Common Local Issues
Frequently Asked Questions
“My garbage/recycling/green bin hasn’t been picked up. How can I get it collected?”
Your garbage is picked up weekly on a set day. If your street was missed on the day it’s usually collected, you can call the City’s Solid Waste Management Division at 416-338-2010.
“My street is a mess! How can I get it cleaned?”
REQUESTS FOR CLEANING OF THE ACTUAL ROADWAY
Transportation Services - 416-338-9999 (option #1, then option for district)
Transportation Services is responsible for sweeping the actual roadways. Transportation will also do manual cleaning between parked vehicles on interior residential streets. In addition, they will respond to calls regarding broken glass in a roadway.
LITTER ON SIDEWALKS, BOULEVARDS, STREET ALLOWANCE
Solid Waste Management – 416-392-0873
“My neighbour’s property is a mess. Can the City make him or her clean it up?”
The City's Property Standards By-laws say that all homes must meet minimum standards for safety and tidiness. For instance, weeds and grass must be kept clipped, and garbage and debris must be contained.
If a homeowner does not properly maintain his or her property, the City will send a Property Standards Investigator to the home to identify bylaw infractions. The homeowner will be sent a notice requiring them to make the necessary repairs by a set date. If the homeowner doesn’t comply, the City may take them to court. Other common by-law infractions include missing or broken windows and doors and dilapidated cars being stored on the property.
If you’d like an inspector to visit the property, call Municipal Licensing and Standards at 416-338-0800.
“My landlord won’t maintain my unit or our building. Repairs don’t get done, even though I’ve asked for them. What can I do?”
If you haven’t contacted your landlord directly, you should do that first.
If you don’t get a reasonable response or action, contact Municipal Licensing and Standards at 416-338-0800 to request an inspection. The inspector can issue a work order that can be followed up with fines and court action if the landlord doesn’t complete the ordered work.
“People are parking on my street illegally. What can I do?”
To report illegally parked or abandoned vehicles on your street, contact Parking Enforcement at 416-808-6600 and an officer will be dispatched to investigate.
“I received a parking ticket that I don't deserve. How can I appeal it?”
Instructions for appealing your ticket can be found on the back of it. If you need any assistance, please call the Parking Tags Office at 416-397-8247. Depending on the circumstances, they may be able to cancel the ticket for you if there is evidence the officer who issued it made a mistake, or you may need to appeal the ticket before the Courts.
“A street light is burnt out on my street. Who should I call?"
To get burnt out street lights repaired, contact Toronto Hydro's Street Light Outage Line at 416-542-3195.
“My neighbours dog barks all night long and makes a smelly mess everywhere. Can anything be done?"
Contact Animal Services at 416-338-PAWS. They will be able to send an inspector to investigate and talk to your neighbour about responsible pet ownership.
“I want to do a renovation to my house or exterior yard. Do I need to get a permit?”
The general rule of thumb is that you always need a permit for any work that involves structural changes to your home or property. It is always a good idea to check with Toronto Buldings staff before beginning a home improvement project to ask questions about getting a permit or any other requirements. You can reach them at 416-396-7526.
“I can't find a daycare space for my child. What should I do?"
Contact Children's Services at 416-392-KIDS. They can provide information about various child care options, what child care centres are located in your area that have available spaces, and whether your child qualifies for any governement child care subsidies.
“I think my property taxes are too high. How can I appeal them?”
The City only collects property taxes, which account for about 5 cents of every tax dollar you spend. Other taxes, such as income and sales taxes, are collected by the provincial and federal governments.
Your property taxes are calculated based on an assessment of your property’s sale value and a base tax rate. If your taxes have increased dramatically, it is often because your property has increased in value. Your property value is assessed by the Municipal Property Assessment Corporation, a Provincial body.
If you think MPAC has assessed your property at more than it’s worth, they will review the assessment if you send them a “Request for Reconsideration” within the allotted time. There is no fee for this review.
RfR forms are available on MPAC’s web site (www.mpac.ca), or by calling them toll free at 1 866 296-MPAC (6722). You may also write a letter requesting a review of your assessment. Please include the following information in your letter:
- 19-digit roll number;
- your full name, address and phone number; and
- all the reasons why you feel your assessment is incorrect (i.e. include examples).
The more details about your property that you provide, the quicker and easier it is for them to perform a review on your behalf.
If you still disagree, you can file an appeal with the Assessment Review Board (www.gov.on.ca) and in some cases, Councillor Giambrone’s office might be able to help you prepare for it.
“The sewer behind or in front of my house is clogged, causing flooding. How do I get it unclogged?”
Be careful! A flooded basement poses a risk of electrical shock and flood water may contain bacteria harmful to health.
Here are the four steps to follow in the event of a flooded basement:
- Call Works and Emergency Services staff immediately at: 416-338-8888, 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
- Call your insurance company as soon as possible and report property damage caused by the flooding.
- Be mindful of health and safety when cleaning up your flooded basement.
- Consider getting help with flooding clean up. Look in the Yellow Pages under ‘Water Damage Restoration’.
For more information about basement flooding, visit:
http://www.toronto.ca/water/sewers/basement_flooding.htm
“A City tree has blocked my sewer connection. Will the City repair it?”
Assistance is available to homeowners through the Drain Grant Program when the City investigation determines that a portion of the sanitary and/or storm service lines on private property have been infiltrated by tree roots from a City owned-tree. In some cases, grants of up to $1500 may be available.
For information about the Drain Grant program, visit:
http://www.toronto.ca/water/sewers/basement_flooding.htm |
