Toronto Civics 101   –   Sessions   1   –   2   –   3   –   4   –   5   –   6

October 15, 2009
Do you ever wonder how decisions are made in the City of Toronto? This session explored the decision-making process at the City. It contrasted the working of municipal government with provincial and federal governments. It included video and discussion of Committee and Council proceedings.

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• Session 3 agenda (PDF)
• Introductory Quiz - City Council and Decision-Making. Participants marked what they thought was the correct answer.
• Doing the exercise and reporting back (video 6 minutes)
• Who grants the City of Toronto its powers? (jpg)
• What is Community Council? (jpg)
• Can the Mayor override City Council decisions? (jpg)
• Are meetings of City Council public? (jpg)
• What is the relationship between the Toronto Public Library and the City of Toronto? (jpg)
• Who sits on a Standing Committee of Council? (jpg)
• Introducing the session, with John Schaffter (video 3 minutes)
• How the City Governs, Part 1 with John Elvidge (video 16 minutes)
• The City's powers, what it is able to do, and the rules and regulations under which the City operates.
• How the City Governs, Part 2 with John Elvidge (video 16 minutes)
• Contrasts how City Hall works with provincial and federal governments, and the rules that must be followed.
• How the City Governs, Part 3 with John Elvidge (video 21 minutes)
• How the City makes decisions, the Committee system, Community Councils, and their agendas and business.
• How the City Governs, Part 4 with John Elvidge (video 15 minutes)
• Public Works and Infrastructure Committee as an example of the decision making process.
• Accountability Officers, with Fiona Murray (video 10 minutes)
• Describes the Accountability Officers at the City of Toronto and the work that they do.
• Questions and Answers for John Elvidge and Fiona Murray (video 19 minutes)
• Public Appointments, with Joanne Hamill (video 12 minutes)
• Special Purpose Bodies at the City of Toronto, including Agencies, Boards, Commissions, and Corporations.
• Questions and Answers with Joanne Hamill (video 5 minutes)

Resources

Council and Committee Process

• Decision-making at the City of Toronto, City of Toronto, 2008
  A short guide to the process that the City of Toronto makes decisions, including the role of City Council, committees and the public.


A short guide to Torontonians role in City government, including getting your idea before Council and public appointments.


• Agendas and Decisions of City Council and its Committees
  Browse agendas and decisions of City Council and its committees. The agendas and minutes contain links to all the reports and documents considered by the committee. You will find the agendas and minutes of all meetings of City Council for every meeting held since the City was amalgamated on January 1, 1998.



• Meeting Monitor
  Follow meetings of City Council and its committees in real time. The Meeting Monitor shows the status of the meeting and every agenda item and is updated in real time during a meeting.



• Toronto Municipal Code
  The City of Toronto Municipal Code is a compilation of bylaws organized by subject. Check here first for general application by-laws.



• By-laws of the City of Toronto
  Browse or search the by-laws of the City. The text of every bylaw passed by City Council since amalgamation is provided online. Earlier by-laws are available from the Toronto Archives.



• By-Law Status Register
  The City Clerk's Office uses a by-law status register to track the history of how the municipalities amended the by-laws and other details of many of these by-laws. The register also documents the relationship among by-laws. You can use the by-law status register to track the status of by-laws and view the amendment history and other details about a by-law.



• Schedule of Meetings, City of Toronto, 2009
  You will find an up to date list of all scheduled meetings of City Council and its committees.



• Closed Meeting Rules, City of Toronto
  Here are the rules for open and closed meetings of City Council and its committees, including information about handling of complaints that a meeting has been closed improperly.



• Delegated Powers of Community Council, City of Toronto, 2007 (PDF)
  City Council has delegated final decision making authority for certain things to the community councils. These are primarily local, routine transactions. Community Council must recommend decisions to City Council on the balance of items.

Accountability Officers

• Statutory Accountability Requirements
  The City of Toronto Act, 2006 establishes four mandatory functions including the Auditor General, Integrity Commissioner, Lobbyist Registry and authority to appoint a Lobbyist Registrar, and an Ombudsman. This site describes the role of each, and provides links to additional information.

Public Appointments

• Toronto Agencies, Boards, Commissions and Corporations
  Many important services are administered on behalf of the City and the community through separate City agencies, boards, commissions and corporations (ABCCs) and other special purpose bodies (SPBs) (PDF chart), each having its own relationship with City Council. Other services are administered through corporations that are partnered with the City.



• City of Toronto Public Appointments
  Invites residents of Toronto to serve on high profile, challenging and exciting boards of directors for City agencies. It has a link to the public appointments policy and current appointment opportunities.

Governance Review

• The City We Want - the Government We Need, Governing Toronto Advisory Panel, November 2005 (PDF 1.2 Mb)
  In advance of the introduction of the City of Toronto Act, 2006, City Council asked an advisory panel to put forward recommendations on the future structure of democratic governance structure for Toronto.



• Background Paper - Discussion Papers on Selected Urban Governance Models and Practices, Lionel D. Feldman Consulting Ltd. & Katherine A. Graham, CMC Management & Research Consultant (PDF 167 Kb)
  Discussion paper on political governance models in London (UK), Chicago, New York and Vancouver and a comparative review of legislative processes and systems.

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