Councillor Mike Colle has a long five-part motion. Among other things, it asks the mayor to look at whether there's any opportunity to use her 'strong mayor' powers to expedite the delivery of housing.
Councillor Gord Perks lauds this report and public developer process. He says previously the city was "frustrated and unable to move on affordable housing", but now it's moving toward being "quite possibly, itself, the biggest developer in the country."
"Government isn't slow. Government is fast and effective," says Perks. "By relying on the private market, as we did for the last 20 years, we built too much of the wrong thing and not enough of what Torontonians actually need."
"The public builder approach is an ideological one," says Bradford. He disagrees that you need to build bureaucracy to build housing. "Government never does it faster and for less money."
"It's a lot of talk but not a lot of action," he says. Sounds like a campaign slogan.
Colle's motion for a report back and more consultation on the new housing development office CARRIES 24-1.
Colle's motion to request Chow look at ways to use her strong mayor powers to expedite the delivery of affordable housing CARRIES 16-9.
And the housing development office item CARRIES 22-3.
Council votes 24-0 to APPROVE a land lease deal to bring a non-profit School of Music to the Jane-Finch neighbourhood.
https://secure.toronto.ca/council/agenda-item.do?item=2024.EX19.21Agenda Item History 2024.EX19.21
Agenda Item History 2024.EX19.21
Council is now debating the Auditor General's 2025 workplan. Councillors Fletcher and Perks aren't happy that a follow-up forensic investigation into the PayIt procurement isn't in the plan. AG says that investigation is subject to her office getting an extra $150K in the budget.
"I need to be able to convince the people that I represent that we not only spend money wisely and efficiently here, but that we spend it without corruption. And as of today, I cannot tell the people I represent that," says Perks, of the need for a deeper audit into PayIt.
Auditor General workplan is APPROVED 19-5. Forensic investigation into the PayIt deal will remain contingent on a budget enhancement.
https://secure.toronto.ca/council/agenda-item.do?item=2024.AU7.1Agenda Item History 2024.AU7.1
Agenda Item History 2024.AU7.1
Council is motoring through this agenda. They just approved the new EDGE business incentive program, a replacement for the old IMIT business incentive program, with no debate via a show-of-hands vote.
https://secure.toronto.ca/council/agenda-item.do?item=2024.PH17.1Agenda Item History 2024.PH17.1
Agenda Item History 2024.PH17.1
Up now: a report on temperature standards for rental units. The city has long required landlords to maintain an indoor temperature minimum. This report recommends commissioning analysis of the potential to also implement a maximum temp of 26 degrees.
https://secure.toronto.ca/council/agenda-item.do?item=2024.PH17.5Agenda Item History 2024.PH17.5
Agenda Item History 2024.PH17.5
"We don't accept that there should be rats in people's soup, right?" asks Councillor Matlow to the Medical Officer of Health.
Dr. de Villa says yes, no rats in soup.
Matlow is arguing that a potential maximum temp bylaw would be similar — a reasonable rule for public health
Councillor Holyday points to stats in the report showing that while only 8.2% of rental buildings provide AC, most (94%) allow tenants to install window units. He's worried a maximum temperature bylaw will just add more regulation for landlords.
This temperature debate gets put on ice. Council has to break for the evening because there's a Hannukah reception in the city hall rotunda starting at 6 p.m.
Council will return tomorrow at 9:30 a.m, with 60 items left on this agenda.
First order of business will be... a tribute to the workers and other people who helped things run smoothly when Taylor Swift was in town.
Sure, okay! See you back here then, for that.
Council is back for day two. As mentioned, they'll start today with a salute to those who helped run things during the Taylor Swift shows. After that, they're scheduled to tackle a report on rideshare driver wages.
Today's meeting stream is here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CJuQwh_5LlM
City Council - December 18, 2024
Mayor Olivia Chow says she visited the city "event command centre" for the Taylor Swift shows on the last night. "I was there, I witnessed it, and I thought, 'wow!'" She adds that Taylor's tour coordinator was very impressed with Toronto's work.
Chow asks those involved in helping to run things smoothly during the Taylor Swift shows to stand for recognition. And here they are. Some of them, anyway.
Council turns its attention to rideshare driver wages. An academic study using city-provided data found that wages are less than six bucks per hour once expenses are considered, though the platforms dispute the numbers.
https://secure.toronto.ca/council/agenda-item.do?item=2024.EX19.3Agenda Item History 2024.EX19.3
Agenda Item History 2024.EX19.3
At Executive Committee, Mayor Olivia Chow added a recommendation to "initiate a communications and intergovernmental campaign focusing on raising the floor for gig workers." Councillor Brad Bradford, via questions to staff, is arguing this isn't really in the city's jurisdiction.
Councillor Gord Perks asks City Manager Paul Johnson about the various subsidy programs the city offers for low-income people.
"There's a strong correlation that says we would have fewer of these subsidy programs if people just had the right wage," says Johnson.
Councillor Holyday asks how much this gig worker wage campaign would cost. City Manager says there's a range of costs for ad campaigns.
"Have you got a drawer full of money in your office to pay for this?" Holyday asks.
"I can confirm I do not have a drawer full of money."
Councillor Jon Burnside moves for a report on what would be required to do a data analysis of taxi driver wages. Lack of digital meters has been a barrier to getting the kind of data the city needs.
Bradford says this debate about rideshare wages is about the mayor trying to save face after she tried and failed twice to impose a license cap on the number of drivers. Ads will be costly and province already has legislation on gig work. "Let's give our heads a shake," he says.
"I want to use my comments to unmask what I think is a deeper philosophical conversation. I think it's about defining what a proletariat is," says Councillor Stephen Holyday.
Huh. Well. Okay. Did anyone have "proletariat" on their Council Bingo card?
Colle: "How many here would work for six or seven bucks an hour in Toronto traffic? And the other thing is then we've got unlimited number of ebike drivers, delivering food because the people won't get out of their house to walk down the street to get something to eat!"
"Imagine the life of a driver. They drive around, and a third of the time, the car's empty. They work day in and day out. They get sick, they get no pay. They have no health benefits," says Mayor Olivia Chow.
"How can anyone in Toronto survive with six dollars an hour?"
"This is a season where we talk about hope," says Mayor Chow, adding that surely Toronto and Ontario could have similar rideshare rules to NYC. "I think it's our responsibility to do something, say something, and push for it — because we cannot turn a blind eye to injustice."
Bradford wants to ask Chow about her attempts to institute a rideshare license cap. Perks and Bravo rise on points of order to say the rideshare cap item isn't before council today.
"I just want to suggest this belongs in his media scrum he's going to do after," says Bravo.
Nunziata, the newly-appointed Vice Chair of the Planning & Housing Committee, agrees with the points of order and shuts down Bradford, the previous Vice Chair. Politics!
Time to vote. Councillor Burnside's motion for a report on what it would take to do a similar study of taxi driver wages CARRIES 21-2.
The rideshare driver wage item is APPROVED 21-2. City Manager has been asked to do a communications campaign advocating for higher gig worker wages.
After passing this amendment by Councillor Paula Fletcher calling for more density and affordable housing, Council votes via show of hands to approve report on next phase of waterfront revitalization.
https://secure.toronto.ca/council/agenda-item.do?item=2024.EX19.2Agenda Item History 2024.EX19.2
Agenda Item History 2024.EX19.2
Council dips back into their debate about indoor temperatures in rental units, and the potential for setting a new rule for a maximum temperature of 26 degrees.
https://secure.toronto.ca/council/agenda-item.do?item=2024.PH17.5Agenda Item History 2024.PH17.5
Agenda Item History 2024.PH17.5
Councillor Dianne Saxe moves to have staff report on "avoidable sources of indoor heat" in rental units like "fossil gas stoves."
"I'm alarmed that some voices in this conversation have said, 'hold on, hold on, this is going to make it more expensive for landlords!'" says Councillor Perks. He points out things like the fire code and building code also raise costs for landlords, but no one thinks twice.
Councillor Saxe's motion to report on avoidable sources of heat in rental units, like gas stoves, CARRIES 18-4.
Recommendation to report back on implementing a 26 degree maximum temperature, and to request the province amend the RTA to introduce a max temp, CARRIES 21-1.
Council votes via show of hands to adopt a motion from Councillor Dianne Saxe to look at raising some charitable funds to do environmental protection work on Toronto Islands.
https://secure.toronto.ca/council/agenda-item.do?item=2024.IE18.10Agenda Item History 2024.IE18.10
Agenda Item History 2024.IE18.10
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