Toronto Civics 101

Thought Exchange: Urban Voter Series

2010-09-14T08:17:00.000-07:00

The Toronto Public Library is hosting free lectures and discussions on civic issues in preparation for the upcoming municipal election. See below for topics and times. Stay informed and join the discussion!

PROGRAMS FOR THE CONSTANTLY CURIOUS
Satisfy your curiousity with an eclectic collection of lectures and discussions across the city.

Ageing in the City: Is Toronto an Age-Friendly Community?
Jane Barratt, International Federation on Ageing
Glenn R. Miller, Canadian Urban Institute
Moderator: Susan Eng, CARP
Wed. Sept. 15, 7 pm
Toronto Reference Library

Toronto Divided: Update on the “Three Cities”
J. David Hulchanski, Centre for Urban and Community Studies
Tam Goosen, Urban Alliance on Race Relations
Moderator: Myer Siemiatycki, Ryerson University
Tues. Sept. 21, 7pm
North York Central Library

What’s the Plan?: Revitalization and the Road Ahead
John Lorinc, journalist,
Derek Ballantyne, BuildToronto
Marian Mohamud, Lawrence Heights resident and advocate
Beth Milroy, Ryerson University
Wed. Sept. 29, 7pm
Toronto Reference Library

Show me the Money: How to Fund Toronto’s Competing Priorities
Carol Wilding, Toronto Board of Trade
Winnie Ng, Toronto & York Region Labour Council
Moderator: Myer Siemiatycki, Ryerson University
Tues. Oct. 5, 7pm
North York Central Library

For more info, visit: www.torontopubliclibrary.ca

Resources for Ongoing Engagement

2010-01-13T12:26:00.001-08:00

The first Toronto Civics 101 program has drawn to a close. Thank you again to all who participated in the program. We hope you gained some new knowledge about the City, and a desire to get involved in your community.

Below is a list of online resources you may be interested in using to continue your learning about civic issues and get involved in City initiatives. If you know an online resource that others might find useful, please share it in the Comments section of this posting.

City of Toronto Websites

Civic Engagement
www.toronto.ca/civic-engagement
On these pages you will be able to learn about how the City works, find resources on civic engagement, connect to City programs and services and find out about past and current public consultations.

City of Toronto Consultations
www.toronto.ca/civic-engagement/consultations.htm
The City regularly holds consultations on a variety of projects and topics. This site provides a listing of current consultations, with information on public meetings and how you can participate.

Elections
www.toronto.ca/elections
This site has the latest information on the 2010 municipal election, including candidates, the voting process, employment opportunities and a calendar of events.

Public Appointments
www.toronto.ca/public-appointments
Are you someone who wants to make a difference in the community? Do you have the time, talent and enthusiasm that the City is looking for? Do you believe in open and accountable government? We need residents of Toronto to serve on high profile, challenging and exciting boards of directors for City agencies. Opportunities to serve may be posted throughout the term of Council, so please visit the Current opportunities on a regular basis.

E-updates and news feeds (RSS)
www.toronto.ca/e-updates
You can subscribe to City of Toronto e-mail updates (including an electronic newsletter “City Update”) and RSS feeds on a variety of topics. Get news as it happens and stay current on City services and programs. See also City twitter accounts and official blogs.

311
www.toronto.ca/311
More than just a phone number, 311 Toronto provides access to a wide range of online services, including online service requests and tracking. Information counters are available at City Hall and most Civic Centres during regular business hours. You can also contact 311 by e-mail at 311@toronto.ca or fax at 416-338-0685.

Open Data
www.toronto.ca/open
The City of Toronto's official data set catalogue - beta version. Access City data, get information about City data and the City's OpenTO initiative and give us feedback.

toronto.ca re:Brand
wx.toronto.ca/inter/2point0/comments.nsf/form?OpenForm
The City is in the process of re-branding the City of Toronto's website. Our refreshed home page is only a starting point. Tell us what you think of toronto.ca and how we can make the website better for you.

Community Resources for Civic Engagement
www.toronto.ca/civic-engagement/resources.htm
This site contains links to resources developed by the City of Toronto, other cities and organizations. They may be helpful as you explore your community and your role in local issues.

External Websites

The opinions expressed on the websites or at the events listed below do not necessarily reflect the position of the City of Toronto, Civic Engagement Toronto or Toronto Civics 101.

Government of Canada
http://www.parl.gc.ca/common/Aboutparl.asp?Language=E
This website contains information about the Parliament of Canada. Learn about current and historical people, the Parliamentary process, and the Parliament buildings. Educational materials can be accessed through this site.

Government of Ontario: Your Government
http://www.ontario.ca/en/your_government/index.htm
Your Government provides links to information about the structure and function of the Government of Ontario, its ministries and its agencies. It’s also the place to find forms and official documents, and learn more about government archives, budgets and elections.

The City Series at Toronto Public Library
http://www.torontopubliclibrary.ca/appelsalon/city-series.jsp
Toronto Star journalists moderate panel discussions on issues that matter to Torontonians. All events are free. Doors open an hour before the event. Seating is on a first-come, first-serve basis. Light food and beverages will be available for sale from 6 - 6:45 p.m

TVO Civics 101
http://www.tvo.org/TVOsites/WebObjects/TvoMicrosite.woa?civics101
At Civics 101, TVO’s goal is to teach people about how the Ontario government works, to inform Ontarians about our electoral system and their voting rights, as well as the processes and procedures of government.

Maytree Foundation: How Government Works Program
http://www.maytree.com/training/how-government-works
Have you ever wondered how governments make decisions? Whether there’s a difference in how municipal, provincial and federal governments make those decisions? And how you can influence each government and at what point you can do so? To find out, download the two presentations from the seminar and learn how to influence a government’s decision-making process.

Spacing Toronto
http://spacing.ca/wire/
Spacing Toronto is a hub for daily dispatches from the streets of Toronto to cities around the world, offering both analysis and a forum for discussion. Their contributors examine city hall, architecture, urban planning, public transit, transportation infrastructure and just about anything that involves the public realm of our cities.

Torontoist
http://torontoist.com/
Established in October 2004 as part of the thirteen-city Gothamist network, Torontoist focuses on absolutely everything interesting related to Toronto, including news, arts, events, culture, transit, politics, photography, advertising, street art and graffiti, food, and a whole lot more.

Urban Toronto
http://www.urbantoronto.ca/index.php
This site hosts a virtual bulletin board about all things Toronto. The site contains various categories (broad subject areas), which themselves contain forums (more specific subject areas) which contain threads (conversations on a topic) which are made up of individual posts (where a user writes something).

Heritage Toronto Walks
http://www.heritagetoronto.org/discover-toronto/walk
Covering all areas of the city, Heritage Toronto Walks tell the stories behind the people, landscapes and historic buildings that bring Toronto’s neighbourhoods to life. Their weekend walking tours are free of charge and no reservations or pre-registration are required.

ChangeCamp
http://changecamp.ca/
ChangeCamp is an event format, an open community and a set of tools and ideas designed to give citizens and governments the ability to work collaboratively in new ways to make change and to better address real-world challenges in our communities. A Toronto ChangeCamp event is planned for February 2010.

Find City Consultations on Google Maps

2010-01-08T10:05:00.000-08:00

We're experimenting with posting City of Toronto consultations on Google maps. A text listing of the consultations (upcoming and past) is available on the City's website at http://www.toronto.ca/civic-engagement/consultations.htm.

Here is the link to the test mapping site.

Let us know what you think!

Saying goodbye to Toronto Civics 101 - 2009

2009-12-23T12:00:00.000-08:00

On behalf of the staff team who planned, developed and ran the inaugural Toronto Civics 101 I'd like to thank all of you for your participation and for making our first attempt so successful.

We has some worries (would anyone apply?), some bumps along the way (how come the videos of each session couldn't be viewed by everyone?), excitement (meeting session participants and anticipating how you would react to each session) and some wistfulness when we said good by to all of you and to the last session.

We are sifting through all of the evaluations and will be posting summaries in the next few weeks here and on the City's website. Many of you have commented that you enjoyed the program, would like to continue to learn about the City and recommend a similar opportunity for other Torontonians - we'll be figuring out our plans for 2010 soon - and will be in touch with you over the coming months.

Here are a few things I know that you have learned through this program:

How to make sure you are registered to vote and how to help get the word out about the next election
That the City appoints 282 community members to 29 City boards during each term of Council. I encourage each of you to consider putting your name forward, to participate in the decision making of our governing bodies.
That when you see a development application billboard posted in your neighbourhood – you can pick up the phone and call the planner to learn more and find out how to have your say
That the City's processes are much more transparent than other orders of government. I urge you to take advantage of the City's open meeting policy and attend committee and council meetings – or follow along on-line

And finally, we hope that you have learned that for government to remain relevant the public must be informed and involved – two objectives of the Toronto Civics 101 program and our continued civic engagement strategy.

We're interested in hearing from you about what you've learned and how you might apply the information gained by the series - or what you are still curious about - post your comments here.

Meg

Guest Blogger - Toronto Civics 101 Final Session: Grassroots

2009-12-14T13:15:00.000-08:00

~ Guest Bloggers can submit posts to this site - the opinions of the authors are theirs alone and do not necessarily reflect the postion of the City of Toronto, Civic Engagement Toronto or Toronto Civics 101. ~

The following post comes to us from Adil Dhalla:

Do you demand more from your government?

I do and I have often felt that by demanding more, I was doing my leaders somewhat of a service. Having high expectations, after all, may be considered foolish by some but it can also be a flattering indication of one's perceived potential. I know my city is consistently ranked among the world's best but like many, I have this prevailing feeling that we can be better. It’s for this reason why I originally applied for Civics 101 - to determine whether or not my expectations were flattering or in fact foolish. It turns out that they were indeed flattering but rather than finding myself demanding more from City Hall, I'm now demanding more from us.

I thought that Civics 101 would provide me with the answers I sought about how my government worked so I could ostensibly derive some comfort from my newfound information base. But in reality, I completed 101 feeling slightly less comfortable about our prospects, because I now fully understand the full gambit of the activities and challenges City Hall faces. It’s not as if I was fully ignorant to these things before but where 101 was most successful was in encouraging me to truly consider the challenges our local leaders face. This left me with a new understanding of the difficulty to create change especially when it involves many stakeholders. Thus, while I might have begun 101 thinking tax raises were bad for me, I left wondering if they were in fact a needed reality for us.

The reason for this, of course, is related to our fiscal imbalance and that is merely one area (albeit a very big one), where I’m now convinced that the city requires help from those in the grass roots. Not only can our elected leaders not be everywhere, but it’s inconceivable to think that but we need to demand more from ourselves to pick up the slack where they cannot. This is the only way that it can work.

At the last 101 session, the word engagement came up a lot and for good reason. The purpose of this initiative was not just to inform, it was to activate. It was to hammer down the idea that our shared vision could only be accomplished if change was coming from both sides. Certainly, part of this involves communicating with and demand more from our leadership, but a large part of this starts with us.

So the question is, what are you going to do now?

__________

Adil Dhalla is launching "My City Lives" in January

Discussion Topics for Session 6 - Preliminary List

2009-11-27T16:04:00.000-08:00

Listed below are topics proposed for small group discussion during Session 6 of Toronto Civics 101. These topics have been submitted by participants and City staff. In some cases, similar discussion topics submitted have been synthesized into a single topic.

New topics can still be submitted by posting a comment here or sending an email to engagement@toronto.ca up to the start of discussions on December 3.

1. Next Steps - Post Toronto Civics 101
Now that you have completed Toronto Civics 101 and gained this information – what will you do with it? Discuss your plans with your fellow participants.

2. Compare Notes on Organizing with Social Media
Blogs, Facebook and Twitter are some of the tools gaining popularity to communicate with and organize people with common interests. Share your stories about using these tools.

3. Volunteering Stories
Volunteering is one way to get involved in your community and contribute to your City. Discuss some of your lessons from volunteering experiences.

4. Cut the Red Tape
Any service or program requires some administrative processes, but it can result in inefficiencies. Share your experiences encountering red tape at City Hall. How would you fix the situation?

5. Is Growth Good?
Toronto has more cranes in the air than Montreal, Vancouver, Calgary and San Francisco combined. New residential development provides housing for new residents of a city, and contributes to the revenue of the municipality through development charges and property taxes. But it can also change neighbourhood character and population densities. Discuss the pros and cons of growth.

6. Ideas for New Revenue Sources
The City will continue to face budget pressures under the current fiscal arrangements. New revenue tools are now possible under the new City of Toronto Act, and a number have been identified. What do you think of these taxes and fees? Do you have any other ideas?

7. Local Community in the Planning Process
Every planning approval considers diverse input from the local community. Their opinions must be balanced with the interests of the City as a whole, and the accommodation of population growth. How can this balance be achieved?

8. Addressing Homelessness
Toronto is a wealthy city, and yet people are homeless here. What is the role of residents and the City to address the problem? Who else should be involved?

9. The Public’s Role in Improving Voter Turnout
In the last municipal election, voter turnout was 39.3%. Discuss the ideas put forward in the Session 5. What can you do to increase voter turnout in 2010?

10. How Can the City Increase Public Engagement?
You have heard how public input feeds into the planning process and Council’s decision-making process. What advice would you give the City to ensure your voice is heard during these processes?

11. Engaging High-risk Communities
How should the City engage high-risk groups such as newcomers and youth? What strategies should be used? Discuss your ideas.

12. Evaluating Toronto Civics 101
This is the first time the City has hosted Toronto Civics 101, and you were our first class. What ideas do you have to improve the program?

Session 5 - Themed Report on Elections Exercise

2009-11-25T08:14:00.000-08:00

Attached are images of the themed report on the elections exercise participants discussed during Session 5. There were two questions asked during the exercise:

1. What influences your decision to vote?
2. What is the one thing that you think would increase voter turnout in Toronto?

Themes that emerged from question 1:
1. Youth Outreach
2. Special Day, Date and Time
3. Making the issues relevant to Citizens
4. Fines or Incentives
5. Education, information, awareness and Advertising
6. Hold Candidates/ Elections Accountable and Civic Duty
7. Representative Electorate
8. Other

Themes that emerged from question 2:
1. Duty, Rights and Privilege
2. Local or Critical Issue
3. The Candidate
4. Don't vote
5. Each Vote Makes a Difference
6. Good Information
7. Political Platforms
8. Other

Word versions of the report will be posted soon at www.toronto.ca/civic-engagement/civics101

Agenda for Session 6 - Send Us Your Ideas!

2009-11-18T15:27:00.000-08:00

This is a message for all participants in Toronto Civics 101.

For the sixth and final session of Toronto Civics 101, we want you to help us form the agenda.

Throughout this series, you've had the opportunity to meet and talk with people who share your curiosity and passion for Toronto - people with an interest in making a great city better.

In this session, “Lessons and Leadership”, you will have the opportunity to discuss what you have learned through the program with other participants. Topics may include something people were curious about coming into the program, something mentioned during one of the sessions, or an idea you have generated from what you've learned. You will have at least 45 min during the session for this purpose.

Do you have an idea for discussion? Submit your idea here by commenting on this post, or send it directly to us at engagement@toronto.ca by November 26. Keep your description brief (no more than four lines) and with a clear title. We will post proposed topics here leading up the session, so that participants can see what groups they are interested in joining.

A few things to consider:

New discussions can be proposed on the evening of the session, so if you think of something at the last minute, you can still suggest it.
Participants will vote-with-your-feet by attending the group that interests them. You can change your mind about being part of a discussion at any point.
In some cases, we may want to combine similar discussions, or propose changes to respond to suggestions from other participants. What happens if only a few people are interested in your idea? There are no guarantees that what interests one participant will interest others – but there's always a chance you'll find some common ground with another person or group. Have fun! Nothing said in the session is set in stone, but it might lead to something you find to be really meaningful.

T.O. Civics 101, Session 5 – Are City Councillors Overworked?

2009-11-13T13:45:00.000-08:00

~ Guest Bloggers can submit posts to this site. The opinions of the authors are theirs alone and do not necessarily reflect the position of the City of Toronto, Civic Engagement Toronto or Toronto Civics 101. ~

The following post comes to us from Bill Gaw:

During yesterday evening's discussion on municipal elections and the councillor's presentation on the roles/activities of a municipal councillor, I started out being impressed with the scope of effort required, and gradually became concerned about the weight of that work on the poor folk who win election. As their employer I began to worry that we are over-stressing our representatives.

If councillors find themselves overworked, I'm sure there is some mechanism for them to bail out without too much harm, but what about the effect on work quality?

Do we have research to suggest limits on how many roles a councilor can manage before their performance in terms of level of understanding, attention to detail, ability to attend meetings, and the ability to focus on the critical agenda, begins to fall apart and produce poor quality decisions? Have councillors themselves expressed a view on work load versus work quality?

I found it educational to attend the Budget Committee Capital Budget Hearing this morning. The member councillors seemed to have a fair grasp of the issues; the non-member councillors appeared to be vague on detail; a surprising number of councillors did not appear to be paying attention to the public presentations; and two councillors were asked to leave the committee room so that their side conversation would not distract a presenter. It was also interesting to note how often staff did not know the answers to perfectly reasonable questions from councillors.

Bill Gaw

Your City on the Web - an event at the Toronto Reference Library

2009-11-05T14:37:00.000-08:00

Here is news of an event that may be of interest to Toronto Civics 101 participants. Thanks to Michael Shelley for suggesting it!
_____________________

Your City on the Web

Learn about the City of Toronto's website and how to find housing and job information, financial assistance programs, recreational events and more. Find out about your neighbourhood, who your City Councillor is and how to get in touch.

Thursdays, Sept. 17, Oct. 22, Nov. 19, Dec. 17, 2:00-3:00 pm
Le@rning Centre 1

For more information, call the Toronto Reference Library user education line at 416-393-7209 between 9:00 am and 5:00 pm or visit their website.

T.O. Civics 101, Session 4 – Engagement, the Underfunded City and the Citizen Response

2009-11-03T07:32:00.000-08:00

The following post comes to us from Adil Dhalla:

After telling a friend that I couldn’t go out last Thursday because I was attending a Toronto Engagement event, he jokingly responded “Okay buddy, have a good time getting engaged to the city”. Obviously, had I clarified the entire title of the series, he would not have had the chance to play with my words but it did force me to consider the important distinction between education and engagement.

To the onlooker, Civics 101 might appear more about educating citizens about the city and certainly, there has been a great deal of information shared. But what elevates the experience to ‘engagement’ is the fact that participants for 101 are hearing from actual decision makers and then being encouraged to work together to tackle the city’s challenges. This approach not only leaves participants with a much deeper understanding of how the city operates, but can lead to collaborative thinking which could manifest into real solutions.

This week, for example, we were led into a deep discussion of the city’s finances by Shelley Carroll (the city’s Budget Chief) and Cam Weldon (the City’s CFO). The session was part informative, part interactive, as we sat at circular tables and attempted in small groups to balance the city’s budget. The exercise had a profound impact and helping me understand how hard it is for the city to match the needs of its citizens without raising taxes or making cuts and redistributing resources.

With neither option welcoming, there are two conclusions that can be drawn:

The city must continually work to ensure that each of its arms are accountable and maximizing the potential of what they are allotted and
Assuming no one wants more taxes and that we cannot rely on larger contributions from other levels of government, the City needs to get creative in deriving revenue.

The first point is virtually an eternal issue for organizations whether they are public or private but I would still encourage the city to study the private sector since in some ways, their stakeholders are less forgiving and their future less guaranteed. This urgency that defines the private might provide new paradigms and ideas.

The second point, however, allows me to return to this concept of engagement. Listening to Councilor Carroll, my mind began racing with ideas on how the city could generate more revenues. My ideas weren’t about what the city could do, as much as they were about what we citizens could do. For example, we could crowd-source for needed projects (akin to what President Obama has been doing) or create an initiative that encourages businesses to make a small contribution back to the city. For example, I am launching a new business soon and am now considering a give-back to the city as part of our social contribution. Sure, my contribution might only be enough at first to install a new swing set but to the detractors, I would say one swing set is better than no swing set and what would happen if we all thought about one thing we could do?

The point is, education leads to learning whereas engagement leads to collaboration and new thinking. I hope it’s doing the same for you and would love to hear how.
_____________________________________

Adil Dhalla (@TheNetTale) is the founder of creativitykilledtherecession.org.

Guest Blogger - Session 3: How City Council Makes Decisions

2009-10-20T08:52:00.000-07:00

~ Guest Bloggers can submit posts to this site. The opinions of the authors are theirs alone and do not necessarily reflect the position of the City of Toronto, Civic Engagement Toronto or Toronto Civics 101. ~

The following post comes to us from Adil Dhalla:

There were two competing feelings I had following Session 3 of Toronto Civics 101 – How City Council Makes Decisions – and I’m still not sure if I’ve reconciled between the two.

The first feeling was motivated by realizing the sheer dearth of information the city shares online with its citizens. For example, we are the first municipality in Ontario to provide all of our councilor’s expenses online. It turns out; Mayor Miller’s use of a broom during his first Mayoral campaign was indeed representative of his desire for accountability and not some bizarre attempt to appeal to the Harry Potter obsessed voters (we know you’re out there). Joking aside, you really get the sense that the city goes to extreme lengths to share their activities online and for this act of ongoing transparency they must be lauded.

The competing feeling, however, was wondering how valuable this actually is for the citizens of Toronto. On face value, the more we have the better. But if the majority of the information is just a resource for decisions already made, then it’s not exactly what we need. Rather, citizens need the information – the same information which guides council’s decisions – in advance. We need this because of the relatively little impact petitions actually have and because (as we learned on Thursday), citizen-lead plebiscites are not possible and there is no data on aggregated deputations. With more of a focus on providing information in advance of decisions being made, citizens have the opportunity to become truly engaged with the decisions making process.

Having said that, maybe I’m being naïve because we may never come to any decisions if the floor is totally open (especially with 45 different voices already present). It really is a testament to our civic leadership how many Agenda items (3901 total in 2009) they go through each year and opening things up further might slow them down in future years. Enter ‘my competing feelings’.

Some other light-hearted thoughts from the evening worth sharing:

• The city’s income is primarily earned via property tax and given the city’s maturity, the main way to increase this total without increasing the actual tax is redevelopment. Finally I’m beginning to understand why the city seems to really like condos

• The city by law must have a balanced budget. Giving our rising costs, that means more condos.

• The Mayor doesn’t have the type of executive powers most assumed that he possesses. I’m willing to bet the misconception has something to do with our previous Mayor infamously bringing in the military years ago.

On a more serious final note, I really think there was some merit behind a gentlemen’s suggestion for the city to buy the Maple Leafs. Can someone please table this topic for the next city council meeting?

________

Adil Dhalla (@TheNetTale) is the founder of creativitykilledtherecession.org and proud to be among the inaugural attendees of T.O. 101

Tour by Toronto's Ombudsman October 20

2009-10-19T05:29:00.000-07:00

From Toronto Civics 101 participant Bill Gaw comes this note:

Blog thought for anyone interested (but it is time-critical)... Following Fiona Murray's introduction to the City of Toronto Accountability Officers on Thursday, I noticed this tiny newspaper announcement in Friday's Scarborough Mirror:

"What should I know about Toronto's Ombudsman?

Find out Tuesday, October 20, 2009, 7-9 p.m. at the Scarborough Civic Centre"

An accompanying article by David Nickle reports:

"Toronto Ombudsman Fiona Crean is coming to Scarborough next week to find out from residents what's working, and what could be working better, at the City of Toronto.
The visit marks the first time that Toronto's new ombudsman has met with residents beyond the downtown confines of Toronto City Hall. The meeting will be sort of a get-to-know-each other session. Crean is hoping that she'll be able to explain the purpose of her office..."

You can read the whole article on line here

Governance Quiz

2009-10-16T08:51:00.000-07:00

At last night's session on governance and decision-making we did a short quiz and we've reproduced it here. The quiz results are below as well - try it out, see how many you get right!

Session 3: How City Council Makes Decisions – Quiz

1. The authority and power that the City of Toronto has is granted by:

a) Federal legislation
b) Provincial legislation
c) A municipal by-law
d) The Canadian Constitution

2. Community Councils are:

a) Local neighbourhood organizations
b) City Committees run by members of the public
c) A type of municipal court
d) Geographically-based committees of Council made up of City Councillors

3. Can the Mayor override City Council decisions?

a) Yes, in emergency situations
b) Yes, if the issue impacts the Ward where he or she lives
c) No, the Mayor does not have this power
d) Yes, anytime he or she wants to

4. Meetings of City Council:

a) Are always open to the public
b) Can be held in private only under strict rules
c) Can be held in private at the request of any Councillor
d) Are never held in public unless the majority of Council makes that request

5. What is the relationship between the Toronto Public Library and the City of Toronto?

a) The Library is governed by a Board made up of City Councillors and members of the public appointed by City Council
b) There is no formal relationship between the Library and the City
c) The Library is funded and run by the Provincial government
d) The Library is overseen by a Board made up of senior librarians

6. Who are the members of a Standing Committee of Council?

a) Volunteer members of the public
b) Staff with expertise in various subject areas
c) Special appointees similar to Senators in Federal Parliament
d) City Councillors

Quiz Results

Session 3: How City Council Makes Decisions (correct answer marked with and *

1. The authority and power that the City of Toronto has is granted by:
a) Federal legislation: 1
b) Provincial legislation: 0
c) A municipal by-law: 58 *
d) The Canadian Constitution: 1

2. Community Councils are:
a) Local neighbourhood organizations: 0
b) City Committees run by members of the public: 23
c) A type of municipal court: 0
d) Geographically-based committees of Council made up of City Councillors: 35 *

3. Can the Mayor override City Council decisions?
a) Yes, in emergency situations: 18
b) Yes, if the issue impacts the Ward where he or she lives: 0
c) No, the Mayor does not have this power: 38 *
d) Yes, anytime he or she wants to: 1

4. Meetings of City Council:
a) Are always open to the public: 18
b) Can be held in private only under strict rules: 43 *
c) Can be held in private at the request of any Councillor: 0
d) Are never held in public unless the majority of Council makes that request: 0

5. What is the relationship between the Toronto Public Library and the City of Toronto?
a) The Library is governed by a Board made up of City Councillors and members of the public appointed by City Council: 54 *
b) There is no formal relationship between the Library and the City: 1
c) The Library is funded and run by the Provincial government: 3
d) The Library is overseen by a Board made up of senior librarians: 0

6. Who are the members of a Standing Committee of Council?
a) Volunteer members of the public: 0
b) Staff with expertise in various subject areas: 5
c) Special appointees similar to Senators in Federal Parliament: 6
d) City Councillors: 48 *

Here are two of the quiz boards from last night -

Guest Blogger – More Questions on Planning

2009-10-14T06:45:00.000-07:00

~ Guest Bloggers can submit posts to this site. The opinions of the authors are theirs alone and do not necessarily reflect the position of the City of Toronto, Civic Engagement Toronto or Toronto Civics 101. ~

Toronto Civics 101 participant Bill Gaw writes: During the Local Planning session we ran out of question time before I could raise these items with Paul or Jane. If there is space and time available perhaps they could comment through the blog spot.

Paul Bain and Jane Welsh of Toronto's City Planning Division respond to Bill’s questions below.

Question 1.

Bill asks: The Toronto Official Plan indicates that we want to reduce the need for automobile trips and increase cycling and walking as replacements. With that goal in mind, why do planners concentrate employment areas in segregated places instead of integrating them with other roles, similar to the way we integrate residential and commercial roles into mixed-use zones.

Paul answers: The Official Plan does call for reducing auto dependency. A majority of jobs in Toronto are actually in 'Mixed Use Areas' such as Downtown and the Centres that allow both commercial and residential uses. We are finding condominiums going up on the same block as office buildings downtown and in the Centres allowing people to walk to work. The Employment Districts, although they have about a third of Toronto's jobs, are different because they allow a fairly full range of industrial uses which are not a good idea to mix with residential because of truck traffic, noise, odours etc.

Question 2.

Bill asks: There appears to be an inherent conflict between the policies to protect neighbourhoods versus policies to increase residential density and blend residential, commercial and employment functions into walk-able communities. Do planners have a policy for an acceptable rate of change that would allow neighbourhoods to grow upward and integrate functions over a reasonably quick period of time?

Paul answers: The City wants to protect the existing physical character of existing low-rise residential neighbourhoods. There is more than enough development potential in Downtown/Waterfront, the Avenues, the Centres to accommodate the growth in population the Province foresees for Toronto. The City's planners and the Official Plan try to maintain neighbourhood character and not introduce higher-scale development.

Question 3.

Bill asks: At one point Paul said that when we walk out the door, the road we see is all that we can have; that we are not going to disassemble existing buildings to widen our roads. Do we have approved planning policies that prohibit stacking traffic - either elevated roadways or tunnels - that could easily double the capacity of existing traffic corridors without creating a wider footprint?

Paul answers: There are no specific policies I can think of that prohibit stacking traffic in elevated roadways or underground in tunnels. That type of construction is expensive and would be difficult given the width of most rights of way and the construction of buildings to their front property line.

Question 4.

Bill asks: The Official Plan speaks about evolving toward a walk-able city. Are there approved planning policies or strategies to enable that by promoting significant underground pedestrian, cycling, and retail corridors, similar to the underground Path system that currently serves only a few blocks downtown? Underground and covered at-grade or elevated walkways enable year-round pedestrian and cycle travel.

Paul answers: Underground pedestrian corridors are there to complement the street, but not replace it as the main place for pedestrians. Where there are great concentrations of workers and residents and limited sidewalks, underground corridors such as the downtown PATH system make a lot of sense, and the City supports the connection of major new downtown developments. In most of the City, the sidewalks suffice and there is no economic or design basis for underground corridors.

Question 5.

Bill asks: Jane's presentation spoke about policies and tactics for green design for new buildings. We have a much larger inventory of old buildings than new. To accelerate a green city are planners working on in-place conversion policies that would make it profitable for companies and individuals to retrofit old stock?

Jane answers: You are correct - to tackle reducing green house gas emissions we need to address energy efficiency in existing buildings. The City does offer an incentive program to help improve energy efficiency in existing buildings (Better Buildings Partnership). There is also a new Energy Plan going forward to Executive Committee in November, which will help to address this issue.

Follow-up from Session 2 - exercises and feedback

2009-10-06T12:44:00.000-07:00

The commitment of participants at both of the first two sessions has been great. We've tabulated some of the inputs from the opening and break-time exercises as well as reviewed all of the evaluation forms we've received so far.

During the second session participants had a chance to review the City's neighbourhood map as well as the neighbourhood map created by the Toronto Star. We asked: We don’t all understand neighbourhoods in the same way. Which map best represents your neighbourhood?

59 of you said the Toronto Star map
16 of you said the City of Toronto map
17 of you said both maps
and 6 of you said neither map

Many of you commented that you liked the Toronto Star map better because it included more street names and so it was easier to locate where you lived.

Also at the second Civics 101 session we asked you to indicate at which level a set of planning decisions should be made - at the local or the city-wide level. The exercise was made more difficult because we forced participants to choose - this proved to be too difficult for some who placed their voting "dot" in the line between the two choices!

Here's how you voted:

1) The route of a bike lane through your neighbourhood: Local level: 21.5 City-wide: 58.5 Total: 80
Comments:

I have a feeling there would be less bike lanes if it was a local vote. Too many stores love their parking!
Bike lanes are all about cross-jurisdictional connection. City-wide ALL THE WAY!

2) The height of a new condominium, proposed to be much taller than surrounding buildings: Local level: 60.5 City-wide: 17.5 Total: 78
Comments:

Rational decision can override NIMBY tendency in a city wide decision. Look at Vancouver’s planning success w/city-wide decisions (i.e. no Ward system).
If the City was smart and listened to the neighbourhood, this could be a City decision. My thoughts – more low to mid-rise buildings 4 -6 storeys. Let’s keep a sightline, not make a condo eyesore.

3) Policy for front-yard parking: Local level: 35.5 City-wide: 41.5 Total: 77
Comments:

Ward 14 and many others are restricted from getting parking permits for front lawn parking. Street parking is congested – may have to park (1/2 – 1) block away. Tough on seniors.
Front yard parking should be homogenous throughout the city. There is something to be said for keeping the city looking nice and put-together.
Is a local level going to really be able to “see” parking needs on a large scale?

4) New affordable housing in your neighbourhood: Local level: 19 (2 x 0.5) City-wide: 62 (2 x 0.5) Total: 83
Comments:

Too much NIMBYism for this to work at a local level
[responding to above comment] Totally agree! But, amazed by the response people are making here tonight!
Neither. Focus should be on eliminating them. (Housing)
We need to stop NIMBYing this and remove the ghettos.
I think it’s important for income level mixing. Upper middle class neighbourhoods probably wouldn’t be down with affordable housing, so City should step in.
City. Local will never agree to it. Nothing will get done.
[possibly in response to above comment] Stop NIMBYism! Stop ghettoisation. I strongly concur.
Local interest should be kept in mind and the planning should be in city-wide perspective.

5) A new big-box retail centre in your neighbourhood: Local level: 58 (6 x 0.5) City-wide: 18 (6 x 0.5) Total: 82
Comments:

If it’s left up to the neighbourhood, unless it’s already a “big box” neighbourhood, of course they won’t accept a big box retail development. Great, but “un-fair” to the big box. Not really fair if the decision by locals is already known to be “No.”
Local has a say when it comes to a project this significant. However, the city will truly know best.
Local should make the choice – it’s their neighbourhood. Corporation stores hire less people and money is transferred out. “Mom and Pops” help keep local dollars local. We need to move towards a smaller, local community.
Tough call – if I think the neighbourhood I lacking in a retail centre I would like to have one. If the neighbourhood is functioning well with a set of small retailers and City planners put in a Big Box then it goes against the current stability and support of small retailers. This one is case-by-case.
At a city-wide level there will be less likelihood of homogenous decision thinking or “group think.” The more input the better.
That kind of business would impact greatly on small local businesses which make up the character of the neighbourhood.
The local vs. the city question for many of these questions greatly relies on whether people trust the “City” to know and understand the greater good as well as the individual nature of different neighbourhoods, which it should…
Decisions should be made locally and City-wide.

6) The creation of a wheelchair accessible playground in your local park: Local level: 31 City-wide: 45 Total: 76
Comments:

Would assume a local demand would be called for, not city-wide. The City will make locations accessible that are not in greatest need. If anything – work alongside.
Should be local, because the locals know best if it is necessary – the residents know if it’s needed or not.
Specialize knowledge would be nice, but I think communities can make good decisions if they have the info.
This will actually fall under provincial legislation…Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act
[response] All parks should be accessible for everyone
City-wide – for social equity.

EVALUATION - We have had a great rate of return on our evaluation forms - thank you all for letting us know what we are doing right and what you'd like us to improve on. (This document to read the feedback for session 1)(This one for session 2) As with any group this size there are differences of opinions (OK - you all agreed the room was too cold last time!) and part of this has to do we suspect with different learning styles. A few of you have asked for less discussion between participants and exercises - others have asked for more. A few have asked that we screen questions to make sure they are questions and not opinion or statements, and others have indicated that you appreciate the transparency of selecting questions from the floor. We are taking all of your input and trying to find the balance of doing, listening, discussing and inquiring for future sessions. Please continue to let us know what you think - and fill out your evaluation form at the end of each session.

Videos and presentations from the first session and second sessions are now up on the Toronto Civics 101 website.

Demystifying Local Planning

2009-10-01T09:53:00.000-07:00

At last night's session - session 2 - cover a great deal of information about urban planning - design, legislation, Acts, who-does-what, policies and trends. For those of you who want to see the presentation from Paul Bain and Jane Welsh, we'll be posting it early next week - in the meantime here's the first 9 to whet your appetite! You can click on the images to see them in a larger format.

Guest Blogger - A View from the Crowd at T.O. 101

2009-09-23T09:54:00.000-07:00

~ Guest Bloggers can submit posts to this site - the opinions of the authors are theirs alone and do not necessarily reflect the postion of the City of Toronto, Civic Engagement Toronto or Toronto Civics 101. ~

The most important premier to happen in Toronto last week was also the least reported. Over a hundred Torontonians making up a representative sample of the city came together at City Hall for the first of six Toronto Civics 101 events. There may have only been one camera and the presence of only one celebrity (Mayor Miller), but no other event could claim to have as much future potential for the prosperity of Toronto.

Toronto Civics 101 is an important step in civic engagement and although it’s a new initiative, it felt like a throwback to an era before we would just crowdsource opinions online. For that reason, it felt extra special to be among the delegates for the rare opportunity to learn firsthand about our city and engage with strangers who we shared at least one commonality with: to make Toronto even better.

Many of those present seemed hungry for the opportunity to voice their opinions or ask questions on subjects that spanned a broad spectrum. It was valuable to consider aspects of the city operations that I take for granted or problems that individuals face which I may never have thought of. And although far from finding a solution, it was nevertheless exciting to talk to broad issues like how to end traffic! That said, the first focus of T.O. 101 is to inform on what Toronto is doing rather than what Toronto should do. While the later is inevitable, it can also be potentially ugly when discussion evolves to debate.

That’s not to say it shouldn’t happen, but that there is a time a place and I thought it would be a good idea to write some thoughts following each session as this is one of those good places. What surprised & interested you most about last Thursday?

I was initially surprised to see the extra- opinionated twitter generation entirely absent from T.O. 101. Sure, it makes sense that you could get all this information online and I had even wondered if I had made a mistake at one point. But, like most things, it comes down to quality over quantity. It’s simply more impactful and inspiring to hear about the city’s operations from the individuals who actually do it rather than a faceless webpage. Sure, it takes more time but if you don’t take time to do the things which are most important to you, then what was the point of having all that ‘time-saving’ technology in the first place.

I was most interested by the people that I had a chance to speak to and their diversity in relation to where they lived, where they were from and just generally who they were. This might not seem entirely profound but as Mayor Miller pointed out, the council chambers were far more representative of Toronto than they normally are – an appreciated dig at the still-too-homogenous make up of our elected representatives. Of course, there simply was not enough time to meet too many of you, so I eagerly look forward to next week’s event.

_______

Adil Dhalla (@TheNetTale) is the founder of creativitykilledtherecession.org and proud to be among the inaugural attendees of T.O. 101

A few thoughts following the first session Sept 17 09

2009-09-20T13:08:00.000-07:00

Many of the registered participants at the first session mentioned that it was great to be in Council Chambers - at the end of the session the question of how people can see the Chambers, or take a tour came up. Access Toronto has a self-guided tour of City Hall available - the link to the information is here. Council Chambers are open during Council meetings -to find out when those are you can visit http://www.toronto.ca/city_council/index.htm

One thing I noticed is how often we use acronyms in our writing and speeches - must watch out for that. Many people might be unfamiliar with OMB (Ontario Municipal Board); GTA (Greater Toronto Area) or even TPS (Toronto Public Service - the staff of the City, but is sometimes used to refer to the Toronto Police Services). Hope everyone can help us to be mindful of this - just let us know if we slip one or two in that we haven't adequately explained.

Videos of the first session are now online. The posts include some preliminary analysis of the small group discussion around the question "What is the one thing you are most curious about the City".

http://www.toronto.ca/civic-engagement/civics101/session1.htm

It's Fall - I can feel the "back-to-school" excitement in the air!

2009-09-11T11:30:00.000-07:00

September has always seemed like an extra new year to me - a second chance to keep some of those resolutions and get organized, make time to learn new things, find a new pencil and sharpener and lay down some ideas on fresh paper.

The idea of a civic education series started a few years ago. We looked at the kinds of information other cities provide to their residents, how civic literacy is taught by other levels of government and around the world, and we started to developed our plan. We soon realized we could spend every one of the next hundred evenings discussing how cities work, how decisions are made and the roles within local government - because issues, economies, communities, ideas and more, are always changing.

Fortunately after many discussions and revisions we found our focus, built the session agendas and put out the word that were looking for a few curious people (and we were thrilled that over 900 of you responded to that call!). We hope that our 6 session curriculum will, at the very least, provide the foundations for future learning and interest in your City government.

As an aside - the staff who have come together to plan and prepare for the first Toronto Civics 101 session, have had a chance to get to know each other a bit better - Kevin's enthusiasm for civic literacy has resulted in a great list of resources and reading materials, Lin is ready to evaluate, manage data and report back your questions and comments during and following each session, the entire office has been corresponding with applicants, participants and other interested Torontonians wanting to follow along on-line and staff from City divisions have provided information and have developed excellent content and presentations for each session.

My own not-so-secret love of school and learning showed itself when I got excited over the arrival of 175 participant binders - at the ready for notes and information - in our offices last week. I just wanted to crack them open and get started!

We are all looking forward to seeing if this idea turns out to be all that we - and I hope you - hoped for. Your comments and feedback as we proceed will help us plan for future sessions - in time to catch the next back-to-school wave of excitement.

- Meg Shields

Commenting?

2009-09-11T11:19:00.000-07:00

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- Meg Shields