January 14, 1998
To: Special Committee to Review the Transition Team’s Final Report
From: Chief Administrative Officer
Subject: Terms of Reference for the Special Committee to Review the Transition Team’s Final Report
Purpose:
The purpose of this report is to propose draft Terms of Reference, draft priorities and a draft schedule of meetings for the Special Committee to Review the Transition Team’s Final Report.
Funding Sources, Financial Implications and Impact Statement:
The recommendations in this report have no direct financial implications.
Recommendations:
It is recommended that:
this report be adopted as the Terms of Reference for the Special Committee to Review the Transition Team’s Final Report;
a small workgroup of Members of the Committee, including the Chair, be requested to canvass Members of the Committee and report to the next meeting of the Committee on proposed priorities and a sequence for dealing with the Transition Team’s final recommendations;
the Committee meet on a bi-weekly basis and, in order to deal with priority or time-sensitive items, special meetings may be called;
the Chair of the Committee advise the Chairs of the following Task Forces and Special Committee of the schedule of meetings and request them to submit their draft Terms of Reference to the Committee for review:
Task Force to Review Smaller Agencies, Boards and Commissions;
Access and Equity Action Plan, Race Relations, Disability and Human Rights, and Ethno-Canadian Issues Task Force;
Environment Task Force;
Task Force to Develop a Strategy for Issues of Concern to the Elderly;
Homeless Strategy Task Force;
Children’s Action Committee;
Task Force on Community Safety; and
World City Committee;
the Nominating Committee not proceed with its work until the Special Committee on the Transition Team’s Final Report has developed its recommendations on the process, policies and procedures for citizen appointments and Council has approved these recommendations; and
the appropriate officials be authorized and directed to take the necessary action to give effect thereto.
Council Reference/Background/History:
The Toronto Transition Team published its Final Report on December 11, 1997. The report includes 136 recommendations to Toronto City Council. At the meeting held on January 2, 6 and 8, 1998, Council adopted a motion by the Mayor to:
approve the recommendations in the Transition Team’s Final Report on an interim basis only;
establish a Special Committee of Council to review the recommendations and report thereon to Council in four months; and
refer all motions with respect to the Transition Team Report, except those dealing with staffing and salaries, to this Special Committee. These motions include motions with respect to the Procedure By-law.
Council appointed the following Members to the Special Committee:
Councillor David Miller (Chair);
Councillor Gloria Lindsay Luby;
Councillor Mike Feldman;
Councillor Anne Johnston;
Councillor Joan King;
Councillor Norm Kelly;
Councillor Peter LiPreti;
Councillor Howard Moscoe;
Councillor Michael Prue;
Councillor Kyle Rae;
Councillor Judy Sgro; and
Councillor Ron Moeser.
Council also adopted a number of recommendations relating to specific tasks to be undertaken by the Special Committee. In addition, Council directed the Chief Administrative Officer to do everything necessary to provide support and assistance to the Special Committee.
Council requested the Chief Administrative Officer and the City Clerk to submit a report to the first meeting of the Special Committee outlining a suggested work plan and identifying priorities and implementation issues that require early resolution. This report discusses the Special Committee’s mandate and work plan. The City Clerk has been consulted in the preparation of this report and concurs with its contents. It is recommended that this report be adopted as the Terms of Reference for the Special Committee to Review the Transition Team’s Final Report.
Comments and/or Discussion and/or Justification:
Scope of the Special Committee’s Mandate:
A comprehensive list of Council’s resolutions relating to the Special Committee to Review the Transition Team’s Final Report is provided in Appendix 1.
The Special Committee’s mandate is wide ranging because of the scope of the Transition Team’s Final Report. Among the recommendations are proposals for:
a political decision-making structure;
the role of Community Councils in the governance structure;
the role of a Greater Toronto Services Board;
principles and structures to facilitate citizen involvement in the activities of the City;
an administrative structure to support the Council;
the role and structure of the City’s agencies, boards and commissions; and
actions related to the development of the 1998 Budget and tax policies.
Sequence of Priorities:
Because of the breadth of this mandate, it is necessary for the Special Committee to immediately identify priorities and a work plan to address these priorities. It is recommended that a small workgroup of Members of the Committee, including the Chair, be requested to canvass Members of the Committee and report to the next meeting of the Committee on proposed priorities and a sequence for dealing with the Transition Team’s final recommendations. It is further recommended that the Committee meet on a bi-weekly basis and, in order to deal with priority or time-sensitive items, special meetings may be called.
The identification of priorities and the sequence in which they are dealt with will be influenced by:
specific timeframes requested by Council for certain matters;
the significance of the Transition Team’s individual recommendations; and
the relationship between the work of this Committee and the activities of other Committees and Task Forces.
Council Requests:
The Special Committee has been directed to report on its review of the Transition Team’s recommendations to the May meeting of Council. However Council has requested the Committee to deal with certain matters before then. Specifically, Council has requested:
the Special Committee to report to Council on February 4, 1998, on the location for regular meetings of Council;
the Special Committee to report to Council no later than March 4, 1998, on the roles and responsibilities of Community Councils;
the Chief Administrative Officer to report to the Special Committee on three options, with advantages and disadvantages and cost factors involved in choosing the seat of government, and that these options, together with the recommendations of the Special Committee, be reported to Council in three months (i.e. April); and
the Chief Administrative Officer to report to the Special Committee on a preferred organizational structure for the senior staff as soon as possible.
Significance of Transition Team’s Recommendations:
The Special Committee may determine that a number of the Transition Team’s recommendations deal with routine administrative matters and are not controversial. For example, the Transition Team has recommended that an inventory of all City vehicles and vehicle maintenance and repair facilities should be undertaken (Recommendation 64). Recommendations such as this can be expected to take up less of the Committee’s time than other recommendations that deal with matters of much greater significance to the way in which the City operates and interacts with its citizens. These matters include the governance structure in general, the role of Community Councils in particular and citizen involvement in the affairs of the City. These issues have been the subject of much debate and controversy.
Implications for the Activities of Other Committees:
The work of the Special Committee to Review the Transition Team’s Final Report necessarily impacts on the work of several other committees. In adopting the final report of the Toronto Transition Team on an interim basis, and in adopting Report No. 1 of the Striking Committee, Council established the following Task Forces and Special Committee:
Task Force to Review Smaller Agencies, Boards and Commissions;
Access and Equity Action Plan, Race Relations, Disability and Human Rights, and Ethno-Canadian Issues Task Force;
(-) Environment Task Force;
(-) Task Force to Develop a Strategy for Issues of Concern to the Elderly;
(-) Homeless Strategy Task Force;
(-) Children’s Action Committee (Sub-Committee of the Community Services Committee);
(-) Task Force on Community Safety; and
(-) World City Committee (to develop friendship agreements, twinnings, etc.).
Council requested the Chairs of each of these Task Forces and Special Committee to develop Terms of Reference, including a proposed composition, and report thereon to Council through the Special Committee to Review the Transition Team’s Final Report. The review of these Terms of Reference will be closely tied to the overall approach that is recommended for the City’s governance structure. It is recommended that the Chair of this Committee advise the Chairs of the following Task Forces and Special Committee of the schedule of meetings and request them to submit their draft Terms of Reference to the Committee for review:
Task Force to Review Smaller Agencies, Boards and Commissions;
Access and Equity Action Plan, Race Relations, Disability and Human Rights, and Ethno-Canadian Issues Task Force;
Environment Task Force;
Task Force to Develop a Strategy for Issues of Concern to the Elderly;
Homeless Strategy Task Force;
Children’s Action Committee;
Task Force on Community Safety; and
World City Committee.
In adopting Report No. 1 of the Striking Committee, Council established a Nominating Committee with the mandate to recommend citizen appointments. The work of the Special Committee on the Transition Team’s Final Report will have implications for the bodies to which the Nominating Committee recommends appointments and for the nominations process itself. Therefore, it is recommended that the Nominating Committee not proceed with its work until the Special Committee on the Transition Team’s Final Report has developed its recommendations on the process, policies and procedures for citizen appointments and Council has approved these recommendations.
In addition, other Standing Committees have been and will be referring items to the Special Committee to Review the transition Team’s Final Report.
Conclusions:
This report outlines the mandate of the Special Committee to Review the Transition Team’s Final Report. The report highlights the scope of the mandate and considerations for the determination of priorities and the sequence in which they are addressed. The report recommends that:
this report be adopted as the Terms of Reference for the Special Committee to Review the Transition Team’s Final Report;
a small workgroup of Members of the Committee, including the Chair, be requested to canvass Members of the Committee and report to the next meeting of the Committee on proposed priorities and a sequence for dealing with the Transition Team’s final recommendations;
the Committee meet on a bi-weekly basis and, in order to deal with priority or time-sensitive items, special meetings may be called;
the Chair of the Committee advise the Chairs of the following Task Forces and Special Committee of the schedule of meetings and request them to submit their draft Terms of Reference to the Committee for review:
Task Force to Review Smaller Agencies, Boards and Commissions;
Access and Equity Action Plan, Race Relations, Disability and Human Rights, and Ethno-Canadian Issues Task Force;
Environment Task Force;
Task Force to Develop a Strategy for Issues of Concern to the Elderly;
Homeless Strategy Task Force;
Children’s Action;
Task Force on Community Safety; and
World City Committee; and
the Nominating Committee not proceed with its work until the Special Committee on the Transition Team’s Final Report has developed its recommendations on the process, policies and procedures for citizen appointments and Council has approved these recommendations.
Michael Garrett
Chief Administrative Officer
Appendix 1
Council Resolutions Relating to the Mandate of the Special Committee to Review the Transition Team’s Final Report
At the meeting held on January 2, 6 and 8, 1998 Toronto City Council adopted the following recommendations regarding the Special Committee to Review the Transition Team’s Final Report:
Council approve the recommendations in the final report of the Toronto Transition Team on an interim basis only, and a Special Committee of Council, reporting directly to Council, be established to review the recommendations and report thereon to Council for its meeting to be held in the second week of May.
The Special Committee be comprised of:
Councillor David Miller (Chair)
Councillor Gloria Lindsay Luby
Councillor Mike Feldman
Councillor Anne Johnston
Councillor Joan King
Councillor Norm Kelly
Councillor Peter LiPreti
Councillor Howard Moscoe
Councillor Michael Prue
Councillor Kyle Rae
Councillor Judy Sgro
Councillor Ron Moeser
All motions that come forward with respect to the final report of the Toronto Transition Team be referred to this Special Committee, and those dealing with staffing and salaries be referred to the Corporate Services Committee.
The Chief Administrative Officer do all things necessary to provide support and assistance to this Special Committee.
Recommendation 110* of the final report of the Toronto Transition Team not be adopted on an interim basis but be referred to the Special Committee for consideration, and the Chief Financial Officer & Treasurer and Interim City Solicitor be requested to submit a joint report to the Special Committee on the implications for the new City with regard to such recommendation. (*Recommendation 110: Council should request the Province to amend the Toronto District Heating Corporation Act to include heating, cooling, co-generation and its associated by-products, and to clarify that it has full title to its property. Council should appoint new members to replace the existing political members of the Corporation’s board.)
An Economic Development Committee be established and the Special Committee be requested to develop Terms of Reference for the Economic Development Committee and, as part of the review of the terms of Reference, to consider the merits of including Urban Planning as a responsibility of such Committee.
The draft Council Procedural By-law, appended to the communication dated December 30, 1997, from the City Clerk be adopted, in the interim, subject to:
striking out and referring Section (3) to the City Clerk for a report thereon to the Special Committee; and
adding a new subsection (a) to Section 11, as follows, and renumbering subsections (a) and (b) accordingly:
‘(a) if it is required in accordance with the Municipal Act or other applicable legislation;’;
and the draft By-law and all communications and proposed amendments related thereto be referred to the Special Committee for report thereon to Council for its meeting to be held in May, 1998.
The following motion be referred to the City Clerk for report thereon to the Special Committee: ‘That Section 6 of the draft Council Procedural By-law be amended by deleting the words "24 hours’ notice" and substituting therefor the words "48 hours’ notice." ’
The Special Committee be requested to submit a report to the meeting of Council to be held on February 4, 1998, on the location for regular meetings of Council and, until such time as the Special Committee reports back to Council on a permanent location for regular meetings of Council, such meetings be held at Metro Hall.
The Special Committee be requested to submit a report to Council as soon as possible but no later than March 4, 1998 on the roles and responsibilities of Community Councils.
The Chief Administrative Officer be requested to submit a report to the Special Committee on three options, with advantages and disadvantages and cost factors involved in choosing the seat of government, and these options, together with the recommendations of the Special Committee, be reported to Council in three months (i.e. April), and all members of Council be invited to attend the meeting of the Special Committee at which this issue will be discussed.
The Chief Administrative Officer be requested to submit a report to the Special Committee on a preferred organizational structure for the senior staff, such report to be submitted as soon as possible.
The Chief Administrative Officer be requested to submit a report to the Special Committee on the administrative structure of the new City, such report to identify other possible options for the administrative structure.
The Chief Administrative Officer be requested to submit a report to the Special Committee on recommendation 66* of the final report of the Toronto Transition Team, and the possibility of enabling citizens to make routine applications for permits, etc. in their neighbourhoods, at libraries, community centres or other existing facilities by electronic means. (*Recommendation 66: The City should establish a call centre – a centralized customer service organization to serve as the first point of contact for services, information and transactions.)
The Chief Administrative Officer and the City Clerk be requested to submit a report to the first meeting of the Special Committee outlining a suggested work plan and identifying priorities and implementation issues that require early resolution.
The City Solicitor be requested to submit a report to the Special Committee on legal issues, if any, raised by Bill 103 and the final report of the Toronto Transition Team.
