MAYOR'S UPDATE: Small Business Tax Relief, Inclusionary Zoning and more

We remain focused on reaching our 90% target. It’s been proven time and time again: when vaccines are easily accessible and conveniently located, people get vaccinated. Our?#VaxInTheSix campaign alone helped us vaccinate nearly 900 residents across six TTC subways stations last weekend.

Setting up COVID-19 vaccine clinics where people live, work and play works. As we close in on our 90% goal and hope to reach the remaining residents who are unvaccinated, this strategy is all the more important.?

This weekend, we’re building on that momentum with our?Vax and Treat campaign. Team Toronto is setting up dozens of vaccine clinics - at malls, community centres, hospitals and libraries - in neighbourhoods with low vaccination uptake for walk-in appointments. This serves as another example of our continued collaborative efforts to reach residents in every corner of the city - removing any remaining barriers to vaccination.

This morning, I visited the Scarborough Centre of Healthy Communities to meet the staff at the Hub Community Vaccination Clinic.?

I’m so thankful for the work people are doing across the city in these clinics and I am also thankful that residents?- even this morning - are continuing to walk in to get their first or second dose?of the vaccine.

I was proud to announce this morning that Team Toronto?will be sending out surveys to all parents of 5 to 11 year-olds in public schools today?– an invitation will also be going to independent school parents.

We want to hear from parents so we make sure we design a vaccination program that works for kids and their families. This is just one more example of the outreach we are doing to prepare for this effort.

Starting this week, Toronto Public Health is also hosting more than 15 outreach and educational town halls and webinars for parents, newcomers, partners in the child and?family services sectors, community agencies and community ambassadors in preparation for the 5-11 year old vaccination campaign.

This work is so important and will help us get kids vaccinated so they have the best protection against COVID-19 and so our schools can be as safe?as possible and stay open.

We’re continuing to work with school boards and the provincial government to help schools during COVID-19. Toronto Public Health is?ensuring PCR tests are available in every school so positive cases can be more easily identified before COVID-19 can spread?and cause additional exposure to families or other students.

The first program of its kind in Ontario, this originally ran as a successful partnership and pilot among SickKids, Michael Garron Hospital and Women’s College Hospital, and now we're able to expand the PCR testing availability and distribution to the whole city. By ensuring that tests are available in all 800 public schools, we can better protect staff, students and their families from COVID-19 and keep our schools open.

On Wednesday, I chaired the City’s Executive Committee and was proud to approve two priority items:?a 15% property tax reduction for small businesses?and?a plan to make CaféTO permanent as well as waiving permit fees for the program again in 2022. Both reports will go to City Council for final approval at our next meeting in November.

With the approval of both of these programs, we’re sending a message loud and clear that small businesses in Toronto will be supported. We know the last year and half has been extremely tough for all businesses. These new changes will bring about much-needed relief for small businesses across our city.?

I look forward to updating you further on the progress and rollout of these programs in the weeks and months to come.

On Thursday, the Planning and Housing Committee met to consider key items to create more affordable housing in Toronto. I joined the committee?to approve the City’s plan for Inclusionary Zoning. Toronto will be the first city in Ontario to implement this tool which will require that new developments in the city include affordable housing.

If approved by City Council next month, beginning in 2022 this will secure 5% to 10% of condominium developments as affordable housing, increasing to 8% to 22% by 2030. All affordable units would be protected and stay affordable for at least 99 years. This represents a much-needed shift in how the City treats new developments and it will ensure affordable housing is incorporated in new developments on a consistent basis rather than being negotiated on a site-by-site basis.

Inclusionary Zoning is already used in more than 800 jurisdictions in the U.S., Australia and Canada. While no two cities have the same Inclusionary Zoning policy, each one is tailored to the municipality's local housing market and needs. Toronto's proposed policy was developed based on detailed financial impact analysis, including a peer review, and input received through extensive consultation. This will get more affordable housing built in our city and the one-year review of the policy the committee supported will ensure we strike the right balance.?

I will be sure to bring you further developments on this front soon.

On Wednesday, I?attended the launch of the ArtworxTO Hub at Union Station. One of six hubs that will bring art to people in all corners of the city, and in doing so, supporting diverse local artists.

Union Station sees thousands of people pass through daily - with more and more every day as we reopen the city - and it serves as the perfect canvas for artists to share their work.?

Likewise, we’re bringing ArtworxTO installations to our busiest main streets. Last weekend, I also attended the unveiling of “Untitled" by Jorian Charlton on Bay Street.?

We see the value in bringing this to our city. That’s why we are investing $10 million over three years, towards ArtworxTO which will not only support artists and makes art accessible, but will advance both our city's economic and cultural recovery as well. This money will allow us to support more than 1,500 artists creating more than 350 new murals, installations, exhibitions, art events, performances and productions all across our city.