Councillor Mammoliti moves to adjourn today’s special council meeting 35 minutes after it begins. HIs motion fails, 7-33.
Councillor Shiner’s motion to make the confidential report on legal options available to the public FAILS 11-30.
And, as expected, city council votes 32-5 to go in camera (private session) to continue discussing their legal options with Ford’s council-cutting bill.
Toronto council is about to resume their public debate on a legal challenge to Ford’s council cuts. You can watch live here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a36rqMREgEM
Matlow’s got the motion. If passed, would instruct city lawyers to challenge legality of Bill 5, and also seek a postponement of election day if necessary. https://x.com/JoshMatlow/status/1031621719524605953
As expected, lots of right-leaning councillors sticking to questions about the practicality of reverting to a 47-ward model, if judge finds provincial cut invalid. City Clerk concerned reverting will lead to mistakes, given a lack of time.
This is a bit like if, after someone smashed their way into your house and trashed the place, you just threw up your arms and said, “well, there’s no way we can clean this up. Let’s just leave it.”
Tory asks the city solicitor if this court challenge might be useful for establishing precedent for provincial-municipal relationships going forward. City solicitor agrees it would.
Matlow intros his motions: go forward with court challenge, look at postponing the election and have the clerk prepare for a 47-ward election at the same time she prepares for a 25-ward election. (That last bit will get ruled out of order by the speaker, I bet.)
“What Doug Ford did was an affront to democracy,” says Matlow. “Just because you have the power to do something awful, you don’t necessarily do it.”
Matlow on Ford: “When Doug Ford was here for four years, he did virtually nothing but stand up and rant and rave and bash at people. I don’t remember a single thing that he did that actually contributed to the well being of people’s lives.”
I win my own bet. Nunziata rules Matlow’s motion for clerk to contninue preparing 47-ward election (alongside 25-ward election) out of order. She’s challenged. Chair is upheld, 25-10.
Holyday has a motion that council take a) no action and b) no position. He also has a motion to release the confidential report about legal options.
Some councillors in July: Heck yeah, good on Doug Ford for changing the rules in the middle of an election. Some councillors in August: Oh heavens, we can’t risk a court changing the rules in the middle of an election.
Mammoliti is making a show of having brought many cheese plates to the chamber, to make some point about councillors whining. Let’s remember to check for cheese-related purchases on his quarterly expense report when it comes out.
Councillor Joe Cressy: “For heaven’s sake, Doug Ford could wake up tomorrow and announce he’s going to amend legislation to make his nephew Michael Ford the mayor. He could! Would we stand for that? Of course we wouldn’t.”
Councillor Gord Perks: “If we win at this, we could establish for the first time in Canadian law that municipal governments are a real thing and municipal voters have real rights. You have an opportunity — take it!”
Councillor Di Giorgio says he’ll be supporting Holyday’s motion that the city take no legal position. He says he’s going to attempt to explain Doug Ford’s thinking. Councillor Perruzza, sitting beside him: “Oh no, no, don’t try to get into his head. Don’t.”
Appointed councillor Jim Hart says he won’t support Matlow’s motion directing the city to challenge the council cut in court.
Councillor Di Ciano downplays 26,000 people signing various petitions against Ford’s council cut, saying the city has almost 3 million people in it so the vast majority did not, in fact, sign a petition.
Tory is the last speaker, so council will vote soon on whether to oppose the council cut in court. Mayor emphasizes again that it’s wrong to change the rules in the middle of an election.
Matlow’s motion to seek a postponement of the municipal election if necessary PASSES 27-15.
Holyday’s motion to make the city’s confidential legal advice on this issue public FAILS 14-28.
Wong-Tam’s motion to give councillors an extension to September 7 to communicate about Bill 5 with constituents FAILS 19-23.
And the legal challenge item as amended carries 33-9. The saga continues in court on August 31.
