Toronto Council meets today! It's been a while, so the agenda is JAM-PACKED. There are now 194 items on the agenda. We're staring into the abyss. Let's jump in together. I'll have live coverage starting at 9:30 a.m. If you want, you can also watch the meeting here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=xVZI...
01:29 p.m.
Mayor Chow has designated an item about cracking down on bad landlords as her first key item, so that'll be up first. The island airport debate will take off after. For a complete preview of the agenda, you can check out my newsletter from this week: toronto.cityhallwatcher.com/p/council-ge...
01:32 p.m.
One of the late additions to the agenda: Councillor Parthi Kandavel would like the city to write the word "SCHOOL" on the road pavement so drivers better understand that they are driving near a school. secure.toronto.ca/council/agen...
01:37 p.m.
"The clerk has advised we do have bare quorum," notes Speaker Frances Nunziata. The best kind of quorum. Council begins. Before they get down to business, there will be a presentation celebrating Canada's Winter Olympic medalists.
01:43 p.m.
Councillor Perruzza rises to share a few words about the late Giorgio Mammoliti. "I first met George in the summer of 1990..." he starts. "Councillor, you only have two minutes," Nunziata reminds him.
01:47 p.m.
"He was a fearless character. He believed what he believed. He spoke his mind ... He never held back," says Perruzza of Giorgio Mammoliti. He notes that he was often controversial, but that's okay. "We all bring a character here," Perruzza says.
01:49 p.m.
"He was not afraid to rip off his shirt in public to make a point," Councillor Anthony Perruzza says as he wraps up his tribute to the late Giorgio Mammoliti. "I understand that many of us would not have the courage to do that."
01:51 p.m.
Now: an Olympic Tribute. Some Toronto-based athletes are in attendance.
01:54 p.m.
"Folks, look at those medals!" Chow says as she invites the Olympic athletes and coaches down for a photo. Nunziata photobombs.
01:59 p.m.
Councillor Mike Colle rises to ask to have a moment of silence for the pilots killed in the LaGuardia crash. "We did, at the beginning of the meeting," Nunziata says. "I didn't hear it. I'm sorry," says Colle, re: the moment of silence.
02:13 p.m.
The executive director of Corporate Real Estate Management has submitted a pretty detailed report on what exactly went wrong with the shelter the city planned for a leased site on Carlton Street. It's late and overbudget. Council receives the report for information. secure.toronto.ca/council/agen...
02:15 p.m.
Councillor Mike Colle declares an interest in an item about using Section 37 funds to buy benches for TTC stations because his son Josh works for the TTC. I continue to feel like this REALLY stretches the reasonable definition of a conflict of interest.
02:30 p.m.
Council needs to vote to formally add the island airport item to the agenda before the debate can be scheduled. Motion to add it to the agenda CARRIES 24-2. They'll probably get to it this afternoon.
02:37 p.m.
Council votes via a show of hands to APPROVE the redevelopment plan for the Swansea Mews TCHC complex. secure.toronto.ca/council/agen...
02:45 p.m.
Via another show of hands, Council APPROVES the phase 2 plan for the Lawrence Heights revitalization. secure.toronto.ca/council/agen...
02:47 p.m.
On the integrity commissioner's report on Chris Moise, Councillor Paula Fletcher moves to delete the finding that Moise violated the code of conduct and instead ask for guidance on how councillors should respond to "discriminatory, hateful or harassing speech."
02:52 p.m.
Council votes 23-0 to ADOPT Fletcher's amendment, which means they do NOT endorse the Integrity Commissioner's finding that Councillor Chris Moise breached the code of conduct.
02:54 p.m.
Up now: Bad Landlords! "I will not tolerate slumlords in the City of Toronto," writes Mayor Olivia Chow in her motion. She wants a better database to track violations by landlords and identify the worst of the worst. secure.toronto.ca/council/agen...
03:02 p.m.
Speaking of databases, I heard from a local civic tech dev, Amrit Sharma, who put together this useful database that collects a variety of datapoints to flag potentially unsafe buildings. toronteau.com/housing
03:04 p.m.
Asked how many apartment buildings with bad landlords there are in the city, staff say about 115 buildings are in the "red category" of about 3,600 total buildings.
03:18 p.m.
After staff questions, Councillor Brad Bradford is the first speaker on the bad landlord item. His ward contains 500 Dawes Road, which has become the poster child for this issue. "We're dealing with a scumbag of a landlord. This is not a good-faith actor," Bradford says.
04:08 p.m.
"This file has a history that goes all the way back to former councillor Janet Davis," says Bradford of 500 Dawes. "And her and I have had lots of conversations about this." He says tenants "have been let down by a city that moves far too slow on this."
04:10 p.m.
Councillor Josh Matlow says the city's message to bad landlords should be, "If you're not willing to be a real human being, and care about the other human beings who you have the responsibility to care for, we're gonna damn well go in there and fix things — and bill you afterwards."
04:16 p.m.
Councillor Dianne Saxe says she's been hearing that the city has an enforcement problem. "We don't have an enforcement approach that is of a measure for the threat — and we need to. We need to take seriously what our bylaws say," she says.
04:20 p.m.
Councillor Holyday moves to strike "CUPE 416" from one of the mayor's motions. He says he doesn't understand why it's there. He then urges council to "be careful in taking an aggressive stance" re: bad landlords, saying there could be "unintended consequences."
04:24 p.m.
Councillor Alejandra Bravo thanks Mayor Chow for "after so many years, sending a message to every landlord in the city who exploits people, who doesn't obey the law, who puts people in precarious conditions, who makes their life a living hell — you're now on notice."
04:27 p.m.
And that takes Council to lunch. There are still 113 items left on the agenda. Abandon all hope, ye who enter here. Back at 2 p.m.
04:28 p.m.
Council is about to return. Before they get back to the bad landlord debate, they'll pay tribute to Will Johnston, the Deputy City Manager responsible for Infrastructure and Development Services. He's retiring from city hall next week.
06:06 p.m.
Chow takes the lectern to praise Johnston's work. She heralds his "dedication to public services" on issues like transit, development and snow clearing. "We know you're looking forward to returning to Vancouver, where you don't have to look at that 60 cm of snowstorm in one day," the mayor adds.
06:17 p.m.
Johnston gets the standard-issue retirement photo with the mayor and thanks a long list of people. "I am very grateful and honoured for having the opportunity to play a role in helping to shape this incredible city." He gets a standing ovation. Nunziata asks why the heck he's going to Vancouver.
06:26 p.m.
Back to bad landlords. Councillor Lily Cheng moves to conduct user experience consultations with the new database once it launches, and to look at requiring landlords to inform tenants when their building has a property standards issue.
06:44 p.m.
Chow is up to speak on bad landlords. She's got a looong motion that is now posted on the item. Some key recs to the provincial gov: - Higher fines - Eliminating appeals for property standards orders - Bring back rent control and introduce vacancy control secure.toronto.ca/council/agen...
06:57 p.m.
"There's no escape. We will shut down slum landlords, because we are the City of Toronto — we are the government," declares Mayor Olivia Chow.
07:01 p.m.
Time to vote. The part of Mayor Chow's motion calling for the province to bring back universal rent control and add vacancy control (in addition to some other changes) CARRIES 24-2.
07:08 p.m.
All other amendments CARRY via show of hands. The bad landlord item CARRIES 25-1. But WAIT, Holyday says he actually meant to vote YES. This is the first time this has ever happened, he says, apologizing.
07:09 p.m.
They redo the bad landlord vote for Holyday. He remembers, this time, where the YES button is. It CARRIES 26-0.
07:10 p.m.
Before the next item, Councillor Gord Perks rises to pay tribute to the departing David Stonehouse, the longtime director of the waterfront secretariat. "He asked that we not do this, but in typical fashion, we're going to ignore advice from staff," jokes Perks.
07:13 p.m.
Up now: the island airport. Premier Doug Ford says he intends to pass legislation that would take Toronto's spot in the tripartite agreement governing Billy Bishop Island Airport, which would clear the runway for airport expansion. secure.toronto.ca/council/agen...
07:16 p.m.
"I would suggest that the provincial government could assume responsibility for the agreement through legislation, but the federal government would not have to accept the amendment to the contract," says the city solicitor re: the tripartite agreement. The feds could stop Ford, in other words.
07:24 p.m.
Fletcher asks how the city is supposed to deal with all the ongoing planning applications in the port lands if flight paths are going to change at the island airport. "That is certainly something that we will want to look at," say staff. Okay then.
07:26 p.m.
"Can you help me understand how the airport operations could make life less livable in this city?" wonders Holyday. Staff cite significantly increased traffic, interference with recreational uses in the harbour, the potential for "jet blast screens" on the runway, noise, etc.
07:35 p.m.
Councillor Matlow has a motion on the island airport. It asks staff for advice on "potential legal options to defend the City of Toronto's interests" in waterfront lands like the airport.
07:38 p.m.
"Doug Ford needs to understand that leadership is NOT cutting partners out and making announcements AT people rather than WITH people," says Matlow. He says it doesn't matter what you think about jets on the island, people should want a better process.
07:40 p.m.
"We firmly say, and we demand, a seat at the table. We deserve it, and there is no table without us," says Deputy Mayor Ausma Malik. "Everything has been put at risk, and we simply cannot take the premier's word that he somehow has the city of Toronto's interest at heart."
07:51 p.m.
"If they take this land of the city, what is next — and in whose interest? What important housing projects are going to be interrupted, cancelled, or backtracked -- what is up for grabs next, without say from our residents?" asks Malik.
07:53 p.m.
"The next thing you know, [Ford] will send in somebody to take the mayor out, if you know what I mean. This is not Venezuela! You just don't do whatever you want. This is Toronto. We live in a DEMOCRACY," says Councillor Paula Fletcher.
07:57 p.m.
Councillor Stephen Holyday says he is "REALLY ANGRY." "What I see is a city disintegrating and a lack of leadership on all of this!" He's mad, he says, because Metrolinx took some land on Eglington West for the LRT and no one cared, but now people are mad about the airport land.
08:00 p.m.
Holday also argues that wards in Etobicoke and North York are already subject to airplane noise from Pearson, so he doesn't see why the waterfront wards should be spared from additional island airport impacts.
08:02 p.m.
"If you don't understand the economic interest in having a successful international airport ... the problem is not with the policy, the problem is with YOU," concludes Holyday, suggesting councillors who oppose this should run for provincial office.
08:03 p.m.
"If you're not at the table, then you're on the menu," says Councillor Brad Bradford. He argues that Chow and council failed to commit to a "long-term vision" for the airport in 2024, which led to this move for the provincial and federal govs to go forward without the city.
08:08 p.m.
Mayor Chow is up. "Let us not twist truth," she says in response to Bradford. "We have a vision of the waterfront! We've said we have one. We said we will negotiate this master plan, this tripartite agreement!"
08:13 p.m.
"In my mind, democracy matters," says Chow. "We are a level of government that is one of the biggest in the country. We have a huge budget. And we have to be part of the conversation."
08:15 p.m.
"On Monday, we heard that land will be expropriated. Which land? What land? Has anyone seen the plan? Has anyone seen precisely what kind of tripartite agreement is going to be acceptable? Is there a plan? If there is, it's a mystery to me," says Chow of the island airport.
08:17 p.m.
"We are not shutting down that airport," says Chow, noting that the priority should actually be for Billy Bishop to get the approved runway extensions done so they can meet federal safety regulations.
08:19 p.m.
Saying this is basically a done deal, Holyday asks Chow what the city's plan will be to handle increased traffic around the island airport after it's expanded. Chow says there can't be a plan yet because nobody even knows what Ford's plan is for the airport exactly.
08:27 p.m.
I'm not sure where the number comes from, but Fletcher and Chow are now talking about Ford wanting to increase the number of island airport passengers from ~2 million annually today to 10 million.
08:30 p.m.
At ten million annual passengers, Billy Bishop would be the fifth busiest airport in the country, surpassing Halifax (4.1 million), Winnipeg (4.4 million), Ottawa (4.9 million), and Edmonton (8.1 million)
08:34 p.m.
Councillor Mike Colle moves to request the federal government conduct a safety study before agreeing on any island airport expansion. Nunziata says his motion is out of order because it's beyond what council is debating today.
08:36 p.m.
Time to vote. Matlow’s motion calling for a report to the next council meeting on legal options for the city to defend its waterfront land, including the island airport land, CARRIES 21-3.
08:44 p.m.
The island airport item, declaring that Toronto is opposed to any unilateral expropriation of city land by the provincial and federal government, CARRIES 22-3.
08:45 p.m.
(I believe Councillor Mike Colle was recorded in the negative on those airport items because he was boycotting the vote, but need to confirm.)
08:47 p.m.
Up now: looking a gift park in the mouth? The Weston Foundation wants to give Toronto $50 million to transform Queen's Park North. But nearby resident groups are not big fans of the design concept, especially a proposed raised "tree walk" and washroom/cafe structure secure.toronto.ca/council/agen...
08:49 p.m.
After an incident at Pearson where a plane skidded off the end of the runway, the feds introduced new requirements requiring an expanded “safety area” at the end of runways. The island still isn’t in compliance with the new rules. Deadline is 2027.
08:52 p.m.
The option supported by council in 2024 was not long enough for jets — they backed the minimal (and quickest construction) option to achieve compliance with the federal rules. The Port Authority was pushing for a longer and more expensive extension that might have opened the door for jets.
08:55 p.m.
On the Queen's Park North item, Councillor Dianne Saxe moves a long motion to give staff more time to review the design proposal, include public art, and look at the business plan for the cafe.
09:03 p.m.
"One of the suggestions at the Design Review Committee, which I have to say is at least intriguing, is to put a slide down the back of the horse," notes Councillor Saxe of the Queen's Park North statue of King Edward on a horse. She says it'd be fun for kids, but doubts it'll happen.
09:05 p.m.
After supportive words from Matlow and Fletcher, Saxe's motion on the Queen's Park North item CARRIES via show of hands. New report on the Weston-funded design is due in June.
09:10 p.m.
Mayor Olivia Chow moves to accept $1.2 million USD prize from Bloomberg to fund the school food program. Can anyone possibly oppose this? Place your bets.
09:20 p.m.
Motion to accept a $1.2 million USD Bloomberg philanthropy prize to support the school food program CARRIES 23-0. He found the "yes" button again.
09:22 p.m.
Up now: an item about the next phase of Port Lands revitalization. Asked about development plans, staff say the Toronto Port Authority has agreed to an OLT settlement in relation to the approved 2024 zoning for Ookwemin Minising, but new jet proposal could affect things going forward.
09:27 p.m.
Staff clarify the OLT settlement with the Port Authority re: the port lands is in relation to existing airport operations. "Should there be new proposed operations which involve a different type of aircraft, then we would need to be revisiting the zoning for parts of the port lands."
09:29 p.m.
(The waterfront secretariat does note that Ookwemin Minising is generally north of airport flight paths so the bigger impact of an expanded airport on port lands development would probably be with the lands further south.)
09:31 p.m.
Report on the next steps on the Port Lands Flood Protection project CARRIES via show of hands. Let's take a moment to appreciate the pretty pictures. secure.toronto.ca/council/agen...
09:35 p.m.
Up now: Mayor Olivia Chow wants a pothole blitz. Staff say there have been a lot of potholes this winter, as our potholes are generally caused by the freeze/thaw cycle. secure.toronto.ca/council/agen...
09:37 p.m.
Some councillors are asking about the city's plan to test out using AI to identify potholes which has me thinking of responses like, "You're absolutely right. That wasn't a pothole. It was a sewer access hole. I was wrong to fill it with hot ash."
09:43 p.m.
"I have heard a lot about nanotechnology," Councillor Lily Cheng says. She asks if staff have considered using nanotechnology in asphalt. "I'm not sure that we've considered it, but we're always actively looking and making sure we stay up to date," says staffer.
09:46 p.m.
Council runs out of time. They'll come back to the pothole blitz debate tomorrow. They will also attempt to deal with the other 110+ items still remaining on this agenda. Wish them luck. They'll need it. See you back here in this thread at 9:30 a.m. tomorrow.
09:57 p.m.
Council is getting set for the start of day two. We're anticipating a very long debate about flag protocol today, so get hyped for that. The meeting stream for today is here. I'll keep posting until there's nothing left to post about. www.youtube.com/watch?v=v0CJ...
01:37 p.m.
Dealing with some quick items, Council votes to refer a forensic audit on the city's snow clearing contracts to the Infrastructure & Environment Committee. The new festival strategy is APPROVED via show of hands after an amendment from Ainslie to include digital payment options for permits.
01:49 p.m.
Council has resumed its debate on potholes. Councillor Paul Ainslie wants to know why reported pothole issues are marked as resolved when staff go out and can't locate the reported pothole. Staff say improvements are coming on process to "close the loop."
01:54 p.m.
Councillor Jon Burnside asks staff if it's true that state-of-good-repair funding for roads was higher under Tory than it is under Chow. The CFO says he'll need to look at the numbers, but points out much of the transportation repair budget under Tory was going to the Gardiner.
02:04 p.m.
Councillor Alejandra Bravo asks if the increasing weight of vehicles is causing more potholes on Toronto streets. Staff say that's a factor, yes.
02:12 p.m.
On potholes, Councillor Neethan Shan moves for staff to investigate ways to improve the pothole reporting process. He also wants a map to track requests for potholes "larger than a shoebox."
02:27 p.m.
Councillor Jamaal Myers, meanwhile, has a motion to create a road repair task force to try to get to the bottom of why Toronto roads are deteriorating so quickly.
02:31 p.m.
Councillor Holyday wants a report for Q1 2027 on the road repair backlog, with options to speed up repairs.
02:39 p.m.
Still stuck on potholes. Councillor Lily Cheng moves for staff to look at smart cameras on buses and other city vehicles to identify potholes. She also wants to look at new innovations in asphalt.
02:46 p.m.
Time, at last, for some pothole votes. Councillor Jamaal Myers' motion to create a road repair task force to figure out why Toronto's roads deteriorate so quickly FAILS 9-13.
02:50 p.m.
Councillor Lily Cheng's pothole motion to look at smart camera tech and asphalt innovation CARRIES 19-5.
02:53 p.m.
All other pothole motions carry via show of hands. Mayor Olivia Chow's pothole blitz is approved 24-0.
02:54 p.m.
Councillor Lily Cheng rises to object to Nunziata trying to speed councillors along during their speeches. Then she points to a group of pastors in the chamber who have been "praying for city council." But whoops, the pastors have already left.
02:56 p.m.
Up now: an item about Metrolinx transit construction. Chernos Lin asks for an update on council's request for trucks working on the project to have GPS and signage. Staff say Metrolinx is working on it, but there's no indication when the request will be completed. secure.toronto.ca/council/agen...
03:01 p.m.
After some justifiable grousing about Metrolinx, council approves the construction report via a show of hands. Up now: should Toronto pay people to shovel snow after big storms, like they do in NYC? The mayor wants a program. secure.toronto.ca/council/agen...
03:16 p.m.
Councillor Crisanti asks about the staff time and resources required to develop this pay-to-shovel program. "We have absolutely no idea," says City Manager Paul Johnson. "We have no one available at this point who is able to be assigned to this."
03:21 p.m.
"Why would we pay twice?" Councillor Holyday wonders, pointing out that the city already pays $145 million a year to contractors to remove snow. He likens this to "the checkers checking the checkers who check things."
03:28 p.m.
Holyday urges councillors to "think carefully" about the pay-to-shovel program. "I understand the politics and wanting to signal innovation, but I really don't think this is a good use of staff's time." He says the program is "fraught with risk."
03:32 p.m.
Councillor Dianne Saxe moves to make sure the city talks to the union while developing this pay-to-shovel program.
03:34 p.m.
"I think this is a terrible idea," says Burnside. He laments that the city has taken on so much responsibility for sidewalk snow and says business and residents should just do it. "Newsflash: people don't want tax increases, so maybe they're going to have to start picking up a shovel themselves."
03:37 p.m.
"This is nuts," says Councillor Mike Colle. "We tried this before. And I remember getting the calls, 'The guy from the city that came to shovel the snow, he just stole all my jewelry!' 'The guy stabbed my dog!'"
03:40 p.m.
The chairing was so bad during this sequence that I think some of it is that councillors weren’t entirely clear what they were voting on.
03:42 p.m.
Time to vote on the pay-to-shovel program. Councillor Saxe's motion to make sure the union is involved in the discussions as the program is developed CARRIES 21-5.
03:45 p.m.
Toronto Council APPROVES the development of a pay-to-shovel program, similar to NYC's, in time for next winter. The vote is 17-9.
03:48 p.m.
Up now: should council pursue an audit of John Tory's SmartTrack project? The AG says it might be impossible given the office lacks the power to audit Metrolinx, but some councillors want to try anyway. secure.toronto.ca/council/agen...
03:56 p.m.
Councillor Fletcher asks about the secrecy surrounding the SmartTrack agreement with Metrolinx. Staff say the agreement "defines what we are allowed to share and not share."
04:03 p.m.
"It's a bit of a transit scandal. It's a bit of a transit embarrassment," says Fletcher of SmartTrack and the secrecy around the project. She also points out SmatTrack was premised on additional electrified GO Train service, but now that project has been further delayed and scaled back.
04:15 p.m.
On the SmartTrack audit, Councillor Holyday moves for an investigation into who leaked confidential information about this SmartTrack report to the media. He points to a February Toronto Star story that references seeing the confidential attachment.
04:17 p.m.
Councillor Myers moves to request Metrolinx provide documents about SmartTrack, that the Ontario AG conduct its own audit, and to make sure any future transit agreements include an audit provision.
04:18 p.m.
On SmartTrack, Myers says, "It's really sad that we spent so much money on this program while we allowed the TTC to deteriorate to the state that it is ... think of what we could have done with $1.5 billion had we just focused that on the TTC."
04:20 p.m.
"This is a real scandal," says Councillor Alejandra Bravo of SmartTrack. "Property tax dollars that should have been invested in the city of Toronto went into a fictional plan called SmartTrack, which was essentially to subsidize a provincial plan that cannot materialize."
04:22 p.m.
Myers' motion to request Metrolinx provide documents for a city audit, that the provincial Auditor look into the SmartTrack project, and that the city put audit clauses into future transit agreements CARRIES 24-1.
04:25 p.m.
Council approves a continued investigation into the SmartTrack project. The vote is 25-0.
04:27 p.m.
And that takes Council to the matter of lunch. There are 103 items left on the agenda, though the member motion run-through after lunch will help to quickly dispense with many of them. I hope. I pray. See you back here at 2 p.m.
04:28 p.m.
Council is stirring to life. Before they get back to business, a presentation about the winners of the Mayor's AI Awards is on the schedule. Prepare for emdashes and emojis.
06:06 p.m.
Mayor Chow takes the lectern to talk about the awarded AI projects: a recreation planning project, a 311 virtual assistant, an IT assistant, and a building permit precheck project. "The work reflects what's possible when technology supports — not replaces — the people who serve our city," she says
06:13 p.m.
Chow gives a shoutout to former councillor and mayoral candidate David Soknacki, who has been working with her on tech initiatives and encouraged Chow to launch the AI Awards.
06:15 p.m.
It's video time. A narrated vid gives us some quick screenshots of the winning AI projects.
06:20 p.m.
On to member motions. Councillor Anthony Perruzza's motion to introduce city-run grocery stores is ADDED to the agenda, 22-4. They'll debate it later. secure.toronto.ca/council/agen...
06:45 p.m.
The financial impact summary for Perruzza's city-run grocery stores item suggests council tread carefully, noting that the program would likely come with high costs that do not exist within the budget. It suggests a "robust analysis" first.
06:47 p.m.
Councillor Burnside's motion to change city hall's flag policy and restrict the flying of foreign flags on "courtesy flagpoles" is added to the agenda, 22-4. They'll come back to it. secure.toronto.ca/council/agen...
06:50 p.m.
Councillor Morley's motion to look at easing up on the mute swan population control program CARRIES 20-4. secure.toronto.ca/council/agen...
06:55 p.m.
Noting that council has delegated flag raisings to the protocol office, Nunziata rules Councillor Lily Cheng's motion about raising the old "Lion and Sun" Iranian flag to be out of order. secure.toronto.ca/council/agen...
06:57 p.m.
Cheng's motion to consider getting rid of recycling receptacles in future on-street litter bins — encouraging people to carry their recyclables home instead — is added to the agenda, 22-4. secure.toronto.ca/council/agen...
07:00 p.m.
The motion to consider encouraging a "carry-in, carry-out" model for recycling and making future public bins litter-only, CARRIES 22-4.
07:02 p.m.
Councillor Bradford's "safer subways" motion about adding cops in subway stations and installing platform edge doors gets added to the agenda on a voice vote. They'll come back to it. secure.toronto.ca/council/agen...
07:06 p.m.
Councillor Matlow's motion calling for the city to join the legal battle against Doug Ford's Ontario Place redevelopment CARRIES 21-5.
07:09 p.m.
Councillor Dianne Saxe's motion on protecting Chinatown as a cultural district, including asking the province to introduce rent control for commercial units, CARRIES 23-2. secure.toronto.ca/council/agen...
07:12 p.m.
Deputy Mayor Malik's motion calling for a commemorative naming process for any additional future city ferries CARRIES 23-3. (The city is running a naming contest for the new island ferries they've already ordered, but the suggested names are a bit of a snooze.) secure.toronto.ca/council/agen...
07:15 p.m.
Council votes unanimously, 26-0, to approve installing a plaque to mark the history of the 1981 Bathhouse raids and the community response. secure.toronto.ca/council/agen...
07:18 p.m.
Mayor Chow's "No ICE in Toronto" motion re: the World Cup makes the agenda with a 21-4 vote. Holyday wants to know if the motion is in order. Nunziata says she'll look into it. secure.toronto.ca/council/agen...
07:20 p.m.
After a looooong member motion runthrough, there are now just 34 items left on this agenda. A glimmer of light appears on the horizon. Councillor Gord Perks rises to praise Nunziata. "Thank you for reading aloud to us for 94 minutes. It was beautiful."
07:32 p.m.
Up now: some yacht talk. City staff recommended shutting down the Humber Yacht Club over ecological concerns and complaints of bad behaviour on the water. The club is hoping council approves a reprieve that'll keep them afloat. secure.toronto.ca/council/agen...
07:36 p.m.
Haven’t heard yet from all of them, but Holyday is citing this letter from the U.S. consul saying they have no plans to send ICE agents as proof the motion is unnecessary. www.toronto.ca/legdocs/mmis...
07:43 p.m.
"Members, this is not the best example of government," says Holyday of the city's attempt to terminate the Humber yacht club lease. He casts doubt on the "social media" stories he's seen about bad behaviour from boat clubbers. He asks council to "give this club a chance" to fix any issues.
08:01 p.m.
"If this is the way we're going to behave as a city, to rule with a fist and throw people out on a whim, then that's pathetic," says Holyday of the city's move to end the Humber Yacht Club lease.
08:02 p.m.
Councillor Amber Morley moves to end the Humber Yacht Club lease and look at "lower-impact, publicly-accessible" uses for the site.
08:12 p.m.
Morley points to a file showing the "history of non-compliance" with the Humber Yacht Club. She says the club's responses "did not demonstrate a collaborative attitude and did not take any effort to address the concerns that, as we heard from staff today, continue."
08:14 p.m.
From a city report, here are some of the "compliance issues" staff noted with the Humber Yacht Club.
08:16 p.m.
Councillor Amber Morley's motion to confirm the original staff recommendation to end the Humber Yacht Club lease CARRIES 19-5.
08:19 p.m.
Moving to some quick items now. On an item about paid duty cops, Councillor Paula Fletcher passes a motion to provide councillors with the instruction sheets officers are given when they are tasked with standing around construction sites. secure.toronto.ca/council/agen...
08:27 p.m.
After a small tweak from local rep Councillor Gord Perks, Council APPROVES a new contract to keep the High Park "trackless train" rolling. An RFP for an electric shuttle failed, so the trackless train remains. secure.toronto.ca/council/agen...
08:30 p.m.
On an item about the ravine strategy, Councillor Paula Fletcher moves for a report on the proposed "ravine loop." Not a loop-de-loop but still pretty cool. secure.toronto.ca/council/agen...
08:37 p.m.
On the ravine strategy, Councillor Stephen Holyday moves to incorporate "Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design" principles into Toronto's ravine plans.
08:43 p.m.
"Those people that live with their properties abutting ravines sometimes see the ravines as a place used by criminals to do break-ins," explains Holyday. He wants to address concerns that people use ravines as an escape route after committing crimes.
08:44 p.m.
Councillor Shelley Carroll gets Holyday to amend his motion, so that crime prevention design will be CONSIDERED as part of the ravine strategy, rather than immediately implemented.
08:47 p.m.
With that revision, all the ravine strategy motions CARRY via show of hands. The ravine strategy report is APPROVED 23-0.
08:51 p.m.
Up now: trees! A report recommends looking at reducing the threshold at which private trees become protected and subject to removal permits. Currently, only trees with diameters of 30 cm or more are protected. This process would look at dropping it to 20 cm. secure.toronto.ca/council/agen...
08:54 p.m.
Staff say reducing the tree threshold to 20 cm would result in about 300,000 more private trees becoming protected by the bylaw. For context, the City of Toronto has 11.5 million trees in total, with about 55% of those on private property.
08:59 p.m.
Councillor Pasternak says he won't support going forward with the process to reduce the threshold for protecting trees. "If this goes through, we will completely be overwhelmed at community council" with tree appeals, he says.
09:08 p.m.
Councillor Dianne Saxe, on the other hand, says she'll support protecting more trees. "The most effective response to heat is trees," she says. "And trees don't grow overnight." Toronto won't achieve its tree canopy coverage goals if trees aren't allowed to grow, she says.
09:11 p.m.
Councillor Stephen Holyday is also opposed to the tree strategy. He says it's "heartbreaking to see the instances where somebody can't do what it is they dream of on their own land" because of the permit requirement for removing trees.
09:16 p.m.
"This particular item is perhaps the largest and most profound thing we are dealing with today," says Holyday of the tree strategy. "This touches 300,000 trees." He worries residents might respond by proactively cutting down trees to get ahead of the rule changes.
09:18 p.m.
Council votes to APPROVE, in principle, reducing the protection threshold for private trees to 20 cm. Staff will first report on impacts before the change goes into effect. The vote is 18-6.
09:25 p.m.
Mayor Olivia Chow remains STEADFAST in her position against three-day council meetings. She moves to take a 30-minute break at 6 p.m., then come back and finish this agenda. There are 27 items left.
09:28 p.m.
After a minor wording tweak, Councillor Pasternak's motion calling for a report on the design of multiplexes carries via a show of hands. secure.toronto.ca/council/agen...
09:37 p.m.
Council is wading into the flag policy debate. Councillor Thompson has an amendment to continue to allow the flying of not-for-profit and charitable org flags, but would still ban foreign flags as of Dec 1, 2026.
09:49 p.m.
Councillor Pasternak, meanwhile, has a motion that would just eliminate the flying of any flags on the courtesy flagpoles after the current schedule of flagraisings is completed.
09:51 p.m.
Councillor Nick Mantas says he's against these flag policy changes. "We're basically penalizing 160 countries that we recognize in our city for a few groups."
09:52 p.m.
Councillor Thompson's motion to stop flying foreign country flags on the courtesy flagpoles at city hall and the civic centres CARRIES 20-6. Other kinds of flags will still be permitted.
09:54 p.m.
Pasternak's motion to stop flying all flags is ruled redundant. With that, the amended flag policy is APPROVED 19-7.
09:55 p.m.
Council is on dinner break until 6:30. There are 21 items left, including Perruzza's city-run grocery store item, Bradford's subway safety item, and Chow's no-ICE-in-Toronto item. Could be a late one.
10:04 p.m.
Council returns. Councillor Morley starts us off by saying she voted incorrectly on the last item (the flag stuff) but Nunziata rejects her request for a re-vote. Exciting stuff. The new livestream is here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=ds4Q...
10:45 p.m.
Council starts off with a Vision Zero item. Nunziata moves for staff to look at traffic safety improvements for Humber Boulevard North. She says a 15-year-old was hit by a driver on the street this week and is in hospital, so she wants urgent change. secure.toronto.ca/council/agen...
10:49 p.m.
Councillor Moise, meanwhile, wants to install sidewalks on a section of Sumach Street that currently doesn't have a sidewalk.
10:50 p.m.
Councillor Matlow, in contrast, has a motion to NOT install a planned sidewalk on Warwick Ave.
10:52 p.m.
All the Vision Zero motions CARRY via show of hands. So does the item as amended. Moving on.
10:53 p.m.
Up now: an updated secondary plan for North York Centre. Councillor Lily Cheng, the local rep, has concerns about how the area could support 100,000 more people moving in over the next 30 years. secure.toronto.ca/council/agen...
10:54 p.m.
Councillor Mike Colle emerges from the shadows to complain about development and the Ontario Land Tribunal. "We have an unworkable system that basically rubber stamps development after development, and we have no way of providing any kind of community infrastructure," he says.
11:00 p.m.
"21 condos there on Marlee! You can't even walk up the street, there's so much traffic! You don't have a place to even pee on Marlee Avenue. You've got no community facilities at all," complains Colle.
11:01 p.m.
Councillor Cheng has motions on the North York Centre plan, including asking staff to look at visitor parking and a new recreation centre. She also wants to consult with faith leaders.
11:05 p.m.
After Planning & Housing Chair Gord Perks urges colleagues to support Cheng's motion, it CARRIES via show of hands. So does the North York Centre secondary plan.
11:10 p.m.
Now: the redevelopment of land at Queen East & Kingston Road in Councillor Brad Bradford's ward. He moves to REJECT the application for an 11-storey building. secure.toronto.ca/council/agen...
11:22 p.m.
After a short and very confusing debate, Councillor Bradford's motion to REJECT the Queen East & Kingston development application FAILS 5-19.
11:26 p.m.
Councillor Perks' motion to APPROVE the development application for Queen East & Kingston Road in Bradford's ward CARRIES 22-3.
11:29 p.m.
That was a very strange one. The developer had made some concessions to reduce the size/density of the proposal, but normally pro-housing Bradford still came out against it.
11:31 p.m.
Moving on, Councillor Rachel Chernos Lin has a motion to support locally-elected school board trustees, in light of concerns that the Ford government might nix the role. Supporting the motion, Pasternak points out that about half of council are former trustees. secure.toronto.ca/council/agen...
11:41 p.m.
Mayor Chow has crunched the numbers. "There are 11 former trustees among us. About 43%." And they all seem to want to give a speech tonight about how important the role of school board trustee is.
11:48 p.m.
And indeed, most of them do give speeches. In the end, council votes via show of hands to express their support for elected school board trustees.
12:02 a.m.
Councillor Josh Matlow's motion to look at easing the Type G loading space requirement standards for "specialized housing" CARRIES 24-1. secure.toronto.ca/council/agen...
12:08 a.m.
Up now: Should Toronto have city-run grocery stores? Councillor Perruzza, who brought the item to council, moves to amend his motion to add some clauses about pooling food purchases. secure.toronto.ca/council/agen...
12:14 a.m.
Councillor Saxe moves for a report on ways the city can support non-profit food cooperatives like Karma Co-op. "Everyone who can should sign up for Karma Co-op. It's a great organization!" she adds.
12:17 a.m.
Councillor Holyday says he won't support city-run grocery stores. "I don't think the government could possibly run this more efficiently than the private sector does," he says. "To suggest that a government-run store is suddenly going to be better is preposterous."
12:21 a.m.
Councillor Ainslie has a motion to look at alternative models for grocery delivery. He says he used to work in food distribution and has concerns about Perruzza's suggestion of four locations, pointing out that a lot of people can't travel far.
12:23 a.m.
Both Morley and Bravo rise to say they'll support Perruzza's city-run grocery store motion. I'm a bit surprised no one has tried to scale it back to a report request and extend the timeline -- asking staff to come back with an implementation plan next month is aggressive.
12:26 a.m.
Ah, there we go. Mayor Olivia Chow has advance circulated a motion pushing the report-back date on city-run grocery stores to Q2 2027. The report would look at both city-run grocery stores and "broader food security and affordable measures."
12:29 a.m.
Chow says she recently went grocery shopping with a family that "has trouble making ends meet" and saw the mother having to deny her kids the snacks they wanted because of the high cost of food. "Torontonians want the city to play a role to help them with the cost of living," she says.
12:34 a.m.
"All I know is whenever I buy bananas, they're all rotten," says Nunziata. "You buy them and tomorrow they're rotten!"
12:37 a.m.
Councillor Perruzza's motion to look at pooling food purchasing as part of the city-run grocery store pilot and prioritizing local food CARRIES 21-3.
12:39 a.m.
Mayor Chow's motion to push back the report date on city-run grocery stores to 2027 and pair it with information about other potential food security and affordability measures CARRIES 20-4.
12:41 a.m.
Saxe's motion for a report on ways for city hall to support food co-ops like Karma CARRIES 23-1.
12:42 a.m.
Ainslie's motion to look at alternative models for grocery delivery CARRIES 21-3.
12:43 a.m.
Another Chow motion, calling for a report in Q2 2027 with an update on other food initiatives like the school food program CARRIES 22-2.
12:44 a.m.
And the city-run grocery store item is APPROVED 21-3. With the mayor's amendments, staff will report back next year with an analysis of the potential for city-run grocery stores and also other food security and affordability measures.
12:46 a.m.
Up now: Cheng has a motion calling for more parking near Willowdale Manor and a new supportive housing project. Perks has a motion pushing back the report date and asking staff to also look at public transit options that could reduce need for more parking spaces. secure.toronto.ca/council/agen...
12:49 a.m.
Cheng urges council to stick with her original motion and timeline, but council votes to APPROVE the Perks amendment, 17-8.
12:55 a.m.
Up now: Councillor Bradford's "safer subways" motion. Among other things, it calls for cops in every subway station and the installation of platform edge doors. secure.toronto.ca/council/agen...
12:57 a.m.
Some confusion as TTC Chief Operating Officer Fort Monaco pops up on screen virtually to answer Bradford's questions with a very echo-y microphone. "Who's that?" "He's wearing a Michigan shirt."
01:00 a.m.
"This is BRUTAL" a visibly frustrated Bradford complains after Monaco doesn't have subway assault numbers for the years he's asking about. "It's not professional!"
01:02 a.m.
"It's very unprofessional for you to be attending a meeting like that, when we can't even hear you. This is a professional atmosphere," says Nunziata to Monaco. Bradford agrees.
01:05 a.m.
"We have to stop being afraid to break the mould and try something different," says Bradford of his subway safety motion. He says council has to stop focusing exclusively on stats and listen to TTC riders and "take real steps today" to make people feel safer.
01:15 a.m.
Councillor Matlow moves to amend part of Bradford's motion to reference the TTC MoU on shared responsibilities. "When I first heard about Councillor Bradford's motion, with all due respect, I thought it was a political stunt," Matlow admits, but he's come to see it as important.
01:18 a.m.
"Whether this came from Olivia Chow or Brad Bradford or anybody else who wants to run for mayor, I think we need to be together on focusing on our common priorities," says Matlow. He urges colleagues to support Bradford's motion. Peace in our time.
01:21 a.m.
TTC Chair Jamaal Myers apologizes for Monaco's answers. He says he'll be talking to senior staff at the organization about being more prepared for meetings.
01:25 a.m.
Councillor Nick Mantas, ready to go home, calls the question on this subway safety item. That FAILS to get the two-thirds support it needs, after a 13-9 vote. The speeches shall continue.
01:30 a.m.
Holyday says he supports more cops on the subway but NOT platform edge doors. "They're so exorbitantly expensive, it's a trade-off on other really important things that need to be done on the TTC. We have to think of the highest and best use of money."
01:32 a.m.
Bradford's motion to commit to begin installing platform edge doors with a pilot project starting no later than Q4 2027 CARRIES 19-4.
01:34 a.m.
The rest of Bradford's subway safety motion is APPROVED 23-0. secure.toronto.ca/council/agen...
01:36 a.m.
(A win for Bradford, but was that the outcome he wanted?)
01:37 a.m.
On an item now about the city’s cultural district program, Cheng has moved to add Little Iran to the cultural district list. And Bradford has moved to add Banglatown. secure.toronto.ca/council/agen...
01:40 a.m.
One. Item. Left. It's Mayor Olivia Chow's motion to oppose any presence of ICE at the FIFA World Cup. And wow, no one wants to give a speech. It CARRIES 21-1. You know the one. secure.toronto.ca/council/agen...
01:43 a.m.
Finally, the end. Council's March 2026 meeting is OVER. Thanks for reading. If you enjoyed this thread and found it useful, the best way to say thanks is to buy a subscription to my newsletter, City Hall Watcher. It keeps these threads going and going and going toronto.cityhallwatcher.com/subscribe
01:47 a.m.