RE: https://mastodon.social/@GraphicMatt/116297902324828667
That Frances Nunziata was installed as Council Speaker says a lot about Olivia Chow's lack of political acumen.
#Toronto needs a Mayor who is a Progressive AND a Leader.
Chow doesn't have it.
RE: https://mastodon.social/@GraphicMatt/116297420520070039
Hostile Architecture.
What Stephen Holyday is referring to is Hostile Architecture.
There's a Wikipedia page for that: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hostile_architecture
Holyday is warming up to a truly mediocre argument (planes from Billy Bishop only fly over a very small part of Toronto so it's not a big deal if the City doesn't have a say, conservation and the fact the airport is located in the city and whatnot be damned) and I am turning off the livestream i don't need this shit
Current item: a valiant but ultimately doomed attempt to try to stop Doug Ford from cutting the City of Toronto out of waterfront decisions (in this case, re: expanding Billy Bishop Airport). https://secure.toronto.ca/council/agenda-item.do?item=2026.MM39.59
It's often repeated that Toronto is "a creature of the province", much like how Frankenstein's monster is a creature of Frankenstein
aldkjfaldjkf The motion passes with only Holyday against…but, SHOCKING TWIST, he admits it was actually an error and wants a re-vote!
"Maybe I should show him where the green button is," quips Cllr Perks.
They're very slowly voting on Chow's amended motion: https://secure.toronto.ca/council/agenda-item.do?item=2026.EX29.14
Back from lunch and Mayor Chow is giving a speech in honour of outgoing Deputy City Manager Will Johnston, who is retiring. Shout-out to the City of Toronto org chart (PDF).
Now on to the Mayor's Key Item, a strategy for cracking down on bad landlords: https://secure.toronto.ca/council/agenda-item.do?item=2026.EX29.14
"Inspired" by notorious cases like 500 Dawes Rd.: https://torontolife.com/city/olivia-chow-is-coming-for-toronto-slumlords/
edit: 500 Dawes in particular has been in the news for idk probably decades:
The City has been reluctant in the past to actually step in.
Oh boy, I was seriously considering skipping this entire item if it came up for debate because I just know people were going to get super racist: https://secure.toronto.ca/council/agenda-item.do?item=2026.CC39.1
tl;dr: some fucking right-wing agitator (of the more "respectable", nonprofit-y kind, I gather) was complaining to Cllr Moise about renaming Yonge-Dundas Square: "…so what are you doing this year, in [20]25, relating to renaming things that hurt your feelings for whatever reason?" Cllr Moise accurately called him a "white supremacist". Guy complained. Integrity Commissioner said Cllr Moise violated the Code of Conduct, but also didn't recommend any sort of sanction. (Full report here.)
Luckily Council unanimously was like "yeah fuck that" and moved on
Cllr Holyday mentions this Toronto Star story that revealed Metrolinx and the City spent almost $100 million on two SmartTrack™ stations that ended up getting shelved. (The City's share was $43 million.)
SmartTrack, as you'll recall, was John Tory's big Election Promise/Legacy Project, which over the years dwindled down to, essentially, a handful of specially branded GO stations.
Ev Delen
Neville Park