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Toronto's Recipe for Prosperity |
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Among the world’s most economically
powerful regions
The July issue of Forbes Magazine tracked the “World's Most Economically Powerful Cities” and included the Toronto Region in its list of the top ten international economic powerhouses. Forbes says such powerful cities attract investment due to the size of their economy, their projected future prosperity, cost of living and quality of life.
Forbes sees Toronto as “the economic heart of one of the world’s wealthiest countries and it’s projected to keep humming through 2020. Along with London, Toronto is the fastest growing G7 financial centre.”
www.forbes.com
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New financial incentives boost economic growth
City Council has unanimously approved its first-ever city-wide financial incentives program to support new building construction and/or building expansion. The five-year Imagination, Manufacturing, Innovation, Technology (IMIT) Grants program is designed to stimulate growth in key value-added economic sectors, including manufacturing, bio-medical, creative industries, environmental, information technology and tourism.
Eligible development will benefit from a deferral of approximately 60 per cent of an owner’s municipal taxes over a 10-year period. A further two-year deferral will be considered for the cost of brownfield remediation, up to a 67 per cent deferral over 12 years.
www.toronto.ca/invest-in-toronto/incentives.htm
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Outstanding performance and quality
The City of Toronto made its strongest showing yet at this year’s Public Sector Quality Fair (PSQF), winning an amazing 45 awards for outstanding achievements in public service. The PSQF recognizes quality initiatives amongst all levels of government and the broader public sector in Ontario.
Many of the City’s initiatives that won awards will improve services to some of the City’s most vulnerable residents, including children, the elderly and the homeless. Others create service improvements through innovations with a focus on the environment and the revitalization of public space.
www.toronto.ca/city_manager/
psqf/index.htm
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City wins prestigious awards for using I&T
The City of Toronto won four esteemed Showcase Ontario Awards of Merit at this year’s conference and exhibition. Showcase Ontario Awards of Merit recognize projects that demonstrate excellence in the use of information technology to improve services for Ontarians.
Competition for this year’s awards program was intense as experts from the private sector, the Government of Ontario and the IT industry evaluated and ranked almost 100 entries from all sectors in government. More information on the winners:
www.toronto.ca/city_manager/psqf/
2008showcaseon_winners.htm
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Setting standards for financial reporting
The City of Toronto’s 2006 Annual Financial Report recently received the Canadian Award for Financial Reporting from the Government Finance Officers Association of Canada and the United States.
Winners of the prestigious award set standards for best practices for North America and exceeding requirements for producing comprehensive reports that achieve the highest level of transparency and disclosure. The report is delivered by Accounting Services, Corporate Finance and Finance & Administration Communications staff.
www.toronto.ca/finance/financial_
reports.htm
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Changing Lives, Giving Hope |
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City’s women councillors mentoring young women
Mayor David Miller and the City’s 10 women councillors recently launched the Toronto Regional Champion’s Campaign: Increasing Women’s Participation in Municipal Government. The program provides one-to-one mentorship to 26 young women selected for this inaugural program. Most of the women are university students in Toronto.
The City’s goal is to motivate more women to take an interest in municipal politics, with the goal of increasing the current proportion of women on council from 22 to at least 30 per cent. The Champion’s campaign was initiated by Councillor Pam McConnell, who chairs a committee of the Federation of Canadian Municipalities that is working to increase the presence of women on municipal councils across the country.
www.toronto.ca/inter/city/
newsrel.nsf/thismonth?
OpenView
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City staff sets sight on new United Way target
The City of Toronto, together with the United Way of Greater Toronto, launched its 2008 internal fundraising drive for the United Way on September 9, announcing a target of $1.1 million. Each fall, employees of the City run a spirited workplace campaign and contribute over one million dollars to support the work of United Way agencies and social programs.
An employee talent show/contest called City Singers was a feature of the campaign kickoff event this year. A dozen employees from various City divisions sang in a Canadian Idol format show for the large crowd. Celebrity judges chose Jason Nunez the overall winner.
www.uwgt.org
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Reaching out to at-risk youth
The City of Toronto is launching a pilot project to prevent and reduce gang violence thanks to $4.9 million in funding from the federal government. The project targets at-risk youth with such services as counselling, addiction treatment, case management and support for families. The program includes job training, skills development and job searches with the initial sites being in Jamestown, Malvern and Kingston-Galloway.
The pilot project will be evaluated by the University of Toronto’s Centre of Criminology for best practices on effective measures to draw young people away from gangs and decrease incidences of youth gang violence. For more information on making a safe City safer:
www.toronto.ca/community_safety/
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Legacy fund creates opportunities for
Scarborough youth
Mayor David Miller was joined recently by local youth in the official opening of the Scarborough Youth Lounge, one of the City’s Partnership Opportunities Legacy Fund initiatives to increase support and investment in Toronto’s priority neighbourhoods.
The Youth Lounge offers three computer workstations, a 40-inch flat screen TV, a foosball table, and boardroom furniture that can accommodate learning or training. The urban mural on the walls of the lounge was created by three local youth.
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By youth, for youth – new sports space in Dorset Park takes shape
In 2007, Dorset Park youth identified access to diverse sports and indoor programming space as a priority. Now, these youth are gaining tremendous skills and hands on experience in what it takes to develop a multi-sport complex and a programming room for their community. As this Neighbourhood Action project is also about positive youth development, the three funders – the Youth Challenge Fund (YCF) ($150,000), the United Way of Greater Toronto ($150,000) and the City of Toronto ($200,000) – require youth to be meaningfully engaged at every stage of this project. The project will serve as a model for funding future capital projects where young people can play an important, ongoing role in the development process.
www.toronto.ca/community_
safety/neighbourhood-action-
newsletter.htm
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The Greening of Toronto |
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They plant trees here
While this summer’s wet weather may have dampened a few spirits, the rain provided an ideal environment to grow Toronto’s tree canopy. This year, Toronto’s Parks, Forestry and Recreation Division plans to plant more than 100,000 trees and shrubs across Toronto along streets, parks and public spaces. This will help the City meet its target of increasing the tree canopy coverage from 17 to 30-40 per cent. Find out more about how you can help to grow our urban forest – volunteer or get a free tree.
www.toronto.ca/trees
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City takes aim at the European Gypsy Moth
Toronto has more than three million City-owned trees and protecting them from pests and disease is no small task. One pest that Toronto is battling with great success is the European Gypsy Moth, an insect that eats tree leaves. The City conducted a program to control the outbreak levels of gypsy moth, covering 250 hectares of land in high density areas. It was a complex program that used a helicopter which flew 30 metres above the tree tops, spraying a low-risk pesticide. The program is helping to ensure Toronto’s trees continue to flourish.
www.toronto.ca/trees/gypsy-moth.htm
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Keeping ravines natural and streams running smoothly
As stewards of Toronto’s green spaces and natural areas, Parks, Forestry and Recreation has increased its efforts to improve 3,565 hectares of ravines and watercourses. The Ravine and Watercourse Maintenance program launched this year, focuses on removing waste, fallen trees and urban debris.
So far, 37 tonnes of garbage, 500 discarded tires and 300 shopping carts have been removed from ravines, leading to clean and beautiful natural areas for public enjoyment. Additionally, more than 30 blockages have been cleared from streams and rivers which will reduce future flooding and ultimately, decrease damage to bridges, pathways, roadways and private property. More information on parks programs:
www.toronto.ca/parks/index.htm
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Toronto watches its waste line
Toronto, serious about keeping 70 per cent of waste out of landfill by 2010, has improved blue box recycling rates by 10 to 15 per cent. Key components of the plan include replacing blue/grey boxes with new, larger Blue Bins with lids and wheels to encourage more recycling.
www.toronto.ca/target70
The City of Toronto’s Waste Diversion Team (WDT) was also created to help the City’s agencies, boards, commissions and divisions (ABC&Ds) meet City Council’s target of 70 per cent waste diversion by 2010. The Team’s waste diversion target has improved each year. It went from 39 per cent in 2004 to an astounding 67 per cent for 2007. The two Toronto school boards diverted 54 per cent of their waste. Team representatives continue to work with ABCD staff to reduce their impact on the environment by reducing waste and looking at ways to reuse existing materials.
www.toronto.ca/environment/
initiatives/wdt.htm
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Creative Arts and Culture |
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2008 Toronto Book Awards
The winner of the 2008 Toronto Book Awards is Glen Downie for his poetry collection Loyalty Management. Other short-listed authors include Elspeth Cameron, David Chariandy, Elyse Friedman, and Barbara Gowdy. The City of Toronto, in partnership with the Toronto Public Library, hosted a line-up of events and celebrations to encourage Torontonians to get a new read on Toronto and discover more about their diverse city through the eyes of these authors.
2009 will mark the 35th anniversary of the Toronto Book Awards. The program was established by Toronto City Council in 1974 to honour authors of books of literary or artistic merit that are evocative of Toronto. Past winners include Michael Redhill, Margaret Atwood, Timothy Findley, Joe Fiorito, Camilla Gibb, and Michael Ondaatje.
www.toronto.ca/book_awards
www.torontopubliclibrary.ca/tba
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Unique partnerships promoting adult learning
The City of Toronto, together with York Region and Employment Ontario, has been working with the Metro Toronto Movement for Literacy (MTML) on a poster campaign to promote adult literacy. The message, “Get back into learning,” promotes the Literacy Access Network’s phone number and website as useful resources for people who want to upgrade their skills through education. The bilingual poster has been distributed to school boards, social services offices, Toronto Public Library branches, and literacy providers throughout Toronto and York Region.
http://www.mtml.ca/lan/
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Winter in Toronto: reason to celebrate
As the days get shorter and the nights get cooler, there’s no better time to bundle up, beat the winter blues and get outside. The holiday season kicks off on November 29 with the opening of the Cavalcade of Lights at Nathan Phillips Square. The festival continues every Saturday night until December 20. Other seasonal events will include the lighting of the official Menorah, Christmas tree, a star-studded holiday concert and spectacular fireworks.
Then the popular WinterCity Festival, a 14-day celebration of culture, creativity and cuisine, heats up the Square, restaurants and attractions throughout the city from January 30 to February 12. Don’t miss your chance to enjoy all that winter in Toronto has to offer.
www.toronto.ca/special_events
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Pedestrians dancing at Yonge and Dundas
Pedestrians in Toronto are dancing in the streets with the implementation of a Pedestrian Priority Phase, also known as the “Pedestrian Scramble” or “Barnes Dance” at Yonge and Dundas Streets. The new signals allow pedestrians to cross the road safely in any direction including diagonally, while traffic is stopped in all directions.
With safety being one of the major reasons for using this strategy, the goal is to reduce the conflicts between pedestrians and vehicles by providing an exclusive phase for pedestrians. The City is committed to enhancing pedestrian safety and supporting initiatives that provide alternatives to the use of private automobiles.
www.toronto.ca/transportation/index.htm
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Revitalizing Regent Park
The revitalization of Regent Park is one step closer with plans underway for an indoor aquatics complex which will be located in a new central park. The 2,137 square metres facility will include a state-of-the-art aquatics hall, change rooms and a classroom-type space for recreational programming and community use. Construction of the aquatics complex will begin in 2009 and is expected to be completed in 2010. Further consultation will be held in 2009 to finalize the central park design and its amenities.
www.regentpark.ca
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Making a splash at the Spadina Wavedeck
Residents can take another step closer to the water’s edge at the new Spadina Wavedeck – the first in a series of unique public gateways along the central waterfront. Officially opened in September, the Spadina Wavedeck connects and beautifies the lakefront for all Torontonians as it improves pedestrian access across Queens Quay Boulevard. Located at the foot of Spadina Avenue, the Wavedeck features a 620 square metre pedestrian deck over water and links two of the City’s waterfront destinations – Music Garden and HtO Park. In addition to the deck, enhancements to the space include dockwall repairs, in-water fisheries habitat construction and landscape improvements.
www.toronto.ca/parks/featured-parks/music-garden/
www.waterfrontoronto.ca
index.php?home=true
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Fifty years of yelling “Fore!”
It’s been 50 years of great golf at Humber Valley Golf Course, one of five City-operated courses that operate until the fall. Humber Valley winds along the west bank of the Humber River, creating an extremely exciting golf environment, where players need to focus on precision, accuracy and patience. With a combination of links and valley land holes, Humber Valley is ideal for golfers of all ages and skill levels. Residents are invited to come out and take a swing and experience for themselves that Humber Valley is anything but par for the course.
www.toronto.ca/parks/golf/index.htm
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Kids CAN-BIKE Camp receives prestigious award
Parks and Recreation Ontario has awarded the City of Toronto’s Kids CAN-BIKE Camp with the 2008 Award of Excellence for Children and Youth. The Kids CAN-BIKE Camp is a fully subsidized one-week cycling day camp experience for children in financial need or at risk and is run by the City of Toronto Bicycle Safety Partnership.
Eighty children between the ages of nine and 13 take part in the Camp during the summer and learn the rules of the road, collision avoidance techniques, safe route planning, and basic bicycle care and repair. At the end of the week, each camper takes home the bicycle, helmet, backpack and safety equipment.
www.toronto.ca/transportation/cycle.htm
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