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HomeMy WebLinkAboutDowntown Action - 1993-03-04DAC\1993-03-04 KITCHENER DOWNTOWN ACTION COMMITTEE March 4, 1993 The Kitchener Downtown Action Committee met this date under the Chairmanship of Alderman Bryan Stortz with the following members present: Lorna Ferguson, David Ryan, Rudy Koop, Gerry Graham, Karen Simoneau, Michelle Morissetti, Karen Taylor-Harrison, Robert Braun, Alderman Mark Yantzi, Cam Costley and Brian Hunsberger. Sam Klapman, Jim Witmer, Bin Newell, Nancy Hackett, Theresa Others Present: Schumilas, Greg Sorbara, M.P.P. and Alvin Curling, M.P.P. 1. Approval of Agenda On motion by Cam Costley Seconded by Nancy Brawley it was resolved: That the Kitchener Downtown Action Committee Agenda of March 4, 1993, be accepted. Carried 2. Approval of Minutes On motion by Lorna Ferguson Seconded by David Ryan it was resolved: That the minutes of the Kitchener Downtown Action Committee of February 4, 1993, be approved. 3. Canvassing of Downtown Alderman Bryan Stortz informed the Committee that on March 27, 1993 canvassing of the Downtown area homeowners, in order to obtain their signatures for "Trespass Authority", will take place. The theme for this day is "Building on Success". March 27, 1993 was chosen as it coincides with the Citizens On Patrol (COP) program being activated. Cam Costley has allowed for activities to be operated from, as well as displays to be shown at, the Lower Level of Market Square. Contact Bryan Stortz / Karen Taylor-Harrison for more information. Kitchener Downtown Action-7- Committee 4. Resignation Alderman Bryan Stortz announced the resignation of Annemarie Lees from the Committee - a replacement is currently being selected. 5. Healthy Communities Alderman Mark Yantzi introduced Theresa Schumilas, Director of Planning and Healthy Lifestyles for the Regional Health Unit. Ms. Schumilas was invited to speak on the topic of Healthy Communities as it addresses the broader generic issues at hand and the subsequent tailoring thereof to the more intrinsic issues of our Downtown. Ms. Schumilas presented herself as a resource person and spoke briefly on the trends in drug use, specifically crack/cocaine (unfortunately the data pertaining to local illicit drug use was flawed and could not be used as part of the presentation). The Addiction Research Foundation has conducted a survey of Grade 7-13 students in Ontario which, although carrying elements of under-reporting, serves as a fairly good indication of the minimum drug use among youth. It is known that since 1979, crack use in Ontario has declined, despite the crises that are being reported in various communities. According to a Queen's Park report, useage by street youths is about 43% while useage among those in Grade 11 (more specifically, youths still in school) is less than 2%. Therefore, the comparative decrease in crack useage strongly suggests that keeping our youths within the school system is a positive key factor. In the field of Health promotion, Ms. Schumilas explained that the 1970s saw an emphasis on the idea of "just take care of yourself" i.e. don't smoke, and implement moderate drinking, eating and exercise practices into daily living. Twenty years later, the non-effectiveness of this simple rule has been realized as we come to terms with the fact that the populace is not always in a position to make a choice. The issues that contribute to drug use are not wholly individual in nature and there are definite environmental issues that must be considered. Therefore, the focus has shifted to concentrating on eliminating risk conditions rather than emphasizing purely behavioural factors. eg.a)Unemployment increase = Heroine use increase by as much as 300%. Kitchener Downtown Action-8- Committee b)The idea of race and cocaine use being concomitant has been exposed as myth. This supposed relationship disappears when unemployment and poverty are factored in. The idea of "Healthy Communities" found its birth at a conference held in Toronto in 1984. It is a Canadian concept that has found international acceptance and utilization (eg. World Health Organization), but is sorely lagging behind in implementation on its own home territory. With health resources dwindling (job creation, health, care, education, etc.), practitioners were attending a number of conferences and seminars to cope with surmounting problems. What became apparent was that the same people, all working towards the same goal, were constantly tripping over each other at these functions and therefore a united effort was developed. There are 4 main vehicles for developing the "Healthy Community" approach: a)Local government - formal and supportive b)Community development approach c)Participation of multiple sectors - health, social environment and economic d)Public policy - planning, etc. However, the main driving force is always the community itself. One of the most powerful means of developing an approach and goal is through a "Visioning Exercise". By gathering a group of individuals together and having them envision an 'ideal' image for their particular neighbourhood a model can be formed. A local example is found in Cambridge - Lang's Farm Village. In this community, youth councils are formed in which their direct involvement in decisions regarding their own neighbourhood as well as acting as a resource for other interested neighbourhoods is in place. It is understood that by providing education and involvement in the areas of recreation, health and crime prevention, an enriched neighbourhood environment is cultivated. St James Town located in Toronto, although not a local example, is relevant to our Downtown core via geographical comparability (i.e., #of single households, single parents, economic levels and rented vs. owned living accommodations). The Healthy Communities program has only been in place for 1 year, but significant progress has been made in terms of problem identification and solution directives. Kitchener Downtown Action-9- Committee Most of the time, the movement towards seriously adopting the Healthy Community approach is spawned by a crisis. For example, the water problem in the Township of Woolwich created anger, division and a lack of agreement among the Community's members. At this point, the "Visioning Exercise" was introduced and as a result, 4 sub-committees were formed to deal with specific problems and find the necessary solutions (waterways, bike paths, etc.). At this point, Ms. Schumilas concluded her presentation and opened the floor for discussion. David Ryan commented that it is good to see that a "structural" approach as opposed to an "individual" approach is being utilized in order to tackle these very broad based issues. From what had been presented, Michelle Morissetti feels that we are perfect candidates and that what is lacking is the coordination effort. Alderman Mark Yantzi concurred that all of the elements are there and it is mainly a matter of lacking focus. Alderman Yantzi expressed interest in exploring the possibility of having a "Visioning Exercise" conducted with respect to the Downtown area. Rudy Koop related an example out of Texas where a Youth Tribunal had been formed and functioned as judge, jury, prosecutor, etc. Alderman Bryan Stortz stated that although American examples do not always translate well due to criminal code issues, the idea of a 1st time offender being enlightened by a jury of his/her peers, rather than charges being immediately laid, has some useful aspects. Nancy Brawley inquired as to whether the problems were indigenous to the neighbourhoods or were they of a transient external origin. Ms. Schumilas responded that people cannot "take over" a vibrant community and by having direct youth involvement as well as raising parental awareness on various issues, the healthy attitudes needed to stave off negative outside influences become firmly rooted. In regards to St. James Town, Gerry Graham questioned whether it had become a self-sustaining entity. Ms. Schumilas pointed out that the project is still young, and therefore, the jury is still out. However, it can be extrapolated that due to the emphasis placed on using the resources at hand rather than bringing in new ones (a "Find the way with what you have" attitude) eventual self-sustenance seems inevitable. Kitchener Downtown Action-10- Committee Due to time constraints (Victoria School Village Tour), Alderman Bryan Stortz had to end this part of the meeting. Alderman Stortz thanked Ms. Schumilas for a very interesting and informative presentation and very strongly suggested that we would have her back for next month's meeting. In order to properly prepare the Committee members, copies of the 3 reports that Alderman Stortz received prior to this meeting are attached to the Minutes for review. 6. New Official Plan Bin Newell, Senior Planner, City of Kitchener was introduced by Alderman Bryan Stortz. Again, due to the rigid time frame of this meeting, Alderman Stortz asked if it was possible for Ms. Newell to give only a very brief overview of the new Official Plan and have the full presentation made at the next meeting. Ms. Newell pointed out that this document was compiled after extensive public participation had been utilized and that this was the resultant Draft Final. As requested by Gerry Graham, a schedule of all of the meetings in which this document will be presented is enclosed with the Minutes. 7. Urban Development Committee Alderman Bryan Stortz introduced the two guests from the Liberal Caucus Committee on Urban Development, Mr. Gregory Sorbara, M.P.P. (Chairperson) and Mr. Alvin Curling, M.P.P. Mr. Sorbara thanked the Downtown Action Committee for the opportunity to speak on the goals of the Urban Development Committee and hoped to use an open dialogue forum for discussion. Mr. Sorbara stated that the Urban Development Committee is a "creature" of the Leader's Office set-up to find fresh, new approaches to handling issues that affect all urban communities, particularily those experiencing dramatic growth. In fact, the 1991 Census is concrete evidence that we are becoming an increasingly urban society, therefore, a new model to focus on these dramatic growth patterns is needed. In terms of what the Government is doing, there are two themes. The first is the Sewell Commission Report (dealing with urban planning) which recommends changing the rules and regulations of planning. The second is the idea of "disentanglement"; that is, having the Government take over one particular cost area in exchange for a city taking another. For example, Toronto agreed to handle the cost of roads while the Province handles welfare costs, unfortunately this has proven not to be the best of trade-offs for Toronto. Kitchener Downtown Action-11- Committee The Provincial Government is also proposing the creation of 3 capital corporations to reduce debts. In Mr. Sorbara's view, these corporations would create higher deficit burdens. One proposal is the Land Capital Corporation which would take over the Provincial lands for the purpose of either marketing or holding on to them. The second is the Transportation Capital Corporation in which the idea is to take over responsibility and operating expense for many roads/highways and create a separate entity/agency to implement ideas such as toll roads. The third Corporation is the Sewer and Water Agency that would in actuality see an increase in debt/deficit due alone to the basic demand for additional water supplies. The Urban Planning Committee is in disagreement with the Government's direction, however, they themselves are unsure of the the best course of action. Mr. Sorbara's own view is to begin the deficit reduction process by overcoming the "layering upon layering" of Government Administration. Mr. Sorbara stated that the private sectors have delayered and that their "pyramid of administration" has been cut down. Accordingly, it is reasonable for Public Administration to also become smaller, more effective and more responsive. Alderman Bryan Stortz feels that to be urban in the "truest sense", the ongoing focus must be towards the core (downtown) of the community. The downtown is the lifeblood, and due to its importance, inner-cities deserve disproportionate funding. Nancy Brawley concurred, adding that the downtown is indeed the heart and we need to keep feeding the centre, rather than growing outwards. Ms. Brawley asked what the government could do in order to curtail this outward momentum. Mr. Sorbara responded by inquiring as to the state of our Downtown Business core. To which Ms. Brawley described it as "holding its own" but not tremendously healthy. Mr. Curling added that he had personally experienced this "out growth" in Scarborough as people tried to escape escalating costs, but, he continued, when-re- emphasizing the downtown area the City discovered that its infra-structure had to be carefully considered (eg. schools, services). Inward growth must be managed through input from all concerned groups. While Alderman Bryan Stortz likes the Sewell Report's suggestions for their positive nature and what seems to be an emphasis on focused development, Mr. Sorbara maintains that he sees it as "process upon process". Nothing will happen until all procedures have been undergone. Mr. Sorbara views this as creating a number of hurdles which cause decreased enthusiasm and ultimately a loss of interest. Nancy Brawley agreed adding that she is aware of cases which were affected by a "too protectionist" attitude. In essence, businesses that wanted to locate in the core area wound up in the suburbs due to ease of establishment. Kitchener Downtown Action-12- Committee Gerry Graham pointed out that the issue of "disentanglement" is not just economic in nature. There needs to be a simplification of processes such as a one-stop complaint process. Mr. Graham wondered how the 3 levels of government would be able to extricate themselves from the existing overlap. Mr. Sorbara replied that considering the terrible debt crisis Canada is in, he is not convinced that this can be done. Alderman Bryan Stortz went back to expand upon Mr. Graham's comment on "process disentanglement" and related it to the provincial barriers and procedural areas where Municipal action is hindered - not helped (eg. Property Standards, By- law Enforcement). Brian Hunsberger expressed the feeling that there is a danger in oversimplifying the idea of process. It seems that during a recession we want less process, but during boom times, more regulations are sought. Basically, as the pendulum swings, process, with its built-in conflicts, is here to be lived with. Mr. Hunsberger then turned this thoughts to Housing Policy and stated that during the mid-80s a lot of housing was built, but now we are experiencing high vacancy rates. What does the future hold in respect to this? Mr. Alvin Curling agreed that we are not "under-housed", but rather short on affordable housing. The problem lies in what is perceived as "affordable". Mr. Curlings's personal opinion is that no more non-profit housing should be built, and that rent supplements instead, should be introduced into the Housing Policy system. Michelle Morissetti disagreed stating that city-run housing prevents "disreputable" landlords from moving into a neighbourhood and likes the idea of being able to contact her Alderman and receive immediate action where city-run housing is concerned. Karen Simoneau also supports non-profit housing for its ability to meet the desires of "special needs" groups and that by perhaps building smaller projects, a balance can be attained. Mr. Sorbara views this as a very serious economic issue, since it creates a tax dollar demand and we need to question where this money would come from. Again, due to the time constraints, Alderman Bryan Stortz ended the discussion by thanking Mr. Greg Sorbara and Mr. Alvin Curling for the information and subsequent dialogue at today's meeting. 8. Adjournment On motion, the meeting adjourned at 10:05 a.m. The Downtown Action Committee members then left for a tour of Victoria School Village. Gayle Redgwell, Secretary Downtown Action Committee