| 147175 | REPORT | N | N | MAIN | ACTION | ADOPTED | N | Establishing the Lawrence Heights Neighbourhood Centre in the Association of Community Centres | 2026.EC29.11 | Y | Y | Y | Y | <p>The Executive Director, Social Development, and the General Manager, Parks and Recreation, recommend that: </p>
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<p>1. City Council establish the Board of Management for the Lawrence Heights Neighbourhood Centre as a new local and city board comprised of 12 total members (11 public members and the Councillor for Ward 8 - Eglinton-Lawrence) operating in accordance with former City of Toronto Municipal Code Chapter 25, Community and Recreation Centres, and the Relationship Framework for the City of Toronto and Association of Community Centre Boards of Management, each as amended, for the property at 5 Leila Lane and 2A Flemington Road (Lawrence Heights Neighbourhood Centre), effective on the date of Community Council's appointment of public members by:</p>
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<p style="padding-left: 30px;">a. Amending former City of Toronto Municipal Code Chapter 25, Community and Recreation Centres, to add a new section 25-36, 5 Leila Lane and 2A Flemington Road (Lawrence Heights Neighbourhood Centre), as outlined in Attachment 1 to the report (May 26, 2026) from the Executive Director, Social Development and General Manager, Parks and Recreation; and</p>
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<p style="padding-left: 30px;">b. Amending the Relationship Framework for the City of Toronto and Association of Community Centre Boards of Management to add a new Schedule 11, Lawrence Heights Neighbourhood Centre, as outlined in Attachment 2 to the report (May 26, 2026) from the Executive Director, Social Development and General Manager, Parks and Recreation.</p>
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<p>2. City Council direct the Executive Director, Social Development, in consultation with the City Clerk, to conduct the recruitment and screening of members of the inaugural Board of Management in accordance with the City’s Public Appointments Policy, and to make recommendations to Community Council for approval in 2027.</p>
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<p>3. City Council direct the City Manager, in consultation with the City Solicitor and Social Development, to make any needed technical or stylistic changes necessary to update the Relationship Framework for the City of Toronto and Association of Community Centre Boards of Management, including to update and correct bylaw and statutory references, and titles of City officials in the first quarter of 2027.</p>
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<p>4. City Council direct the Executive Director, Social Development and General Manager, Parks and Recreation, to report back in the first quarter of 2027 with amendments to the former City of Toronto Municipal Code Chapter 25, Community and Recreation Centres, to update references to statutory authorities, City staff positions and notice and appointment requirements.</p> | <p>There is no immediate financial impact from the adoption of the recommendations contained in this report.</p>
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<p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Capital Investment:</strong></span></p>
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<p>The Lawrence Heights Neighbourhood Centre will be co‑located within the redeveloped Lawrence Heights Community Recreation and Child Care Centre, a significant civic investment delivered through the Toronto Community Housing‑led Lawrence Heights Revitalization. This facility will integrate community development, recreation, and child care services. It will be the first Association of Community Centres (AOCCs) to leverage a city-redevelopment and operate under the Integrated Facility Model endorsed by City Council through the <a href="https://www.toronto.ca/legdocs/mmis/2025/ec/bgrd/backgroundfile-259382.pdf">Strategic Expansion of the Association of Community Centres</a> report.</p>
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<p>The new Lawrence Heights Community Recreation and Child Care Centre will replace the existing Lawrence Heights Community Centre, which will remain operational until construction of the new facility is complete. Capital funding for the development will be administered by Parks and Recreation, which retains responsibility for delivering the co-located AOCC and recreation centre project.</p>
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<p>Funding for the final phases of the Lawrence Heights Community Centre redevelopment is included in the 2026–2035 Capital Budget and Plan, including capital funding required to construct the child care centre, the recreation facilities and AOCC-related space, with construction anticipated to begin in 2027. The AOCC will be fully developed into the Lawrence Heights Community Centre and represents an immaterial percentage of the Centre's total square footage, allowing for the co-location of the AOCC.</p>
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<p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Ongoing Operating Budget Impact:</strong></span></p>
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<p>The establishment of a volunteer Board of Management in 2027 will not result in incremental impact on the 2027 and 2028 operating budgets. The creation of a new AOCC will result in material operating impacts in future years. The establishment and sustainability of the AOCC will be a multi‑year initiative, requiring ongoing funding to support core administrative and governance functions in accordance with the relationship framework between the City of Toronto and the AOCC.</p>
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<p>Operational planning will be addressed through the forthcoming AOCC Facilities and Operations Plan. This plan will serve as the primary mechanism for defining multi‑year operating requirements, transition resources, and implementation timelines to support the phased establishment and ongoing operation of AOCCs.</p>
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<p>For the Lawrence Heights Neighbourhood Centre, core administrative funding is proposed to be phased in gradually, subject to annual Board requests and City Council approval in future budget processes. The projected <a href="https://www.toronto.ca/legdocs/mmis/2025/ec/bgrd/backgroundfile-259385.pdf">Core Operating Phasing</a> (<a href="https://secure.toronto.ca/council/agenda-item.do?item=2025.EC24.2">EC24.2</a>) aligns funding with governance activation, staffing ramp‑up, and the expansion of operational responsibilities.</p>
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<p>Incremental budget pressure would begin in 2028 at $0.1 million to support basic startup needs, including hiring the Executive Director, activating governance, and establishing essential administrative systems. As the Centre transitions to full operations, incremental budget pressure is projected to reach approximately $1.9 million annually, reflecting mature operations and sustained service demand.</p>
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<p>Further assessment and due diligence are required to fully define the scope, costs, and delivery approach. Any proposed funding commitments will be subject to the City’s affordability metrics and capital prioritization framework, and approval through the applicable future budget process.</p>
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<p>The Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer has reviewed this report and agrees with the information as presented in the Financial Impact section. </p> | <p>The City of Toronto operates ten community centres, known as the Association of Community Centres (AOCCs), managed by volunteer Boards of Management appointed by City Council. These multi-purpose facilities serve as catalysts for neighbourhood transformation—providing inclusive spaces that strengthen civic engagement, build local leadership capacity, and advance equity-focused outcomes. All Board-approved programming is carried out by AOCC staff, who operate as City employees within the AOCC <a href="https://www.toronto.ca/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/971c-spc-community-centres.pdf">Relationship Framework</a>, ensuring operational accountability and alignment with City standards. The Council-adopted <a href="https://secure.toronto.ca/council/agenda-item.do?item=2024.EC14.7">AOCC Expansion Framework</a> and <a href="https://secure.toronto.ca/council/agenda-item.do?item=2025.EC24.2">Implementation Strategy</a> affirm the AOCC model as essential social infrastructure that advances equity, social cohesion, and neighbourhood resilience.</p>
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<p>This report seeks City Council approval to establish the Lawrence Heights Neighbourhood Centre as a new Board of Management under the former City of Toronto Municipal Code Chapter 25, Recreation and Community Centres, and the AOCC Relationship Framework. Early approval reflects the lead-time required to operationalize an AOCC, providing sufficient time to form the Board, recruit an Executive Director, develop governance policies, onboard staff, and advance critical financial planning and grant development.</p>
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<p>The Lawrence Heights Neighbourhood Centre marks the first expansion of the AOCC portfolio in over 30 years, a generational milestone for the model. The Centre will be co-located within the redeveloped Lawrence Heights Community Recreation Centre and Child Care Centre, a major civic investment delivered as part of the Toronto Community Housing-led Lawrence Heights Revitalization. This integrated, co-located approach aligns community development, recreation, and child care services within a single neighbourhood hub, strengthening service coordination, improving access, and maximizing the public value of City-owned infrastructure.</p>
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<p>A demographic and service analysis confirms that Lawrence Heights and the surrounding neighbourhoods exhibit elevated community need, limited access to stable community spaces, and significant population growth linked to ongoing redevelopment. </p>
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<p>A phased approach to activating governance, staffing, and resourcing is proposed and aligns with the AOCC Expansion Implementation Strategy. Operational costs will be incorporated into the forthcoming AOCC Facilities and Operations Plan, with an update to be reported to the Economic and Community Development Committee in 2028, including associated funding requirements for consideration through the City Budget process.</p> | 29 | 11 | CMMTTEE | EC | 8 - Eglinton - Lawrence | N | … | Report | ACTION | Adopted | Main | Committee | … | … | … | … | … | … | … | … | … | … | … | Decision information not found | false | Adopted | … | … | … | … | 1782273600000 |