Property taxes, Bixi & smoke-free Toronto up for debate at city council

After voting against extending their meeting on Wednesday, Toronto councillors were back in chambers on Thursday to resume debate on the Bixi bike-sharing program.

Council agreed to get staff to consider having new condos and office buildings include Bixi stations as a condition of their approval.

The chief planner and transportation services manager will present a report to the Planning and Growth Management Committee on Feb. 27, 2014.

Council also agreed to an extra property tax charge next year and has yet to debate a motion to make outdoor spaces, such as public squares and restaurant patios, smoke-free.

The session comes after an explosive day at city hall which saw Mayor Rob Ford admit he had purchased drugs while in office, address an infamous photo of himself and three men at what police have said was a crack house, float a motion that all councillors undergo drug testing using hair and urine samples, and twice confront Coun. Denzil Minnan-Wong.

Minnan-Wong was behind a motion asking Ford to take a leave of absence, a motion that passed 37-5. The vote is not binding and Ford can remain in office.

Bixi bike-sharing program

The executive committee approved, with amendments, a confidential report about strategies that could save the Bixi bike-sharing program. The executive committee also recommended making the report public. The service, which launched in May 2011, is carrying a $3.9-million debt.

Click here to read the motion.

Casa Loma makeover

Council voted in favour of an executive committee recommendation that the city sign a 20-year agreement with the Liberty Entertainment Group to improve and manage Casa Loma.

Liberty is proposing installing a fine dining restaurant and banquet hall in the 98-room Edwardian landmark.

The Kiwanis Club of Casa Loma ran the landmark for 73 years, but the city scrapped the agreement about two years ago — and city hall has been accepting proposals ever since.

Click here to read the motion.

Social housing

The executive committee approved, with amendments, a 10-year funding plan for the Toronto Community Housing Corp. (TCHC), including an increase to its annual operating budget for capital backlog repairs to $50 million for 2013.

A report from the city manager is also requesting that the committee direct the TCHC to allocate any unspent annual capital repair funding into a State of Good Repair Reserve Fund.

Click here to read the motion.

Getting revenues from Woodbine

Council decided the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corp. (OLG) must pay the city a share of revenue generated at the Woodbine Racetrack.

Click here to read the motion.

Property tax levy

Council approved an interim property tax charge for 2014. It will be based on 50 per cent of the total 2013 taxes billed for each property, adjusted as necessary to reflect any additional taxes added to the previous year’s taxes as a result of assessment added to the tax roll.

The extra levy will raise approximately $1.84 billion.

Click here to read the motion.

Mixed public housing at Bayside Development

Council voted in favour of buying lakefront condos for affordable housing.

The city will contribute $15 million in capital funding for the construction of approximately 71 affordable rental homes in the Bayside Development, near Queen’s Quay.

The mayor vehemently opposed the motion, saying that prime lakefront property should not be used for affordable housing. Mayor Ford and his brother, Coun. Doug Ford were the two lone votes against the item.

Click here to read the motion.

Smoke-free Toronto

Council voted to adopt a wider smoking ban to protect people from second-hand smoke. The expanded ban would make outdoor spaces, such as public squares, bar and restaurant patios, building doorways and hospital grounds smoke-free, essentially limiting outdoor smoking to sidewalks and roadways.

Dr. David McKeown, the city’s medical officer of health, said in a staff report that about 60 municipalities in Ontario have similar or partial bans, and that a smoking ban has widespread public support.

Current legislation prohibits smoking in all enclosed workplaces and public places, in vehicles with children and on school property. It also prohibits smoking on covered or partially covered bar and restaurant patios and within nine metres of entrances and exits of health-care facilities.

Click here to read the motion.

Scrapping fees for recreational programs

The Community Development and Recreation Committee recommends the city scrap user fees for all of its recreational programs at a cost to taxpayers of $30.6 million a year.

Before amalgamation, the old City of Toronto offered free programs but other cities did not. After amalgamation, some municipalities saw their fees reduced while fees were introduced in Toronto.

Councillor Paula Fletcher, a committee member who supported the motion, has said that free programs encourage children to be active.

The item was referred.

Click here to read the motion.

Council is also considering expanding its 33 after-school recreation care programs beyond priority neighbourhoods, which would cost an extra $1.3 million over the next three years for the 16 additional sites.

Click here to read the motion.

Street food vending bylaws

Council voted to eliminate the Refreshment Vehicle Assistant Licence.

Currently, food trucks are limited to private parking lots and special events. The city’s Municipal Licensing and Standards Division has proposed changes to the space carts can occupy on sidewalks, as well as other issues including:

• opportunities for vending on public property (city parks, public spaces, right-of-way).
• opportunities for vending on private property (parking lots).
• improved vending opportunities for mobile food vendors such as food trucks.

Click here to read the motion.

July 8 storm update

The city got another update on the aftermath of the July 8 storm that dumped more than 126 millimetres of rain in 90 minutes, causing severe flooding to about 4,700 basements, mainly in Etobicoke and York.

Councillors want a staff report on a more co-ordinated approach between 311, Toronto Hydro, Hydro One and Toronto Water, which would help the information line respond better during emergencies, among other things.

Click here to read the motion.

Bloor-Dupont bikeway study

Council debated whether to hire consultants to do an environmental assessment study for both Bloor and Dupont streets next year that would cost $450,000.

The work would include evaluating a design and implementation plan for a bikeway along the Bloor-Danforth corridor from Keele Street to Prince Edward Viaduct, as well as evaluating the feasibility of separated bike lanes.

There are bike lanes on Bloor from Sherboune Street to Broadview Avenue.

The item was adopted.

Click here to read the motion.

Hoarding co-ordination office

Council will consider creating a hoarding co-ordination office to synchronize the efforts of police, fire and social services when dealing with extreme hoarders.

Coun. Mary-Margaret McMahon is behind the proposal, which was prompted by an incident in her ward. In September, dozens of cats had to be rescued from a suspected hoarder’s home in the Beach after neighbours endured the stench and litter for years.

Council will also consider asking for a report from the chief medical health officer to have excessive animal feces and urine categorized as a public health hazard.

The item was referred.

Click here to read the motion.

Downtown relief line

Coun. Josh Matlow wants council to get the ball rolling on an environmental assessment of the downtown relief subway line instead of waiting for a study on the matter from the chief planner.

The relief line, which would go from Pape and Danforth to downtown, would help relieve pressure on the Bloor-Yonge station.

A two-thirds vote was required by council to reopen the motion that previously delegated the matter to the city planner.

The item was withdrawn.

Click here to read the motion.

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