On July 19, 2022, Toronto City Council approved EX34.7 – Review and Considerations for a Housing Commissioner Role or Function. Following its approval, Council requested that Ombudsman Toronto consider the May 2022 Maytree Consultant Report (“Crean and Maytree Report”), as well as the June 2022 City Manager’s Report and Recommendations to Council (“City Manager's Report”), and provide Council with recommendations related to the resources and structure required for the office to focus on investigations and reports related to systemic housing discrimination and systemic hurdles in the City of Toronto’s housing planning and service delivery roles, including the consideration of a dedicated Deputy Ombudsman, Housing. This report will outline the structure and identify the resources required to take on the proposed role, should Council provide its approval. Our review, requested by City Council, included an examination of Council’s July 19, 2022 decision, the HousingTO 2020-2030 Action Plan, the Housing Charter, the Crean and Maytree Report, and the City Manager’s Report. The Crean and Maytree Report notes that “a single action, individual or office may not be an effective way to advance Toronto’s objectives outlined in the Housing Charter.“[1] This was also the conclusion reached by the City Manager, who wrote in his June report that “a suite of actions delivered in concert with each other is more likely to achieve Council's goals.” Providing Ombudsman Toronto with the resources to conduct systemic investigations and reports that focus on housing would be one of several activities the City has proposed to achieve its housing goals.
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