August 10, 2010
Literature for Life

Toronto is a City of strong neighbourhoods.  The strength of these neighbourhoods come from the people who live in the community and work each day to make the next day a little better than the one before.  My neighbour, Jo Altlillia is one of these great people.  She has volunteered her time and devoted her personal resources to making sure teenaged moms reach their personal potential.  Through her work, she has been inspired by these young women and remains amazed each day by their accomplishments.

Jo founded Literature for Life, which is a not-for-profit organization devoted to helping young mothers learn how to read.  While these young moms learn how read, they learn how to share their experiences.  Through the sharing of stories and experiences they begin to transform their lives.  The power of literacy opens new doors that leads to improved education and gainful employment.
Through participating in Literature for Life, these courageous young women often break the cycle of violence and poverty.  Since 2000, 1,700 women have participated in the programs and these new beginnings benefit them and their babies.

Literature for Life receives very little in the way of government funds and relies on contributions and fundraisers to run their programs.  One of its fundraising efforts is the annual book sale.  This year, over 1000 books of all titles and genres will be available for only $1 each with all proceeds going towards program delivery for young moms and pregnant teens.  The book sale will be held on Sunday August 15 between 9 – 1 at 28 Glengrove Avenue West.  Rain or Shine.

Please join me and Jo and buy a book.  Not only will it help change a young woman’s life, it will provide great entertainment in the last weeks of summer.

Read more at: http://karenstintz.com/community-matters/literature-for-life/

July 30, 2010
We Need Presto Pronto

It is so rarely that I disagree with Marcus Gee, that I did some research on the Presto versus “open payment” option for the TTC before I decided to weigh in on the debate. The more research I do, the more I am convinced that the TTC is on the wrong track to pursue a different type of fare payment system instead of supporting the implementation of Presto.

Aside from the sole source, $1.5 million dollar contract for two people for five months, there are many other problematic aspects to the open payment system. While this system is promoted as a more effective customer service solution, there are many practical problems for users. One is that most credit cards and debit cards have chips, so users cannot swipe their cards over a reader. Users will have to stop, punch in their PIN and wait for the reader to approve their transaction. Anyone who has waited in line to buy tokens knows how annoying it will be at rush hour when thousands of people have to punch in their PIN instead of swiping a card. Most won’t do it and will have to pay cash at the fare box, buy a token or use a Metropass.

Further, it is unclear who would be paying for the card readers that will need to be installed in the transit stations. Under Presto, the Province is paying for the capital costs along with a contribution from the transit systems. The reason the Province is paying is because Presto offers so many advantages to the transit system, both now and in the future, that it is worth the investment. Data collected from the Presto card can be used to improve customer service through improved fare collection, improved transit routes and fare discounts for repeat users. An open payment system offers none of these benefits. In the New York model it appears that Mastercard is paying for the installation of the machines, which means that the open payment is currently restricted to Mastercard users.

While the Presto card can manage fare transactions between different transit systems, an open payment system that operates only in the TTC cannot. Essentially, the benefits of open payment are limited to people that take transit in Toronto, who have a credit or debit card with PayPass technology and don’t rely on any volume discounts that are inherent when purchasing 10 tokens, a Metropass, a Student pass or a Senior’s pass.

Personally, given the limitations of an open payment system and the fact that it is not operational in any transit system in North America, I think the TTC should continue to work with the Province to implement Presto. Understanding that customer service is a priority for the TTC and the City, I think it is very important that the TTC consider the users of the transit system when deciding how to spend scarce resources. Limited resources should not be spent on an untested technology that may only benefit a few.

July 23, 2010
Lawrence Heights Redevelopment Project

Over the last few weeks there has been quite a bit of media and interest in the Lawrence Heights redevelopment process.   I would like to offer my perspective on this redevelopment project for you to consider.

There is no question that the 100 acres of land in the Lawrence-Allen area has redevelopment potential.  Currently there are several landowners in the area, including but not limited to:

- Toronto Community Housing Corporation;

- The Toronto District School Board;

- The Toronto Catholic District School Board; and

- RioCan Real Estate Investment Trust.

The City embarked on a visioning exercise with local residents and neighbours to resolve how social housing will be redeveloped and how growth in the area will be managed over the next 20 years.

While it is true that Lawrence Heights may have represented a model at the time it was built, the model has changed substantially over the last 50 years.  We have learned that stronger communities are built when there is a combination of public housing, low-income housing and market-based residential options.   Toronto Public Housing is also no longer the beneficiary of Federal or Provincial funds, which creates significant financial pressures for the City and the agency.

The City embarked on a strategy to rebuild Lawrence Heights by selling some of the density to a private developer.   The developer will rebuild the 1200 public housing units and additional market units.  The City wanted to ensure that there was not over development in any particular area, so the density has been spread across the various landowners and represents how the area will grow over the next 20 years.

At this point, there are no specific plans beyond the vision.  A Secondary Plan will be developed that clearly identifies the details of the growth.  There is presently one redevelopment application to replace the 1,200 public housing units and my expectation is that in the next three years there will be another development application.

In response to concerns from local residents, I passed the following motions at City Council:

- Confirmation that the neighbourhood streets that are currently closed would be not re-opened;

- The maximum number of market units be limited to 5,500;

- The existing infrastructure be upgraded while the 1,200 new social housing units are being rebuilt. This ensures that no new market units are added until the infrastructure is upgraded; and

- The creation of an Advisory Committee to ensure the uses in the park are consistent and supportive of local needs.

While some changes to the Allen Road are being proposed, a comprehensive Environmental Assessment is required and will be completed before any change is implemented.   The community will be involved in the Environmental Assessment process.

Given the financial pressures faced by the City and Toronto Community Housing Corporation, this initiative is one of the more innovative ones in that it doesn’t rely on taxpayer money. Instead, through joint partnership with the private sector, the City will be able to redevelop needed social housing, offer a mix of residential options to individuals who want to stay in the neighbourhood but want the benefits of home ownership, and spread the redevelopment density in a fair way among four landowners over the next 20 years.  It will also target the highest density to the subway stations, which is consistent with our Official Plan.  Further, parks and greenspace will be improved and enhanced for the benefit of the community.

The next steps of this initiative include a Secondary Plan process.   Residents of Ward 16 will be included in this process so that issues and concerns can be addressed and resolved.  I look forward to working with you on this very important community initiative.

July 12, 2010
The Future of Pride Funding

City funding of the Pride Parade has become a contentious issue in light of the participation of a group named Queers Against Israeli Apartheid (QuAIA).  For two years in a row the group has walked in the parade and this has caused concern that City funding is being used to support activities that are in violation of the City’s own policy prohibiting activities that are hateful, discriminatory or considered harassment.

Last year I raised my concern about the participation of QuAIA in the parade in a letter to the Mayor.  I was advised that Pride Toronto did not have any policies that determined who could participate in the parade so banning any group could be considered a violation of free speech.  As a result, Pride Toronto developed a policy that requires all participants to abide by City policies, specifically our policies that prohibit activities that promote hate, discrimination or harassment.  Pride Toronto went one step further and banned QuAIA from participating.

Before the parade, I read that QuAIA intended to participate anyway and I wrote another letter to the Mayor and Pride Toronto asking what would be done in case they participated.  Before I received an answer, Pride Toronto reversed its position on banning QuAIA, claiming all participants will assume responsibility for adhering to the City’s policies.  Pride Toronto has claimed that participants have a right to free speech.

This week City Council passed a motion 35 – 1 that will review and withhold funding if the City determines that any group participating in the parade has violated any City policy.  I supported the motion but I think the City needs to consider what events we should be funding.  Caribana and Pride are the only parades that receive City funding and both are testaments to the City’s commitment to diversity.

That said, the City is well within its rights to uphold its discrimination policies when dispensing public money.  Pride Toronto will have to decide what matters more – public money or an unfettered right to free speech.  If it chooses the latter, the City should end its funding.

July 2, 2010
Time to Work Together – The City of Toronto and the TDSB

It was with interest that I read the recent Globe and Mail article that commented on the need to better integrate the City and the Toronto District School Board (TDSB). There is no question that there needs to be better integration between the City and the School Board. Often there are overlapping functions, from daycare to field permits, to after school swimming. Navigating through the bureaucracies of the City and School Board can be cumbersome, even for the initiated. With the overlap and duplication, particularly at a time when resources across every sector are strained, it makes sense to identify areas where better coordination can be achieved.

The School Board is promoting the idea of opening community hubs at surplus schools. While no-one really understands what a community hub is and why the School Board would even consider being in the property management business for arts groups and dentists, there is no question that the City should be concerned about what happens to vacant schools. As well as educating our future leaders, our schools provide valuable green space that supports the City’s recreational requirements. In response to the concern that the surplus lands might be sold off to private interests, the City has set aside a fund to purchase lands that become available. In an effort to keep the keep the price of the land reasonable, the zoning can be downgraded so that any use other than education or green space would require a comprehensive planning process. This provides a disincentive to the private development community and makes it affordable for the City to purchase the land. However, this approach of robbing Peter to pay Paul is problematic at a time when public dollars are scarce. There is a strong argument that the best way to better integrate the School Board and the City is to consider how the two could be re-joined.

As schools close and boundaries shift, the separation between the City and the Board becomes blurred for the community and there will be increasing pressure to combine resources and work together. We also know that the present funding formula doesn’t work for Toronto schools that are older and have different capital requirements. As a city, we need to be concerned about the declining enrolment in our public schools. It makes no sense that enrolment is declining at a time when the City’s population is increasing. If we were to join forces, we could develop better strategies for using recreational facilities, for community programs, for revenue generation and ensuring that school programming is reflecting community expectations.

There are many obvious issues to work out, but it seems that we would be better served through a discussion about how we can better work together in the long term instead of spending time disputing zoning by-laws and school sales.

June 10, 2010
Mayoral Candidates Share Their Ideas for Toronto

I attended the second of six mayoral debates in the studio of CP-24.   The top six candidates discussed various city issues ranging from the G-20 summit to bike lanes to the Gay Pride Parade.  The discussion was interesting and the candidates were very cordial.   It was so cordial because they seemed to agree with each other on most of the issues that were discussed.  All agreed that there should be compensation if business owners were negatively impacted during the G-20, concurred that the Pride Parade was correct not to allow a fringe group called Queers Against Israeli Apartheid to march in the parade and there was consensus that the money spent by the Federal Government on the artificial lake could have been better spent in Toronto.

There are four more debates in the series and I hope each candidate gets a little more time to explain their platforms to the public so that voters get an idea of what the next four years will look like in Toronto.

I have been following the candidates and can offer the following observations.  Candidates Smitherman, Ford and Thompson extol the virtues of outsourcing core city services.  While this position is in line with public opinion, each will need to explain how they will achieve their goal given that the current labour contracts signed under Miller ensure no unionized jobs can disappear as a result of contracts being outsourced to the private sector.  While services can be outsourced, no-one can be laid-off.

Most of the candidates have also discussed tax relief of some form or another.  Mammoliti wants to give seniors a break on property tax and replace the lost revenue through casinos.  Smitherman wants to cut the vehicle registration tax and will find the $20 million in savings.  Ford wants to end the land-transfer tax and vehicle registration tax and replace the lost revenue through the elimination of perks and reduction of Councillors.

Thompson has not indicated if any taxes will be reduced but has committed to implementing tolls on the highways to build subways.  Pantalone will stay the course so if the future is like the past, expect water rates to increase 9%, garbage fees to increase by 3%, property tax increases in the range of 4% and increases to user fees.  Rossi will sell assets including Toronto Hydro and use the money to invest in a sustainable transit plan.

Each candidate is committed to improving the waterfront, promoting community safety, strong neighbourhoods and Toronto’s greatness.  I hope that the next round of debates allows the candidates a little more leeway so that they can tell the people of Toronto what life will be like when they are Mayor and how each will chart a different course for City Hall in both the short term and the next 10 years.

May 20, 2010
Funding Public Transit Through Road Pricing

The Board of Trade released a discussion paper on the potential revenue options for the region to consider as ways of financing the public transit system that will ensure our competitiveness and prosperity.

The various options include parking taxes, road tolls, a sales tax, congestion fees and other ideas to raise revenue. The Board of Trade has invited candidates for City Council and candidates for Mayor to provide the public with a sense of where they see the future. There is no question the region is going to have to consider some, or several, of these options.

Parking taxes are one way to raise revenue but will not provide the necessary resources. Another option is road pricing. Road pricing is different from tolls because road pricing assigns value to all roads, not just highways or roads in the downtown core. Prices can be adjusted for time of day and day of week so that the twin goals of raising revenue and managing congestion can be achieved. This type of pricing also positions the region to adjust to the decreasing portion of gas tax revenue that will be collected as cars move from gas to alternate technologies. While the transition will not happen in the next two or three years, the transition of gas vehicles to electric vehicles will come sooner than we think and building the infrastructure that we need to accommodate this change is in our shared interest.

The infrastructure that will be required for road pricing can also be used to manage street parking. Adoption of this technology would mean that parking tickets for overstaying time at the parking meter would be a thing of the past. While it sounds far off, the plans to adjust to a new way of planning and paying for transportation infrastructure are required today. I look forward to hear what the Mayoral candidates have to say about their vision and how we will need to start to prepare.

May 12, 2010
Build A System That Delivers

I have often heard City Council described as dysfunctional.  I actually don’t think City Council is dysfunctional – it is operating exactly as it is designed to function.  There are 44 members of Council and the Mayor.  Each member of Council is directly elected by their community to best represent their interests.  The Mayor is elected across the City and is expected to deliver a city-wide agenda.  It would seem reasonable that the best interests of a community would align with a city-wide agenda and the business of Council would be very straightforward.  In theory, building consensus should be achievable.

In reality, building consensus with 44 members of Council is a challenge at times and there is a tendency to spend too much time discussing small items while the serious financial challenges of the City are unaddressed.

As a result, there have been a number of proposals to reform City Council by both Mayoral candidates and grass roots organizations.  The proposals range from cutting the number of Councillors in half, to directly electing members of the Executive Committee, to considering the viability of political parties at the municipal level.

I think there is merit in discussing how City Council should be reorganized to better achieve the long-term objectives of the City.  I also think that the events of the last few years demonstrate that there are no clear lines of accountability when things go wrong.  Who should the public hold accountable for the TTC wild cat strikes, the contamination of the green bin program, the larger than expected unfunded benefit liability, the found money half-way through the budget process, and the continuous cost over-runs on City infrastructure projects.

Cutting the number of City Councillors in half is an interesting proposal.  A smaller number of City Councillors would require the Mayor to work more closely with all elected officials.

Electing the members of the Executive Committee directly also has merit and resembles the governing system that was present before amalgamation.  Residents elected City Councillors for local ward issues and then separately elected Metro Councillors to deal with city-wide issues such as transportation, garbage, public health and infrastructure.

Political parties are also interesting in that research has shown that municipal systems with political parties have more success in restraining city budgets.

I hope that during the next municipal election candidates are prepared to discuss options for City Council.  A city the size of Toronto with a $9.2 billion budget should have a governing structure that is more accountable to the residents and businesses of the city.

May 11, 2010
Shiny, Happy (Safe) Little People

Today, Mayor Miller proclaimed that May 31^st to June 5^th, will be Safe Kids Week in Toronto.

From this year forward, this proclamation will help all Toronto residents think about how we can keep our youngest residents safe from accidents and injury.

This proclamation supports the valuable work of Safe Kids Canada, an organization which works to reduce the incidence of childhood injury across the nation, and has been doing so for over two decades.

For this year’s Safe Kids Week, the City of Toronto will assist Safe Kids Canada in reminding us all of the importance of wearing helmets when children and young people get out their bikes, scooters and skateboards.  Head injuries are the number one cause of injury and death to kids on wheels.  Wearing a helmet isn’t just a smart idea.  In Ontario, it’s actually the law for people aged 18 years and under.

So as Safe Kids of Canada says, “Got wheels? Get a helmet!”

As a mom and a member of the City’s Pedestrian committee, I also wanted to make a contribution to improving the safety of young people during Safe Kids Week.  On May 31^st, at 1:00 p.m., please join me in Nathan Phillip’s Square to learn about the importance of staying bright at night.

More details are to come, but I promise you this: you won’t be able to miss me!

April 29, 2010
UPDATE – ATTEMPTED CHILD ABDUCTION IN WARD 16

Public Safety Alert,
Police request assistance with attempted child abduction investigation,
Update,
Results of investigation,
Information reported to police unfounded

Broadcast time: 10:25
Wednesday, April 28, 2010

32 Division
416−808−3200

On Monday, April 26, 2010, at 6:42 p.m., police responded to a suspicious incident in the Yonge Boulevard/Wilson Avenue area.

It was reported that:

− a nine−year−old girl was playing with a friend in the driveway of a home on Esgore Drive,

− the friend went into the house, and a man appeared in the doorway of the garage,

− the man spoke to the girl, attempted to lure her, and grabbed her by the wrist,

− the girl struck the man’s hand, breaking free and ran into her friend’s home,

− the suspect fled the area on foot.

See previous release – Toronto Police News Release – April 27, 2010

Investigators have determined that the information reported to police is unfounded.

Constable Tony Vella, Public Information, for Detective Scott McKay, 32 Division

April 26, 2010
Funding For Public Transit

On Earth Day the Mayor and I passed out information that explained why transit funding and construction of the Eglinton Crosstown Light Tail Transit (LRT) line is important.  Currently, the funding is in jeopardy and I believe it is important that residents understand the impacts.

The Eglinton Crosstown line is part of the Metrolinx Regional Transportation Plan, which I support.  Even though I believe subways are preferable to light rail transit, those decisions have already been made.  I also feel that a Greater Toronto Area parking tax should be implemented as a means of getting a reliable revenue stream to fund transit, but those discussions have yet to begin.

The City will not be able to advance the decisions that have been made or discuss funding options without Provincial support.  I recognize the decisions facing the Provincial Government are not simple ones.  Ontario’s economy is shifting and we are not sure whether our Province will lead the nation in economic growth in the near future.  I believe investment in transit across the GTA is critical for the Province so that Ontario can once again play a leading role. Transit will be a key piece of Ontario’s infrastructure that is required if we are to realize our economic goals, particularly as we shift to a service and knowledge-based economy.  Along with Provincial support, the TTC needs to address its significant organizational challenges and modernize many aspects of is operations.

As of yet, few of the Mayoral candidates have offered a compelling vision for why transit funding is so important and why our City will be more productive, livable and prosperous when the transit is built.  I don’t agree with our current Mayor on everything, but I do believe that transit funding is important and it is imperative to keep the issue alive during this election.

April 19, 2010
Why I Didn’t Support the Operating Budget

The biggest success of Mayor Miller’s reign was getting Toronto additional revenue to support city building, such as money for transit, housing and social services.  The drawback is that in order to get the money, City Council promotes the view that Toronto’s financial situation is unsustainable.

The Board of Trade consistently states that the City needs to get its financial house in order because it is unsustainable. This position also seems to be supported by our own City staff.  In presentations to City Council, the financial staff stated that this year’s budget includes unsustainable balancing strategies that total $313 million.  The magnitude of the problem is difficult to evaluate given that this year’s budget produced a $354.8 million surplus.  It would seem that since the surplus more than offsets the unsustainable balancing strategies, we should not have a problem.

The Mayoral candidates have all expressed concern about the City’s finances, but is there really a problem?  I believe that there is a problem and that is why I voted against the Budget.

The City’s long-term financial strategy relies on a share of the harmonized sales tax, consistent and reliable funding for transit and money for social housing.  These are not realistic given the Province’s own financial challenges.  More importantly, this plan does not position the City as a mature, self-financing level of government.

A strong, vibrant city requires financial strategies that are independent of the whims of the Provincial or Federal government.  Furthermore, an approach that relies on the Provincial Government for funding leaves no room to develop the required cost-containment strategies that are required to move the City towards financial independence. Some examples include, appropriate user fees, public-private partnerships and a realistic assessment of the services that the City should provide.  Additionally, the City needs to work with the regional municipalities to develop revenue generation strategies that are predictable and reliable.  The “delay” of transit city funding should be proof enough we will not achieve our transit aspirations as a city and region unless we are prepared to fund our own way.

The $2.6 billion debt is also a challenge for the City to manage in a sustainable way.  In recognition of this, City staff are preparing to bring forward a framework for City Council to consider how the sale of City assets should be considered. Unless there are significant changes in the way we manage our capital projects, it is likely the City will be required to sell some of its assets over the next few years in order to maintain our credit rating.

I believe a change of direction is required and that change will not be realized if the City continues to operate the same way next year as it has over the last six.  A change in direction will require difficult decisions, negotiations and trade-offs.  However, if we are successful, the City will emerge much stronger for the effort.

Ward 16 Community Clean-up Day Events

March 30, 2010
Yonge-Eglinton Centre – Updated Renderings

Earlier today my office received updated renderings of RioCan’s proposal for the Yonge-Eglinton Centre.   To see the updated renditions please view the following images -
Yonge Eglinton Centre
Yonge Eglinton Centre – Street Level

My office also received the following letter from the Lytton Park Residents’ Organization (LPRO) regarding the proposal for the Yonge-Eglinton Centre – LPRO Letter

Toronto is a City of strong neighbourhoods.  The strength of these neighbourhoods come from the people who live in the community and work each day to make the next day a little better than the one before.  My neighbour, Jo Altlillia is one of these great people.  She has volunteered her time and devoted her personal resources to making sure teenaged moms reach their personal potential.  Through her work, she has been inspired by these young women and remains amazed each day by their accomplishments. 

Jo founded Literature for Life, which is a not-for-profit organization devoted to helping young mothers learn how to read.  While these young moms learn how read, they learn how to share their experiences.  Through the sharing of stories and experiences they begin to transform their lives.  The power of literacy opens new doors that leads to improved education and gainful employment.

Through participating in Literature for Life, these courageous young women often break the cycle of violence and poverty.  Since 2000, 1,700 women have participated in the programs and these new beginnings benefit them and their babies.  

Literature for Life receives very little in the way of government funds and relies on contributions and fundraisers to run their programs.  One of its fundraising efforts is the annual book sale.  This year, over 1000 books of all titles and genres will be available for only $1 each with all proceeds going towards program delivery for young moms and pregnant teens.  The book sale will be held on Sunday August 15 between 9 - 1 at 28 Glengrove Avenue West.  Rain or Shine.

Please join me and Jo and buy a book.  Not only will it help change a young woman's life, it will provide great entertainment in the last weeks of summer.