(Report dated June 10, 1998, addressed to the Special Committee to Review the Final Report of the Toronto Transition
Team, from theChief Administrative Officer.)
Subject: Transition Teams recommendation respecting environmental issues
Purpose:
This report responds to the request from the Special Committee to Review the Final Report of the Toronto Transition Team
that the CAO report on how the new city should handle environmental issues from an administrative point of view. The
report is a progress report on the steps that the corporation is taking to implement the relevant parts of Recommendation 42
of the final report of the Transition Team.
Funding Sources, Financial Implications and Impact Statement:
There are no financial implications to this progress report.
Recommendations:
1. That the Special Committee to Review the Final Report of the Toronto Transition Team receive this report for
information.
Council Reference/Background/History:
At its meeting of January 28th, the Special Committee to Review the Final Report of the Toronto Transition Team requested
that:
the CAO, in consultation with the Chair of the Environment Task Force, to examine the Toronto Transition Team's
recommendation respecting environmental issues, the International Council for Local Environment Initiatives (ICLEI)
report, and any other relevant information on how the new city should handle environmental issues from an administrative
point of view, and submit a report thereon, to the Special Committee to Review the Final Report of the Toronto Transition
Team."
Recommendation 42 of the report of the Toronto Transition Team states:
The Strategic Directions Secretariat should provide support to the CAO, the senior management team, and the Strategic
Policies and priorities Committee of Council, in the following areas:...a corporate perspective on ...environmental planning
and management. The Secretariat should.... coordinate a team of staff from across the corporation to develop and
implement an Environmental Master Plan.
Comments and/or Discussion and/or Justification:
The following steps have been taken with respect to the development of an Environmental Master Plan and the
establishment of an organizational structure to handle environmental issues in the Corporation:
1. An Inter-departmental Environmental Issues Team (TIE), chaired by the CAO, has been established to support the
coordination and strategic direction of environmental issues and policies on behalf of the City. TIE will work to ensure a
strong environmental management system for the corporation. The first meeting of TIE took place on May 21. (see draft
terms of reference attached).
2The CAOs office is preparing a report on the role of the Strategic Directions Secretariat. This review will identify the
appropriate mechanisms for providing policy and planning services to Council, the Chief Administrative Office and each
department.
3. The terms of reference for the Environmental Task Force, adopted by City Council on March 6, 1998, include the
following:
To create a comprehensive environmental plan for the new City, both as a corporation and as a community that will
maintain and enhance the quality of Torontos environment, and make Toronto an internationally recognized environmental
leader.
To recommend a structure that will incorporate advanced environmental decision-making and monitoring into the political
and managerial structure of the city.
The Environmental Master Plan will be a key component of Councils strategic plan. The Task Force has indicated its
interest in working closely with TIE on these items so that the work, which begins with the Task Force, is strategically
managed by the corporation in the future.
Conclusions:
I believe that these steps are the appropriate initial mechanisms to ensure that the intent of Recommendation 42 is
respected, and to ensure that the City develops viable mechanisms for the strategic management of environmental matters.
A future report from the Chief Administrative Officer will discuss critical linkages and input from both TIE and the
Environmental Task Force to Councils strategic planning process.
The Chair of the Environment Task Force, Councillor Jack Layton, and the Secretary General of the International Council
for Environmental Initiatives, Mr. Jeb Brugman, have been consulted in the preparation of this report.
Contact name:
Lisa Salsberg, Healthy City Office, 392-1086
(A copy of the Terms of Reference referred to in the foregoing, is on file in the office of the City Clerk.)
