January 18, 2012

Toronto city council approves capital budget with minor amendments

Toronto City Council approved Tuesday a capital budget that was essentially unchanged from that recommended by the executive and budget committees last week.

The tax-supported capital budget, calls for a total project cost of $1.124 billion and a 2012 cash flow of $2.832 billion with future year commitments of:

• $2.057 billion in 2013;

• $1.249 billion in 2014;

• $787.511 million in 2015;

• $358.892 million in 2016; and

• $207.344 million in 2017 to 2021.

Last week, both the budget and executive committees recommended full council approve staff-recommended capital budgets, with several amendments.

One notable amendment from the budget committee was a loan of up to $9 million for the Leaside Arena board for construction of an expanded hockey venue at Millwood Road and Laird Drive in the former Town of Leaside. That amendment, which was not changed by full council, included a provision for a $1.5 million loan from Infrastructure Ontario. The committees recommended that agreements be entered into between the city, arena board, Infrastructure Ontario and the arena foundation, to ensure donations net of fundraising costs are applied to the IO loan and that city council appoint a representative from IO to the Arena Board.

While most amendments to the tax-supported budget passed by full council Tuesday were for increases to the operating budget, council also passed, by a vote of 37 to seven, a motion to reduce by $200,000 the Albert Campbell Square project, previously budgeted at $1.9 million, near the Scarborough Town Centre south of Highway 401 and west of McCowan Road.

The seven who voted against that motion included key politicians such as Mayor Rob Ford, parks and environment committee chair Norm Kelly, (councilor for Ward 40 Scarborough-Agincourt), Mike Del Grande (chairman of the budget committee and councilor for Ward 39 Scarborough Agincourt), deputy mayor (and Ward 3 Etobicoke councilor) Doug Holyday and Doug Ford (the mayor’s brother and councilor for Ward 2 Etobicoke).

Key Toronto tax-supported capital projects over the next 10 years include:

•$411.322 million on extensive renovations on Union Station, plus $48.023 million to construct a second platform;

• $287.660 million to continue installing electronic signaling systems on the Toronto Transit Commission Yonge-University-Spadina subway line, which would allow trains to run more frequently along the U-shaped route, running from Yonge Street and Finch Avenue south to Union Station, then looping north again to the Downsview Station at Sheppard Avenue and the Allen Expressway;

• $142.625 million for waterfront redevelopment, including $137.477 million from 2012-16 to develop the West Don Lands and East Bayfront precincts and $5.148 million from 2012 through 2016 to develop other waterfront sites including Port Union, Sherbourne and Don River Park;

• $123.524 million to replace four police division headquarters ($37.079 million each to relocate and replace both 13 and 41 divisions, located in the former City of York on Eglinton Avenue at the Allen Expressway and in Scarborough at Eglinton Avenue and Birchmount Road respectively; $36.446 million to relocate and replace 54 division, located in the former borough of East York on Bermondsey Road northwest of O’Connor Drive; and $8.91 to replace 14 division headquarters, on Harrison Street, east of Dovercourt Road and north of Dundas Street);

• $87.209 million to complete up to 100 km of off-street bicycle paths, 80 km of critical on-street connections and 8,000 new bicycle parking spaces;

• $78.5 million from 2012 to 2015 to redevelop the Kipling Acres long-term care home based on revised provincial standards;

• $72.469 million to maintain 10 long-term care homes to meet provincial safety compliance requirements;

• $60.636 million from 2012 through 2016 to redevelop St. Lawrence Market North, to construct a multi-storey facility including a public market at grade, three levels for traffic courts and three levels of parking;

• $40.548 million to redevelop the Six Points Interchange, where Kipling Avenue, Dundas and Bloor Streets meet about 15 kilometres west of the downtown;

• $29.134 million to improve public spaces from 2012 through 2021;

• $24.557 million from 2018 through 2021 to renovate four police headquarters buildings (32 Division in the former city of North York on Ellerslie Avenue, just west of Yonge Street about halfway between Finch and Sheppard Avenues; 52 Division on Dundas Street west of University Avenue; 55 division at Coxwell Avenue and Dundas Street; and 22 Division on Bloor Street east Kipling Avenue in the former city of Etobicoke);

• $23.325 million in 2012 to continue construction of the visitor centre at the historic Fort York, just west of Bathurst Street and south of the Canadian National Railway tracks;

• $22.5 million to construct the York Community Centre from 2012 to 2013;

• $19.997 million to revitalize Nathan Phillips Square in front of City Hall; and

• $17.3 million to construct the Regent Park Community Centre from 2012 to 2013.

Daily Commercial News subscribers may view more information on the City of Toronto and its construction projects by viewing company ID 258608 in Reed Construction Data Canada Building Reports. More information on the Toronto Transit Commission and its construction projects can be found at company ID 6301.

If you are not already a subscriber, you can be by filling out the form at this web page. Building Reports are published daily in Daily Commercial News and are available online to subscribers. See the Daily Top 10 for a sample of the information available.

To learn more about construction project leads from Reed Construction Data, fill out the web form at this web page.

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