Here at Toronto City Council for the budget meeting!
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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
2 media
Side note: still crushed by the loss of Café on the Square, the unofficial City Hall canteen https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/toronto-city-hall-s-caf-shutters-after-more-than-25-years-serving-politicians-public-servants/article_d43de4dd-b3da-4e81-a1b7-5cf80525e0f6.html Particularly Norm!
Oh sick, there are samosas at the rally
Visited my happy place (the stationery section of Muji)
Back at City Council, where Speaker Nunziata threatens to pass a motion to accept the budget "as is" unless they meet quorum.
"You learn more on Budget Committee than any other committee," says Cllr Pasternak, recalling his four-year "sentence" on the committee.
Like others, he sounds a warning bell about dipping into the reserves, citing extreme flooding and COVID as events Toronto could only cope with because of deep reserves.
Pasternak now describing "hateful mobs" "harassing" people on Bathurst, people fleeing from "unstable" people on the subways, violent attacks on Jewish institutions, etc., the usual. He also mentions the uptick in reported assaults on LGBT people, which I would take more seriously if this wasn't coming from the guy who reliably tries to defund Pride if there is even a whiff of pro-Palestinian participation.
