City Council — April 2013
April 3 + 4, 2013
36 posts
So the Toronto Port Authority is like, hey, we don't want to pay our property taxes. http://metronews.ca/news/toronto/619039/toronto-close-to-deal-over-island-airport-levy/
Wow, on a re-vote, council REJECTS the property tax deal with the Toronto Port Authority. 18-19.
"That's a game that's being played," opines Nunziata for some reason.
"The only games I play are board games with my kids," says McMahon. She's great.
So the first vote on TPA tax write-off passed 20-11, with a number of left-leaners absent. Re-vote was 18-19, so it failed.
(Switching their vote on the re-vote: McMahon, who requested the do-over, and Matlow.)
"Why don't we do that city-wide and have no parking standards?" says Councillor David Shiner. Yeah, hey, why not?
This whole big government vs. invisible hand thing really falls apart when politicians start talking zoning and parking regulations.
So budget chief Frank Di Giorgio threatened to redirect money from wards with councillors that voted against island airport deal? Class.
Adam Vaughan expresses a need to bring rapid transit to all corners of the city. "Good luck," says Di Giorgio, dismissively.
9 p.m. I'M THE MAYOR! (TV-PG) "Hut, Hut, Hire!" Rob hires his high school football coach to help turn things around at City Hall.
A surprising number of councillors are speaking of Hero Burger like it's some strange restaurant no one has ever heard of before.
Also Big Smoke Burger, Gourmet Burger Company, Burger's Priest.
RT @DufferinRider
@GraphicMatt It' s the downtown " elite" burger.
Toronto likes burgers.
Here's Rob Ford to give his inevitable speech on burgers. He wants Doug Holyday to speak on this before him. Okay, says speaker.
Holyday moves that council instead accept Hero Burger's bid. We'll see how #tocouncil responds as the #burger debate continues.
"As far as this, uh, Hero's Burger place is concerned..." starts Councillor Holyday. Says it looks appetizing to him.
The deputy mayor is now reading the menu of Hero Burger aloud.
Someone get this man a burger. He is very excited.
"We are debating menu items at a restaurant," Matlow says. He reminds councillors that they opted not to debate homelessness last month.
Holyday says he also loves the Cafe on the Square. Dude just appreciates food service.
Rob Ford gets up again. "I made this one of my key items because the procurement process is very very important."
Ford says we should have identified concerns about menu before the RFP went out. "All bidders were treated equally."
Everyone likes Hero Burger in their own way. In their own, not-that-heroic, way.
RFP process was rigged from day one with requirement that vendor had to be strong and had to be fast and had to be fresh from the fight.
We all remember the mayor's agenda. Eliminate the VRT, partially contract out garbage, flail around for a bit, get a Hero Burger.
And we're recessed until tomorrow. Recap: hugely important city-wide zoning bylaw passed (again); burger joint.
Can anyone look at a city budget from 2010 and then look at one from 2013 and identify the specifics of the gravy train?
Third year of the Ford administration and Toronto still has a poet laureate.
Council supports Mihevc's motion on shelter beds, 36-3. Fords and Holyday against. No idea why we couldn't do that last month.
And Mayor Rob Ford is the only member of council to vote against the shelter bed item as a whole.
As far as I can tell, Toronto City Council is debating whether to appoint, I dunno, Skeletor to the Board of Directors at Toronto Hydro?
I like to imagine that when council is in camera they just really let loose with the profanity and their sincere feelings about one another.
On a 35-4 vote, with Holyday, Ainslie, Kelly opposed, the mayor wins a vote re: appointments? I have no idea. Someone got appointed.