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Awards & Recognition |
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A hat-trick for Homes for the Aged at the 2007 Public Sector Quality Fair
The City of Toronto, Homes for the Aged has won three Public Sector Quality Fair (PSQF) awards recognizing outstanding achievements. The Award of Excellence was presented to the “Long-Term Care – Mental Health Framework Implementation Project team” that improves access and quality of care for seniors with serious mental health and/or significant behavioural response issues. In addition, one Award of Merit was presented to the division's Supportive Housing “Listen to their Needs and Work Together to Make it Happen Project team” for enhancing quality of life for supportive housing clients. An Award of Merit was also presented to “Carefree Lodge Volunteer Youth Council Project team” for their success in improving youth volunteer experiences and opportunities for leadership within the home.
Related link
 Long-Term Care Homes and Services (formerly Homes for the Aged)
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Waste Division strikes gold
Solid Waste Management Services has earned the Gold Award at the Recycling Council of Ontario's 2007 Ontario Waste Minimization Awards. The Gold Award in the municipal category recognizes the City's Getting to 70 per cent Waste Diversion Plan. Submissions were judged by a panel of experts from the public and private sectors using criteria such as current diversion rate, the establishment of measurable and achievable targets, broad community involvement, and the development of bylaws to support the plan.
Related link
Target70
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Five City Awards at Showcase Ontario
The City of Toronto recently won five Merit Awards at the annual Showcase Ontario conference and exhibition – the largest Canadian public sector education event that focuses on serving citizens better, through the use of IT. The following projects won Merit Awards:
- Electronic Financial Filing System for Election Candidates
- Online Parking Ticket Payment System
- Provincial Offences Act Web Payment Service
- The Scheduler for Social Services Case Loads
- Toronto Meeting Management Information System
Related link
News release
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Facilities & Real Estate Division has an award-winning year
The City's Facilities & Real Estate Division (F&RE) won a number of awards last year for its outstanding commitment to service and quality projects:
- A Certificate of Appreciation was received from the United Nations Association of Canada to the Customer Support Booking Centre.
- Design, Construction and Asset Preservation Services received a PCB removal award in the heritage and adaptive re-use category from Environment Canada, and shares a Brownie Award with Evergreen for the work on the Don Valley Brickworks.
- Solar Leader of the Year (2007) went to Rob McMonagle in the Energy Efficiency Office from the Canadian Solar Industries Association.
- The Nathan Phillips Square design won a 2007 Public Sector Quality Fair Level III Award of Excellence and also received the Toronto Urban Design Award of Excellence in the Visions and Master Plans Category.
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Award for winning design of Nathan Phillips Square Revitalization Design Competition
Canadian Architect magazine's December 2007 issue announced that the winning design for the Nathan Phillips Square Revitalization Design Competition received an Award of Excellence for architectural design excellence. In announcing the award, the magazine noted that Toronto-based Plant Architect Inc. and Shore Tilbe Irwin & Partners' winning scheme "promises to engender a new urban landscape serving the people of Toronto with a place to congregate and celebrate their city."
Related links
Canadian Architect
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Toronto's Streets to Homes among the world's best
The City's Streets to Homes program is one of the finalists for the 2007/08 World Habitat Awards, making it one of the world's finest examples of housing projects that deliver practical and innovative ways to house people. Two winners will be chosen from the
12 finalists at the annual United Nations global celebration of World Habitat Day,
October 6, 2008. Since February 2005, Streets to Homes has helped more than 1,500 people find housing directly from the streets, parks and ravines in the city. Almost
90 per cent remain housed. The program is operated by City staff in partnership with
25 community not-for-profit agencies that provide street outreach, housing support, and related services.
Related link
Streets to Homes
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City's taxi driver training lauded
The Canadian Society for Training and Development recently awarded the society's first-ever Gold “WOW” Award for training excellence to the Training Unit in the Licensing Services Section of Toronto's Municipal Licensing and Standards Division. The award was for the Taxicab Driver's Refresher Training Course 3 – recognized as innovative, collaborative and valuable. Toronto's 10,000 taxicab drivers are required to take the refresher course every four years. The emphasis is on customer care, safety initiatives, tourism, personal and professional well-being, and relevant bylaws and legislation.
Related link
Taxi training
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Toronto featured in Architectural Digest
Toronto was selected alongside San Francisco and New York City to participate in Architectural Digest's Architecture Days in September. The October 2007 issue of the iconic publication included a three-page advertorial on Toronto created by Tourism Toronto in partnership with the Province of Ontario. Having provided a brief sampling of what a visit to Toronto can offer the discriminating architectural follower, readers are encouraged to “experience this rebirth” for themselves.
Related link
Architectural Digest
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Service Improvements |
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Helping parents choose quality child care
Children's Services is improving service quality through the development of new operating criteria for child care operators and by posting the results of assessments on the City's website. The operating criteria outlines clear expectations, service standards and guidelines for child care providers with a City of Toronto contract. It also serves as a self-evaluation and planning tool for child care operators, supervisors and front-line staff. Results of assessments will be posted on the City's website so that when parents choose a child care program, they can make quality a key consideration. Postings of criteria assessments began on January 22, 2008.
Releated link
Children's Services - operating criteria
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Taking the City's pulse – innovative online meeting monitoring
Members of the public, media and the Toronto Public Service can now track the status of agenda items of standing committees, community councils and the Board of Health with a new web-based meeting monitor application. Launched last fall by the City's Clerk's Office and Information Technology Division, the monitor's near real-time access tracks what agenda items are currently being discussed, the status of other items, what decisions have been made, and any new items. The meeting monitor goes live about 15 minutes after the beginning of a meeting and will also be displayed inside key meeting rooms. The meeting monitor is part of the Toronto Meeting Management Information System, one of four projects of the City's Meeting Management Initiative.
Related links
Meeting monitor
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Walking the talk with dogs' off-leash areas
The City of Toronto policy that governs the use of City parks, green spaces and waterfront areas by dog owners and commercial dog walkers is now in effect. The People, Dogs and Parks Off-leash Policy is designed to find common ground among park users. The policy identifies location criteria for designated off-leash areas, and includes a plan to increase bylaw enforcement. Additionally, commercial dog walkers who walk four to a maximum of six dogs at one time are required to obtain a permit.
Related link
Off-Leash areas & policies
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City breaks ground for highly-anticipated new recreation centre
The City of Toronto broke ground in November 2007 on the Ward 35 community recreation centre, at the northeast corner of Warden Ave. and St. Clair Ave. E. With a projected size of 25,000 square feet, the new centre will provide residents with a state-of-the-art facility that will feature a gymnasium with a spectators' viewing area, multi-purpose community space, fitness rooms, and a weight room. The centre is scheduled to open in 2010. The project is a joint venture between the City of Toronto, Mattamy Homes, the Goldman Group and Ranka Enterprises.
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Toronto Food Business Incubator a recipe for success
Toronto's Business Development and Retention staff have worked hard to bring a leading edge food business facility to Toronto. The newly-opened Toronto Food Business Incubator (TFBI) provides assistance to entrepreneurs who dream of starting their own food processing businesses. TFBI helps to establish new food companies, stimulate job creation and commercialize innovative new food products in Toronto. TFBI has received support through Agri-Food Canada; the Toronto Economic Development Corporation; and the City's Economic Development Sectors Investment Program.
Related link
Toronto Food Business Incubator
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Rolling out the new Blue Bins
Blue Bins to replace the current blue/grey boxes are rolling out city-wide from east to west. Blue Bins come in three sizes: medium, large and extra-large. These larger bins encourage residents to maximize their recycling efforts to help the City achieve its goal of 70 per cent waste diversion from landfill by 2010. There's no cost for the bins but residents must use the new bins to receive pick-up. By early fall 2008 all households will have the new Blue Bins.
Related link
Target70
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City of Toronto/CN Tower INFOTOGO Mobile
For the second summer in a row, taking information "to the streets" was the mission of the City of Toronto/CN Tower Mobile Team. The 42 foot-long unit was well equipped with brochures, posters, maps, wireless hook-up and cell phones, so that the team always had the answer close at hand. Following on an extremely popular inaugural season in 2006, the CN Tower generously got on board to be Mobile INFOTOGO's title sponsor for the 2007 tourist season. The team was a group of six energetic, multilingual, fun-loving, knowledgeable students who travelled to each corner of the city. Whether it was a street festival, attraction, community event or a popular tourist neighbourhood, the team helped people find their way.
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City Building |
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Millions being invested in the City's priority neighbourhoods
Toronto's goal of investing $13 million in the 13 priority neighbourhoods is generating significant improvements for communities across the City. The Partnership Opportunities Legacy Fund is investing in playgrounds, parks, basketball courts, community services, libraries, and other social improvements. The fund also leverages funding from other orders of government, community organizations, and private partners to support projects identified as priorities by local communities.
Related link
Priority to Strengthen Neighbourhoods
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Safety a Priority – Mayor's Community Safety Awards
The sixth annual Mayor's Community Safety Awards ceremony was held on December 6, 2007. The awards recognize the outstanding contributions of individuals and groups that show leadership in making a safe city safer. The award recipients were: Safe Sisters, The YWCA Toronto Girls' Centre, The Expanding the Mind to End Violence Program – Serve!, Leadership Training on Violence Prevention – MUJER, Regent Park TV – Regent Park Youth Media Arts Centre, and the Peace Leaders Project – Children's Peace Theatre.
Related link
Community Safety Awards
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Tax incentives proposed to attract industry and jobs
The City has approved the creation of a new tax incentive program for key industries to draw investment and jobs in key economic sectors. The Tax Increment Equivalent Growth program will provide tax incentives to attract investment in such industries as the life sciences, biotechnology, information technology, environmentally-friendly products, tourism, the film and other screen-based industries, and manufacturing. The program design will be reviewed by Council in spring 2008 and will address program eligibility requirements and linkages to the green building standards such as Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED).
Related link
Stimulating Economic Growth: Toronto’s Approach to Financial
Incentives (PDF; 28kb)
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Dig in to grow Toronto's urban forest
On April 26, 2008, residents, community organizations and the business community are invited to dig in and plant trees at Trees Across Toronto, the City of Toronto's annual volunteer tree planting event. Now in its fifth year, more than 2,500 people have volunteered their time and hands to replenish the urban forest, planting more than 15,000 trees and shrubs to date. Planting sites are located city-wide for residents of all ages to become stewards of Toronto's urban forest and help create a more beautiful Toronto. Trees Across Toronto is the signature event of the Tree Advocacy Planting Program that seeks to leave a legacy of trees for future generations.
Related link
Trees Across Toronto
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Union Station Revitalization – Get on board!
The exciting revitalization of Union Station is under way. City staff have worked with various transportation and government partners, and consultants to create a proposal that has the City excavating below Union Station. Excavating will provide a level dedicated to retail on the same level as the PATH and TTC, and the level above would be dedicated to GO Transit and VIA Rail passengers. The approach sees the City maintaining ownership of the station, while leasing out the retail space for the private sector to manage.
Related link
Union Station Revitalization
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2008 will be a HOT year
An ambitious round of consultations begins in early 2008 as the City progresses toward a comprehensive affordable housing plan that will cover the next 10 years. The process began in November 2007 with the release of Housing Opportunities Toronto (HOT): An Affordable Housing Framework, by Mayor David Miller and Councillor Giorgio Mammoliti, chair of the Affordable Housing Committee. HOT sets out 71 proposed actions by the City, provincial and federal governments, as well as the private and non-profit sectors. It calls for new investments of $469 million annually for the next decade. A dedicated e-mail address HOT@toronto.ca is accepting public comments on the proposals.
Related link
Housing Opportunities Toronto
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Thriving communities for Toronto's waterfront
Council's vision for publicly accessible, sustainable and thriving new communities on Toronto's waterfront is taking shape. The Toronto Community Housing Corporation is preparing a site plan application for a mix of affordable and market housing in West Don Lands while Waterfront Toronto has issued a competitive call for the first market housing units to a short list of developers. In Don River Park, preparatory work for municipal services is also under way.
The process of transforming Queens Quay into an iconic boulevard has begun with the recent groundbreaking of the Spadina Head of Slip in the central waterfront. The project involves the creation of captivating gateways at eight heads of slips, continuous public access along the water's edge from Bathurst to Parliament Streets and a redesigned streetscape.
In the western waterfront, planningAlliance has won the City's bid to develop a master plan for the area from Marilyn Bell Park to the Humber River. The area affords a tremendous opportunity to connect communities such as Swansea, Parkdale and High Park with almost four kilometres of waterfront parkland and some of Toronto's finest waterfront vistas.
Related link
Toronto waterfront
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Outstanding Accomplishments |
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Celebrating 30 years of service excellence
The Toronto Reference Library celebrated its 30th anniversary in style last fall. A series of special events was held to mark the occasion, including the season's hot authors presenting their new work. Richard Wright, Frances Itani, David Gilmour and Linwood Barclay were among the writers in attendance. And the extremely popular Literary Café combined the joys of eating and great conversation, featuring Jan Wong and Christie Blatchford that drew more than 500 people. The celebration marked the beginning of the library's five-year renovation and renewal project, a fitting tribute to the past, the present and the future of this great Toronto public space.
Related link
Toronto Public Library
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Toronto takes action on climate change
In 2008, Toronto will continue to implement one of the most ambitious climate protection plans in North America. Toronto's bold new Climate Change, Clean Air and Sustainable Energy Action Plan will see the City of Toronto and its residents, businesses and communities take action to cut greenhouse gas emissions and smog that contribute to climate change, and will help ensure a sustainable energy future for Toronto. The plan, which was unanimously supported by City Council, will improve public transportation and cycling, increase community gardens, double the tree canopy, make more funds available for energy retrofits and renewable energy projects, and see the City launch a major public education program in 2008 to promote energy reduction at home, work, and on the road.
Related link
Change is in the Air...
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City employees come through for the United Way
The Toronto Public Service concluded another successful annual fundraising drive for the United Way, presenting a cheque for $1.1 million to the United Way of Greater Toronto in December. Many City employees helped to run the internal fundraising campaign, with thousands donating generously through weekly payroll deduction. The campaign supports numerous non-profit social service agencies that rely on United Way funding – for example, Big Brothers and Big Sisters of Toronto, 2-1-1 Community Connection and Epilepsy Toronto – in addition to many newer programs in 13 priority neighbourhoods that were previously under-served.
Related link
United Way of Greater Toronto
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Saving, Changing Peoples Lives |
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Preparedness planning for an Influenza Pandemic
The Board of Health recently approved the Toronto Public Health Plan for an Influenza Pandemic. As the lead health agency for pandemic influenza planning in the City of Toronto, Toronto Public Health outlines in the document the preparedness planning that has been undertaken. The plan also provides new detail on how influenza assessment, treatment, referral centres and vaccination clinics will function during a pandemic.
Planning for an influenza pandemic has been a high priority for the City of Toronto for over two years. The Office of Emergency Management, Toronto Public Health and other areas of the Toronto Public Service are working to ensure that the City is prepared for the possibility of an influenza pandemic.
Related links
Influenza Pandemic
Office of Emergency Management
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Panhandling Pilot Project
Last summer's Panhandling Pilot Project is completed and staff are analyzing results and writing the report. During the pilot, community workers surveyed people panhandling in the downtown core and helped them to connect to all the services available. But for one very ill panhandler, the outcome is already clear: The project saved his life. "I have been truly touched by an angel and your project sent her my way," he wrote recently. In just three months, his physical and mental health has stabilized; he is receiving social assistance – his first non-panhandling income since 1999; he is slated to move into subsidized housing; and he spends three hours a week at a downtown office, rekindling skills lost over the years. Alex Blow is one example of a person who has benefited from the project.
Related link
Panhandling Pilot Project
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EMS Cardiac Safe City Program
The number of Public Access Defibrillators (PAD) in the City of Toronto increased dramatically in 2007 with the EMS Cardiac Safe City Program placing an additional 100 PADs into city-owned buildings. Toronto EMS provides expert training and oversight of 400 defibrillators in public and private buildings throughout the city. This includes 160 in municipal buildings such as City Hall, Metro Hall, civic centres, arenas, public pools and libraries. Other locations include secondary schools, Riverdale Farm, Black Creek Pioneer Village, St. Lawrence South Market, Union Station, and Toronto Centre for the Arts. Toronto EMS trains staff at each location in how to use the defibrillators, but members of the public can use them as well. Toronto EMS is working closely with outside agencies to increase awareness of Public Access Defibrillators, which can significantly increase a cardiac arrest patient's chance of survival.
Related link
Cardiac Safe City
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Christmas Bureau, Christmas Spirit
Every year since 1956, Toronto Social Services (TSS) Christmas Bureau has been helping to provide gifts to children in low income families. Partnering with the Toronto Star, CHUM Christmas Wish and the Toronto Fire Fighters, the Christmas Bureau co-ordinates the donation and distribution of toys to Toronto families. In the two months the Christmas Bureau operates, staff handle on average 11,000 phone calls and process toy requests from more than 400 community agencies. Last year alone, the Christmas Bureau was responsible for helping more than 100,000 children.
Related link
Social Services
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