City Council — October 2012

We totally acted too quickly and without consultation on plastic bags. But our spiteful, snap decision on Jarvis? That's all good.

Oh good. More demonizing the streetcar purchase. Protip: putting something into the capital plan is how council buys things like streetcars.

Seriously, we're getting dangerously close to politicians advocating that governments just save up cash to buy legacy infrastructure.

Ford: "I don't believe in borrowing the money." Ah, so there we go. (Did Deco Labels buy all their equipment and factories with cash?)

Wayback playback: Council asked the feds to pay 1/3 the costs of streetcar purchase. Baird told Toronto to eff off. http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/article/647684--top-tory-curses-toronto

Cho: Do you think it makes sense to ask the feds for transit money? Ford: "Most definitely. I couldn't agree with you more."

Ford: "If you don't pay your debts, you're going to get charged interest." Well, sorta?

Mammoliti: "I bought my couch from Leons and I paid a YEAR LATER. A year later!"

Here's the thing. Using some of the proceeds from Enwave sale to pay for streetcars is fine. But directing ALL the funds there is weird.

Shouldn't the City CFO make a recommendation on where the proceeds from an Enwave sale should go?

Councillors seem to be trying a run-out-the-clock strategy. Delay scheduled removal of Jarvis to 2014.

Here we go: Kristyn Wong-Tam moves that the Jarvis lanes be kept and that those cost savings go toward finishing the Sherbourne lanes faster

There is zero chance council would vote to install a reversible lane designed to speed up traffic on any other street in this city. And yet.

Missed the vote due to late train. 19-24 council votes against saving Jarvis bike lanes. Hugely disappointing.

So, @CouncillorMB - how do you justify that vote with your past statements?

Quoting @JoshColle: "I do not believe it would be an appropriate use of limited City resources to eliminate bike lanes on Jarvis Street."

Josh Colle has now voted TWICE to eliminate bike lanes on Jarvis Street.

Here's @CouncillorMB saying "keep lanes" re: Jarvis last March. And then she votes against. https://www.ibiketo.ca/blog/can-jarvis-bike-lanes-be-saved

And, for posterity, here's the June 2011 email from @JoshColle's office that makes his vote today look hypocritical. http://t.co/PGbm9dif

Bailão, July 2011: "The decision to remove the Jarvis Street bike lanes was premature and a significant step backwards for safe cycling."

(That's from here: https://www.cycleto.ca/ward-update/message-ana-bailao-explaning-her-positionvoting-response-and-comments-vote-relative-bike?page=3)

Optimistically—and also sort of cynically—if you fast forward Toronto by five or ten years, there's no way Jarvis has a reversible lane.

Whoa.

Tomorrow on @metromorning, an interview with Toronto Mayor Rob Ford. Lots to talk about. Looking forward to it.

"Awaiting his call." Huh.

Quick, someone wake the Mayor! @metromorning is waiting!

Ford: "I don't know what you're getting [that 2 minute delay figure.] We were told 7-10 minutes." Two minutes was a staff figure.

Galloway: "Where will the money for the transit come from?" Ford: "Have to sit down with the three levels of government." He opposes taxes.

Ford: "The NDP of council wants to continue spending." Says the conflict-of-interest thing is political.

Ford: "I believe I've done a very good job as mayor."

Ford: "Jobs - that's the most important social program is a job." Lower commercial rates. (This is actually a good idea.)

Ford ends the interview abruptly, saying he has to get to council. Weird.

City Manager jokes: "Ten years in Toronto is equal to 30 years in Halton." Don't I know it.

Fun times at council. Nunziata is making Mammoliti apologize for calling the ombudsman's report "political." Giorgio refuses.

Giorgio: "I'm going to leave the chamber until someone tells me exactly what I said that I need to apologize for."

Councillors do not seem too sad to see him go, weirdly.

Presumably, if nobody explains to Mammoliti why he needs to apologize, he'll be gone forever. Just saying.

Fiona Crean, who's under the weather, is in the chamber now to respond to Mammoliti's claim that her report is political.

Item on new Public Works agenda: "Definition of a Bicycle." Probably: "annoying thing that gets in the way of cars." https://secure.toronto.ca/tmmis/viewAgendaItemHistory.do?item=2012.PW18.4

Travesty! Panic! Riot!

Votes on the bag thing. Interesting votes against re-opening: Bailão, Moeser. http://t.co/pcgZW5E1

For the record: I'll miss the old status quo on bags. I liked being able to pay a nickel when I forgot to bring reusables.

But mostly I am just hopeful that council can move past this and never discuss plastic bags again.

Council's long, self-inflicted nightmare is finally over.

With speaking extensions dead, let's take a second to appreciate all they brought us. Here's an infographic: http://metronews.ca/voices/ford-for-toronto/39540/infographic-speaking-extensions/

Council really had an opportunity to seize leadership following the transit thing. But instead: punches and kicks to the face and groin.

Here's @Ward18AnaBailao's response to those that have criticized her vote on Jarvis. https://www.anabailao.ca/2012/10/moving-toward-a-comprehensive-bike-network-in-toronto/

.@Ward18AnaBailao says the Jarvis lanes were installed outside the recs in the EA, but the EA *did* recommend removal of the fifth lane.

Removing the fifth lane was the community-backed decision, supported by the local councillor. Bailão and the rest of them ignored that.

(Also, Minnan-Wong's bike plan is hardly a "network." It's a rectangle.)

That too. At many times the cost.

@GraphicMatt And much of it is just a "redo" of existing bike lanes.