City Council — December 2016

Toronto City Council meets today! Here's @neville_park's preview. http://torontoist.com/2016/12/toronto-city-council-preview-december-2016/

Coun. Mammoliti has held this "TOCore: Planning Toronto's Downtown" report for debate. I have no idea why. http://app.toronto.ca/tmmis/viewAgendaItemHistory.do?item=2016.TE20.18

Council votes 37-2 to adopt finding that Doug Ford contravened council code of conduct.

Here's how council's last vote on supporting road tolls went. (Yes vote = opposed to tolls. It was confusing, yes.)

New member motion: @Janet_Davis wants to review the warrants for traffic control measures. http://app.toronto.ca/tmmis/viewAgendaItemHistory.do?item=2016.MM23.27

City manager Peter Wallace says it doesn't make sense to fully socialize roads when city expects transit riders to pay cost of service.

Palacio asks why land transfer tax didn't fix city $$$ problems. Spoiler: it's 'cause council used the new revenue to pay for low prop taxes

Coun. Matlow presents motion to ask province to give cities a share of HST. Also has a motion for Toronto to get its own sales tax.

This is Matlow's sales tax motion. https://x.com/TorontoCouncil/status/808771551323688960

I'd give pretty good odds that Coun. Mammoliti gets kicked out of the chamber before this toll debate is done.

Coun. Wong-Tam wants to bring back the Vehicle Registration Tax at $120 (per four-wheel vehicle).

This dude would feel pretty smug if that passed.

Vehicle registration tax is way faster to implement than highway tolls and much lower overhead. But once there was a mayor named Rob Ford.

Coun. Holyday asks why Wong-Tam's vehicle registration tax wouldn't apply to two-wheeled vehicles, e.g. bicycles. (He's on public works!)

Coun. Mammoliti has a list of fully imaginary "savings." Includes uploading TTC to province, eliminating anti-poverty strategy, and so on.

Here's Mammoliti's list of imaginary "savings." Please do not report on this without use of the word "imaginary."

Mammoliti's motion to refer (delay) report on road tolls and other revenues fails 5-29.

Left the council stream for an hour to record podcast with @MetroLuke and @maywarren11. Pretty sure I didn't miss a thing.

Giorgio Mammoliti is baffled by the very notion that someone might vote for a politician who supports tax increases.

Coun. Minnan-Wong is a big fan of electronic billboards. He says there's a big opportunity to raise revenues by allowing more of 'em.

Perruzza says he won't support road tolls. So as it stands, half of Tory's new public works committee opposes his toll plan. Great work.

The @torontoist council liveblog is a good time. http://torontoist.com/2016/12/the-december-2016-toronto-city-council-liveblog-day-one-revenue-tools/#more-390085

So many councillor speeches today have started with some variant of "no one likes taxes."

Bailão: "Who likes to pay taxes? Everyone hates to pay taxes.", I'm here, raising my hand, trying to remember that buying civilization quote

John Tory speaking on tolls now. He's got a motion for a report on making sure toll rev goes to transportation only

Because of road toll proposal, Mammoliti suggests Tory step down and run for re-election now.

Tory has a quote from a 2010 Toronto Star article in which Mammoliti supported tolls. Mayor is FIRED UP.

City Council's seating plan has finally paid off in a dramatic way.

Here's the 2010 quote Tory just referenced. Mammoliti [hearts] road tolls. https://www.thestar.com/news/city_hall/2010/06/08/no_cars_on_the_gardiner_in_giorgio_mammolitis_waterfront_plan.html

(That article might also be the origin story of CASINO BOAT.)

If you aren't familiar with Casino Boat, here you go: https://x.com/GraphicMatt/status/291218891676479488

Tory defends Gardiner East decision by reiterating that Toronto needs a ring road.

Tory also seems to be very close to losing his voice. Stop asking him questions, council!

[Ron Howard voice] It wasn't. https://x.com/Shawn_Jeffords/status/808839154285027328

Mammoliti wants separate votes on all his imaginary budget saving motions, and probably everything else. This will take a while.

Mammoliti motion to ask Metrolinx to assume responsibility for the TTC fails 16-26.

Mammoliti motion to request provincial government eliminate Finch LRT plans fails 2-40. There's your meme councillor

Mammoliti motion to amalgamate fire and paramedics fails 17-24.

Mammoliti motion to eliminate the poverty reduction strategy fails 2-39.

Mammoliti motion to request province take responsibility for "Homes for the Aged" fails 18-22.

Holyday motion requesting toll-free times and rebates for Toronto taxpayers, etc. fails 13-29.

Davis motion to allow for above-inflation increase to billboard tax PASSES. Tory in favour.

Davis motion to allow for alcohol tax and future reforms re: graduated property tax rates FAILS 14-27.

The art of the trade / how the sausage gets made. https://x.com/_DivyeshM/status/808846384933773312

Filion motion to ditch recommendation that city allow expanded use of electronic billboards fails 19-23.

Campbell motion that city consider a muni income tax FAILS 17-25.

Matlow motion that Toronto request province give city share of HST PASSES 30-12.

Matlow motion that city look at implementing its own sales tax (if no HST share) PASSES 22-20.

Matlow motion to determine priority of infra projects based on ridership/need/density/etc. FAILS 19-23.

Wong-Tam motion to reintroduce Vehicle Registration Tax at $120 a year FAILS 11-31.

Cressy motion to endorse 4% hotel tax PASSES 37-5.

Cressy motion to endorse short-term rental tax (e.g. airbnb) of no higher than 10% PASSES 36-6.

Cressy motion to consult on graduated residential prop tax rate fails 20-22.

Cressy motion to consult public on city income tax passes 22-20.

Cressy motion to consult on commercial parking levy PASSES 21-20.

Cressy motion to consult on a city sales tax passes 23-19. No one is 100% sure what these motions mean.

Cressy motion to consult on alcohol tax passes 28-14.

Fragedakis motion that city also consider tolling the Allen expressway fails 13-29.

Fragedakis motion to consider distance- and time-based pricing for highway tolls passes 34-8.

Fragedakis motion to consider toll discounts for Toronto residents/low-income people/seniors passes 35-7.

Karygiannnis motion to examine higher land transfer tax for non-Canadian residents PASSES 22-19.

Tory's motion that all rev from tolls go exclusively to transit/transpo needs PASSES 31-10.

Toronto revenue strategy as it relates to harmonizing land transfer tax rates with provincial rates passes 29-11.

Forgot to post this one. Carroll's motion to adjust Toronto property taxes to match GTA average failed 9-33.

Recommendation that city consider expanding use of electronic signs as part of rev strategy loses on tie, 21-21.

Toronto's revenue strategy as a whole, including highway tolls, PASSES 32-9.

All in all, that went much better than the last time Toronto council debated revenue tools.

If you're seriously listening to a scrum with Coun. Mammoliti right now, reconsider your life choices.

Cars are the present and future of transportation? https://x.com/hollandmichelle/status/809054924520779776

Coun. Anthony Perruzza asks if "the Russians or the Koreans" might be able to hack Toronto's voting machines. Staff say it's unlikely.

Coun. Di Ciano suggests council needs a "Truth & Reconciliation Panel" on ranked ballots. He opposes them.

This debate on ranked ballots is so frustrating. "The proposed change isn't perfect, so let's stick with the flawed status quo."

If some councillors really can't get past the "ranked ballots are complicated" thing then, fine, go with a two-round system.

"The public's not interested in ranked ballots," says Coun. Denzil Minnan-Wong. He says people in his ward like first-past-the-post.

Coun. Di Giorgio notes it's hard to get 50% of the vote if ten candidates run. "You don't have to be a brain scientist to understand that."

Coun. Ainslie motion for a report on creating a panel looking at ranked ballots FAILS 17-22.

This effectively kills the ranked ballot dream in Toronto. Sad ending. A lot of people worked hard on this. https://x.com/GraphicMatt/status/809152274954125314

Get hyped for many more election results like these in the years to come.

Crawford and Palacio voted against, even though they're listed as endorsing @TorontoRaBIT. http://www.rabit.ca/city_councillors_endorsements https://x.com/jpags/status/809154321308942336

Council votes to review current warrants for traffic control measures. Report will come back in Q1 2017.

Booooooo. https://x.com/metrotoronto/status/809199759865028608

"This is about a distribution of wealth!" says Coun. Holyday re: discounted low-income TTC pass, like he's just cracked the case.

Council adopts plan for discounted low-income TTC fare pass. 30-4.

TTC proposing daily parking rate hikes at a bunch of lots. Report notes some lots haven't seen increase since 2001.

Takes TTC fare inspectors 3-5 times longer to verify a Presto fare versus old school methods. They're working on it.

Here is a poorly-rendered chart of fare violation rates by streetcar line. (via http://www.ttc.ca/About_the_TTC/Commission_reports_and_information/Commission_meetings/2016/December_20/Reports/15_Transit_Fare_Inspection_and_Enforcement_Model_Update.pdf [pdf])

(The white vs. grey thing refers to the uniform colours of the fare inspectors.)

Get ‘em to swerve agressively toward pedestrians and they’ll be matching human driver performance already. https://x.com/AnnieGaus/status/809092604503560192

Council is having their last-gasp Gardiner East debate now. The votes aren't there to ditch the "hybrid" and go with the boulevard option.

One of Tory's new talking points is to suggest nothing was happening on transit, etc. before his election. Really shortchanges Miller years.

Like, sure, the Ford years were a mess, but council terms before that brought Eglinton LRT, new subway cars, new streetcars. Not nothing.

Mayor's got a rock.

Council is voting on the Gardiner item now. There will NOT be a vote on whether to re-open the Gardiner East decision.

Basically just confirms cost increase, new budget strategy for Gardiner rehab project. https://x.com/lzamparo/status/809517494163619840

Council votes 32-4 in favour of new strategy for Gardiner rehab. The hybrid lives on.

On behalf of the residents of Parkdale, Coun. Perks thanks striking committee for getting Mammoliti off the Ex Place board.

Deputy Mayor Minnan-Wong is now chairing this council meeting. I've never seen it get this far down the line of succession (Who comes next?)

Coun. Layton's annual attempt to eliminate city subsidy to industrial water users fails 16-19. Next year?

Allowing those with accessible parking permit to stop in bike lanes will only be a temporary measure if this passes. https://x.com/TorontoCouncil/status/809560562434736130

McConnell moves to refer item re: accessible permit parking in bike lanes. Report back in fall 2017. Carries 17-11.

Council approves illuminated sign plan for car dealership near Distillery District. 15-12 None of the yes votes live anywhere near this.