Hosting: City Council received a substantial update on the ongoing work to prepare for hosting the 2026 FIFA World Cup. This includes updates on governance, the Community Benefits Plan, a Legacy and Program Advisory Framework, the work to organize the FIFA Fan Festival, and the acceleration of installation of RapidTO bus priority lanes on Dufferin Street and Bathurst Street to keep people moving. There was also an additional report on the procurement plan. 

Community Movie Night on August 9th!

Postponed: Community Environment Day

Community Environment Day at Loretto College has been postponed due to summer construction at the school. The new date is Sept 29, 2024, and I will provide more details closer to the event. 

Addressing issues with water meter transmission units

The City of Toronto is proactively addressing the higher-than-expected failure rate of its Meter Transmission Units (MTUs). These MTUs, which transmit water consumption data to the City for billing, are failing prematurely, but the water meters themselves remain functional. No water customer will pay for more than their actual consumption due to these failures, as bills will be adjusted once actual readings are obtained.   

The City is implementing a comprehensive response plan, including negotiating with the supplier, focusing internal resources on helping affected Torontonians and monitoring estimated bills, adjusting the process as required. Find more information on the City’s Water Meters webpage. 

Update on Toronto parking violation increases

Effective Thursday, August 1, 2024, the City of Toronto will be increasing parking fines for 123 offences associated with parking, stopping and standing vehicles illegally. This increase follows a comprehensive review of existing on-street penalty amounts adopted by Toronto City Council on April 17, 2024. 

Also taking effect August 1 are new parking offences for electric vehicles (EVs) along with an updated definition for EVs. More information is available on the City’s About Parking Violations webpage.  

Learn about Toronto's updated noise by-law

The Noise Bylaw aims to balance the city’s vibrancy with the needs of residents and visitors, providing time restrictions and sound level limits for various types of noise.  

Earlier this year, City Council adopted updates to the Noise Bylaw and key changes came into effect on June 1. Visit the City’s Noise webpage for more information on: 

• Rules for different types of noise 
• How to be compliant with the bylaw 
• How the City addresses noise complaints 
• Rules for construction noise and which types of projects are exempt from the bylaw 

Updated rules for short-term rentals

The City of Toronto is regulating short-term rentals to help preserve rental homes across the city. Short-term rentals are only allowed in a principal residence and in 2024, City Council adopted updates to the short-term rental bylaw. Here's a summary of changes for short term rental operators (residents who rent their homes for short periods of time) that came into effect June 30: 

• Operators must post a physical copy of the emergency contact information and exit diagrams prominently in the rental for the duration of the guest’s rental period.  
• Any operator who does not comply with the short-term rental rules could have their registration revoked in 10 days (this was previously 40 days). However, operators can appeal this and explain why their registration should not be revoked. 
• Revised definitions of short-term rental, principal residence and dwelling unit clarify the bylaw and make it easier for operators to understand the regulations.  
• Licensed multi-tenant house operators are not allowed to apply for a short-term rental registration.    

More information on the bylaw changes and an updated Good Operator Guide is available on the City’s Short-Term Rentals webpage.  

Apply for Tax & Utility Relief Programs

The City of Toronto is committed to supporting vulnerable populations by assisting low-income seniors and low-income individuals with disabilities through its Tax & Utility Relief programs. These programs are designed to alleviate financial strain and ensure eligible property owners can comfortably maintain their homes.  

More information, including eligibility criteria and how to apply for the Tax & Utility Relief programs, is available on the City’s Property Tax, Water & Solid Waste Relief Programs webpage. The deadline to apply is October 31, 2024. 

Share your thoughts: Housing & homelessness in Toronto's Black community

On Monday, July 29, the City is hosting a learning opportunity to engage with members of Toronto’s African, Caribbean and Black communities on housing and homelessness. A drop-in session will be held at Regent Park Community Centre (402 Shuter St.) from 2 to 5 p.m., followed by a guided discussion from 5 to 9 p.m.  

Community members are invited to share their lived experience and help identify gaps in services for Black residents, especially refugees, queer and trans youth, seniors, people living with disabilities and other equity-deserving communities. Find more details about the discussion on the City’s Developing a Renewed 10-Year Action Plan to Confront Anti-Black Racism webpage.  

Reminder: Leash your dogs in public

The City of Toronto has recently seen an increase in serious dog attacks. Most of these attacks could have been prevented if dogs were kept on a leash. Toronto dog owners are reminded that all dogs—regardless of size, breed or nature—must be leashed in public places, unless they are in a designated off-leash area. Dog owners are liable if their dog attacks or injures another person or pet. 

If you want to report an unleashed dog on either public or school board property, call 3-1-1 or visit www.toronto.ca/311. For emergencies involving a dangerous dog, call 9-1-1. 

More information is available on the City’s Responsible Dog Ownership webpage.

Construction & Work Notices

Toronto Hydro: Russett Avenue

Transportation Services: Road Reconstruction and Road Resurfacing on Dufferin Street from Bloor Street West to Geary Avenue

The City of Toronto is planning to reconstruct the road on Dufferin Street from Dupont Street to Geary Avenue and resurface Dufferin Street from Bloor Street West to approximately 170 m south of Dupont Street. Our inspection of the road shows that it needs reconstruction and/or repaving, and sections of damaged curb and sidewalk need to be replaced to bring them to a state of good repair. Additionally, the City is planning to upgrade traffic signals and enhance geometric safety improvements at various intersections in support the Council-approved Vision Zero Road Safety Plan. New cycling pavement markings and separators will also be installed on Hallam Street from Dufferin Street to Bartlett Avenue and on Millicent Street from Emerson Avenue to Dufferin Street. This project is part of the Council-approved 2024 Capital Works Program to renew aging City roads and sidewalk for current and future needs.

Programming at Parks & Libraries

Parks, Forestry & Recreation Summer Programs: Summer recreation programming for all ages including kids cooking, adult outdoor yoga, ball hockey, and more are still open for registration. Learn more here. 

What's On at the Library: Summer programs for people of all ages continue this summer at Toronto Public Library branches across our ward. You can see the local schedule for your branch here. 

In the community

I was delighted to drop for the first Friday Night Supper at the Dufferin Grove Clubhouse. Thanks to all of the organizers, City staff and the Dufferin Grove Organic Farmers' Market who helped to make it happen. 

I was proud to host a roundtable of refugee-serving agencies and groups at City Hall to discuss the ongoing challenges for refugees in our city and ensuring access to adequate shelter 

Community Events

Other updates

• Toronto City Council takes action to protect and invest in Toronto Island Park
• Toronto Paramedic Services celebrates the graduation of 37 new recruits
• Mayor Olivia Chow announces $2 million in funding to support Toronto’s festivals
• City of Toronto and Na-Me-Res to celebrate the opening of new affordable rental homes for Indigenous men experiencing homelessness
• City of Toronto announces return of #BeSunSafe program in select Toronto parks this summer
• Toronto Public Health confirms first mosquitos to test positive for West Nile virus in 2024
• New Toronto Public Health Strategic Plan envisions a city where all people can be healthy and thrive