1. Build a downtown relief line: Better rapid transit will create a chain reaction of happy consequences. Downtown commuters who currently drive will begin to leave their cars at home, saving gas money and easing congestion. This will make room on the roads for those who have no choice but to drive. And everyone will save time in the process. The relief line will not just help downtown dwellers, but also commuters from the inner suburbs and neighbouring municipalities. For Toronto to reach its potential, major investments in rapid transit infrastructure are required. While the costs are high, and the timeline decades long, building a downtown relief line is the most important transit policy for the city.

2. Reform development charges system: Increased development on major transit lines benefits the city as a whole, but places greater stress on existing infrastructure. Yet, development charges, the city’s tool to cover the costs of serving new building projects, are evenly applied across the city. In addition, condominium developers can build up certain neighbourhoods while paying only a fraction of what their projects are likely to cost the city. The system should be changed to ensure that developers pay directly for pressure added to surrounding infrastructure, specifically to the TTC.

3. Create one transportation body: If we want to fix the congestion mess in the Greater Toronto Hamilton Area, Metrolinx should own and operate all of the transit systems within the region. The TTC, Mississauga Transit, York Viva, Durham Transit as well as other regional carriers would be uploaded to Metrolinx to streamline decision-making and planning and eliminate coordination issues. Metrolinx would establish a panel of transport experts to spearhead infrastructure plans and projects with guidance from the public and stakeholders. The organization would be made independent from city council to eliminate the sort of political fickleness that too often impedes progress. To succeed, Metrolinx would require a source of long-term dedicated revenue.

4. Modernize intersections to improve safety and reduce congestion: Scramble intersections, which allow pedestrians to cross in all directions at once, including diagonally, followed by a period of cars-only crossing, have been implemented extensively in many of the world’s leading cities. The intersection of Yonge and Dundas Sts. is an example, but Toronto has far too few. The city should aggressively replace traditional pedestrian crossings with scramble intersections, which have been proven to improve safety and reduce congestion.

5. Protect heritage assets: Despite Toronto’s relatively young age, its many magnificent buildings and architectural masterpieces help define the city and must be protected. The city should expand the Heritage Grant and Heritage Tax Rebate, among other programs, as well as improve support for Heritage Toronto. We should also expand models that have worked in the past, such as the Heritage Conservation Districts in which streetscapes are preserved and buildings are protected against demolition.

6. Increase police accountability: Requiring police officers to wear lapel cameras would make them more accountable to the city and the public and would help protect them from unfounded criticism or lawsuits. A series of recent controversial encounters between police and citizens in crisis have undermined the public trust in police services. Adding body-worn cameras is a low-cost, high-reward solution to repairing that trust and increasing protection for all.

7. Adopt a bold food strategy: The city should make an ambitious, concerted effort to promote urban agriculture. By growing food on our lawns, in our backyards, on our rooftops, on decks and in city parks, we could have a transformative effect on this city — economically, environmentally, culturally and aesthetically. Our carbon footprint would be drastically improved by reducing our dependence on foreign-grown foods. Communities would be brought together by sharing in the production of local foods. And the cityscape would benefit from a rural touch. Many cities across North America are pursuing this goal (Los Angeles and Detroit, in particular), and the evidence suggests its costs are far outweighed by its benefits.

8. Use the city’s full revenue-generating capacity: The city should experiment with its full range of tools for generating new revenue. Legislation currently in place affords broad authority to municipal leaders to get creative in financing the city. We have the tools to succeed, but Toronto fails to use them. Toronto has all of the following options to generate revenue without the help of higher levels of government: property taxes, land transfer tax, vehicle registration tax and “sin” taxes on alcohol and tobacco.

9. Adopt an innovative parks policy: Toronto needs to adopt a more creative and inclusive approach to taking care of our public parks. The city should eliminate barriers that prevent community groups from fully taking advantage of these public spaces, especially in suburban neighbourhoods. For instance, the city should stop requiring a permit and insurance to host community events in parks. Toronto should also experiment with new approaches to financing and operating existing parks, such as public-private partnerships of the kind that’s been employed with great success in the operating of New York’s Central Park. Finally, as Toronto’s density increases, it’s important that we look at abandoned and underused spots as new opportunities for green spaces.

10. Support affordable child care: A lack of access to affordable child care in the city hinders working families from realizing their economic potential and gaining full employment. Access to child care benefits children, parents, employers and businesses. The city has experience managing and providing child-care services; these just need to be greatly scaled up. Financing could come through a targeted add-on tax based on the model currently used in Quebec. Alternatively, a public-private partnership between the city, child-care providers and financial institutions could provide low-cost loans to families for covering child care costs (per a pilot program underway in New York City).

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