Toronto city council meets to debate big-ticket items, including new affordable housing plan

CBC.ca
Nov. 8, 2023

Toronto city council meets Wednesday to consider a number of big-ticket items, including an ambitious plan to build affordable housing and the potential expansion of non-police crisis response services.

A staff report released late last month and forwarded by council's executive committee last week laid out a revised target of 65,000 new rent-controlled homes, among other lofty goals that Mayor Olivia Chow said represent a "general shift" in the city's approach to building housing.

To date, funding has only been secured for 4,455 of those homes. The report said the cost to deliver the remaining 60,545 homes is between $28.6 billion and $31.5 billion -- leaving an estimated $3.7 billion and $5.3 billion in funding required from both the provincial and federal governments.

The report also said the city should work as its own property developer, leading the development of five sites throughout the downtown core.

Meanwhile, council will also mull a recommendation from the executive committee that the city expand a program in which mental health experts instead of police respond to calls involving people in crisis to all 25 wards.

In an October report, city staff said the Toronto Community Crisis Service should become the fourth municipal emergency service in the city. The other three are Toronto Fire Services, Toronto Paramedic Services and the Toronto Police Service.

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Currently, the service provides access to care to residents in 64 per cent of the city's wards, or four pilot areas -- downtown east, downtown west, northwest and northeast. The service is in its second year of a three-year pilot that sends 911 and 211 mental health calls to specialized community partners in designated zones.

Etobicoke's coat of arms could be scrapped over concerns about anti-Indigenous stereotypes
Other notable items that city council will consider:

• Advancing the Waterfront East LRT. The multi-billion dollar light-rail train proposed to connect the developed Port Lands to downtown remains unfunded.
• A new 10-year capital plan aimed at fundamentally changing the way the city operates its shelters for people experiencing homelessness. City staff recently reported that over half of Toronto's shelter spaces are not financially sustainable.
• A report from Transportation Services outlining the city's near-term plan to ease traffic headaches amid unprecedented levels of construction. The strategy relies on using the latest technology, as well as some tried and true techniques, to improve traffic flows for all road users.
• A motion from Coun. Chris Moise to implement automated traffic enforcement in the King Street Pilot zone.
• A motion from Coun. Stephen Holyday to have city staff report on the origins and meaning of the Etobicoke coat of arms. Staff have already initiated a process of removing the coat of arms from several places of prominence after repeated complaints from some city departments and members of the public that it perpetuates anti-Indigenous stereotypes.

 

Three days have been scheduled for the city council meeting and, given the number of important items on the agenda, it is expected to run through to Friday.

Last week, the city kicked off its 2024 budget consultations.