Matt ElliottCouncillor 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!"
"It's very unprofessional for you to be attending a meeting like that, when we can't even hear you. This is a professional atmosphere," says Nunziata to Monaco. Bradford agrees.
"We have to stop being afraid to break the mould and try something different," says Bradford of his subway safety motion.
He says council has to stop focusing exclusively on stats and listen to TTC riders and "take real steps today" to make people feel safer.
Councillor Matlow moves to amend part of Bradford's motion to reference the TTC MoU on shared responsibilities.
"When I first heard about Councillor Bradford's motion, with all due respect, I thought it was a political stunt," Matlow admits, but he's come to see it as important.
"Whether this came from Olivia Chow or Brad Bradford or anybody else who wants to run for mayor, I think we need to be together on focusing on our common priorities," says Matlow. He urges colleagues to support Bradford's motion. Peace in our time.
TTC Chair Jamaal Myers apologizes for Monaco's answers. He says he'll be talking to senior staff at the organization about being more prepared for meetings.
Councillor Nick Mantas, ready to go home, calls the question on this subway safety item. That FAILS to get the two-thirds support it needs, after a 13-9 vote. The speeches shall continue.
Holyday says he supports more cops on the subway but NOT platform edge doors. "They're so exorbitantly expensive, it's a trade-off on other really important things that need to be done on the TTC. We have to think of the highest and best use of money."
Bradford's motion to commit to begin installing platform edge doors with a pilot project starting no later than Q4 2027 CARRIES 19-4.
The rest of Bradford's subway safety motion is APPROVED 23-0. https://secure.toronto.ca/council/agenda-item.do?item=2026.MM39.50
(A win for Bradford, but was that the outcome he wanted?)
On an item now about the city’s cultural district program, Cheng has moved to add Little Iran to the cultural district list. And Bradford has moved to add Banglatown. https://secure.toronto.ca/council/agenda-item.do?item=2026.MM39.83
One. Item. Left.
It's Mayor Olivia Chow's motion to oppose any presence of ICE at the FIFA World Cup.
And wow, no one wants to give a speech. It CARRIES 21-1. You know the one. https://secure.toronto.ca/council/agenda-item.do?item=2026.MM39.60
Finally, the end. Council's March 2026 meeting is OVER.
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Deborah Preuss, pcc 🇨🇦@GraphicMatt you're a trooper, Matt. Thank you! 🙏