Climate Action Council

Burlington

Tender Award – EICS 22-35 Skyway Community Centre

  • The existing Skyway Arena is a 22,000 square foot building originally constructed in 1974. Previous staff reports have demonstrated the demand for ice and the community interest in a multipurpose recreational facility in the south east of Burlington.
  • Council choose to proceed with an enhanced design of Skyway Arena which included an NHL size rink, six (6) dressing rooms, cold and warm viewing areas and two (2) community rooms with a walking track and to be designed and built to be a low carbon facility.
  • The building permit has been approved and project is scheduled to commence October 1, 2022, provided Council approve the revised project budget and overall financing proposal presented within EICS-15-22. The Skyway Community Centre project received three compliant bids.
  • The lowest compliant bid creates a funding shortfall of $7.11 million compared to the total project budget that was approved in April 2022 (EICS-03-22) of $32.3 million.
  • As per the Financial Matters section of this report staff are recommending that the additional amount of funding be provided from tax supported debt of $2 million, $4.7 million from the City’s infrastructure renewal reserve fund and $0.4 million from capital order BD0058, Corporate Accessibility Implementation Project.

Climate Resilient Burlington: A plan for adapting to our warmer, wetter and wilder weather

  • The purpose of this report is to present Climate Resilient Burlington: A Plan for Adapting to Our Warmer, Wetter and Wilder Weather for approval.
  • As noted in more detail in EICS-02-22, while directly aligned with Focus Area 3, specifically “Develop Burlington’s Climate Change Adaptation Plan,” this report identifies risks and vulnerabilities associated with our warmer, wetter and wilder weather and as such will have impacts on all focus areas.

Municipal Accommodation Tax (MAT)

  • The Province of Ontario has granted municipalities the authority to implement a tax on accommodations. This tax could generate an estimated $450,000 to $700,000 annually to start and $750,000 to $1,000,000 annually post-pandemic, to support tourism initiatives and increase economic benefit within the City of Burlington.
  • In November 2019 Council considered the implementation of a Municipal Accommodation Tax (MAT) and the following recommendation was approved: Table report CM-23-19 regarding the establishment of a Municipal Accommodation Tax in Burlington and report back to Committee in early 2020 to provide recommendations related to implementation and the associated bylaw.
  • A follow up report was planned for Q1 2020. This report was paused due to the start of the pandemic and concerns for the potential impact this additional fee could have on the tourism industry due to the pandemic.
  • The initial MAT report (CM-23-19) highlighted the legislation, revenue sharing formulas, collection options, and inclusion of short-term rentals. It outlined options for Council’s consideration; ranging from not approving MAT for Burlington to implementing MAT and using these funds for tourism or municipal purposes. The report recommended further investigating options 2 and 3 as outlined in report CM-23-19.
  • Since the discussion in November 2019, 40 municipalities are now collecting or are in the process of collecting MAT. Oakville, Mississauga, Toronto, Vaughan, Waterloo, and Prince Edward County are collecting MAT in our immediate area.
  • Hamilton and Niagara Falls are still collecting their existing Destination Marketing Funds; however, they are both in talks with the municipalities for the implementation of MAT. After two long years of an economic downturn due to the global pandemic, the businesses in Burlington are facing a long road to recovery.
  • This coupled with the discontinuation of Destination Marketing Funds several years ago has put us at a competitive disadvantage with adjacent communities.
  • The implementation of MAT is crucial to bringing awareness to Burlington as a travel destination, developing products for residents and visitors to enjoy, and executing the City of Burlington’s Vision to Focus and Tourism Burlington’s Strategic Plan.

Public tree removal report – 31, 33 & 35 Fairwood Pl. W

  • The subject property is located along Fairwood Pl. W. (See Figure 1). An application for consolidated pre-building permit has been submitted to redevelop all three lots.
  • Prior to obtaining their consolidated pre-building permit process, council approval must be obtained in order to facilitate the issuance of a tree removal permit for the public trees.
  • In accordance with the City of Burlington’s Public Tree By-law 68-2013, Section 1.19 states, “The City Arborist shall not issue a Tree Permit for Trees located on Public Property immediately abutting Private Property for which a development application has been submitted, until such time as the development application has been approved and Council has also approved the removal of these trees”.

Public tree removal report 2082 James St (535-007-20)

  • The subject property is located at the southwest corner James St. and Martha St. which will be developed into a single condominium (See Fig. 1).
  • An application for Site Plan (File No. 535-007-20) has been submitted to redevelop the subject property.
  • As part of a condition to satisfy their Site Plan, council approval to proceed with issuance of a tree permit must be obtained in order to facilitate the removal of public trees.
  • In accordance with the City of Burlington’s Public Tree By-law 68-2013, Section 1.19 states, “The City Arborist shall not issue a Tree Permit for Trees located on Public Property immediately abutting Private Property for which a development application has been submitted, until such time as the development application has been approved and Council has also approved the removal of these trees”.

Major Transit Station Areas – Area Specific Plans Planning Study update

The purpose of this staff report is to:

  • provide an update on the Major Transit Station Area (MTSA) Area-Specific Plan (ASP) Project and its deliverables;
  • share the findings of the MTSA ASP Planning Study, prepared by Dillon Consulting;
  • provide an update on associated technical studies; and,
  • identify the next steps required to complete the project.

GO investment corridor economic vision

  • Burlington currently has a limited supply of greenfield land for development and has an opportunity to focus future growth around each of Burlington’s three GO stations.
  • The City of Burlington is developing Area Specific Plans (ASPs) for areas around the three GO Stations known as Major Transit Station Areas (MTSAs).
  • The three MTSAs represent a significant opportunity for Burlington’s growth from a residential, employment, and transportation perspective. The MTSAs provide the potential to create complete communities, expand the tax base, and provide a destination for employment growth for future generations.
  • The MTSA developments will increase transit usage and help to make Burlington a destination while lowering carbon emissions.
  • Burlington Economic Development has been working with the City of Burlington to develop an employment vision for the MTSAs and an implementation plan that positions us to expand our tax base through employment attraction and branding opportunities, as well as ensuring we continue to retain key industrial employers and other employment uses associated with the MTSAs.
  • This economic vision for the three MTSAs has been undertaken through the GO Investment Corridor Project.

Recommendation report for Zoning By-law amendment at 4063 Upper Middle Road

  • The subject lands are known as 4063 Upper Middle Road and are adjacent to open space associated with the Shoreacres Creek Valley which is located immediately adjacent to the subject lands on the east side.
  • An application has been made to amend the City’s Zoning By-law to change the zoning of the subject lands from a Development (D) Zone to a Residential High-Density Zone with a site-specific exception (RH3-508) to permit the development of an 8-storey residential building with 32 units, and ‘Open Space Zone (O2)’ to protect the natural heritage features associated with the adjacent watercourse.
  • Planning Staff have reviewed the application in the context of the applicable policy framework.
  • The development is consistent with policies of the Provincial Policy Statement and conforms to the policies of A Place to Grow: Growth Plan for the Greater Golden Horseshoe, Halton Region’s Official Plan, the City’s Official Plan (1997, as amended) and the City of Burlington New Official Plan (2020).
  • Technical and public comments received for this application have been considered in the evaluation of the proposed development.
  • As such, Planning Staff are recommending approval of the application for a Zoning By-law Amendment for the subject lands.

Recommendation report for Zoning By-law amendment for 5030-5045 Tico Creek Common

  • The purpose of this report is to recommend approval of the Zoning By-law Amendment application for lands municipally known as 5030, 5035, 5045 & 5040 Tico Creek Common, (formerly 1215 Appleby Line) to permit an increase in the maximum building floor area as well as to expand retail store permissions for the two (2) proposed 1-storey buildings on the west side of the site.

New Burlington Official Plan recommended modifications for ROPA 48 conformity

  • To report back to Council on public input received during the engagement period for the proposed modifications to the Burlington Official Plan, 2020, to resolve certain matters of non-conformity to Regional Official Plan Amendment No. 48 (ROPA 48), and to request that Council endorse the recommended modifications attached as Appendix B, to this report, and direct staff to advance the recommended modifications through the Ontario Land Tribunal’s (OLT) consideration of the appeals to Burlington Official Plan, 2020 (case number OLT-22-002219/ legacy case number PL210040).

City of Burlington Housing Strategy – former school site reuse analysis

The purpose of this report is to present the findings of the Supplemental Technical Memo – Acquisition and Re-Use of Surplus School Sites prepared by Dillon Consulting and SHS Consulting (Appendix A).

On October 6, 2021, at Corporate Services, Strategy, Risk and Accountability Committee staff report CM-22-21 titled “Burlington Lands Partnership update 1” was considered. In addition to the recommendations of the report, staff received the following Staff Direction:

  • Direct the City Manager to report back by Q1 2022 with a proposed strategic lands strategy for the acquisition and community use of current and potential surplus school sites that includes the following elements:
    • a current practise review of former school site uses in other municipalities, including opportunities for attainable housing;
    • a complete review of existing federal and provincial housing support programs, in coordination with the work underway via the housing strategy;
    • opportunities for housing, parkland and community uses on these sites, in partnership with other agencies, non-profit organizations and levels of government, including Halton Region, and coordinated with the work of the Burlington Lands Partnership;
    • budgetary implications for known and potential sites that may come available;
    • a community engagement strategy on potential uses for these sites; and
    • communication to the four school boards (English public and catholic, French public and catholic) that the city has an interest in considering any school sites that may become available, and requests regular communication from all boards about their long-term plans. (SD-29-21).
  • In February 2022, Council considered Corporate Strategy report CS-04-22 Streamline Development Approval Fund. The Streamline Development Approval Fund initiative saw Ontario’s 39 largest municipalities each receive an allocation from the province to help modernize, streamline, and accelerate processes for managing and approving housing applications.
  • The City identified the first phase of the former school site reuse analysis as one of its proposed eligible projects in that it is a study to support new housing opportunities in the City. This report also clarified that this work would be scoped to satisfy several components of the Staff Direction.
  • Given the ongoing work of the City’s Housing Strategy an opportunity was identified to address the staff direction in part through a slight broadening of the scope of the Housing Strategy. Staff note that municipalities are required to complete projects funded through the Streamlining Development Applications Fund by February 28, 2023.
  • In addition, municipalities are required to provide a final report (posted publicly) in March 2023. This required report back may offer an opportunity to share any progress on building on the information collected through this first phase of work to support the development of a Strategic Land Policy including a municipal policy directive on surplus school sites.

COVID emergency response summary wrap-up

The City of Burlington has faced emergencies before; yet none with the significant impact on staff and the community. Our new reality is a world with COVID; we have adapted and adopted to working in this environment. Through the efforts and determination of Council and City management and staff, the City of Burlington continued to deliver services. The results of the 2021 community survey revealed a 95% satisfaction rating with the overall quality of services in the City; a testament to City staff’s commitment throughout this difficult period.

2023 budget framework

  • This report provides Council with the preliminary framework and related parameters on which staff will prepare the 2023 proposed budget for consideration by the new 2022-2026 City Council.
  • The framework presented in this report will outline principles that have been recognized by Council as important policy decisions, as well as highlight the Multi-year Budget Simulation which has been developed to model tax impacts for the next 5 years.

Fire Master Plan (2022)

  • The 2022 Fire Master Plan (FMP) is provided at the request of Council “develop a Fire Master Plan to support the growth and change within the city.” (Vision to Focus, 2019)
  • The primary objective of the FMP is to present a comprehensive analysis of the City of Burlington Fire Protection Service community needs and circumstances.
  • The FMP is a complementary document to the recently approved Community Risk Assessment (CRA) (BFD-02-22) that outlines community fire risk priorities.
  • These documents provide valuable data and information to allow staff and council to make informed decisions about the existing and long-term service delivery needs of the Burlington Fire Department (BFD).
  • Understanding that some of the recommendations require financial investment, the implementation schedule will be phased in subject to annual operating and capital budget constraints and prioritization with other corporate priorities allowing for future planning.

Corporate Energy & Emissions Management Plan progress report

  • This report presents data on energy and greenhouse gas emissions from corporate operations in 2021, including a comparison to 2020 and 2018 (baseline).
  • The method of presenting the data (Appendix A) is consistent with Ontario Regulation 507/18 which requires municipalities to report and publish energy consumption data and greenhouse gas emissions annually.
  • Also included is an update to the measures identified in the Corporate Energy and Emissions Management Plan (CEEMP) that was approved by Council in July 2019.

Park Provisioning Master Plan – progress report

  • To provide Council with an overview of the status of the Park Provisioning Master Plan and an insight into what to expect as a final deliverable, this Council report ES-05-22 contains a summary of work to date included as Appendix A – Park Provisioning Master Plan Progress Report.
  • This progress report provides a summary of background context and analysis completed to date. Further analysis and refinement will continue and be incorporated into the final document.
  • This progress report includes a summary of the legislative context guiding parkland acquisition within the City of Burlington and outlines existing challenges and opportunities such as parcel fragmentation and changing trends that influence parkland dedication and acquisition.
  • Parkland service level comparisons across 18 different Canadian municipalities have been included in this report. The municipalities provide a cross section of locations across the Greater Toronto Area, Ontario and Canada.
  • The parkland supply methodology and service level sections outline different methods to calculate parkland service levels and the components of the proposed parkland dedication methodology.
  • The proposed methodology focuses on parkland walkability, functions to assess the requirement of parkland dedication, and several additional contextual metrics to consider.
  • By testing different methodologies within different contexts, it will be possible to create a unique set of criteria for different geographic areas of Burlington. This progress report also introduces functional analysis assessment as a method to help determine parkland dedication as well as potential recreational needs.
  • A review of Burlington’s parks classification system is included along with preliminary changes to the parks classification system with consideration given to the anticipated growth and redevelopment of the City. New park classification types are proposed to be more reflective of increased urban growth as forecast to 2041.
  • Overall, this progress report provides a preliminary analysis of current service levels for review. Feedback received will be used to refine a parkland acquisition methodology.

Burloak grade separation and Drury Lane pedestrian bridge update

  • The purpose of this report is to update Council on the status of the Burloak Grade Separation and Drury Lane Pedestrian Bridge construction projects.
  • Burloak Drive and the Drury Lane Pedestrian Bridge are vital links in our transportation network.
  • As outlined in this report, it is recommended that City Council authorize the City Manager to finalize negotiations for and execute separate agreements for the cost sharing, delivery and maintenance of the projects, with such agreements having content satisfactory to the Director of Engineering Services and in a form satisfactory to the Executive Director of Legal Services and Corporation Counsel.
  • The agreement respecting the Burloak Grade Separation would include provision for a full 12–month closure of Burloak Drive.

ES-22-11 Tender Award, South Service Road Renewal

  • The South Service Road Renewal project will replace the existing deteriorated asphalt surface with a new full depth asphalt pavement surface, as well as provide a new concrete sidewalk.
  • The storm drainage system will be improved by adding several catchbasins and ditch inlets along the roadway corridor to manage surface water run-off.
  • The existing streetlights at the South Service Road and Harvester Road intersection will be replaced with high performance and energy efficient LED Luminaires.
  • This project will improve the quality of vehicular transportation and connectivity of the City’s pedestrian network in alignment with the Integrated Mobility Plan.
  • Construction is anticipated to start in June and be completed in November 2022.