STAFF REPORT

December 14, 1999

To: Works Committee

From: Barry H. Gutteridge, Commissioner, Works and Emergency Services

Subject: Procedure for Eliminating Duplicate Street Names

(All Wards)

Purpose:

The purpose of this report is to obtain approval in principle for a process to eliminate duplicate street names that resulted from the 1998 amalgamation of the six former municipalities into the City of Toronto.

Financial Implications and Impact Statement:

Funding in the amount of $100,000 has been provided in the Budget Advisory Committee's recommended Capital Program for 2000. In addition, the Transportation Program's 2001-2004 forecast provides for the remainder of the necessary funding for this initiative.

Recommendations:

It is recommended that:

(1) the process of eliminating duplicate and triplicate street names on the basis of minimum number of occupants on the streets to be renamed, tentatively identified in "Attachment No. 1", be approved in principle;

(2) the options for selecting new names for the duplicate and triplicate names, as outlined in this report, be approved in principle;

(3) once a policy for the selection of street names has been adopted by City Council, the affected ratepayer groups and local associations be notified of the foregoing and be requested to submit an appropriate name for the street to be renamed; and

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

Background:

City Council, at its meeting held on April 16 and 17, 1998, adopted the report submitted by the Urban Environment and Development Committee (clause 18, report 4) requesting the Interim Functional Lead, Transportation, not to approve any additional names for new streets that may be a duplication of existing street names until a policy has been established by Council and to report to that Committee with a list of identical street names that were created in the new City.

Comments:

As a result of the amalgamation of the six municipalities 103 pairs/triplets of identical street names were created in the new City of Toronto in 1998. Since amalgamation, Bell Canada 9-1-1, Fire, Ambulance and Police Services have been using municipal identifiers to distinguish between duplicate street names in their computer assisted dispatch systems. Postal codes and former municipality names have been used on an interim basis, with varying degrees of success, to resolve mail delivery ambiguities. These solutions are temporary in nature and are not comparable to the best solution that involves the renaming of one or two (in the case of triplicates) of the streets. The challenge with which we are confronted is selecting the streets to be renamed and selecting a suitable replacement name.

Authority for Renaming Streets:

Section 210(111) of the Municipal Act allows municipalities to pass by-laws for the changing of names of public highways. Notice of the proposed by-law must be published at least once a week for four consecutive weeks in a newspaper having general circulation in the municipality. It is also required that Council hear any person who claims to be adversely affected by the proposed by-law.

Guidelines for Selecting the Streets to be Renamed:

Street name changes will be disruptive to both residents and businesses. It would appear that the simplest and most equitable way of determining the street to be renamed is by the number of residential occupants and businesses that would be affected by the street name change. The following guidelines should be used in selecting the street to be renamed:

(1) the street with the fewest number of occupants of the two or three should be renamed;

(2) guideline 1 becomes less equitable as the difference between the number of occupants on each street decreases; and

(3) higher priority should be given to renaming the four triplicate street names.

A listing of the duplicate and triplicate streets to be renamed, along with the occupancy counts and Ward Numbers, are identified in "Attachment No. 1".

Renaming Options:

The feasible options for selecting a new street name, in order of preference, are set out below:

Change existing name to new name;

Use a prefix before the existing street name;

Introduce a modifier before or after the street type designation; or

Change the street type designation suffix.

Requests for a specific street name by ratepayer groups and local associations will be accepted if supported by a representative poll of the occupants on the street to be renamed.

Change of Existing Name to New Name:

The complete renaming of a duplicate street name is the most effective since a name can be selected which avoids duplication or similarity in sound with other streets in the City. A new street name relating to a significant person or the local history in a community would also strengthen the identity of a neighbourhood.

A staff report on a proposed policy for selecting street names has been prepared for the consideration of the Works Committee and the Community Councils. Once the policy has been adopted by City Council the framework will facilitate the street name selection process.

Use of Prefix Before the Existing Street Name:

The district maps similar to those used by Fire and Ambulance Services could be used as a basis from which a prefix could be derived (North, South, East, West) and added to one or both of the duplicate names. In the case of triplicate names, two of the streets could have a prefix added. The original street name remains as part of the new name, which is beneficial from a historical perspective. For example, Alexander Street in the West District (Ward 2) could be renamed to West Alexander Street. The Alexander Street in the South District (Ward 24), with the higher number of affected occupants would retain its name.

Another option would be to add a district specific prefix, such as Weston, to strengthen the neighbourhood identity of the street. The original street name remains as part of the new name. For example, Church Street (Wards 6 and 27) could be renamed to Weston Church Street. The Toronto Island streets could use a prefix of "Island," such as Island First Street.

Modifier Before or After the Street Name Type Designation:

This option would add a modifier before the street name type, such as "East", "Heights" or "Grove" to distinguish between duplicated street names. The street type designation could also be changed. In both instances, the original street name remains as part of the new name. For example, Euclid Avenue (Ward 16) could be renamed Euclid East Avenue. Gibson Avenue (Wards 27 and 5) could be renamed to Gibson Heights Avenue. The Toronto Island streets could be renamed with the modifier "Island," after the street type, such as First Street Island.

Change the Street Type Designation:

Another possibility is to change the street type designation, which would be a suitable approach to distinguish streets that are geographically remote. The original street name remains as part of the new name, for example, Morningside Avenue (Ward 19) is renamed to Morningside Drive.

Public Input on Selected Names:

The selection of appropriate names for the streets to be renamed will require the involvement of local ratepayer groups. The highest priority streets to be renamed are listed in order in "Attachment No. 1".

In view of the large number of streets to be renamed and the amount of community consultation which may be required, it is likely that the renaming of the affected streets will take at least four or five years to complete.

Conclusions:

The elimination of duplicate street names in the City will involve:

(1) the approval of the streets to be renamed;

(2) communication of the proposed plan to the affected ratepayer groups and associations;

(3) selection of appropriate street name by the community;

(4) preparation and approval of reports to rename the streets;

(5) notices of proposed by-laws;

(6) deputations by persons who claim to be adversely affected by the proposed by-law;

(7) adoption of reports and by-laws by Council authorizing the street name changes;

(8) registration of name change by-laws in land registry office;

(9) amendments to City maps and records;

(10) notification of changes to appropriate public and private agencies and residents; and

(11) replacement of street name signs.

The estimated advertising costs for a notice of a proposed street naming change is $2,000.00 per street, with a maximum cost of $214,000.00 if each duplicate/triplicate street name is changed. The average cost of a replacement street name sign is $200.00. Early estimates indicate that there may be up to 400 signs to be replaced, for a total cost of $80,000.00.

Upon approval in principle of the streets to be renamed, as set out in "Attachment No. 1", and of the options for assigning new street names as outlined in this report, we will begin the process of eliminating the duplicate street names within the City.

The affected ratepayer groups and local associations should be requested to select a suitable substitute street name in accordance with the guidelines set out in this report and the policy regarding street name selection to be considered by City Council in the future.

Finance staff have reviewed and concur with the recommendations and financial implications in this report.

Contact:

W. (Wally) Kowalenko

City Surveyor

Phone No: 392-7664 Fax No: 392-0081

E-mail: wkowalen@toronto.ca

Tom G. Denes, P.Eng.

Executive Director

Technical Services

Barry H. Gutteridge

Commissioner

Works and Emergency Services

BH

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List of Attachments:

Attachment No.1- List of Streets Proposed to be Renamed (Sorted by Difference in number of occupants)

Attachment No. 1

Listing of Streets Proposed to be Renamed (Sorted by Difference in Number of Occupants)