Obstacle

Opportunity

Future Directions

Lack of knowledge about the planning process, which is complicated and legalistic

• Simplify rules (City and Provincial)

• Post information about the process on web site (PPT has this already), develop other community portals

• Learn to speak the language and understand the rules

• Public web site with planning resource materials; increase use of web tools such as blogs.

• Expand and strengthen umbrella groups, eg. FoNTRA, PPT

Residents are always in reactive mode, and not being clear what needs to be done, often feel powerless

• Be proactive, get engaged in initiatives, get in at the beginning with pre-emptive strikes.

• Recognise that developers have legitimate objectives and that an adversarial approach is not effective, and that a trusting relationship can deliver results

• Improve communications between residents groups to learn from the experiences of others and not reinvent the wheel, e.g. use web sites/ portals etc. as above; umbrella groups (e.g. FoNTRA) and contacts; hold planning forums

• City to develop secondary plans so that residents can get ideas and issues resolved as part of process; city to provide earlier notice of development applications

• Develop and prioritise goals and focus on these

• Have a co-operative attitude and recognise that compromises are often needed (but not on key priorities and values such as heritage)

• Look for innovative options including partnerships, working committees, recognising the important key players and work with them

• Use expertise in our organizations, such as architects and planners

• Advocate for and get involved in the development of Avenue studies or secondary plans that future development applications should fit into

• Instigate grass roots community planning processes like Councillor Vaughan’s report card and East Scarborough Storefront

• Organizations like FoNTRA act as information broker and connector

• Resident groups work with and support umbrella groups like FoNTRA, CORRA and PPT

• Hold annual events like the Planning Forums

Lack of financial resources compared to developers

• Be open to innovative funding sources/ push for funding from others

• Look for options that are free – make time commitment on working committees, be prepared for a long term volunteer commitment, developing trust, recognizing credible consultants and developers, develop tools like memoranda of understanding etc.

• Be strategic as to achieving priorities

• Get support from councillor

• Recognise when you can’t win and pursue other options or give up and spend time on achievable projects

• Increase resident association fees in order to provide more services/more advocacy on a collective basis (reflect current costs of doing business)

• Investigate alternative funding sources, e.g. foundations

Quality and integrity of planning consulting studies/information: question of bias when developers pay for and submit studies

• Have consultant studies done by the City but paid for by developers

• Support models like Councillor Vaughan’s mapping of communities using local expertise and students

• Push for improvements to planning processes

Councillor and council are too powerful in the process – partly the result of amalgamation

• Build up local support separate from the councillor (eg .by working with the media) (but don’t neglect to consult with councillor)

• Stop having the ward councillor as the decision-maker on development applications

• Advocate for reforms to planning process

Lack of support from City Staff, who are under-resourced

• Push for changes

• Make use of residents who have the necessary knowledge

Not heard at City Hall

• Push for changes

• Make use of opportunities such as the current need for the new Chief Planner, who has identified a problem with residents getting heard, and is to review planning processes

• Coordinate meetings with senior city staff

• Continue to update councillors on issues

OMB

• fear of going to OMB

• costs of going to OMB

• fear of being levied developers costs by OMB

• Push for changes to OMB or get rid of it

• Remove the adversarial approach

• Lobby for a City appeal body for Committee of Adjustment as permitted by the City of Toronto Act

• SLAAP legislation

• Push for real reform of OMB Act;

• Push for SLAAP legislation

Lack of support for community/residents in Provincial planning legislation (recent Planning Act amendments may be insufficient to help much)

• Push for changes to legislation

• Work with other organizations across the province

• Continue to lobby for reforms to the Planning Act

• Hold events like the Planning Forum

Residents associations do not reflect full diversity of Toronto

• Develop a more diverse membership

• Partner with tenants groups

• Work with other organizations (eg Maytree Foundation) to develop strategy to encourage involvement of other residents;

• Partner with tenants groups

Lack of citizens’ involvement in city governance (beyond planning)

• Increase citizen involvement in ABCs eg TTC, Toronto Police Services

• Support events like Jane’s walks and Open Doors as “simple tools to envisage a collective future”

• Review role and composition of ABCs