David Hutcheon

David Hutcheon is a former municipal politician in Toronto, Ontario.

Hutcheon has an honours Bachelor of Arts Degree in History from Rutgers University and a Master's degree in public administration from the University of Western Ontario. He is a Henry Rutgers Scholar and is a recipient of the Canadian Institute of Planners S. George Ritch Award. The Commemorative Medal for the 125th Anniversary of the Confederation of Canada was conferred upon Mr. Hutcheon for outstanding and significant voluntary service to his community. The medal, is presented to Canadians who have made a significant contrabution to their fellow citizens, to their community, or to Canada.^[1]

Hutcheon served on city council of Toronto prior to amalgamation. In 1994 he won the election in Ward 1 with 3,963 votes beating his closest rival by 781 votes.^[2] While on council he served as deputy mayor and budget chief.

David Hutcheon served as city councillor for Ward 1 in the former City of Toronto from 1994 to 1997. His first experience of running in electoral politics was the 1991 municipal election. Hutcheon became the City’s last Budget Chief and held the position of Deputy Mayor. He chaired the Homeless Emergency Action Task Force. He served as a member of the Board of Directors of the Toronto Harbour Commission. He was a Director of the Runnymede Chronic Care Hospital. A founding member of the Canadian Urban Institute, he was appointed to the Board of Directors by Council in 1993 and continued to serve on the Board until 2002.

During his 3-year term of office Hutcheon’s achievements were many and varied. Hutcheon served on the following Council committees and boards: Budget Review Group (Chair), Executive, Homeless Emergency Action Task Force (Chair), Corporate Review, Streamlining, Joint Budget and Personnel, Community Services, Neighbourhoods, Day Care, Grants, Rent Control, Nominating. He also served on the following business community boards: Bloor West Village BIA (Business Improvement Area) and the Junction Gardens BIA.

Appointed by his peers as the City’s last Budget Chief and as a member of the Budget Review Committee, Hutcheon oversaw a capital and operating budget of $550 million and 6,500 employees which included five different unions. For three years in a row, he successfully convinced Council to approve a “No-Tax Increase” budget.

As a member of the Budget Review Committee and Streamlining Committee, he was a leader in the transformation and modernization of an outdated management structure, which was replaced by the Toronto Board of Management. Council replaced 13 individual City departments and commissioners with four newly integrated service areas. The overall responsibility for the management and co-ordination of the civic service was vested in the Board of Management. Each of the four new commissioners was equally accountable for the effective discharge of their duties, as if each one was one-quarter of a City Manger. They functioned as a single voice when advising Council. This brought about a significant reduction in red tape, overstaffing, improved moral and better customer satisfaction.

A committed environmentalist, Hutcheon convinced the City, Regional, Provincial, and Federal governments to fund and build the $60 million Western Beaches Storage Tunnel to make Toronto’s waterfront water swimmable, drinkable, and fishable. As Budget Chief, he approved the City’s initial budget.

Shocked by the death of 3 homeless people on the streets of Toronto, Hutcheon organized “Operation Cold Snap” an emergency program, the first in Canada, to use civilian and military volunteers to provide winter emergency shelter for the homeless. He negotiated the use of Moss Park Armoury for this purpose; some 3,000 people made use of the 14-night shelter. He chaired the City’s Homeless Emergency Action Task Force and developed the City of Toronto’s Extreme Cold Weather Alert program. A multi-government action plan designed to assist the homeless that goes into action when the temperature drops below minus15 degrees Celsius or the Medical Officer of health deems it necessary. It is still in use today. In honour of his work, he was made an “Honorary Rifleman,” by the Queen’s Own Rifles of Canada, the regiment that successfully manned the Armoury.

In the city fight against graffiti in Ward One, Hutcheon implemented the highly successful “Take Back the Wall” Graffiti Program. Through this program the city regained and modernized a community park and created job programs for young artists with the support of the business community and local neighbourhood.

His concern for High Park and the survival of the City’s trees drove the implementation of the first City of Toronto-wide tree bylaw, which continues to this day. High Park was naturalized, a “dead” Grenadier Pond revived and a new lock installed, as well as the creation of wetlands, construction of a new sedimentation pond on Wendigo Creek Pond, and the restoration of the animal habitat. To improve public safety he fostered the establishment of High Park Watch.

During his tenure the Western Beaches Board Walk was constructed along the shore of Lake Ontario, the historic Sunnyside Pavilion was renovated and modernised and the beaches were cleaned.

As a result of his work in City building, Hutcheon was invited by the government of Japan to be a featured speaker at the Council of Local Authorities for International Relations (CLAIR) in Tokyo, in 1996.

As a member of the Toronto Harbour Commission, he supported the modernization of management systems and administration at the Commission. He convinced City Council and the Federal Government to support a fixed link to Toronto Island Airport. He convinced Toronto Economic Development Corporation to invest in major Railway upgrades of $300,000 to make the port competitive.

As a director of the Runnymede Chronic Care Hospital, Hutcheon successfully fought against the provincially ordered closure of the Hospital. Today the Hospital is being expanded on the same site.

Prior to his election, Hutcheon worked as the Executive Assistant to former Etobicoke mayor, Bruce Sinclair at Metro Hall from 1988 - 1994. During his tenure at Metro on Etobicoke’s behalf, Hutcheon played a major role in Etobicoke’s initiative to have the Humber River Cyclist Pedestrian Bridge built. Hutcheon successfully anchored Etobicoke’s effort to secure a public-private partnership to expand the Toronto Transit Commission’s Bloor/Danforth Subway Line. The Province approved the environmental assessment for the extension but it remains to be built.

In his business life, Hutcheon has held a number of responsible positions in the journalism, communications, marketing and public relations sector. He was also a CBC Television political commentator. Hutcheon owned and operated his own consulting firm and production company, specializing in public affairs.

Hutcheon continues to be a very active member of the community. Before being elected to City Council, Hutcheon was the founding Co-Chairman of the High Park Advisory Committee (1992-1994). He served as Chairman of the Interim Board of Management of the Swansea Town Hall Community Centre from 1989-1992, during which time the historic Town Hall was saved. The present community centre was established at a cost of $1.2 million with the money raised by the community, a non-profit dental clinic introduced and the Memorial Library saved. He is President Emeritus of the Swansea Town Hall Residences (now James T. Bonham Residences) at 93 Lavinia Avenue on which he laboured from 1989-1994. The residence was built for $8.5 million and leased as non-profit housing.

In 1987 Hutcheon was instrumental in the creation of a national crime prevention program Mobile Watch/Surveillance Mobile and served as one of its directors. From 1985 to 1989, he served as Vice-Chairman of the City of Toronto's Planning Advisory Committee. He was a founding member and the first Treasurer and Membership Secretary of the High Park Tenants' Association, the largest of its kind in Canada, from 1982 to 1986. In 1992 he was a recipient of the Confederation Medal of Canada for his volunteer service to the community.

In 1997 he ran in the first election after amalgamation in the newly created Ward 19 but finished in fourth place behind front runners David Miller and Chris Korwin-Kuczynski.^[3]

In 1998, he was the Urban Affairs Commentator for CBC TV news and appeared on the evening news program with a John Sewell (former mayor of Toronto). He also wrote a column for Metroland newspaper, "The Villager".

In 1999, he was appointed by the Lieutenant Governor of Ontario to be Vice Chair of the Environmental Review Tribunal (formerly Ontario Environmental and Assessment Boards). Appointed by Ontario Provincial Order-in-Council to adjudicate or mediate appeals concerning, Environmental Assessment Act, Environmental Bill of Rights Act, Environmental Protection Act, Ontario Water Resources Act, Pesticides Act, Planning Act and Niagara Escarpment Planning and Development Act and to adjudicate Consolidated Board hearing appeals.

In 2003, he was appointed by the Lieutenant Governor of Ontarioto serve as an Adjudicator for the Ontario Rental Housing Tribunal. He adjudicated landlord and tenant disputes concerning the Tenant Protection Act, 1997.

In a 2006 by-election in the Ontario provincial riding of Parkdale—High Park he ran as a candidate for the Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario. This by-election was necessitated by the resignation of former Ontario Minister of Education Gerard Kennedy, who stepped down from both his cabinet post and his seat in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario to seek the Liberal Party of Canada leadership. Hutcheon placed third behind New Democrat Cheri DiNovo and Liberal Sylvia Watson. On June 7, 2007, Hutcheon was acclaimed as the Progressive Conservative candidate for the October 10, Ontario general election. Hutcheon again placed third.

David Hutcheon was recently asked by the Toronto Sun to give expert advice on How to Save our City which was the front cover story August 11, 2007. In the article Hutcheon explains that Torontonians "want to see value for our money." To view the complete story and video footage click on the links below.

Today he continues to serve as he has since 1994, as a Director of the Humber Watershed Alliance, which succeeded the Humber Watershed Task Force, at the Toronto and Region Conservation Authority. As a result of the Committee’s work, the Humber River was designated as a Canadian Heritage River. Hutcheon was awarded the prestigious S. George Rich Award for Planning Excellence Grand Prize by the Canadian Institute of Planners in 1998.

Hutcheon completed Master of Public Administration degree at the University of Western Ontario in London.

References

• "Front Cover". Toronto Sun. 11 August 2007. http://www.torontosun.com/FrontPage/2007/08/12/4411956-sun.html. 
• Abel, Dave (10 August 2007). "David Hutcheon being interviewed". Toronto Sun. 
• "David Hutcheon quoted". Toronto Sun. 11 August 2007. 

1. ^ See scaned letters sent by the Right Honourable Ramon John Hnatyshyn and Right Honourable Jesse Flis, MP to Hutcheon
2. ^ City of Toronto, 1994 General Election Results (Former Metropolitan Toronto). [1]
3. ^ City of Toronto, 1997 General Election Results

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