City of Toronto: City Council, Environmental Task Force Page 1 of 4

  Environmental Task Force - mandate transferred

Committees     
Directory of The mandate for the Environmental Task Force was transferred
committees and to the Sustainability Roundtable and then to the Roundtable on
task forces the Environment. The following material is provided for archival
Staff contacts purposes.
Deputations
Public appointments
Get involved
Meeting schedules
Agendas/Minutes "Toxic/Pollution Prevention" Workshop
Municipal Code/
bylaws Summary Notes
City Council
Council structure
Mayor Wednesday September 9, 1998
Councillors 1:30 pm - 4:30 pm
Ward profiles Metro Hall, Committee Room 313
   
    Chair: Councillor Irene Jones
Coordinator: Jane Weninger, Public Health
Facilitator: Carol Mee, Public Health
Facilitator: Drew Shintani, Works and Emergency Services, 392-
1454
Attendees
Priority Issue Categories
Priority Issues
Priority Quick Starts

Attendees

Environmental Task Force

Irene Jones - Councillor
Rosalie Bertell -
Jim Chisholm  International Institute of Concerns for Public Health
Beth Savan - Cupe Local 79
- University of Toronto

Business/Industry
Andrew MacDonald - Tor. Cad. Electroplating

Agency Representatives/Experts
Joyce McLean - Environmental Consultant
Adam Socha - Ministry of the Environment

Environment Community Groups

Marcie Goldman - Parents' Environmental Network
Rich Whate - Toronto Environmental Alliance
Janet May - Toronto Environmental Alliance
Morag Simpson - Greenpeace Canada
Julia Langer - WWF

City Staff
Fred Hendriks - North York, Environmental Committee
Siu Fong - Toronto Public Health, Environmental Protection
Office
Monica Campbell - Toronto Public Health
Vic Lim - Toronto Works & Emergency Services

Priority Issue Categories

# of
Votes
Pesticide Use Elimination 11

http://www.toronto.ca/council/environtf_toxic1_workshop.htm 20/05/2009
City of Toronto: City Council, Environmental Task Force Page 2 of 4

Toxics Elimination 8
Protection of Vulnerable Population 8
Clean Sludge 7
Identification and Remediation of Hazardous Waste 4
Sites
Work and Commuting 4
Water Quality and Conservation 0
Total # of Votes: 42
Number of Participants: 18

Priority Issues

Pesticide Use Elimination

P 1.1 Preferential Procurement policy for organic/IPM-grown food
P 1.2 Promote organic and IPM foods (decrease pesticides)
P 1.3 Moratorium on Pesticide use by City (indoors and out)
P 1.4 Decrease pesticide use on private lawns
P 1.5 Moratorium on pesticide use on public green space
P 1.6 Address indoor pesticide use
P 1.7 End cosmetic use of pesticides by citizens
P 1.8 Work towards ban on pesticides sale and use in City
P 1.9 Promote alternative to cosmetic use of herbicides through
education
P 1.10 Pesticide elimination - substitute IPM
P 1.11 Eliminate Pesticide use by homeowners and others through
by-law

Toxics Elimination
P 2.1 Corporate toxic-free purchasing policy
P 2.2 Public disclosure of toxics
P 2.3 Zero discharge and virtual elimination
P 2.4 Use of toxics (quantity reductions)
P 2.5 No brominated flame retardants on equipment/materials
P 2.6 Avoid all incineration programmes/practices
P 2.7 Reduce solvent emissions into air (i.e. perc free
neighbourhoods)
P 2.8 Involuntary exposure to toxics (options, legal rights)
P 2.9 No halon fire extinguishers
P 2.10 Multi-sector pollution prevention program
P 2.11 Ban sale and use of toxics in Toronto
P 2.12 Introduce graduated business license fee to phase-out
P 2.13 toxics
P 2.14 City procurement
P 2.15 Ban/Phase-out hazardous (MOE list) substances
Eliminate chlorine usage (wastewater)

Economic Instruments and Opportunities

P 3.1 Children's Environmental health and programming i) People
must be educated about their environmental impact; ii)
People must be responsible.
P 3.2 Develop health based exposure standards for all hazards
(label them)
P 3.3 Evaluation of public awareness interventions' effectiveness
P 3.4 Substitute hazard assessment for risk assessment (based on
organization manual)

Clean Sludge
P 4.1 Reduce/eliminate manufacture of toxics
P 4.2 Need transition strategies
P 4.3 Prevent toxics to sewage (and to air/water afterwards)
through use of "Toxics Tax"; monitoring/enforcement; safety
of plant workers
P 4.4 Pollution Prevention
- encourage/recognize participation and progress e.g. ARET
programme
P 4.5 Expand Chlorine free water treatment pilot project
P 4.6 Controlled devices at Works Yards (e.g. Stormceptor)
P 4.7 Get toxic substances out of Sewers (biosolids management)
P 4.8 Toxics Tax for Sewage Effluent contributions
P 4.9 Pollution Prevention Planning in Sewer Use by-law
P 4.10 Sewer system action plan

http://www.toronto.ca/council/environtf_toxic1_workshop.htm 20/05/2009
City of Toronto: City Council, Environmental Task Force Page 3 of 4

P 4.11 Reward clean production technology

Identification and Remediation of Hazardous Waste Sites

P 5.1 Alternative, non-incineration technologies
P 5.2 Identify all hazardous waste sites (clean up)
P 5.3 Quantity of Waste: reduce; fee for excess; maximize
recycling, composting
P 5.4 Advocate the deregistration of all PCB sites

Work and Commuting

P 6.1 Job Swap Registry
P 6.2 e.g. Scarborough resident working out of Scarborough office
P 6.3 Reduce car usage
P 6.4 Planned Job start - stop.
P 6.5 Flexible hours
P 6.6 Transponder on road with greatest traffic in City
P 6.7 Reduce Property taxes for home businesses
P 6.8 (Decreased commuting)
P 6.9 Require company metropasses for all companies with more
than ten staff

Water Quality and Conservation

P 7.1 Water Conservation - use Chillers or Cooling Towers instead
of once-through cooling
P 7.2 No chlorine treatment of water

Priority Quick Starts

# of Votes
P.a 2 x /yr curbside pick-up of hazardous waste 9
P.b Adopt City toxic-free purchasing policy 8
P.c Setting targets to reduce pesticide use 4
P.d Implement "Roach Coach" project (eliminate 4
pesticide spraying in homes)
P.e Children's health watch/environmental hotline 3
P.f Eliminate pesticide use in public lands 1

Other Quick Starts

P.g More public education on pesticide alternatives
P.h Eliminate pesticide use by the City
P.i Toxic/chlorine free products for City procurement
P.j One-year moratorium on pesticides on public gr. Space
(except golf courses)
P.k Ban pesticides in residences not living in (owner/tenants)
P.l Designate car-free zone
P.m Environmental hotline
P.n On smog alert days ban half of all cars to downtown
P.o Pass by-law prohibiting pesticide spraying
P.p Eliminate cosmetic spraying in City property of pesticides
P.q Offer incentives to home owners who don't use pesticides
i.e. - free compost from city
- free lawn and garden consultation
P.r Increase Lead Awareness through Building Permit process
P.s Use "Green Clean" for official uniforms
(Corporate staff, TTC, policy, ambulance etc.)
P.t -law restricting/eliminating key chemicals from sewer
discharge
P.u By-law eliminating cosmetic pesticide use
P.v Develop pre-treatment standards under sewer-use by-law
P.w Develop a toxics tax for polluting industries and services
(Fair Tax Commission)
P.x Work where you live practise
P.y More Environment days
P.z Identify hazardous waste sites
P.aa Promote PERC free Neighbourhoods (PERC free apartment
buildings)

http://www.toronto.ca/council/environtf_toxic1_workshop.htm 20/05/2009
City of Toronto: City Council, Environmental Task Force Page 4 of 4

P.ab Adopt zoning commitment to ban siting of new incinerators

P.ac Review fire codes to prevent PVC stockpiles
P.ad Identify all hazardous waste sites (inventory)
P.ae Work from home during smog days or snow storms (as
appropriate)
P.af Flexible work day
P.ag Restricted vehicle access downtown
i.e. need to display Metropass in car window to drive private
cards downtown "orange card" idea (France)
plus free downtown transit (like Seattle)
P.ah Deposit - Return on motor oil
- containers to be returned full of the used oil.
P.ai Metropass
- municipal tax deduction if employer-provided
P.aj Signage in Parks (on watercourses) for reporting spills
P.ak Develop "Harmonized Homeowner Guide to Environmental
Services"
P.al Mandatory lights off in municipal buildings at night
P.am Adoption or zero discharge statement or principles
P.an Partnership with local school board (student-driven toxics
elimination projects)
P.ao Calendar with daily pollution prevention tips
P.ap Identify household toxics explicitly household hazardous
waste curbside pick-up twice a year
P.aq Replace City vehicles with EV, CNG, Propane fueled vehicles
P.ar Make daycares lead-free

Return to task force home page

 
Toronto maps | Get involved | Toronto links © City of Toronto 1998-2009  

http://www.toronto.ca/council/environtf_toxic1_workshop.htm 20/05/2009