Toronto’s chief planner, staff concerned over lack of resources to manage development

An internal union survey found 92 per cent of city planners say they worry suggested budget cuts will affect service

Thestar.com
Nov. 16, 2016
BY Jennifer Pagliaro

As Toronto continues to see unprecedented development, an overwhelming majority of city planners surveyed say a severe lack of resources is compromising their ability to properly build a livable city.

And the city’s chief planner, ahead of budget talks, says it’s up to council now to grapple with investing in the resources needed to manage that growth - adding more pressure on Mayor John Tory who is pushing for cuts.

With a 2.6 per cent budget reduction requested across all departments and divisions, 92 per cent of planners surveyed confidentially by their union say they are concerned - 62 per cent say they are “very concerned” - it will affect the services they provide.

“Toronto is experiencing unparalleled development pressures from tall buildings to transit planning,” one unnamed staffer is quoted saying in the report from CUPE Local 79, titled “Arrested Development.”

“Without enough staff to properly do research, oversee development, and provide good planning policies, we risk damaging the livability of the city.

The survey was sent to some 300 planning staff in October and early November. Of those, about a third, or 91 employees, responded. It will be presented at the city’s planning and growth management committee Wednesday after staff were asked to report back on how the division is meeting performance standards.

Keesmaat told the Star Tuesday that staff are doing an “exceptional” job but that planners are struggling to keep pace with the influx of development and more complicated files.

“The way our budgets get set is not based on demand or service levels,” Keesmaat told the Star on Tuesday. “When you have an approach that essentially says everybody cut your budget by 2.6 per cent, your assumption is that everyone has the same demands and that everyone has the same amount of wiggle room in their budget, so to speak - but of course that’s an absurdity.”

According to the city’s latest growth report, there are 786 active applications submitted and 549 more currently under review. And since 2010, the number of planning appeals at the Ontario Municipal Board, which rules on planning disputes, has more than doubled.

The risk, Keesmaat said, is that staff - who need to respond to both new applications and fight for the city’s interests at the OMB - are not able to respond to those demands to the best of their ability.

Tory’s office said in a statement that the mayor expects city planning, like other divisions, to meet the budget directive.

“City council directed all city divisions, agencies and corporations to take a look at their finances and assess service with value for money and benefit to the public. ” an email from a spokesperson said.

The survey found 92 per cent felt there were not enough staff to “complete the work in a timely and satisfactory level” and that 62.7 per cent of those people say staffing limitations have decreased their ability to “properly oversee development and implement the city’s planning needs.”

Many reported frequently working overtime. Almost half, 42.9 per cent of respondents, said they work more than regular hours on a daily basis. Just over 50 per cent said they are rarely or never compensated for that work.

CUPE Local 79 President Tim Maguire called those results “startling.”

“We don’t think that council budgets the appropriate service,” he said.

City councillors say the lack of resources is already apparent in their wards.

At Yonge-Eglinton alone, for example, there are 9,460 total residential units currently under review - more than in all of Boston, which has 8,105 residential units under review, local Councillor Josh Matlow’s office found. The city currently has two planners for that amount of development, where Boston has 14 planners.

“How is it possible for planners to serve our communities properly if only two people are responsible for reviewing more development than the entire city of Boston?” said Matlow. “

Veteran Toronto planning lawyer Adam Brown who represents developers agreed the city is understaffed, saying builders get frustrated waiting for the required city reports, which leads to more appeals.

“In order to give the best service, to get the best result and to work in a cooperative way they need the time to deal with applications,” he said.