Eglinton Crosstown LRT

The Eglinton Crosstown LRT will run across Eglinton Avenue between Mount Dennis (Weston Road) and Kennedy Station providing fast, reliable and comfortable transit for communities including eight Neighbourhood Improvement Area. Learn more.

The Eglinton Crosstown LRT is the first large scale infrastructure project in Ontario to include a Community Benefits Program. In 2014, the Toronto Community Benefits Network signed a Community Benefits Framework with Metrolinx, the first of its kind in Ontario. The community benefits commitments include: 

• 10% aspirational target of all trades and/craft working hours on a trade-by-trade basis to be performed by apprentices from historically disadvantaged community and/or equity seeking groups
• Professional, administrative and technical (PAT) career opportunities for people from historically disadvantaged community and/or equity seeking groups
• Specific outreach and programs for youth-at-risk, historically disadvantaged groups in local communities including low income, racialized and immigrant populations, and military veterans.
• Maximize purchasing and procurement opportunities from local businesses, social enterprises and outreach to diverse owned businesses  
• Community Benefits Working Group which meets quarterly to monitor/report on community benefits outcomes. Includes representation from TCBN, Metrolinx community, labour, government and selected general contract Crosslinx Transit Solutions 
• Environmental protections and preservation of the historic Kodak Building (1939) 

Outcomes (as of June 30, 2021)

• Apprentices and Journeypersons - 212 placements under the community benefits program
• Professional Administrative and Technical - 227 placements under the community benefits program
• Local Procurement - $8,802,197
• Social Procurement - $832,051
• Quarterly Meetings - Ongoing
• Community Benefits Plan and Quarterly Public Reports - http://www.thecrosstown.ca/community-benefits

Finch West LRT

The LRT route will run approximately 11 kilometres along Finch Avenue West, from Humber College in the west to the new Finch West Subway Station in the east. The 18-stop LRT will include 16 above ground stops and a maintenance and storage facility for storing and maintaining LRT vehicles. This major infrastructure investment will provide benefits for the communities along the Project corridor including employment, training, apprenticeship, local supplier, and social procurement opportunities. Learn more. The community benefits commitments include: 

• 10% aspirational target of all trades and/craft working hours on a trade-by-trade basis to be performed by apprentices from historically disadvantaged community and/or equity seeking groups
• Professional, administrative and technical (PAT) career opportunities for people from historically disadvantaged community and/or equity seeking groups
• Specific outreach and programs for youth-at-risk, historically disadvantaged groups in local communities including low income, racialized and immigrant populations, and military veterans.
• Maximize purchasing and procurement opportunities from local businesses, social enterprises and outreach to diverse owned businesses  
• Section of public Metrolinx land provided for future community purposes including a Community Hub & Centre for the Arts
• Community Benefits Working Group which meets quarterly to monitor/report on community benefits outcomes. Includes representation from TCBN, Metrolinx community, labour, government and selected general contract Crosslinx Transit Solutions

Outcomes (as of December 31, 2020)

• Apprentices  - 31 apprentices and trade persons through the community benefits program
• Professional Administrative and Technical - 16 positions through the community benefits program
• Local Procurement* - $3,400,000
• Quarterly Meetings - Ongoing 
• Community Benefits Plan and Quarterly Public Reports - http://mosaictransit.com/reports.html

• In April 2018, Toronto City Council approved for the first community benefits agreement to be signed with a project developer. The new expansion of a casino facility, several hotels, performance theatre venue and retail district is expected to generate over 4,600 new jobs. Learn more. The commitments in the Community Benefits Agreements include: 
• a minimum of 10% of the overall hours worked by trades and craftspeople shall be worked by apprentices or journeypersons from the Woodbine Local Area or Equity-seeking Groups
• youth hiring initiatives will have prioritized and will continue to prioritize youth who are also members of other Equity-seeking Groups
• With the exception of the procurement of specialized items used in the gaming industry including gaming devices and technology, commencing in 2019, OGGLP shall ensure that a minimum of 10% of annual non-construction procurement will be through Local or Diverse Suppliers
• a minimum of 40% of new hiring of Woodbine Gaming Lands Employees (to be tracked through headcount) will have been and will continue to be hired through Local Hiring or Social Hiring, of which at least half shall have been and shall continue to be through Local Hiring
• Full time work - After two years, 50% of jobs must be full-time 
• $5 Million investment to the City of Toronto for the development of a new child care facility in the area
• Community access to space policy and ongoing training opportunities 

Outcomes (as of December 31, 2020)

• (Construction) Social Hiring* - 1.5% (13 individuals) 
• (Construction) Local Hiring** - 27% (234 individuals) 
• (Operations) Social Hiring* - 49% (816 individuals) of new hires were through local and/or social hiring.
• (Operations) Local hiring** - 11% (176 individuals) 
• (Operations) Youth hires - 13% (219 individuals) 
• Total number of new hires - 1,150
• Local Procurement (2020) - $116 million 
• Social Procurement (2020) - $645,000
• Full time work - On the requirement for full-time employment, of the 1,798 active employees in March 2020, 56 per cent were working full time, which exceeds the 40 per cent requirement for year two.
• Child care centre - $5M contribution has been made to the City of Toronto, identifying site location

*Social hiring means employing people who self-identify with an equity-seeking group or people who face unique barriers to employment, including Ontario Works clients. Equity-seeking group means Aboriginal peoples, persons with disabilities, racialized groups and visible minorities, women, lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, queer, two-spirit communities (LBGTQ2S), undocumented individuals, newcomers, immigrants and refugees, and persons with low income and youth. With respect to hiring obligations in this Agreement, equity-seeking groups do not include any person not legally entitled to work in Canada.

**Local hiring means employment opportunities for people who live in the Woodbine Local Area.

***Woodbine Local Area means the area bounded by Steeles Avenue to the north, the Humber River to the east, Census Tract boundaries established by the Bureau of Census along or below Dixon Road to the south, and Renforth Drive to the west, and also includes the area south of Dixon Road down to The Westway, between Kipling Avenue and Royal York Road

Community Benefits Reporting - https://www.toronto.ca/city-government/accountability-operations-customer-service/long-term-vision-plans-and-strategies/community-benefits-framework/community-benefits-agreements/

West Park Healthcare Centre

In 2017, the Ontario government announced the West Park Healthcare Centre revitalization as one of 5 pilot projects which will include community benefits. The community benefits approach to this project will provide new local economic opportunities for residents from historically disadvantaged communities and equity seeking groups. Learn more.

CBA Campaigns

See link to community benefits campaigns that TCBN is involved with in neighbourhoods in Toronto and across the country. Learn more.