Toronto City Council meets today! The agenda is loooooong. You can watch the livestream here. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EcbSOCN9cEQ
The latest issue of my @cityhallwatcher newsletter includes a preview of the major items from this meeting: breaking up TCHC, Vision Zero 2.0, the Bike Network Plan, Photo Radar, giving Giorgio Mammoliti $25K (or, uh, not doing that) and more. https://graphicmatt.substack.com/p/city-hall-watcher-27-cramming-in
New addition to the Council agenda: Mayor John Tory wants a report “on options and a timeline to increase housing options and planning permissions in areas of Toronto designated as Neighbourhoods in Toronto’s Official Plan.” http://app.toronto.ca/tmmis/viewAgendaItemHistory.do?item=2019.MM9.36
Another new agenda item: the clock from the Ossington Avenue clock tower is missing! Councillor Joe Cressy would like to find it. http://app.toronto.ca/tmmis/viewAgendaItemHistory.do?item=2019.MM9.37
Councillor Paula Fletcher wants a report on whether the operators of the Cabana Pool Bar at Rebel Nightclub have violated the terms of their liquor license. Island residents not too happy with the noise. http://app.toronto.ca/tmmis/viewAgendaItemHistory.do?item=2019.MM9.33
Council is working through preliminaries now. When this meeting starts, first item is set to be the break-up of TCHC (creation of a new corporation for seniors housing), then the Vision Zero 2.0 plan.
Council votes 24-1 to appoint former councillor Jim Hart to the Toronto Police Services Board.
Councillor Stephen Holyday tried to schedule a debate about removing trees for tomorrow afternoon. Council votes against him, 10-16. The tree debate will happen when it happens.
Councillor Matlow’s motion to ensure City retain ownership of all TCHC land unless Council determines otherwise CARRIES 19-5.
Councillor Cressy motion that staff assess a bunch of options before transferring TCHC development functions to CreateTO CARRIES 24-0.
Councillor Colle’s motion that staff consult with former community housing board members CARRIES 21-3.
And the TCHC break-up item as amended carries 24-0. Council has now approved “in principle” the creation of a seniors housing corporation. Staff will now conduct a due diligence process and report back next year.
Council is on lunch. They’ll return at 2 p.m. to start debate on the Vision Zero road safety plan. Get hyped.
Council is back for their afternoon session. There are… 116 items remaining on the agenda, and councillors are now adding a few more. You can watch live here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XZCVFfg7sfs
Council has to re-vote on whether to appoint former councillor Jim Hart to the Toronto Police Board, because he requested a different start date. The re-vote CARRIES 23-1.
And now: the Vision Zero 2.0 debate. New features in 2.0: lower speed limits, more community safety zones, bugfixes and improvements.
CAA letter to Council re: Vision Zero 2.0: “All potential options should be considered prior to making a decision, as altering the speed and/or condition of a roadway may have unintended consequences for neighboring streets and local communities.” https://www.toronto.ca/legdocs/mmis/2019/cc/comm/communicationfile-96131.pdf (PDF)
Councillor Michael Thompson asks about educating pedestrians on safety, recounting a story of someone who “darted in front of [his] car” wearing headphones.
Councillor Michael Thompson: “Had I not being paying attention for a second, having taken my gaze off, I probably would have knocked that woman over, which would have been obviously problematic.”
Councillor Brad Bradford moves to request the cops review enforcement and reporting process for traffic collisions involving cyclists.
Councillor Shelley Carroll moves to have staff prioritize a recommended speed limit reduction on Don Mills, where a woman was hit by a driver earlier today and died. Carroll tears up when introducing the motion.
Councillor Mark Grimes moves to delete the staff recommendation giving staff authority to add sidewalks on streets that don’t have them. Grimes says there are streets in his ward where residents do not want sidewalks. He’d like to see them come to Council for approval.
Councillor Wong-Tam asks Grimes if his motion runs contrary to the goals of Vision Zero. Wong-Tam: “Do you not think it’d be safer for your community … to have access to sidewalks?” Grimes: “Depends what street you’re talking about. Every street is different.”
Councillor James Pasternak moves to have staff consider prioritizing a sidewalk addition on Flint Road.
Councillor Mike Colle moves to have staff work with Waze et al so that the apps let drivers know when they’re in a school zone.
Colle expresses concern about the widespread availability of vehicles that are advertised as being able to go very fast. He’s also not a big fan of large trucks.
Councillor Karygiannis is concerned about the Waze motion because the app itself won’t make drivers slow down. Karygiannis wants to move instead to ask the federal governor to require speed governors in cars.
Councillor Mike Layton moves to have staff track driver compliance with the lower speed limits in the Vision Zero 2.0 plan and report on further recommended changes.
Councillor John Filion wants staff to look for additional cash for new sidewalk construction, especially on streets where a lot of kids are walking to school.
Why this missing sidewalk stuff matters: 34% of local roads in North York do not have sidewalks. 26% in Etobicoke-York. 24% in Scarborough.
Councillor Gord Perks has a motion that road redesigns include things like narrower vehicle lanes, tighter curb radiuses and wider sidewalks.
Councillor Perks also has a motion requesting that the fire department and paramedics get themselves some smaller fire trucks and ambulances.
Councillor Cynthia Lai moves to stop recommended speed limit reductions (from 60 km/h to 50 km/h) on three roads in Scarborough and refer them for more consideration.
Councillor Lai is now quoting language from the letter to Council from the CAA South Central Ontario, which urges councillors to consider alternative options to speed limit reductions.
Quick correction to earlier tweet re: smaller fire trucks and ambulances. Councillor Perks’ motion is no mere request that they get smaller service vehicles — it’s a direction. https://x.com/gordperks/status/1151229293785206784
Councillor Jim Karygiannis moves for additional speed limit reductions on sections of road through his ward. He also moves to have staff write to the feds requesting that they look at limiting the top speed of new vehicles to 150 km/h.
Councillor Wong-Tam moves for a review of road occupancy requirements for bikes and pedestrians through construction sites. Good motion. City should consider banning the use of “Sidewalk Closed — Use Other Sidewalk” signs.
Councillor Nunziata calls for more pedestrian education. “You see so many pedestrians crossing on the street in the intersection, texting on their phone, talking on their phone, with their earphones.”
Councillor Fletcher moves to have staff work with the police on establishing a collision reporting centre for cyclists that is located downtown. (Currently cyclists involved in collisions need to get to a reporting centre in Scarborough.)
Councillor Grimes withdraws his motion re: new sidewalk construction. Apparently Councillor Holyday has an alternative motion.
Councillor Holyday’s sidewalk motion would allow local councillors to step in and request certain new sidewalk projects come to Committee for debate. Basically a councillor override for cases where residents object to a street getting a sidewalk.
Councillor Jaye Robinson moves that staff work with MADD Canada and other partners to create a campaign opposing impaired driving.
Councillor Anthony Perruzza moves some modification to the lane filtering (lane splitting) pilot project he’s supporting for motorcycle riders.
Perruzza says motorcycle riders (of which he is one) might be “the most vulnerable road user of all.”
This is in fact a long digression about motorcycles in the middle of a pedestrian safety debate.
Mayor John Tory says he’ll support the Holyday/Grimes sidewalk motion that gives councillors a way to potentially stop new sidewalk construction on streets without sidewalks.
Mayor John Tory: “When on the one hand people tell me I’ve declared the latest war on the car ... and on the other hand I have people saying — in terms of the way I’m leading on the issue — I’m not doing enough, I think we’re probably just about at the right place.”
Councillor Pasternak’s motion to prioritize new sidewalk construction on Flint Road CARRIES 16-10.
Councillor Mike Layton’s motion to monitor compliance with new lower speed limits and report on potentially changing the city’s default speed limit CARRIES 25-1.
Councillor Filion’s motion to find more funding for new sidewalk construction CARRIES 26-0.
Councillor Perks’ motion to look at narrow lanes, tighter radiuses, etc, carries on a voice vote. So do his motion re: smaller fire trucks and ambulances.
Councillor Lai’s motion to stop speed limit reductions on three streets in Scarborough CARRIES 16-10. Whoa.
Councillor Lai’s motion to offer Vision Zero materials in other languages CARRIES 26-0.
Councillor Karygiannis’ motion to lower speed limits on a longer stretch of Finch Avenue CARRIES 24-2.
Councillor Karygiannis’ motion to lower speed limits on a longer stretch of Kennedy Road CARRIES 24-2.
Councillor Karygiannis’ motion to ask the feds to consider limiting new vehicles to max speed of 150 km/h CARRIES 20-6.
Councillor Bailão’s motion to lower speed limits on an additional stretch of Dufferin CARRIES 24-2.
Councillor Fletcher’s motion to work to establish a collision reporting centre for cyclists that isn’t in Scarborough CARRIES 23-3.
Councillor Holyday’s motion to give councillors ability to override staff authority to install sidewalks CARRIES 16-10.
Councillor Anthony Perruzza’s motion re: lane filtering pilot for motorcycle riders CARRIES 19-7.
(If there’s a vote result I didn’t tweet, it probably passed as a voice vote. A lot of motions weren’t recorded votes.)
Councillor Michael Ford wants to add an agenda item about coffee pods. He says it is urgent as hundreds of jobs in Etobicoke may be at stake.
And that’s all for Council today. They’re back tomorrow to tackle the remaining 100+ items on the agenda.
Council is back for Day Two. 123 items remaining on the agenda. Here’s the stream: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3HJ34qtvFAQ
Council is now on the Cycling Network Plan item.
Most questions of staff have focused on this motion passed by Deputy Mayor Denzil Minnan-Wong at committee, which asks for a report on a “warrant system” for new bike lanes, based on existing bike traffic, etc.
Staff point out that Richmond-Adelaide would not have been obvious candidates for bike infrastructure under a warrant system, because few cyclists dared use those routes before the bike lanes were installed. Now? 6K+ cyclists a day.
Councillor Shelley Carroll worries that under a warrant system where bike lanes are installed only in places where there’s a lot of cyclists already, she’d have to tell people demanding bike infrastructure to go out and ride on dangerous roads, to build the case.
Since we’re talking cycling today, I would like to again air a grievance: the bike traffic light on the Martin Goodman Trail at Lower Don Road takes forever to change and routinely causes literal bike traffic jams.
Councillor Michael Thompson — noting he is NOT suggesting doing this — asks what would be required for the city to license cyclists. Transpo staff say they are not anywhere of any major city that licenses cyclists, likely to cost more to administer than it brings in.
Councillor Jim Karygiannis now asking if cyclists should have insurance. Staff point out that we don’t require pedestrians to have insurance, etc. Karygiannis not happy with this answer.
Councillor Anthony Perruzza, noting that suburban councillors have failed to support cycling infrastructure: “the question to staff is: when are you going to save us from ourselves?” Staff are not really sure how to answer that one.
Cycling debates tend to trigger a weird bizarro world response from some conservative politicians. Suddenly they’re in favour of licensing and regulating damn near everything and reducing vehicle emissions is a TOP priority.
Mayor John Tory moves for automated bike counter tech and real-time reporting of the top ten routes by volume.
Tory again says he thinks fact that some people (e.g. the Sun) are claiming he’s “leading the war on the car” while others are criticizing him for not doing anything on cycling is evidence he’s found the right strategy.
Councillor Paul Ainslie gets Tory to agree to a friendly amendment to make these automated bike counts part of Open Data.
Councillor Joe Cressy calls Minnan-Wong’s call for a warrant system for bike lanes a “poison pill.”
Councillor Josh Matlow moves to delete Minnan-Wong’s request for a report on allowing cyclists to ride on sidewalks.
Matlow also wants a report on funding the currently unfunded parts of the Eglinton Connects plan — bike lanes on Eglinton between Weston and Kennedy.
Councillor Josh Matlow on Mark Towhey’s article: “I mean, talk about stupid. That’s just trying to light fires to get people upset and be provocative. People just looking for attention. Pay no attention to that crap - I mean, really. Don’t get scared of it either.”
Minnan-Wong defends his request for a report on sidewalk cycling. “Are you aware that there are streets where there’s virtually no pedestrian traffic?” Matlow: “So do your job, animate the sidewalks, have development that has great retail. Have safe sidewalks, public realm…”
Minnan-Wong wants Matlow to apologize for telling him to “do your job.” Matlow says he’ll retract it but won’t apologize. Minnan-Wong wants an apology. Matlow says an apology “would be dishonest because I wouldn’t believe it.”
Matlow leaves the chamber. And Council moves on.
Councillor Brad Bradford calls for a “complete street” on Danforth, including bike lanes.
Councillor Frances Nunziata moves for a review of opportunities prioritize cycling routes in Weston, and consideration of Jane Street for bike lanes.
Matlow is back. He says he feels like he must apologize in order to vote today. He apologies to Minnan-Wong “for the comment that I made earlier, with regard to doing your job, and everything else that I may have said or thought about him, today, in the past, or in the future.”
That’s a clever apology. Basically covers him from now until the heat death of the universe.
Councillor Paul Ainslie, who would really like some bike share stations in his Scarborough ward, moves for a plan to install Bike Share stations across the city.
Ainslie notes that Google Maps just announced they’re tracking Toronto bike share stations in real-time. And… hey! Cool! Look at that.
Councillor Jim Karygiannis moves for staff to examine whether cyclists should require insurance.
Karygiannis also moves that staff look at establishing a fund for people who get hit by bikes.
Councillor Holyday moves to have staff report to committee first — before conducting a study — when considering bike infrastructure that removes car lanes. Would basically give the Infrastructure & Environment Committee an early veto on new bike lanes.
Councillor Mike Layton moves to delete MInnan-Wong’s request for a report on establishing a warrant system for new bike lanes.
Councillor Mike Layton: “I grew up on the back of a bike. Literally, it was a tandem bike — there’s a statue of it now on the waterfront.”
Layton points out when he was cruising around on the back of a tandem the city had basically zero bike infrastructure, and it was dangerous. Building infrastructure makes it safer - and gets more people on a bike.
Layton says he’ll be supporting Tory’s motion for automated bike traffic counters. (He says he’ll be calling them the “Tory tally towers.”) He gives the thumbs down to Karygiannis’ insurance motion and Holyday’s committee veto motion.
Councillor Jennifer McKelvie moves for a report on carbon emission reductions achieved through new bike infrastructure.
Council is now on lunch. Votes on all this bike stuff will come sometime after 2 p.m. — not sure if they’ll do Members’ Motions before they return to this debate.
Council is back. Looks like they will spend the next while dealing with Member Motions before returning to bike stuff. Stream is here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p8DWtlnbYIs
Council votes for a heritage evaluation of the Oculus pavilion in South Humber Park.
Council also votes to make lockdown training available to staff, following two recent lockdown security incidents.
Council votes 23-0 to review St. James Town as a potential Neighbourhood Improvement Area.
Council votes 22-0 to direct city lawyers to determine if Cabana Pool Bar operators have breached the conditions of their liquor license by being loud.
Council votes 22-0 investigate the feasibility of renaming Woodsy Park to Ethennonnhawahstihnen Park.
Mayor John Tory’s motion for a report on increasing housing options in the Yellowbelt gets added to Council’s agenda, 19-3. Councillor John Filion holds it for debate.
And now we’re back to the bike debate. Councillor Paula Fletcher moves to implement a program to inspect and repair pavement in bike lanes.
“This is no longer Mayor Ford’s City Council. This is Mayor Tory’s City Council. We’re heading in the right direction,” says Wong-Tam, pushing for Council to reinstall Jarvis bike lanes.
Wong-Tam points out removing the weirdo reversible fifth lane on Jarvis made the street safer, bike lanes tripled number of cyclists. By approving the reinstallation of the Jarvis bike lanes, she says, Council “will undo one of the worst policy pieces of the Rob Ford legacy.”
Councillor Stephen Holyday wonders if the city should remove the bike lanes on Sherbourne if they reinstall the lanes on Jarvis. Councillor Wong-Tam says she’s advocating for both, citing growing population and demand for north-south cycling routes.
Mayor John Tory asks Wong-Tam if this motion is “proper procedurally” given this isn’t in a staff report with analysis, etc. Wong-Tam points to all the studies in the 2009 EA process about removing the reversible fifth lane.
Councillor Brad Bradford asks Wong-Tam if she’d support asking staff to report on Jarvis bike lanes before approving the reinstall. Wong-Tam says no. “Council has played games with my local community on Jarvis for some time now.”
Deputy Mayor Denzil Minnan-Wong asks Wong-Tam why she didn’t mention that the Jarvis Street EA did not recommend bike lanes. Wong-Tam says the EA recommended removing the fifth lane — she’s just suggesting they use the space for bike lanes, instead of planters & wider sidewalks.
Councillor Anthony Perruzza has a motion for a report on creating “off-road, cycling super highways” along rail lines.
Deputy Mayor Denzil Minnan-Wong says he hopes people vote against the Jarvis bike lane motion. He says the fifth lane is useful for drivers.
Councillor Gary Crawford also concerned about the process implications of Wong-Tam’s surprise Jarvis bike lane motion. Says he won’t support it because there hasn’t been a staff report or committee process.
Councillor Wong-Tam has amended the Jarvis street bike lane motion, asking now for a report to come back in Q1 2020, instead of immediate reinstallation.
Chair of Infrastructure & Environment Committee James Pasternak is not in the chamber so Nunziata is holding off votes on the bike stuff until he returns.
And now to vote. Councillor Matlow’s motion to delete Minnan-Wong’s request for a pilot project and report on allowing sidewalk cycling in some areas CARRIES 22-4.
Councillor Layton’s motion deleting Minnan-Wong’s request for a report on the merits of a warrant system for bike lanes CARRIES 21-5.
Councillor Nunziata’s motion prioritizing Weston bike lanes and to look at bike lanes on Jane Street CARRIES 24-2.
Councillor Ainslie’s motion requesting a city-wide plan for installing Bike Share infrastructure CARRIES 24-2.
Councillor Karygiannis’ motion to look at requiring insurance for cyclists FAILS 3-23.
Fletcher voted the wrong way. There’s jokes that Karygiannis leaned over and pressed her button, but he rises to say that is NOT true. On a re-vote, Karygiannis’ motion for a fund to support people/property crashed into by cyclists FAILS 2-24.
Councillor Holyday’s motion that staff report to committee on any bike lanes that remove traffic lanes before conducting any studies or design FAILS 4-22.
Councillor Fletcher’s motion for a program to inspect and repair pavement in bike lanes CARRIES 21-5.
Councillor Perruzza’s motion for a report on creating cycling superhighways along rail lines CARRIES 24-2.
They are re-re-voting on Karygiannis’ motion re: a fund for people/property hit by cyclists. I think my tweets are responsible. Vote is 1-25.
Councillor Holyday is requesting separate votes on parts of the Bike Network Plan. This will take a while to untangle.
Now some confusion as Deputy Mayor Minnan-Wong wants a chance to vote against a study of University Avenue bike lanes. He’s going to get his opportunity.
Request for a study of Complete Streets options for University Avenue, including bike lanes CARRIES 18-8.
Councillor Wong-Tam’s motion for a report on design options and timing for reinstalling the Jarvis Street bike lanes FAILS 10-16. Same as it ever was.
And the other handful of bike lanes set to be installed this year carry 26-0. Thus ends the bike portion of the meeting.
So the fifth lane on Jarvis lives to see another day. I’ve got to think at some point there will be a Vision Zero report that acknowledges a reversible fifth lane on a downtown street is not really consistent with road safety.
By request, here’s a map of the bike lanes Council just approved to be installed this year. (The Bike Network Plan, also approved, includes a bunch of studies for routes like Bloor West, Danforth, University Ave, with installation further off.)
Councillors who voted to remove Jarvis bike lanes in 2011 and to reinstall today: Ainslie, Matlow. Who voted to keep in 2011 but voted against today: Bailao, Perruzza. Against in 2011 and against today: Crawford, Grimes, Minnan-Wong, Nunziata, Pasternak, Robinson, Thompson
Councillor Michael Thompson moves that the TTC work with Toronto’s Confronting Anti-Black Racism Unit, following Ombudsman report’s on TTC fare inspectors’ violent confrontation with a Black transit rider.
Deputy Mayor comments on today’s Council vote. https://x.com/DenzilMW/status/1151586744120352774
Councillor Gord Perks moves that Council inform TTC that they will not fund any transit enforcement officers in the 2020 budget.
Nunziata rules Perks’ motion out of order. Perks challenges that ruling. Chair is upheld, 19-5.
Perks says he’ll bring his motion to defund TTC fare enforcement officers back at budget time, citing concerns about racism, other bias, use of weapons.
If you haven’t seen the Toronto Star’s video of the incident that prompted this ombudsman’s report and these Council motions, it’s a must-watch: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GeT4e-EsAw0
Perks says fare inspectors in London wear brightly-coloured uniforms and hand out maps, encouraging riders to pay. “They’re ambassadors, not enforcers.”
Councillor Mike Colle says some riders “inadvertently don’t pay because the damn Presto system didn’t work.” “Who put in the Presto system?” he wonders. Colle was an MPP until 2018.
You would never guess how many times the name “Perry Mason” has been mentioned at this Toronto City Council meeting being held in the year 2019.
Councillor Stephen Holyday agrees with the recommendations of the Ombudsman’s report but also wants to also give some appreciation to TTC officers. “On an increasingly frequent basis I have approached officers because I have actually been afraid for my life on the subway.”
Councillor Thompson’s motion that TTC work with the Confronting Anti-Black Racism Unit to review transit enforcement policies and practices CARRIES 25-0.
Councillor Mike Layton moves that Council express support for renaming a public lane near Yonge Street as “Harry Barberian Lane.” It passes on a voice vote. Cool name for a street.
Council wraps for the night. Back tomorrow. First three-day meeting of this term. 49 items left on the agenda, with a few more still to be added.
Toronto Council is back for day three. Will the meeting end before Labour Day? We’ll find out! Watch live here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S5nXyvIUEno
Council now on Mayor John Tory’s motion for a report on building more housing in the Yellowbelt. Councillor John Filion has an amendment for consultation with homeowners’ associations. (But he says he’ll vote against the motion either way.)
Filion: “I don’t think the mayor and Councillor Bailao intend to dismantle our neighbourhood protections but you certainly wouldn’t know that from the way this is worded.”
Councillor Perks says he’ll support the motion because he think it’s good to have a variety of housing types, but cautions that he believes this will not create very many units and that they won’t be affordable housing units.
Councillor Brad Bradford moves that the “missing middle” report look at opportunities for a pilot project in his ward.
Councillor Filion’s motion to have staff consult with community associations while putting together this missing middle report CARRIES 22-0.
Councillor Bradford’s motion that missing middle report look at a pilot project in his ward CARRIES 19-3.
Mayor Tory’s request for a report on the “missing middle” and increasing housing options in the yellow belt CARRIES 20-3.
Councillor Gord Perks’ motion to ban Uber/Lyft and other PTCs in Toronto FAILS 6-17.
Changes to regulations governing Uber/Lyft and other PTCs are approved by Council 22-1, including requirement for third-party driver training and requirement that drivers have been licensed for at least three years.
The “Cask Force” item with recommendations for encouraging and permitting breweries carries on a voice vote. Drink up.
(I had to step away from this meeting for a couple of hours but I don’t think I missed any major votes — lemme know if you’re looking for results.)
Council is now in private session discussing a development application with a confidential attachment for 2150-2194 Lake Shore West. There are 18 items remaining on the agenda.
Council is back from their brief private session. Next on the agenda: protecting the viability of street festivals. Streaming live here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0pnjCcP0b4w
One of the issues: street festival organizers are required to pay for off-duty police officers to attend events and provide security. Paid duty rates are expensive, and keep going up.
The recommendation before Council is for staff to conduct a survey of BIA and festival organizers to figure out what their big issues are, then report back in the fall.
Councillor Wong-Tam moves for a report on the laws/bylaws guiding the city’s paid duty police requirement for events, and to look at how other Ontario municipalities manage festival security and logistics.
Wong-Tam’s motion re: street festivals and paid duty police requirement CARRIES 22-0.
Item as amended also carries 22-0. Street festival and paid duty police report will come back in December.
Council is, obviously, now debating the Five-Year Action Plan for Downtown East. Three of the ten poorest census tracts in Toronto are in this area, from Front to Bloor, Bay to DVP.
Council now debating a leasing deal with the Zion Church Cultural Centre for space at 1650 Finch East. Councillor Wong-Tam moves that staff inform the tenant that the city “puts the well-being of Toronto residents ahead of any foreign government influence.”
The motion was driven by stories like this: https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/china-intimidation-negotiation-control-christians-1.4885271
The machine that records votes is broken, so councillors have to stand to indicate their votes. This motion CARRIES unanimously after a bunch of standing up. Item as amended carries on a voice vote.
The vote-counting machine is fixed! Council votes 21-0 in favour of a new framework for the approval of TCHC revitalization projects.
Council is now debating whether to pay $25K to former councillor Giorgio Mammoliti to cover his legal costs related to a land deal that was intended to involve a very large flag pole.
Councillor John Filion moves to NOT give Giorgio Mammoliti $25K to cover his legal costs.
Councillor Stephen Holyday moves for a report on whether the current $20K limit for the reimbursement of councillor legal fees is appropriate.
Councillor Holyday also moves to give Mammoliti $25K to cover legal costs, but pay no further costs after that.
A fun trollish motion here would be to move that Council instead direct $25K toward a reserve fund dedicated to building North America’s Tallest Flagpole.
Mayor John Tory says because the report found no technical wrongdoing by Mammoliti, it makes sense to reimburse his legal costs. “I wish we could look at these things without getting personality and politics into it and say, ‘what would happen if I was in this situation?’”
Yeah, there seems to be some widespread misunderstanding here about the amount Mammoliti would be getting. He’s got $20K already - this item is about giving him $25K more, for $45K total. https://x.com/jpags/status/1151969525551816704
Speaker Nunziata confirms with City legal stuff that if Council votes to give Mammoliti $25K today, they’ll have give him $45K in total for legal costs related to the giant flagpole land.
Councillor Holyday is surprised by this. So is Tory. They thought this was about giving Mammoliti only $25K total. Good thing people pay attention to these kinds of things.
Filion asks Tory for his thoughts now that he knows the total amount. Tory says he won’t support giving Mammoliti $45K in total. Holyday also withdraws his motion to pay Mammoliti. He tries to defer this item but because he’s already spoken, he’s not allowed.
Third day of Council in July is playing out very much like a third day of Council in July.
Councillor Filion’s motion to NOT give Mammoliti any further money to cover his legal costs CARRIES 14-5.
Councillor Holyday’s motion for a report on whether the $20K limit for councillor legal cost reimbursement is fair and appropriate CARRIES 16-3.
Council will now vote to decide whether this sugar maple tree in Etobicoke will LIVE or will DIE. http://app.toronto.ca/tmmis/viewAgendaItemHistory.do?item=2019.EY7.12
Councillor Stephen Holyday would like the tree to DIE. He is showing photos, saying the tree is too close to the house and the homeowners are unable to manage it.
Councillor Shelley Carroll has moved that the tree be permitted to LIVE.
“Too bad,” remarks Nunziata after the vote. She wanted the tree to die.
Up next: this Blue Spruce in North York. Will Council vote that this tree LIVE or DIE? http://app.toronto.ca/tmmis/viewAgendaItemHistory.do?item=2019.NY7.36
Councillor Stephen Holyday’s motion that the tree be permitted to DIE is REJECTED by Council, 5-12.
That marks the end of the tree-related drama for this meeting.
Councillor Josh Matlow moves that Council request the provincial government repeal Bill 108 — the recent changes to the planning act that effectively bring back the OMB, alter Section 37, etc.
Matlow’s motion that Council request the province consult on regulations in Bill 108 CARRIES 16-0.
Matlow moves that Council request the provincial government to revert to the Council-approved plan for Yonge-Eglinton.
Cressy moves that Council request the provincial government to revert to the Council-approved plan for downtown (TOCore).
Councillor Jaye Robinson moves to have staff review Yonge-Eglinton zoning by-laws “to ensure zoning permissions are able to be supported by existing and planned infrastructure.”
Matlow’s motion to ask Queen’s Park to nix their changes to the Yonge-Eglinton midtown plan CARRIES 15-0.
Cressy’s motion to ask the Ford gov to nix changes to the TOCore downtown plan CARRIES 16-0.
Robinson’s motion to have staff review Yonge-Eg zoning bylaws to ensure they match infrastructure CARRIES 16-0.
And we end with Councillor Michael Ford’s motion for a report on a pilot project for compostable coffee pods. Gord Perks moves to refer the matter to the General Manager of Solid Waste Services.
Etobicoke-based Club Coffee has been pushing (and lobbying) governments to support their “compostable product innovation.” https://www.clubcoffee.ca/featured/club-coffee-welcomes-ontarios-commitment-to-support-compostable-product-innovation/
And that marks the end of Toronto City Council’s July 2019 meeting. Next meeting is not ’til October 2. Council’s out for summer.
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