The City of Toronto, in collaboration with the public and key stakeholders, has developed a Draft Waste Strategy to guide policy decisions to manage Toronto's solid waste over the next 30 to 50 years. Four upcoming public meetings and/or webinars are scheduled to receive public input on the Draft Waste Strategy, its recommended options and implementation plan. This is a “3Rs-First” Strategy, focused on reducing, reusing and recycling/composting waste to promote

Members of the public are invited to attend any of the following sessions to provide feedback. Online registration is requested via http://www.torontowastestrategy.eventbrite.ca. resource conservation and reduced environmental impact.

·    Draft Waste Strategy Overview

Tuesday, March 29, 6 to 8:30 p.m., presentation at 7 p.m. 
St. Paul’s Bloor Street Church, Cody Hall, 227 Bloor St. E. (Bloor/Yonge Station)

·    Reduce, Reuse and Recycle: Waste Diversion in Houses, Apartments, and Condos 

Monday, April 4, 6:30 to 9 p.m., presentation and workshop at 7 p.m. 
Central YMCA, Auditorium, 20 Grosvenor St. (Wellesley Station)

·    Diversion Opportunities: Businesses and Do-It-Yourself Home Renovators

Thursday, April 7, 2 to 3:30 p.m., webinar http://www.toronto.ca/wastestrategy 

·    Waste Recovery and Residual: How to Handle Remaining Materials

Tuesday, April 12, 6:30 to 8:30 p.m., presentation at 7 p.m. 
City Hall, Committee Room 2, 100 Queen St. W.

In-person sessions begin with an open house format where attendees may view information boards and speak to project staff. This will be followed by a presentation, question and answer period and breakout sessions involving small group interactive discussions. Those unable to attend in person may review project information on the Waste Strategy's website and complete an online survey to provide their feedback from March 29 to April 27.

Staff will present a final Waste Strategy to the Public Works and Infrastructure Committee on June 20 and to City Council at its July 2016 meeting.

More information is available at http://www.toronto.ca/wastestrategy. Those who use social media can join the conversation on Twitter via @GetInvolvedTO and the hashtag #TOwastestrategy.

September and October was an exciting time for action on affordable housing in our city. As Toronto's Housing Advocate I have had the opportunity to participate in a variety of different housing related announcements and activities ranging from announcing new public investments and partnerships in Toronto Community Housing to calling on our federal political parties to make affordable housing commitments. I have included a snapshot of some of the activities I took part in during the past two months.

TCH TAF TowerWise Retrofit Announcement

On Tuesday September 22 I had the pleasure in announcing the TowerWise Retrofit Project – a partnership between the Toronto Atmospheric Fund (TAF) and Toronto Community Housing Corporation (TCH). TAF is investing $4.2 million to implement energy efficiency upgrades in seven TCH buildings across Toronto. This project will help create local jobs, improve the environment, reduce carbon emissions, save TCH money, and improve the health and comfort of TCH residents. Supporting this partnership is one example of how the City is working hard to improve the quality of life for TCH residents. With further investment from all levels of government, I sincerely hope that we can make these types of projects a reality in all TCH buildings across Toronto.

Big City Mayors' Caucus Meeting

In late September, Toronto hosted a meeting of the Federation of Canadian Municipalities' Big City Mayors' Caucus to specifically discuss the issue of affordable housing. The Mayors of Toronto, Vancouver, Edmonton, London, Kitchener, and Halifax came together and urged all federal political party leaders to play a leadership role on the issue. Affordable housing is an issue that is directly related to the issue that all federal political leaders have decided to focus on during this election campaign: the economy and jobs. I was honoured to participate in their meeting, tour the YWCA's Elm Centre and kick off the press conference. Hopefully following October 19, our federal government will have a renewed focus and energy on this very important issue. 

TCH ReSet Announcement
On September 25 I had the pleasure of helping to announce the launch of ReSet, an innovative approach to capital repairs being piloted in three TCH communities with nearly 900 households. The ReSet program will bundle multiple capital repair jobs in each community and deliver them as one project, resulting in cost savings, faster repairs and safer communities. I am excited that the ReSet program will engage Toronto Community Housing residents while providing quicker, less disruptive and significant capital repairs to their communities. With new investment from the provincial and federal governments, I am confident that we can make the ReSet program a reality in Toronto Community Housing buildings across Toronto. To find out more about this program please click here.

World Habitat Day

The first Monday in October is World Habitat Day and I had the opportunity to read the Mayoral proclamation on behalf of Mayor Tory.

"World Habitat Day is a time to reflect on the state of our cities and towns, emphasize everyone's right to adequate shelter and to remind the world that we all have the power and a responsibility to shape the future of our cities and towns.

This year's theme, "Public Spaces for All," sheds light on the importance of providing public spaces that enhance community cohesion and promote health, happiness, and the well-being of all citizens.

The City of Toronto's affordable housing and homelessness initiatives are guided by Toronto's Affordable Housing Action Plan, 2010–2020. It is a plan that helps to affirm the City's commitment to continue working with its partners to address housing needs.

This year, with the assistance of the federal and provincial governments and private and non-profit groups, the City of Toronto is opening 217 affordable rental and ownership homes, while assisting more than 2,500 residents with home repairs."

Lawrence Heights Announcement
Earlier this week, I joined my colleagues Mayor John Tory and Councillor Josh Colle in announcing that phase one of the Lawrence Heights Revitalization project will be getting underway. Prior to the announcement I had the pleasure of meeting with some local residents to discuss life in Lawrence Heights, the revitalization, and their future hopes and dreams. I strongly believe that everyone in our city deserves a secure home where they can build their dreams and enjoy a better life and this partnership will help deliver real results for residents in the vibrant Lawrence Heights community with new, clean, safe, and affordable homes. I am particularly excited by the creation of local employment opportunities and scholarships for residents in Lawrence Heights as part of the revitalization. To find out more about the project please read this backgrounder. 

On Tuesday September 22 I had the pleasure in announcing the TowerWise Retrofit Project – a partnership between the Toronto Atmospheric Fund (TAF) and Toronto Community Housing Corporation (TCH). TAF is investing $4.2 million to implement energy efficiency upgrades in seven TCH buildings across Toronto. This project will help create local jobs, improve the environment, reduce carbon emissions, save TCH money, and improve the health and comfort of TCH residents.

The wide range of upgrades in the selected TCH buildings will include the installation of low-flow faucets and toilets, high efficiency boilers, double-glazed windows, and LED lighting. This project is also expected to trim utility costs by 20% and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 30%. Data and results from the TowerWise Retrofit Project will be will be used to help inform the energy efficiency efforts of TCH, Toronto Hydro, the City, and other municipalities.

Supporting this partnership is one example of how the City is working hard to improve the quality of life for TCH residents. With further investment from all levels of government, I sincerely hope that we can make these types of projects a reality in all TCH buildings across Toronto.

The City is undertaking an important initiative to combat climate change and the public is invited to participate.

A series of events called TalkTransformation! will be held throughout the upcoming Fall and Winter months. The events will feature innovative, knowledgeable speakers from a diverse range of fields to discuss climate change and carbon reduction in Toronto.

The first event will focus on Toronto's climate change resiliency and adaptation strategies, and has been scheduled for September 24, 2015, 7:00 – 8:30PM, at Innis Town Hall, University of Toronto, 2 Sussex Avenue, Toronto.

The City is also seeking the public's input on what questions and topics the experts should discuss at these events. Here is a link to this online workbook: https://cityoftoronto.fluidsurveys.com/s/TransformTO/

You can learn more about TransformTO: Climate Action for a Healthy, Equitable, and Prosperous Toronto at: http://toronto.ca/transformto

Thank you to everyone who shared their ideas on the City's Long Term Waste Management Strategy at the Public Consultation Sessions in June 2014, throughout the Summer, Fall, and at Community Events, and also by completing the first survey.

To find out what we heard from you and learn about more opportunities to participate as the Strategy develops, please read Project Update #2

I am happy to announce the installation of 16 solar panels on the roof of the City of Toronto EMS station (EMS 33) at 760 Dovercourt Road in Ward 18. For some time now, I have been working with the City of Toronto's Renewable Energy Office on efforts to place solar pv systems on City-owned buildings in Ward 18 and this is the first of several possible installations. 

The installation at EMS 33 is part of the City of Toronto and Ontario Power Authority's MicroFIT Solar PV program. This program allows institutions or individual homeowners to be paid for producing power and contributing to the development of renewable energy in Ontario. The micoFIT Program is for projects that will have an electricity generating capacity of 10 kilowatts (kW) or less. The FIT (Feed In Tarrif) program  is available for larger project and we are also pursuing opportunities under FIT.

Total system size is 3.8 kW. The system is connected to the Toronto Hydro electrical grid. The installation utilizes Jinko 300W solar panels, which are manufactured in Vaughan. The SolarEdge inverter, with power optimizers per module, is manufactured in Newmarket. In total, 68% of the system components were manufactured in Ontario. The modules are pre-assembled into arrays off-site, delivered on trailers and craned onto the roof. This minimizes the array installation procedure to less than one day.

The City will receive annual revenues for 20 years from the sale of electricity generated by the system, through Ontario's Micro Feed-in Tariff program. The capital cost of the panels and installation will be paid back over 9 years by outputting an estimated 5.5 MWh of power, which will generate $2,979 in annual revenue. Perhaps the most important statistic that comes as a result of this installation is that over the 20 years (at minimum) that this system will be operational, it will reduce carbon dioxide emission by 12 tonnes!

As a City it is important to do everything we can to move toward more environmentally sustainable operations. This project represents a small, but important step in the right direction and I am very pleased that we were able to move this project forward. In the coming months, we will learn whether a much bigger Ward 18 solar project will be moving forward. I have been working with the City of Toronto's Renewable Energy Office on a FIT program application that, if accepted, would see the installation of solar panels on the roof of McCormick Arena and Community Centre. We expect to hear back in June and I will be sure to keep the community informed on the outcome of that application.

In addition to bringing more sustainable energy sources to City-owned buildings in Ward 18, I encourage residents to take advantage of City and Provincial Programs to make their own homes more sustainable. The MicroFIT Solar PV program is also available to individual home owners City-wide and right now the Home Energy Loan Program (HELP) is being piloted in the Junction Triangle neighbourhood (M6P postal codes). If you have any questions or would like assistance with regard to these programs, please contact my office.

The summer season is just around the corner and many Toronto homeowners and businesses are looking for ways to reduce their energy bills and contribute to a greener environment.

Installing an eco-roof is a project with big payoffs, and the City of Toronto offers incentives to install eco-roofs through the Eco-Roof Incentive Program. Through the program, eligible residential, industrial, commercial and institutional buildings in Toronto can apply for funding to help cover the costs of a new green or cool roof.

What is the difference between a green roof and a cool roof?

A green roof is a roof surface that supports the growth of vegetation over a substantial portion of its area for the purpose of water and energy conservation.  A cool roof is a roofing system with an exterior surface with high “solar reflectivity” and “thermal emissivity” that reflects the sun’s rays and reduces heat build-up from the sun’s thermal energy.

• Eligible green roof projects will receive $75 per square metre up to a maximum of $100,000.
• Eligible cool roof projects will receive $2-5 per square metre up to a maximum of $50,000. (Cool roofs with a coating applied over an existing roof are eligible for $2 per square metre; cool roofs with new membranes are eligible for a $5 per square metre.)

Visit the Eco-Roof Incentive Program website for all of the program details.

Why install an eco-roof?

• Extend the life of your roof
• Increase the energy efficiency for your home or business
• Lower heating and cooling costs = lower energy bills
• Improve air quality
• Cool the air and reduce urban heat in the summer
• Reduce noise
• Reduce storm water runoff

At the recent meeting of the Executive committee, the proposal to expand the Toronto Island Airport was discussed.

While this proposal offers potential benefits to downtown businesses, tourists, and travellers, City Staff made strong recommendations to Executive Committee this week that advised more time was needed to weigh the potential benefits and negative impacts. These concerns echo those expressed by Ward 18 residents who have contacted me in recent months, including impacts to our City's waterfront, development, ecology, downtown traffic, boating zones, modified flight paths and noise.

I also recognize that significant public funding and resources have been allocated to the GO Transit Air-Rail Link which is in the final stages of construction. The cost of this new service was justified specifically by the projected demand of people travelling from Union Station to Pearson Airport and it remains unclear how this service will be impacted with an expansion at the Toronto Island Airport. This uncertainty becomes even more significant as I work hard to advocate for additional investment in the Georgetown line to ensure it is electrified and serves local residents.

The convenience of an expanded downtown airport may be clear; however, the impact of the expansion and new engine-type is far from, demonstrating itself to be highly complex. From environmental assessments to Transportation Canada approvals to the original tri-partite agreement, I thoroughly support City Staff's advice that there is insufficient information to responsible pursue the expansion proposal at this time.

The Executive Committee voted 11-1 in favour of staff recommendations to further study the impacts of the expansion proposal and this item will be brought forward for discussion at full Council on April 1^st. I will continue to seek out evidence and consult City Staff on the remaining unanswered questions. I also invite you to contact me at anytime on this or any other issue.