Read the full memo here: buildtoronto.com/memos/reward...

This memo proposes:

1️⃣ Created a define Senior City Service with performance-linked contracts and real authority

2️⃣ Give each division one objective scorecard with 1-3 measurable targets

3️⃣ Delegate routine decisions to staff and set stable citywide targets in law so leaders can actually deliver

Contrast this with a place like Singapore, where senior public leaders are paid at levels competitive with the private sector. High compensation is paired with clear, objective performance expectations, and the authority to make changes to meet them.

Toronto caps senior-staff bonuses at 20-25 percent and allows them only in agencies. This is too small to motivate performance and unavailable to most municipal public leaders.

Toronto should take a similarly pragmatic approach to exempt small unit buildings from condominium application process meant for large towers: buildtoronto.com/memos/multip...

This isn't the case elsewhere. British Columbia introduced new Small-Scale Multi-Unit Housing reforms that have enabled ownership for sixplexes. That means that it's easy for multiple families to own units in the same building.

These steps adds friction, cost and uncertainty to what should be a straightforward process. This means that while multiplexes are now permitted to build, they are difficult to sell to end users.

And if you own an older multiplex with rental units that you want to convert to ownership, you have to get additional special permissions.

If you build a multiplex and want to sell individual units in the building, you have to complete a full condominium application. The same process used for a 200-unit tower – with multiple reviews and thousands of dollars in fees – is used for a 4-unit building.

buildtoronto.com/memos/adapti...

4. Measure and report results – publish results to ensure accountability to the public

3. Create a joint funding model – a City-Province partnership fund can ensure every intersection is upgraded without overburdening city budgets.

2. Adopt clear technology standards – leverage the global standard of camera-based detection

This memo proposes:
1. Modernize Toronto's traffic signals – move from outdated fixed-time plans to intelligent and adaptive signals

Similar systems in China saw trip time reductions of ~20% after using adaptive traffic systems.

The system adapts to the reality on-the-ground rather than a fixed schedule. This means it'd be able to respond to construction detours, traffic surges when a Leafs game ends, or to unexpected incidents on the Gardiner.

It doesn't have to be this way. In the Netherlands, signals are designed to be responsive. Pedestrian walk phases are only triggered when a person is actually waiting. Vehicle and bicycle detection systems shorten or lengthen greens based on the traffic that has actually arrived.

This is because most intersections run on fixed plans written years ago, unable to adjust to modern or real-time needs.

What's more, they can look to identify and invite opportunities for new partnerships, such as Riverdale Park, Hanlan's Point, or sections of the Waterfront.

buildtoronto.com/memos/conser...