Matt ElliottCouncillor 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
Council is wading into the flag policy debate. Councillor Thompson has an amendment to continue to allow the flying of not-for-profit and charitable org flags, but would still ban foreign flags as of Dec 1, 2026.
Councillor Pasternak, meanwhile, has a motion that would just eliminate the flying of any flags on the courtesy flagpoles after the current schedule of flagraisings is completed.
Councillor Nick Mantas says he's against these flag policy changes. "We're basically penalizing 160 countries that we recognize in our city for a few groups."
Councillor Thompson's motion to stop flying foreign country flags on the courtesy flagpoles at city hall and the civic centres CARRIES 20-6. Other kinds of flags will still be permitted.
Pasternak's motion to stop flying all flags is ruled redundant. With that, the amended flag policy is APPROVED 19-7.
Council is on dinner break until 6:30. There are 21 items left, including Perruzza's city-run grocery store item, Bradford's subway safety item, and Chow's no-ICE-in-Toronto item. Could be a late one.
Council returns. Councillor Morley starts us off by saying she voted incorrectly on the last item (the flag stuff) but Nunziata rejects her request for a re-vote. Exciting stuff. The new livestream is here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ds4Qm64i1D0
City Council - March 26, 2026 - Evening Session
Council starts off with a Vision Zero item. Nunziata moves for staff to look at traffic safety improvements for Humber Boulevard North. She says a 15-year-old was hit by a driver on the street this week and is in hospital, so she wants urgent change. https://secure.toronto.ca/council/agenda-item.do?item=2026.IE27.9
Councillor Moise, meanwhile, wants to install a sidewalk on a section of Sumach Street that currently doesn't have a sidewalk.
Councillor Matlow, in contrast, has a motion to NOT install a planned sidewalk on Warwick Ave.
All the Vision Zero motions CARRY via show of hands. So does the item as amended. Moving on.
Up now: an updated secondary plan for North York Centre. Councillor Lily Cheng, the local rep, has concerns about how the area could support 100,000 more people moving in over the next 30 years. https://secure.toronto.ca/council/agenda-item.do?item=2026.PH28.6
Councillor Mike Colle emerges from the shadows to complain about development and the Ontario Land Tribunal. "We have an unworkable system that basically rubber stamps development after development, and we have no way of providing any kind of community infrastructure," he says.
"21 condos there on Marlee! You can't even walk up the street, there's so much traffic! You don't have a place to even pee on Marlee Avenue. You've got no community facilities at all," complains Colle.
Councillor Cheng has motions on the North York Centre plan, including asking staff to look at visitor parking and a new recreation centre. She also wants to consult with faith leaders.
After Planning & Housing Chair Gord Perks urges colleagues to support Cheng's motion, it CARRIES via show of hands. So does the North York Centre secondary plan.
Now: the redevelopment of land at Queen East & Kingston Road in Councillor Brad Bradford's ward. He moves to REJECT the application for an 11-storey building. https://secure.toronto.ca/council/agenda-item.do?item=2026.TE29.12
After a short and very confusing debate, Councillor Bradford's motion to REJECT the Queen East & Kingston development application FAILS 5-19.
Councillor Perks' motion to APPROVE the development application for Queen East & Kingston Road in Bradford's ward CARRIES 22-3.
That was a very strange one. The developer had made some concessions to reduce the size/density of the proposal, but normally pro-housing Bradford still came out against it.
Moving on, Councillor Rachel Chernos Lin has a motion to support locally-elected school board trustees, in light of concerns that the Ford government might nix the role. Supporting the motion, Pasternak points out that about half of council are former trustees. https://secure.toronto.ca/council/agenda-item.do?item=2026.MM39.10
Mayor Chow has crunched the numbers. "There are 11 former trustees among us. About 43%." And they all seem to want to give a speech tonight about how important the role of school board trustee is.
And indeed, most of them do give speeches. In the end, council votes via show of hands to express their support for elected school board trustees.
Councillor Josh Matlow's motion to look at easing the Type G loading space requirement standards for "specialized housing" CARRIES 24-1. https://secure.toronto.ca/council/agenda-item.do?item=2026.MM39.86
Up now: Should Toronto have city-run grocery stores? Councillor Perruzza, who brought the item to council, moves to amend his motion to add some clauses about pooling food purchases. https://secure.toronto.ca/council/agenda-item.do?item=2026.MM39.27
Councillor Saxe moves for a report on ways the city can support non-profit food cooperatives like Karma Co-op. "Everyone who can should sign up for Karma Co-op. It's a great organization!" she adds.
Councillor Holyday says he won't support city-run grocery stores. "I don't think the government could possibly run this more efficiently than the private sector does," he says.
"To suggest that a government-run store is suddenly going to be better is preposterous."
Councillor Ainslie has a motion to look at alternative models for grocery delivery. He says he used to work in food distribution and has concerns about Perruzza's suggestion of four locations, pointing out that a lot of people can't travel far.
Both Morley and Bravo rise to say they'll support Perruzza's city-run grocery store motion. I'm a bit surprised no one has tried to scale it back to a report request and extend the timeline -- asking staff to come back with an implementation plan next month is aggressive.
Ah, there we go. Mayor Olivia Chow has advance circulated a motion pushing the report-back date on city-run grocery stores to Q2 2027. The report would look at both city-run grocery stores and "broader food security and affordable measures."
Chow says she recently went grocery shopping with a family that "has trouble making ends meet" and saw the mother having to deny her kids the snacks they wanted because of the high cost of food.
"Torontonians want the city to play a role to help them with the cost of living," she says.
"All I know is whenever I buy bananas, they're all rotten," says Nunziata. "You buy them and tomorrow they're rotten!"
Councillor Perruzza's motion to look at pooling food purchasing as part of the city-run grocery store pilot and prioritizing local food CARRIES 21-3.
Mayor Chow's motion to push back the report date on city-run grocery stores to 2027 and pair it with information about other potential food security and affordability measures CARRIES 20-4.
Saxe's motion for a report on ways for city hall to support food co-ops like Karma CARRIES 23-1.
Another Chow motion, calling for a report in Q2 2027 with an update on other food initiatives like the school food program CARRIES 22-2.
And the city-run grocery store item is APPROVED 21-3. With the mayor's amendments, staff will report back next year with an analysis of the potential for city-run grocery stores and also other food security and affordability measures.
Up now: Cheng has a motion calling for more parking near Willowdale Manor and a new supportive housing project. Perks has a motion pushing back the report date and asking staff to also look at public transit options that could reduce need for more parking spaces. https://secure.toronto.ca/council/agenda-item.do?item=2026.MM39.36
Cheng urges council to stick with her original motion and timeline, but council votes to APPROVE the Perks amendment, 17-8.
Up now: Councillor Bradford's "safer subways" motion. Among other things, it calls for cops in every subway station and the installation of platform edge doors. https://secure.toronto.ca/council/agenda-item.do?item=2026.MM39.50
Some confusion as TTC Chief Operating Officer Fort Monaco pops up on screen virtually to answer Bradford's questions with a very echo-y microphone.
"Who's that?" "He's wearing a Michigan shirt."
"This is BRUTAL" a visibly frustrated Bradford complains after Monaco doesn't have subway assault numbers for the years he's asking about. "It's not professional!"
Dylan Berry@GraphicMatt 💲🔜🚽
Deborah Preuss, pcc 🇨🇦@dylanberry @GraphicMatt seriously, "snacks"? How about meat? And basic staples?