Platform

During the past century, short-term thinking has increasingly taken hold of the decision-making process of our city’s government. This is especially evident in Toronto’s planning departments, where officials are choosing short-term solutions over long-term, sustainable, reasonable and responsible choices.

I was the first candidate to make the case for long-term vision when it came to Transit City, the city’s short-term proposal for a network of surface trains on our already congested streets.

Toronto’s short-term thinking is not limited to Transit. It has seeped its way into our design and construction processes, resulting in unappealing and unimaginative blocks of concrete or glass where beautiful buildings should stand.

Toronto must break away from being a city that chooses second-rate, short-term, options and become a city that invests in more innovative long-term solutions that will elevate our city onto the world stage.

We must implement long-term planning to protect our vast public spaces and parklands, to expand our subway system, and to attract new businesses and job opportunities to our city.
 
Design for Excellence Program

Toronto is a culturally diverse city and our architecture could tell a much bigger story of the diversity that is Toronto.My administration will unlock the potential for design and construction creativity right here in Toronto and encourage fresh thinking and new ideas for long-term building practices by initiating the Design for Excellence Program. It will encourage developers to bring new international ideas to their designs, like adding various cultural features and styles—Chinese, Romanesque, Persian—to the designs they create and, because of this, our buildings will reflect the story and beauty of cultural diversity that so wonderfully defines Toronto.

The Design for Excellence Program will encourage developers to create buildings that will last for centuries and include higher targets for achieving beautiful design. While beauty is subjective, we can set standards that most agree work to enhance our buildings.

A working group of architects and designers will be formed to set out the practical targets required for a building to qualify for the Design for Excellence Program status. The working group will assess all projects and next-step status will be given to those who meet the targets.

The first step in unlocking excellence and building inspiring architecture will be to hold open meetings with local citizens, residents, businesses, and other stakeholders to ensure neighbourhood participation in all major development projects. It is important that those around major projects understand their goals, their plans, and their impact on day-to-day life.

Major projects in our city will be able to move forward seamlessly as the steps involved in the Design for Excellence Program as well as review, and open public consultation will be taken with application filing. My administration will move to ensure that post-filing changes to applications, if brought about through public consultation and compromise, are approved with minimal hassle, delay, and cost.
 
Unlocking Long-Term Planning and Growth

Toronto needs to revamp its approach to building and development. The current delays in the building application process are too long and the existing zoning along transit corridors does not support the density increases suggested in our official plan.  My administration will streamline the application process and reduce the risk to developers wanting to build along our transit corridors.  

Reducing Section 37 Fees: Developers and the city are constantly clashing over the Section 37 fee usually imposed when developers want to increase their densities.  Developers inevitably fight the charge (up to 30%) through the Ontario Municipal Board (OMB) where it usually gets reduced to as low as 15%. This is time-consuming and costly for both developers and the city. My administration will work with the OMB to determine the reasonable rate and then set that rate with a 3-year review period.

Developer Concierge Service:  I propose creating a “concierge” service for developers that will take their plans efficiently through the planning process. This special service will place a city hall customer service representative on each file with the duty of taking the plans quickly through every department that must approve them.

Pre-Zoning Transit Corridors:  My administration will pre-zone and improve density opportunities along our transit corridors, thus reducing the risk to developers. This pre-zoning will set the stage for changing the structure of public consultation that is currently in place.
 
Unlocking True Collaboration

Putting Public Consultation First: True collaboration will require real change to the status quo at city hall. My administration will make sure that the citizens of Toronto, the community organizations and the business associations are consulted at the beginning of the planning process on developments in their neighbourhoods.  

I will make sure that the city and all its boards, commissions, and agencies properly engage the community at the beginning of the planning process. Instead of telling people what is going to happen in their neighbourhoods, the city will first ask the community what they want to happen. This will require a change to the status quo, but this shift will impact every aspect of our municipal government.

My administration will eliminate the sense of entitlement and authority that has seeped into our bureaucracy by changing the process they use to guide them through their projects. The first step in all initiatives will be public consultation to find out what the people want.  The wishes of our citizens must always be considered before any serious planning is undertaken.

For example when the TTC went through the planning process to add emergency exits to Greenwood Subway station, they took 8 years to come up with a plan that failed with local residents. The community collaborated and in only two weeks created a plan that was endorsed by the TTC. Full collaboration could save the city time and millions of dollars spent on studies and consultants.

My administration will make collaboration between the city, the community and business organizations a required step in the planning process.

Working together we can find the best solutions to the challenges ahead.
 
Heritage Protection

My administration will limit the destruction of our heritage buildings, especially those built before 1920.  Toronto has become a city of new and often insubstantial buildings; we must reverse this trend by saving our older buildings that present some of the finest classic architecture and resolute building quality in Toronto’s history. 

Unless an asset is beyond salvaging, my administration will require all government-owned buildings built prior to 1920 be saved and restored (using local materials and talent) rather than torn down and replaced.
 
Buy Local and Employ Local Talent

Toronto must grow on the international scene – through development, transit, diversity, and a host of other areas. But that doesn’t mean we have to outsource all of our work.

My administration will encourage long-term vision and responsible judgment. We will recognize the incredible talent we have right here in Toronto instead of constantly trying to showcase talent from other cities.

We must invest in our local economy to fuel job creation and growth during the decades ahead. My administration will require that any city-funded projects and buildings give priority to local talent and materials wherever possible.
 
Unlocking Beauty for Everyone

My administration will create a city of beautiful boulevards, streetscapes, public spaces, green space and architecture. 

I believe in the “Broken Window” theory of neighbourhood degeneration. If we continue to allow our buildings to decay and the city’s darker elements to deface our parks, our transit, and our neighbourhoods, we will become increasingly desensitized to the change in our social norms.

I want to challenge our degeneration head-on by beautifying all of Toronto’s neighbourhoods. Such initiatives start with the City’s commitment to doing things right the first time. We must take away the “outback” description that many give to Toronto and put the overhead wires that line our residential streets underground concurrent with street construction.

My administration will ensure that we properly plant larger, more substantial trees that will grow up along our boulevards rather than the small, spindly trees that get replaced every year or two because they have not been properly planted.
When long-term thinking is applied, beautiful architecture and savings go hand in hand, neighbourhoods improve, and Toronto will find its strength to lead again.

My administration will encourage long-term vision, a beautiful city, a collaborative neighbourhood planning process and responsible judgment in all decisions.

Unlocking Our Environment

My environmental platform is about our Toronto of the future, not the Toronto of the past. We need to address the issues that are important in preserving our environment for our children and their children.

We cannot accept policies that are clouded by past experiences. Credible strategies that deal with tomorrow’s problems must be implemented today.

My environmental policy starts by looking to the future, and imagining the Toronto we would like to see decades from now. But it doesn't stop there. It also lays out how to get from where we are today to where we want to be in the future.

Unlocking Toronto’s Transit System

The one single area of action that everyone agrees must be taken for the long-term future of Toronto is the expansion of our transit system.

The first step to increasing the use of public transit is to expand the Toronto subway system. Toronto should be a world-class city, and world-class cities have world-class subways.

Why build subways?

Long-term economic impact. Subway tunnels can last over 100 years. When compared to surface-transit streetcar systems, which must be entirely rebuilt every 30 years due to ground frost, expanding our subway system is the clear winner in long-term value-for-money. Should we choose to go ahead with LRT expansion, we lose both in terms of value-for-money and cost to our environment.

There are two key factors that influence a person's selection of transit: Travel time and cost. To get people who would otherwise drive over using public transit, our transit must be faster, more affordable, and more comfortable than cars. That is what my plan calls for; not more light rail transit.

Cost of travel. If we do not take on the responsibility of effectively investing in our transit system today, future generations will pay. Simply investing only means to spend money; we must invest wisely and that means doing so with our environment in mind. Under my transit plan, Toronto is given a chance to avoid the pollution that is guaranteed with the addition of surface transit.

Surface transit increases gridlock, gridlock releases unnecessary emissions, and thus the city’s environmental footprint and cost to future generations grows. We need to decide what kind of city Toronto should be. My administration will fight to cut back some of the lengthiest commute times in North America, the environmental impact, and the ever-expanding gridlock we have become accustomed to.

Hybrid Taxis

Hybrid vehicles reduce emissions by over 50%. My administration will reduce the overall size requirements for our taxicabs and create incentives, such as one time reduced licence fees, to have an all-hybrid taxi fleet within five years. With approximately 3000 taxis in Toronto and a one time reduction of $500 on the licence fee this equates to a lost income to the city of approximately of 1.5 million dollars over 5 years. But the overall long-term benefit (less pollution) is well worth this investment.

Hybrid vehicles make more efficient taxis than non-hybrid vehicles. The frequent starting, stopping, and standing of taxis means that the taxi operator will benefit alongside the environment as energy and wear costs go down with a hybrid taxi.

Unlocking Employer Flexibility

Time Shifting. My administration will enlist a key task force leader to oversee the development of a time-shifting option for the larger employers in Toronto. Time shifting processes can include the accelerated development of at-home knowledge workers, time differentials for arriving and departing employees, and the creation of work centres in high-priority neighbourhoods outside the city’s core.

The task force will include senior business leaders, government advisors, HR professionals, and logistics experts. Their mandate will be to reduce gridlock in Toronto by maximizing on organizations’ abilities to alter their time management strategies. In many cases, relatively small changes to organizational behaviour can lead to greatly increased productivity, heightened morale, and reduced environmental impact.

Mixed-Use Zoning. My plan presents an opportunity to increase the productivity of many organizations while reducing pollution and energy consumption that is caused by idling vehicles, unnecessarily heated buildings, and illuminated empty rooms. In order to achieve these efficiencies, we must adjust zoning in Toronto. As mayor, I will investigate areas that should be re-zoned for “mixed use.” Doing so will reduce dependence on the downtown core, which will produce cost effectiveness for many businesses by enabling them to operate smaller regional and home-based offices. Furthermore, mixed-use zones will promote the city’s liveability. Employers and employees can work closer to home, thus decreasing reliance on automotive transportation and increasing the ‘walkability’ of many areas.

Unlocking our Garbage

In the past, the city pledged to divert 70% of waste from landfill. Toronto has made significant progress towards this goal, reaching the 50% level. My plan will continue to raise the level of diversion.

Green Bins for high-rise buildings. The lack of green bin collection in high-rise buildings has stalled progress on this goal. The progress on getting green bin collection into high-rise buildings has stalled with no clear direction or creativity. My administration will work towards having 70% waste diversion and full green bin program in all high-rise buildings by 2014. The Green Lane landfill can be sufficient for Toronto, if, and only if, we are able to reach a 70% waste diversion.

Organic Waste Management. The separation of organic waste is a great initiative. However, we need to ensure that the time and money citizens spend to separate the trash is not a waste in and of itself. I support the organics processing centre at the Dufferin transfer location and will audit every step of the waste management process to ensure that all organic waste goes to our organics processing plant and is not grouped with the non-organic waste.

Waste Management Labour and Policy. There is much discussion over the future of garbage and recycling collection in the city of Toronto. I have long maintained that the current provider, the city of Toronto and its labour force, should have to compete for the privilege of collecting our waste.

As our waste collection process evolves and a competitive bidding environment is introduced, the city can require any future provider to enhance their collection strategies and logistics to emphasize environmental awareness, waste diversion, and emissions reduction while controlling costs.

Plastic Bag Fee. My administration will not rescind the plastic bag fee. I am committed to encouraging businesses to re-invest the revenues from plastic bag sales. In addition, businesses will be encouraged to showcase their environmental and charitable initiatives in an open online forum. This will both increase accountability and allow consumers to make a more informed choice based on their retailer’s environmental stance.

Unlocking Methods of Energy Conservation

My administration will open up energy conservation initiatives to reduce the construction barriers for commercial and residential property owners.

Green Roof/White Roof. The current law in Toronto requires the construction of a green roof on any new development. While not bad as a concept, the bylaw narrows the city’s focus to only one form of green technology. There are many buildings in our city that do not have room for specifically green roofs and they should not be left out.

My administration will encourage green roof and building technology and open up the options to white roofs, solar roofs, indoor and outdoor breathing walls, and other forms of impact-reducing design.

As well we must find ways to enable and reward people in older building, willing to make their buildings more environmentally-friendly, with reduced barriers and costs.

Solar Power and Energy Conservation

My administration will work with Toronto Hydro to create a financing program that enables more rooftop solar systems. Toronto energy consultants have already investigated this approach, and it would require cooperation from the province to put in place. I will pursue this and similar programs with the province, with the goal of applying this approach not only to solar energy but also major energy retrofits.

Unlocking Local Talent

Buy local, produce local, hire local. One way to stimulate our economy and create more jobs is for the city to use its considerable purchasing power to buy locally produced green products when possible. Local purchasing supports environmental goals, reduces energy use, and supports local business.

However, buying local products has to make environmental sense – calculations should be done that evaluate local production versus non-local production. Carrying out these types of calculations is another area where I will involve local citizen groups. The expertise of members of these groups is significant and they can act as partners with City Hall to ensure that this program has a roadmap and framework for success from its inception.

The use of local service suppliers can have an important environmental impact. In addition to saving energy because they don't travel as far, the development of Toronto's service sector provides the opportunity for a more diversified local economy. The solar energy installation and energy retrofit program described above is a good example of supporting new, local green jobs. As a result Toronto businesses can do more business with less travel and less shipping of materials and products.

Unlocking our Green Space

Urban Gardens. According to new Metcalf Foundation reports, “we need to think and act very differently about how we grow, process, distribute and consume our food.”

My administration will improve access to healthy and abundant locally-produced food and work towards a more sustainable food system for Toronto. I will encourage initiatives that get people thinking about local food systems within the municipal bureaucracy, and partner with those in the urban food supply chain.

My administration will collaborate with partners like the Toronto Community Garden Network and other organizations dedicated to urban gardens and local food production.

As mayor, I will also ensure that Toronto primarily and properly plants trees that are native to its ecosystem, such as native oak trees and fruit trees. We must stop planting trees that die every two years and apply long-term thinking to all the work we do. Native trees and shrubs create a more symbiotic ecology, naturalizing our gardens and allowing all corollary aspects of the environment to flourish.

Protecting our Heritage Buildings

My Architectural and Planning policy will limit the destruction of buildings built prior to 1920. My administration will call for renovation and restoration of all city-owned buildings built prior to 1920 wherever possible.

In addition to preserving our heritage buildings – some of them older than the city itself – this protection provides an environmental advantage. If the energy used to construct a new office building is analysed – even an energy-efficient office building – the new building doesn’t start saving energy for about 40 years. And if the new building replaces an older structure that is knocked down and hauled away, the break-even period stretches to over 65 years since demolition and disposal consume significant amounts of energy. In preserving its historical buildings, Toronto can protect its environment and our history at the same time.

The Green Collaborative Network

When it comes to implementing many of the ideas to make Toronto a leading environmental city, the resources and talent available through Toronto environmental groups are considerable. Many of these groups are achieving collectively much more than our municipal government could ever do on its own.

The city already supports these types of non-profit groups by providing meeting rooms free of charge. I would like to see the city support these groups with more resources such as: Programs to help with information gathering and dissemination; greater access to city council; and an open-forum for credible information and research to be presented and discussed.

I will work to encourage and connect the many non-profit environmental organizations with owners of small business in Toronto who would like to improve their environmental performance but do not have the expertise or the time to research how to do so.

As part of unlocking the potential of small business to improve our environment, I will champion the creation of a program to provide small businesses with the resources they need to improve their environmental performance, increasing their savings. I believe this can be done at minimal cost to the city through facilitating the exchange of information between environmental organizations – that specialize in environmental issues – and small business owners.