City Council — February 2013
February 20 + 21, 2013
91 posts
Uh oh. Norm Kelly is speaking about climate change. Gord Perks sits behind him, staring straight ahead. Restraint is a virtue.
Kelly says the climate change report indicates that "life will be a little more comfortable in this city." Perks literally facepalms.
Kelly says he'll be making an amendment re: the climate change report. Perks shakes his head. That was fantastic.
Ford declares a conflict-of-interest on the Integrity Commissioner item relating to him. Progress, I guess.
"Two can play at this game" says Doug Ford as he holds down a bunch of a liquor license applications downtown. Inspirational.
Perks: "Unacceptable for anyone to live in warmth and comfort when our brothers and sisters cannot. We have a solemn duty to debate this."
Mayor's talking points: "There is no crisis in our shelter system. The system is operating close to (but not over) its capacity."
More pointedly, mayor's office wants to know, "how many _more_ empty beds should taxpayers pay for?"
Also, @neville_park is on TV. Wave to Neville.
"On February 8, 2012 the shelter system showed that there were 17 co-ed, 78 male, 26 female and 5 youth beds that went unused."
Doug Holyday appears to have some kind of smartphone. That's news, I think.
I'm not sure why the mayor is so adamant that council not debate this now and instead wait until next month. Odd battle to pick.
Sounds like Councillor Gloria Lindsay Luby will vote against Vaughan's motion to add this shelter item to the agenda today. So it'll fail.
Doug Ford: "I know this is quite a sensitive issue." Says he drove down Bay Street and saw a man on a grate with no shoes on.
Doug Ford says he looked into issue and found that "some of these folks don't want to go into shelters." Says that's the issue.
Now Mammoliti is up. He likes the phrase "dreaming in technicolour." I dream in Real 3D IMAX.
Mammoliti, who tends to kind of have his heart in the right place on housing, says pressing need is for long-term units.
Raymond Cho: "People are dying in the streets and we keep talking, talking, talking."
Cho notes he has two minutes left on his speaking time, says he must use all of it, and tells a story about a thing he heard on CBC Radio.
"We have nothing to be ashamed of and everything to be proud of in our approach to this topic," says Norm Kelly.
Vaughan's shelter motion doesn't make the agenda. 24-20 vote. Needed 30. Shouting in the chamber.
Notable 'Yes' votes on adding shelter item to agenda: Ainslie, Minnan-Wong (!), Pasternak. Did DMW vote incorrectly?
Rob Ford: "And folks, business makes this world go round." We're making it easier, more affordable to do business, he says.
Wow, Paul Ainslie just moved that council ask the federal government to tax capital gains as regular income.
Council is talking about economic development but so far no mentions of the casino boat. http://t.co/VtjQ73uc
.@m_layton moves for a report on options for changes to the Vacant Unit Rebate. I am into that.
Mike Layton says it's refreshing to hear a conversation about economic development and not hear the word 'casino.' Pandora—the box, noooo...
Rob Ford supports Ainslie's motion to look at taxing capital gains as regular income. "Send those NDP cards over!" http://t.co/PP1UlywyQR
So this new Jack Layton Way will intersect with Blue Rodeo Drive. Meet me at Jack Layton and Blue Rodeo, you'll say.
Janet Davis asks staff how many members of Toronto & East York Council sit on Executive. Staff need time to look it up. Answer is zero.
Mihevc puts Adam Vaughan forward for Executive Committee appointment. Would increase attendance at those meetings.
Holyday asks Mihevc if he knows of any members of TO & East York Council that support the mayor's agenda. Correct response: what agenda?
Ford is up to speak on this issue. He moves that Vince Crisanti be appointed to Executive, Nunziata to Budget. Says he's proud of the picks.
Ford says he doesn't think it's right that some want to put people on exec who will disrupt his committee.
Mayor says Di Giorgio, Crawford and Crisanti represent "fresh blood." Doesn't want tax-and-spend lefties.
Mihevc asks Ford if he thinks downtown councillors deserve representation on major committees. "They have representation there," says Ford.
Ford: "This is about moving the city in the direction I was elected to move it." Says he and Vaughan have a "different philosophy."
Ford tells Councillor "Mahavoc" that he has no problem with being consultative. Then says the last budget was the best ever in TO's history.
Mihevc: "You the man, you the leader!" Ford gets exasperated. Nunziata calls time.
Davis: "Are you aware that these 12 wards constitute 44% of total population of the city?" She says most didn't support Ford.
Ford seems to be arguing from the position that it's okay no downtown councillors are on Exec because they can still come to meetings.
(I'm not sure why the left is pushing so hard on this, honestly. TTC episode last year proves there are ways to work around committees.)
Matlow rises and says he thinks it was a mistake to even create the Executive Committee in the first place. Calls it undemocratic.
Matlow is quoting from this Post article from 2007 re: Ashton resigning from Miller's Exec. He'll back Crisanti. https://o.canada.com/nationalpost/news/toronto/story.html?id=57daaafe-4c37-4411-ba6f-5e6c8a88f43b
Pasternak says Vince Crisanti brings "fresh ideas." I guess it's *possible* that that's true.
Surprised no one has brought up that there's only one woman on exec these days.
Doug Ford: "The mayor has an executive. The mayor got elected with a majority." Sure and, um, no.
Doug Ford draws some sort of argument that it's hypocritical downtown councillors feel underrepresented because they didn't support subways.
And now, some stuff about Section 37 funds. Doug Ford keeps going. Vaughan shouldn't be on executive because he didn't vote to kill VRT.
Shorter Doug: My bro won an election so he can do whatever he wants. "Maybe I'm the only one in here who believes in a strong mayor system."
Doug Ford: "Some people on council want to politically kill the mayor." Says some councillors refuse to work with them.
Wong-Tam is speaking now. Put *her* on the executive committee.
Wong-Tam is a business owner. She drove a convertible. How could she be a tax-and-spend lefty.
Maybe the executive committee should automatically include all the Community Council chairs. I'm just spitballing.
We thought we had reached peak grumpiness. We were wrong. "Suck it up, don't be a baby," says Mike Del Grande.
Del Grande finishes. John Parker collapses into fits of laughter and can't stop. Doug Ford calls for the Medical Officer of Health. Wow.
Mary-Margaret McMahon is up now. She should point out how much today's debate has helped her argument for term limits.
Nunziata says you have to "respect the mayor's mandate and agenda." Says she didn't whine when Miller kept her off committees.
"I've never heard anything so stupid in my life," says Nunziata. She is the speaker in this chamber.
It's kind of amazing to me that politics in this city was once so focused on a bridge to the island airport.
"I hope Frank Di Giorgio weighs in on this issue." I bet someone was thinking that.
Di Giorgio says "his people" can't afford more taxes. So he's gotta support the mayor. I don't know.
Open Question. What would this administration do if they didn't have so much spite to fuel them?
Time to vote. Adam Vaughan appointment goes first. I guess 16 votes in favour.
Aw, it came out 14-30. Adam Vaughan is not an executive committee member. http://t.co/bokLQPU0cA
But we're not done! Now Mihevc moves that Janet Davis join the budget committee in place of Nunziata.
Davis only gets 11 votes for appointment to budget. Guess she'll never be mayor. http://t.co/tBDe6bGBXh
I don't know if we need "fresh ideas" for transit investment. We already got a lot of ideas we haven't used. http://metronews.ca/news/toronto/567868/transportation-minister-glen-murray-claims-fresh-ideas-for-transit-investment/
New #TOpoli gif! Councillor Norm Kelly talks climate change. Councillor Gord Perks facepalms. https://fordfortoronto.mattelliott.ca/misc/ford-ani/perks-face-palm.gif
(It's been added, of course, to the Hall of Gifs: https://fordfortoronto.mattelliott.ca/misc/ford-ani/all-ani.html)
Perhaps my greatest achievement. Thanks for the retweet. http://t.co/hrIfy9GhJT
"Never got to see Christopher Columbus' britches," says Councillor Anthony Perruzza. I see I have missed some things.
So how many members will support DMW's "removal of illegal immigrants" motion? Over/under is at 4. https://secure.toronto.ca/tmmis/viewAgendaItemHistory.do?item=2013.CD18.5&utm_source=&utm_medium=&utm_campaign=
Motion to receive (make it go away) fails 8-31. Both Fords in favour.
Councillor Minnan-Wong's motion that council just endorse the CPC's immigration strategy fails 8-32. Here's the list: http://t.co/O4vBEHmHIs
How am I supposed to enjoy my cushy lifestyle filled with gizmos and fast food when I know undocumented workers are getting stuff.
Motion to finish council's agenda tonight carries 28-13. Mayor wanted to go home. http://t.co/MJ9koC3OUO
Remaining questions: will the mayor vote against the report on climate change? Will we get a hilarious council debate on climate change?
Eventually the business of running Canada's largest city crumbles under the weight of people wanting to go home.
Finally Rob Ford does that thing where he objects to an OMB motion because it requires an outside planner. He loses 33-3. Same as always.
(The mayor may one day want to draft some kind of policy motion that'd address his problems with these kinds of things.)
Nunziata: "Rob, I'm waiting for staff. We can't go until they get the vote."
9:37 p.m. Climate change item up. "I'll try to keep this as brief as possible," says Norm Kelly. Jeers. We'll come back to it, says speaker.
Norm Kelly releases the climate change item. "The glacier has melted!" someone yells. Kelly sits down.
"The rabble do win from time to time," says Kelly, before his mic gets turned off.
Nunziata says we have to recess until tomorrow because, I guess, "Councillor Del Grande does not want to get up."