Here at Toronto City Council for the budget meeting!
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Oh wow, we're done with questions, now to speeches. Mayor Chow is up first, with a Relatable™ anecdote about the price of groceries. Blah blah affordability.
In front of me, a guy from TPS seems to be having Copilot explain tax laws to him. (There are bulleted lists and emoji in headings.) What could possibly go wrong?
Chow says this budget is about "supporting small businesses…young couples…Mom not having to worry about the kids going hungry at school."
Holyday: "Would you agree this budget seems to draw on reserves more than we have in the past?"
Chow replies that the City has, through "prudent fiscal management", been putting aside money over the past few years, and that is why they can afford to draw on reserves.
Holyday, sounding legitimately concerned (he isn't): What about when they're all drawn down?
An actual good quip from Holyday: "So we're going to be running on fumes, from the gas tax."
Bradford: "Will you commit, if you are re-elected, to [limit the property tax increase in] next year's budget to the rate of inflation?"
Chow somewhat obliquely turns to how much the City still has in its reserves and is contributing, and that now is the time to blah blah blah.
Bradford asks again. Chow gleefully points out that within the last two years Bradford moved to take out $72 million from reserves.
Bradford argues that his reasons were valid, but Chow is "trying to buy Torontonians' votes."
Chow points out that Bradford's support for drawing $42 million was to lower property tax rates by 1%.
We have another class! Grades 5 and 6 from the Africentric Alternative School in Downsview. They are getting a much more interesting show.
Nunziata accidentally refers to Burnside as Bradford. To be fair, they are both tall bald white guys in dark blue suits. Bradford's head is shinier.
Burnside argues that adding snow removal could add a "3% tax increase" and if so, would Chow consider it. They get a bit into the weeds—well, snowbanks. Chow says the $130 million estimate is just one model and, for example, there's a cheaper $24 million option.
Nunziata: "And hopefully, we'll never get snow again."
Me, gazing into the future where Toronto's climate is more like Washington, DC's, with all the complications and implied knock-on effects that come with: "Uhhhhhhhhh…"
In response to longtime Toronto Public Library Board member Cllr Ainslie, Chow does a little victory-lap about the success of increased library hours.
Ainslie asks about the federal government coming to the table. Chow says she gave Carney an envelope for Chinese New Year saying that they should build affordable housing fast, because horses are fast, because it's the Year of the Horse. She hopes that "big decisions" are soon to come and that they'll be able to take advantage of the full construction season.
Cllr Cheng's line of questioning seems to imply she is against defunding student nutrition programs.
The Lowest Bar in the World.jpg
"New Deal 2.0" has real "presentation_FINAL_FINAL (2).docx" vibes
The quorum call chimes will continue until morale improves we have fucking quorum, only half an hour to lunch, let's focus people. I think Bradford might be doing an election-y media scrum but unfortunately I am seated in the wrong place to see what's going on up there.
Edit: maybe it's the Africentric Alternative School students getting a tour of the clamshell?
This "barely-at-inflation tax increase from progressive mayor" thing has decalibrated my political compass, I expect some councillors to be criticizing the budget when they're not really.
I admit it is a bit of a disappointment to not be able to see how Cllr Perks (a reliable supporter of the mayor) would justify the low increase.
Cllr Carroll, the budget chief, has some big motions dispensing the various discretionary funds allowed for in the budget. Just scroll down to the bottom here. Omg are we going to wrap this up before lunch?
Carroll is very insistent that the police budget increase is "nothing!" but the (pre-planned) hiring increase and collective bargaining agreement. I mean on one hand, okay sure, but on the other hand, the police budget has always been virtually all labour costs.
Holyday has a motion (once again, scroll down to the bottom) to reduce the TTC reserve draw by increasing TTC fares 10% for adults and, essentially, cancel the fare capping and "kids under 12 ride for free" policies.
Holyday says the 2% tax on the wealthiest homeowners is "taking money from people who earned it and distributing it to others."
Okay, we're recessing till 2:00. Back then!
OH WAIT there's an anti-poverty rally outside City Hall
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