@GraphicMatt: Back to bad landlords. Council...

Back to bad landlords. Councillor Lily Cheng moves to conduct user experience consultations with the new database once it launches, and to look at requiring landlords to inform tenants when their building has a property standards issue.

Chow is up to speak on bad landlords. She's got a looong motion that is now posted on the item. Some key recs to the prov gov:

- Higher fines
- Eliminating appeals for property standards orders
- Bring back rent control and introduce vacancy control

secure.toronto.ca/council/agenda…

"There's no escape. We will shut down slum landlords, because we are the City of Toronto — we are the government," declares Mayor Olivia Chow.

Time to vote. The part of Mayor Chow's motion calling for the province to bring back universal rent control and add vacancy control (in addition to some other changes) CARRIES 24-2.

All other amendments CARRY via show of hands. The bad landlord item CARRIES 25-1. But WAIT, Holyday says he actually meant to vote YES. This is the first time this has ever happened, he says, apologizing.

They redo the bad landlord vote for Holyday. He remembers, this time, where the YES button is. It CARRIES 26-0.

Before the next item, Councillor Gord Perks rises to pay tribute to the departing David Stonehouse, the longtime director of the waterfront secretariat. "He asked that we not do this, but in typical fashion, we're going to ignore advice from staff," jokes Perks.

Up now: the island airport. Premier Doug Ford says he intends to pass legislation that would take Toronto's spot in the tripartite agreement governing Billy Bishop Island Airport, which would clear the runway for airport expansion. secure.toronto.ca/council/agenda…

"I would suggest that the provincial government could assume responsibility for the agreement through legislation, but the federal government would not have to accept the amendment to the contract," says the city solicitor re: the tripartite agreement.

Fletcher asks how the city is supposed to deal with all the ongoing planning applications in the port lands if flight paths are going to change at the island airport.

"That is certainly something that we will want to look at," say staff. Okay then.

"Can you help me understand how the airport operations could make life less livable in this city?" wonders Holyday. Staff cite significantly increased traffic, interference with recreational uses in the harbour, the potential for "jet blast screens" on the runway, noise, etc.

Councillor Matlow has a motion on the island airport. It asks staff for advice on "potential legal options to defend the City of Toronto's interests" in waterfront lands like the airport.

"Doug Ford needs to understand that leadership is NOT cutting partners out and making announcements AT people rather than WITH people," says Matlow. He says it doesn't matter what you think about jets on the island, people should want a better process.

"We firmly say, and we demand, a seat at the table. We deserve it, and there is no table without us," says Deputy Mayor Ausma Malik.

"Everything has been put at risk, and we simply cannot take the premier's word that he somehow has the city of Toronto's interest at heart."

"If they take this land of the city, what is next — and in whose interest? What important housing projects are going to be interrupted, cancelled, or backtracked -- what is up for grabs next, without say from our residents?" asks Malik.

"The next thing you know, [Ford] will send in somebody to take the mayor out, if you know what I mean. This is not Venezuela! You just don't do whatever you want. This is Toronto. We live in a DEMOCRACY," says Councillor Paula Fletcher.

Councillor Stephen Holyday says he is "REALLY ANGRY."

"What I see is a city disintegrating and a lack of leadership on all of this!" He's mad, he says, because Metrolinx took some land on Eglington West for the LRT and no one cared, but now people are mad about the airport land.

Holday also argues that wards in Etobicoke and North York are already subject to airplane noise from Pearson, so he doesn't see why the waterfront wards should be spared from additional island airport impacts.

"If you don't understand the economic interest in having a successful international airport ... the problem is not with the policy, the problem is with YOU," concludes Holyday, suggesting councillors who oppose this should run for provincial office.

"If you're not at the table, then you're on the menu," says Councillor Brad Bradford. He argues that Chow and council failed to commit to a "long-term vision" for the airport in 2024, which led to this move for the provincial and federal govs to go forward without the city.

Mayor Chow is up. "Let us not twist truth," she says in response to Bradford. "We have a vision of the waterfront! We've said we have one. We said we will negotiate this master plan, this tripartite agreement!"

"In my mind, democracy matters," says Chow.

"We are a level of government that is one of the biggest in the country. We have a huge budget. And we have to be part of the conversation."

"On Monday, we heard that land will be expropriated. Which land? What land? Has anyone seen the plan? Has anyone seen precisely what kind of tripartite agreement is going to be acceptable? Is there a plan? If there is, it's a mystery to me," says Chow of the island airport.

"We are not shutting down that airport," says Chow, noting that the priority should actually be for Billy Bishop to get the approved runway extensions done so they can meet federal safety regulations.

Saying this is basically a done deal, Holyday asks Chow what the city's plan will be to handle increased traffic around the island airport after it's expanded. Chow says there can't be a plan yet because nobody even knows what Ford's plan is for the airport exactly.

I'm not sure where the number comes from, but Fletcher and Chow are now talking about Ford wanting to increase the number of island airport passengers from ~2 million annually today to 10 million.

At ten million annual passengers, Billy Bishop would be the fifth busiest airport in the country, surpassing Halifax (4.1 million), Winnipeg (4.4 million), Ottawa (4.9 million), and Edmonton (8.1 million)

Councillor Mike Colle moves to request the federal government conduct a safety study before agreeing on any island airport expansion. Nunziata says his motion is out of order because it's beyond what council is debating today.

Time to vote. Matlow’s motion calling for a report to the next council meeting on legal options for the city to defend its waterfront land, including the island airport land, CARRIES 21-3.

The island airport item, declaring that Toronto is opposed to any unilateral expropriation of city land by the provincial and federal government, CARRIES 22-3.

(I believe Councillor Mike Colle was recorded in the negative on those airport items because he was boycotting the vote, but need to confirm.)

Up now: looking a gift park in the mouth? The Weston Foundation wants to give Toronto $50 million to transform Queen's Park North. But resident groups are not big fans of the design concept, especially a proposed "tree walk" and washroom/cafe structure secure.toronto.ca/council/agenda…

On the Queen's Park North item, Councillor Dianne Saxe moves a long motion to give staff more time to review the design proposal, include public art, and look at the business plan for the cafe.

"One of the suggestions at the Design Review Committee, which I have to say is at least intriguing, is to put a slide down the back of the horse," notes Saxe of the Queen's Park North statue of King Edward on a horse. She says it'd be fun for kids, but doubts it'll happen.

After supportive words from Matlow and Fletcher, Saxe's motion on the Queen's Park North item CARRIES via show of hands. New report on the Weston-funded design is due in June.

Mayor Olivia Chow moves to accept $1.2 million USD prize from Bloomberg to fund the school food program. Can anyone possibly oppose this? Place your bets.

Motion to accept a $1.2 million USD Bloomberg philanthropy prize to support the school food program CARRIES 23-0. He found the "yes" button again.

Up now: an item about the next phase of Port Lands revitalization. Asked about development plans, staff say the Port Authority has agreed to an OLT settlement in relation to the approved 2024 zoning for Ookwemin Minising, but new jet proposal could affect things going forward.

Staff clarify OLT settlement with the Port Authority re: the port lands is in relation to existing airport operations. "Should there be new proposed operations which involve a different type of aircraft, then we would need to be revisiting the zoning for parts of the port lands."

(The waterfront secretariat does note that Ookwemin Minising is generally north of airport flight paths so the bigger impact of an expanded airport on port lands development would probably be with the lands further south.)

Report on the next steps on the Port Lands Flood Protection project CARRIES via show of hands. Let's take a moment to appreciate the pretty pictures. secure.toronto.ca/council/agenda…

Up now: Mayor Olivia Chow wants a pothole blitz. Staff say there have been a lot of potholes this winter, as our potholes are generally caused by the freeze/thaw cycle. secure.toronto.ca/council/agenda…

Some councillors are asking about the city's plan to test out using AI to identify potholes which has me thinking of responses like, "You're absolutely right. That wasn't a pothole. It was a sewer access hole. I was wrong to fill it with hot ash."

"I have heard a lot about nanotechnology," Councillor Lily Cheng says. She asks if staff have considered using nanotechnology in asphalt.

"I'm not sure that we've considered it, but we're always actively looking and making sure we stay up to date," says staffer.

Council runs out of time. They'll come back to the pothole blitz debate tomorrow. They will also attempt to deal with the other 110+ items still remaining on this agenda. Wish them luck. They'll need it.

See you back here in this thread at 9:30 a.m. tomorrow.

Council is getting set for the start of day two. We're anticipating a very long debate about flag protocol today, so get hyped for that.

The meeting stream for today is here. I'll keep posting until there's nothing left to post about. youtube.com/watch?v=v0CJH1…

Dealing with some quick items, Council votes to refer a forensic audit on the city's snow clearing contracts to the Infrastructure Committee. The new festival strategy is APPROVED via show of hands after an amendment from Ainslie to include digital payment options for permits.

Council has resumed its debate on potholes. Councillor Paul Ainslie wants to know why reported pothole issues are marked as resolved when staff go out and can't locate the reported pothole. Staff say improvements are coming on process to "close the loop."

Councillor Jon Burnside asks staff if it's true that state-of-good-repair funding for roads was higher under Tory than it is under Chow. The CFO says he'll need to look at the numbers, but points out much of the transportation repair budget under Tory was going to the Gardiner.

Councillor 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 construction. Chernos Lin asks for an update on council's request for trucks working on projects to have GPS & signage. Staff say Metrolinx is working on it, but there’s no indication when request will be completed secure.toronto.ca/council/agenda…

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. secure.toronto.ca/council/agenda…

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 at all. "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. secure.toronto.ca/council/agenda…

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 points out SmartTrack was premised on frequent 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.

Chow takes the lectern to talk about the AI projects: a rec 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. secure.toronto.ca/council/agenda…

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. secure.toronto.ca/council/agenda…

Councillor Morley's motion to look at easing up on the mute swan population control program CARRIES 20-4. secure.toronto.ca/council/agenda…

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. secure.toronto.ca/council/agenda…

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. secure.toronto.ca/council/agenda…

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. secure.toronto.ca/council/agenda…

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. secure.toronto.ca/council/agenda…

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.) secure.toronto.ca/council/agenda…

Council votes unanimously, 26-0, to approve installing a plaque to mark the history of the 1981 Bathhouse raids and the community response. secure.toronto.ca/council/agenda…

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. secure.toronto.ca/council/agenda…

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. secure.toronto.ca/council/agenda…

"Members, this is not the best example of government," says Holyday of the city's attempt to terminate the 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. secure.toronto.ca/council/agenda…

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. secure.toronto.ca/council/agenda…

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. secure.toronto.ca/council/agenda…

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! 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. secure.toronto.ca/council/agenda…

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. secure.toronto.ca/council/agenda…

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. secure.toronto.ca/council/agenda…

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: youtube.com/watch?v=ds4Qm6…

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. secure.toronto.ca/council/agenda…

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. secure.toronto.ca/council/agenda…

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.

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. secure.toronto.ca/council/agenda…