Toronto City Council Planning and Housing Committee, 13 Nov 2019

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From YouTube: Planning and Housing Committee - Novemeber 13, 2019 - Part 2 of 2

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Planning and Housing Committee, meeting 10, Novemeber 13, 2019 - Part 2 of 2
Agenda and background materials:
http://app.toronto.ca/tmmis/decisionBodyProfile.do?function=doPrepare&meetingId=15430
Part 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gtiw9ZgqcxU

Meeting Navigation:
0:13:39 - Meeting resume

A

Speak on any of the items today that doesn't have their name on the list. That would be item number two. An item number seven I think for rent safe, an item number two housing now please come and see the clerk and get your name on there or you can always indicate when we're in it that you'd like to address the committee. Thank you we'll start shortly, when we have a few committee members here.

B

C

Afternoon would members of the Planning and Housing Committee please report to committee room one for quorum.

A

Committee members report to committee room 1, please thank you.

D

Good afternoon, when members of the Planning and Housing Committee.

B

Please report to committee room 1 for Cora.

A

E

Welcome back everybody we're gonna start.

E

Thank you. If I could get everybody's attention, we will resume the meeting and start with the deputations on item 10.2 housing. Now Christina blizzard.

E

Christina, you have five minutes: hey.

F

Good morning oh hi, sorry I, guess it's good afternoon. My name is Christina blizzard and I'm a resident at 757, Victoria, Park, Avenue, M, TCC 606. First of all, I just want to see how disrespectful this committee has acted towards us. We were number two on the agenda and we were told to be here for 9:30. It's now.

F

You know four hours later we get to speak and there's an awful lot of empty seats around the table. So I don't think that's a really respectful way to treat constituents and/or taxpayers in the City of Toronto, but anyway I'm here to speak of my concerns about the zoning changes you're proposing to the green pea parking lot, a Victoria Park station. This law is directly to the north of my building. The process has been deeply troubling to us. Our former councillor was less than transparent. When we called a town hall discussion about this development.

F

Before the last election she told us there were no plans for the development of this lot, even though there was a website with detailed plans. Suddenly, after the election, what we had question earlier became a reality and signs went up informing us that it would be developed. Our concerns about density were marginalized and dismissed.

F

That is not the kind of government we should expect from City Hall. Why were you so fearful to tell us what you were planning? It's almost as if the city is embarrassed about what it's doing and doesn't want local residents to know what you plan for our neighbourhood?

F

This proposal keeps growing in size on this small postage, stamp-sized space you proposed to build 120 two-story building on 111 storey building we were originally told there would be 450 units this summer. Suddenly it grew without notice to us to 508 units. This is not about NIMBYism. We have everything in our backyard. Already we have crescent town, we have a large concentration of tcht housing at Teasdale place. There is 10 Macy, Cambridge place and a large and a great deal of other low-income housing.

F

A May, 2017 Toronto central Lin report shows Oakridge already as a high-density area with high social needs, low continuity of services and other social deficits.

F

The report expressed concerns about the few health providers in the area and an issue of equity and access to those services, including to Michael Guerin hospital, formerly known as the Toronto East General, yet you're going to add 1,000 more low-income people to that population, with no plan for more health services for community centers, recreational facilities or services for seniors office schools, the City of Toronto has itself identified Oakridge as a neighbourhood in need of improvement.

F

Statistics, Canada and city stats show a neighborhood that has a high percentage of residents of low-income, high unemployment and a larger than average number of people whose first language is not English who are recent immigrants and who require support services. Researchers at st. Michael's, Hospital Center for Research on inner city, health and adapted by work done by the World Health Organization ranked Oakridge, one hundred and thirty fifth out of 150 communities in the city, the 5th worst neighborhood in Toronto, ranked lower than Regent Park.

F

This is based on health, education and social needs, as judged by the w-h-o. Yet the city seeks to overburden this community with even more needs. Nothing in any of your reports indicate you're going to provide any more social services. Apart from a daycare, we all understand the need for affordable housing. However, this development is not sustainable in a community that already has deep social needs and is constantly shortchanged. When it comes to resources, our building is not a luxury condo. The people who live at 7:57 are people of modest means.

F

Many of them are seniors such as myself. Many of them are women, such as myself, living alone. We have a high number of disabled people. This is about over development and a determination to build house, no matter what damage it will do to the neighboring buildings and to the existing community. Your own report states, the Toronto District School Board, has concerns over space at the at the two schools, Oak Ridge, Junior, School and Samuel Hearne middle school. You say where you will have to put up signs informing people.

F

Their children may not be able to attend the neighborhood schools, so that will add even more to the chaotic traffic congestion. We experience right now as schools pick up and deliver children. You say you're building here because it's close to the subway, yet the blur Danforth subway is already over capacity. You can't get a seat. West man I have to ask the char up up Christina.

E

Sorry I'm gonna have to ask at sorry I've waited for hours, I understand, but these are the rules. You're.

F

Also planning another large development Atwood in the subway, so that would mean they'll be even fewer. Thank you by the same time the Train reaches. Thank you any questions at the. How do you expect.

E

To a constant you're gonna, we have five and I have waited I understand, ma'am, that this is that that this is the rules Christine councillor Fletcher has.

A

Such as, if you have one other thing to say, because you have to stop speaking if you'd like to leave us with one thought: Christina. Okay, no thank you. Okay,.

E

Thank you, Gail Weiser, Weiser,.

E

Good afternoon good afternoon, Gail thanks for joining us. You have five minutes. My.

B

Name is Gail Weiser and I live in a condominium building at 757, Victoria Park, Avenue I am an owner and I'm. Also the president of the board of directors. Our building is about 36 years old in the neighborhood, and we have 210 units. Our residents cover the spectrum from families with young children to senior citizens. Some of our residents are adults with disabilities. We have followed closely the progress of the proposed development. We have attended the community meetings and we hosted a city and create tío staff outer building for a town hall.

B

Our residents at that time had a chance to express their concerns and ask questions. We know that right now you are working with a conceptual model for the development, and this will change next year to actual site plans and construction processes. We have numerous concerns about the proposed development, although some concerns reflect close to home, because we're right across the street from the development other's concerns encompass our community neighborhood. Our first concern and I'm going to talk about two of them on behalf of our residents is traffic and safety.

B

Denton is basically a one lane road in each direction. Our driveway is about 25 metres from the Victoria Park Denton Avenue intersection, so we're not too far from it. You turn the corner and you almost have to come into our driveway from our driveway level. That goes up an incline to the intersection at Victoria Park in wintertime. Icy conditions can make it very hard to navigate up the hill. Our driveway for us is the only access point to our building for our residents and our visitors.

B

Visitors include not only resident visitors but also contractors and numerous care workers service trucks such as delivery, moving garbage and recycling enter and leave via Denton. We have regular wheel trans service to our building. The traffic along Denton is busy now, particularly in the a.m. and the p.m. peak hours every day, hundreds of TTC buses I think we have about ten bus routes and a community bus being serviced at Victoria Park. They enter via Denton some outgoing buses turn south turn on to Denton to travel along to pharmacy.

B

Cambridge Place tenten's tenants are entering and leaving their high rice on to Denton and then some travel west. On this street we have school buses, service trucks to the surrounding high-rise buildings and so on.

B

If the TTC has trained service issues, then shuttle buses can backup very quickly lining Denton Avenue blocking our driveway and sitting in the TTC lot, all the while, with their engines running it was hard on November, the 3rd 2019 when this happened and it was dangerous to navigate the road safely and aha right now the commuters enter and leave via Victoria Park. Avenue key point is that Denton Avenue, particularly in our neck of the woods, is a very busy street.

B

The model shows the access point for the 75 or 777 Victoria Park development, as Denton Avenue across the road from our driveway Denton Avenue, will access the underground parking as well as the surface court. The access to the forecourt, however, is on Victoria. Park traffic is only going to become chaotic our residents and enter and leave from Denton across the street. The residents of seven seven seven will be entering and leaving Denton a study in the divisional reviews.

B

The transportation impact study states that just resident youths from those buildings when they're built is expected to generate between 105 and 125, one-way or sorry two-way, auto trips in the a.m. and p.m. Peaks hours. Add to that all the traffic that I've mentioned before the real concern is that more cars and trucks will be added trying to maneuver Denton in an area not too far from the traffic lights and the TTC bus entrance.

B

Our driveway and the proposed driveways for the residents living at 777 and for the service trucks they're very close in proximity to each other and all driveways are sandwiched between the intersection and the TTC bus entrance.

B

Keypoint traffic on Denton, a V, particularly the section Buick, Park and Macy, will be chaotic. We're concerned about safety. Pedestrian safety is critical people from the high-rise buildings in the neighborhood walk across and along Denton at various places to get to and from the subway station. Some go through the commuter parking to get to the main entrance of the subway others illegally enter and leave through the incoming bus lane off of Denton. Once construction starts, the green pea lot will be gone.

B

Should the TTC look at reinstating a subway entrance off Denton Avenue, as Christina mentioned, Denton is a school route, so we're concerned that there going to be heavier traffic, the big take away and that's the best most practical, safest solution is to move the access point for the development to Victoria Park Avenue. It's certainly a feasible alternative to the disastrous decision to have the ingress and egress off a Denton Avenue. Thank you.

E

That was good. Okay, any questions of the deputed yeah Ezra Bradford thanks.

G

For coming down and speaking with us, did you have a chance? You attended the the public meeting close by? Were you able to share some of this feedback with the staff at that meeting or provide your comments to staff.

B

We had representatives from our building, so these are common concerns that we've been talking about. Did.

G

Staff receive this via an email or in person that feedback I, just like, because you're not the first person to mention the ingress egress off Victoria Park versus Denton I've heard that as well. I just want to make sure that was communicated with staff. Also I think.

B

Some residents have written letters: okay, thanks.

G

Very much thank.

E

You councillor Fletcher, oh one, more question. One more questions aren't go yet else.

A

Are Fletcher I'm quite familiar because I do go to Don, Tonio, Park, laughing and I'm sure I've seen your building, but this says you're: where is the zoning and the site plan? Part comes laughs.

C

A

We're all of those fine details, garbage on and off site, and everything can be more finely tuned. Yes,.

B

The other one I wanted to talk about was parking in transit, so that would be something which.

A

Is also part of your site plan once this is agreed to yes,.

B

We we are we're.

A

C

B

Meetings that can be more input so.

A

You're not saying you're against that you just want to make sure it works for all the rest of the neighbors. We.

B

Have concerns, as Christina said, about the development in many ways and I'm just addressing those yes you're.

A

Concerned about ingress, egress transit other.

B

Things too, mm-hmm. Okay, like what we can talk about I, said parking. We can talk about transit, we're concerned, as someone else might speak about disruption to the water table and things like that. We're concerned about adequate facilities in the area.

A

I just remind me, this is a transit. This is not the transit station. Victoria, yes, transition! Okay! Thank you.

E

Next, we have Cheryl Middleton.

E

Thank You Cheryl good afternoon welcome.

H

I'm a unit owner at 757, Victoria, Park and I'm here to speak about our concerns as to the impact the building at 777 will have on the structure of our building.

H

Shortly after the TTC renovated the Victoria Park station, we experienced groundwater seepage into our p2 parking level and in order to clearly set out our concerns, I want to refer to the studies that were carried out for build Toronto by exp and WSP, and the first study I'll refer to as a geotechnical study prepared by exp.

H

That states that, as excavation for the proposed structures will extend below the groundwater table, exp recommends that be retained to review the shoring design and monitor installation and testing during excavation, as this is necessary not only to anticipate when and if additional support is needed, but also to provide data to meet claims from adjacent property owners. In this regard, it's essential. The study states that it's essential that detailed precondition surveys be made on adjacent buildings.

H

The study also states that vibrations generated from construction must be monitored to ensure they're not exceeding safe limits, causing ground settlement and adversely impacting existing structures in the vicinity, and the study also states that no excavation be carried out before the groundwater is depressed and dewatering should run continuously until the permanent drainage system is in place operational and confirmed to be effective. We're really concerned that the dewatering carried out at seven seven will cause groundwater seepage into our p2 parking level or in the alternative, lower the groundwater level beneath our building to cause a sinkhole.

H

We're also concerned that the construction vibrations may cause cracks in our walls or our shear walls. So, in order to be, therefore ask that the city provide a detailed precondition survey or baseline Building Sciences assessment of our building at its expense before construction begins at seven seventy seven, so we have findings to which both parties agree.

H

We also request the city provide us an opportunity to review, provide input on and be copied on all reports, documents and correspondence related to geotechnical monitoring on the project and, finally, to provide real time, vibration, settlement and groundwater monitoring information to our Board of Directors.

H

Hydrilla I'm the next one are referred to as the hydrogeological investigation prepared by exp. That suggests that a Kayson will be used to prevent groundwater seepage into the excavation area. We have been advised that the installation of a case and wall could cause seepage into our building under certain conditions. Dewatering activities can also cause settlements due to an increase in the stress of the dewatered soil.

H

In this regard, we request that the city provide us with its assurance that the installation of the key sand wall and dewatering activities will not impact our building, causing groundwater, seepage or settlements, and if these activities do negatively impact our building that the city undertake to rectify same at its expense.

H

The next study I'm going to refer to as a stormwater management report prepared by WSP.

H

Stormwater runoff is going to be stormwater runoff pre-construction service by Victoria Park sewer system, stormwater, runoff, post construction will be stored in a cistern which holds 235 cubic meters, which is six hundred and sixty two thousand gallons of water.

H

The cisterns, located at the southeast corner of the site, immediately cross the street from us, so failure of the system cistern for managing stormwater and that would be births, leaks or overflow, would likely occur or become obvious during during a significant rainfall and any potential damage to our building. It would likely be attributed to the rainfall rather than the failure of the cistern, although the cistern would be the cause.

H

So in this regard, we request that the city provide us with its assurance that it will monitor the cistern and notify us immediately upon becoming aware of any births leaks or overflow in the cistern and should the burst leaks or overflow negative in a impact are building that the city undertake to rectify same at its expense. And the final report I'm going to refer to is the downstream sewer analysis report that was also prepared by WSP and the combined sanitary sewer system.

H

Running along Denton is going to be burdened with additional sanitary sewer materials from these from the proposed buildings and also from TTC, and we want to know if the system would be able to handle. This flow can I.

E

Have to sort asking you to start wrapping up. Okay,.

H

E

Okay, councillor Fletcher has a question for.

A

You had a chance as I didn't ask the president that mr. bass actually meet with WSP and meet with those who not in this regard. No not in this regard. No and I just want to make sure you understand that all we're doing is the rezoning and all of these important issues, you're bringing up really have to do with the approval of the development, the site plan, the construction side and they're all negotiated at that time. So just.

H

Be clear, yeah I just want to understand, too that all these studies were posted on your website and I'm, assuming that you obtained all this information, so you know whether to go forward with the development. So that's why I'm, relying on what your your people have provided to you, but.

A

You've not had a chance to actually look at the I'll, just call them scientific whatever they are WSP. All of.

H

The red other reporters.

A

You've read them, but you haven't had a chance to question them or- and you understand this will be it well, this not be at Scarborough. Community Council eventually force a plan. It's all here: okay, yeah yeah,.

H

A

Then that's fine, all of those things I'm. Those will be next stage to make sure that everybody's got those right. It's.

H

Just there are reports you are saying that their construction and development of the buildings could call it could cause groundwater leakage into our building. That's what they're saying so we're saying to you you're presented with these reports, so you just don't want that to happen, and.

A

That would come out a later stage to ensure those things don't happy. This is just how we're going to use the land, not all of the details, just to confirm that yep we're on the same page. Thank you very much. Oh, do you welcome any.

E

Other questions seeing none thank you. Cheryl I'm, Keegan, Harris,.

E

Good afternoon.

I

J

My rope, through my current role as the director of housing development with the neighborhood group and in my previous advocacy positions, I, have witnessed the impact that Toronto's housing crisis is that on Toronto's, most vulnerable residents, people experiencing homelessness and people paired precariously housed experience a housing market that is, that constantly shuts them out any opportunity they have for success is almost immediately met with unaffordable housing costs, unsuitable housing conditions and even a lack of available housing.

J

This housing crisis traps Toronto's most vulnerable residents in a perpetual cycle of poverty, one that is almost respond and possible to escape the residents of a city as prosperous as ours should not have to navigate the social and economic impacts of a housing crisis. At this magnitude, everyone deserves safe and affordable housing. It's why I'm here today to voice my support for the proposed housing now site at 777, Victoria Park Avenue this site makes sense.

J

There is easy access to TTC community services and the vibrant community along the Danforth I recognize many of the concerns associated with this project, especially from within my sector, the concern for developing enough deep, affordable units. Nevertheless, these housing now sites represent an opportunity of hope hope that in the next decade the city will begin taking this issue as seriously as it needs to be.

J

Therefore, I am cautiously optimistic that, throughout the development of this project, more work will be done to ensure the building are more truly affordable units and the site's I'm, not speaking today, solely as an advocate or my professional capacity I'm. Also a resident of the neighborhood I experienced the traffic delays at Victoria Park and at the Danforth during rush hour. I know how difficult is to find parking the area, but our concern right now needs to be to ensure that everyone in our community, our city, receive the housing that they deserve.

J

I call on everyone in our community to join me in welcoming our new neighbors when this project is completed. Thank you.

E

You so much any questions seeing none thanks for joining us here today. Thank you, Tom Magee,.

E

Good afternoon, Tom good.

K

Afternoon, ladies and gentlemen, okay,.

K

My my I'm also a resident of 7:57.

K

These are my neighbors I had a lot to say, but I they've said most of it and you've decided that that's going to be brought up at different. The success of meetings, so I just want to tell you a little bit about myself was born in the slums of Glasgow.

K

1967 came over to Canada in 1963 lived in subsidized housing for 15 years of my life lived in Flemington Park for 13 years, and I lived in the same apartment building for 23 years, so my rent barely increased over the years I saved all my life I've worked to pay for my schooling, I paid for private and university and night school working, two full-time jobs and two part-time jobs in the community. I worked at TTC I work for the city of Toronto for 31 and a half years.

K

I worked as an advocate in our local church and I've, been a health and safety advocate in my workplace for the last 25 years, delivering training to most of my fellow workers. So my level of concern is for everybody and I've lived in communities that you hope to establish in our neighborhood I'm, not opposed and I'm, not in any way shape or form a NIMBY, but I've realized in the last little, while how frustrating is being after I'd saved my entire life to buy and purchase a property that isn't how steadily declining?

K

And it's not due to anybody's fault on council, it's just a lack of resources. hmm We have two schools: two Islamic centers, a Senior, Center Oak, Ridge community center, one church, one prayer area, that's Muslim! That's going to be a new mosque on Danforth. You have slated all across I was going to meetings when I was on the board of directors for the building as well. The 20-year plan stated that there was going to be redevelopment.

K

All the mom-and-pop shops along the Danforth between Danforth and Danforth and does road would be resumed as they have been for commercial and residential, which is great, because everybody's benefits from that and not not everything is obviously city-owned property, but in our neighborhood it's not like. You have warden woods neighborhood or at the warden subway station, where you have three areas of parkland around there and the subway station on the south east side.

K

It was very open lots of wind to blow away all the the diesel particulate from the buses, but we have had construction in that neighborhood for 10 years and you're offering to do another 2 to 3 years worth of construction in our neighborhood. That pollution is causing health problems in our neighborhood that we don't have facilities to maintain or monitor.

K

We have seismic disturbances from all the work that was done at the TTC.

K

Our residents are elderly. I'll, conclude myself, since I've retired from the city for here Segal I'm in on my 60s, and the amount of foot traffic, car truck delivery and buses that are in our neighborhood is excessive in any neighborhood, let alone we're going to add another 500 spaces, probably not all with parking. Now you have no parking for delivery. You have no parking for people taking the subway. Where are they gonna park?

K

Are they gonna park at Parkway Plaza and take the bus down to get to the subway to get to work on an already overused and underserved subway system that has been declining over the last 50 years that I've lived in this country?

K

So I'm asking you just for one moment: I know everybody's got their own agenda and we're all trying to get social housing. I have no problem with that at all. Just not here. This doesn't work here. You've had two studies in the past that have proved that it doesn't work now. You're, gonna, try and shoe horn. Another fifth well see a thousand people minimum if they're, unless they have families as well into an area that is already underserved and under under cared for it.

K

We hope, as you heard Christine there aren't enough resources in our neighborhood for us and you're gonna, try and put more people in that neighborhood I. Don't think this is the rezoning of this particular site is in anybody's best interest. Can you have okay I'll just finish up, especially when you have all the rezoning already done all along the day. Thank you.

E

Sir, thank you any questions of the deputed, seeing none thanks for joining us here today, Jonathan Clough.

L

I've lived across from the subway, my back yard faces the bus and the parking area, as well as my neighbor's, we're on a small street called Bryant Avenue. So much for public consultation of the survey of my neighbors. Not one of them was notified of the initial meetings on this, and we would be the most greatly affected by this as they're gonna be built right in our and basically our backyards.

L

I've actually got a petition. My neighbor started and asked me to hand it in from our entire one side of the street, which faces the proposed building project from Bryant Avenue every address on the east side of Bryant Avenue, which would face this project or also saying they were not notified. They did not know about the initial meetings. They did not know that this was going on until it was actually starting.

L

I actually went to the third meeting, so I didn't hear about it until the third meeting and I'd like to submit that position, even though how far that goes, I don't know anyway, that's from the entire side of my street, which faces this project and we were not properly notified of this project. Going on.

L

My question to the city is: why are you giving these developers such a free ride and to not making them do the affordable housing, the infrastructure, the libraries, the daycare and and all these kinds of things, including sewers and things that my neighbors have brought up? I feel the city. The city should get control of this artist artificially inflated Hudson prices on condos. It's ridiculous I mean not everybody's making $100,000 a year.

L

We can afford to move into one of these condominiums or what have you I've downtown here and I'm sure the vacancy rates is got to be awful high, there's no way, there's all these people who have a hundred and fifty thousand dollar a year. Job can afford to move into these places and have ten thousand dollars months, that they for maintenance fees and and mortgages, and all this kind of stuff, and as my other neighbors have also pointed out, there there's already a lot of high-rise buildings with low rental subsidized housing in our area.

L

As I said, I've lived there for 35 years, it's a kept our housing and and the condominium prices down very, very low. If you talk to any real estate people or whatever, they have no interest in buying out there moving out there, you know if they can get two houses for the price of one Crescent, Town and Teasdale Crescent telling you can you can buy a condo for next to nothing I mean you can buy a three or four bedroom condo for almost nothing.

L

It keeps the buyers away. The city's recently moved shelters from downtown they've moved parts of Regent Park during their construction things there Woodbine to dodge Road.

L

They moved the entire shelters out our crime rate. Is this sort the biggest concern with most of the people? Again, it's the parking and the traffic. We already have major problems, scores of commuters, who don't want to pay and what I found out to be four dollars a day to park at TTC. So if you go to a green pea parking, even live 250 parking spots or whatever you're saying, but if it goes to eighteen or twenty dollars a day from four dollars a day, you know people don't want to pay four bucks a day.

L

We had problems with the cars to go. This was a new city initiative where they, instead of parking at the beer, store or metro or whatever they decide to oil, you can park anywhere. You want well guess where they park all around the subways, so they leave cards there for three or four days at a time, so cards to go started getting tickets, the city fought them whatever they did the cars to go left now. We've got the new thing: commuter car parking or whatever, then they're parking for four or five days.

L

At a time, we've got constant people parking from the Crescent town who don't want to pay eighty dollars a month for their parking and from the other surrounding buildings, they're completely jam-pack ting, the street they're parking for eight eight hours at a time they're going to the subway they're going home they're. You know they're packing up bags and carts and stuff and walking six seven blocks to home to save on parking anymore, additional parking problems with war.

L

You know with additional fees of parking for TTC, or this type of thing there's been some debate on: okay, the there's a huge wind tunnel between 30, Denton and 757. You don't have.

E

To ask it to wrap up yeah.

L

There's a huge wind tunnel on fire and it's not going to get any better, putting two more buildings there and and the shadow on our backyard is about two hours of Sun waited a great.

E

Thank you. One.

L

E

Minute questions and if you clerk's, can get the copy of the petition, so it's it becomes part of the route of the meeting clerks will get it from you. Any questions see none q next Susan Fletcher.

E

Good afternoon Susan hi some.

M

Of you may remember me from my prior work without parole for many years. For those who don't know me, counsel, Fletcher and I are not actually related at all, although we did work together on many things.

M

I live at 757 I'm, not part of the condo management. I am NOT on the board. I'm, not with the other residents who have spoken. I want to tell you about a refugee with one child that I helped to support their Ontario. Works was recently cut to less than $1,000 a month.

M

I would love for that family to be one of my neighbors for them to live at 777 to enjoy the convenient access to transit, that I have to go to the nearby schools to use the childcare center in that building to go shopping on Danforth to walk in the park lands along Massey Creek, which is an amazing resource for the neighborhood to use the community health center 10 services in the faith buildings in the neighborhood I would really like my neighbor, my refugee friend, to be able to do that if she were to live in that building, the rent would have to come down to what 250 a month for her to be able to afford it with Ontario Works.

M

The way it is now I would love that to happen. Having said that, I shared some of the concerns about the traffic I'm, a driver when I I would recommend that, when cars exit from 7:57 that there be no left turn up allowed so that you can only go east on Denton coming out of 757. I would like to as I say, welcome my refugee friend to the neighborhood and other folks like her.

M

E

You any questions see none thanks for joining us here today, Ryan and Oh Ryan.

E

Hello Ryan: you have five minutes.

N

My name is Ryan I know. I am one of the board members on the Danforth Village Community Association, just a little bit about ourselves. We've been participating in the consultation process for housing now, particularly for the concept for 777 Victoria Park Avenue. The DVC A's mission is to build an economically and socially vibrant, safe and walkable community and to empower the residents of our neighborhood through community involvement. The dbca has long been a proponent of planning policies that are consistent with this goal and create housing, retail access and local jobs.

N

The housing now initiative presents a creative approach by the City of Toronto to increase Toronto's rental housing stock. We support zoning changes that make new, affordable housing a reality in our neighborhood. However, the dbca is concerned about the city's approach to defining affordability in the context of housing. Now the City of Toronto has reported that 23% of households pay more than 50% of their before-tax income to housing and 35% of Toronto families are earning less than 58 thousand dollars a year.

N

What's more alarming is that the increases to Toronto's average market rent have far outpaced, that of household incomes.

N

Unfortunately, the city has only committed to ensuring that rents not exceed 80 percent of the average market rent and only hope to secure rents within 40 percent of the average market rent for a mere 10% of units. The DVC a does not believe that these goals are enough to address Toronto's, affordable housing crisis in an impactful way. We do, however, acknowledge that housing now does help create new purpose-built rental apartments, which is important as condo unit development continues to swiftly outpaced the growth rate of purpose-built apartments.

N

If the city is committed to committing public lands to the development of housing that Torontonians can afford, offering to create 80 percent average market rent units and barely any at forty percent isn't anywhere near the leap forward that people in the city need right now, but don't make any mistake about it. The VCA does feel that this is a really really good thing to do. We do need more more apartment units.

N

When you look at the numbers, I was looking at the city, manager's report implementing housing now- and you know forty five thousand I'm sorry, forty five hundred apartment units relative to 80 thousand condo units, that's staggering and it's a real issue and it contributes to the the precarious housing situation that a lot of Torontonians faced now with respect to parking I do have some more time. So I will speak on on the parking matter. Those are legitimate concerns and they were communicated at the second community consultation meeting.

N

Some committee members are likely aware the ones that are here right now: 777 Victoria, Park Avenue, currently exists as a 174 I believe 174 parking spot parking facility, it's a green pea, it's at grade and what's been proposed, is- and just excuse me for a moment- is an additional 56 parking spaces underground and the concerns there.

N

There is depth of the concerns because, right now, all of the TTC vehicles that enter Victoria Park station they enter through Denton Avenue, it's a very, very Eero residential street, and one of the concern that was brought up by community members that attended the consultation was if there is a presumption that this is affordable, housing for people that need access to housing, that's affordable, and it's near you know a major transit hub, which is part of the grand scheme. Here.

N

Why do we need this abundance of parking spaces, especially considering the fact that the buildings that are adjacent to the concept there? Are there a significant number of parking spaces that are being used there either? So that is a concern that should be taken into account as well. Thank you thank.

E

You so much any questions. No thank you for joining us here today. Alejandra, who is vargas.

O

Hello again, thank you for the opportunity. Well, I only come in to say thank you for this project, because this has been the dream of a con 50% for the old rain.

O

Wow amazing, so I only have to say that you will have more projects like that. Maybe we don't need inclusion, it will be great, isn't it it's different? This is different, so yeah I see. So this is what we have been fighting since 2004 that a cone has been created here and in Canada, and the only concern that amazed me is how community.

O

No, they said that this is the use of the land only and that we're going to work later, and how are we going to make better the community, but right now the use of the land is fantastic, is it's? What Tyrone is what what families need is what what everybody needs, because it's very difficult when you walk in in the city when in in downtown in now is your that never was was seeing people it sleeping in the floors, so so I see so you're doing amazing I cannot say anything against. This is great. Congratulations.

O

Keep it up very good and I am quiet for this matter. Thank you. So much.

E

Thank you Alejandra. Thank you. So much any questions, no sing, none. Thank you. Sean Maher.

N

Thank you. I didn't actually come today to speak to this item, but, having heard it come to the table, I felt compelled to just share a couple of things about this project.

N

When my family first came to this country, we moved into the East End of the city. It was a working-class, Union neighborhood, where you know a single family with five kids single income family with five kids could afford to live.

N

My mom used to shop at the shoppers world I know that's this intersection, like the back of my hand, been there a hundred thousand times and I I remember when I was little going to my first political meeting and the front-running candidate in that neighborhood was asked how he felt about all the immigrants coming to that part of the city, and he said it's okay.

N

It gives us someplace to go and eat that guy lost that election to Dorothy Thomas by a thousand votes, and she went on to serve the city for a decade on city council, because that's the kind of neighborhood the East End of the city was and always ought to be. There is no place in Toronto that has too much affordable housing.

N

Every part of Toronto has two little affordable. Housing and I would be grateful to this council if it would make sure that the neighborhood that took us in had more affordable housing thanks. Thank.

E

You so much, and that is it for speakers, questions of staff, councillor Fletcher, I,.

A

Just wanted to clarify, with our chief planner that currently, what we're doing is we're rezoning that site, which is TTC parking lot in order to be able to build housing on them. That's.

G

Correct and then.

A

After that, there will be all of the details about the site plan and where the roads are going and there's a lot of time to be able to go over the reports that some of the residents the condo residents, have brought forward and that you can go into detail on that once there's an approval to actually proceed. That's.

G

Correct through the housing now program, the next step is we move into a procurement. We look for a development partner and then, when we have a development partner, the process is rejoined and picked up again and we get into the detail of a site plan working with that development partner, create tío the city and the community and.

A

Often in developments there is because of construction, there's a pre-construction at the next door, neighbor or close by and posts. So can you explain a little bit about that in a large site where there be photos taken of the outside inside, so that if anyone has any questions or concerns about what's gone on, there's an evidence of what it looked like ahead of time and if there needs to be any reparations, and that's part of that overall construction plan is that am I right er? Yes,.

G

Through the chair, you're generally describing what takes place involving a proponent developer, their development team, that includes and other experts in construction, they engage with the city and it's governed by the Ontario Building Code.

G

So the city's building staff and engineers are all engaged in a review of the development and any conditions required to both secure the site and secure the public realm and the security of other properties in the vicinity of the construction are governed by the regulations that are contained in the interior building code. So that process is taken up in detail when we get much closer to the building, permit and development process and.

A

The other thing is that what we talked about this morning was the major station transit assessment, so this is a pretty big transit station. Do you think this is adequate or an adequate development for a transit station, given that we're supposed to load so much density at transit stations? Yes,.

G

A

Meet the requirement, or will the Ontario government come back and say that it's not enough density and it needs to be it needs to be more there? No.

G

I think this is we're recommending it it's an appropriate amount of density we've taken into account the cities all of these cities. Official plan policies a it advances the housing agenda through that complete community lens, so there's also a daycare, retail and community space.

G

So we've we've tried to as much as possible respond to some of the issues that have been raised. The built form has been modified. The density has gone up through the course of the project because we are trying to optimize the potential of the site in close proximity to the transit and by doing so, optimise the amount of affordable housing that can be generated on the site. So.

A

I guess I'm, just gonna ask if this is once this is approved. I would not expect that to the Ontario government could come back and say redo, that for more density, that we'd be out the door with this one and not in danger of being pressured for more at this transit site. No.

G

I mean this is a zoning bylaw amendment and it's open for anyone to appeal, but it is not sent to the Ontario government for any kind of approval, so I'm, not anticipating any issue with the province of Ontario. Okay. Thank you great.

E

Thank you any other questions. Councillor Bradford.

G

Thanks very much.

G

How many meetings did this this might be for City Planning or create tea? Oh, this was our first housing now site and I'm wondering what the planning process was like for this site and how we were able to move and accelerate that process faster than some of the other ones.

P

Through the chair, we had the two open houses that were referenced by the deputies in June in September we had pop-ups in the subway station at Crescent town and we were invited to meet at 757 twice now, since the initiative started. Okay,.

G

And so there was a number of meetings that were brought to residents. There were meetings in Park Service meeting at subway stations, plus two bigger city, wide housing, now meetings for this project were those meetings well attended. They.

P

Were very well attended, they were packed audiences. We had over 350 people of the two open houses: okay,.

G

Well, what sort of feedback did you get? I'm sure it was across the spectrum, but what we're hearing from deputations this morning this afternoon, sorry ground water parking shadows, did that stuff come up at those meetings? Did you hear that feedback? Yes,.

P

So that feedback was shared with us when we were invited to 757 Victoria Park, they shared the very professional analysis that they shared with you today, and we also heard it in the open house sessions. Many people also spoke about general support or interest in actually having a unit. They wanted to sign up a reply for unit tomorrow. If that was possible. Okay,.

G

And recognizing our chief planner stated the process here, we're talking about a zoning process as opposed to site plan, where we would address the ingress, egress all sort of things, but if we think of it about this is basically a box or a building envelope is what what we're bringing forward.

G

From that perspective, are we able to address some of the planning considerations that we would be considering in in a typical application? Angular plane set back adjacencies are those things accounted for in this process? Yes,.

P

Through the chair, the zoning bylaw amendment itself does capture many of those design standards that you just referenced. In addition, we left it such that the access issue that was mentioned today, the deputies can be resolved at site plans, so it's possible that we can shift some of the egress or other movements to other sites or other locations such as on Victoria Park itself and that's best resolved when we have the building plan itself and we know what building we're working around in terms of access points. So.

G

At this point, given that there's no application applicants selected, it would be premature to make those decisions: you're, anticipating yeah public private co-op. The applicants will bring ideas forward, you'll evaluate them and then, through a site plan process, we can address some of those things. That's.

P

Correct and we're taking the input from consultation and our own review to signal what we do want and what limit the options to the best options possible. Now.

G

I understand with some of the housing now sites, maybe all of them they're going to the design review panel and the Planning review panel. Those are tools we have to solicit outside feedback. Did 777 Victoria Park go to the DRP or planning planning review panel through.

P

The turret went to both what.

G

Sort of feedback did we get there so.

P

We got a higher level feedback at the plan review panel, since that was earlier in the process had the design review panel. There was a lot of support, generally speaking for the the massing of the and the scale of the development given its location near transit, but also sympathy towards the improvements to the public realm, where the pedestrian experience that needed to be done on. What's right now, just a bare parking lot.

G

When staff originally brought this forward, it was estimated that would be at 450 units on the site. We're now at 508, I I share the the deputed Sean's view that we we actually have a shortage of affordable housing and that there's not enough. How do we go from 450 to 508 so.

P

Through the chair that 450 units is quoted from our January report, where we were taking in a very initial stab and a limit, it was a conservative estimate of what was possible on the site and once we got into the details of both the physical form of the building its programming and also started talking internally as well as with the community, we refined a concept that we recommend today. Okay,.

G

Thank you very much. Thank.

E

You any other questions seeing none I do have a couple quick ones. So I'm curious, like 10 of your presentation, you, you have actually the submission of the rezoning for staff review in July. So five months ago, five six months through.

P

Through yourself, through the chair, I can explain that process a little bit, so part of our work was to bring together an inter, inter divisional team that reviewed this concept for many different angles. We had our initial submission in July, both from a consultant team retained by Kurt Co as well as internally. We made our comments as we would on any typical application and that was refined, improved and submitted again in September.

E

So it seems to me that it's moving quite well, so we are able to get these applications like. What is what have we done here that worked that maybe we can replicate in other instances to.

M

The chair, some of the things that we did was first of all, we sat down with all our corporate partners and laid out the process that we were going to go through identifying that affordable housing is a key priority for the city and that we needed to find a way to advance ease in a more expeditious way.

M

We also worked with our partner create to identify all the required studies that we would need to ensure that we had a complete and, when I say, complete, complete application, there's complete and then there's truly complete, so that when we started our review, our interdivisional review that we were working with a complete package. So those are some of the steps that we've undertaken so with a good, complete package. We're able to advance it.

M

One thing that I will want to point out to the committee one of the things that staff are doing, which I think is critical as we advance these we're going to do a debrief because we're going to see what has worked, what hasn't worked so that, as we advance each of the other ones, we're improving upon the process, and that means both internally and with our other partners. Well,.

E

Thank you it's great too, and just one more question on the we need to have 50%, affordable and an average of eight up to eighty percent correct, correct.

P

E

Of 80 percent, so average of 80 percent serves incomes of about how much 80.

P

Percent itself, they're, depending on the family size or the bedroom size, it serves incomes of roughly thirty forty fifty thousand dollars a year. Okay,.

E

Great thank you, curse.

E

Anybody that would like to speak on this item. Bradford.

G

Very quickly, I'll be brief, because everything on this project is is about moving forward and moving forward quickly. But I would like to thank city city planning staff for getting these proposals in front of us in in just under a year, which is actually quite you know, coming from City Planning I can appreciate that's quite an accomplishment and moving anything of this magnitude in size forward.

G

In a year's time is it's quite a feat, and likewise thanks to create Co staff, who I know are working to make sure that we come forward with the procurement model and the business side of the this equation. That's actually going to work here and then councillor, bylaw, deputy mayor by Lao and Fletcher.

G

They are on the board of create EO and they've, been reviewing the business cases and for the first four sites, and it's great to have their leadership on this and I'd also acknowledge councillor Crawford, who is who is not here on this committee, but you know he was out at the meetings with me. He was very involved on this file and he's very supportive and, as the name suggests, it's housing now like we need it now and and he's there with us on that.

G

So as much as many folks on this committee and and people in the room here are already there when it to more affordable housing now and recognizing that that comes with a with some density, not every community is necessarily the same, and not everyone has has that viewpoint and that's why these discussions and consultations have been really important.

G

You know we heard today that you know there's not there's not the services that support this I agree, but I would also say that you can look across the Toronto landscape here and I think you'd be hard-pressed to find any neighborhood where we're busting at the seams with services to accommodate growth. So that is a challenge and it's a challenge that we're gonna have to address together. But it's not a challenge unique to this intersection.

G

Certainly, that's that's something that we're all dealing with I'm, the counselor on just the other side of Victoria Park, and we had conversations with residents too. We had staff out the Antonio Park tennis Clubhouse.

G

We had a jam-packed meeting in there because residents have brought forward concerns, but again it's it's and we're hearing it's not an opposition to affordable housing or to more housing. It's about how it takes place and I think I was. You know it was great to hear that it's been through design review process. It's been to the planning review panel. There is a sound, solid planning rationale for bringing these sites forward and I know. That's really important, so I just want to express that again. I support the proposal.

G

I'm excited that we're moving forward with building more rental housing in this city. That's certainly what we need and any time you can get 500 units anywhere. That's a major help when we are in such a housing crunch. So that's it for me and looking forward to moving this I had Thank You councillor Bradford councillor Fletcher.

A

Thank you, madam chair, and about a deputy mayor. We are swimming upstream as far as housing is concerned, and the ability to have a good place to live the number of people moving into the city every year is 30,000 people a year. There's a heck of a lot of people moving in well.

A

Did you just change that Oh last year was 77 in 2018, but the projection has always been 30, so now we have more and we do need housing and we have heard of the importance of affordable housing, particularly this more in trying to get inclusionary zoning and noting that our own sites, we are actually acting on that, and so I just want to congratulate everybody for the first sight out the door and for rounding out not just having housing but many other community services. There I think it's a great project.

A

I also understand that change is difficult and things moving into neighborhoods because we deal with these every day at Toronto, New, York, community council. We have a lot of condos. We have. We don't get as much affordable housing as we'd, like it's a lot easier to approve that, but we're neighbors and others are really quite concerned about the impact I will just say on Queen Street East that all of the housing that's been built there. The impact has been to increase people's values of their homes.

A

It's also been hard because it has now pushed people out of their homes in affordable rental situations. But I do want to say to all of those who are concerned and haven't had a lot of development in the neighborhood and I understand people in the condo. That's your equity! That's what you have you've bought that you're concerned and I know.

A

If there's a lot of women came to speak to us today and I know that that would be a concern and I just want to say that at any time with any development, there is a lot of nuts and bolts that we get into, and that includes making sure that your building looks the same as it did when it when the construction started next door and it's a very finely grained process and I'm expecting that will happen here.

A

This is a planning and growth, so it's a little different than being at Community Council, but the local planners and others and developers and housing. Now that's part of the job and hearing about water and many other things.

A

I know that's of concern and I want to make sure that, when we're here at the next round at the site plan and everything else that you've met with all concern that you've heard about that that some of those concerns have been put to rest, because you understand exactly what that process will be so I'm not going to assume that you don't want the development there I'm going to assume you're nervous about.

A

What's going to happen to your equity and to your place, and therefore I think you know that I'm going to be asking a lot of those questions on your behalf when this comes back after we get the zoning and density approved on this site in.

E

Cue councillor Fletcher any other councillors, seeing none I would like to say a few words I'd like to thank staff. This is the first site in the housing now program and I think it clearly clearly sets the tone on how differently the city is doing things. First of all, the way that we're dealing with our public land to create a good public benefit.

E

All the value of this land is being reinvested on the site for community service, such as of daycares such as the community space, but also some of the affordable housing and rental which is needed in here. So the land value is actually being reinvested right there on that site. The other thing as well is that we've seen an expedited planning process. We've we've recognized how fast we need to move on these sites.

E

How fast we need to move on this issue, and so I think that we've clearly demonstrated when we have a good application that comes forward. That planning with dedicated resources can move this this forward. We also recognize that this is not going to be the solution for affordable housing. Actually, when we talk about affordable housing and we bring some one of the solutions very often we get the questionable wheels. Will this solve the affordable housing issue? Of course not because the housing is not going to be solved with one solution.

E

Housing is a continuum that will need many many tools, many many things that need to be done in order to target the various points of this housing continuum. What we have in front of us is that we are at this alone. This is a proposal that is going to be see. Right now only has municipal funds, unheard of. We have built affordable housing in the past, with provincial and federal funds.

E

What we have in front of us is to build on a site with 50%, affordable housing using land and incentives and funds created by the municipality, but the kind of affordable housing that we're also creating as well. Let's be clear about this: it's not as deeply affordable as we need it in some in some instances, absolutely not, but it's much needed because it will have an average of eighty percent and I just wanted to bring you some numbers, because I actually checked the medium income of this neighborhood and it's about $48,000.

E

You know what the income is of an average 80 percent market rent that we're actually targeting it's about forty to fifty thousand. So what we're actually doing is we're actually building housing for our neighbors, we're building housing so that Torontonians don't continually get pushed out of this city and that people like so many of us can continue to afford to live on this in this city.

E

This is what we're doing here, and this is because we've left housing in the hands of the marketplace for so long that now, Torontonians are that make forty thousand I make fifty thousand that make sixty thousand are getting pushed out of our city, and governments have start to interfere in this in this condition. So I hope that we all agree that we need a mixture.

E

We need a mixture of housing in here, but what we're doing here as well is saying to Torontonians that we need an inclusive Toronto, that we need a Toronto of the people like so many of us can afford and can continue to live in this city. Thank you.

E

Okay and with that said, can I have a motion to approve the report. Ok, customer Parks, all those in favor recorded vote.

Q

All those in favor of adopting the item before you councillor, Bradford councillor, perks, councillor Fletcher councillor by Lao any opposed, none that.

R

Motion carries unanimously.

E

A

Much and then I just thank everybody for waiting for the day. That was here on this issue and also just let you know that, and we didn't say this at the beginning- that councillor Robinson is actually not with us, because she's having treatment for and.

E

That we issues having a speedy recovery and we wish you the very very, very best absolutely thank you. Thank you and we're now. Moving into item number three nope item number four: actually amendments to chapter three: five for apartment buildings and progress, update to rent safety, Oh, we'll start with the presentation from staff and then we'll move into the deputations and then questions of staff.

J

All right, thank you and good afternoon. My name is Carlton grant and I'm. The executive director of municipal licensing standards, I'm joined by my colleague, Elizabeth LaBrie, the director of investigation services, who's responsible for the rent safety ol program in our division.

J

Short presentation just to give you an outline of the program. This is a update of the program that has started two years ago. It's really important to note that it's only two years old, it's evolving. We recognize the opportunities to continue to build and improve upon this program.

J

Improvements related to how we do our evaluations, tenant outreach and engagement, all of which to increase the overall awareness of the program. We are not in the cycle of monitoring and continuing to improve.

J

The rent safety program is first of its kind in Canada, and it builds on the program initiated a number of years ago that upamana many of you may be familiar with called MRAP, there's three components to the program: it's a registration, audit and enforcement program.

J

It's really about landlords and property managers, turning their minds to develop plans related to cleaning waste electrical and capital improvement, and also the critical piece of the program is to inform tenants of building matters through the tenant notification board.

J

As of October 2019, a total of thirty four hundred and forty six buildings have registered with the city. That's a ninety nine percent compliance rate with registration of the sixty eight that haven't registered, they have been invoiced and we will be adding it to their taxes.

J

Ninety percent of the buildings, sorry, in the second year of the program staff reevaluated eight over 1,800 buildings of the lowest-scoring buildings from the first year and from that ninety percent of these building scores increased at an average of twelve percent.

J

Through the audit process, enforcement staff have worked to to fight 3,300 efficiencies, have closed, 43 notices of violation and 245 lawyers to comply. Staff have also laid 338 charges with a hundred and ninety four convictions. We've laid fines that range from fifty dollars to thirty thousand dollars.

J

Communications and outreach is is, is something that we're working on with both landlords and tenants. There is a registration portal that we use with them and that data is now on open data. It shows both the registration data and the evaluation data, but we need to continue to work on it because open data can be can be cumbersome and messy, and we need to work such a way that our website, clearly, you can type in your at your building and get your evaluation score done.

J

A lot of public education, multilingual advertisements in twelve different languages advertised in as many places as we can think of, and what we continue to improve in this area.

J

For some of you, these are some of the TTC ads again to educate and to inform tenants of their rights is the right to have heat in their apartment. If they have a pest problem, there is a methodology to to have to have the pest eradicated. So again, this is something we're working on we're continuing to work on and I'll pass it over to Elizabeth to to walk us through the next few slides, okay,.

I

So all of our information from rent safety Oh has been uploaded to the open data portal so that it can be accessed by the public and by organizations external to the city. The type of information that is available is a registration data for apartment buildings, the number of storeys and units in the building where that has air conditioning heating systems, cooling, gas, hydro, those sorts of things.

I

Okay, my on the wrong slope.

J

Even though you have an older version, that's.

I

Okay, I'll collect myself, okay, so researching consultation in order to assess the progress of the program and identify improvement areas, staff looked at engaging with about 300 individuals through consultation. We reviewed 82, written submissions conducted research, including jurisdictional scans in New, York, City, Vancouver and London England, and we commissioned a representative them from the public opinion survey.

I

So now, I'm going to get on to the report recommendations, staff recommend amending chapter three. Four five are three: fifty four four apartment buildings to require that landlords, landlords display a copy of the building evaluation result document, and this is an example of the document. It's still a work in progress, but this is the we're modeling it after, and this will be posted in a prominent place in on the notice tenant board in the lobby for all tenants to have access for two there's. Also additional information about the evaluation contained on the web.

I

For those who are interested for the report recommendations, we recommend that landlords post the follow materials on a tenant notification board, information about the rent safety, oh and the contact information for three hundred any violations of the Ontario fire code, additional informations about places on the property that have cooling rooms and warm temperatures or shaded areas, and then additional information related specifically to pest control, including documentation of services schedules and service standards. Standard staff also recommend that landlords provide information to tenants on the rent safety.

I

Oh and we do that through the building audit process, as well as other venues, and this be done on an annual basis and probably at this at the time that they're signing their leaves additional recommendations create a variable fee for recovery of costs associated with the provision of emergency, Social, Services temporary lodging in instances where a substantial portion of a building become becomes uninhabitable. The building is three or more stories with ten or more units, and the landlord does not provide rehousing for their tenants staff recommend that these fees be waived for social housing providers.

I

Staff also recommends city council request, the province of Ontario to move forward. Gotta, make sure I'm on the right page here. Yeah I am.

P

I

Doesn't look like the right page.

P

I

Thank you. City Council requests the province of Ontario to move forward with legislation to address concerns around safety, reliability and accessibility of the elevators additional recommendations, pursuing greater education for the landlords related to maintaining a Lebert, elevators and apartment buildings, and best practices for pest management staff also recommend pursuing greater outreach for tenants, including issuing an RFP for qualified organisation to undertake tenant engagement.

I

We would be doing this through an RFP to undertake the engagement and we're also looking at perhaps a Community Engagement officer to fulfill this recommendation. Staff continue to assess rent safety, o programs and make iterative iterative changes as the program in the needs of the city evolve. Some key operational improvements that staff are exploring include an updated to tool for building evaluations in 2020 and we're working on that evaluation to right. At this time, collection of more robust data through the registration process and enhancements to our communications and data sharing.

J

That concludes our presentation.

E

We'll start with the deputations and I'm gonna alter the order of the depth ins, because I have somebody that needs to pick up a child at daycare, so I hope everybody understands and so I'll be calling choclo chopper over.

E

Thank you, I hope you make it on time.

D

Thank you for the opportunity to represent my community and this planning and housing community meeting. My name is Shahu Sharapova and I am a resident of torklift Park neighborhood I'm, a community ambassador for the neighborhood organization and a leader of reach for change group. The mission of our group is strengthening community in order to create a safe and well-established environment to raise our children, encourage members to constant learning and teaching them how effectively we can employ our potentials for a better future. I would like to begin by giving some demographics of turncoat Park area.

D

So, according to the 2016 census report, populations of our area is twenty-one thousand one hundred eight. There are approximately thirty six residential building in our area and buildings that have 5 plus stories are ninety three and point four percent, so renter households make up almost eighty nine percent.

I

D

Almost seventy four percent of our population have mother tongue other than English and medium income is forty. Six thousand and low-income families are thirty. Seven percent versus seventeen point four across the city.

D

I am proud to say that my community was a significant part of a comprehensive engagement approach undertaken by MLS to better understand the issues related to apartment, buildings, maintenance and operations in Toronto, leading by tno and with the support of many stakeholders such as Flemington community services, Toronto, Public, Health, Flemington talk with intelligence and network Federation of Metro, Tennis, Association, rain safety, oh and some of residence residence groups, we organized for community consultation meetings to tenants, write information sessions and several workshops which engage a total of more than three three hubs hundred residents.

D

So during this event, we discussed three main categories: housing, affordability, quality maintenance and safety. So I would like to focus on some maintenance issue because they are in scope of pH 10-point for the buildings in torklift. Park area are generally in a deplorable state. There are issues over the entire neighborhood buildings are old, maintenance requests, often ignored or when fulfilled half done or done with unsafe, actual fixes units and bad conditions do not get renovated. Sometimes landlords require residents to move out in case of renovation and then back in again, but to a higher end.

D

Facilities such as elevators laundry rooms and garbage were reported to be pretty frequently inadequate or even unsafe. Residents also expressed hygiene concern about sharing poorly maintained laundry facilities with so many others balconies also in a bad state of repair. Garbage facilities were also indicated to be inadequate, especially for recycling compost facility absent in most of the buildings. This causes a major garbage problem in many buildings, with garbage left in corridors outside the buildings or in overflowing heaps in the garbage room due to garbage issues.

D

Raccoons I in a common insane in buildings and in addition to other pests such as bedbugs, cockroaches, mice and pigeons, were noted to be a major problem. This the issue is widespread enough in this area. That landlords sometimes ignore requests for pest control, stating that these problems are normal in every buildings.

D

Landlords don't have backup plans for urgency for urgent or emergency issues, for example, the water outage incident in one of the buildings at Urkel fire Drive, was affected to more than like 2,000 residents because of lack of emergency plans for this facility, and also I would like to mention some safety issues, even though they're in not in the scope of page ten point four. Is this lack of security cameras, which leads to unsafe entrances and risk of vandalism. Bad state of repair, balconies and management has no control over violence and smokers in the building.

D

So our recommendations like based on what our residents say, all the buildings which are 4050 years old need proactive maintenance could be a phone line monitored by the landlord's. We ask city to put more pressure on the landlord's. Every building should be painted a prescribed number of years, so quality is maintained. Apartment buildings should install automatic garbage, chutes landlords and residents need to plan how to respond to a climate crisis, including extreme weather conditions, and need to look between poverty and low income family.

D

Although the report pH 10.4, is comprehensive and we strongly agree with every single point now, we encourage committee to vote for the budget allocation to support the enforcement all of the actions brought in the report. Also, we strongly agree with the staff reports, six recommendations and we would like to highlight some items in recommendations number one.

D

If a tenant requests copy of the evaluation, there should be known photocopy, charge or fee charged by the landlord to provide the coating and also in terms of posting of pest management, information controls and treatments should also include the waste management. Ask you to wrap up. Oh sorry, okay, thank.

E

D

E

Any questions of the Capitan's. Thank you. Thank you. Okay, next up Alejandra, who is vargas.

A

Madam chair there's 13 deputies here today and I know: there's a hard stop for four o'clock. So I don't know what you'd like to do about that.

E

So clerks is advising me that we can't reduce the speaking time for deputies. We can reduce the speed. The are question time for three minutes, because we've already heard from one deputed. So we can't change that mid-course. I.

A

Then would just suggest to deputies that we will lose quorum at four, and that means we will not deal with this issue today and and it won't go to Council this.

E

Month so maybe we can condense the message a little bit and we can all work together on like this and okay Alejandra. Let's.

E

Okay, let's start with the deputy tent Alejandra, please.

O

Thank you so I going to go to the point base in the tongue, so we did a current data survey of 100 at seven members with different buildings, and what we found is that we did a survey specifically, of course, I'll run safe. This was last week we got 100 107 responses and actually it's pretty good for people that work isn't at all busy.

O

So 54% of respondents still had never heard our brain safe program, for he puts 46 percent of respondents did know how to attain a notification bar that is a major component on bread, safe and a requirement for landlords wanted or tenants. Reportin seen cockroach everyday 34 percent reporting having bed bots in the last two years. 66 percent of people responding to the survey say that they have prolene getting repairs. Only 30 percent said they had the repairs down entirely money and every single respondent had a property standard violation.

O

So our our suggestions, we know that have been 2 years. Difference ATO is working and we know going to fix prolene no 27 years or more in two years, but we know that we can do better. So we are proposing a radiant system, a building that great sister like dying, safe with science. On the front of the building clearly explained they will be great and advertising three one, one for anything and issues engagement. This is very important because people is a scared out there to even complain.

O

They don't have the faith in three one, one oh and the rain safety all better. So we are asking 14 and engagement what we call boots on the grounds enforcement and administrative monetary penalty system, so the property standard valuation are penalized right away. Transparency.

O

We are asking for clear standards of service from MLS, so tenants are aware of the process after they call 3-1-1 Tenon's are Lala's means a straightforward process is transparent about when inspections will be done and the criteria we are looking for, a criteria that should be expanded to include pears, mold roofs and whether or not the landlord is meeting there by law requirements or rents. Ato increased capacity ran safe fuel, increase the registration fee and estas supported budget to hire more inspectors and supervisors and punish it say: Ranse should report on progress and difficulties twice.

O

A year to housing, advocates and groups and lastly, the rain safety or program had certified $500 Road people that knows 500 owes road without knowing inspector we'll, never certify 400 those wrote. So we are really well. We need to work in that as a city and we need to do better. Thank you. You.

E

All a hundred and the question seeing man Marcia stone.

M

Is that she talked about recently, we just did a call out at 1775 and 1765 Weston Road two apartment buildings on our street. The tenants are living with mice, roaches, broken elevators, no water and certain issues. The problem is that they tell us after we did the speak. Oh, we were informed that the city inspected both of those buildings and they passed inspection. How can that be if the people are complaining and spending money to get rid of bedbugs mice roaches anything that they can find they're out of their own pocket?

M

So if this building was inspected, my curiosity is what was the criteria? What did they inspect, because this this didn't just happen in six months? So if the building passed inspection six months ago, what's transpired in that time? What did you inspect and as far as rodents and mold? That's a health and safety issue and these landlords that are doing what they're doing to the tenants the tenants are paying their rent? That's criminal! That's illegal!

M

In my opinion, that's against the law period and those are the things that we need to address as far as I think the rents safe program will go a long way, but we have to deal with the existing landlords that you have that are not following the criteria. So I, you know, are just curious to know what do they inspect and how that criteria is met.

M

J

So my name saw marks the Penske and I wanted to add to that I'm from st. James town and.

L

J

6:50 parle event we're still this place. There's been about 1500 people that have been displaced from that fire. I truly believe that was like the canary in the coal mine. That was like a sign of for bad things to come. Not only that, but not too long after that they had that disaster 260 were the pipe burst and knocked power owed, and the same thing happened. Almost 1500 people were displaced and my understanding is that we didn't really have the infrastructure to accommodate that those people ended up being displaced.

J

I, really, don't know what would have happened so um how this ties together is I really think both of these could have been prevented if the inspections were done more thoroughly and they had more enforcement powers, both 650 and 260 walls. They were inspected and they were both giving a passing grade not too long before either incident. So I believe it's important to prevent these things in the future to have a system where we can do more thorough inspections and have better enforcement.

J

I truly believe that we shouldn't have to wait until the next apartment burns down or the next power outage before we start will be holding these landlords to account like, for example, like in Wolsey Parliament square, with 242 16 to 80 those elevators have been working properly for years. Everybody knows about this Mountain News like 10 times, yet you know with the more we talk about the more that happens. Nothing really gets done so I think we need an effective framework to deal with that and that's.

M

About it, thank you.

I

Carol Bailey I'm reading a statement, one of my neighbours who just had to leave to get her will Tran she's, been here since this morning was my name, is Carol Bailey I'm reading a statement on behalf of one of my neighbours. Same building, I live in on behalf of Christina Abbott I'm. She had to leave a few minutes ago because her will transits coming. She couldn't stay any longer. So this is her statement.

I

um I'm a senior tenant and I live at 110, Unity Road, which is a non-profit, Independent Living seniors housing building my building score got an 83 percent according to the city's evaluation, but I have no idea how this is possible. Acorn members had a rally at our building in the lock in the summer to highlight the issues tenants are dealing with, such as mold pest infestations and repairs not being done at this rally. Tendance called three one one and filled out work orders which were sent to the city with no response and no follow-up.

I

This was five months ago. One of my neighbors have sleeping her bathtub due to a bedbug infestation and management is not taking care of the issue she had to get rid of all of her furniture and she couldn't afford to buy replacements. She also has had to keep all of her clothes in her car and keep her laundry in it in a plastic bag in May, 2003 I had my first experience with bedbugs. When I contacted management, they told me to keep it to myself and I was given no information or assistance whatsoever.

I

I had to contact and pay for a bedbug professional to prep my apartment for pest control, and they had to take all of my clothes and linens in a bag. I was left for two weeks. I was left with two weeks worth of clothing. Meanwhile, all of my furniture was moved and my possessions were placed on the balcony where they remained for 12 weeks. I lost a fur coat box spring and mattress a hundred-year-old sewing box that was a family, heirloom and and a dog bed. This cost me $2,200.

I

The building had my place sprayed and the second spray was not done properly, so it had to be sprayed a third time. I had to sleep in a chair for 12 weeks, while all of my stuff was on the balcony got rained on, and the extensions on, my dining table were warped. My brother had to come from Windsor to move my furniture back and put my bed frame together. It was not the first or the last time I had to deal with. Issues like this.

I

In my building in 2016, I had to pay $400 to have my apartment prepped for spraying for bedbugs I had both my foot and hand in a cast at the time I took it took my brother three months to come from Windsor to put my furniture back where it belonged. This is why I am absolutely shocked. At my building has a score of 83% rents. A front row needs to be improved now before anyone else has a chance to go through similar situations like mine. There needs to be evaluation of mold and pest issues.

I

I am a senior on a fixed income and I have a number of health issues and I can't afford to pay for all of the costs associated with pest control and moving when I have doctor's visits to go to medication, to pay for rent, that's due and other living expenses. There needs to be support for the seniors to help when management needs to spray.

I

That's Christina.

E

Thank you is Josie's still here to the puter Yordano okay. So that's.

B

Hi I'm Josie we're I'm a core member from East York. Thank you for your time today. I'm here to talk about rent state I am a tenant, but not in the building covered by rent. Safe I want to talk about what I hear about other corner members. At the meetings from East York Scarborough, st. James town, Weston, Jane and Finch Etobicoke, the whole area, many tenants succumb to their first ed core, meaning, don't know about, will rent safe, don't know about 3-1-1, they don't know their rights and they're scared to complain.

B

They don't think that they can complain. Lots of tenants that have been in their buildings for 10 years are afraid if they complain, they'll get kicked out on the street and lose their affordable. Rent I've gone out with acorn and door knocked on apartments talked with. Tenants talked about their rights. How to fight for healthy home I think the city needs to really do some proper engagement of tenants door-to-door. Another way to boost engagement that a core members want would be to sign on the building.

B

Put a sign of the building talent talents about their rights to call 3-1-1, if there's any issues and about the evaluation of their building, but it can't be done on a tenant notification board because landlords are still not putting those up. It needs to be like dying, safe on the front entrance of the building. Can you imagine let your tenants choose where to put their ranking? The good tenants would display it proudly, but the bad tenants would or the sketchy ones would hide it in the back somewhere where you wouldn't notice.

B

Finally, we need transparency on how red and safe works. We need to know the protocol, and if the protocol doesn't work, you need to update it so that you're actually enforcing property standards. Why were there 6000 complaints to rents 8, but so few orders and convictions how many fines were issued? How many tickets were written? So many tenants at 8 core meetings, don't see the point calling 3 1 1? If they do know about it, because they don't think anything will happen.

B

Please, a corn is asking you to engage the tenants, be transparent and let us know how you're protecting our rights and making sure we have healthy homes.

E

Thank You Josie any questions, none! Thank you. So much Aaron Kaplan co-chair of Toronto, st. Paul's, Tennis Association.

S

S

On behalf of the Toronto st. Paul's tenants association network and the Achilleas tenants network, I'd like to present recommendations related to the requirement of apartment building, evaluation reports and the capital plans required under Section seven point four of the bylaw.

S

We are recommending that future evaluation reports of registered apartment buildings be expanded to include an assessment of property, standard violations, mold or pests, building, ventilation systems, water quality pressure, condition of unit windows, as well as building roof and the content, compliance of the tenant notification board and the tenant compliance of the the content, compliance of the capital plan. Why do we make this recommendation? There is a recognition in the report by MLS staff that the current evaluation tool used for creating building evaluation reports requires improvements.

S

Yet, rather than recommending additional substantive areas that should be evaluated. The report indicates that the staff is quote exploring options to improve the process for the evaluations to be conducted in 2020 close quotes. We feel that this position is neither specific nor proactive enough. Given the concerns identified in the consultation report summary of the consultation states, pest infestation is among the most common challenges. Other common issues that are experienced include issues with mold lack of clean ventilation systems and unsafe windows. Therefore, there's a clear indication from the consultations.

S

What areas must be added to the evaluation report? The committee needs to direct staff to ensure that the omissions referenced in our recommendations are included in the revised evaluation tool, since these important issues are being currently evaluated and that's why a building could get 83% and have all the issues referenced in the previous deputy.

S

The second recommendation is with respect to notice of evaluations.

S

We, the notice of a regular site visit, should be published on the apartment buildings, tenant notification board 30 days before the site visit. Tenants should be invited to provide comments or concerns regarding their building to the rent safety o program, so that the bylaw enforcement officer can take the tenants concerns into consideration during the site visit. After all, the purpose of the rent safety o program is to improve the tenants living standards. Please remember it's the tenants who have the lived experience.

S

Our final recommendation with respect to the evaluation is the recommendation for evaluation based rating system. We agree that the evaluation reports should be posted on the tenant notification board. However, a disclaimer position, a disclaimer, should also be posted. That would indicate that the current evaluation reports do not evaluate mold, past building, ventilation system, water quality pressure, condition of unit windows, as well as built building roof and the content completely content, compliance of the tenant notification board and the content compliance of the capital plan.

S

Let me now turn to the capital plan apartment buildings. Current capital plan should be made available upon tenant request. Any failure to comply by a landlord within 60 days of the tenant request should result in an officer issuing in order to comply.

S

Secondly, rent safety law enforcement officers should be trained on the purpose of the capital plan, as well as the distinction between a capital plan and a capital project. Finally, the rent safety au program should adopt and implement a standard capital template, as well as provide landlords with instructions on how to complete the capital plan template. Why do we make these recommendations, despite the presence of the bylaw? It has been our experience that many apartment building capital plans are either non-existent or not.

S

Maintain the interpretation of the requirement for the development and maintenance of the capital plan is not well understood by the rent safety, Oh enforcement staff of MLS and together.

E

That's I just wanted to confirm that yeah landlords.

S

Present a capital project has been equivalent to a capital plan when, in fact, a capital project is a distinct element within a capital plan and, as I mentioned, the rent safety o program does not have a standardized capital plan.

S

Perhaps rent safety o can discuss the requirement for a capital plan with their colleagues in tower renewal who stayed on their website coming soon. Capital planning resources, including a worksheet and a decision tree for prioritizing capital plan improvements.

S

Finally, the purpose of including a capital plan as a landlord requirement within the bylaw, was clearly stated in the March 17th 2017 staff report council, which states owners will be required to think proactively about maintaining and replacing capital capital elements in their building and tenants will be able to assess the plan and have more information about how the building is managed and when major capital projects will be undertaken. This is similar to the reserve fund study requirements in condominium.

S

At close quote, it also provides tenants with information about potential plans and related costs that may impact their rents good.

M

Afternoon I'm here today, as a member of the Toronto st. Paul's tenant Association network, as well as the Brentwood towers, tenant Association, and it is on their behalf that I would like to present the following recommendations to committee today. In response to the report submitted by the Planning and Housing Committee in the first, that I would like to address is with respect to the accountability framework.

M

Neither the proposed amendments to the current bylaw nor the staff progress report reference an accountability framework for the rent safety o program. Currently, the rent safety o program lacks a published service standard for the length of time required to investigate a complaint.

M

Additionally, the vast majority of tenants are unaware that they are entitled to receive feedback regarding the investigation of their complaint and, furthermore, the majority of tenants are unaware that they can call 3-1-1 to request that a rent, safe supervisor review the investigation of their complaint. If they're not satisfied with the results here are our recommendations number one. The rent safety o program should have a clearly defined service standard for the length of time required to investigate a complaint and that it is published on the tenant information portal number two.

M

The rent safety o program should inform tenants on tenant information portal that they're entitled to note receive feedback regarding the investigation and three.

M

The rent safety o program should inform tenants on the tenant information portal that they can call 3-1-1 to ask to speak to a supervisor, including all of this information on the tenant information portal will further educate tenants on their rights with respect to the rent safety o investigations and to whom they can turn if they are not satisfied with outcomes, it provides a necessary details in one place and makes it much easier for tenants to resolve issues under the rent safety, Oh umbrella of responsibility.

M

The second issue I want to address is tenant engagement. The staff report recommends that and I quote MLS move forward with the City Council's request to issue a request for proposals to seek specific organizations to pursue door to door tenant engagement in 2020. This will be included in our existing communications budget and will not require an adjustment as well. It is noted that staff will work to ensure that the qualified bidder has an experience, engaging diverse communities, low-income tenants and those who face barriers around mental health and disabilities.

M

We feel that tenant engagement is everyone's responsibility and should not be left solely to a third party. The monies included in the budget for the hiring of this third party could be put to better use. Our.

E

Recommendation is to start wrapping up because the time unit, Sara I'll.

M

Be right, I'll be done in two in probably a minute, our recommendation is as follows: really.

E

Sorry, it has to be really a wrap up. It.

M

S

M

City councilor should have the outreach. Okay should have some. Thank you. Any questions.

E

Thank you. Thank you so much thanks for joining us here today.

E

Next DEP, you don't bahar shot poor.

E

Thank You Bihar. You have five minutes hi, so.

Q

I'm here on behalf of the Advocate center for tenants Ontario, where a legal community clinic and we serve Ontario's, low-income tenants. We were part of the initial discussions around the landlord licensing regime, which is now known as the rent safety o program. And since then, we've been part of all the consultations that the city has had so.

Q

First I want to thank the city nmls for taking a leadership role in Ontario on this issue, you're recognizing that landlords of multi residential units need to be held accountable to keep their units in a state of repair and you're, showing a commitment to engage with tenants and facilitating access information, that's often vital to tenants well-being since the adoption of rent safety Oh two years ago.

Q

This is the first evaluation report that we're seeing in our opinion, every municipal program should be annually evaluated, especially something new program and with a dedicated data, analyst position hired by run safety. Oh it's pretty difficult for us to understand why the program evaluation took more than two years the poverty standards reviewed document. It does not constitute an evaluation of the rent, safe program. It the majority of questions, relate to property standards overall and they don't address the effectiveness of rent safety.

Q

Oh so, proper evaluation of rent safety o program would require tenant engagement, an assessment of standards and apartment buildings before and after event, safe program and analysis of issues brought to you, 3 1 1. The tenant population is unaware of rent safety o as we've heard and landlord obligations under the program.

Q

So despite the city's efforts, tenants have not been properly angry age, nor communicated to I, think we've heard a lot of good ideas and how you can engage with tenants properly and we support the reports recommendation to improve the awareness of the program and perform greater outreach, and this lack of knowledge of the program also supports a recommendation by the report to require landlords to post the results of the evaluation. Information about rent safety o somewhere, that's visible and not hidden in the back rent safety o is a registration, audit and enforcement program.

Q

Rigorous enforcement is of the requirements is key to the success of this program and one major hurdle that we've identified in our previous stakeholder consultations is the wall between rent safety and property standards. Enforcement so currently run safe. Schedule of building evaluation is based on a building's previous previous evaluation score buildings that received a lower score on their evaluation will be scheduled for their next review sooner. Although this thinking makes sense, prioritization of building inspection should also be related to property standard violations. Currently, rent safe property standards systems are not speaking to each other.

Q

This seems quite counterproductive, intuitive, especially when, in terms of resource sharing and cost-saving opportunities, an integrated system would also increase the safety of tenants living in probable dings with property standard violations, and last rensef does not allow landlords with an evaluation failing great to rent any of their vacant units until they comply with bylaws standards and receiving a passing grade. We think this is a major incentive for a landlord to speed up their work.

Q

That's needed to be compliant and, additionally, since rent safe, will only evaluate buildings receiving a score lower than 65% on an annual basis. The integration of the two systems would provide MLS with better insights into which buildings conditions may have dropped significantly within the 1-year period by examining the property standard inspection records. So the goal of rents a is to ensure that tenants live in safe homes and to improve the quality of our rental housing stock is and the problem.

Q

So, therefore, we think problem buildings identified through property standard records must be made a priority for unsafe evaluation. Thank you.

E

Thank you so much any questions seeing none. Thank you. So much ask with Alan.

T

Good afternoon, thank you so much. My name is askwith Allen I am the director of policy and regulatory affairs with the Federation of rental housing providers of Ontario and I'm pleased to speak today to pH 10.4.

T

My comments are pretty much twofold, one speaking to the cost recovery tool mentioned in the report and just a bit about the certified rental building program. Just off the top Firpo is a pretty large organization. We represent 2,200 professionals who own manage, build finance service and supply residential rental units in the province of Ontario, and so with respect to the the cost recovery tool mentioned in the report. We do feel that this is somewhat onerous on property owners or on landlords.

T

The this does so pose a very significant increased risk that we do need to try to protect against, and so that cost, unfortunately, at some point would get passed down to the renters. It's an additional cost to operating operating a unit. As the report notes, there is an a fully understood, insurance, I, guess, framework in terms of what is covered specifically under the general liability and the business interruption insurance that that's spoke in the report.

T

So we do think that some more research is needed to get to a better understanding of what rent safe attempts to do and how we get there with respect to be certified rental building program. This is a program that is operating out of our organization out of FERPA, which started in 2008. You know the report mentions that it's a privately run Quality Assurance certification program, but it does a bit more than that.

T

We do have third-party auditors that go in to buildings on a regular basis and checks for over 50 plus standards of practice that are available on our website. So we do believe that the program as it stands right now represents the best of the best of apartment living as opposed to the rent safe program, which just makes sure that folks are coming into compliance with the basis, basics. Sorry, we are also tracking tenant satisfaction as a part of that program which, to my understanding, rent, safe, isn't doing at this moment.

T

So we do think some more research needs to be done in terms of getting to the right place. We do want to work with a city staff, previous staff, I believe by the name of Mark Strega and Pat Burke, who used to work with the rents sake. Safe program have met with our director of certification, Ted Whitehead and have spent hours going over our program, details and sort of confirmed that the program is apples to apples with rent, safe and above, given that we have the lieutenant satisfaction piece.

T

So we would like to see at some point an exemption for CR be approved buildings, and we think this allows rent safe the more staff time and resource to actually address compliance issues with other buildings that are currently in compliance. So with that I know. Folks are all sort of scrambling here. Give it's almost four o'clock, so I'll give you back my minute and 30 seconds. You're welcome.

T

No questions are, we sure.

E

Geordie dint.

A

Like to lose quorum and.

J

Everyone can read my my deputation it's listed over there, but I'd want to highlight a few points on 2011 MLS ordered the landlord, a 280 Morningside to repair the balcony. The order was never closed. The balcony fell off in 2015. The order remains open to this day. In 2015, two investigation orders were issued for 650 Parliament. You can read them. They revealed a number of deficiencies, including electrical deficiencies. Those are still open. Those were never closed.

J

Those are four years ago the building blew up last year. This is a file that we have in our office for the last 50 years on West Lodge, 1972, West lodgers written up for a thousand different orders. The head of MLS says we don't want to find them at the time he said we just want to educate landlords into conforming 50 years later.

J

This is two years worth of complaints around West launch.

J

The reason why I bring these things up is that rent safe was supposed to fix all of these things. It had five different elements of it. Not a single one of those element. Programs have been implemented, not one staff haven't even been hired fully to the to the main name that they were supposed to be hired to there's major issues that we've under uncovered, with the registration evaluation and enforcement.

J

20% of landlords said that they do not allow pets in their building under the registration program. It's illegal under the law, dozens and dozens of buildings in North York, where visitor parking charges are illegal, have told the MLS staff that they're charging for visitor parking. They were never ridden up on that, never ever told to stop and some of the worst buildings in the City of Toronto West Lodge $500. They passed their evaluation in MLS. They got a passing grade.

J

One of the reasons why a rent safe, has failed and not been implemented is because, during the evaluation period, MLS did not check to see whether any of the new improvements were actually in the building. So they can't tell you how many buildings have a notification board, because they never checked that in the evaluation.

J

They can't tell you how many have a cleaning plan, because they didn't check that in the evaluation and I note that um staff person grant said that not that the most important part there is that we're making sure that landlords have plans. You didn't say that he said that the most important part is that we're making sure that landlords turn their minds having plans, because they don't actually have any of those plans right now and haven't been checked for that we are receiving repeated and repeated and I included an email that I just got on.

J

Thursday of complaints from the MLS officers are just not not actually enforcing anything. One of the deputies who was here was in the press. She said something that we hear every day. Inspectors did not issue any orders or fines.

J

The records do not indicate whether a city inspector went to the building to investigate this was a building with bedbugs I can't tell you how hard it is is a tenant advocate to deal with a caller who says that you've got a little baby covered in bedbug bites and MLS will not issue orders on the day that I have to stop getting. That call is the day I'll be happy, we believe in rent safe. We brought it forth and we are waiting until the day that it's actually put into effect. Thank you.

E

Derald chunk darryl chunk.

R

Hey good afternoon, thank you, I think you know who I am so I will tell you I hope you know that the GTA members are responsible and caring landlords that really try to do their best. I'm sorry, I'll move a little closer excuse me again. I think you know who I am so we'll go through. That I hope that you know that GTA members are responsible operators that care about the safety and comfort of our residents and our communities. You know so when the stuff happened in st.

R

James town were the ones who initiated a series of meetings with with Toronto Fire. Mr. Jessop was there ESA MLS former staff of MLS anyway, and we wanted to figure out what happened to make sure it wouldn't happen again. We've been partners with the city on lots of programs. Lots of initiatives would participate with various groups within the city to work together. Cooperatively.

R

Some of the recommendations in today's report don't reflect some of our previous conversations or discussions or consultations with cities. Senior staff I'm not going to go through all of it. They're all they're itemized in the recommendations, but I'll hit a few of them. The the requirement to display a copy of the evaluation document doesn't really serve tenants in our in our minds.

R

Categorizing or labeling buildings, and the families that live in these buildings by by a number or a color is probably not that what the thing that you want to do. A family's decision to move is not analogous to you choosing a different restaurant to eat in. So although it's convenient to compare the two dine safe and the system, it's not so simple.

R

The assessment process also has improved over the years, but we're still early days, and there still needs to be some improvements. One of the things that where it is failing, is they're still a little bit of inconsistency. Again, it's much better than it was, but if you're going to start displaying numbers or colors on a wall somewhere, then we need the right to appeal or or have reassessments or reviews of the assessments.

R

I. Think in in the analogy with the restaurant system, I think those failing or poor graded facilities get reassessed. A couple of days later and remarked so regarding pest control, it asks for a certificate, there's no certificate that I know of all the products that we use are certified federally by Health Canada and only applied by Ministry of Environment provincially certified technicians. So all of that is already kind of covered and further providing details about.

R

Specifics was something that staff previously said was unwanted, because it then identifies the person with bedbugs or the hoarder or somebody with perhaps mental health issues, and that was something that we talked about earlier and and it was decided that some more general stuff was all that was required. The schedule that's listed in in section F. We use more of an integrated pest management protocol these days, it's not as rigid as the third Thursday of every month on and on and on, and the treatment timelines are partially already prescribed in the bylaw.

R

So but our my main objection. Our main objection today is the recommendation to for the collection of fees, so in April of 2019, the vital services dere up shion's in apartment building report was here and included in. That was a tools for enforcement and cost recovery section and I'll. Just read you a sentence from that. It said city staff will explore the options that the city has to recover costs from building owners and operators, specifically in cases where the evacuation and relocation of tenants is the result of negligence of the landlord.

R

The nature of a potential cost recovery tool will be assessed, including determining the length of time for which the city would seek recovery cost and the impact on housing, affordability, so fast-forward to today's report, I, don't see any analysis of any of the explorations of the options noted in April the option that before you to pursue landlords for cost incurred by the city for choosing to accommodate displaced tenants, and something is something that we urge the city to reconsider in more detail as part of a broader options report, as indicated, as you indicated in April.

R

Also, today's report provides details on how the charges would be applied. There's no determination of fault. The city has perhaps overlooked the circumstances where a substantial portion of the building becomes uninhabitable as a direct result of attendance, accidental or purposeful actions. So you recall a few years ago, a smoking tenant flicked a sit, a lit cigarette off their balcony. It flew down and landed on a lower balcony. Just happened to be the balcony of a hoarder where there was lots of flammable material and it caused a major fire.

R

This was over on Wellesley and the some of the units were out of commission for months and months. So this report doesn't speak to how that would be contemplated moving forward. So when chapter 354 amendments were recommended earlier this year we were here from center all right. So what I just asked you for is to do a little bit of a deeper dive to defer the decision today and engage in consultations about how this would affect things. As noted in April, thank.

E

You Darrell any questions seeing none. Thank you. Okay, Helen Chile's, Helen,.

C

Good afternoon Helen good afternoon, thank you. My name is Helen Chile's and I live in these York I'm. Actually, here on behalf of approximately a thousand residents 1501 would mine were synonymous we're the second in line after five hundred dollars, Road and once again, I'm completely embarrassed that I'm here, I I, don't know where to start. First of all, I am most disappointed. Disappointed in this city I'm disappointed that right now, what time is it that we may get shut down in a few minutes sad?

C

This is so important. It affects half one half of the city of Turin, of the citizens of the city and we're only given a few moments. I have been here, and this has happened to me many times. I want my time back. I would like my time back, but let's move forward the presentation today, I was most disappointed with we've been waiting for a full and comprehensive report from properties standards, and it took a few moments we're talking about changing the law. I, don't recall, city council even requesting an amendment to law.

C

My understanding of the democratic process is completely different than what I have experienced within this council and these departments. There is no accountability. There is no transparency and we want to talk about plans. I am the product of a plan. Our building was audited in 20 in 2009, less than 5% was complied with. Fulfilled completed case filed closed. We had another building audit in 2013. The owners were given an additional six. Seven months. Nothing happened.

C

They were ready, probably to close a file until we stepped in and continued to advocate for our rights they were taken to court fire violations, property standard violations. Is anyone here today aware that $25,000 was fined to the owners, arse and co-investment?

C

That's nothing when they had millions of dollars to spend so I. If I, if it was me and I, had a choice, spend millions or pay a few thousand dollars in fines, I paid the few thousand dollars in fines. Thank you very much and I'm, not even that type of person, but looking at the balance differential and yet here today my building passed by 72%.

C

We were in the middle of a construction, and yet we got four to five for underground parking, our balcony still weren't completed. Yet we got four out of five. We have a pool that hasn't been operational for over ten years because, like health shut it down, they didn't even bother to include that in in their numbering system, there was an allocation of $60,000, some of you, many of you city, council, I, recognize your faces voted.

C

It was almost unanimous last one who is no longer member of Council and sixty thousand dollars was allocated for tenant engagement. They were, there was supposed to be a bid that went out and some groups, some company someone was supposed to was to go door-to-door and engage the public tenants in apartment buildings. That never happened, but all I'm reading online is that some kind of handbook was developed for a multi-billion dollar industry. My money, your money, because we all pay taxes. Why is this happening? The stories that I hear right now?

C

We have a fire that happened on Thursday night. The equipment wasn't working.

C

Yes, the smoke alarm according to the family wasn't working.

C

Apparently the fire department had their inspection back in March, we had our annual fire inspection by the company by an external contractor back in July. We have found out since that there was equipment that was an operational and it wasn't in the budget to repair and replace and then the day that that was scheduled to be done almost three months later. Guess what Metcalf living decided to do to us again, they canceled the replacement of fire life safety equipment. Didn't give anyone notice.

C

People had taken time off work, whatever the case may be, they didn't show at a door, they didn't apologize. They didn't do anything because they had received a call, a call, a heads-up from the City of Toronto that they were coming that in the next afternoon. I appreciate.

E

It I'm gonna hang with wrap up any questions of the deputed Thank You Helen thanks for joining us here. The last speaker is century.

C

There you laughs, oh man, I'm gonna, say this and I need a few seconds here, Helen. Why am I you and I.

E

We really need to manage our agenda. I really apologize, no.

C

E

C

Need our voices and we need our tenant Action Committee back now, I.

E

Santo Villa fonna Santo, not here, okay. That concludes the speakers. For today, any questions of staff. Okay speakers comes format, though I.

J

I've been obsessing about this for a long time. I've been thinking about this for days about what I was gonna say here today and given that we have counselors who need to leave in a minute, I'm gonna, simply say within 30 seconds. Thank you to the st. Pauls tenants network. They were the ones who raised a number of the concerns that I am bringing to your attention today, along with my colleague,.

S

Councillor wong-tam, thank you to acorn.

J

For your ongoing advocacy, thank you to staff. We have some differences of opinion that we are going to resolve, because we need to work together to achieve results for the people who.

R

Depend on us and trust us to achieve that. To achieve those results and and.

J

And thank you all for I believe supporting the motion that you will hear in front of you in a moment.

E

Thank you so much councillor matt lo councillor, Wong Tim. Yes,.

Q

Thank you very much in the motion that councillor Matt Lowe has has wanted to move. I will take care of, and thank him as well as this extraordinary community of advocates who come out today and for the number who actually could not stay for the balance of the meeting and for those who actually participated in feeding us the feedback to make sure that we were able to put it into a language that could compel staff to do additional work. That's the motion from councillor Matt Lowe. It was also a fan's circulated in his letter.

Q

I will now move my own motion, which will I think largely complement the work there. Counselor mallow and local community of advocates have been doing to see if we can actually do the very best we can to strengthen rent safety. Oh we all recognize that this is an early gate entry out of the other two door.

Q

There is a much room for improvement and I think we all need to recognize that I think that one thing that I am very encouraged by is that we're all energized and ready to make the pivot to make the corrections, and we look forward to working with staff to to make sure we can actually close those service gaps and actually meet the and actually meet the expectation of the community. Thank you very much.

E

Thank you, counselor.

A

Do you want to speak I'm going to refer item number two and counselor madness motions to the renovation subcommittee? That's meeting on the 20th.

E

E

We and I have a motion there's clearly some dialogue. That needs to happen and I hope to be preview of those conversations when we vote this at Council, so I'm asking staff that, from now until Council, engage with many of the residents associations also engaged with the landlord's side of it, on the recommendations at committee and and the recommendations in front of us and report back directly to Council. Also that staff report back on some of these recommendations, and we obviously all want to hear from that.

E

We from them we want to get their feedback and I think you'll help the whole council understand how some of my colleagues recommendations can be implemented and make sure that we have your feedback on all this, as we consider council so I'll be asking to have that that support for that motion. Okay, so we're going to be able to vote.

I

Sorry, madam chairman, I, think a counselor.

Q

Flexure wanted to refer this course to the first vote. Recommendation number two out of the motion from Council Mallos act: correct, okay and we're going to vote on that separately. Yes, okay, so.

E

With that will be the first vote, can we can we vote on item two to the the renovation that is many meeting next week? Okay, okay, all those in favor that carries and now can we vote on their own motion, a all those in favor and the remaining of motion B and my motion that carries item as amended.

E

Okay, thank you and a committee is adjourned.