Matt ElliottUp now: e-scooters. The city has legalized other forms of “micromobility.” Staff are recommending legalizing “low-speed vehicles” (tiny electric cars) today. But e-scooters are recommended to remain banned. https://secure.toronto.ca/council/agenda-item.do?item=2024.IE13.1
Staff confirm to Councillor Pasternak that it’s legal to sell and own e-scooters in Toronto but not legal to use them anywhere on public streets.
But is there any enforcement? Staff say there were 89 tickets issued for sidewalk scooter riding in 2023. “Not a lot,” staff admit.
Per the staff report, city staff do believe the current ban on e-scooters is succeeding in limiting their use: “Although some people are riding e-scooters illegally in Toronto, it is thought that the prohibition has kept the number lower than if they were permitted.”
I’m a bit skeptical of this. I have trouble imagining a person who’s like, “damn I’d love to ride my e-scooter but I have too much respect for generally-unenforced City of Toronto bylaws.”
Councillor Moise asks if police have the power to confiscate e-scooters from people riding illegally? Staff say no, because it’s legal to own an e-scooter.
Transportation Services GM Barbara Gray says if there were better federal and provincial standards/regulations for e-scooter design (especially re: safety, batteries, speed governors) her division would potentially be more likely to support legalizing e-scooters.
On to speakers. Councillor Amber Morley moves for the transportation department to conduct a count of micro-mobility users (including e-scooters) this fall.
Showing several videos of low-speed vehicle crash tests, Councillor Stephen Holyday moves to delete the staff recommendation that these tiny electric vehicles be permitted to operate in Toronto. “I have grave concerns,” he says.
Councillor Chris Moise says he’ll vote against the continued ban on e-scooters, pointing out there’s already thousands of people using e-scooters in the city. “Putting our heads in the sand is not really going to change this.”
Councillor Dianne Saxe moves to request the provincial government allow the city to license courier and transportation businesses and the micro-mobility vehicles they use.
Councillor Anthony Perruzza moves for staff to look at installing signage in parks and along trails letting people know which micro-mobility devices are permitted.
Councillor Jennifer McKelvie has a motion to give the police a “briefing note” explaining which micro-mobility devices are allowed and which are banned.
Time to vote on micro-mobility and e-scooters.
Councillor Holyday’s motion to NOT allow low-speed vehicles (tiny electric cars) to operate in Toronto FAILS 4-18.
Councillor Perruzza’s motion to look at installing more signage in parks and along trails letting people which micro-mobility vehicles are allowed CARRIES 13-9.
Recommendation to continue to ban the use of e-scooters on public streets in Toronto CARRIES 19-3.
Recommendation to allow the use of low-speed vehicles (tiny electric cars) on Toronto streets CARRIES 19-3.
Recommendation to request the provincial government allow Toronto to license courier businesses and their vehicles CARRIES 21-1.
All other motions carried via show of hands. Remainder of micro-mobility recommendations as amended CARRIES 22-0.
Council has moved on to an item from Councillor Mike Colle recommending the city embark on a program to paint 1,000 new street murals. Councillor Lily Cheng moves to have Mayor Olivia Chow help paint the first mural at Mel Lastman Square. https://secure.toronto.ca/council/agenda-item.do?item=2024.IE13.9
Cheng’s motion CARRIES via show of hands. Colle’s graffiti item as amended CARRIES 22-0.
That takes council to lunch. There are 53 items left on this council agenda, including 34 member motions. Those member motions will be dealt with after lunch break. The debate on allowing more dense housing on major streets will follow.
See you back here at 2 p.m.
Council is back. Councillor Lily Cheng announces that May is Asian Heritage Month. Mayor Olivia Chow echos that, and announces that today is Newcomers Day. She shouts out 167 city staffers volunteering their time today to help out with festivities at Nathan Phillips Square.
Before they get to member motions, Chow says she’s concerned that some of these motions are coming on-the-fly and staff haven’t been given a chance to review them and write reports. She says she’ll be reluctant to vote to waive referral unless a matter is really urgent.
Councillor Brad Bradford’s motion to report on if there are any ways to speed up Gardiner construction gets added to the agenda via a show-of-hands vote. Bradford holds it for debate. They’ll come back to it. https://secure.toronto.ca/council/agenda-item.do?item=2024.MM18.5
Councillor Chris Moise had brought a motion requesting a $2.7 million budget increase for the Lower Don Trail project. Chow says she thinks items like this should go to Executive Committee. It doesn’t end up mattering — Moise moves to withdraw it. https://secure.toronto.ca/council/agenda-item.do?item=2024.MM18.9
Councillor Bradford’s motion to request the province create “safety zones” around places of worship gets added to the agenda on show-of-hands vote. Matlow holds for debate. Bradford is mad because he wanted to hold it. But Matlow’s hold stands. https://secure.toronto.ca/council/agenda-item.do?item=2024.MM18.16
Councillor Lily Cheng’s motion for a report on whether the city should require more visitor parking in suburban development FAILS to make the agenda. Vote was 15-9. It needed two-thirds. https://secure.toronto.ca/council/agenda-item.do?item=2024.MM18.17
Councillor Cheng’s motion for a report on “equitable funding and distribution of Canada Day Events” across the city is ADDED to the agenda on an 18-6 vote. https://secure.toronto.ca/council/agenda-item.do?item=2024.MM18.18
Cheng’s Canada Day event motion CARRIES via show of hands. A similar Cheng motion for a “report on the current distribution of City-funded cultural events” across the city also makes the agenda on an 18-6 vote. Carroll holds this one for debate. https://secure.toronto.ca/council/agenda-item.do?item=2024.MM18.19
Councillor Moise’s motion for a report on the merits of “transitioning the governance and operations of Moss Park Arena from a Board of Management to a City-operated arena” CARRIES 21-3. https://secure.toronto.ca/council/agenda-item.do?item=2024.MM18.20
Councillor Matlow’s motion to request the province implement commercial rent control for small businesses and develop standardized commercial leases gets ADDED to the agenda on a 20-4 vote. Bradford holds this one. https://secure.toronto.ca/council/agenda-item.do?item=2024.MM18.24
Councillor Paula Fletcher’s motion for a report on building more housing and affordable housing on Villier’s Island in the port lands CARRIES via show of hands. https://secure.toronto.ca/council/agenda-item.do?item=2024.MM18.26
Mayor Olivia Chow’s motion to give staff authority to open the Jameson on-ramp gate on the Gardiner when it’ll help traffic CARRIES via show of hands. https://secure.toronto.ca/council/agenda-item.do?item=2024.MM18.33
Wake up, planning nerds.
Council is about to debate the EHON report that would allow six-storey buildings and townhouses on major streets across the city. https://secure.toronto.ca/council/agenda-item.do?item=2024.PH12.3
In a nutshell, if this item passes it’ll enable denser residential development in areas along major streets currently zoned as Neighbourhoods. Staff say it’ll unlock development on more than 31,000 lots.
If you want to really drill down on how this might affect your neck of the woods, staff have created 25 maps showing affected areas in each ward. (I don’t know why the map titles & legends are in morse code.) https://www.toronto.ca/legdocs/mmis/2024/cc/bgrd/backgroundfile-245964.pdf (PDF)
I’m expecting motions from councillors trying to remove streets in their wards from the “major street” designation. To try to pre-empt that, planners reviewed 22 streets highlighted by resident associations and found they were not “significantly different” from other streets.
Councillor Nick Mantas is attending virtually and trying to ask staff questions, but there’s a ridiculous echo. “Do you have a headset?” Nunziata asks. Mantas does not. Should have saved one from that flight. They try a few times but the echo persists. Nunziata moves on.
Mayor Olivia Chow is the first speaker on the housing-on-major-streets item. She moves the new staff recommendation to allow up to 60 units in the six-storey buildings. She also moves to have staff pursue opportunities to make some of these projects affordable housing.
Mayor Olivia Chow: “By building this way, we’re saying yes to more neighbours and we’re saying yes to newcomer families … We’re building their dreams because we’re building homes. If we don’t do that, it’s very difficult for people to stay in Toronto.”
Councillor Nick Mantas moves to have staff conduct community consultations on intensification and allowed heights along Huntingwood Drive in Scarborough. He says this doesn’t remove the street from the Major Street designation, but he wants the consultation.
Councillor Jon Burnside moves to remove the Major Street designation from Sloane Avenue in his ward.
Councillor Paul Ainslie moves to remove the Major Street designation from Guildwood Parkway to allow for more review. He’s concerned about drainage and the impact on the Scarborough Bluffs.
Councillor Vince Crisanti submits a list of streets in his Etobicoke North ward he’d like to remove from the Major Streets designation. He says his constituents have told him they don’t like the impacts of densification and don’t want it.
“The biggest concern I have with this policy is the risk to the character of the established communities,” Crisanti says of allowing six-storey buildings and townhouses. He says this policy would allow developers to change the “core characteristics” of neighbourhoods.
Councillor Stephen Holyday stands and asks Crisanti a bunch of questions designed to make it clear that Etobicoke North residents have poor transit access. The point, I think, is that council shouldn’t allow more housing there because there’s not enough transit service.
Councillor Shelley Carroll is using the overhead projector to display photos of small apartment buildings that have existed in suburban neighbourhoods for decades. “This is not something new. This is not terrifying weird science. This is not the end of the world.”
Councillor Stephen Holyday is next to speak, but instead leaves the chamber in a hurry. Councillors joke that he needs to go get his props. Maybe it’s true? I am not sure. Anyway, they move on. He’ll get his turn later.
Councillor Dianne Saxe moves to remove part of True Davidson Drive from the Major Street Designation. She says it’s a technical amendment related to the steep topography of the area. She’s very supportive of the report otherwise. “It’s a long time coming,” she says.
Holyday is up now. “Make no mistake, council — people are talking about this. People see this in Etobicoke Centre as DESPICABLE. They see this as insensitive. They hold council in contempt. They use words I can’t even say because they’re unparliamentary.”
I think he’s opposed.
Holyday has a photo of himself standing next to a six-storey building. “Spot the councillor! Oops, there he is! That’s what six storeys is! Imagine that next to a bungalow where there’s been nothing before — that’s deplorable.”
Holyday has also again brought his framed photo of Doug Ford giving Mayor Chow a giant novelty cheque for hitting the 2023 housing target. He decries what he calls a panicked “housing, housing, housing” approach, saying it is not necessary.
Holyday has three motions:
1) Defer the item to December
2) Delete recommendations, replace with new model where public can give input on every development application
3) Delete eligibility of “through-lots” that have frontage on major and local streets.
Because Holyday moved deferral, all other debate stops and Council debates the deferral. Speaking on the matter, Perks calls deferral “cowardly.” Holyday gets MAD. Nunziata asks Perks to apologize. Perks eventually says, sure, okay, and says he doesn’t think Holyday is a coward.
Holyday’s motion to defer the housing-on-major-streets item to December FAILS 4-20. Blaze it.
Back to the debate. Councillor Parthi Kandavel has a motion similar to the Mantas motion, requesting some community consultation with residents on Pharmacy Avenue, Brimley Road and McCowan Road. Doesn’t change the designation, but lets people give feedback.
Councillor Brad Bradford, speaking on the Expanding Housing Options in Neighbourhood program’s achievements to date and those still to come, says, “These are big, transformative swings that will forever reshape growth and housing opportunities in the city going forward.”
Councillor Gord Perks, chair of the Planning & Housing Committee, is the last speaker on the item. He urges councillors to vote against the motions by Crisanti, Ainslie, Burnside and Holyday. “We can’t do zoning bylaws where individual councillors opt out,” he says.
“Whether we want it to happen or not, people are going to move to Toronto. You do nothing by planting your throne on the beach and saying ‘I’m going to hold back the tide,’” says Perks. He says the right approach is smart planning to accommodate growth
Holyday’s motion to DELETE all the staff recommendations re: allowing townhouses and six-storey buildings on major streets and instead start over with a new model FAILS 3-21.
Chow’s motion to adopt the new staff recommendation to allow up to 60 units in the six-storey buildings permitted on major streets CARRIES 23-1.
Lyle Solla-Yates@GraphicMatt he should have sung, that was his only chance
@GraphicMatt I've found processes like this helpful in surfacing other problems that aren't being addressed like speeding or lack of sidewalks
@GraphicMatt No coward would sing right now
@GraphicMatt I hope he sings
@GraphicMatt Important to interrogate what is meant by "neighborhood character" https://www.tpt.org/post/discussions-neighborhood-character-reinforce-structural-racism/