City Council meeting of June 24, 2003

Tourism action plan
Council approved a five-year action plan to create a strategy for strengthening Toronto's tourism industry. The plan identifies six key areas for action: leadership in the tourism sector; raising the sector's public profile; enhancing Toronto's attractiveness to tourists; improving the sector's ability to attract new investment; increasing the cost-effectiveness of the tourism sector's marketing efforts; and protecting the City's assets.

Settlement with Toronto Port Authority
Council approved an out-of-court settlement involving the City of Toronto, the Toronto Economic Development Corporation (TEDCO) and the Toronto Port Authority, giving the City and TEDCO undisputed ownership of 248 hectares of central waterfront land once owned by the federal Port Authority. The City and TEDCO receive a number of benefits and savings as a result of the settlement, which is considered critical to plans for waterfront revitalization.

Toronto Island Airport
Council adopted new terms to govern the operation of Toronto Island Airport. Changes to the existing tripartite agreement among the City, the Toronto Port Authority and Transport Canada were approved to allow the construction of a bridge to the island airport and to strengthen community consultation and environmental protection initiatives related to airport operations. The amended agreement requires the Port Authority to complete an emergency services protocol, an urban design plan, a storm water management strategy and a transit strategy before building the bridge. In addition, the amended agreement retains the existing ban on jets and runway extensions.

Culture Plan for Toronto
Council approved a Culture Plan that proposes recommendations to position Toronto as an international cultural capital. The plan also defines culture's role as an engine of economic and social development. Among the many recommendations is a proposal for developing University Avenue as an "Avenue of the Arts," linking cultural showpieces from the new Opera House to the Royal Ontario Museum. The plan is available on the City's Web site, at www.toronto.ca/culture.

Central waterfront transit
Council agreed to encourage the Toronto Waterfront Revitalization Committee to place a high priority on the westward extension of the Harbourfront streetcar line. The anticipated extension is to proceed in two phases: west from the downtown lakeshore area to Dufferin Street, then farther west to the King-Queen-Roncesvalles intersection.

Archeological master plan for waterfront
Council adopted a master plan to guide the review of building project applications on City-owned land in the waterfront area where an archeological assessment appears warranted. The Archeological Master Plan for the Central Waterfront calls for the City to work with the Ontario government's Heritage Operations Unit to address any archeological concerns or opportunities prior to the development of a site.

Fair Wage Policy
Council adopted a revised Fair Wage Policy covering contractors that provide goods and services purchased by the City of Toronto. The revised policy calls for Council's approval of a schedule of fair wage rates every three years. In addition, Council approved recommendations resulting from a recent review of the Fair Wage Office concerning its accountability and administration.

Special Labour Day weekend
Council approved a motion to declare August 30, 31 and September 1 "Toronto: You Belong Here Event Weekend." Retail businesses in the city can choose to stay open that weekend. The declaration is part of the Mayor's Toronto: You Belong Here Recovery Task Force's efforts to encourage Toronto residents to be tourists in their own city.

Red-light cameras
Council endorsed the operation of red-light camera systems for a fourth year (November 2003 to November 2004). The City contributes operating funds to a centralized processing centre that issues offence notices on behalf of Toronto and other participating municipalities. Preliminary results indicate that the red-light camera pilot project is reducing the frequency of red-light running. Since red-light camera operations began in November 2000, more than 18,000 violation notices have been issued for Toronto sites where the cameras are used. The conviction rate is about 85 per cent. An evaluation of the first two years' results is in the works.

First meeting of new City Council
Council decided on a date for the inaugural meeting of the 2003-2006 Toronto City Council. The meeting will be held December 2, 3 and 4 - about three weeks after the November 10 municipal election. The ceremonial part of the December 2 meeting will be followed by two days of organizational business for Council, mainly concerning the membership of standing committees and special purpose bodies. The new Council will also set its 2004 schedule of business meetings. September 25 is the last day of the final scheduled meeting of the current Council.

Previous Council Highlights

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Council Highlights, produced for your convenience, is a summary of Council's recent decisions. Council Highlights is not intended to serve as an official record of the meeting. If you have questions about this summary, please e-mail Strategic Communications at stratcom@toronto.ca.