AlvinofDiaspar
Moderator
From the May 5 WT Board Meeting CEO Report:
Government Relations Federal Sunset Extension
WT has secured support from Minister Flaherty and his office to extend the federal government's participation in waterfront revitalization from the current sunset of March 31, 2011 to March 31, 2012. Our rationale for an extension has been to ensure the delivery of federally funded projects including Canada Square at Harbourfront Centre, Don River Park, George Brown College (the WT/GBC parking lot joint venture) and Underpass Park in the West Don Lands. Given delays beyond WT„s control - most notably delays in the completion of the flood protection landform – WT has been unable to begin construction of Don River Park and Underpass Park. The Minister has provided the federal secretariat with the authority to seek Treasury Board approval for a program extension. On a parallel track, WT is meeting with Minister Flaherty‟s Chief of Staff to discuss the benefits of a longer term federal presence in waterfront revitalization. The federal government is scheduled to wind up its participation at the very time when projects (parks and development projects) are coming to fruition.
Provincial Board Members Meeting with Craig MacLennan - Chief of Staff to Minister Duguid
Provincial members met with Craig MacLennan on April 19, 2010 to review the waterfront project as part of the invitation by both the Minister and the Chief of Staff personally to keep the lines of communication with the Minister‟s office open. We are arranging for a briefing and tour for Craig MacLennan and for the new members of MEI‟s staff responsible for our file.
http://www.waterfrontoronto.ca/uploads/documents/ceo_report_public_1.pdf
From the October 28 WT Board Meeting CEO Report:
Funding and Governance Issues Progress on these items is happening slowly and incrementally and not without a certain degree of frustration. WT, along with the Corporation’s Chair, met with senior officials from each level of government on September 28, 2009. Governments are not supportive of base funding – each has its own rationale for its position. In the case of the provincial and the federal governments, it is unclear whether political direction has been provided or sought on this issue. Governments are supportive in varying degrees to streamlining the current approvals process in the following areas: Providing funding annually rather than quarterly; and Streamlining or collapsing Contribution Agreements where possible and creating precinct wide Contribution Agreements.
The City has provided operational governance conditional upon the other two levels of government providing the same. Provincial staff continues to reiterate support in principle for enhanced operational governance but there is no confirmation of when this is likely to occur. What is clear is that in the absence of provincial action to grant enhanced governance, the federal government, focused on its exit from the waterfront project in 2011, is not prepared to recommend operational governance. The federal 2011 sunset clause poses significant challenges for WT. Management is speaking to the Minister’s office urging an administrative extension of the sunset clause.
Long Term Plan (LTP) Management initially presented the Board with its recommended options on the (LTP) on June 24, 2009. At the direction of the Board, Management has been engaged in prolonged consultations with governments to further develop and discuss the 2009 LTP. Management concluded consultations with governments on September 24, 2009. The Plan is not endorsed by all three governments. The City has endorsed the Plan but will be asking for conditional Council approval based on, among other things, borrowing powers being given to WT. The Plan includes a larger deficit and risks and contingencies. Full Board discussion is required on this item.
http://www.waterfrontoronto.ca/dbdocs/4aeafeb02add0.pdf
From the Sept. 29 WT Board Meeting CEO Report:
Base Funding & Operational Governance
In the absence of tri-government concurrence to shift WT’s funding model from the current project by project based approach to a multiyear or “base funding” model, at the request of governments WT has prepared a list of streamlining options (“low-hanging fruit”) which could immediately make more efficient the current funding and approvals processes.
These options include:
requesting that governments provide funding annually rather than quarterly; streamlining or collapsing contribution agreements to the degree possible; bundling contribution agreements by theme and creating precinct wide contribution agreements; raising the federal Treasury Board threshold for project approvals from $10M to a more appropriate level given our project work i.e. $30M; and allowing WT to reallocate under-spent funds from completed contribution agreements to other approved projects that require additional funding, rather than return to governments.
These options will be formally discussed with governments at the Intergovernmental Steering Committee meeting scheduled for September 28, 2009.
The provincial and federal governments continue to review our operational governance proposal (i.e. ability to borrow, mortgage its assets, and create real estate subsidiaries). This issue was first raised a number of years ago and a formal request for operational governance was made in September 2007. Minister Smitherman’s office has indicated recently that this issue is top of mind for senior staff and the Minister however we have been given no firm time commitment for advancing the issue. It is unlikely that WT will receive federal approval for enhanced operational governance in the absence of provincial approval. A challenge becomes ensuring that federal officials remain engaged in necessary operational governance improvements required for the life-cycle of WT’s mandate notwithstanding the federal 2011 sunset clause.
http://www.waterfrontoronto.ca/dbdocs/4aaaa27799cee.pdf
AoD
Government Relations Federal Sunset Extension
WT has secured support from Minister Flaherty and his office to extend the federal government's participation in waterfront revitalization from the current sunset of March 31, 2011 to March 31, 2012. Our rationale for an extension has been to ensure the delivery of federally funded projects including Canada Square at Harbourfront Centre, Don River Park, George Brown College (the WT/GBC parking lot joint venture) and Underpass Park in the West Don Lands. Given delays beyond WT„s control - most notably delays in the completion of the flood protection landform – WT has been unable to begin construction of Don River Park and Underpass Park. The Minister has provided the federal secretariat with the authority to seek Treasury Board approval for a program extension. On a parallel track, WT is meeting with Minister Flaherty‟s Chief of Staff to discuss the benefits of a longer term federal presence in waterfront revitalization. The federal government is scheduled to wind up its participation at the very time when projects (parks and development projects) are coming to fruition.
Provincial Board Members Meeting with Craig MacLennan - Chief of Staff to Minister Duguid
Provincial members met with Craig MacLennan on April 19, 2010 to review the waterfront project as part of the invitation by both the Minister and the Chief of Staff personally to keep the lines of communication with the Minister‟s office open. We are arranging for a briefing and tour for Craig MacLennan and for the new members of MEI‟s staff responsible for our file.
http://www.waterfrontoronto.ca/uploads/documents/ceo_report_public_1.pdf
From the October 28 WT Board Meeting CEO Report:
Funding and Governance Issues Progress on these items is happening slowly and incrementally and not without a certain degree of frustration. WT, along with the Corporation’s Chair, met with senior officials from each level of government on September 28, 2009. Governments are not supportive of base funding – each has its own rationale for its position. In the case of the provincial and the federal governments, it is unclear whether political direction has been provided or sought on this issue. Governments are supportive in varying degrees to streamlining the current approvals process in the following areas: Providing funding annually rather than quarterly; and Streamlining or collapsing Contribution Agreements where possible and creating precinct wide Contribution Agreements.
The City has provided operational governance conditional upon the other two levels of government providing the same. Provincial staff continues to reiterate support in principle for enhanced operational governance but there is no confirmation of when this is likely to occur. What is clear is that in the absence of provincial action to grant enhanced governance, the federal government, focused on its exit from the waterfront project in 2011, is not prepared to recommend operational governance. The federal 2011 sunset clause poses significant challenges for WT. Management is speaking to the Minister’s office urging an administrative extension of the sunset clause.
Long Term Plan (LTP) Management initially presented the Board with its recommended options on the (LTP) on June 24, 2009. At the direction of the Board, Management has been engaged in prolonged consultations with governments to further develop and discuss the 2009 LTP. Management concluded consultations with governments on September 24, 2009. The Plan is not endorsed by all three governments. The City has endorsed the Plan but will be asking for conditional Council approval based on, among other things, borrowing powers being given to WT. The Plan includes a larger deficit and risks and contingencies. Full Board discussion is required on this item.
http://www.waterfrontoronto.ca/dbdocs/4aeafeb02add0.pdf
From the Sept. 29 WT Board Meeting CEO Report:
Base Funding & Operational Governance
In the absence of tri-government concurrence to shift WT’s funding model from the current project by project based approach to a multiyear or “base funding” model, at the request of governments WT has prepared a list of streamlining options (“low-hanging fruit”) which could immediately make more efficient the current funding and approvals processes.
These options include:
requesting that governments provide funding annually rather than quarterly; streamlining or collapsing contribution agreements to the degree possible; bundling contribution agreements by theme and creating precinct wide contribution agreements; raising the federal Treasury Board threshold for project approvals from $10M to a more appropriate level given our project work i.e. $30M; and allowing WT to reallocate under-spent funds from completed contribution agreements to other approved projects that require additional funding, rather than return to governments.
These options will be formally discussed with governments at the Intergovernmental Steering Committee meeting scheduled for September 28, 2009.
The provincial and federal governments continue to review our operational governance proposal (i.e. ability to borrow, mortgage its assets, and create real estate subsidiaries). This issue was first raised a number of years ago and a formal request for operational governance was made in September 2007. Minister Smitherman’s office has indicated recently that this issue is top of mind for senior staff and the Minister however we have been given no firm time commitment for advancing the issue. It is unlikely that WT will receive federal approval for enhanced operational governance in the absence of provincial approval. A challenge becomes ensuring that federal officials remain engaged in necessary operational governance improvements required for the life-cycle of WT’s mandate notwithstanding the federal 2011 sunset clause.
http://www.waterfrontoronto.ca/dbdocs/4aaaa27799cee.pdf
AoD
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