Development and Positioning of Nathan Phillips Square

The Administration Committee recommends:

(1)the adoption of Recommendations Nos. (1) and (4) embodied in the report (September 20, 1999) from the Acting Commissioner of Corporate Services, viz:

"(1)Council endorse the use of Nathan Phillips Square as the City's premiere public space and event venue;"; and

"(4)the appropriate City officials be authorized and directed to take the necessary action to give effect thereto;"; and

(2)that Council approve, in principle, the inclusion of a United Way Tribute in Nathan Phillips Square; and that the Tribute be considered in the overall needs assessment of the review of Nathan Phillips Square on the development and positioning of the Square as proposed in the aforementioned report dated September 20, 1999, from the Acting Commissioner of Corporate Services.

The Administration Committee reports, for the information of Council, having:

(A)referred the following Recommendation No. (2) embodied in the report (September 20, 1999) from the Acting Commissioner of Corporate Services, to the Chief Administrative Officer for inclusion in his forthcoming report to the Administration Committee regarding the City Hall square area:

"(2) Council endorse a review and re-design process for Nathan Phillips Square to increase the Square's viability as a public space and event venue taking into consideration the needs of the community at large;"; and

(B)amended Recommendation No. (3) embodied in the aforementioned report (September 20, 1999) from the Acting Commissioner of Corporate Services by deleting the word "reserve" and inserting in lieu thereof the word "propose", so that Recommendation No. (3) now reads as follows:

"(3)the Facilities and Real Estate Division be directed to propose sufficient funding in its year 2000 capital budget to initiate a condition survey, needs assessment, Terms of Reference and design competition for Nathan Phillips Square;"; and

referred the aforementioned Recommendation No. (3), as amended, to the Chief Administrative Officer for inclusion in his forthcoming report to the Administration Committee regarding the City Hall square area.

The Administration Committee submits the following report (September 20, 1999) from the Acting Commissioner of Corporate Services:

Purpose:

The purpose of this report is to seek City Council's endorsement to position Nathan Phillips Square as the City of Toronto's premiere public space and event venue.

Funding Impacts:

The Facilities and Real Estate Division will reserve sufficient funding in its year 2000 Capital Budget to initiate a condition survey, needs assessment, Terms of Reference, and initiate a design competition for Nathan Phillips Square. Actual cost are currently being estimated and will be detailed in the Facilities and Real Estate Division's year 2000 capital budget.

Recommendations:

It is recommended that:

(1)Council endorse the use of Nathan Phillips Square as the City's premiere public space and event venue;

(2)Council endorse a review and re-design process for Nathan Phillips Square to increase the Square's viability as a public space and event venue taking into consideration the needs of the community at large;

(3)the Facilities and Real Estate Division be directed to reserve sufficient funding in its year 2000 Capital Budget to initiate a condition survey, needs assessment, Terms of Reference and design competition for Nathan Phillips Square; and

(4)the appropriate city officials be authorized and directed to take the necessary action to give effect thereto.

Background/History:

Nathan Phillips Square has served the people of Toronto and the "former City of Toronto" as a "people place." It has become the venue of choice for ceremonial and political events, concerts, festivals, art exhibitions and community events. Nathan Phillips Square is also identified as an internationally recognized tourist destination. As the city has expanded, so have the demands on Nathan Phillips Square to serve as the City of Toronto's primary event venue.

During the past year, Nathan Phillips Square has hosted a total of 200 events. These events consisted of concerts, awareness events, demonstrations, City produced events, a Farmer's Market and foreign delegations and royalty showcasing the City of Toronto to the world. The joint activities of Toronto Special Events and Facilities and Real Estate Division have allowed these events to operate successfully.

To meet the demand for event programming on Nathan Phillips Square, city staff have implemented and maintained a variety of temporary supports including the purchase of a seasonal stage, rental of tent coverings at $27,000.00 per annum, and crowd control barricades. It is our intent to review the physical plan requirements of the square to provide the necessary infrastructure to meet the demands on Nathan Phillips Square.

It is anticipated that with the creation of the new City of Toronto, the demand for events on Nathan Phillips Square will increase in frequency, size, and complexity and will receive greater international exposure. Staff recommend that a site condition survey, needs assessment, terms of reference and design competition be initiated. The re-design process to include but not be limited to the following:

(i)maintain the current philosophy of Nathan Phillips Square as a "people place". Ensure that Nathan Phillips Square is an attractive and welcoming resting and recreational place in an urban environment;

(ii)review existing layout and make recommendations on new physical additions or modifications to position Nathan Phillips Square as the city's premiere event venue including permanent staging structures and associated facilities. In addition, the need for permanent stage facilities has also been identified by the Millennium Task Force as a possible Millennium activity;

(iii)identify the capital investment required to re-vitalize the Kiosk on the south west side of the Square;

(iv)review and report on the feasibility of relocating or modifying the Peace Garden, the Archer art work and the Kiosk to increase the people capacity (complete with an pedestrian traffic flow analyst) of the Square;

(v)conduct a public consultation with key stakeholders to identify any design concerns from the community; and

(vi)any recommendations resulting from the review process take into consideration the current structural reinforcement and garage rooftop waterproofing projects.

Facilities and Real Estate staff would oversee the development of the condition survey, needs assessment, terms of reference, and design competition for Nathan Phillips Square in conjunction with the Economic Development, Culture and Tourism Department, Special Events Division and Urban Planning and Development Services. Appropriate consultation with external stakeholders would be initiated early in the process to establish the parameters of the project.

Conclusion:

Nathan Phillips Square, named in honor of the late Nathan Phillips who initiated the project, has been deemed a "People Place". Since its opening the City of Toronto has continued to enhance the Square as a public space.

With the introduction of the new City of Toronto and the designation of City Hall as the 'seat of government', it is anticipated that the demand for Nathan Phillips Square as an event venue will continue to increase in frequency, complexity and international exposure. Subsequently a review of Nathan Phillips Square's ability to support a broader mandate consistent with current and future demands is required.

Contact:

Mark Davies

Director Facilities Services

Tel: 397-0805

Nelson Elliott

Manager Customer Support

Tel: 397-5147

The Administration Committee also submits the following communication (September 27, 1999) from the President, United Way of Greater Toronto:

Attached is a proposal which I would like to bring to your Administration Committee on October 5, 1999.

I realize the notice is very, very short, but I have only just learned the way to take it to Council is through your Committee. For the sake of the project's success, it would be ideal to get City Council's approval in principle at its meeting on October 26-28, 1999. Therefore, I ask you to please forgive us for any inconvenience this short notice creates, and appeal for your support.

The process we envision is as follows:

(i)approval by your Committee on October 5, 1999, to go to City Council this month (possibly to go to the Policy and Finance Committee on October 14, 1999);

(ii)a competition open to Canada's best architects/designers to be narrowed down to five, selected by a jury that will include:

(a)Bruce Mau Design;

(b)Shirley Blumberg (Chief Architect for the refurbished City Hall);

(c)Max Teitelbaum (CEO, Art Galley of Ontario);

(d)Honey Sherman (a major Toronto donor); and

(e)Judith Matthews (Chair of the project, on behalf of United Way of Greater Toronto and Toronto Community Foundation);

(iii)Selection of the artist/designer late 1999;

(iv)Project design completed in the first quarter of 2000;

(v)Final approval by the City in the spring of 2000;

(vi)Construction in the year 2000; and

(vii)Project launch in the fall of 2000, the millennial year.

As part of the completed homework, we have met with and obtained support from the Mayor's Office, Councillor Kyle Rae, and the six Community Council Chairs.

We hope to get your Committee's support in principle at your October 5, 1999 meeting. Thank you for your consideration.

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September 27, 1999

United Community Tribute Creative Brief

The Partners are:

United Way of Greater Toronto and the Toronto Community Foundation, this city's most inclusive and highly respected charitable organizations, dedicated to preserving Toronto's civilized and internationally recognized quality of life. United Way focuses on a complete range of health and human services, and the Community Foundation supports endowments for the environment, arts and culture, and leadership development. These are the only two charities in Toronto with the breadth and scope that allow donors to give anywhere in the community. Working together, United Way and the Community Foundation will ensure that Toronto remains a vibrant and healthy community, now and in the future.

The Concept is:

to create a major recognition project for public giving to the two Toronto charities that represent the community-at-large.

We propose to distinguish the importance of community investment in the new millennium with an artistic tribute in the southwest corner of Nathan Phillips Square. Both organizations share a unique community-wide scope and a broad range of individual support - hundreds of thousands of donors, hundreds of agencies. The tribute would be the first community-wide recognition of philanthropists in our new united city.

The Opportunity will be:

unique: to create a legacy with leverage, endowing social services, arts, and environmental programs for our community for generations to come. Toronto can thus creatively and compellingly honour this century's philanthropists while encouraging and inviting philanthropy in the next millennium.

The Challenge is:

to create a dynamic, compelling landmark of art and design as well as an inspirational statement recognizing those who give back to their community.

The Tribute will:

(i)enliven the public square, and be sustainable;

(ii)achieve permanence, yet be adaptable;

(iii)be flexible and expandable;

(v)simultaneously recognize a vast range of donor giving levels and types - from highest to lowest, annual to cumulative, corporate to individual - inclusive of them all, but giving priority recognition to some;

(vi)reflect the connectedness which is central to the charities' missions; and

(vii)take advantage of the latest technology (e.g., interactive to access individual names).

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The Administration Committee reports, for the information of Council, having also had before it a communication (October 4, 1999) from the Executive Assistant to Councillor Ron Moeser, Scarborough, Highland Creek, requesting that staff report to the Office Consolidation Sub-Committee respecting the issue of the Development and Positioning of Nathan Phillips Square.

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The following persons appeared before the Administration Committee in connection with the foregoing matter:

-Ms. Judy Matthews and Ms. Judith John, United Way of Greater Toronto;

-Councillor Chris Korwin-Kuczynski, High Park; and

-Councillor Jack Layton, Don River.