Friends,
I am happy to share that last week, several measures aimed at building the city we need for our future, while protecting our housing stock now, were considered at Planning and Housing Committee.
These include updates to the RentSafeTO program, the short-term rental by-law implementation, and Chapter One of the Official Plan.
RentSafeTO Program Update
RentSafeTO: Apartment Buildings Standards program, introduced in 2017, is a bylaw enforcement program that ensures apartment building owners and operators comply with building maintenance standards. The program was the first of its kind in Canada and applies to purpose-built rental buildings with 3 or more storeys and 10 or more units. The objectives of the program are to strengthen enforcement of City bylaws, enhance tenant engagement and access to information, and promote proactive maintenance in apartment buildings to prevent the deterioration of critical housing stock.
This report adopted with amendments by Planning and Housing Committee includes an update on work completed to enhance the program, including the redesign of the building evaluation tool to expand evaluation categories, introduce a reactive scoring scheme to reflect active violations and outstanding property standards orders, and establish a new threshold for building audits.
Short-Term Rental By-law Implementation Update
The City of Toronto regulates short-term rental activity by requiring short-term rental operators to be registered and short-term rental companies to be licensed with the City and abide by operational standards and regulatory requirements.
The Implementation Update Report provides a review on the implementation regulations and assess their impact on Toronto's short-term rental market. It also recommends a suite of bylaw amendments that aim to uphold the program's principles, further prevent commercialized short-term rental activity, and address enforcement and bylaw interpretation challenges.
Our Plan Toronto: Official Plan Chapter One
The Official Plan is Toronto’s roadmap for growth. Chapter One of the Official Plan sets out aspirational and vision-based statements that inform how the city will grow for the next 30 years.
These statements reflect the shared values of Torontonians, expressed in a way to guide development, and are the foundation for the other chapters in the Plan.
The current Chapter One was adopted by Council in 2002 as part of the City’s first post-amalgamation Official Plan and similar to other Chapters of the Official Plan requires updating to reflect the changing vision for the city.
Planning and Housing Committee adopted with amendments a staff report that recommends replacing the current Chapter One with a new Chapter One that focuses on advancing reconciliation, a Vision to 2051, and Principles for a successful and inclusive city. The recommended Chapter One will serve as a statement of values that will inform future amendments to the Plan.
Learn more about the new first Chapter for Toronto’s Official Plan here: Toronto's Vision to 2051 - YouTube
These three items will move forward for City Council consideration next week. You can review the full April 2024 Planning and Housing Committee meeting at Planning and Housing Committee - Meeting 11 - TMMIS (toronto.ca).
As always, I am thankful for your engagement and advocacy in informing these measures and creating a more inclusive city for all.
Sincerely,
Gord
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