City looks at spending $400G on chamber reno study

Torontosun.com
November 19, 2019
Antonella Artuso

A Toronto committee will consider a request to spend $400,000 on a feasibility study that looks at modernizing the iconic city hall council chambers.

“There is a unique opportunity to address a number of issues with the council chamber, including achieving compliance with the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act prior to the January 1, 2025 deadline, enhance security and life safety requirements, update of chamber technologies and meeting the needs of the members of council,” a report to the Monday meeting of the General Government and Licensing Committee states.

If the project is approved by city politicians, the chamber would likely be unavailable during construction periods and council meetings would be moved off site.

The committee made a request to staff in October to come up with modernization options for the chamber, which was last updated in 1998 to accommodate 58 councillors. The Doug Ford government aligned the ward boundaries with those of provincial and federal ridings last year, cutting the size of council to 26 members -- 25 councillors and a mayor.

A staff report released earlier this month says the chamber floor plan was designed for a much larger council and the furniture is fixed in place.

“The desks are narrow and the seating area is cramped,” the report says. “There is little to no ability to accommodate a member who has accessibility needs. The desk design predates the modern custom of bringing tablets, notebooks, mobile phones, chargers and other technology in addition to files and personal effects.”

There is limited seating for city officials who attend council meetings, the report says.

The city is also obliged to ensure the chamber is accessible for people with disabilities, which requires seating areas for people with mobility aids, ramps, proper lighting and modifications to doors and entrances, the report says.

A new design might also allow for a third emergency exit option, staff say.

Staff are also recommending a new sound system, projector and screen, microphones and cameras, and upgraded voting system.

“A renovation project would be required to have regard for the heritage fabric of the chamber, the reasons for designation of City Hall under the Ontario Heritage Act and the building’s status as one of Canada’s most iconic buildings,” the report says. “A renovation presents an opportunity to return the Chamber floor to something resembling the original 1965 layout council members sat in a circle facing each other instead of the current layout of concentric u-shapes facing the Speaker’s dais.”