Municipal Performance Measurement

The Ontario government requires municipalities across the province to submit information about their performance to demonstrate efficiency and effectiveness. This information is listed each year on the City of Toronto website. In 2001, all Ontario municipalities were required to report on 25 performance measures (28 including component measures that apply to the City) in nine different service areas.

When compared to other Ontario municipalities, Toronto compares well, operating efficiently and effectively in delivering services to residents and businesses.

In 64% of the performance measures reported, Toronto rated better than the municipal average.

For example, in 2001, Toronto:

• managed the largest drinking water treatment system in Canada at the lowest cost per litre of any municipality
• had a perfect record for water quality with internal standards above those required in provincial regulations
• was below the municipal average cost per tonne for solid waste management which includes waste collection, transfer and disposal as well as recycling and other waste diversion activities
• kept administration and governance costs low - with only 2.3 per cent of the operating budget going to this area, Toronto is well below the municipal average
• provided a multi-modal public transit system with the lowest cost per trip and highest utilization of public transit per person in the province.

Toronto also measures performance and works on better ways of delivering services through participation in the Ontario Municipal CAOs Benchmarking Initiative (OMBI).

This initiative involves the Regional Municipalities of Peel, Durham, York, Halton, Waterloo, and Niagara and the cities of Toronto, London, Ottawa, Hamilton, Sudbury, Kingston and Thunder Bay and represents approximately 80 per cent of Ontario residents. Program areas currently under examination include Solid Waste, Roads, Water & Wastewater, Ambulance (EMS) and Long Term Care (Homes for the Aged). Expert panels are examining performance in these areas to identify best practices.

In addition, Toronto is also participating in the Ontario Centre for Municipal Best Practices (OCMBP) which is a collaborative effort between the Province, the Association of Municipalities in Ontario (AMO) and other key stakeholders from the municipal sector in Ontario.

Using the results of MPMP, OMBI and other data sources, the Centre is responsible for reviewing and identifying "best practice" opportunities for municipalities. The Centre is currently examining the roads, solid waste and water & wastewater areas and expects to generate its first reports in the spring of 2003.