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Social Development Strategy |
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Summary of strategic directions
Toronto has the opportunity to articulate a shared vision of a liveable, prosperous, attractive city in which public effort combines with individual initiative to enhance the quality of life of all residents. This vision should guide the city in leading an effective and constantly evolving human services system – a system that must be based on co-operative partnerships and sustained by the commitment and financial support of all levels of government.
Social development is based on an integrated understanding of the challenges facing Toronto at the beginning of this new century. Although there are no simple or isolated solutions to the challenges we face, Toronto's social development goals will be realized by the city taking action in the following strategic areas:
Strengthen Communities
- Actively support the building of community capacity
The city must:
- renew its commitment to a mixed system of human services in which both the city and community-based agencies share the responsibility for delivering programs and services;
- provide stable funding to support the functioning of a flexible and responsive community infrastructure;
- maintain an effective balance between its dual roles as a manager of service systems and as a direct provider of service;
- help build strategic partnerships, alliances and networks among community-based organizations and institutions to provide effective services and advocacy; and
- provide staff resources to support community capacity building.
- Encourage participation in communities and government
The city must:
- actively foster the participation of all sectors of the community in the decision-making process;
- help shape a "civic consciousness" among residents by providing information and education about how the city works and how they can become actively involved;
- use creative and flexible outreach and communication techniques to reach all parts of the community;
- ensure community access to publicly owned facilities for meeting, recreational, cultural and educational purposes;
- encourage political responsiveness and accountability at the neighbourhood level; and
- seek and respect community input on issues of public concern.
- Increase access to community space
The city must commit itself to increasing the availability of community space by:
- making city-owned space available for public use on reasonable terms; and
- advocating that the provincial government acknowledge that schools are a community asset and recognize in its education funding formula the costs associated with the community use of schools.
Invest in a Comprehensive Social Infrastructure
- Identify areas for strategic investment in social development
In consultation with the community, the city must determine the key areas for investment that will significantly improve the health and well-being of individuals and communities. Investment decisions must be guided by both community need and the principle of equitable access to services and facilities throughout the city.
- Increase the effectiveness and co-ordination of planning activities
- The city must use all available planning and regulatory tools to encourage the expansion of social infrastructure.
- All sectors that provide human services must work together more closely in planning service systems to better meet local and city-wide needs. The various sectors must also do more to co-ordinate and integrate the planning and delivery of their services and to share facilities.
- Community-based agencies and planning organizations must be funded to undertake community planning initiatives and to develop indicators of community capacity and well-being.
- Evaluate program success
As part of its commitment to a flexible and responsive human services system, the city must:
- continue to develop and refine evaluation techniques which regularly measure the effectiveness and cost efficiency of programs in achieving defined outcomes; and
- use the findings of evaluation to continuously improve service planning and delivery
- Seek more fair and flexible sources for city revenue
The city must seek the authority to implement new revenue-generating and sharing mechanisms that are both fair and appropriate to its stewardship responsibilities.
Expand Civic Leadership and Partnership
- Work towards a joint strategy for social development in the Greater Toronto Area
Toronto must work together with other municipalities in the GTA to find a co-ordinated approach to social development and the delivery of human services.
- Work with other municipalities to develop a national urban agenda
The city must continue to work in partnership with other municipalities in the GTA, Ontario, and the rest of Canada as well as with municipal organizations to:
- redefine the powers of cities and their relationship with other orders of government; and
- persuade the federal government to develop a national agenda on urban issues and to play a more active role in supporting urban social and physical infrastructure.
- Strengthen the city's role as advocate
Working with all sectors of the population, the city must advocate with senior levels of government to provide adequate authority and resources to manage and fund community and social services. The city's advocacy must be based on the premises that:
- the provincial government must commit to funding support for vital parts of the social infrastructure such as social and affordable housing; and
- the federal government must re-assert a national leadership role in important areas of social responsibility such as housing, child care and immigration and settlement services.
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