Matt ElliottCouncillor Alejandra Bravo asks if the increasing weight of vehicles is causing more potholes on Toronto streets. Staff say that's a factor, yes.
On potholes, Councillor Neethan Shan moves for staff to investigate ways to improve the pothole reporting process. He also wants a map to track requests for potholes "larger than a shoebox."
Councillor Jamaal Myers, meanwhile, has a motion to create a road repair task force to try to get to the bottom of why Toronto roads are deteriorating so quickly.
Councillor Holyday wants a report for Q1 2027 on the road repair backlog, with options to speed up repairs.
Still stuck on potholes. Councillor Lily Cheng moves for staff to look at smart cameras on buses and other city vehicles to identify potholes. She also wants to look at new innovations in asphalt.
Time, at last, for some pothole votes. Councillor Jamaal Myers' motion to create a road repair task force to figure out why Toronto's roads deteriorate so quickly FAILS 9-13.
Councillor Lily Cheng's pothole motion to look at smart camera tech and asphalt innovation CARRIES 19-5.
All other pothole motions carry via show of hands. Mayor Olivia Chow's pothole blitz is approved 24-0.
Councillor Lily Cheng rises to object to Nunziata trying to speed councillors along during their speeches. Then she points to a group of pastors in the chamber who have been "praying for city council." But whoops, the pastors have already left.
Up now: an item about Metrolinx transit construction. Chernos Lin asks for an update on council's request for trucks working on the project to have GPS and signage. Staff say Metrolinx is working on it, but there's no indication when the request will be completed. https://secure.toronto.ca/council/agenda-item.do?item=2026.EX29.7
After some justifiable grousing about Metrolinx, council approves the construction report via a show of hands. Up now: should Toronto pay people to shovel snow after big storms, like they do in NYC? The mayor wants a program. https://secure.toronto.ca/council/agenda-item.do?item=2026.EX29.13
Councillor Crisanti asks about the staff time and resources required to develop this pay-to-shovel program. "We have absolutely no idea," says City Manager Paul Johnson. "We have no one available at this point who is able to be assigned to this."
"Why would we pay twice?" Councillor Holyday wonders, pointing out that the city already pays $145 million a year to contractors to remove snow. He likens this to "the checkers checking the checkers who check things."
Holyday urges councillors to "think carefully" about the pay-to-shovel program. "I understand the politics and wanting to signal innovation, but I really don't think this is a good use of staff's time." He says the program is "fraught with risk."
Councillor Dianne Saxe moves to make sure the city talks to the union while developing this pay-to-shovel program.
"I think this is a terrible idea," says Burnside. He laments that the city has taken on so much responsibility for sidewalk snow and says business and residents should just do it. "Newsflash: people don't want tax increases, so maybe they're going to have to start picking up a shovel themselves."
"This is nuts," says Councillor Mike Colle. "We tried this before. And I remember getting the calls, 'The guy from the city that came to shovel the snow, he just stole all my jewelry!' 'The guy stabbed my dog!'"
Time to vote on the pay-to-shovel program. Councillor Saxe's motion to make sure the union is involved in the discussions as the program is developed CARRIES 21-5.
Toronto Council APPROVES the development of a pay-to-shovel program, similar to NYC's, in time for next winter. The vote is 17-9.
Up now: should council pursue an audit of John Tory's SmartTrack project? The AG says it might be impossible given the office lacks the power to audit Metrolinx, but some councillors want to try anyway. https://secure.toronto.ca/council/agenda-item.do?item=2026.AU11.3
Councillor Fletcher asks about the secrecy surrounding the SmartTrack agreement with Metrolinx.
Staff say the agreement "defines what we are allowed to share and not share."
"It's a bit of a transit scandal. It's a bit of a transit embarrassment," says Fletcher of SmartTrack and the secrecy around the project. She also points out SmartTrack was premised on additional electrified GO Train service, but now that project has been further delayed and scaled back.
On the SmartTrack audit, Councillor Holyday moves for an investigation into who leaked confidential information about this SmartTrack report to the media. He points to a February Toronto Star story that references seeing the confidential attachment.
Councillor Myers moves to request Metrolinx provide documents about SmartTrack, that the Ontario AG conduct its own audit, and to make sure any future transit agreements include an audit provision.
On SmartTrack, Myers says, "It's really sad that we spent so much money on this program while we allowed the TTC to deteriorate to the state that it is ... think of what we could have done with $1.5 billion had we just focused that on the TTC."
"This is a real scandal," says Councillor Alejandra Bravo of SmartTrack. "Property tax dollars that should have been invested in the city of Toronto went into a fictional plan called SmartTrack, which was essentially to subsidize a provincial plan that cannot materialize."
Myers' motion to request Metrolinx provide documents for a city audit, that the provincial Auditor look into the SmartTrack project, and that the city put audit clauses into future transit agreements CARRIES 24-1.
Council approves a continued investigation into the SmartTrack project. The vote is 25-0.
And that takes Council to the matter of lunch. There are 103 items left on the agenda, though the member motion run-through after lunch will help to quickly dispense with many of them. I hope. I pray.
See you back here at 2 p.m.
Council is stirring to life. Before they get back to business, a presentation about the winners of the Mayor's AI Awards is on the schedule. Prepare for emdashes and emojis.
Mayor Chow takes the lectern to talk about the awarded AI projects: a recreation planning project, a 311 virtual assistant, an IT assistant, and a building permit precheck project.
"The work reflects what's possible when technology supports — not replaces — the people who serve our city," she says
Chow gives a shoutout to former councillor and mayoral candidate David Soknacki, who has been working with her on tech initiatives and encouraged Chow to launch the AI Awards.
It's video time. A narrated vid gives us some quick screenshots of the winning AI projects.
On to member motions. Councillor Anthony Perruzza's motion to introduce city-run grocery stores is ADDED to the agenda, 22-4. They'll debate it later. https://secure.toronto.ca/council/agenda-item.do?item=2026.MM39.27
The financial impact summary for Perruzza's city-run grocery stores item suggests council tread carefully, noting that the program would likely come with high costs that do not exist within the budget. It suggests a "robust analysis" first.
Councillor Burnside's motion to change city hall's flag policy and restrict the flying of foreign flags on "courtesy flagpoles" is added to the agenda, 22-4. They'll come back to it. https://secure.toronto.ca/council/agenda-item.do?item=2026.MM39.35
Councillor Morley's motion to look at easing up on the mute swan population control program CARRIES 20-4. https://secure.toronto.ca/council/agenda-item.do?item=2026.MM39.42
Noting that council has delegated flag raisings to the protocol office, Nunziata rules Councillor Lily Cheng's motion about raising the old "Lion and Sun" Iranian flag to be out of order. https://secure.toronto.ca/council/agenda-item.do?item=2026.MM39.43
Cheng's motion to consider getting rid of recycling receptacles in future on-street litter bins — encouraging people to carry their recyclables home instead — is added to the agenda, 22-4. https://secure.toronto.ca/council/agenda-item.do?item=2026.MM39.45
The motion to consider encouraging a "carry-in, carry-out" model for recycling and making future public bins litter-only, CARRIES 22-4.
wohali@GraphicMatt This is how you get recycling in the litter stream. Then again, Ford's just going to send it all to landfill anyway...