Check your inbox: it’s City Hall Watcher #376!

A GIANT Council agenda means a GIANT edition of City Hall Watcher this week, featuring notes on the island airport, City Hall’s case of Mamdani mania, a Weston park proposal, swan birth control and more.

https://toronto.cityhallwatcher.com/p/council-gets-set-to-march-into-debates

My @torontostar column: aviation is all about preparation, so it’s weird that proponents of expanding the island airport are trying to fly a plan on hype, rather than a real business case.

Lacking data and detail, this proposal just isn’t ready for takeoff. https://www.thestar.com/opinion/contributors/how-the-numbers-undermine-doug-fords-flight-of-fancy-on-billy-bishop-and-jets/article_7c511099-f25d-4158-99ff-d23aa42e9c89.html

Check your inbox: it’s City Hall Watcher #375!

City Hall dropped its weekly Bid Award Panel last year. I honour its memory by analyzing about six months worth of purchase data. Find out what City Hall's been buying — from park washrooms to bookmobiles. https://toronto.cityhallwatcher.com/p/doing-the-bidding-how-toronto-city

My @torontostar column: For 15 years, Doug Ford has had an obsession with Toronto’s waterfront, hyping up half-baked ideas. The latest? A busier airport and a mega convention centre.

But the waterfront has never needed Ford's ideas—and will be worse because of them.

https://www.thestar.com/opinion/contributors/why-doug-ford-needs-to-get-over-his-obsession-with-toronto-and-its-waterfront/article_0aaf6d5a-d406-4a53-a037-d1ddd7522aa0.html

Check your inbox: it’s City Hall Watcher #374!

John Tory’s out of the mayoral race! To mark the end of an era, I’ve got a COUNCIL SCORECARD-powered look at what’s changed since he left.

Also: notes on yacht club drama, a snow squad, and parking rates. https://toronto.cityhallwatcher.com/p/closing-the-scorebook-on-john-torys

My @torontostar column this week: there’s no science that can make sense of Doug Ford’s decision to move the Science Centre.

The new facility will cost more and deliver less — and waste a whole bunch of time that parents and kids will never get back.

https://www.thestar.com/opinion/contributors/what-doug-ford-s-ritzy-new-science-centre-is-really-costing-us-and-our-kids/article_96d6acff-9fbe-441f-a522-ee349fac7286.html

Check your inbox: it’s City Hall Watcher #373!

LOBBYIST WATCH marches in, with notes on AI-powered 311, sidewalk robots, a mayoral meeting, and more. Plus: the cops aren’t doing great at responding to FOI requests.

https://toronto.cityhallwatcher.com/p/the-winter-of-our-lobbying-content

My @torontostar column: Doug Ford’s snap decision to ban speed cameras could take $50 million and THIRTEEN YEARS for Toronto to deal with.

The premier promised there’d be immediate alternatives for road safety. The problem: those alternatives don’t really exist. https://www.thestar.com/opinion/contributors/why-it-will-take-toronto-13-years-and-more-than-50m-to-recover-from-doug/article_05e402bb-6089-4070-a7fa-a2a30dc84704.html

Check your inbox: it's City Hall Watcher #372!

The COUNCIL DEFEATABILITY INDEX returns with another attempt to use math to figure out which council members might be vulnerable to a tough challenge this fall.

Plus: fancy trees, Heated Rivalry, and more. https://toronto.cityhallwatcher.com/p/looking-ahead-to-the-heartbreak-that

Check your inbox: it’s City Hall Watcher #371!

The final budget of the term is in the books! I’ve got your complete recap, with notes on police spending, reserve funds, Chow’s opposition, and an endless quest to bring back the leaf-sucking machines.

https://toronto.cityhallwatcher.com/p/council-offers-support-for-chows