Toronto Council meets today! Mayor John Tory has made the intergovernmental housing update his first key item, so that’ll be up for debate first, followed by a report on the work of the city’s plan to confront anti-Black racism. Streaming live here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mCrNPZcRSk8
For a preview of some of the items up for debate at this meeting — internet, trees, booze, and more — you can check out this week’s issue of @cityhallwatcher. https://toronto.cityhallwatcher.com/p/chw174?s=w
A new report on Council’s agenda says Toronto still faces a remaining $815 million COVID-related operating budget shortfall. Says if more prov/fed support doesn’t come this month, “planned capital projects will be paused as early as the end of May.” Uh oh. https://www.toronto.ca/legdocs/mmis/2022/cc/bgrd/backgroundfile-225633.pdf
As expected, Mayor John Tory declares a conflict of interest in the ConnectTO item, due to his connections to the Rogers family. Speaker Nunziata also declares an interest on the item, saying she has a family member working on the program.
For those keeping score at home: 23 councillors at this meeting, with the Cressy and Wong-Tam seats now vacant and Michael Ford on the provincial campaign trail. Counting 15 attending virtually, eight in-person (including the mayor and speaker).
The challenges of a small Council: nobody wants to be appointed to the Toronto Region Conservation Authority. Layton successfully cajoles Grimes and Mantas to join, provided one of them can give him a ride to the meetings. (“It’s a long walk from the Vaughan Subway Station.”)
Strange. Councillor Jennifer McKelvie wants a recorded vote on the plan to appoint councillors to replace Wong-Tam, Cressy and — if necessary — Ford. Council doesn’t have the option to leave seats vacant. It CARRIES 21-2.
Preliminary housekeeping is done. There are 76 items held for debate. Up first: intergovernmental funding for the HousingTO program. I made this chart showing where each level of government stands versus what Toronto needs. http://app.toronto.ca/tmmis/viewAgendaItemHistory.do?item=2022.EX32.6
Earlier, Councillor Josh Matlow attempted to refer an item about an attempt by a private company to build a new restaurant at Casa Loma —without oversight — to committee for more consideration. His motion was rejected, 7-15. @BenSpurr has backstory: https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2022/05/09/plans-for-pricey-restaurant-raise-questions-about-casa-loma-oversight.html
Mayor John Tory praises the federal gov’s Rapid Housing Program (“It achieved exactly what its name implied”) but is more measured when talking about Doug Ford’s government’s involvement in housing: “We’re making progress, but it’s proven to be a more painstaking process.”
Tory says the Ford government hasn’t given the kind of multi-year funding the city needs. I wrote about the reluctance at Queen’s Park to commit to permanent operating funding a couple of weeks back. https://www.thestar.com/opinion/contributors/2022/05/03/doug-fords-campaign-bets-big-on-building-but-who-gets-stuck-paying-for-running-what-gets-built.html
Oh, here we go. Councillor Gord Perks moves to “condemn the Province of Ontario for its lack of action to end homelessness.”
Perks: “Where’s their response to the requests we’ve made year after year to increase the social service amounts, so it’s possible for those on Ontario Works and ODSP — both of which start with the word ‘Ontario’ — to actually get housing in the City of Toronto?”
Perks says today is the day when Council should just “call it out”, the provincial government has just “failed utterly to meet its obligations” on homelessness. He says he’s had criticisms of federal programs, but at least there’s progress. Province is thumbing their nose.
Mayor John Tory says he agrees with a lot of Perks’ comments, but asks how condemning Queen’s Park is going to help with the city’s ongoing negotiations to get more funding. Perks says they’ve been negotiating for years and playing nice hasn’t worked.
“Do you think it’s appropriate to play politics on the backs of the homeless?” Pasternak asks Perks. “I think it’s appropriate to use our political office to try to end homelessness,” says Perks.
“There comes a time when we need to turn up the heat on the province,” says Councillor Mike Layton. He says everyone has the same goal — getting more money from Queen’s Park to address homelessness — so it’s just a question of tactics.
Councillor Gord Perks’ motion to condemn the provincial government for “its lack of action to end homelessness” FAILS 5-14.
The rest of the housing item carries via a show of hands. Negotiations shall continue, but no one shall be condemned. Up now: a report on the city’s action plan to confront anti-Black racism. http://app.toronto.ca/tmmis/viewAgendaItemHistory.do?item=2022.EC29.5
Mayor John Tory praises the work done on the Confronting Anti-Black Racism plan, saying building an inclusive city is more important than Michelin guides or other such things. “It will be first and foremost about our ability to remain united, to make sure no one is left behind.”
Councillor Michael Thompson, the only Black member of Council, encourages councillors who have not yet taken the city’s Confronting Anti-Black Racism training course to get on it.
Report on the progress of Toronto’s Confronting Anti-Black Racism Plan is adopted unanimously.
Up now: ConnectTO! A plan to expand the city’s fibre network. Mayor John Tory leaves the chamber so staff questions and debate can begin. http://app.toronto.ca/tmmis/viewAgendaItemHistory.do?item=2022.EX32.1
After just a couple of questions to staff on the ConnectTO program, Council has to break for lunch. Back at 2 p.m. for more votes and speeches.
Council’s back! Back again. Before we get back to ConnectTO, councillors are adding motions to the agenda. Councillor Nunziata introduces a physics-bending motion to run the elevated section of the Eglinton West LRT underground.
Here’s the text of Nunziata’s Eg West LRT motion: “The elevated segment of the Eglinton Crosstown West Extension will result in significant impacts to the local environment including parklands and trees along Eglinton Avenue West.” http://app.toronto.ca/tmmis/viewAgendaItemHistory.do?item=2022.MM43.34
Burying the Eg West LRT is already costing an extra $1.8 billion for no clear reason. So I guess what the hell why not add another tunnelled section for a few hundred million more? It’s only money and time and perpetual operating/maintenance impacts. https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2020/09/20/burying-the-eglinton-west-lrt-will-cost-an-extra-18-billion-and-may-serve-fewer-local-riders-so-why-do-it.html
Councillor Anthony Perruzza uses the ConnectTO item to reminiscence about a time when he learned the FORTRAN IV programming language. “I don’t think FORTRAN exists anymore!“
Someone needs to diagram this Perruzza speech on the internet. He’s hit upon tubes and pipes, cows and free milk, racecars, keeping up with the Joneses, old programming languages, satellites and antennas at the north pole. A real journey of the mind.
No motions and just a few speeches on ConnectTO. All the action was at Executive Committee, apparently. The report CARRIES via a show of hands.
Interesting item up now! You know those strange rail tracks along Lake Shore East and through the Port Lands? Staff are asking for approval to remove ‘em. The Toronto Industry Network is saying they want more consultation first. http://app.toronto.ca/tmmis/viewAgendaItemHistory.do?item=2022.EX32.3
There are some confidential parts of the Port Lands rail line item, so Council is going to hold off on debating it until after they get to do a private session. We’re jumping to an item about giving Spectra an exclusive contract to provide food at Ex Place http://app.toronto.ca/tmmis/viewAgendaItemHistory.do?item=2022.EX32.12
Spectra gets the Ex contract on a show of hands. Councillor Mike Layton was concerned about a section of the report mentioning single-use plates and cups and such, but staff assured him they have good environmental policies.
Jane Finch Initiative report carries via a show of hands after some supportive speeches from local councillors Anthony Perruzza and James Pasternak. http://app.toronto.ca/tmmis/viewAgendaItemHistory.do?item=2022.EC29.1
Up now at Council: allowing cab drivers to charge a buck-a-ride fuel surcharge given the sky-high cost of gasoline. http://app.toronto.ca/tmmis/viewAgendaItemHistory.do?item=2022.GL30.10
Well, that was quick. $1-a-ride fuel surcharge for taxis is APPROVED via a show of hands. Up now: pedal pubs. Pedal Pubs. PEDAL PUBS. http://app.toronto.ca/tmmis/viewAgendaItemHistory.do?item=2022.GL30.11
Council is voting on whether to issue up to eight licenses for pedal pubs in the city. Up to 16 passengers would ride around on a bicycle-bar-hybrid thing. Except, of course, because this is Toronto: no booze on board. Instead, promo videos show passengers fist-pumping.
Councillor Stephen Holyday says he will oppose the pedal pubs, because he is concerned about “traffic congestion in the inner city.” He says he hopes the operators of the pedal pubs make helmets available to passengers.
Councillor Gord Perks moves to require any pedal pub application to include a proposed route they’d travel on. The Transportation GM would then have the opportunity to approve or reject the route.
Councillor Josh Matlow says he got “completely ratioed” after tweeting about his support for pedal pubs. “There are people who absolutely despise them,” he says. He likes Perks’ motion as a way to mitigate some concerns about pedal pubs trawling down residential streets, etc.
“I was surprised by how massacred I got on Twitter that day,” says Matlow, saying he’s never had backlash like that to a tweet. People are passionate about pedal pubs. Anyway, he still thinks they can be fun.
Councillor Paula Fletcher isn’t ready to approve pedal pubs today. She moves to refer this report back to the General Manager of Transportation Services for more consideration, with a report back at the June council meeting.
Fletcher’s motion to refer the Pedal Pubs back to staff for more consideration (and a report back in June) CARRIES via a show of hands. Toronto’s going to have to wait a while for its booze-free pedal pubs.
Oops: the referral is actually until “no later than the July 2022 meeting” of Council. So no guarantee it’ll be June. Pedal pub patience required. https://x.com/GraphicMatt/status/1524480486789337090
On a report recommending the installation of sidewalks on streets that currently do not have sidewalks, councillors Robinson and Pasternak successfully move to remove a couple of streets from the list, for now. They’ll remain sidewalk-less. http://app.toronto.ca/tmmis/viewAgendaItemHistory.do?item=2022.IE29.3
Council comes back to the item about ripping up the old freight rail lines in the Port Lands. Deputy Mayor Denzil Minnan-Wong moves to refer the matter for more consultation. Carries via a show of hands.
Up now: Councillor Mike Colle wants a report on the state of our public garbage bins. He says he’s seen more broken bins recently than he’s ever seen before. http://app.toronto.ca/tmmis/viewAgendaItemHistory.do?item=2022.IE29.19
“In terms of these Astral bins, it’s not going well,” says Deputy Mayor Denzil Minnan-Wong on Toronto’s crappy street garbage bins. Seriously, these things suck.
On the broken garbage bin item, Mayor John Tory moves to get Astral to expedite the installation of replacement bins, and to make sure bins are emptied in a timely manner. Tory agrees that the general state of the trash bins has deteriorated lately, and it reflects badly on city.
It’s a complex issue, to be sure, but it’s a trip watching councillors who have voted for below-inflation tax increases for 10+ years complaining that the city looks shabby.
Anyway, Tory’s garbage bin motion carries via show of hands, as does the request for a report on the number of broken bins. We’ll get some more detail and numbers re: broken garbage bins soon, hopefully. http://app.toronto.ca/tmmis/viewAgendaItemHistory.do?item=2022.IE29.19
Deja vu! Council now set to consider a modular housing project at 175 Cummer Avenue. They already approved this, but the request for an MZO was blocked by PC MPP Stan Cho. And so Council is voting on whether to pursue the slower, typical rezoning process. http://app.toronto.ca/tmmis/viewAgendaItemHistory.do?item=2022.PH33.3
Several Willowdale-area community associations have written to Council laying out their reasons why they oppose this affordable housing project, citing things like the front lawn being too small, a lack of parking, and too much density. https://www.toronto.ca/legdocs/mmis/2022/cc/comm/communicationfile-149859.pdf (PDF)
Undeterred, Council votes via show of hands to approve the rezoning for 175 Cummer. Councillor Ana Bailao adds a motion that staff request an expedited hearing in the (very likely) event the project gets appealed to the Ontario Land Tribunal.
Council is now debating the city’s response to Bill 109, the More Homes for Everyone Act. Councillor Ana Bailao moves to request the province enable municipalities to zone for tenure and secure purpose-built rentals as part of site zoning. http://app.toronto.ca/tmmis/viewAgendaItemHistory.do?item=2022.PH33.11
Bailao’s motion, friendly amended by Perks to also ask the province to provide “funding to secure purpose built affordable housing” CARRIES 18-1. Item as amended carries via show of hands.
After dealing with a few small quick items, Council breaks for the night. There are 52 items left on the agenda, including 40 member motions. Big items: beer in parks, and tree debates. Back at it tomorrow at 9:30 a.m.
Council is set to return for another day of debate. Looks like there are some officers in the gallery as things get started. Streaming live here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gAa_i8Pwit4
Mayor John Tory kicks things off with a tribute to Toronto’s first responders — fire, police and paramedics. Guess he might as well add private security to that list.
Up first: A scary report on Toronto’s remaining $815 million COVID-related operating budget shortfall for 2021. If prov/fed money doesn’t come ASAP, city says it’ll start cutting back on capital budgets for things like parks improvements and road repairs. http://app.toronto.ca/tmmis/viewAgendaItemHistory.do?item=2022.CC43.3
Tory has asked each of the provincial party leaders if they plan to pitch it to cover the shortfall. (Tory has the shortfall as $875 million — staff report says it’s more like $815 million once you factor in expected public health reimbursement.) https://x.com/dmrider/status/1524701518015967235
Given there’s only two regular commitee cycles and council meetings left after this one, I’d expect any delay on alcohol-in-parks policy today probably punts it to next term. (For those asking: the vote on this should come around 2pm today.) https://x.com/JoshMatlow/status/1524755698269270017
Councillor Perks calls out “12 years of austerity” and prioritization of low property tax increases for leaving Toronto “brittle and vulnerable” to the kind of challenge the city is facing right now. “If there’s a pressure on us, we’re nothing but skin and bones — and we break.”
Budget Chief Gary Crawford reiterates that if funding doesn’t come by the end of May the city will have to start making decisions about capital spending. He hints at delaying or cancelling RFPs that are due to go out for capital projects.
It’s a bit weird that the city is facing a major, immediate fiscal challenge that could lead to delays in state-of-good-repair projects and the mayor isn’t out there every day yelling about it, isn’t it? Shouldn’t there be more urgency?
Councillor Shelley Carroll points out that it’s likely that all political parties will eventually start prioritizing deficit reduction. “The COVID money tap is going to be turned off.” She says city hall needs to look at its own sustainability.
Councillor Layton makes the pitch for more revenue tools, pointing out that without the land transfer tax brought in by @iamdavidmiller the city’s fiscal hole would be a billion dollars deeper. No motions on this item, though. Report carries via show of hands. To be continued.
Council’s next item is the City Ombudsman’s annual report. Complaints to the Ombudsman were up 15% in 2021, with most of ‘em (per capita and overall) coming from Old Toronto & East York. http://app.toronto.ca/tmmis/viewAgendaItemHistory.do?item=2022.CC43.2
Councillor Josh Matlow asks Ombudsman Kwame Addo about the status of his investigation into the encampment clearings, noting today’s CBC story about the city hiring private security. Addo says it’s a “big investigation” and they’re working hard, but can’t provide a date.
A tidbit from the Ombudsman’s annual report: the Shelter, Support & Housing Administration decided to use COVID as an opportunity to shut down their complaint phone number. Ombudsman pointed out a lot of shelter clients don’t have email (duh) and got them to reinstate it.
A twist! Councillor Gord Perks has introduced a motion calling for the city to cancel the contracts for private security at city parks.
They’ll come back to that one later. For now, Council is in private session to consider a zoning amendment item. http://app.toronto.ca/tmmis/viewAgendaItemHistory.do?item=2022.CC43.22
“Council direct that spending on security guards at 6 City parks be deferred until City Council has been fully briefed on a variety of options including options of spending on connecting people with spaces where they have the health supports and amenities” http://app.toronto.ca/tmmis/viewAgendaItemHistory.do?item=2022.MM43.43
Toronto Council is back. The rezoning application discussed in the private session gets deferred until June.
Mayor Tory proposes Council take a shorter lunch break so they can finish this agenda early. “I am not missing any of that hockey game because we’re sitting here,” he says. “As important as these items are, the Leafs in Game Six are REALLY important!” They’ll be back at 1 p.m.
Council is back. They’re going to whip through member motions now. Each needs two-thirds vote to get added to the agenda. Matlow’s motion on drinking in parks will come up as part of this. Strap in.
Councillor Josh Matlow’s motion to allow responsible drinking in parks gets the two-thirds support it needs to make the agenda, with the vote to waive referral carrying 16-5. Deputy Mayor Denzil Minnan-Wong holds the item for debate. They’ll come back to it.
Councillor Mark Grimes’ motion for a report on extending the Bloor-Danforth subway line to the Sherway Gardens Mall also gets enough support to make the agenda. Grimes holds it for more debate. Vote was 16-4. http://app.toronto.ca/tmmis/viewAgendaItemHistory.do?item=2022.MM43.6
Councillor Josh Matlow’s motion calling for a report on incentivizing single-family homeowners to do multi-unit conversions makes the agenda too, 16-5. No debate on this one. It CARRIES 19-3. http://app.toronto.ca/tmmis/viewAgendaItemHistory.do?item=2022.MM43.23
Matlow’s motion for a report “exploring municipal solutions to the housing crisis in Toronto” makes the agenda too. 20-2. http://app.toronto.ca/tmmis/viewAgendaItemHistory.do?item=2022.MM43.24
Councillor Stephen Holyday wants a separate vote on the part of Matlow’s motion asking for a report on “an assessment of in-house construction management for affordable housing on City-owned properties.” Sure, okay. He gets one. The recommendation CARRIES 19-3.
The remainder of Matlow’s motion calling for a comprehensive report on potential fixes for Toronto’s housing crisis CARRIES 22-0.
Councillor Nunziata’s motion calling for Metrolinx to look at putting the elevated part of the Eglinton West LRT underground is held by Councillor Paula Fletcher, who wants to tag on a request that Metrolinx also look at burying the Ontario Line through Leslieville/Riverside.
Councillor Gord Perks’ motion calling for the city to hold off plans to hire security guards to patrol parks gets held by Councillor Ana Bailao. They’ll come back to it. http://app.toronto.ca/tmmis/viewAgendaItemHistory.do?item=2022.MM43.43
Eight items left. Up now: 🌳🌳🌳🌳🌳🌳 TREE DEBATE 🌳🌳🌳 This is a big one. Maybe the last one. Tree Debate Omega. Councillor Paul Ainslie has moved to delegate all tree permit matters to community council. That change will require a two-thirds vote. http://app.toronto.ca/tmmis/viewAgendaItemHistory.do?item=2022.EX32.15
Staff have provided numbers for 2017-2021. 129 tree removal permits were appealed to community council, and 111 proceeded to Council.
Staff explain that they get about 12,000 tree removal permit applications a year and almost all are dealt with without appeal — less than 1% get appealed to community council and council.
Councillor James Pasternak wonders if, because the city typically requires homeowners who remove trees to pay for planting five new trees, the city’s rejection of tree removal permits means the city has missed out on an opportunity to plant hundreds of new trees.
In response, staff point out that a large mature tree provides more benefit than a bunch of saplings.
Time for tree motions! Councillor Gord Perks moves to eliminate the political appeal process for tree permits entirely. Instead, city staff would have final authority on whether to issue permits.
“I have hated every minute of having to debate individual tree applications,” says Perks, but he doesn’t think shuffling debates off to community council is the right move. Instead, council should set parameters for tree policy, then let the city’s arborists have the final say
Perks suggests the tree permit appeal process basically rewards residents who are buddies with councillors. Councillor Stephen Holyday objects to the insinuation that councillors do favours for some constituents.
Deputy Mayor Denzil Minnan-Wong, still in his blurry void, says he’ll support the original Ainslie motion to delegate tree removal appeals to community council. He thinks trees are obviously a local issue, and local issues are what community councils are for.
Councillor McKelvie has a motion that would ask for an annual report on the number of tree removal permit appeals dealt with at community council, and the outcomes. This would, theoretically, allow council to step in if one community council starts authorizing clearcutting.
Councillor Stephen Holyday says he won’t support Perks’ motion to delegate the final say on tree removals to staff. He doesn’t think staff have a wide enough latitude to approve removals of “healthy and maintainable trees.”
Councillor Stephen Holyday says Canada already has 318 billion trees (according to Google). “So in my view the needs of the individual and the things they are dealing with on their property are more important.”
Matlow disagrees with Holyday’s insinuation that Canada has enough trees already. But he thinks the right of people to appeal staff decisions is important. “Maybe instead of a TLAB, we have a Tree-LAB.” Delightfully nerdy joke.
Councillor Paul Ainslie says he doesn’t think he’s evever had such a short motion (38 words) speak such a long debate. Such is the way of tree debates. A tiny seed becomes a mighty oak.
Councillor Gord Perks’ motion to delegate final tree removal decision-making to staff FAILS 3-19.
Councillor Jennifer McKelvie’s motion for an annual report with stats on the outcome of community council tree removal appeal decisions CARRIES 19-4.
McKelvie’s motion for an annual report on overall stats regarding tree removal permit application CARRIES 22-1.
And Council votes 18-5 to DELEGATE all tree removal permit appeals to community council. Tree debates at Council… are OVER. End of an era.
⚱️ RIP The Government of Canada’s Largest City Debating Individual Trees 1998-2022 “A Thing That Actually Happened” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nSz16ngdsG0
Up now: drinking in parks! You’ve been waiting for it. Councillor Gord Perks has made sure Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. Eileen de Villa is here to answer questions. You can watch live here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gAa_i8Pwit4
De Villa says the evidence suggests the more access there is to alcohol, the more consumption there is and the more harm.
I wrote about this booze-in-parks issue for the Star this week. After successful pandemic-era pilots in Vancouver, Calgary and Edmonton, there’s no reason for Toronto to keep the threat of $300 tickets for park drinking. https://www.thestar.com/opinion/contributors/2022/05/10/booze-free-pedal-pubs-and-300-fines-for-wine-in-the-park-torontos-idea-of-summer-fun.html
Carleton Grant, Executive Director of Municipal Licensing & Standards, says city bylaw officers issued 17 tickets for drinking in parks in 2019, 69 in 2020 — nice — and in 2021 they issued just 2. But he doesn’t have numbers on how many similar tickets were issued by the police.
Matlow points out he first brought this drinking-in-parks motion to Council a year ago. He asks parks staff what work they’ve done on it since. Staff say they’ve connected the drinking-in-parks issue to an upcoming Toronto Drug Strategy that Toronto Public Health is working on.
Noting that Matlow’s motion says people would only be permitted to have drinks with less than 15% alcohol content, Councillor Michael Thompson asks how staff could enforce that. Staff say they couldn’t, really — it’s not really doable to test alcohol content in the field.
Mayor John Tory is our first speaker on the booze-in-parks. He says he has no issue with anyone responsibly having a beer or a glass of wine in parks, and would like the bylaws to change. But he’s talked to councillors and says this motion does NOT have the support to pass.
The mayor is moving to delete Matlow’s motion that would allow drinking in parks this summer, and instead moving to request a report for Q2 2023 with options to allow alcohol consumption in parks.
Tory says he’s seen people carrying cases of wine and kegs of beer into parks, and he doesn’t think that’s okay. He wants city policies to make a distinction between that kind of thing and a scenario where people are just having a beer or glass of wine.
Deputy Mayor Denzil Minnan-Wong asks if the report Tory’s requesting will also look at giving some flexibility to banning alcohol in certain parks. Tory says his motion isn’t ruling anything out.
Some councillors have expressed concern that Toronto’s parks don’t have enough washrooms to allow for park drinking, which is a real “We’re All Trying To Find The Guy Who Did This” vibe.
Deputy Mayor Denzil Minnan-Wong says this drinking-in-parks issue shouldn’t even be on the council floor. “This is a complex issue,” he says. He thinks more studies need to be done. “This is not ready for us.”
Councillor Josh Matlow, clearly very frustrated, says, “It seems like this Council looks for every possible reason to not look at this question.” He points out lots of Torontonians don’t have backyards, “and they don’t want to be treated like scofflaws.”
“We are way behind the rest of the world,” says Matlow. “What people are asking for is for city hall to regulate for health and safety — where necessary — and then get out of the way.”
“We don’t need lots and lots of these studies to determine what the rest of the world has already discovered, which is that responsible adults act responsibly,” says Matlow.
Councillor Perks disagrees with Minnan-Wong and Matlow. “The issue is whether or not we’re going to do [alcohol in parks] in a way that manages the harms,” he says. He wants more focus on “building the systems to make it safe”, i.e. wait until the Toronto Drug Strategy is ready.
“I rise to say I don’t support any of this,” begins Councillor Stephen Holyday. Those are basically the lyrics to his entrance music. He says he enjoys a beer every now and then, “but what good could come out of this debate?”
“If you give people an inch, they’ll take a foot!” declares Holyday, citing Tory’s observation of seeing people walking into parks with cases of beer. “My fear is that we’ll begin to normalize the consumption of alcohol out in public places.”
Holyday, who represents Etobicoke Centre, says he doesn’t get calls from constituents complaining that they aren’t allowed to drink in parks. “So I hope you’ll think carefully: what good could possibly come of this?”
Mayor John Tory’s motion to NOT allow drinking in parks this summer but instead wait for a report that’ll come next year CARRIES 17-2.
Five items left. Up now: should the Bloor-Danforth Subway and Sherway Gardens Mall get married? Councillor Mark Grimes wants a report on a westward subway extension, in addition to other transit improvements in South Etobicoke. http://app.toronto.ca/tmmis/viewAgendaItemHistory.do?item=2022.MM43.6
Up now: should people be allowed to park commercial vehicles in their driveways overnight? Councillor Thompson wants a report on allowing it. But Minnan-Wong says it’s not fair to neighbours who would have to “endure” looking at ugly trucks or vans. http://app.toronto.ca/tmmis/viewAgendaItemHistory.do?item=2022.MM43.12
I believe this item emerged from a CTV story about a Scarborough man who was told he could no longer park his work van in his driveway after a neighbour complained. https://toronto.ctvnews.ca/ontario-man-no-longer-allowed-to-park-commercial-van-in-driveway-after-neighbour-complains-1.5775109
Speaking on this item, Mayor John Tory tells us a tale of when he was CEO at Rogers and they changed the policy to allow installers to take their trucks home instead of having them park them at a yard. The result was more calls per day and greater efficiency.
Councillor Thompson’s motion for a report on changing the rules to allow people to park commercial vehicles in their driveways CARRIES 15-4.
Last item. It’s Councillor Perks’ motion to not spend money on security guards to patrol for park encampments. http://app.toronto.ca/tmmis/viewAgendaItemHistory.do?item=2022.MM43.43
Deputy City Manager Tracey Cook says no one at the city wants to see another encampment eviction operation like last summer. Cook says private security’s role will simply be to let city staff know when support is necessary.
“Anything related to enforcement is not subject to council or councillors,” says Cook, saying people upset with encampment evictions should spare councillors and “point their ire” at her.
Cook claims encampments last summer made some parks “unusable” to the community. She says the purpose of security guards is to make sure the situation doesn’t escalate to what the city saw the last couple of years.
Cook again says the purpose of the security guards is just to let the city know when someone starts putting up a tent, so city staff can show up and offer support. It’s a bit strange — does the city really not have enough in-house staff to monitor six parks?
Councillor Gord Perks says security guards receive maybe a day or two in training on de-escalation, harm reduction, and crisis response. He notes this money was never listed as a new expenditure in the budget and council has never been asked to authorize this.
Councillor Stephen Holyday moves to call the question, which would immediately end debate on this item and go straight to a vote. Layton isn’t happy, saying this is an important issue and councillors should get a chance to speak on it. But it CARRIES 14-7.
Councillor Gord Perks’ motion to hold off on hiring security guards to patrol parks and look for encampments FAILS 6-15.
And that marks the end of Council’s May 2022 meeting. What a ride. If you enjoyed this thread, please consider supporting my work by buying a subscription to @cityhallwatcher — my independent weekly newsletter about these kinds of hijinks. https://toronto.cityhallwatcher.com/subscribe