TABLE OF CONTENTS
REPORTS OF THE STANDING COMMITTEES
AND OTHER COMMITTEES
As Considered by
The Council of the City of Toronto
on October 1 and 2, 1998
STRATEGIC POLICIES AND PRIORITIES COMMITTEE
REPORT No. 17
1Status of Special Committees and Task Forces
City of Toronto
REPORT No. 17
OF THE STRATEGIC POLICIES AND PRIORITIES COMMITTEE
(from its meeting on July 24, 1998,
submitted by Mayor Mel Lastman , Chair)
As Considered by
The Council of the City of Toronto
on October 1 and 2, 1998
1
Status of Special Committees and Task Forces
(City Council on October 1 and 2, 1998, amended this Clause by:
(1)inserting the words "where appropriate" after the words "Standing Committee" in
Recommendation No. (1)(c) embodied in the report dated July 21, 1998, from MayorLastman,
so that such recommendation shall now read as follows:
"(1)(c)the special committee or task force will report to Council through a Standing
Committee, where appropriate; and"; and
(2)deleting Recommendation No. (3) of the Strategic Policies and Priorities Committee.)
(City Council on July 29, 30and 31, 1998, deferred consideration of this Clause to the next
regular meeting of Council scheduled to be held on October 1, 1998.)
(Clause No. 23 of Report No. 15 of The Strategic Policies and Priorities Committee)
The Strategic Policies and Priorities Committee recommends the adoption of the report
(July21, 1998) from Mayor Lastman, subject to:
(1)amending Recommendation No. (1)(b) by adding at the end thereof:
"by a sunset date to be approved by Council in order to continue";
(2)amending Recommendation No. (2) by:
(a)deleting therefrom "the Miller Committee";
(b)striking out the words "report to Council" and replacing them with the words
"recommend to Council"; and by
(c)adding "and that the World City Committee report to Council through the Economic
Development Committee"; and
(3)adding a Recommendation (4) to read as follows:
"(4)(a)the members of the Assessment and Tax Policy Task Force be thanked for all
their work;
(b)the Assessment and Tax Policy Task Force be disbanded, as its mandate is now
completed; and
(c)in future, any matters related to tax issues be reported through the Strategic Policies
and Priorities Committee."
The Strategic Policies and Priorities Committee submits the following report (July 21,
1998) from Mayor Mel Lastman:
Purpose:
This report proposes principles to guide the establishment of new task forces and recommends
changes to the reporting relationships of certain special committees and task forces.
Funding Sources, Financial Implications and Impact Statement:
The recommendations in this report have no financial impact.
Recommendations:
It is recommended that:
(1)before creating a special committee or task force, Council should ensure that:
(a)the work cannot be undertaken by an existing Standing Committee of Council;
(b)the mandate of the new special committee or task force is time limited;
(c)the special committee or task force will report to Council through a Standing Committee;
and
(d)the staff and other resources required to support the work of the special committee or task
force are identified and available within existing resources;
(2)the Miller Committee and Task Forces on Community Access and Equity, Agencies,
Boards and Commissions and the Environment immediately report to Council through the
SPPC in order to bring them into conformity with the principles in recommendation (1)
above; and
(3)the appropriate City Officials be authorized and directed to take the necessary action to
give effect thereto.
Comments:
Since January, Council has created a number of Task Forces and Special Committees. Each of
these committees is doing valuable work. However, as a Council, we must take care not to
overwhelm staff and ourselves with committees and task forces. Therefore, I am
recommending that Council adopt the following principles to guide the establishment of task
forces and special committees in the future.
Before creating a special committee or task force, Council should ensure that:
(a)the work cannot be undertaken by an existing Standing Committee of Council;
(b)the mandate of the new special committee or task force is time limited;
(c)the special committee or task force will report to Council through a Standing Committee;
and
(d)staff and other resources are available to support the work of the special committee or task
force.
The attached chart lists the names, reporting relationships and completion dates of the main
task forces and special committees. The majority of these special committees and task forces
function in a manner that is consistent with the principles outlined above. Most will complete
their mandates by the end of this year. Most also report to Council through Standing
Committees. There is a proposal to have the World City Committee begin reporting to the
Economic Development Committee which is now up and running.
The Miller Committee and Task Forces on Community Access and Equity, Agencies, Boards
and Commissions and the Environment currently report directly to Council. To bring them
into conformity with the principles, they too should report through a Standing Committee. As
their mandates cut across several policy portfolios, I am recommending that these task forces
and special committee report to Council through the SPPC.
Finally, I have requested the CAO to monitor the status of the task forces and special
committees as part of the review of the committee structure that his staff are undertaking for
the Miller Committee.
Status Of Special Committees And Task Forces
