News & Updates

 Special Council Session on Labour Agreement - Feb 15

 

The collective bargaining agreement reached between the City and Toronto Civic Employees’ Union Local 416 (CUPE), representing 6,000 outdoor workers and paramedics, has been ratified. Union members voted to ratify the agreement on Monday, February 13 and today, City Council approved the agreement at a special Council meeting.

 

Highlights of the agreement include:

·         Wage increases in the second, third and fourth year of the four-year deal:

o   January 2013 - 0.5 per cent base increase + 1.5 per cent lump sum payment

o   January 2014 - 1.75 per cent base increase

o   January 2015 – 2.25 per cent base increase

·         New or revised shift schedules that meet operational needs to improve productivity no longer require union approval

·         Running lunch continues only where it is operationally efficient

·         Employment security protection provisions regarding contracting out now applies to employees with 15 years of seniority or more

·         New streamlined redeployment processes which will reduce the time to place an employee in a new position by 75 per cent

·         Streamlined bumping process for layoff and recall

·         Minor changes to the employee benefit plan

·         Interest arbitration for paramedics starting with the next round of collective bargaining.

 

Details of the agreement are available at http://app.toronto.ca/tmmis/viewAgendaItemHistory.do?item=2012.CC18.1

 

Special Council Session on Transit - February 9, 2012

Councillor McMahon was one of the 24 signatories on Councillor Stintz's petition to have a special council session devoted to transit issues.  She is strongly in favour of revisiting the current transit plan that prioritizes subways. She would like to see our transit dollars spent in such a way that they benefit the greatest number of Torontonians and gets the city moving faster, sooner while relieving congestion in both the core and suburbs. Please follow events in the media and on our website for further updates.

 

Motion to Remove Toronto from jurisdiction of OMB

Monday Feb 6, 2012

Today in council chambers Councillor McMahon spoke in favour of the motion to petition the Province of Ontario to remove the city of Toronto from the jurisdiction of the Ontario Municipal Board that passed with a majority vote. Councillor McMahon pointed out that residents are very concerned about the evolution and development of their neighbourhoods and "most of all they want input and consultation, the chance to be heard"

She noted that the long term environmental and social costs of sprawl are well documented and that developers, for the most part, just want to build the homes and shops to house our growing population. Everyone will benefit from greater clarity and local accountability.

Councillor McMahon stated that "none of this can happen however with an OMB hovering over us and overriding our decisions and second guessing our residents, our planners, and our municipal process."

Councillor McMahon went on to say that there was a time when the OMB was much needed here in Toronto, but that time is past  "At this point, tthe OMB is ultimately a destabilizing force, creates distrust and instability," she said. "No one feels they can trust anyone or any plan because they fear that a six storey buildings opens the way for eight storeys, ten storeys, and so on. Good design for the common good is getting lost in the fray."

In closing Councillor McMahon stated that everyone benefits from greater clarity and consultation in planning, developers, residents, planners and businesses. "It's time we made our own decisions about planning our own city and neighbourhoods."

 

Mary-Margaret bundled up and blazing the trail at the Coldest Day of the Year Ride, organized by the Bike Union.

photo: Andrew Louis

 Queen Street East Visioning Study Announced

On January 10, 2012 Councillor McMahon got the green light from Toronto East York Community Council to conduct a study and review of Queen Street east planning and design guidelines. The visioning study, tentatively set for the summer/fall of 2012, will convene a neighbourhood wide conversation about the past, present and future of planning, development and community consultation.

"There's been lots of development activity, resident engagement and frankly confusion at every level about what kind of developments and designs are appropriate for the neighbourhood," says Councillor McMahon. This was happening before I got to city hall and it's not going to stop until we sit down, talk, and make some decisions together. Everyone needs greater clarity."

The fact that the Ontario Municipal Board (OMB) can overrule local planning decisions contributes to an overall sense of instability and distrust.  "No one feels they can trust anyone or any plan because they fear that a six storey buildings opens the way for eight storeys, ten storeys, and so on. It's no way to plan a neighbourhood" says Councillor McMahon.

The Queen St East visioning study will cover a wide area, from Coxwell Ave. to Neville Park, focussing on getting input from as wide a range of stakeholders as possible - residents, the BIA, planners, designers, developers, advisory panels, architects, business owners, renters and local organizations. "Everyone who cares about the neighbourhood can be at the table and have their say," she emphasizes.

Councillor McMahon proposed the study as a way for the community to have a plan in place ahead of proposed developments. "Most people I speak with are not opposed to development at all, they just want a clear plan and sensible height limits." The visioning study will also provide an opportunity for residents and stakeholders to explore their ideas about what 'positive' development would look like, what the benefits might be, and even start building a 'wish list' of amenities and improvements the community wants.

"I'm impressed by the skating path they have out in South Etobicoke (Ward 6) and want to know if others are intrigued about having something like that by the lake. On a smaller scale, we need better signage on the Martin Goodman trail that seperates cyclists, skaters and walkers. And lots of residents feel the beach and boardwalk needs more tending and clean-ups. We need to figure out a vision for the Queen East neighbourhood that brings us together, and not one that  pits us against each other."

 “Developers, like the community, also want clarity," says Councillor McMahon. "They don't actually want to head to the OMB for expensive legal battles, they just want to build things. But when confusion reigns, the OMB is almost inevitable. This vision study and community consultation is a welcome development for all."

Discussions around parameters for the vision study will get underway in February, with many details to be worked out between now and the tentative summer/fall schedule. Please send us an email to councillor_mcmahon@toronto.ca if you'd like to be on the dedicated email list for regular updates about the vision study. There will be extra communiqués in the coming months for anyone interested in following the process and being part of the study. Hope to hear from you soon.

 

Queen Street East Segment Study Walk

Saturday Feb 25, 10:00 am to 11:30 am

Meet at corner of Herbert Avenue and Queen East, by the fire station.

Councillor McMahon invites all interested local residents to join her on an interactive walk of Queen Street East that aims to get people talking and thinking about planning and development in the neighbourhood. The walk will centre on an active strip of Queen East that was recently the subject of a 'segment study' undertaken by an independent planning firm Hunter Armstrong. The objective of the study and this walk is to identify and discuss the sorts of development opportunities that may exist on Queen East from Woodbine to Lee Avenues.

This segment study was requested by Councillor McMahon in order to better understand the development pressures, planning challenges and local opportunities that are present. The walk is a chance to discuss the findings of the study and engage local residents in local planning. It is part of an ongoing series of events put on by Councillor McMahon to activate and engage local residents in planning consultations and feeds into the larger Queen Street East Visioning Study that will be happening this coming summer and fall, 2012.

We invite all local residents, business owners and stakeholders to join us in this lively and informative walk and talk. To reserve a spot drop us a line at councillor_mcmahon@toronto.ca or call the office: 416-392-1376.

Letter from Councillor McMahon, January 19 2012

Fabulous News, Ward 32 Neighbours!

It was a whirlwind at council but the 2012 budget finally passed! I am proud to say that we're on our way to fiscal responsibility while saving the programs and services that matter most to Torontonians.  The vote was very close, 23-21, but in the end, we put back 0.2 per cent of the operating budget and ensured that you got the city you've been asking for in thousands of emails, phone calls, letters and meetings.

This is a budget that is the result of you raising your voice when it mattered most. Ward 32 residents were unstoppable - cranking out the creative ideas, passion and support around the clock. We even had one resident, a strong swimming advocate, sit through hours of Executive Committee in a wet suit!

The motion that carried the day, moved by Councillor Josh Colle, took weeks for us to put together. My colleagues in the 'mighty middle' were running from meeting to meeting, madly crunching numbers, drafting motions, asking questions of city staff. It was organized chaos, with staff working long hours and constituents providing a steady stream of ideas and inspiration. In the end, a coalition that spanned the political spectrum agreed to protect childcare, transit, pools and ice rinks, environmental programs and shelters.

·         $5 million to the TTC to help prevent service cuts

·         $3.9 million to prevent proposed cuts to libraries

·         $2.8 million to restore funding to the Community Partnerships Investment Program  which support seniors, newcomers and youth

·         $1.97 million to restore funding for three shelters

·         $1.68 million for the school-based childcare rent subsidy

·         $1.3 million to restore youth programs at Priority Centres

·         $680,000 for pools

·         $670,000 to restore child care centre programming

·         $323,000 for climate change and sustainability programs

·         $325,000 for Live Green animators

·         $260,000 for ice rink programming

This team effort of working across political stripes will hopefully carry over into other City Council affairs. Municipal politics seem to work best when we focus tightly on figuring out what is best for the city, suggesting constructive alternatives, thinking of revenue generation as well as prudent approaches to operations.  We have some major challenges ahead to keep our great city running, but at least for today, we have show that we can work together and build a better city.

Go Ward 32 Go!  -  Mary-Margaret

 

Councillor McMahon and Councillor Colle

Ashbridges TTD Yard January 2012 Update

The TTC has issued a new update (January 2012) about the progress of construction and streetscaping plans for the Ashbridges yard, landscaping plans and Leslie Street track-laying and streetscaping. Download the PDF here Ashbridges_Bay_Community_Update-_January_2012.pdf or visit the dedicated website for more information.

 http://www.toronto.ca/involved/projects/lrv/index.htm

 

Community Planning with Paul Bedford, Chief Planner Emeritus

Councillor McMahon hosted a lively and fascinating evening of conversation on November 28 at Malvern Collegiate with Toronto Planner Emeritus Paul Bedford and residents of ward 32 interested in planning and development matters.  About 45 locals joined the conversation, many commenting that they felt left out of the planning process, were bewildered by it, but still spent considerable amount of time trying to engage with it. Paul Bedford encouraged their continued engagement saying that it is the local resident who knows best what is needed in the neighbourhood, but also cautioned people that neighbourhoods are inevitably evolving and growing.

Councillor McMahon noted people's concerns and said that she would continue to host more of these community conversations and host a guided walk along Queen Street East in January to discuss a recently released avenue segment study. She also was happy that people seemed enthusiastic and interest in workshopping community planning ideas and approaches in a visioning or charette process in the spring/summer of 2012.

Joanna Lavoie of the Beach-Riverdale Mirror was there to cover the event, read about it here:

These community conversations about planning are not meant to replace, rather augment the regular community planning consultations which will continue to occur as development proposals are received and processed by the Planning Department.

Paul Bedford is an Adjunct Professor of City Planning at the University of Toronto and Ryerson University and a member of the Waterfront Toronto Urban Design Review Panel. He is also a member of the CAMH Property Committee guiding the long-term redevelopment of the Queen Street Mental Health and Addiction Facility. Mr. Bedford was the former Chief City Planner for the City of Toronto and is a passionate advocate of transit and city building throughout the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area.