Now, voting.

  • Bradford's motion removing recommendation to re-zone the Third Street shelter (IT'S NOT EVEN HIS WARD. IT'S MORLEY'S) fails 5-20.
  • Cllr Cheng's motion adding numerous stipulations to North York shelter site (including parking and "to, as a part of the site plan process, consider locating the main entrance to the building so that it is not visible from Sheppard Avenue West") carries by show of hands.
  • Holyday's motion to revamp shelter site selection process fails 7-18.
  • Recommendations 1 & 2 (68 Sheppard West site) carry 23-2
  • Recommendation 3 (1615 Dufferin) carries 23-2
  • Recommendation 4 (Eglinton West, Caledonia) carries 23-2
  • Recommendation 5 (2535 Gerrard) carries 20-5
  • Recommendation 6 (66 Third Street) carries 21-4
  • Recommendation 7 (1220-1222 Wilson Ave) carries 19-6.
  • Recs 8 & 9 (technical things, closure of part of road for Third St. site) carry 21-4.
  • Rec 10, for more consultations (Nunziata: "This should be unanimous, because it's all we talked about today…I want a recorded vote, because that was my motion") carries unanimously.
  • And the entire item as amended carries 22-3 (Bradford, Holyday, Pasternak against).

Great! One item down, uhhh…82 items to go.

#TOcouncil #TOpoli

Now going through members' motions. Holyday is miffed that councillors are adding new motions. Look, man, how would you like it if people voted not to waive referral on your routine motion to release Section 37 fu—wait, I don't think your ward has any S37 developments, heyoooooo

(I promise this is a sick burn if you know about Toronto urban planning)

#TOcouncil #TOpoli

Now, voting.

  • Bradford's motion removing recommendation to re-zone the Third Street shelter (IT'S NOT EVEN HIS WARD. IT'S MORLEY'S) fails 5-20.
  • Cllr Cheng's motion adding numerous stipulations to North York shelter site (including parking and "to, as a part of the site plan process, consider locating the main entrance to the building so that it is not visible from Sheppard Avenue West") carries by show of hands.
  • Holyday's motion to revamp shelter site selection process fails 7-18.
  • Recommendations 1 & 2 (68 Sheppard West site) carry 23-2
  • Recommendation 3 (1615 Dufferin) carries 23-2
  • Recommendation 4 (Eglinton West, Caledonia) carries 23-2
  • Recommendation 5 (2535 Gerrard) carries 20-5
  • Recommendation 6 (66 Third Street) carries 21-4
  • Recommendation 7 (1220-1222 Wilson Ave) carries 19-6.
  • Recs 8 & 9 (technical things, closure of part of road for Third St. site) carry 21-4.
  • Rec 10, for more consultations (Nunziata: "This should be unanimous, because it's all we talked about today…I want a recorded vote, because that was my motion") carries unanimously.
  • And the entire item as amended carries 22-3 (Bradford, Holyday, Pasternak against).

Great! One item down, uhhh…82 items to go.

#TOcouncil #TOpoli

"Most people in Toronto are just a couple of paycheques away from losing your house," Cllr Perks, the last speaker, says. "…Saying a shelter brings problems to a neighbourhood is like saying a doctor makes people sick…The people who live in shelters in my ward are every bit as much my constituents as the people who live next to me."

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Cllr Bravo mentions Lorenzo Berardinetti (whom Cllr Carroll was obliquely referring to before), former city councillor and MPP, who opposed a shelter in Scarborough and years later wound up homeless. He now publicly regrets his decision, she says.

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Back to the shelter item. Cllr Carroll is bringing up the concepts of dog-whistles and poison pills (both of which some suburban councillors are employing to try to keep shelters out of their wards).

Lee Atwater famously described dog-whistles:

You start out in 1954 by saying, “N—, n—, n—.” By 1968 you can’t say “n—”—that hurts you, backfires. So you say stuff like, uh, forced busing, states’ rights, and all that stuff, and you’re getting so abstract. Now, you’re talking about cutting taxes, and all these things you’re talking about are totally economic things and a byproduct of them is, blacks get hurt worse than whites.… “We want to cut this,” is much more abstract than even the busing thing, uh, and a hell of a lot more abstract than “N—, n—.”

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Cllr Malik recounting how residents literally brought their children to consultations (which Cllr Bradford, raising concerns about "not enough consultation", was at, she notes) to "what about the children" her in person.

#TOcouncil #TOpoli

Back to the shelter item. Cllr Carroll is bringing up the concepts of dog-whistles and poison pills (both of which some suburban councillors are employing to try to keep shelters out of their wards).

Lee Atwater famously described dog-whistles:

You start out in 1954 by saying, “N—, n—, n—.” By 1968 you can’t say “n—”—that hurts you, backfires. So you say stuff like, uh, forced busing, states’ rights, and all that stuff, and you’re getting so abstract. Now, you’re talking about cutting taxes, and all these things you’re talking about are totally economic things and a byproduct of them is, blacks get hurt worse than whites.… “We want to cut this,” is much more abstract than even the busing thing, uh, and a hell of a lot more abstract than “N—, n—.”

#TOcouncil #TOpoli

We're back! City Clerk John Elvidge is getting the Association of Municipal Managers, Clerks and Treasurers of Ontario (AMCTO) Prestige Award: https://www.amcto.com/about/awards/prestige-award

#TOcouncil #TOpoli

Fondly remembering a consultation many years ago for a temporary shelter in #parkdale. Planners are often nervous because of angry backlash from residents opposed to shelters. In this case Perks warned the planner that locals were going to be like, harm reduction practices had BETTER be permitted in this shelter, can people bring pets, why so few spaces, why is it only temporary…

#TOcouncil #TOpoli

Anyway, gtg coffee and so on, hopefully back before lunch.

#TOcouncil #TOpoli

Here's a quick janky LibreOffice Calc visualization. I could improve this if I were not using LibreOffice Calc. Can do something better later if people want. Anyway, the point is: there are constantly people being turned away and there is a need for emergency shelter space.

#TOcouncil #TOpoli

Fondly remembering a consultation many years ago for a temporary shelter in #parkdale. Planners are often nervous because of angry backlash from residents opposed to shelters. In this case Perks warned the planner that locals were going to be like, harm reduction practices had BETTER be permitted in this shelter, can people bring pets, why so few spaces, why is it only temporary…

#TOcouncil #TOpoli

The shelter item: https://secure.toronto.ca/council/agenda-item.do?item=2025.PH23.3
Staff report, including links to the shelter designs, etc. (PDF): https://www.toronto.ca/legdocs/mmis/2025/ph/bgrd/backgroundfile-257007.pdf

The 6 new sites have already been approved, gone through public consultations, etc.; they just need to be re-zoned.

Creating the shelters is part of the broader HSCIS (Homelessness Services Capital Infrastructure Strategy) to replace the temporary shelter hotels opened during the first years of COVID and to add more permanent spaces to the perennially at-capacity shelter system, which turns away people every night—~100/night, now; hundreds a couple years ago.
Stats: https://www.toronto.ca/city-government/data-research-maps/research-reports/housing-and-homelessness-research-and-reports/shelter-system-requests-for-referrals/
Data set: https://open.toronto.ca/dataset/central-intake-calls/

#TOcouncil #TOpoli

Here's a quick janky LibreOffice Calc visualization. I could improve this if I were not using LibreOffice Calc. Can do something better later if people want. Anyway, the point is: there are constantly people being turned away and there is a need for emergency shelter space.

#TOcouncil #TOpoli

The shelter item: https://secure.toronto.ca/council/agenda-item.do?item=2025.PH23.3
Staff report, including links to the shelter designs, etc. (PDF): https://www.toronto.ca/legdocs/mmis/2025/ph/bgrd/backgroundfile-257007.pdf

The 6 new sites have already been approved, gone through public consultations, etc.; they just need to be re-zoned.

Creating the shelters is part of the broader HSCIS (Homelessness Services Capital Infrastructure Strategy) to replace the temporary shelter hotels opened during the first years of COVID and to add more permanent spaces to the perennially at-capacity shelter system, which turns away people every night—~100/night, now; hundreds a couple years ago.
Stats: https://www.toronto.ca/city-government/data-research-maps/research-reports/housing-and-homelessness-research-and-reports/shelter-system-requests-for-referrals/
Data set: https://open.toronto.ca/dataset/central-intake-calls/

#TOcouncil #TOpoli

Aaand we're back to City Council day 2!

I have Work so will be only intermittently watching, but follow @GraphicMatt for live updates.

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Pro tip: in TMMIS, on each meeting's page (e. g. https://secure.toronto.ca/council/#/committees/2462/25767) you can "Filter by" item statuses to quickly display, e. g., only remaining items.

#TOcouncil #TOpoli

Oh wow, they're wrapping it up for today. I thought for sure they'd agree to run later. Oh well. Till tomorrow!

"Hopefully we'll all be in a better mood tomorrow," concludes Nunziata.

Odds are not looking great.

#TOcouncil #TOpoli

Current item: "Audit of Transportation Services: Improving Utility Cut Permit and Inspection Processes". https://secure.toronto.ca/council/agenda-item.do?item=2025.AU9.7 Gripping stuff but I need to not be in a computer chair right now.

(Seriously though, often it's the driest and most boring-sounding stuff that is actually quite important, so somebody should be paying attention to this.)

#TOcouncil #TOpoli

Pro tip: in TMMIS, on each meeting's page (e. g. https://secure.toronto.ca/council/#/committees/2462/25767) you can "Filter by" item statuses to quickly display, e. g., only remaining items.

#TOcouncil #TOpoli