City Council — July 2012
July 11–13, 2012
92 posts
Council today! As a preview at @FordForToronto: a look at the scattered remains of OneCity. What the hell happened? http://metronews.ca/voices/ford-for-toronto/293084/onecity-what-happened/
Now: a sincere plea that council not get to the important stuff until after lunch. Otherwise I'll have to get on my bike and pedal fast.
Minnan-Wong: "To quote the famous Chuck and Vince of the award-winning 'We Want It' ad campaign: We Want it."
Mayor Ford has an announcement! Apparently a delegation from Microsoft is at council today. Do city computers still use IE6?
Amazing speech from Wong-Tam recognizing volunteers from the Good Neighbours Club and honouring Bill Buss. Context: https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/article/1223818--homeless-senior-found-under-toronto-staircase-identified/
Rob Ford has held six items relating to Community Development & Recreation. Presumably so he can vote against them.
Toronto Zombie Walk requests $24,526.00 in city funding. Doesn't get it. Tragedy. http://twitpic.com/a6f8uo
Shiner holds an item relating to electric vehicle charging stations. Which means council will probably ban the internal combustion engine.
Councillor Kelly rises to congratulate Councillor McConnell on saving Riverdale Farm, after he supported a budget that tried to kill it.
Council is currently debating an item that includes new standards for office furniture: includes a $200 keyboard tray? http://twitpic.com/a6g47c
Would a councillor ask about the $200 keyboard tray included in this report? Ask if it shoots lasers. https://www.toronto.ca/legdocs/mmis/2012/ex/bgrd/backgroundfile-48023.pdf (PDF, pg. 13)
Look at me, angry about the cost of keyboard trays. I could be mayor.
That tears it: let's ban keyboard trays. Who needs 'em.
"This is just an opportunity to get a sign with your name on it in your community," snaps Doug Holyday.
Ex-Union Boss, Ex-NDP MPP, Ex-Miller Executive Committee member Giorgio Mammoliti is making some jokes about flip-flopping.
Huron-Kinloss Mayor Mitch Twolan celebrates victory over Toronto Mayor Rob Ford. https://www.lucknowsentinel.com/2012/07/11/mayor-elected-to-board-of-directors-of-great-lakes-and-st-lawrence-cities-initiative
And we are live from council chambers, for what I fear might be a rather redundant and not-very-smart debate on transit.
When certain councillors are speaking, you may wish to refer to Transit City Opposition Bingo. https://fordfortoronto.mattelliott.ca/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/tc-bingo.png
Councillor Minnan-Wong wants to move a motion but doesn't have it prepared yet. "Come onnnnnn," he tries. It doesn't work.
Fletcher moves motion to designate Leslieville BIA. Carries unanimously. You got yourself a BIA, Leslieville.
Nunziata: "Where did the fruit come from?" Doug Ford brought fruit back from the market. "They're all washed by the way," he confirms.
Mammoliti wants OneCity dead "unless they’re willing to put subways in every part of the city." EVERY PART. https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/article/1224912--onecity-ttc-chair-karen-stintz-accused-of-dashing-commuter-hopes/
And now it's time for the not-really-OneCity item. We're waiting for interesting amendments. https://secure.toronto.ca/tmmis/viewAgendaItemHistory.do?item=2012.PG16.16
Minnan-Wong confirms with Pennachetti that there's a staff report coming forward on revenue tools for transit. There will be consultation.
Minnan-Wong asks if @WaterfrontTO "burned through" some of the money that was supposed to be available for the East Bayfront LRT.
"So… what is this OneCity thing that came out?" asks Mammoliti, befuddled.
Mammoliti asks the city manager if it's true that people who once supported LRTs are now supporting subways. Things are not going well.
The thing that makes Pennachetti qualified to be CIty Manager is that he can listen to Giorgio Mammoliti's questions and not laugh.
"Where's Waldo?" Mammoliti asks, concluding whatever the hell that was.
No one from the TTC is here. There's no explicit motion on the floor. This is quite the spectacle.
Matlow asks about the need for a Downtown Relief Line. Pennachetti says it's probably top priority after the LRT lines approved by council.
Motion from Councillor De Baeremaeker is circulating re: extending B-D subway to Scarborough. Perks immediately calls it out-of-order.
The notion, basically, is that council made a decision regarding the SRT in February. Can't re-open the matter now without 2/3rds vote.
De Baeremaeker's maybe out-of-order motion regarding the Scarborough subway. http://t.co/rAZS3oyK
The decision council made in February. Seems pretty categorical that De Baeremaeker's motion today contradicts it. http://twitpic.com/a6iipr
Though *technically* I guess they could replace the SRT with LRT *and* extend the Bloor-Danforth subway eastwards to Oshawa or whatever.
That's an important point about Metrolinx: they kicked all the politicians off the board and still haven't proven themselves.
Andy Byford is here. He rode in on a motorcycle surrounded by doves and billowing smoke.
Perks argues that council adopted a direction to convert the SRT to LRT and a plan to study long-term feasibility of subway extension to STC
"I would like more clarity," says Pennachetti. Wouldn't we all.
The chamber really emptied out after it became clear that very little of this is likely to matter.
Councillor Shiner points out that scrapping the Scarborough LRT could mean contract cancellation penalties as vehicle orders are changed.
Byford confirms that technically SRT can remain operational while subway extension is built. That's the big upside of this proposal.
.@DoucetteWard13 is asking some great questions re: operating costs of replacement buses during SRT shutdown. Now we're getting somewhere.
Doug Holyday just throws it out there: what about extending the subway west? Let's take it to Niagara Falls.
Let the professionals come up with the transit plans, says Milczyn. Doesn't say what kind of professionals. Assuming dental professionals.
No aspirations, just friendly crustaceans.
RT @shayman
Logical way for subway to get to Niagara Falls is to extend Yonge under the lake.
The question we grapple with now is whether Milczyn's motion could serve as a backdoor for another damn debate about a Sheppard subway.
And there it is: Nunziata rules De Baeremaeker's motion to look at a subway extension out-of-order. He challenges the chair.
This may be the first time @gordperks and Frances Nunziata have enthusiastically agreed on anything. Though they differ on proper procedure.
Chair is upheld 24-16. De Baeremaeker can't push for this subway extension. Strange alliances. http://twitpic.com/a6j062
Mammoliti rises again to say a bunch of stuff. Accuses council of hijacking the mayor's transit plan. There never was a transit plan.
Mammoliti: "A group of people got together and took over." By which he means a strong majority of elected officials took a principled stand.
Mammoliti: "I know you're asking yourself this question: was I used?" This is weird.
Mammoliti accuses Perruzza of turning Jane-Finch into a storage yard for rail corridors or something? I don't know.
Mammoliti has totally lost it. "What's going on here? WHAT'S GOING ON? What's in the Kool-aid?" He sits down. Okay.
I am not sure the motion in front of council is substantive or controversial enough to warrant a debate this long.
Meanwhile, @NickKouvalis has written new lyrics to U2's "One." They're about transit.
Perks: "Debates on public transit in Toronto are fraught with peril." Fraught with peril!
"Councillor Mammoliti has questions," says Nunziata. "No," says Vaughan.
Stintz makes a speech that backtracks gracefully, points out it's still important to put transit plan into the official plan. Agreed.
Stintz: "We don't want to be the city that talks about transit anymore. We want to be the city that builds transit."
Slim odds that we'll see the "OneCity" branding again.
Quick overview of everything the mayor said during this debate on transit:
And Milczyn's transit motion passes 43-1, with Councillor Filion being the lone dissenting vote. Who knows why. Weird day.
One of the best and greatest things.
RT @neville_park
...I just got Matlowned. :[ #TOpoli
Whoa, are you saying I can get a hotdog *and* a pre-packaged fruit salad? The culture! http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/article/1225368--toronto-s-hot-dog-carts-allowed-to-expand-menus
Council voted to tie office budgets to inflation yesterday. At 2% CPI/year, they'll be at pre-Ford levels in ~30 years. https://torontosun.com/2012/07/12/toronto-council-loosens-rules-on-office-budgets
(I used this inflation calculator to figure that out, so don't blame me if it is crazy wrong. https://www.calculatorweb.com/inflation-calculator)
Oh c'mon. There's lots of opportunity for a kid growing up downtown: the Jets, the Sharks, etc.
With this motion adopted, it looks like Canada's First Parliament Site may no longer be home to a car wash. https://secure.toronto.ca/tmmis/viewAgendaItemHistory.do?item=2012.MM25.54
Nunziata thanks councillors for their "patience" with her. This may be a Freaky Friday body-swapping type thing.
Councillors seem to have adopted a casual Friday approach to today's meeting. http://t.co/Ioxrg4kb
Don't worry, guys - Doug Ford found the mayor a new chief of staff. http://t.co/IwqK9KMK
And here it is: Rob Ford releases his hold on a bunch of items. He just wants to vote against all grants for culture and recreation & stuff.
Even Doug Ford supports these grants! I love when they disagree on stuff.
Ford is probably voting against these grants because he believes the city should deliver these programs and services in-house.
Huh. Rob Ford just supported a @shelleycarroll amendment that'll look at reestablishing some citizen committees, including for cycling.
(Or maybe I dreamed that?)
Rob Ford drafts a motion re: non-union compensation and actually wins. Doug Ford votes against. So weird. http://twitpic.com/a78979
My theory is that council is voting this way just to screw with my scorecard. But that might be unfounded.
Mayor votes against Lindsay Luby's "Hey dumbass, don't leave your dog in the car" sign motion. Libertarian dogs don't need signs.
And now: another episode of Rob Ford Hates OMB Challenges. The only drama is finding out who will vote with him.
Doug Holyday is the only councillor to join the mayor in opposing these OMB items. Gotta make amends, I guess.