Council meets today! It’s a pre-budget appetizer of a meeting, with debates on noise, bus lanes and sledding. Yes, like tobogganing. It’s a magical world, ol’ buddy, let’s go exploring. I’ll be posting things that happen. The meeting live stream is here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=ONnZ...
I’ve got a full preview of the agenda in last Friday’s issue of the newsletter, complete with this cool archive photo. Mayor Olivia Chow has set the RapidTO bus lane plan as her first key matter, so that should be up first, barring any changes. toronto.cityhallwatcher.com/p/council-to...
We start with a few notes. Councillor Fletcher pays tribute after the passing of her longtime executive assistant Susan Serran. Councillor Moise welcomes us to Black History Month. Mayor Chow offers congratulations to retiring City of Toronto Controller Andrew Flynn.
“Controller” is a funny corporate title. Like, what do you do? CONTROL. Anyway, City of Toronto Controller Andrew Flynn — retiring next month — laments that he never got to meet to Drake but says there’s still some time. He thanks a long list of colleagues.
In his introductory remarks, Councillor James Pasternak, chair of the North York Community Council, offers an ode to the glory of windrow clearing, an important snow-clearing service for the suburbs, he says. A little sneak preview of next week’s budget meeting, most likely.
Councillor Brad Bradford says he’s got a petition signed by 500 people calling on Council to reverse the “tobogganing ban.”
Plan to replace a four-storey rental building at 3 Swift Drive with two new tower buildings with 857 residential units (including 61 rental replacement units) is APPROVED by Council 23-1. secure.toronto.ca/council/agen...
Just 26 agenda items have been held for debate. I’m going to jinx it now and say this should be a relatively quick meeting. Up first: RapidTO. The City has been slooooowly moving toward building a network of fast dedicated bus lanes. secure.toronto.ca/council/agen...
The first RapidTO route, on Eglinton East, was approved in July 2020 and opened in October 2020. Remainder of routes have been held up with a long consultation process. Finch East, Dufferin, Lawrence East and Steeles West next in line, subject to Council approval this week.
Under questioning from Councillor Holyday, staff clarify that these future RapidTO routes may not all be dedicated bus lanes — they could be more-limited transit priority improvements, or HOV lanes. Roadway studies will lead to specific design recommendations.
Councillor Perruzza asks staff it they can “magically create lanes” by “marginally moving curbs” so that bus lanes can be added without taking away car lanes. Staff say they’ll look at ways to preserve car lanes where possible, but often not possible.
“For some, [transit] really is a lifeline. And we need to make this lifeline more reliable and more frequent,” says Mayor Olivia Chow, the first speaker on the RapidTO item. She moves to accelerate the process of installing more transit priority.
Councillor Stephen Holyday has two motions. He wants to defer the RapidTO transit priority item until after final costs are known for the Scarborough Busway project, and have the mayor consider putting money earmarked for RapidTO toward the Scarborough busway project.
Holyday says he’s not a fan of RapidTO because of “the sensitivity of the public toward closing down lanes.” He cites the Bloor West bike lane extension, saying “people are REALLY upset because they see the [bike] lanes empty, and they’re stuck in gridlock on Bloor Street.”
Since Holyday moved to defer this item, all other debate stops and council debates the deferral. TTC Chair Jamaal Myers urges Council to reject it. “I don’t think the motion is very well thought out,” says Myers, noting timing of next report on Scarborough busway is uncertain.
Holyday’s motion to defer the RapidTO item until after final costs are known for the Scarborough busway project FAILS 4-21.
Back to the debate. Councillor Anthony Perruzza moves for staff to prioritize maintaining all existing car lanes when installing HOV lanes for transit priority.
“By simply moving the curbs a little bit, you can accommodate HOV lanes, you can accommodate safe bike lanes, and you can maintain your current lanes of traffic,” says Perruzza.
This RapidTO debate is running a bit slow. Council meanders into the lunch break. Back at 2 p.m. for the rest of the speeches, motions and votes on this item.
Council’s back. Councillor Lily Cheng rises to sing a few bars of “Happy Birthday” to Councillor Mike Colle. There’s also cake, apparently. And now back to debating bus lanes.
Birthday boy Councillor Mike Colle has a motion to do some stuff to immediately speed up the Dufferin Bus, including using more articulated buses. He wants to stop the “Suffering on Dufferin,” he says. Hey, that rhymes.
Councillor McKelvie says she finds it “rather offensive” to hear claims the Tory-led city council failed on the RapidTO plan. She said councillors in 2020 put “a lot of political capital on the line” to get the Eg East bus lanes and learned about importance of consultation.
Councillor Jamaal Myers rises to withdraw his earlier comments that the previous council failed on RapidTO, and acknowledges the work councillors did at the time. He says he just thinks the city “failed to move with the momentum”after the first RapidTO lane was a success.
Councillor Vince Crisanti moves for staff to consider pushing bus lanes on Highway 27 up the priority list, noting there’s more density coming with the Finch West LRT.
Councillor Brad Bradford says he thinks the RapidTO lanes in Scarborough have been “more positive than not” but cautions against blanket approvals of future lanes. “RapidTO might not be the answer in all situations. Just like a bike lane is not the answer in all situations.”
Time to vote. Mayor Olivia Chow’s motion to direct staff to accelerate the work on RapidTO bus lanes and other transit priority measures CARRIES 23-3.
Councillor Holyday’s motion to request Chow redirect RapidTO money toward the Scarborough busway FAILS 2-24.
Councillor Perruzza’s motion to prioritize maintaining existing car lanes when installing HOV lanes for transit priority FAILS 9-17. (This was a re-vote, after Fletcher hit the wrong button the first time.)
Councillor Cristanti’s motion to look at prioritizing the RapidTO treatment for Highway 27 CARRIES 22-4.
Up now: Councillor Nick Mantas missed his flight home from a conference in Italy last year. He’s been trying for several months now to get Council to reimburse his costs. Let’s see if they finally do it. secure.toronto.ca/council/agen...
Councillors are allowed to spend up to $7K on travel expenses without special approval. Missing the flight home pushed Mantas’ cost above that threshold. The extra he’s requesting works out to about $5K, covering cost of accommodation and rebooking for him and his chief of staff.
Councillor Nick Mantas is now asking questions about this item, which seems weird! He gets staff to confirm that he (Mantas) missed his flight home because he was denied boarding by Air Canada. Wait, why was he denied boarding?! This plot keeps thickening.
Councillor Paula Fletcher moves to review the Council travel policy. She says she’s “channeling her inner Rob Ford” because she thinks the current travel policy allows too much travel spending.
After Fletcher suggests Mantas was denied boarding because he was late getting to the gate, he rises to protest, saying Fletcher is “lecturing him.” He says he was actually denied boarding because he “doubled booked the flight.”
Fletcher says she doesn’t actually know the circumstances that led to Mantas missing the flight, but she just thinks it’s wrong that the current policy allows for travel of up to $7K per person for councillors and staff is too much and wrong.
“It’s called the gravy train!” declares Fletcher. “I know, I know,” says Nunziata. “And I hate gravy.”
As Mantas rises to speak, Robinson asks if there’s a conflict-of-interest here. Nunziata says no. Okay then. He defends the trip, saying he went to this conference as City Hall’s “tech and innovation advocate” but agrees with Fletcher that the travel policy needs to change.
Council votes 21-3 to APPROVE reimbursing Councillor Nick Mantas for costs related to a missed flight home from a conference in Italy. It’ll be paid for with his office budget.
Up now: Councillor Chris Moise wants to look at bringing back the practice of printing out agenda materials for councillors. Printing stopped during COVID. A budget briefing note says it’d cost $200K to bring the paper back. That’s a lot of ink. secure.toronto.ca/council/agen...
Councillor Moise asks staff about “screen time” — are councillors dealing with too much screen time now that materials aren’t printed? Staffer says that’s an “interesting question to ask” but points out looking at paper can also cause eye strain for some people.
Councillor James Pasternak says he knows this makes him sound old, but he wants paper back. He asks if the public really wants councillor staff to be spending their time printing out materials for councillors, or do they want councillor staff working on issues in the community.
Here’s what the desks in the council chamber used to look like in the days when all materials got printed by default.
Councillor Jennifer McKelvie moves for the report on potentially bringing back paper to also look at other software. She also wants councillors to get a refresher lesson on the CMP system used to distribute materials digitally.
Councillor Anthony Perruzza moves to ensure that if paper comes back then all the paper distributed be three-hole punched. Holy hell. What are we even doing here.
Someone needs to move that all printed materials for councillors must exclusively use Comic Sans.
Budget Chief Shelley Carroll says she can’t believe Council is having this conversation about printing stuff when City Hall is facing a financial crisis and looking at a significant tax hike. “We’re going to sit here seven days before we adopt that budget, and do THIS?!”
Carroll’s on a five-star rant about the ridiculousness of this bringing-back-printing thing. “I ask that my colleagues PLEASE use their heads for just a second and PLEASE defeat the motion before us and all the amendments to it.”
Councillor Stephen Holyday moves to amend the motion so that councillors will have to choose between getting a tablet OR printed materials. They couldn’t get both.
“My motion just says, ‘if you want paper, then give back your computer’ — you don’t have to give back your desktop, but give back your tablet. I mean, these things cost thousands of dollars,” says Holyday, holding his iPad.
Holyday’s motion to make councillors choose between a tablet and printed materials in the event Council opts to bring back the paper agendas FAILS 3-20.
There’s a bunch of ridiculous jockeying around various amendments and points of order, but none of it matters in the end. The motion to survey councillors on potentially bringing back printed agenda materials FAILS 10-15.
Up now: should Toronto have its own tax on foreign buyers? The provincial non-resident speculation tax has raised ~$1 billion since 2017, with half that generated in Toronto. Recommendation is for city to levy a 10% municipal tax on top of province. secure.toronto.ca/council/agen...
Councillor Stephen Holyday asks if this tax will apply to professional athletes who buy property in the city — Blue Jays and Raptors players, for example. Staff says it’ll apply if they aren’t permanent residents.
Holyday says he’s going to vote against the municipal foreign buyer tax. He says the city’s finances are a “dumpster fire” and “the last thing you need to do is throw more fuel on the fire.” He says this is a cash grab that’ll only affect foreign nationals who really need homes.
Council APPROVES a 10% municipal tax on foreign buyers. It’ll kick in starting on Jan 1, 2025. Vote is 24-1.
After a quick victory speech from Mayor Chow noting she got Doug Ford to provide operating funding (for three years, at least), Council votes 25-0 to approve an operating agreement for the Finch West LRT. Opening Fall 2024. Hopefully. secure.toronto.ca/council/agen...
Up now: Councillor James Pasternak asked for a report on ways to enforce bylaws against people hanging banners on Highway 401 overpasses, following some protests of late. He’s worried about “driver distraction.” Report says it’s up to the cops, basically. secure.toronto.ca/council/agen...
After some questions to staff on the enforcing-against-protests issue, Council breaks for the night. Back at 9:30 a.m. tomorrow with 35 items left on the agenda, including one about sledding.
Council is back for day two. The new administrative penalty system for processing photo radar and red light camera tickets is set to be the first item today. It should speed up the processing of speeding tickets, is the hope. Watch live here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xq9t...
Councillor Lily Cheng has presented the mayor and other members of council with gifts for Lunar New Year. Chow thanks her and welcomes us to the Year of the Dragon.
Up now: switching to an Administrative Penalty System for photo radar and red light cameras. It’s the same system the city has used for parking tickets since 2016, with disputes overseen by screening officers instead of courts. It’s A LOT faster. secure.toronto.ca/council/agen...
One benefit of switching to faster processing of tickets is that the system will be able to better handle more tickets from more photo radar cameras. Report has revenue from tickets increasing from about $70 million in 2023 to $121 million in 2026.
Councillor Stephen Holyday says he supports the switch to the Administrative system for photo radar tickets, but is not in favour of expanding the number of photo radar cameras. Report contemplates moving from 75 cameras to 150 cameras. Council will vote on that at a later date.
Switch to a speedier Administrative Penalty System for photo radar and red light camera tickets is APPROVED by Council. Vote is 26-0. Decision on increasing number of photo radar cameras will come later.
Council will return now to their debate on whether the City has any tools to crack down on protests. So far, staff have been very adamant of two things: 1) Protests are handled by the police. 2) City Hall can’t direct the police.
Nunziata informs council that the police have decided they’re not going to show up today to answer questions about this item. Councillors aren’t happy about that. City Manager says he encouraged the police to show up, but was told no one is available.
Nunziata decides to hold off debate on the protest item until after lunch, in the hopes someone from police services is available to show up then and answer councillor questions. Okay then.
Up now: the shelter strategy. The plan is to acquire at least five sites for new shelters this year, and gradually transition away from the shelter hotels set up during the pandemic. Some hotel leases will be extended until after new shelters are in place. secure.toronto.ca/council/agen...
Councillor James Pasternak asks what the status is of a previous council request to open the federal armouries at Moss Park and Fort York for shelter space. “It doesn’t look like that will materialize,” says Shelters Executive Director Gord Tanner, diplomatically.
Councillor Nick Mantas moves for changes to the operations of the shelter hotel at the Delta at 2035 Kennedy Road, and to put a priority on decommissioning the site.
Councillor Michael Thompson moves for a process that’ll ask experts on real estate and construction for advice on developing the “most efficient methods” for building shelters.
Councillor Anthony Perruzza moves to release the confidential attachment to the shelter report, which includes details on lease extensions for hotels.
The problem with Perruzza’s motion is that the lease extensions aren’t final yet, so public release of the shelter hotel leases the city plans to extend (and for how much) would not help with negotiations with the hotels.
Perruzza says his intent is to “challenge our staff” to come up with better solutions than the shelter hotels. Councillor Bravo asks if he understands that could result in more people sleeping on the street. Perruzza says Bravo shouldn’t be afraid of the motion.
Perruzza wants council to go into private session to discuss his confidential motion on to the shelter report. Council REJECTS that, 8-17.
A correction from earlier: I said Perruzza’s motion was to release the confidential attachment to the report. It’s actually a two-part secret motion to do something confidential on the shelter plan, with specifics to be revealed after the meeting.
A correction from earlier: I said Perruzza’s motion was to release the confidential attachment to the report. It’s actually a two-part secret motion to do something confidential on the shelter plan, with specifics to be revealed after the meeting.
Anyway, it doesn’t matter. Part one of Perruzza’s super secret motion on the shelter item FAILS 2-23.
Mantas’ motion to make changes to operations of the shelter hotel at 2035 Kennedy Road and prioritize its decommissioning CARRIES 24-1.
Council votes to authorize staff to execute lease extensions with some of the shelter hotels. Vote is 21-4.
Remainder of the recommendations in the shelter item, including plan to build more shelters, CARRIES 23-2.
And that’s lunch. Back at 2 p.m. with 32 items left, including 17 member motions. One of them is about sledding.
Council’s back. Staff have reviewed all the member motions for budget implications. From that, we learn that it’ll cost City Hall about $13,000 to remove their “No tobogganing” signs and re-install hay bales at hills.
Council votes 24-1 in favour of a set of zoning amendments for midtown Toronto. secure.toronto.ca/council/agen...
Councillor Jon Burnside’s motion for a report on ways to increase the property tax paid by Toronto Island residents FAILS to make the agenda, 11-15. It’ll go to Chow’s Executive Committee instead. secure.toronto.ca/council/agen...
Council votes to add the tobogganing item to the agenda, but Councillor Jaye Robinson isn’t ready to let it pass yet. She holds it for debate. “The sun is out! There’s no snow,” Nunziata points out. secure.toronto.ca/council/agen...
A Councillor Dianne Saxe motion to express support for ending gas pipeline subsidies FAILS to make the agenda. Vote is 14-12. It needs two-thirds. Item will go to Executive Committee instead. secure.toronto.ca/council/agen...
With most member motions dispensed, there are now 13 lucky items left on the agenda. And look who decided to show up! The police are now in the chamber to answer councillor questions on the overpass protest and hate speech items.
Councillor Vince Crisanti is using this item as an opportunity to go to bat for the police getting a bigger increase in the 2024 budget. “It would be negligent not to support our Toronto police financially with the modest ask they’ve requested for their budget,” he says.
Councillor Amber Morley says it’s important to acknowledge the value of protests. “I want to take a moment to acknowledge the protestors who have peacefully exercised their right to assemble, raising their voices to advocate for justice within the boundaries of the law.”
Councillor James Pasternak moves for the city to develop a “policy framework for the management and monitoring of rallies and protests.” He says this isn’t ideological and isn’t about the Middle East. He says it’s about ensuring residents can live in “peace and security.”
Councillor Paula Fletcher says Pasternak’s motion seems to be “a motion in search of a problem.” Pasternak disagrees. He says it’s important for protestors to know that doing things like blocking a highway is illegal.
I gather Pasternak is imagining a scenario where a protest organizer notifies City Hall that they’re planning a protest, the city provides the protestor with a list of rules about noise and blocking streets, and the protestor dutifully complies.
Councillor Perks asks Pasternak what value this motion has, given bylaw enforcement officers don’t have the power to step in during protests. Pasternak says he trusts staff to come up with a good policy that “strikes a balance” between criminal code issues and bylaw issues.
“Are we going to put our city in a position where we’re starting to pass bylaws that are found unconstitutional?” wonders Councillor Alejandra Bravo. “This isn’t right. We have to be able to say what we feel. Protests and rallies are the way that things have changed in society.”
Nunziata says she’ll the support the Pasternak motion. She says she’s fine with protests, but when protestors shut down streets and highways they go too far. “You don’t allow people to get home!” she says.
“If you undermine the right to protest, you undermine democracy. There is no democracy without the right to protest,” says Councillor Perks. “That is the most fundamental truth you need to know to be here in this chamber. And if you don’t know it, you’re a danger to democracy.”
Councillor Stephen Holyday moves to recognize that it’s the police who handle enforcement at protests and as such council should “adequately fund the police to carry out the work.”
Councillor James Pasternak’s motion to develop a “policy and framework for the management and monitoring of rallies and protests” CARRIES 13-11. Chow in favour.
Councillor Holyday’s motion to recognize the importance of funding the police to do enforcement at protests CARRIES 18-6.
Up now: make some noise. It’s time to debate the noise bylaw. Staff are recommending a few tweaks, but there’s real questions about effective enforcement of most of the rules. secure.toronto.ca/council/agen...
Here’s what the city can enforce and not enforce when it comes to noise. Moving vehicle noise is the big one to note, as it’s a common source of noise but bylaw officers can’t pull over vehicles, so it falls to the cops — who haven’t been super interested in enforcement.
The other challenge is that bylaw officers can’t respond on an emergency basis. They do not “have the authority to immediately stop a noise event” like a party.
Changes to the noise bylaw up for consideration today are all relatively minor tweaks: a lower nighttime decibel limit, consideration of “sound-included vibration”, etc. Notably, garbage trucks will keep their exemption for overnight noise, but staff say they’ll monitor data.
Councillor Frances Nunziata wonders if the city could take short-term rental licenses away from Airbnb rentals that get noise complaints. MLS Director Carleton Grant says his staff would need to look into that, but it seems doable.
Some councillors asking about a pilot project for using “noise radar” tech that automatically tickets noisy cars. Grant says the city needs provincial approval to use the technology and recommends councillors pester the Minister of Transportation about getting it.
Councillor Brad Bradford moves to make sure MLS staff are consulting with the music advisory committee about the noise rules, and to look at waiving permit fees for cultural organizations seeking noise exemptions for events.
Councillor Dianne Saxe has a motion to get a report in Q4 on options to put some rules against noisy overnight garbage collection.
Holyday asks if Saxe is worried that rules on overnight garbage collection noise will mean that more trash companies switch to daytime pick-up and cause congestion, etc. Saxe says she’s considered that, and that’s why she’s asking for a report, rather than an outright ban.
Councillor Saxe’s motion for a report later this year on ways to limit the noise from overnight garbage collection CARRIES 21-4.
Bradford’s motion to look at exempting cultural organizations from noise permit fees and to consult with the Music Advisory Committee regarding noise CARRIES 24-1.
And that’ll do it for the noisy part of this council meeting. Noise bylaw item as amended is adopted via show of hands.
Onto an item from Councillor Dianne Saxe asking staff to do more to make sure bike lanes are “safe and passable” after snowfall. Remember snow? I’ve got a vague recollection. Anyway, Holyday opposes it, arguing he’d rather keep windrow clearing. secure.toronto.ca/council/agen...
Saxe says her motion isn’t taking away anything from anybody. “It’s simply treating cyclists as residents who matter.” Her motion to “take all reasonable steps” to make sure bike lanes are safe and passable after snowfall CARRIES 20-1.
Up next: more bikes. On an item about installing some bike lane upgrades and extensions, Councillor Anthony Perruzza moves to “prioritize placing bike lanes off the roadway.” He wants bike lanes on boulevards. secure.toronto.ca/council/agen...
Here’s the planned Q1 bike lane installations up for consideration today. Includes some nice upgrades on Dundas East and Harbord/Hoskin.
In a weird digression, Councillor Anthony Perruzza tells Stephen Holyday a very long story that doesn’t go anywhere, about the time he tried to ride his bike on Royal York Road. He may have had an onion on his belt. It was the style at the time.
“I think this is a record short debate on the cycling network plan,” notes Councillor McKelvie, as they’re about to vote. It’s true. Even the smallest debates on cycling used to take HOURS.
Councillor Anthony Perruzza’s motion to prioritize putting bike lanes on boulevards — and off the roadway — where possible CARRIES 19-4.
Installations and upgrades for the Q1 2024 cycling network plan, including upgrades to bike lanes on Dundas East and Harbord/Hoskin, get APPROVED by Council 23-1.
Council needs a re-vote on the item about the rental demolition & replacement plan for the condo development at 3 Swift Drive, to adopt some supplementary staff recommendations. It CARRIES again 24-1. secure.toronto.ca/council/agen...
One more bike item. Councillor Holyday rises to announce he’s opposed to making cheaper Bike Share memberships available to people with low incomes. “Sometimes it’s important just to say no,” he says. Only sometimes? secure.toronto.ca/council/agen...
Anyway, the discounted Bike Share membership program for people with low incomes gets APPROVED by council 23-2.
Time to go sledding. On an item about removing Toronto’s “no tobogganing” signs, Councillor Stephen Holyday asks about liability. City lawyer recommends council go into private session to discuss that. To discuss tobogganing, to be clear. secure.toronto.ca/council/agen...
Nunziata says they may have to defer this tobogganing item, if a private session is required to discuss liability. That’d probably throw a wrench into at least one councillor’s planned TV news hits.
On cue, Councillor Brad Bradford says he “wants to make the change to permit the tobogganing today. I want that today.” Colle points out there’s no snow. “Yeah, I know that, Mike!” Bradford suggests Holyday’s concerns could be addressed in a future report on tobogganing.
But Holyday insists upon himself. He really wants to go into private session to discuss tobogganing liability with the city lawyer. Council votes 16-10 to go in camera for a secret debate about sledding.
Here we go. It’s all downhill from here. Council is about to resume their public session and have a debate about tobogganing.
On questioning from Councillor Fletcher, staff confirm that city councillors were not informed in advance of changes to tobogganing this winter. Changes included some updated “No Tobogganing” signs and not putting hay bales on some hills where there had been hay bales before.
Councillor Paul Ainslie asks if staff could reassess some of the prohibited toboggan hills and look at ways to make them safer. Staff say that’s possible but a lot of the “no tobogganing” hills have hazards like lamp posts and trees.
Councillor Brad Bradford asks if tobogganing is more dangerous than activities the city allows at hockey rinks and swimming pools. Staff say those activities are generally managed and overseen by city staff, whereas tobogganing is more of a free-for-all.
City staffer says there are currently three categories of toboggan hills in Toronto: designated toboggan hills (regularly inspected), “grey zone” hills that aren’t inspected but tobogganing is allowed but maybe frowned upon, and prohibited hills.
Councillor Perruzza asks Licensing & Standards Director Carleton Grant if his department has been enforcing this “no tobogganing” thing. Grant says his department takes an “education first” approach and also most tobogganers are minors and his department can’t ticket minors.
Grant says there have been nine complaints about people tobogganing in the last couple of years, and his team has issued zero toboggan-related charges.
Council votes to APPROVE the motion to get rid of Toronto’s “No Tobogganing” signs and reinstall hay bales on sledding hills. Vote is 21-3. Now we just need some snow.
Council coasts to a stop. The agenda is done. One last thing: apparently it’s Councillor Frances Nunziata’s birthday. Councillors start singing but she shuts off their mics. “Don’t ask me my age. Thank you!”
Thanks for reading this thread! I’ll be back next Wednesday for live coverage of the budget debate, which could be almost as important as the tobogganing debate. Almost. If you want to support this coverage, consider a subscription to my newsletter: toronto.cityhallwatcher.com/subscribe