Month: November 2019

Dear Ward 24 Residents,

I am providing the following update I have received from City of Toronto Transportation staff in advance of the expected snowfall we will be receiving tomorrow.

For the forecast snow event of December 1, here is an update on Transportation Services’ winter operations plans as of November 30 at 3pm.

***Note: These plans are estimates only and subject to changing conditions such as timing of the event and the amount of precipitation.***

Weather: Dry and chilly through Saturday night but a winter storm is going to bring a mixture of freezing rain, ice pellets and snow. The uncertainty is in how much of it will fall as sleet/ice pellets and snow in the morning. Generally speaking, the farther west of the GTA, the more mixing initially and could hinder the snowfall totals a bit. Areas to the east should be mostly snow and snow amounts should be higher. All models have the freezing rain/sleet line through Oakville, Milton or farther west in the morning so it’s quite unlikely Toronto will see freezing rain with this. Likely beginning around 7 or 8 am, high confidence that weather will be poor from 9 am through 4 pm with snowfall rates of 1 to 2 cm/hour ( If falling as Ice pellets would make that less than 0.5 cm per hour). The risk for ice pellets abates by 11:30 am and only snow is expected into the afternoon. Confidence in the forecast in the evening and early overnight is LOW. Models diverge and there is no consensus if drier air moves in or if lighter snow of 1 cm / 2 or 3 hours could persist. Snow amounts could be as low as 6 or 7 cm west of the GTA but up to 13 or 14 cm isn’t out of the question to the east.

Environment Canada has issued a Special Weather Statement https://weather.gc.ca/warnings/report_e.html?on61#2048073611717005266201911290503ws1171cwto

Given the forecast accumulation, it is likely that multiple rounds of salting and/or plowing will be required on expressways, arterial and collector roads. Local roads will also be plowed when snowfall has reached 8cm and has substantially stopped. High & low pedestrian volume sidewalks, as well as separated bike lanes, may also be cleared/salted multiple times. There is currently low confidence in the forecast as to the amount of freezing rain and/or snow that we may receive so our equipment activation times listed below may be revised.

Patrol:
– Transportation maintains a 24/7 patrol to constantly monitor road and sidewalk conditions.

Roadway Salting:
– Salt brine has been applied to bridges and steep hills on Friday evening
– Transportation has approximately 200 salt trucks on standby that can be on the road within one hour of notification.
– Salting operations will commence at approx. 6am – 7am Sunday
– Multiple rounds of salt will be required. Salting will continue through the morning/afternoon until plowing thresholds are met.

Roadway Plowing
– Plowing operations on expressways will commence at 2cm of accumulation
– Plowing operations on arterial and collector roads will commence at 5cm of accumulation – approximately 12pm Sunday
– Plowing operations on local roads will commence when accumulations have reached 8cm and are substantially complete – approximately 6pm Sunday.

Trails & Separated Bike Lanes
– Salting & plowing of the Martin Goodman Trail & Humber Bay Waterfront Trail will commence at approx. 6am – 7am Sunday
– Salting & plowing of the separated bike lanes will commence at approx. 6am – 7am Sunday
– Multiple rounds of plowing & salting on trails and bike lanes will be required

Sidewalks & Bus Stops
– Mechanical sidewalk clearing on high pedestrian volume sidewalks will commence approx midday Sunday
– Multiple rounds of sidewalk salting & plowing may be required.

Snow Event Update # 2 will be distributed at approximately 9am Sunday

For up to the minute updates please follow Transportation Services on Twitter at @TO_WinterOps and on our newly re-launched real-time public GPS site at www.toronto.ca/plowto

I will provide more updates as I receive them.

Please remember to check on any elderly or physically challenged neighbours.

All my Best,

Paul

Dear Scarborough-Guildwood Residents

In the spring of 2016, City Council supported my motion on Data regarding deaths in Toronto’s Homeless Community. This motion recommended the following:

• That appropriate staff collect all relevant data related to deaths within and outside of the City’s homeless shelters;
• That this data be shared publicly to City divisions, agencies and Provincial ministries; and
• To introduce and gain support of a provincial mandate to track all homeless deaths for further policy and legislation purposes

More information on this item can be found here.

At the November 14^th Executive Committee meeting, recommendations for City Council to adopt a 2019-2022 Poverty Reduction Strategy Term Action Plan was approved, to be considered at the November 26^th City Council meeting. This item is in part to follow the adoption of a 20-year (2015-2035) Toronto Poverty Reduction Strategy which was approved by City Council in November 2015.

The 2019-2022 Term Action Plan recommends to include a series of actions and activities aligned with the strategy’s original recommendations which focus on housing stability, service access, transportation equity, food access, quality jobs and livable incomes, and systematic change. More information on this item can be found here.

Moreover, the Executive Committee supported my motions requesting appropriate staff to create Open Data datasets on the following areas:

• Tracking information on homeless deaths, including medical cause of death, date, gender, Indigenous status and location of death;
• Information in individuals and families placed in time limited emergency housing during crisis or illness; and
• Outlines on unsheltered street homeless to general population ratio for Toronto and other major Canadian cities, after each Street Needs Assessment.

The absence of data on the number of homeless individuals that pass outside the boundaries of the City’s shelter systems provide a false account of the true circumstances facing those who live on the streets of Toronto.

People in the City and in Canada should not be dying on our streets. If they do, we should understand why, so that it never happens again. Every person counts. Every person has a right to live with dignity, and unfortunately, if they pass away, to pass with dignity as well.

All my Best,

Paul W. Ainslie

Dear Scarborough-Guildwood Residents

In April 2016, I brought forward a motion to the, then, Economic Development Committee requesting appropriate staff to explore the creation of a Night Mayor Ambassador Program for the City of Toronto. Participating cities across Europe have embraced the installation of such program and have found ties between the program and a growth in economic and civic importance of cultural life in urban areas. Details on this motion can be found here.

In July 2019, I put forward additional recommendations to City Council and supported the staff recommendation requesting the Mayor to designate a Member of Council as Toronto’s Night Ambassador. This ambassador would serve as a voice for Toronto’s entertainment related and nighttime economy activities. Details on this motion can be found here.

This week Mayor John Tory announced the appointment of Deputy Mayor Michael Thomson as the City’s Night Economy Ambassador.

I am really pleased the Economic and Community Development Committee with the support of Mayor Tory has moved my overall concept forward to fruition.  I am anticipating that Toronto’s night life will thrive with this collaboration.

The term night time economy describes the social, cultural, and economic activities that take place between 6pm and 6am within the city. The City of Toronto is always striving to boost its entertainment economy through tourism through its vibrant nightlife.

Currently the City’s nightlife sector employs tens of thousands of people. Implementing a system to help positively cultivate it will benefit the entire city including our many unique communities that make up Toronto.

The Night Mayor Ambassador role began in Amsterdam, with the concept growing to include Paris, London, the Netherlands and several cities in Belgium.

All my Best

Paul W. Ainslie