Toronto Association of Business Improvement Areas

- Working Together to Fight Crime (All Wards)

The Economic Development and Parks Committee recommends the adoption of the report (November 10, 1999) from the Commissioner of Economic Development, Culture and Tourism, subject to renumbering Recommendation No. (5) to Recommendation No. (6) and inserting in lieu thereof Recommendation No. (5) as follows:

"(5) the Acting Commissioner of Urban Development Services be requested to report to the Planning and Transportation Committee and the Economic Development and Parks Committee on how the CPTED (Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design) principles may be reviewed during the approval process for all planning applications."

The Economic Development and Parks Committee submits the report (November 10, 1999) from the Commissioner of Economic Development, Culture and Tourism:

Purpose:

The purpose of this report is to submit to Council, on behalf of the Toronto Association of Business Improvement Areas and the Toronto Police Service, a report entitled "Working Together to Fight Crime".

Financial Implications and Impact Statement:

While this report does not provide costs associated with each of the recommendations, there will likely be funding and budgetary implications associated with their implementation. Some of these costs will be reflected in the year 2000 Economic Development, Culture and Tourism Operating Budget and others will likely be the subject of further consideration and reporting from the Task Force on Community Safety.

The Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer has reviewed this report and concurs with the financial impact statement.

Recommendations:

It is recommended that:

(1) the report entitled "Working Together to Fight Crime", be forwarded to the Task Force on Community Safety to review the recommendations as contained therein, and to begin the process of developing an action plan in consultation with the Toronto Association of Business Improvement Areas and the Toronto Police Service;

(2) the Task Force on Community Safety be requested to report back to the appropriate standing committee and to the Policy and Finance Committee regarding the implementation and the financial implications of the recommendations contained in the "Working Together to Fight Crime" report;

(3) the report entitled "Working Together to Fight Crime", be forwarded to the appropriate departments, boards, agencies and business associations for information and action including the Departments of Works and Emergency Services, Community and Neighbourhood Services and Urban Development Services; the Toronto Association of Business Improvement Areas; the Toronto Police Services Board; the respective divisions of the Toronto Police Service; the Chairs of the BIAs; the Metro Action Committee on Public Violence Against Women and Children (METRAC) and the Pedestrianization Work Group;

(4) the financial implications be referred to the Budget Advisory Committee for consideration during the 2000 Operating Budget process; and

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

Background:

In the spring of 1998, the Mayor's Office and representatives of the City's 39 Business Improvement Areas met to discuss, in general terms, issues facing BIAs such as taxation, crime and safety. Following on this initiative the Toronto Association of Business Improvement Areas (TABIA), in association with the Toronto Police Service and the Economic Development Office, held a series of six meetings to consult with each of the local member BIAs, including various business associations. The purpose of these meetings was to identify issues pertinent to businesses in local areas; to highlight some of the successful initiatives that the BIAs have taken to address local crime and safety issues; and to develop an action plan, in consultation with the Toronto Police Service and with the City of Toronto, that would begin to address these issues.

As part of this process a consultant was retained to facilitate each of the six meetings and based on the consultations, to produce a report reflecting the concerns of businesses noting innovative approaches to crime prevention and developing recommendations along with suggestions as to how they would be implemented. The consultant's recommendations were drafted as a result of a facilitated dialogue among businesses, property owners and Toronto Police Service representatives.

Comments:

Over 150 people attended the six local meetings during the spring and summer of 1999. As part of the outcome of these meetings, a report entitled "Working Together to Fight Crime", was drafted to reflect the discussions and issues that were raised and to propose twelve recommendations to address issues of crime and safety. Several of these recommendations pertaining to making information literature on crime prevention available to businesses can begin immediately. Others, such as providing opportunities for police and businesses to meet on a regular basis, and encouraging BIAs to have representatives on the local Community Police Liaison Committees, can also begin.

The recommendations, as listed in the report, that address physical and appearance issues such as the "broken window syndrome" and the need for safety audits will depend on their impact on capital and operating budgets of BIAs and the City of Toronto. Recommendations pertaining to the allocation of police services in neighbourhoods and business areas during the peak summer season; and the formation of private and public partnerships to address community policing needs will require a strategic approach including further research, coordination and potentially new funding sources.

As part of this preliminary work, Economic Development staff have begun a review of the recommendations as listed in this report with Community and Neighbourhood Services staff, for the purpose of setting out a process that would begin to implement the recommendations in a coordinated fashion through the sharing of staff resources and knowledge. Examples of this cooperation include Community and Neighbourhood Services staff organizing interdepartmental safety audit training courses. Another is the work of Economic Development staff in assisting the community in undertaking safety audits in the Rogers Road and Keele Street, Mount Dennis and Eddystone business districts with more being planned in the year 2000.

City Council's decision, in March 1999, to reconstitute the Task Force on Community Safety should also help to address many of the recommendations in this report. The mandate of the Task Force in 1998 was to identify crime and safety concerns across the City and to develop a community safety agenda as part of the City's operations. As part of this mandate, it is recommended that the report "Working Together to Fight Crime", be forwarded to the Task Force for information and appropriate action. As part of this coordination it was recommended, and subsequently adopted in 1999, that the Toronto Association of Business Improvement Areas be included as a member of the Task Force and that appropriate staff be included on this Task Force as resources.

Conclusions:

The recommendations, as contained in the report "Working Together to Fight Crime", reflect the expenditure of considerable effort by the Toronto Association of Business Improvement Areas and the Toronto Police Service. The report contains 12 recommendations, some of which can begin immediately, such as providing crime prevention and safety information to businesses and increasing BIA involvement on Community Police Liaison Committees. While other initiatives such as organizing safety audits across the City, seasonal allocations of police resources, and developing revenue generating opportunities through community and private sources should be referred to the Task Force on Community Safety for further consideration. To assist in moving these recommendations along, it is recommended that the report be forwarded to the Task Force on Community Safety and the appropriate departments and agencies to show that the efforts of the business community are being seriously considered.

Contact Name:

Mr. Ron Nash, Business Improvement Area Development Officer, Tel: 392-1006,

Fax: 392-1380, Email: rnash@toronto.ca.

_________

The following persons appeared before the Economic Development and Parks Committee in connection with the foregoing matter:

- Mr. Mark Crowe, representing TABIA;

- P.C. Ed Heinrichs, Toronto Police Services;

- Councillor Rob Davis, York Eglinton;

- Councillor Chris Korwin-Kuczynski, High Park; and

- Councillor Frances Nunziata, York Humber.

(A copy of the report, entitled "Working Together to Fight Crime", prepared by Ms. Debra Kosemetzky, MES (October 1999), was forwarded to all Members of Council with the November 29, 1999 agenda of the Economic Development and Parks Committee, and a copy thereof is on file in the office of the City Clerk.)