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City Update

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Volume 6, Issue 1

The City of Toronto's
e-newsletter City Update focuses on the latest services, innovations and accomplishments in Canada’s largest city and sixth largest government. This e-newsletter is for the public, stakeholders, media, City Council and staff.

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Inside this issue:



Toronto's outdoor ice rink program

Free leisure skating is featured at 51 locations including three civic centres. Shinny hockey for all ages and levels is available at selected rinks. Check the website for rink information and schedules or call 3-1-1. Outdoor rink facilities are open Monday to Saturday from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. and Sundays from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. The regular outdoor skating season ends February 26, with the extended season at some locations ending March 11, weather permitting. For the safety of skaters, the Helmet Policy is enforced at all sites. CSA approved hockey helmets must be worn at all times by children under six years and by all persons including adults while playing hockey.


Toronto at your service

Budget 2012

On November 28, 2011 the City of Toronto introduced 2012 tax supported operating and capital budgets to the Budget Committee. The proposed 2012 Operating Budget is balanced and includes a 2.5 per cent property tax increase. This Budget represents a turning point in the City's history. The City's reliance on
one-time, prior-year surpluses has been reduced from $346 million to $77 million. The Budget is still to be reviewed and discussed at Executive Committee and by City Council. The Budget will not be finalized until City Council approves it at its meeting on January 17, 18 and 19, 2012.


Collective bargaining between the City and its unions

On January 12, the City of Toronto requested a No Board Report from the Ontario Minister of Labour with regard to collective bargaining with the Toronto Civic Employees Union (CUPE) Local 416. Local 416 represents approximately 6,000 "outside workers". Collective bargaining with Local 79 continues. When the City and Local 416 are notified of a 'No Board', the union will be in a legal strike position and the City in a legal lockout position in approximately 17 days. The notification will provide a specific date from which any actions may be taken. The City has a contingency plan in place that addresses the operation of key City services in the event of a labour disruption. Plans will be communicated at the appropriate time. The City wants to reach a negotiated settlement with each local as this is the best way to maintain a positive workplace and provide the best service delivery for residents and businesses.


City ready to tackle winter

With the arrival of winter, the City of Toronto's snow clearing crew is ready for action. As soon as the snow begins, Transportation Services sends out its salt trucks to the expressways, main roads and local roads. If the City receives five centimetres of snow, the plows are sent to expressways and main roads, and plowing will take place for the duration of the storm. When the snow stops and if the snow accumulation reaches eight centimetres, plows will be sent to the local roads. Normally, local road plowing will be completed 14 to 16 hours after the storm has ended.


Customers share concerns, suggestions at TTC Town Hall

The TTC opened a public dialogue with its customers at City Hall on November 24. It was the TTC's first Town Hall on customer service, and it was broadcast live on Rogers Cable 10. Town Hall meetings will be conducted on a quarterly basis starting in 2012. Hundreds of people attended the open-mike forum, filled out comment cards and spoke one-on-one to staff from across all TTC branches about service delivery and the customer experience. The Commission also heard from customers via Twitter. Chief Customer Service Officer Chris Upfold said that all questions asked by the public and those received on comment cards will be answered on the TTC website or by mail.



A 1920 photo of the Ontario Dry Goods & Dresses Company

Library special collections now more accessible

Toronto Public Library continues to improve access to its special collections by making them available online. The newest addition, The Digital Archive, offers access to historical images, maps, digitized books and posters. Other online resources on the library website include downloadable content such as e-books, e-audiobooks and mobile applications. Residents can check out the library’s online subscription databases: Naxos music database, where you can stream nearly 900,000 classical, jazz and world music tracks; Consumer Reports; Mango Language Learning; Canadian Newsstand with full text articles from newspapers across Canada, World Book Online and The Oxford English Dictionary.


Community Environment Days

The City of Toronto wrapped up its 2011 Community Environment Day season in October by conducting the last of its 45 events. In its 20th year of operation, the program gives residents an opportunity to reduce the amount of waste going to landfill by dropping off items that are reusable, recyclable or hazardous. Environment Day events also offer people the opportunity to buy waste containers and to learn about environmental programs. In 2011, the program attracted a total of 30,053 participants. In the process, 272,450 kilograms of electronics and 332,695 kg of household hazardous waste were collected; 135,952 kg of non-Blue box materials were diverted from landfill; 286 composters were sold and more than 630 tonnes of compost were given away (or approximately 1,410 tonnes when the special compost events are included). The 2012 Community Environment Day schedule will run from April to October.



(Left to right): City Manager and Campaign Patron Joseph Pennachetti, Deputy City Manager and Leadership Campaign Coordinator Brenda Patterson, United Way Toronto CEO Susan McIsaac, and Deputy Mayor Doug Holyday

City employees surpass their $1M United Way goal

The enthusiastic efforts of the Toronto Public Service, along with staff from Toronto Public Library, Toronto Zoo, Toronto and Region Conservation Authority, Toronto Parking Authority and Exhibition Place, donated $1,260,000 on behalf of the United Way of Toronto. City Manager Joseph Pennachetti, Deputy City Manager Brenda Patterson, along with Deputy Mayor Doug Holyday and United Way Toronto CEO Susan McIsaac, unveiled the result at a recent event at St. Lawrence Hall. The December 13 wrap-up event brought together canvassers and volunteers to celebrate their hard work. To find out more, click here.


Wi-Fi now available in Council and committee meeting rooms

City Clerk's Office is providing free Wi-Fi for meetings of Toronto City Council and its committees that take place in the Council Chamber and committee rooms at Toronto City Hall as well as at the civic centres for community council meetings. A username and log-in password will be displayed in the meeting room the day of the meeting, enabling anyone who is attending a meeting and who has a mobile device to log into a secure Wi-Fi connection. Public Wi-Fi access in meeting rooms encourages those attending the meeting to go paperless and review staff reports and background information online rather than requiring printed copies.


Investing in Toronto


Principal Engineer Rick Tolkunow takes a Russian delegation on a tour of the Union Station revitalization.

Union Station construction impresses Russian delegates

City staff recently led a delegation of about 50 engineers and construction professionals from Russia on a site tour of the Union Station revitalization. The tour was an opportunity to raise awareness of the revitalization among international audiences and share knowledge between Canada and Russia. Delegates were particularly interested in learning more about the construction techniques and technologies being used in the "dig down." The dig involves excavating four metres below the existing floor level to create space for a new lower-level retail concourse and two new transit concourses. The delegation was in town for the Canadian-Russian Construction Forum and annual Construct Canada show.



(Left to right): Long-Term Care Homes & Services Acting General Manager Reg Paul, Ward 31 City Councillor Janet Davis, Central West Local Health Integration Network Board Chair Maria Britto, MPP Dr. Shafiq Qaadri, Toronto Mayor Rob Ford, Local Ward 2 City Councillor Doug Ford, and Kipling Acres Resident Carol Robson

Kipling Acres construction

Residents at Kipling Acres welcomed special guests to celebrate the start of construction of their new home. The existing site is being redeveloped with capital funding from the City of Toronto and the Province of Ontario. The design of the new home has been undertaken with extensive community stakeholder input to best meet the needs of residents and the northern Etobicoke community. A mock suite has been constructed and will remain open throughout the redevelopment of the home to give residents, staff and visitors an opportunity to see what a typical room will look like in the new Kipling Acres.


Toronto's economy

Toronto retail holidays public survey

To shop or not to shop? That is the question the City of Toronto is asking the public to help it answer using an online survey. The public is encouraged to provide input about their retail shopping holiday preferences to help inform the City about making changes to its current holiday shopping bylaw. As part of the City's public consultations around this bylaw, the online survey can be completed by any resident, labour or faith-based group, or business organization until March 2012. Find out more about the bylaw and  access the survey.



Yuqi Ying speaks at the Recognition Event on November 3.

Profession to Profession mentoring program

Yuqi Ying is new to Canada. She knew she would face challenges finding work in her field despite a Master's degree in civil engineering and urban planning. Through Profession to Profession: Mentoring Immigrants Program, Yuqi and 168 other job-ready internationally-trained professionals were each matched with a City employee in a similar profession. In the past year, the guidance, support and introduction to a Canadian workplace that the participants received contributed to 71 per cent of them finding employment. Fifty-five per cent are employed in their own or a related field. Yuqi is among them. She now works for a consulting engineering company.


Awards and recognition

City's accomplishments in 2011

The past year at the City included many accomplishments for the Toronto Public Service. The City of Toronto won numerous awards and was recognized nationally and internationally for excellence across many service areas. Some of the more recent accomplishments are highlighted below. A detailed list is available on the City's Awards and Recognition web page. Members of the Toronto Public Service continue to deliver programs and services to the residents, businesses and visitors of Toronto with a high level of dedication and professionalism.


Toronto receives award for pet adoption programs

The Summit for Urban Animal Strategies recognized the City of Toronto's Animal Services with a 2011 Summit for Urban Strategies Award. The award recognizes Toronto Animal Services' innovation, commitment and extraordinary effort in finding animals new homes through adoption, partnership and fostering programs. These programs aim to keep the number of animals living in shelters at a responsible, manageable and cost-effective level. Animal Services has increased the number of animal adoptions over the last six years by approximately 37 per cent for cats and dogs. Find out more about adopting an animal.



Communications and Operations staff (left to right): Siobhan Ramsay, Vincent Sferrazza, Pat Barrett, Anita Zutis, Rob Orpin and Grace Maione with the award for an electronics recycling program.

Electronics recycling campaign sparks another award!

Toronto's "We Want It" electronics recycling program sparked all the right attention to win its second award in 2011. The Municipal Waste Association, a not-for-profit organization formed to facilitate the sharing of municipal waste reduction and recycling information and experience, honoured the City's E-waste campaign with a first-place Gold award in the promotion and education category. The communications campaign promotes Toronto's program that provides for the collection, recycling and safe disposal of unwanted electronics. It achieved top scoring for its originality, creativity, environmental benefit and effectiveness in meeting objectives.



Winners of the ITLS 2011 Competition are Toronto EMS Paramedics (left to right): Shamez Kassam, Martin Johnston and Lorne Burns.

Toronto EMS team victorious at patient-care competition

The City of Toronto's Emergency Medical Services (Toronto EMS) won the coveted 2011 International Trauma Life Support Patient Care Competition held in Nashville, Tennessee. The Toronto EMS team consisting of paramedics Shamez Kassam, Lorne Burns, Martin Johnston and coordinator Ron Kowalik competed against six teams from Canada, the United States, Japan and Slovenia on October 28. Three scenarios tested patient-care skills. A team from Niagara EMS placed second and the 2010 winning team from the United States placed third.


Excellence in planning

The City of Toronto's Lawrence Allen Revitalization Plan received an Excellence in Planning Award in the Municipal Statutory Planning Studies, Reports and Documents category from the Ontario Professional Planners Institute (OPPI). The plan supports Toronto Community Housing's process to redevelop the Lawrence-Heights social housing community. The City's Avenues & Mid-Rise Buildings Study received the 2011 OPPI Excellence in Planning Award in the Community Planning and Development Studies/Reports category and an honourable mention from the Canadian Institute of Planners' 2011 Award for Planning Excellence in the Urban Design Category.


Community achievements in human rights

The 2011 Access Equity and Human Rights Awards were presented at a ceremony at Toronto City Hall on December 8. The City of Toronto recognized the following recipients for their ongoing efforts to build a city where everyone can participate fully in the social, cultural, economic, recreational and political life of Toronto: Aboriginal Affairs – Rob Lackie; Access Award on Disability Issues – Ruth Ruth Stackhouse; Constance E. Hamilton Award on the Status of Women – Liliana Angarita; Pride Award for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Two Spirited (LGBTT) Issues – Family Service Toronto's David Kelley LGBTQ & HIV/Aids Counselling Services; William P. Hubbard Award on Race Relations – Leonard A. Braithwaite.


Out and about

Nathan Phillips Square skate pavilion opens

The new Skate Pavilion and Food Concession building in Nathan Phillips Square officially opened with the beginning of the skating season. It's the third element of the Nathan Phillips Square Revitalization project to be completed (the new City Hall Podium Green Roof and upgrades to the existing children's playground were the first two). The building features new skate rental and change room spaces to serve the public, new public washrooms, rink support facilities and a roof terrace where the public can take in the panoramic view of the square. The food concession space will be outfitted to offer snack foods later this year.



Photo: Louis Lortie in rehearsal with Andrew Davis prior to a 1978 tour to China (1978)
Photographer: Frank Harmantas
City of Toronto Archives, Fonds 329, Series 1569, File 2224

A World of Music

The City of Toronto Archives celebrates the 90th season of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra with an exhibit showcasing some of the extensive archival material donated by the symphony. "A World of Music" features images from the past 90 years. It includes the 1963 debut concert at Carnegie Hall under conductor Walter Susskind; the first overseas tour under conductor Seiji Ozawa in 1965; the 1978 tour to China under conductor Sir Andrew Davis which included guest soloists Louis Lortie and Maureen Forrester. Other photographs feature special guests such as cellist Yo-Yo Ma and pianist Glenn Gould and photos of the Toronto Symphony Youth Orchestra, established in 1974. The free exhibit runs through May 2012.


Winterlicious celebrating 10 years

This year, Winterlicious marks 10 years as Toronto’s favourite culinary celebration, and offers two popular programs for foodies to savour from January 27 to February 9. They include the prix-fixe restaurant promotion at 175 of Toronto's finest dining establishments and the Winterlicious Culinary Events Series, featuring 11 one-of-a-kind ticketed cooking and dining experiences hosted by some of the city's top restaurants and venues. Favourite restaurants are listed online and, using the new interactive Winterlicious map, can be sorted by price, neighbourhood and type of cuisine to create a personalized list that can be shared with friends. Find out more about how to purchase tickets or make a reservation.


Toronto remembers the War of 1812

The City of Toronto will commemorate the War of 1812 Bicentennial with more than a hundred events in 2012 and 2013. These events range from concerts to historic and modern art exhibits, educational programs and re-enactments. Bicentennial legacy projects include the revitalization of Fort York National Historic Site (a major War of 1812 battleground, which now contains Canada's largest collection of authentic 1812-era buildings), and the creation of a virtual heritage trail network. The Bicentennial program is a collective effort involving more than 40 partners from Toronto's arts, cultural, First Nations, heritage, corporate and military communities.



Sailing is one of 28 sports of the Ontario Summer Games.

More than 1,000 volunteers needed for Ontario Summer Games

Since the "One Year to Go Kick Off" at Toronto City Hall on August 16, 2011, more than 700 volunteers have registered to date to be a part of the 2012 Ontario Summer Games. The City of Toronto will host the Games from August 16 to 19, with pre-Games events starting on August 14. For more information about volunteer and sponsorship opportunities or to vote for your favourite Games mascot design, visit the Games website or contact games@2012ontariosummergames.ca. The Ontario Summer Games are a program of the Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sport, delivered by Sport Alliance Ontario in collaboration with the City of Toronto, Toronto Sports Council and Tourism Toronto.


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