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Invest Toronto & Build Toronto

FutureMayor

FutureMayor

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http://www.toronto.ca/legdocs/mmis/2008/ex/bgrd/backgroundfile-15926.pdf

New city agencies urged to boost Toronto: Invest Toronto & Build Toronto

John Spears
City Hall Bureau

Toronto should sharply curtail the activities of its current economic development agency and replace it with two new ones — each with a more targeted focus and a majority of directors from outside the city bureaucracy — says a city report released today.

The report proposes eliminating most of the current functions of the Toronto Economic Development Co. (Tedco) while creating two new agencies: Invest Toronto and Build Toronto.

Build Toronto will be asked to develop under-used lands owned by the city and its agencies, attracting new industries and helping to regenerate neighbourhoods. The mayor would chair Build Toronto for the first two years, according to a staff report.

Build Toronto will have broad powers — including authority to buy and sell property, arrange financing and do joint ventures with private or public sector bodies.

"The private sector should play an important role in the work of Build Toronto," says a consultant's report that was used to prepare the city's plan.

"At the outset it is anticipated there would be significant private sector participation in projects through joint ventures," says the report, written by The Randolph Group.

The new plan echoes sentiments expressed by a panel of private sector members early this year that said the city has many under-used properties that could be profitably developed.

Invest Toronto will market and promote the city as a place to invest through advertising, trade missions, providing information to investors and referring them to Build Toronto.

The new structure will mean that the mayor's office will play a bigger role in economic development, according to the Randolph Group report.

Some of that has already happened.

Mayor David Miller recently hired Nick Lewis as his new senior advisor for economic development. The advisor's job is to be a linchpin connecting the mayor's office, the civil service and the business community, says the report by The Randolph Group

http://www.thestar.com/News/GTA/article/508264

Louroz
 
Take a look at the "comments" section on the Star website. It seems universal worry about creating two new agencies when one was enough.
 
Seems like a sound idea to me....and Miller is slowly working that strong mayor system in....
 
from the Globe:

Toronto mayor unveils new development plan

Proposal calls for creation of two agencies aimed at attracting business to surplus land, luring foreign investors
JEFF GRAY AND JENNIFER LEWINGTON

From Tuesday's Globe and Mail

September 30, 2008 at 4:17 AM EDT

Long-neglected pieces of the city's mammoth $18-billion real-estate portfolio, including choice spots such as the land above or near subway stations, could finally be sold off or redeveloped by a new city corporation proposed yesterday by Mayor David Miller.

The new body, to be called Build Toronto, would aim to attract business to surplus lands and rehabilitate neighbourhoods and polluted areas. It would be paired with a second corporation called Invest Toronto, set up to promote the city to foreign investors. Both would be chaired by the mayor for their first two years, if city council approves the plan.

"The basic principle underlying our approach today ... is, first of all, let government do what it does best, and let business do what it does best," Mr. Miller told reporters.

But the mayor's critics were quick to call the move, which would wind down the existing arm's-length Toronto Economic Development Corp., a power grab. "Once again, it's just Mayor Miller, who's the chair of everything, just basically ramming all this stuff through," said Councillor Karen Stintz (Ward 16, Eglinton-Lawrence), who added that she still supported the plan's "direction."

The proposal follows a blue-ribbon panel on the city's finances that recommended centralizing control over real-estate assets so they could be better exploited or sold off, estimating the city could make an extra $150-million a year.

The mayor's plan, welcomed by Toronto business leaders, came on a day or turmoil on financial markets, and as Toronto's real-estate market cools. The move also comes as the city struggles to hire a new general manager for its economic development department. The mayor's plan calls for $10-million to set up the two new corporations, which would have boards made up of industry figures and city officials. Build Toronto would eventually be self-supporting, the plan says, while Invest Toronto would seek private-sector funding.

Blake Hutcheson, the former president of commercial realtor CB Richard Ellis and the chairman of the panel that recommended rationalizing the city's real estate, called the plan encouraging and positive. "Clearly the status quo was not working," Mr. Hutcheson said.

TEDCO, created in the mid-1980s, lacked the powers and independence of corporations the city can now create under the new City of Toronto Act, the mayor said, citing TEDCO's inability to borrow money from sources other than the city.

Yesterday's proposal also maintains the old agency was one of "too many players on the waterfront" and that it would be "more workable" to leave waterfront land to Waterfront Toronto, an agency created by the city, the province and the federal government.

Jeffrey Steiner, the chief executive of TEDCO, announced earlier this month that he is leaving the organization. He said his decision to quit was prompted by a year of delays that left TEDCO in limbo as the city reviewed its mandate.

Among the first lands expected to be transferred to Build Toronto are a few properties that were originally handed to TEDCO, including land at Downsview subway station and a plot near Victoria Park subway station currently home to a driving range. TTC officials have identified land at its Eglinton, York Mills, Islington, Victoria Park and Warden subway stations as development sites.

The chief executive of the Toronto Board of Trade, Carol Wilding, said the proposals are "timely given where the economy is at."
 
Does anyone know where to get a hold of the Randolph Group report?
 
Thanks AoD.
 
yyzer said:
from the Globe:

Among the first lands expected to be transferred to Build Toronto are a few properties that were originally handed to TEDCO, including land at Downsview subway station and a plot near Victoria Park subway station currently home to a driving range. TTC officials have identified land at its Eglinton, York Mills, Islington, Victoria Park and Warden subway stations as development sites.
Click to expand...

Oh goodie, more condo's.
 
Among the first lands expected to be transferred to Build Toronto are a few properties that were originally handed to TEDCO, including land at Downsview subway station and a plot near Victoria Park subway station currently home to a driving range. TTC officials have identified land at its Eglinton, York Mills, Islington, Victoria Park and Warden subway stations as development sites.
Click to expand...

You know what I'm going to say... where is the TTC's role in this, and why aren't these lands developed with TTC as a development partner like the MTR in Hong Kong, with part of the profits going to the TTC?

With the city establishing "Build Toronto" and "Invest Toronto", I wonder what an organization called "Urban Toronto" would look like?:rolleyes:
 
wyliepoon said:
You know what I'm going to say... where is the TTC's role in this, and why aren't these lands developed with TTC as a development partner like the MTR in Hong Kong, with part of the profits going to the TTC?
Click to expand...

Yes, where is the TTC? How has the TTC progressed with its plans to redevelop the Eglinton station lands? About as well as they have with their online trip planner?

Remember a few years ago, Google offered to give the TTC a trip planner for nothing but ad space? But no, the TTC decided it knows better how to build web tools than the preeminent internet company in the World....as so we wait.

Its probably better to shut the TTC out of the picture. I like the idea of a transit system funded by development but I don't like the idea of the TTC being involved in anything other than their core competency: short turning street cars full of passengers.
 
Remember a few years ago, Google offered to give the TTC a trip planner for nothing but ad space? But no, the TTC decided it knows better how to build web tools than the preeminent internet company in the World....
Click to expand...

Honestly, that is just so pathetic of them. Buses and streetcars feature ads; a trip planner with an ad bar would be no different.
 
Toronto Star

TEDCO gets whacked. Who's next?

October 04, 2008

CHRISTOPHER HUME
URBAN AFFAIRS COLUMNIST

Though it went largely unnoticed, something extraordinary happened this week in the political life of Toronto – the city took action.

Specifically, civic leaders pulled the plug on TEDCO, the Toronto Economic Development Corporation.

The move has been long overdue, but the same could be said of many other decisions that remain untaken. In TEDCO's case, the need for intervention has been apparent for years, if not decades. But in a city known for timidity and political cowardice, that means little.

The shadowy arm's-length outfit has followed its own course for as long as anyone can remember; it wasn't until the Toronto Waterfront Revitalization Corporation (now Waterfront Toronto) was created in 2001 that TEDCO's rogue ambitions began to attract widespread attention.

From the moment the waterfront agency was set up, TEDCO treated it as a rival. Using the city-owned land it controlled as leverage, it commissioned parallel master plans and made deals for iffy projects such as the Corus headquarters building at the foot of Jarvis St. and the film studio in the docklands.

What became clear during the process was TEDCO's reluctance, even hostility, to the expectation that it should be part of a larger effort to rebuild the bottom end of the city and reintegrate it into the downtown core. The internal culture of the corporation seems to have left it incapable of adapting to the realities of 21st-century Toronto. Its refusal to become part of the larger plan cost the city and its residents dearly in time and money.

When Toronto Mayor David Miller finally did the deed last Monday, it was long overdue. Even under the best of circumstances, bringing life to the East Bayfront, the docklands and other waterfront precincts would be extremely difficult; with TEDCO it was practically impossible.

But let's be fair to the now defunct corporation; the fact is that the governance structures of Canada, let alone Toronto, are so ineptly framed and out of date it's a wonder we manage to get anything done. Many would say we don't, that we lurch from crisis to crisis always reacting, always playing catch-up and rarely, if ever, leading.

Perhaps that's why the quality of leadership at all levels has fallen so low. From the received banalities of Conservative Prime Minister Stephen Harper to the pompous inanities of Toronto City Council, the options range from bad to worse. We inhabit a nation where no leadership is good leadership.

Which is why the TEDCO decision was so momentous. Agree or disagree with it, the most remarkable thing is that for the second, maybe third, time in his six years in office, the mayor actually did something. He displayed a hint of boldness. God knows this is a chief magistrate who, like the council over which he presides, prefers to do nothing. But this time, he acted.

The truth, however, is that Canada and Toronto have many TEDCOs, many governmental entities whose role, intended or not, is to block progress, maintain the status quo and generally serve as obstacles. In these parts, the most obvious example is the much-reviled Ontario Municipal Board, but let's not forget the Toronto Port Authority, the Toronto Planning Department and the Toronto Parking Authority.

Then, of course, there's Toronto City Council itself, overstuffed and underperforming, it desperately needs to be rethought. Because of its size and ward-based politics, it can no longer cope with the issues that face the country's largest city. Indeed, as far as our civic representatives are concerned, Toronto isn't a city so much as a series of small towns, each with its own boss. Little wonder leadership here no longer comes from city hall but the cultural, corporate and institutional sectors.

Still, it's the provinces that provide the most glaring example of Canada's failure to keep up with its own evolution. Not only have they outlived their usefulness, these relics have become a divisive force that stand in the way of Canadian cities, which is where the future will unfold. Just look at Calgary and Edmonton, which despite being the most populous centres in Canada's richest province, are dull, dreary and decades behind the times.

The fact is that the gap between Canada and its political system has grown into a chasm. Our leaders – civic, provincial and federal – no longer reflect or operate in the real world. Unencumbered by the demands of reality, they are free to devote their time to their own needs and inter-governmental squabbling. It's really all they are able to do.

Which brings us back to TEDCO, an out-of-control bureaucratic remnant that had turned into a metaphor. Whether its disappearance turns out to be a singular event or the first of a series of bold steps remains to be seen. In the meantime, it's the only reason we have for optimism.

1. Ontario Municipal Board

The Issue: Created in the late 19th century, the widely despised OMB has had final say in civic planning decisions ever since. Unelected, unaccountable and unacceptable, the board has run roughshod over city plans and residents’ wishes too many times. Its powers also have a deadly infantilizing effect on city politicians and planners, especially in Toronto.

The Gain: Abolishing the OMB would force cities to grow up and take charge of their own destiny

2. The Toronto Parking Authority

The Issue: The TPA showed its hand earlier this year when it announced plans to buy Club Matador at Dovercourt and College to make way for a parking lot. The main users of this proposed lot would have been visitors to the nearby YMCA.

The Gain: The 1950s are over and Toronto is trying desperately to redefine its relationship with the automobile. The city needs to focus on pedestrians and bike riders, not drivers. Its useful days are over.

3. The Toronto Port Authority

The Issue: For decades this federal agency has carried on without regard for the city or its residents. The current regime has been involved in a nasty and vocal battle with Toronto since David Miller was first elected mayor. This jurisdictional dinosaur has caused more problems and cost more money than it’s worth. Anyone remember its last great venture, the Rochester Ferry Terminal?

4. The Toronto Planning Department

The Issue: Perhaps for reasons beyond its control, the city planning department has become a liability. Without power or vision, it is formula-driven, slow and usually asleep at the wheel.

The Gain: Toronto needs new planning rules and regulations. Planning isn’t taken seriously in Toronto, though it’s fundamental to city building. Eliminate, remake and remove politicians from the process.

5. Toronto City Council

The Issue: It’s too big to be effective and populated with politicians who are focused entirely on their fiefdom, er, ward, and care not a whit for the city. Embarrassing, inefficient and ineffective, it has become largely irrelevant.

The Gain: We need a leaner council that includes members elected at large, members who can act on behalf of the whole city. The mayor, regardless of how real or strong, can’t do it all by him or herself.

6. The Provinces

The Issue: Established at a time when Canada was little more than its landscape, the provinces have failed to keep up with the country’s emergence as a post-modern, overwhelmingly urban nation. The British North America Act gives provinces control over cities and allows them to become major obstacles. Until they are eliminated or reduced, they will continue to stand in the way of Canada’s ability to realize its potential.
 
Hume is sounding more and more like a zealot.
 
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