Council speeds on the Gardiner, sails on electric ferries and weathers the storm
The Week at Toronto City Hall for July 29 through August 2, plus a complete recap of the July 2024 Council meeting
Hey there! Another Council meeting is in the history books. Rather than wait until Monday, I thought I’d bring you a special bonus edition of City Hall Watcher to cover the proceedings. Here’s a quick look at the big decisions made on issues like speeding up the very slow Gardiner, saving (or at least trying to save) the Science Centre, getting on board with some new island ferries, and more - Matt Elliott
What Council Did: A summertime meeting to talk highways, ferries and science
Toronto Council met this week! It was their final regular meeting before the summer recess, so there was lots to pack in. Here are some highlights for the two-day session that wrapped yesterday at about 8:30 p.m.
The Quotable Council
“The procurement was in October 2022—you were there. While you were busy collecting emails for your campaign, maybe? I’ve been working very hard right now to get a deal to rebuild the Gardiner faster. You know, these deals don’t just fall out of coconut trees.” — Mayor Olivia Chow, responding to Councillor Brad Bradford’s criticism of the contract signed to repair part of the Gardiner.
“It’s not a money problem. It’s a stupidity problem. Because the tracks don’t line up so they can’t get the trains running.” — Councillor Mike Colle, on the Eglinton LRT.
“We decided that what we would do is keep a large section of the Gardiner up and do this rehabilitation work. And what was the argument? What was the convincing argument that was brought to Council that persuaded us that we were on the right path with the Gardiner? It was, ‘You would save time on people’s commutes.’ How’s that working out for you? Does everyone feel like we’re saving time on our commutes? No, absolutely not. The lesson here is that roads create traffic. Highways create congestion.” — Councillor Gord Perks, on Council’s 2015 decision to maintain the full Gardiner and rebuild it. (He voted against it.)
“Councillor Perks said ‘roads create traffic,’ no — actually councillors create traffic.” — Councillor Stephen Holyday, responding to Perks’ comments on the Gardiner.
“It was a significant error of judgement on the part of my staff not to advise me that indeed these emails were used inappropriately and not to explain the details relating to the inappropriate use.” — Councillor Frances Nunziata, on the Integrity Commissioner’s report recommending a reprimand for her use of constituent emails in her 2022 re-election campaign.
“I’m going to start voting ‘no’ to a lot of things. I am going to start to be a Debbie Downer.” – Councillor Shelley Carroll, the budget chief, on her push to prevent councillors from adding more spending to this year’s budget.
“Welcome to Tayloronto. And it’s been a Long Time Coming. And we are Ready For It. As we know All Too Well, Taylor Swift is coming to Toronto for a Fortnite for the Eras Tour…” — Councillor Jennifer McKelvie, prior to passing a motion designating a route between Nathan Phillips Square and the SkyDome as “Taylor Swift Way” during Swift’s November run of shows.
“I looked at your chart. Once again, Scarborough got less than everybody — but in this case, we’ll take it.” — Councillor Paul Ainslie, reflecting on a map showing which areas of the city got the most rain during the July 16 storm.
Speeding on the Gardiner
EX16.1 - Council voted 19-5 in favour of the recommendations from a supplementary report laying out a plan to accelerate work on fixing the section of the Gardiner between Dufferin Street and Strachan Avenue.
Previously, the expected finish date for the project was April 23, 2027, which factored in a break to allow for all lanes to be open during the World Cup in 2026. The new plan is to finish on April 15, 2026. That’s a year ahead of schedule.
I repeat: a year ahead of schedule. How are they going to do that? Magic? Witchcraft? Time dilation? The report points to none of these. Instead, the speed-up is achieved by:
Adding more worker crews
Bringing in more equipment to allow for faster demolition
Adding more lighting to enable more nighttime work
Bringing in heaters, snow & ice clearing machines and other equipment to allow for more work in the winter months
Buying more prefabricated components
Of course, all this comes at a cost, and the cost is… unknown to us. The full accounting of this speed-up work is locked behind a confidential attachment and can’t be revealed because the City is still negotiating with the vendor, Parsons, on this new plan.
We do know that the provincial government, right before this Council meeting, announced up to $73 million to help with this acceleration plan, so that gives us a pretty good idea of the ballpark range.
Still, none of this is guaranteed. The faster work is “contingent on many factors, including weather, constraints, resources, and approvals,” the report says. The City will make a determination on August 15, 2025, about whether the project is on track to reach the moved-up end date. If it’s not, they’ll revert to the old plan — halting construction for the World Cup and finishing in 2027 — and the contractor won’t receive negotiated financial incentives.
The sped-up plan was approved 23-1, with only Councillor Dianne Saxe opposed. (Councillor Shelley Carroll was marked absent.)
During the debate, Councillor Brad Bradford criticized Mayor Olivia Chow for “mismanagement” of the Gardiner contract, arguing that the contract should never have been issued in October 2023 without a greater emphasis on 24/7 work.
Chow responded by pointing out the RFP was issued in October 2022 — long before she took office.
Science Centre experiments
EX16.5 - Council voted 19-3 in favour of a request to create a working group with the provincial government, the Toronto & Region Conservation Authority and the Toronto Zoo to talk about the future of the Ontario Science Centre. Councillor Stephen Holyday, Councillor James Pasternak and Councillor Michael Thompson were opposed.
The group — should the provincial government agree to it — will talk specifically about any provincial obligations under the land lease the province signed with the City and the TRCA to maintain the building and operate the Centre. They’ll also talk about “opportunities and commitments for the Province of Ontario to work in partnership with the City of Toronto and the local community on the future of the Ontario Science Centre.”
The Zoo was roped in via a motion from Councillor Paul Ainslie, who argued the Zoo has lots of experience managing sciency attractions — and also has seen recent attendance and revenue increases, and is generally on much stronger financial footing than the Science Centre.
Councillor Lily Cheng contributed two motions that proved somewhat controversial. The first, which passed on a narrow 12-10 vote, asks the provincial government to accept donations to fix the Science Centre. Some councillors warned that this could offer “false hope” and that there was no guarantee the province would direct those funds to building maintenance.
Cheng’s second motion, which passed 17-5, called for the province to keep the Science Centre open and work with the City on an “interim or long-term transition plan.” Aspirational.
Integrity issues
CC20.7, CC20.8 - Council voted 14-0 to reprimand Councillor Frances Nunziata after Integrity Commissioner Jonathan Batty found her campaign in 2022 made use of her constituent contact database, contrary to the Code of Conduct.
It is hard to quantify how much this kind of thing matters in an election campaign, but given that Nunziata won her election over Chiara Padovani by just 94 votes, it seems fair to say that everything mattered.
Just a few dozen people receiving a campaign communication from Nunziata that they would not have received otherwise — because they never signed up to receive campaign communications — could have easily tipped the scales.
Still, Council seemed reluctant to do much with this. The matter was relegated to a small window of time right before Council was set to break for dinner.
Following a brief speech from Nunziata in which she expressed her “deep and sincere regret” over what she called a “significant error of judgement on the part of my staff,” Councillor Michael Thompson moved to “receive the item for information” — which, if it passed, would have spared Nunziata a reprimand.
That seemed a bridge too far for some councillors, and so the matter was held over until after the dinner break. When Council returned, Thomson quickly withdrew his motion, and the reprimand vote was rushed to take place as soon as a quorum was present. That meant the reprimand was issued on a 14-0 vote, with 11 councillors marked absent. It’s a very unusual result.
A reprimand has no immediate punitive implications. It’s merely a mark on Nunziata’s record. If she is found to violate the Code of Conduct again, the previous reprimand could be a factor in recommending a harsher penalty, like a suspension of pay.
AND ALSO: Councillor Brad Bradford also received a reprimand after the Integrity Commish found his mayoral campaign used emails from his constituent database. He apologized for the mistake. The vote to issue the reprimand against Bradford was 22-0.
Island hopping
GG14.8 - Council voted 20-2 to authorize staff to enter into an agreement with Damen Shipbuilding to purchase two electric ferries at a cost of about $92 million. Councillor Stephen Holyday and Councillor Jon Burnside were opposed.
By adopting a report on the 2024 capital budget variance, they also approved allocating funds toward the $42 million needed for dockside infrastructure to support the new electric vessels — chargers and the like.
It’s an expensive project — way beyond initial estimates. And there are some concerns about operations, with Councillor Paula Fletcher pointing to recent challenges experienced in Kingston operating electric ferries from the same shipbuilder.
To address those concerns, Fletcher passed a motion calling for a “comprehensive work plan” for installing the infrastructure needed to support the electric fleet at the Jack Layton Ferry Terminal.
Recognizing that it’ll be a long wait until the first new boat arrives in the fall of 2026 — assuming no delays — Mayor Olivia Chow also passed a motion calling for parks staff to look at any opportunities to rent temporary boats that could get people to the island.
She also called on parks staff to consider options to entertain those waiting in line at the ferry terminal.
“In the meantime, I urge our parks staff to bring more food trucks, some entertainment — maybe clowns, whatever it might be, buskers — to entertain some of those folks who are unfortunately lining up to get over to the island,” she said.
It’s going to be a ‘no’ from me on the clowns, mayor.
If Council is willing and the creek don’t rise
MM20.24 - Following the wild storm on July 16, Council unanimously approved Mayor Olivia Chow’s request for a report on any and all options — past, present and future — for mitigating the effects of stormwater. The report is due in Q4.
A portion of Chow’s motion that would have folded stormwater mitigation into ongoing consultations about a commercial parking levy was replaced by a motion from Councillor Dianne Saxe.
On a 22-3 vote, with Councillor Brad Bradford, Councillor Mike Colle and Councillor Stephen Holyday opposed, Council instead endorsed tying consultations about a stormwater charge for non-residential properties to ongoing consultations about building emission standards. A report on the results of that consultation is now also due in Q4.
It will be interesting to see how work on a potential stormwater charge intersects with work on developing a commercial parking levy. Since both would represent new fees for owners of large parking lots, it seems unlikely that Council would pursue both simultaneously. That would be a very tough political challenge. But then again, the floodwater doesn’t care about politics.
Decision of Steeles
NY15.4 - Even though it passed with no debate and no recorded vote, Council’s decision to reject a development at 1875 Steeles West could stand as one of the most consequential decisions made at this meeting.
It nixes about 828 new homes — including 12 new affordable rental units — that would have been built on the site by developer Tenblock, directly imperils another 1,138 units at a neighbouring development by First Capital, and threatens the potential for future housing projects at nearby land owned by the University of Toronto and the federal government.
At issue is the proximity of the developments to a vaccine manufacturing facility operated by pharma company Sanofi Pasteur. Sanofi, via a lawyer’s letter attached to the item, has concerns about “land use compatibility” — because they’re an industrial facility that generates noise and truck traffic — and security:
The location of hundreds of new residential units with a 24/7 overlook of its sensitive facilities undermines Sanofi’s ability to ensure its ongoing and expanding vaccine research and manufacturing facilities are secure, given the strategic importance of the Sanofi Property, nationally and globally, for vaccine manufacturing and future pandemic readiness.
When this matter was debated at the July 9 meeting of the North York Community Council, Councillor James Pasternak said Premier Doug Ford’s provincial government was the ultimate roadblock to this development and others in the area.
“The province is waiting for this file. They will not let it go to appeal. All levels of government have poured tens of millions of dollars into the Sanofi site. They’re not willing to see that investment compromised. They have the tools in the planning act to act accordingly,” Pasternak said.
Sources say the province has promised Sanofi they will protect the facility from any developments within 300 metres.
None of that really explains why Council rejected the proposal, however. The City’s planning department had recommended approval. The development, and others in the area, fit with the City’s general strategy of allowing and building more housing. If the province wants to block it, why not let them do the blocking?
Agenda item grab bag
PH14.14 - Councillor James Pasternak’s push to get the province to issue an MZO to allow for residential uses in an area zoned for employment at 4646 Dufferin was defeated, 7-15. Pasternak praised the proposal that would have seen homes geared toward seniors co-located in an area with medical offices. In a letter, the Toronto & York Region Labour Council opposed the move, arguing that employment lands must be protected. They also cited a connection between this project and the owner of Fiera Foods, and called out the company for a “bad reputation for skirting health and safety laws for its employees.”
CC20.10 - A report about efforts to speed up Council’s Housing Plan was warmly received by everybody except Councillor Stephen Holyday. It was approved 22-1.
IE15.10 - In a surprise, to be sure — but a welcome one — Council opted to skip debating rats. A motion brought forward by Councillor Alejandra Bravo and Councillor Amber Morley calling for a report in Q3 2025 on a rat reduction plan was adopted on consent.
MM20.34 - Following a recent tragedy at the intersection where a driver killed a pedestrian and a baby, Councillor Chris Moise passed a motion via show of hands authorizing the installation of a traffic signal at Queen East & Sackville Street. The crossing is currently served by a push-button pedestrian crossover. Moise’s motion also calls for a review of converting other pedestrian crossovers in the ward to traffic signals.
TE15.59 - If you’re looking for confirmation on your information about your transportation from Spadina Station, you’ll be pleased to know that Council approved the installation of a temporary southbound bus lane on Spadina Avenue. It will be in place until work on the streetcar right-of-way is completed.
A Swift debate — really
MM20.3 - Council voted 21-1 to roll out the proverbial red carpet for Taylor Swift when she comes to Toronto for a series of shows in November. Councillor Josh Matlow was the only one to register his dissent.
The motion from Councillor Jennifer McKelvie calls for a route connecting the SkyDome with Nathan Phillips Square along John Street and Queen West to be temporarily designated “Taylor Swift Way.”
The SkyDome will be temporarily designated “1 Taylor Swift Way” — though I think “13 Taylor Swift Way” would be more on brand — and the Toronto sign will be lit up red for each night of the concert.
Responding to earlier concerns about the cost of the “Taylor Swift Way” street signs, McKelvie noted that Rogers had agreed to cover the cost of producing the signs. They’ll be donated to the Daily Bread Food Bank after Swift leaves town, to be auctioned off.
Reaction on social media tells me some people found this whole thing pretty cringe, especially as McKelvie delivered a speech with approximately ten million Swift song title references and revealed a custom “Welcome to Toronto eh” t-shirt. Fair enough. But it accounted for just three minutes of the total meeting time, and it’d be incorrect to suggest that it took away from debating other, more serious issues. It’s silly, but it’s fine.
🏆 Meeting MVP: Deputy Mayor Ausma Malik, who happened to have several significant issues directly affecting her ward on the agenda, like the Spadina bus lane, the island ferries, and the Toronto Island Master Plan — and she got the results she wanted.
For my full coverage of the meeting, you can view my thread on Mastodon. Council’s next regular meeting will start on October 9, 2024. There will be a special quickie meeting on September 5 to consider any urgent matters.
Monday, July 29
✅ The Compliance Audit Committee meets at City Hall at 9:30 a.m.THE OTHER MANTAS: Auditor William Molson has submitted his findings after looking into the campaign finances of 2022 Ward 22 Council candidate Antonios Mantas. Mantas ultimately lost to incumbent Councillor Nick Mantas, in a slightly-confusing Mantas versus Mantas match-up.
Molson finds that Mantas (Antonios, not Nick), spent more than $10,000 but did not require a financial statement as is required for campaigns that spend beyond that threshold, and failed to maintain required records. But Molson says he found no financial information that suggests this Mantas — who does not live in Ward 22 — was running as a “spoiler candidate.”
The Audit Committee will need to decide what to do with this information.
Tuesday, July 30
🏢 The TCHC Board meets at City Hall at 9:30 a.m.TENANT RIGHTS: The Board will consider a draft Human Rights Policy for TCHC Tenants.
PESKY PESTS: The Board will decide whether to award contracts worth up to $19.6 million over four years for pest management services across their portfolio.
Previously, in City Hall Watcher
For paid subscribers of City Hall Watcher, this week’s issue has:
A full preview of all the items on this week’s Council meeting.
Some by-election history! A look at what the contenders in the upcoming Ward 15 by-election might need to do to win.
Next week:
The Council Scorecard returns with a summertime update — find out how often your councillor has been voting with Mayor Olivia Chow on major items.
Subscribe today for ad-free access to weekly subscriber-exclusive issues.
Wednesday, July 31
🚔 The Police Board meets at Police HQ at 9 a.m.HOW MANY COPS DOES TORONTO NEED?: The Board will get an update on the still-in-development multi-year staffing plan for the Toronto Police.
The report says four scenarios are being considered for the 2025-2029 period:
Status quo — replacement hires only
Grow the number of police officers to match population growth
Match growth “to current provincial and Toronto Police College allocations and class sizes.” This option requires more explanation
Growing the number of officers based on analysis of what’s needed to “have the greatest ability of meeting adequate and effective service delivery”
A recommended approach will come to the board in September and will inform the police budget process for 2025.
🏆 The Bid Award Panel meets via videoconference at 2 p.m.CONTRACT AWARD OF THE WEEK: up to $3.5 million to Sweet Pete’s Bike Shop for bikes, e-bikes and accessories.
Thursday, August 1
No meetings scheduled.
Friday, August 2
No meetings scheduled.
The Far-Flung Future
There will be a special meeting of Council on September 5 to consider urgent matters.
The next regular Council meeting is set to kick off on October 9.
The by-election to fill the vacancy in Ward 15 is on Monday, November 4.
Feedback? Tip? Email Matt Elliott. For advertising inquiries, email Sean Hansel.
I read each issue of City Hall Watcher. Its an effective way to stay in touch with city hall happenings.
Matt's summaries are so valuable...ex this issue with the chart specifying how much time on each agenda item. Its as if he hears the voices in my head saying..."well what about..." Its immensely helpful to have multiple perspectives about what went down. Thank you Matt for clear communications with an ever present human touch and dashes of fun sprinkled throughout. Judi W