Matt ElliottAfter 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.
Councillor Bradford's "safer subways" motion about adding cops in subway stations and installing platform edge doors gets added to the agenda on a voice vote. They'll come back to it. https://secure.toronto.ca/council/agenda-item.do?item=2026.MM39.50
Councillor Matlow's motion calling for the city to join the legal battle against Doug Ford's Ontario Place redevelopment CARRIES 21-5.
Councillor Dianne Saxe's motion on protecting Chinatown as a cultural district, including asking the province to introduce rent control for commercial units, CARRIES 23-2. https://secure.toronto.ca/council/agenda-item.do?item=2026.MM39.53
Deputy Mayor Malik's motion calling for a commemorative naming process for any additional future city ferries CARRIES 23-3. (The city is running a naming contest for the new island ferries they've already ordered, but the suggested names are a bit of a snooze.) https://secure.toronto.ca/council/agenda-item.do?item=2026.MM39.54
Council votes unanimously, 26-0, to approve installing a plaque to mark the history of the 1981 Bathhouse raids and the community response. https://secure.toronto.ca/council/agenda-item.do?item=2026.MM39.57
Mayor Chow's "No ICE in Toronto" motion re: the World Cup makes the agenda with a 21-4 vote. Holyday wants to know if the motion is in order. Nunziata says she'll look into it. https://secure.toronto.ca/council/agenda-item.do?item=2026.MM39.60
After a looooong member motion runthrough, there are now just 34 items left on this agenda. A glimmer of light appears on the horizon.
Councillor Gord Perks rises to praise Nunziata. "Thank you for reading aloud to us for 94 minutes. It was beautiful."
Up now: some yacht talk. City staff recommended shutting down the Humber Yacht Club over ecological concerns and complaints of bad behaviour on the water. The club is hoping council approves a reprieve that'll keep them afloat. https://secure.toronto.ca/council/agenda-item.do?item=2026.GG27.14
"Members, this is not the best example of government," says Holyday of the city's attempt to terminate the Humber yacht club lease. He casts doubt on the "social media" stories he's seen about bad behaviour from boat clubbers. He asks council to "give this club a chance" to fix any issues.
"If this is the way we're going to behave as a city, to rule with a fist and throw people out on a whim, then that's pathetic," says Holyday of the city's move to end the Humber Yacht Club lease.
Councillor Amber Morley moves to end the Humber Yacht Club lease and look at "lower-impact, publicly-accessible" uses for the site.
Morley points to a file showing the "history of non-compliance" with the Humber Yacht Club. She says the club's responses "did not demonstrate a collaborative attitude and did not take any effort to address the concerns that, as we heard from staff today, continue."
From a city report, here are some of the "compliance issues" staff noted with the Humber Yacht Club.
Councillor Amber Morley's motion to confirm the original staff recommendation to end the Humber Yacht Club lease CARRIES 19-5.
Moving to some quick items now. On an item about paid duty cops, Councillor Paula Fletcher passes a motion to provide councillors with the instruction sheets officers are given when they are tasked with standing around construction sites. https://secure.toronto.ca/council/agenda-item.do?item=2026.AU11.7
After a small tweak from local rep Councillor Gord Perks, Council APPROVES a new contract to keep the High Park "trackless train" rolling. An RFP for an electric shuttle failed, so the trackless train remains. https://secure.toronto.ca/council/agenda-item.do?item=2026.GG27.13
On an item about the ravine strategy, Councillor Paula Fletcher moves for a report on the proposed "ravine loop." Not a loop-de-loop but still pretty cool. https://secure.toronto.ca/council/agenda-item.do?item=2026.IE27.7
On the ravine strategy, Councillor Stephen Holyday moves to incorporate "Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design" principles into Toronto's ravine plans.
"Those people that live with their properties abutting ravines sometimes see the ravines as a place used by criminals to do break-ins," explains Holyday. He wants to address concerns that people use ravines as an escape route after committing crimes.
Councillor Shelley Carroll gets Holyday to amend his motion, so that crime prevention design will be CONSIDERED as part of the ravine strategy, rather than immediately implemented.
With that revision, all the ravine strategy motions CARRY via show of hands. The ravine strategy report is APPROVED 23-0.
Up now: trees! A report recommends looking at reducing the threshold at which private trees become protected and subject to removal permits. Currently, only trees with diameters of 30 cm or more are protected. This process would look at dropping it to 20 cm. https://secure.toronto.ca/council/agenda-item.do?item=2026.IE27.8
Staff say reducing the tree threshold to 20 cm would result in about 300,000 more private trees becoming protected by the bylaw. For context, the City of Toronto has 11.5 million trees in total, with about 55% of those on private property.
Councillor Pasternak says he won't support going forward with the process to reduce the threshold for protecting trees. "If this goes through, we will completely be overwhelmed at community council" with tree appeals, he says.
Councillor Dianne Saxe, on the other hand, says she'll support protecting more trees. "The most effective response to heat is trees," she says. "And trees don't grow overnight." Toronto won't achieve its tree canopy coverage goals if trees aren't allowed to grow, she says.
Councillor Stephen Holyday is also opposed to the tree strategy. He says it's "heartbreaking to see the instances where somebody can't do what it is they dream of on their own land" because of the permit requirement for removing trees.
"This particular item is perhaps the largest and most profound thing we are dealing with today," says Holyday of the tree strategy. "This touches 300,000 trees." He worries residents might respond by proactively cutting down trees to get ahead of the rule changes.
Council votes to APPROVE, in principle, reducing the protection threshold for private trees to 20 cm. Staff will first report on impacts before the change goes into effect. The vote is 18-6.
The rest of the tree strategy is APPROVED 21-3. https://secure.toronto.ca/council/agenda-item.do?item=2026.IE27.8
Mayor Olivia Chow remains STEADFAST in her position against three-day council meetings. She moves to take a 30-minute break at 6 p.m., then come back and finish this agenda. There are 27 items left.
After a minor wording tweak, Councillor Pasternak's motion calling for a report on the design of multiplexes carries via a show of hands. https://secure.toronto.ca/council/agenda-item.do?item=2026.MM39.13
Deborah Preuss, pcc 🇨🇦