The Licensing and Standards Committee recommends that:

1.         City Council direct the Executive Director, Municipal Licensing and Standards, in consultation with the Toronto Association of Business Improvement Areas (TABIA), the Ontario Hotel Restaurant and Motel Association (OHRMA) and any other relevant associations, to work with resident and business groups, as well as individual nightclub and entertainment establishments, to implement strategies, such as the Entertainment District BIA’s nightlife establishment best practices, in order to reduce violence and nuisances associated with the operation of eating and entertainment establishments.

2.         City Council direct the Executive Director, Municipal Licensing and Standards to monitor issues with eating and entertainment establishments under its jurisdiction and to report back to the Licensing and Standards Committee, as appropriate, on whether any additional measures are required to reduce violence and nuisances associated with the operation of these establishments.

3.         City Council direct the Executive Director, Municipal Licensing and Standards to report back to the Licensing and Standards Committee with a strategy for improving the effectiveness of the regulation, licensing and enforcement of licensed commercial businesses, such strategy to include ways to:

a.         coordinate enforcement activities between the various Agencies and City Divisions to address operating concerns comprehensively and to identify and address the issue of problem operators;

b.         share enforcement information between Agencies and City Divisions for the purposes of gathering evidence and supporting cases against problem operators; and

c.         support prosecutions of bad operators by providing evidence and encouraging community input.

4.         City Council request the Executive Director, Municipal Licensing and Standards, to work with the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario to improve the communication, coordination and community engagement in the issuance, removal, revocation, renewal and amendment of liquor licences, including patio licences.

5.         City Council authorize and direct City staff to take any other action deemed necessary to implement the above recommendations.

This report is a response to a direction from City Council to report back on regulatory and non-regulatory mechanisms for reducing alcohol-related violence in liquor-licensed establishments, with particular consideration given to the possibility of making the Safer Bars training program one of these mechanisms.

Staff concluded that the regulatory regime should be more sensitive to the varying scope of entertainment activities provided by bars, nightclubs and restaurants.  This regulatory regime is cross-divisional and requires further study and collaboration from the pertinent City Divisions.  From a non-regulatory perspective, staff recommend that ML&S continue to work with Toronto Association of Business Improvement Areas (TABIA), Ontario Restaurant, Hotel and Motel Association (ORHMA) and concerned businesses and residents to promote best practices in the industry and that staff subsequently evaluate the effectiveness of these efforts and provide the Licensing and Standards Committee with further recommendations, as required.  Staff are of the opinion that the implementation of the Safer Bars training program to (liquor) licensed establishments is beyond the scope of the City’s mandate and that it should be left to the Province, specifically the Alcohol and Gaming Commission, to implement, if deemed appropriate.

The following internal and external stakeholders were consulted, as considered appropriate, in the formulation of this report: Legal Services, Social Development, Finance and Administration, City Planning, Toronto Public Health, Toronto Police Service, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario, the Ontario Restaurant, Hotel and Motel Association, and the Entertainment District Business Improvement Area (BIA).

The Licensing and Standards Committee recommends to City Council that:

1.         Taximeters in Toronto licensed taxicabs be recalibrated to reflect the newly Harmonized Sales Tax (H.S.T.) of 13% to be charged on taxicab fares as of July 1, 2010.

2.         Taxicab Tariff 'A' Card in the back seat of taxicabs be amended to show that the Harmonized Sales Tax (H.S.T.) is included in the taxicab fare increase.

3.         The Executive Director, Municipal Licensing and Standards be directed to:

a.        prepare a notice to be displayed in a conspicuous location in each Toronto taxicab advising customers of the increase in meter fares to take effect on July 1, 2010, such notice to be affixed in each taxicab at least two months prior to the taxicab fare increase;

b.         install cards at the taxi inspection facility;

c.         consult with the Chair and Vice-Chair of the Licensing and Standards Committee in preparing wording for the public notices.

4.         The appropriate City officials be authorized to undertake the necessary action to give effect thereto.

Councillor Frances Nunziata addressed the Committee.

The Licensing and Standards Committee:

A.        Referred the following proposals (Nos. 2-4) in the communication (February 10, 2010) from Jim Bell, CEO, Diamond Taxicab Dispatch Service, to the Executive Director, Municipal Licensing and Standards, for consideration and comment:

i.          Proposal A - $4.00 drop with 0.25 cents increment for each additional 145 meters with an adjustment to idle waiting clock from 31 seconds to 29 seconds ($29.03@hour) to ($31.03@hour).

ii.         Proposal B - $4.25 drop with 0.25 cents increment for each additional 145 meters no adjustment to idle waiting time.

iii.        Adopt the upcoming GTAA H.S.T. flat rate for inclusion to Appendix M to Chapter 545, Taxi Tariffs and Appendix N to Chapter 545, Limousine Tariffs of the Toronto Municipal Code, to reflect the change in rates.

B.        Requested the Executive Director, Municipal Licensing and Standards to report directly to City Council, for its meeting on February 22, 2010, on how taxicab fares may be calibrated so as to not negatively impact the income of taxi drivers.

Public notice has been given in a manner prescribed in the Toronto Municipal Code Chapter 162, Notice, Public.

The purpose of this report is to advise the City of Toronto regarding adjustments necessary to taxicab fares in Toronto due to the harmonization of the Province of Ontario’s 8% Provincial Sales Tax (P.S.T.) with the Federal government’s Goods and Services Tax (G.S.T.) of 5%.  This Harmonized Sales Tax (H.S.T.) of 13%, which will be applied to all taxicab fares in the Province of Ontario, will come into effect on July 1, 2010.

The Licensing and Standards Committee recommends that:

1.         City Council receive the report (January 27, 2010) from the Executive Director, Municipal Licensing and Standards for information only.

The purpose of this report was to fulfil Council’s direction that Municipal Licensing and Standards (MLS) review the categories and fees for Non-Motorized Refreshment (NMR) Vehicle Licences and Refreshment Assistant Licences with a view to making it easier and more cost effective for assistants in the Toronto a la Cart program to obtain licences.

Street food vending plays a role in creating vibrant, safe street life in large cities.  The Toronto a la Cart project adds to the diversity of food offerings and vibrant streetscape of Toronto.  It is believed that this street food vending initiative would be more successful if changes were made to the regulations governing the pilot, including a reduction of associated licensing fee costs. 

Licensing fees are established based on a cost recovery model within a fee class; changes would affect the entire business class and negatively impact the cost recovery methodology.

The Licensing and Standards Committee referred the letter (February 2, 2010) from Councillor Denzil Minnan-Wong to the Executive Director, Municipal Licensing and Standards, with a request to report back to the Committee on March 10, 2010 on the feasibility of requiring taxi plate owners to enter into contracts with lessees for the life of the vehicle (three years).

To request the Executive Director, Municipal Licensing and Standards to report on the feasibility of requiring taxi plate owners to enter into contracts with lessees for the life of the vehicle (3 years).

The Licensing and Standards Committee referred the recommendations in the letter (February 8, 2010) from Councillor Frances Nunziata to Deputy City Manager Richard Butts for consideration and comment as appropriate.

Councillor Frances Nunziata addressed the Licensing and Standards Committee.

The following motion placed by Councillor David Shiner lost:

That Deputy City Manager Richard Butts be requested to provide a preliminary report on this matter with information on how many property owners where grow ops have been discovered are aware of this illegal use.

To request the Executive Director, Municipal Licensing and Standards Committee to report on the creation of a by-law to recover enforcement costs from premises used as synthetic drug labs, crack houses or booze cans.