(CELOS)
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Storylines
Storylines
The relationship between the City, and its parks and communities is quite complex, but we're trying to sort it out. For now, we group our reports into two general subject areas: Management & Transparency, and Spending & Programs
Management & Transparency | |
City: Access to InformationJuly 25, 2005 First Batch of City's Playgrounds Secrets are Safe With Them June 24, 2005 CELOS publishes its presentations to provincial Access To Information Adjudicator May 11, 2005 Snakes and Ladders: City Secrets Game about City Playground expenditures April 27, 2005 City Parks and Rec Department has trouble accounting for large expenditures November 18, 2004 See the Access To Information Page City: ManagementFebruary 16, 2006 Parks, Forestry & Rec's current plans, 2005-2006 priorities, and strategic plans including community engagement August 10, 2005 Diary: Parks and Rec New Functional Management Approach July 25, 2005 Parks and Recreation Revolution June 2004 Commentary on the 2004 Strategic Plan Document: Toward a Healthy, Active Future October 24, 2005 Parks Forestry and Recreation Managers (pdf): Who to talk to? June 1, 2004 Map of Strategic Planners' Minds: Restructuring City of Toronto Parks and Recreation, May, 2004 June 2004 Parks and Recreation run like a business: Reality Chack June 1, 2004 An interesting paper about stewardship (definition) in the public service by Jim Armstrong, with reference to the thought of Jane Jacobs. Read more >> Insights into the CityOctober 23, 2005 Quotes from the MFP Report (pdf): A litany of problems in the bureacracy September 16, 2005 March 1, 2004 |
Community Management Boards for Rinks, or Parks?February 20, 2006 Editorial: Does Anyone Have a Broom? The system for maintaining most city rinks is a shambles. posted February 19, 2006  A Clash of Cultures: Recent events at Dufferin Grove Park leading to the contemplation of a Management Board for the rink again raise the question: why is there a serious "crisis" -- a conflict with the city -- once or twice a year? posted February 18, 2006 Thoughts About Parks: Doing More With Less. It’s time to clear up a few things about Dufferin Grove Park and our taxes. posted on February 16, 2006  Fact sheet on City of Toronto community Boards of Management posted February 16, 2006 Outdoor Rink Reports. Here's a look at the rough-and-tumble world of running some of Toronto's outdoor rinks. posted Feburary 15, 2006 Ice Thickness. Each time the ice surface is flooded, the ice slab increases in thickness. While this increase is minimal, there is an additive effect throughout the rink season. posted Feburary 11, 2006 Report of Community Meeting about Rink Management Board Proposal posted February 6, 2006 Letter to the general manager of Parks, Forestry and Recreation posted February 1, 2006 Why a Management Board for City Outdoor Rinks? The City's management of outdoor compressor-run ice rinks isn’t working. posted January 24, 2006  Editorial: The Upside Down World of City Rinks posted Feburary 15, 2006 Refrigerant Safety Issues. According to its thermodynamic qualities, ammonia is one of the best refrigerants presently known. |
Spending & Programs | |
Dufferin Grove Park: How much to run it?In 2001-2002 we spent many weeks trying to find answers to the question: how much tax money is spent to run Dufferin Grove Park? Here are the (somewhat rough) notes we gathered, to do the calculations. |
Dufferin Grove Park: what staff doIn February 2006, the Parks, Forestry and Recreation Director questioned the park budget. Here's a summary of what on-site park staff do, for $166,000 a year total. |
Cinergy: $10M ContractA conditional $10M Parks & Rec contract to reduce energy use in rinkhouses. And it appears the contractor (Cinergy) gets to say whether it's working. We're very concerned about this project. September 13, 2005 What's the matter with the $10.3 million rink energy retrofit contract? December 3, 2005 October 25, 2005 The agreement between CINERGY SOLUTIONS and the City of Toronto: excerpts City: Spendingposted November 22, 2005 Park levies questions: The City collects levies on new development. How much? And where does it go? November 2, 2005 City Audit Committee calls City debt levels "unsustainable" September 13, 2005 Sample Retraining Costs (pdf) obtained through access to information November 18, 2004 City secrets: Parks and Rec Consultants Fees June 7, 2005 A city document - list of Parks and Rec consultant fees (pdf) November 21, 2004 August 12, 2004 THE $803,000 LIST: Boondoggle? August 4, 2004 $800,000 P&R facilities audit passed... Insurance and LawsuitsOctober 12, 2005 Legal Claims against the city for injuries in parks: answers so far (pdf) October 12, 2005 City Insurance: Freedom of Information requests and the answers we got so far (pdf) |
City Playground RemovalsThe issues:October 24, 2005 Playground Destruction: Why we're concerned November 9, 2004 Editorial: Making the Playground Safe August 5, 2004 Playground Removal, May 2004 Newsletter Database of playgrounds:December 6, 2004 City Playgrounds Database: a Wiki of the City's 1999 survey, plans and pictures for about 780 playgrounds December 6, 2004 City Playgrounds Survey, 1999, Summaries Fighting to get information:August 9, 2005 Freedom Of Information: We Get a Surprising Answer About Playground Injuries August 6, 2005 Analysis of CELOS’S Appeal with the Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner May 11, 2005 Snakes and Ladders: City Secrets Game about City Playground expenditures City: Policies and ProgramsNovember 2, 2005 Parks & Rec Advisory Council Terms of Reference (pdf): Could be applied to Dufferin Grove Park April 14, 2005 Celos Launches EMERGENCY PLANS research March 15, 2005 Breastfeeding and Human Rights in Public Spaces March 8, 2005 March 8, 2005 March 8, 2005 July 29, 2004 |
Community & The Law | |
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August 6, 2005 Analysis of CELOS’S Appeal with the Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner posted on February 16, 2006 Fact sheet on City of Toronto community Boards of Management posted on July 5, 2005 Adjudicator's ruling on Freedom Of Information Appeal to get information about spending of playground budget. July 29, 2004 | |