Matt ElliottNov 12

Toronto Council meets today! Let's experience it together.

Mayor Olivia Chow has set an item about rental protections as her first key matter, so that'll be considered first. After that: snow.

It'll stream live here. I'll note what's notable. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6qGeIPDpiSk

City Council - November 12, 2025

YouTube
Show threadMatt ElliottNov 12
For a full preview of the agenda, I've got you covered in this week's City Hall Watcher. We're also expecting debates on the watered-down version of the corner store plan, an encampment clearing deadline, and the last vestiges of John Tory's SmartTrack. https://toronto.cityhallwatcher.com/p/council-looks-to-keep-corner-stores
Council looks to keep corner stores closed

City Hall Watcher #357: Your complete Council meeting preview for November 2025, featuring debates on local retail, rental protections, snow and encampments

City Hall Watcher
Show threadMatt ElliottNov 12
Things will begin today with a tribute to the city staffers who helped out during the Blue Jays playoff run. The chamber is filling up with workers of various uniforms. No mascot sighting yet.
Show threadMatt ElliottNov 12
Before that, though, Mayor Olivia Chow takes the lectern to pay tribute to the late Nathan Gilbert, the late executive director of the Laidlaw Foundation and a longtime advocate for various causes.
Show threadMatt ElliottNov 12

And now: baseball. Chow pulls out a Blue Jays hat.

"Okay, we didn't QUITE get the outcome we wanted, but by gosh, that feeling — especially the coming back, the resilience, the unity, that sense that we are stronger together. The Blue Jays lifted up our spirits," says the mayor.

Show threadMatt ElliottNov 12
"The lesson that I learned is that it's okay if you don't win it the first time, even if you come close. When I first ran for mayor — 2014 — I didn't make it. But I'm back! Here I am! So next year, we'll be there, with the Blue Jays, next year, when they win it at all!" declares Mayor Olivia Chow.
Show threadMatt ElliottNov 12
Chow celebrates the "last-minute" work city staff did to coordinate the live World Series viewing parties at Nathan Phillips Square. It was particularly tricky because the city didn't know how many games there would be, or how long the games would last. She notes the one game that went 18 innings.
Show threadMatt ElliottNov 12
Chow congratulates the city workers in attendance and they get a nice round of applause. No mascot today. But the mayor seems VERY confident the Jays are gonna do the thing next year, for whatever that's worth.
Show threadMatt ElliottNov 12
Formally introducing the Planning & Housing items on the agenda, committee chair Councillor Gord Perks highlights a factoid: "As of today, 65% of all housing under construction in the City of Toronto is either led by the City of Toronto or has the City of Toronto as a partner."
Show threadMatt ElliottNov 12
Councillor Gord Perks wants to vote against an item awarding a contract with Coca-Cola to be the exclusive soft drink provider of Exhibition Place. The deal is APPROVED 15-7. The Cola Wars continue. https://secure.toronto.ca/council/agenda-item.do?item=2025.EX27.13
Show threadMatt Elliott
Motion to name a baseball diamond in Martingrove Gardens Park after the late Jim Horton, a longtime local baseball coach, CARRIES 22-0. https://secure.toronto.ca/council/agenda-item.do?item=2025.EY26.21
Nov 12 at 3:30pmWeb
Show threadMatt ElliottNov 12
Etobicoke's Councillor Stephen Holyday wants to vote against installing traffic signals at an intersection in Scarborough. Okay then. Motion to install signals at Clonmore Drive and Queensbury Avenue CARRIES 21-1. https://secure.toronto.ca/council/agenda-item.do?item=2025.SC26.13
Show threadMatt ElliottNov 12
After that, Council votes unanimously, 22-0, to install traffic signals at the Scarborough intersection of Birchmount Road and Rolark Drive. 🤷 https://secure.toronto.ca/council/agenda-item.do?item=2025.SC26.14
Agenda Item History 2025.SC26.14

Agenda Item History 2025.SC26.14

toronto.ca
Show threadMatt ElliottNov 12
Council votes 21-1 to APPROVE a deal with the union representing community centre workers. https://secure.toronto.ca/council/agenda-item.do?item=2025.CC34.1
Show threadMatt ElliottNov 12

Debate schedule coming together.

Today:
1. Rental protections
2. Planning for snow
3. Weston Lions Arena & MLSE Launchpad deal
4. What remains of SmartTrack

Tomorrow's first thing: neighbourhood retail and corner stores.

Show threadMatt ElliottNov 12

Up now: the province is making changes to the rules for tenants and landlords via Bill 60. The City is worried about it. Council will vote on whether to oppose.

From a new report, here's a quick summary of what's on the table from Queen's Park. https://secure.toronto.ca/council/agenda-item.do?item=2025.EX27.1

Show threadMatt ElliottNov 12
Toronto is increasingly becoming a city of renters, so these kinds of changes would have an outsized impact here versus other municipalities across the province. The mayor has also premised much of her political strategy since 2023 on winning support from renters.
Show threadMatt ElliottNov 12
Staff confirm that the city is dealing with a "dramatic reduction" in funding for the Canada-Ontario Housing Benefit, "which has been the #1 program to support shelter flow, allowing individuals experiencing homelessness to find and secure long-term affordable housing."
Show threadMatt ElliottNov 12

"So this is another provincial decision that will increase homelessness in Toronto?" asks Councillor Dianne Saxe of Bill 60 and potential further funding cuts.

"Correct," says Housing Secretariat director Doug Rollins.

Show threadMatt ElliottNov 12
Asked by Councillor Crisanti about the title of Bill 60 — the "Fighting Delays, Building Faster Act" — Housing Secretariat director Doug Rollins says, "I don't see any of the proposed amendments within the RTA or LTB provisions enabling the city to build housing faster."
Show threadMatt ElliottNov 12
Councillor Ainslie says he was recently told by a Toronto MP that city hall and the provincial government are responsible for funding costs related to refugees in the shelter system. Staff say the feds have covered 95% of those costs since 2017. "But for some reason, that has now changed."
Show threadMatt ElliottNov 12

Mayor Chow moves a trio of motions.

1. Submit city staff comments on Bill 60 to the province.
2. Request consultations on RTA changes.
3. Ask for more provincial funding for eviction prevention.

Show threadMatt ElliottNov 12
Chow says most of her staffers rent their homes. She tells the story of one staff member who got an eviction notice after living in a place for seven years. She says Bill 60 will make things even worse for people like him, cutting required notice period and making it harder to fight renovictions.
Show threadMatt ElliottNov 12
"These kinds of changes will make hard-working families less able to defend themselves against large real estate investors. And we have seen one investor taking over and now owns 54,000 units of housing across Toronto," says Chow.
Show threadMatt ElliottNov 12
"Like this Skills Development fiasco, and all these slush funds where they're giving our money — our tax dollars — away to their friends, where there's direct family and friends links to their ministers. That money should be going toward actually building housing," says Councillor Josh Matlow.
Show threadMatt ElliottNov 12
Councillor Alejandra Bravo has a motion on another part of Bill 60, opposing the provincial move to further restrict the city's ability to modify streets and find other uses for car lanes.
Show threadMatt ElliottNov 12
Councillor Holyday wants Bravo's motion ruled out of order, since this agenda item is focused on the rental protection parts of Bill 60, not the road design parts. Bravo says it's an omnibus bill with a lot of stuff in it. Nunziata says she'll get back to council with a ruling later.
Show threadMatt ElliottNov 12
Councillor Mike Colle regales us with a tale of his attempt to find a room for rent for an 83-year-old friend named Clarence. Colle says he posted on Facebook asking if anyone had a room available. "And I had 132,000 views of that post! But I still haven't gotten one room for him," he laments.
Show threadMatt ElliottNov 12
Councillor Moise, representing a ward where 70% are renters, says about eight of the ten people who come to his office are people looking for support in avoiding eviction and keeping their homes.
Show threadMatt ElliottNov 12
Councillor Saxe moves for a report in Q1 2026, determining what proportion of Toronto homelessness is because of decisions made by the provincial and federal governments.
Show threadMatt ElliottNov 12
Nunziata's ruling is ready. She says Bravo's motion is indeed out of order, as this council item is only about how Bill 60 affects tenants. Nunziata says Bravo could instead submit her motion re: road resign as an urgent member motion.
Show threadmhoyeNov 12

@GraphicMatt It's 100%.

We already know that it's 100%.

Show threadDeborah Preuss, pcc 🇨🇦Nov 13
@GraphicMatt @cargot_robbie CORRECT