Backgrounder: Maintenance and State of Good Repair in Toronto City Hall’s Council Chamber

December 4, 2018

Prior to the start of the 2018-2022 term of City Council, general repairs were made to the Council Chamber to ensure it meets accessibility requirements and for general maintenance and upkeep. This work was completed as part of the City of Toronto’s state of good repair program, and not as a result of the change in the number of City Councillors.

The maintenance work included:

• Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA) compliance (Members’ Lounge kitchen area, hand rails for staircase leading to Members’ Lounge and at staff desks on either side of speaker dais and presentation table)
• Some carpet replaced in high traffic areas on second level (media viewing gallery)
• Replacement of public seating cushions
• Stain and varnish touch-ups on Councillor desks
• Paint touch-ups
• Interior window cleaning

To accommodate the size of Council, functional pieces including signage, microphones, chairs and the voting system were removed from vacant seats. No material costs have been incurred due to the change to 25 councillors.

Any plans for future renovations of the Council Chamber will be at the direction of City Council.

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Media contact: Christina Barnes, Strategic Communications, 416-392-8889, Christina.Barnes@toronto.ca