Board Meeting - January 20, 2010

1. Reports with Confidential Attachments (Committee of the Whole)
   • Ngo v. TTC - Settlement Authority (FOR ACTION)(This report contains advice or communications that are subject to solicitor-client privilege 
2. Presentations
   • International Benchmarking of Subway Costs and Performance (FOR INFORMATION)  
   • Toronto-York Spadina Subway Extension Project – Finch West Station – Approval of Conceptual Design (FOR ACTION) 
3. Budget matters
4. Procurement Authorizations
   • Summary of Authorized Expenditures between $1,000,000 to $5,000,000 for the Period November 1, 2009 to November 30, 2009 (FOR INFORMATION) 
5. Procurement Authorization Amendments
6. Notice of Awards
7. Service Matters
8. Other Business
   • Transit City Implementation - The St. Clair Project Experience (FOR ACTION)
   • Etobicoke-Finch West LRT Implementation (FOR ACTION)  
   • Outstanding Commission Items (FOR INFORMATION)  
   • Senior Management Review of the Safety System, Minutes of September 29, 2009 (FOR INFORMATION)  
   • TTC Corporate Policy Review - Policy 13.8.4 Corporate Travel (FOR ACTION) 
9. New Business
10. Correspondence

A correspondence summary will be distributed at the meeting.

11. Project Labour Agreement - Transit City (FOR ACTION)(This report is about labour relations)
12. Procurement Authorization Amendment - Consultant Design Services - Union Subway Station Second Platform and Concourse Improvements - Contract U85-6 (FOR ACTION)
13. Special Transit Passes for the Second World War and Korean War Veterans (FOR ACTION)
14. 2009 Ridership Final Results (FOR INFORMATION)
15. 501 Queen Streetcar Route Final Recommendations (FOR ACTION)
16. Transit for the 2015 Pan Am Games (FOR ACTION)

A. Giambrone (Chair), J. Mihevc (Vice-Chair), M. Augimeri, S. Bussin, S. Hall, R. Moeser, A. Perruzza, B. Saundercook (Commissioners), G. Webster (Chief General Manager), V. Rodo (General Manager – Executive & General Secretary), R. Cornacchia (General Manager – Operations), J. Sepulis (General Manager – Engineering & Construction), B. Leck (General Counsel - Legal), B. Ross (Director – Corporate Communications), S. Blakey (Executive Director –  Human Resources), M. Roche (Chief Financial Officer), M. Stambler (Manager – Service Planning), A. Smith (Chief Marketing Officer), S. MacDonald (Manager – Materials & Procurement), D. Garisto (Manager – Property Development), S. Ghaly (Program Manager – Transit City), K. Lee (Assistant General Secretary) and F. Stanois (Co-ordinator – Corporate Secretariat Services) were present.

A. Giambrone was in the Chair.

D. Lawson (Supervisor – Architectural & Communications – Spadina Subway Extension Department) was present for Item 2(b).

Commissioner Saundercook moved that the Commission approve the minutes from Meeting no. 1915 and that the Chair and General Secretary be authorized to sign the same.

The motion by Commissioner Saundercook carried.

a) Committee of the Whole – Wednesday, February 17, 2010

Vice-Chair Mihevc moved that the Commission approve a resolution to meet as the Committee of the Whole at 9:00 a.m. or later on Wednesday, February 17, 2010 to deal with litigation or potential litigation matters, labour relations or employee negotiations and to receive advice which is subject to solicitor-client privilege.

The motion by Vice-Chair Mihevc carried.

a) Report No. 8(a) – Transit City Implementation – The St. Clair Project Experience

Chair Giambrone moved that the Commission waive section 13a of the procedural By-law to hear deputations on report no. 8(a) from councillor Denzil Minnan-Wong and councillor Cesar Palacio, City of Toronto, as they did not meet the registration deadline of 12:00 noon the day before the meeting.

The motion by Chair Giambrone carried, with two-thirds of the members present voting in favour.

David Fisher

Helen Riley
(Submitted brief)

Councillor Denzil Minnan-Wong
City of Toronto

Hamish Wilson
(submitted brief)

Councillor Cesar Palacio
City of Toronto

The Commission received the deputations for information.

(See report no. 8a for minute)

b) Report No. 15 - 501 Queen Streetcar Route:  Final Recommendations 

Marcel Ekelschot
Candy Factory Lofts

Hamish Wilson
(Submitted brief)

The Commission received the deputations for information.

(See report no. 15 for minute)

NIL

1. Reports with Confidential Attachments (Committee of the Whole)

a) Ngo v. TTC – Settlement Authority

The Commission:

1. Approved the confidential recommendations regarding settlement of the above action in attachment 1; and

2. That the contents of confidential attachment 1 remain confidential in their entirety as it contains advice which is subject to solicitor-client privilege.

2. Presentations

a) International Benchmarking of Subway Costs and Performance

Rick Cornacchia, General Manager – Operations, gave an overhead presentation with respect to the above matter.

The Commission received the presentation and report for information.

b) Toronto-York Spadina Subway Extension Project – Finch West Station – Approval of Conceptual Design

David Lawson, Supervisor – Architectural & Communications, Spadina Subway Extension Department, gave a PowerPoint presentation with respect to the above matter.

The Commission received the presentation for information and approved the recommendation contained in the staff report, as listed below:

“It is recommended that the Commission approve the conceptual design for Finch West Station which will be presented through the public consultation process.”

3. Budget matters

NIL

4. Procurement Authorizations

a) Summary of Authorized Expenditures between $1,000,000 to $5,000,000 for the Period November 1, 2009 to November 30, 2009

It is recommended that the Commission receive this report for information.  It lists Expenditures ($1,000,000 up to $5,000,000) for the period November 1, 2009 to November 30, 2009 which were approved by the Chief General Manager.

Received

5. Procurement Authorization Amendments

NIL

6. Notice of Awards

NIL

7. Service Matters

NIL

8. Other Business

a) Transit City Implementation – The St. Clair Project Experience
 
It is recommended that the Commission:

1. Receive “Getting it Right” Lessons from the Implementation of the St. Clair Streetcar for the Implementation of Transit City and direct TTC staff to incorporate the lessons learned from the implementation of the St. Clair Streetcar into the Transit City project delivery;

2. Request that this report be provided to the St. Clair Transit Community Liaison Committee for comment; and

3. Provide this report to the Toronto City Manager for information.

Approved
 
b) Etobicoke-Finch West LRT Implementation
           
Commissioner Hall moved that the recommendation contained in the staff report be struck out and replaced with the following:

“That the Commission direct staff to proceed with the design, tender and award of enabling works for the Etobicoke-Finch West LRT consisting of the modification of the bridges over the West Don River, east of Dufferin Street, and over the Humber River, at Islington Avenue, for construction starts in 2010.”

Commissioner Perruzza moved that a recorded vote be taken on the foregoing motion.

In favour:  Chair Giambrone, Vice-Chair Mihevc, Commissioner Augimeri, Commissioner Bussin, Commissioner Hall, Commissioner Moeser, Commissioner Perruzza, Commissioner Saundercook.

The motion by Commissioner Hall carried unanimously. 

Chair Giambrone moved that the report be approved, as amended.

The motion by Chair Giambrone carried.   

c) Outstanding Commission Items

It is recommended that the Commission receive for information, the updated list of outstanding Commission items for the period up to and including the meeting of December 16, 2009.
 
Received 

d) Senior Management Review of the Safety System Minutes of September 29, 2009

It is recommended that the Commission receive for information, the minutes of the September 29, 2009 Senior Management Review of the Safety System.

Received

e) TTC Corporate Policy Review – Policy 13.8.4 Corporate Travel

Chair Giambrone moved the following revisions to the amended policy, as listed below:

• The word ‘travel’ in sentence two of section 4.1 be struck out and replaced with ‘transportation and hotel’ so that the sentence now reads, “transportation and hotel expenses incurred by Commissioners shall be paid according to the City of Toronto reimbursable guidelines.”
• References to the word ‘employee’ in section 4.2.4 be struck out and replaced with ‘employee/commissioner’.
• The words ‘for airfare and hotel costs’ be added to the end of the sentence in section 9.6 so that the sentence now reads, “TTC Commissioners will be subject to City of Toronto eligibility criteria and reimbursable guidelines for airfare and hotel costs”.

The motion by Chair Giambrone carried.

9. New Business

a) Communication dated January 11, 2010 - Commissioner Peter Milczyn re: TTC Customer Service

Chair Giambrone moved that Commissioner Milczyn’s communication be considered within the context of item c-1.

The motion by Chair Giambrone carried.

(See item c-1 for minute)

10. Correspondence

C-1 Chair Adam Giambrone and Chief General Manager Gary Webster regarding customer service.

The Commission received the communication and adopted, in principle, the initiatives set out in the correspondence. 

C-2 Councillor Mark Grimes, City of Toronto, requesting the TTC review reinstating the 507 Long Branch streetcar route. 

The Commission received the communication and referred the correspondence to staff for report back to the commission.

(Also see report no. 15 for minute)

C-3 City Clerk’s Office regarding a Scarborough Community Council Report on the matter of the Sheppard East LRT which was considered by City Council at it’s meeting of November 30, December 1, 2, 4 and 7, 2009.

Commissioner Moeser moved that:

“The Commission receive the request from Toronto Council and continue to support, in principle, the TTC’s on-going efforts to:

• Minimize the impact to areas scheduled for transit construction;
• Establish a defined process for communication to residents in advance of construction; and
• Develop interim measures during the construction process to minimize the impact to local business owners and residents;
• Noting that TTC has appointed a dedicated project manager and dedicated community liaison officer for the Sheppard East Lrt, that has met Sheppard East Village Business Improvement Area (SEVBIA) a number of times and will continue to do so; and
• Noting that transit city updates to the commission will be provided to all city councillors.”

The motion by Commissioner Moeser carried.

C-4 Joe Clark regarding a TTC breach of Human Rights ruling on stop announcements.

The Commission received the communication for information and referred the correspondence to staff for consideration.

C-5 Borden Ladner Gervais LLP regarding the entrance connection fee at 4759-4789 Yonge Street at Sheppard Avenue East.

The Commission received the communication for information and referred the correspondence to staff for consideration.

C-6 Bob Kinnear, President/Business Agent, ATU Local 113, regarding special transit passes for the Second World War and Korean War Veterans.

The Commission received the communication and referred the issue to staff to invite Mr. Kinnear to the next meeting to depute on the matter if he so chooses.

(See report no. 13 for minute)

C-7 Chair Giambrone submitted a petition on behalf of the Kingston Galloway – Orton Park Action for Neighbourhood Change Group regarding the TTC fare increase.

The Commission received the petition for information.

11. Reports with Confidential Attachments (Committee of the Whole)

a) Project Labour Agreement – Transit City

It is recommended that the Commission:

1. Approve the recommendation contained in the Confidential Attachment.

2. Authorize the release of the information contained in the Confidential Attachment upon execution of any subsequent project labour agreement.

Approved

12. Procurement Authorization Amendment – Consultant Design Services – Union Subway Station Second Platform and Concourse Improvements – Contract U85-6

It is recommended that the Commission authorize Contract Amendment No. 7 to AECOM Canada Ltd. (AECOM) in the amount of $4,125,503 for the completion of detailed design and support during construction for the Union Subway Station Second Platform project, increasing the total upset limit amount to $12,000,000 from $7,874,497.

Approved

13. Special Transit Passes for the Second World War and Korean War Veterans

It is recommended that the Commission approve a program to provide free transportation to Canadian Veterans of the Second World War and Korean War pending adequate funding by an external source to overcome the revenue shortfall that would result.

Approved

14. 2009 Ridership Final Results

Vincent Rodo, General Manager – Executive Branch & General Secretary, gave an overhead presentation with respect to the above matter.

The Commission received the presentation and report for information. 

15. 501 Queen Streetcar Route: Final Recommendations

It is recommended that the Commission approve the following recommendations for the 501 Queen Streetcar Route:

1. Implement the “Step Forward Strategy” Monday to Friday from 12 to 8pm;

2. Investigate the opportunity to apply the “Step Forward Strategy” to other routes; and

3. Continue to work with the City of Toronto regarding a Transit supportive Traffic Management Plan.

Approved

16. Public Transit for the 2015 Pan Am Games

The Commission approved the recommendation contained in the staff report, as listed below:

“It is recommended that the commission:

1) Note that:

• The 2015 Pan American and Parapan American Games will involve competitions in 40-to-50 sports at more than 50 venues throughout Toronto and the Golden Horseshoe from July 10 to July 26, 2015;
• Many of the events within the City of Toronto will take place at existing facilities in Downtown Toronto and Exhibition Place -- locations which are already well-served by transit;
• A new Pan American Aquatics Centre and Canadian Sport Institute of Ontario facility will be constructed at the University of Toronto Scarborough (UTSC), and improved transit facilities will be required to effectively serve this new sports complex;
• At this time, the TTC’s priorities remain the state-of-good-repair work required to upgrade, modernize, and increase the capacity of the Scarborough RT in advance of the games, as well as proceeding with the priority Transit City light rail projects – such as the Sheppard East LRT line -- which will also provide service to events in Scarborough;
• The planned Scarborough-Malvern LRT line would provide excellent direct service to the venues planned at UTSC, as well as providing excellent service to this expanding major educational institution, but the construction of this line is not included in Metrolinx’s near-term funding priorities;
• A new athletes’ village is planned for the West Don Lands area, which will be served by a new streetcar line planned for Cherry Street;
• Based on the experience of other cities that have hosted major international sporting events such as the Pan American Games and the Olympics, it will likely be necessary for the TTC to temporarily expand its bus fleet and operator staffing to provide the capacity needed to serve some of the non-central event venues; this could be accomplished through various means such as advancing the timing of a future bus order, and then retiring older buses after the games;
• The host corporation for the games is to be established early in 2010 and they will create a business plan (likely in early 2011) and a Pan American Transport (PAT) organization to coordinate transportation requirements for the entire event. until these steps have been taken the TTC will not be in a position to develop detailed or specific service or fleet plans for the events or venues;
• TTC staff will provide update reports on transit requirements and plans for the 2015 Pan Am Games as new information becomes available; and

2) Forward this report to the City Manager’s Office and Metrolinx for information.”

Vice-Chair Mihevc moved that Commissioner Saundercook, with Commissioner Moeser as an alternate, be appointed as the commisSion’s representative for the TTC and to attend appropriate meetings and report back to the Commission, as needed, on activities related to the Pan Am Games that will affect the TTC.

The motion by Vice-Chair Mihevc carried.          

The meeting adjourned at 3:55 p.m.    

Commissioners received and endorsed a letter from TTC Chair Adam Giambrone and TTC Chief General Manager Gary Webster calling for a review customer service at the TTC – training, customer interaction, technology and the complaints process. The Chair also called for the establishment of an independent advisory panel representing different industries to provide suggestions for improving customer service, communications and the rider’s experience of the TTC.

Commissioners received a report showing ridership for 2009 was the highest ever recorded in TTC history. Ridership last year came in at 471.2 million carried, 4.5 million more than the previous all-time high set in 2008. The record total can be attributed in large part to massive service improvements introduced in the past few years, and the fact that fares had not increased since 2007.

Commissioners approved the conceptual design for the Finch West Station on the Toronto-York Spadina Subway Extension. Finch West Station will be located under Keele Street, north of Finch Avenue West. The station will include nearly 360 commuter parking spots and a 10-space passenger pick-up lot. It’s designed with a concourse at each end of the station to improve the passenger experience and simplify the flow of space. The station design will be shown at a public open house in March. A second public open house will follow in the summer, which will include station finishes and an art concept.

Commissioners unanimously voted in favour of proceeding with the design and tender work to facilitate the construction start of enabling works on the Etobicoke-Finch West LRT in 2010. The Etobicoke-Finch West LRT will provide east-west service along Finch Avenue, from Finch Station on the Yonge Subway to Hwy. 27 (Humber College).

Commissioners approved the final recommendations for improving service on the 501 Queen streetcar route. A strategy called Step Forward will be introduced weekdays, from noon to 8 p.m. This route management technique works by disconnecting the Operator’s schedule from his or her vehicle, which results in significant and measurable improvements in gapping, bunching and short-turning of vehicles. TTC staff will also explore opportunities to apply Step Forward to other routes. 
 The 501 route, which operates in a mixed-traffic environment, was split in two with a downtown overlap on a trail basis late last year. It did not result in service improvements. Customer feedback was negative in both the east and the west experiment.

Commissioners received a report and endorsed a report called “Getting It Right” – Lessons Learned from the St. Clair Streetcar for the Implementation of Transit City. According to its authors, transportation experts Richard M. Soberman and Les Kelman, its main objective is to extract valuable lessons learned from implementing the St. Clair streetcar improvements and using those as a guide for Transit City LRT projects.

Commissioners received a report outlining the preliminary details available following the award of the 2015 Pan Am Games to Toronto, and noted its implications to transit services and Transit City projects, such as the Sheppard LRT, Scarborough-Malvern LRT and the upgrade and extension of the Scarborough RT. Commissioner Bill Saundercook was appointed as the board’s representative for TTC matters related to the Games; Commissioner Ron Moeser was appointed his alternate.