| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Adjudicative Board | Quasi-judicial and adjudicative boards and positions that conduct hearings to decide on individual cases. |
| Advisory Body | A body or committee that advises City staff, the Mayor, a Committee of Council or Council. These bodies do not deliver municipal services, direct staff, or make decisions binding on the City. |
| Advisory Body Composition | The number of members approved for the composition of the advisory body, including the balance between Members of Council and residents and other members, and identification of any organization outside the City that is invited to nominate a member. The composition of each body will vary according to specific business and citizen engagement objectives and is contained in the terms of reference for the advisory body. |
| Agency | A body to the board of which City Council delegates powers and duties for delivering a service or performing an adjudicative or quasi-judicial function. The term agency generally corresponds to the definition of local board in the City of Toronto Act, 2006. |
| Association of Community Centres (AOCCs) | Refers to the group of boards that manage multi-purpose community centres providing a broad range of community, recreation and social service programs to residents in their local community. Each community centre board of management is a separate community-based service agency. |
| Board Structure | For each board of an agency and corporation, City Council approves the size, composition, qualifications, term, and appointment of the chair of the board, among other matters, as part of the board’s governance structure, subject to any specific legislative requirements. The composition of the board includes the balance between Council Members and citizen members, and identification of any external interest group or organization that will be invited to nominate a member of the board. |
| Business Improvement Area (BIA) | Refers to a Business Improvement Area, or the board of management for a BIA, depending on the context, as defined in Chapter 19 of the Municipal Code, Business Improvement Areas. |
| Citizen Member | The term citizen member, used interchangeably with the term public member, refers to Toronto residents who are not Council Members, City or agency staff, or staff of City corporations or their subsidiaries. It does not indicate Canadian citizenship and may include permanent residents, refugees, refugee claimants, and residents without homes. |
| City Corporation | A corporation wholly-owned by the City of Toronto (the City is the sole shareholder), to the board of which City Council provides shareholder direction. |
| Civic Appointments Committee | The committee of City Council that is authorized to consider and recommend to Council the appointment of citizens to various City agencies and other bodies. |
| Code of Conduct | Reference to the Code of Conduct means one or more of the:
as applicable to the context. |
| Community-Based Service Agency | A service agency where the community elects or nominates members of the board to represent the constituent community, with the appointment of those members being approved by the respective Community Council. These include arena boards, boards of management of community centres (AOCCs) and Business Improvement Areas (BIAs). |
| Corporation Nominating Panel (or Corporations Nominating Panel) | A panel appointed by Council to consider and recommend to City Council the appointment of residents to serve on the board of directors of a City or partnered corporation, or to recommend appointments to an external board of directors as determined by City Council. The panel may be constituted to make recommendations with respect to the board of one corporation or several corporations. |
| External Body | A body external to the City whose board or membership includes City appointees. In some cases, City Council is required by legislation to make appointments to specific external boards. In other cases, City Council may choose whether to make an appointment at the request of the external board. |
| Interest Group | A stakeholder group, organized service user group, funding partner, labour representative, or a professional or technical organization that has been invited by City Council to nominate one or more members to a board of a City agency. |
| MFIPPA | The Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (MFIPPA) imposes mandatory confidentiality obligations on the City of Toronto, Members of Council, and agencies and corporations of the City to refrain from disclosing personal information and to protect the privacy of confidential information obtained in meetings not open to the public. |
| Nominating Panel | The Civic Appointments Committee, Corporation Nominating Panel or other committee or individual delegated the responsibility for recommending candidates for appointment. In most cases, this panel will also short-list and interview candidates. In other cases, a separate recruiting panel may be constituted. |
| Partnered Agency | A service agency to the board of which City Council as a partner, generally with other municipal governments, jointly delegates powers and duties for delivering a service on behalf of the partners. |
| Partnered Corporation | A corporation in which the City is a shareholder but the City is not the sole shareholder. City Council together with other shareholders provides direction to the board of the corporation. |
| Pension Body | Pension bodies administer trust funds on behalf of pension plan beneficiaries, and are governed by the Pension Benefits Act and the pension plans approved by the Financial Services Commission of Ontario. |
| Public Member | Refer to the definition for citizen member. |
| Qualifications | The specific skills and experience desired in board members to meet the needs of individual boards. City Council approves the qualifications relevant to the responsibilities of each board as part of the board’s governance structure. |
| Quasi-Judicial Board | Refer to the definition for adjudicative board. |
| Relationship Framework | A relationship framework documents the relationship between the City of Toronto and a specific City agency. Each relationship framework sets out City Council’s delegation of powers and duties, expectations, and reporting, approval and other requirements for the respective board of the agency. |
| Selection Body | A general term used to mean any committee or individual involved in making decisions during a public appointments process. This includes recruitment committees and individuals, nominating panels, and City Council as a whole. |
| Service Agency | An agency of the City to the board of which City Council delegates powers and duties for delivering a service that does not fall within City divisional programs or delivering a City program or service through an alternative or supplementary delivery mechanism. |