The Cheat Sheet: December 13, 2018 City Council

Once more unto the breach, dear friends. (Well, more like twice more, because my first draft was eaten by an unruly text editor.) This is more of a recap than a preview, as I only just recovered from an awful cold.

• The list of who’s on what committees is aggressively, brutally samey. It takes any sliver of hope you had that things might be different this term and grinds it into the pavement. Minnan-Wong is Deputy Mayor, Crawford is Budget Chief, etc., etc. Like Hollywood churning out nothing but remakes, it bespeaks a haggard, out-of-touch leadership desperately trying to preserve the status quo in a time of radical change.

• The new Deputy City Manager is, we now know, head of Licensing and Standards Tracey Cook.

• The 2019 meeting schedule, including important 2019 budget meetings, is up. Here’s a Google Calendar link.

• I guess we’re going to slap a new name on an affordable housing strategy to make it look like we’re doing something.

• Pot stores.

• The King Street Pilot is extended until the end of July.

• How should Council respond to the Province’s intention to begin dismantling the TTC? They wibble and mutter fretfully.

• The third-quarter operating budget variance report is worth a read. The only real surprise (to me, anyway) is that MLTT revenue is projected to come in $100 million lower. This is a big deal because the City’s budget strategy has relied on the assumption that MLTT revenue will always increase.

• There are a bunch of items relating to LPAT hearings for various developments across the city; do see the map for locations. The map feature is really under-appreciated, I think.

• Shoppers Drug Mart is launching a pilot project giving shelter users access to free menstrual hygiene supplies.

• As pedestrian fatalities continue to mount, Council votes to accelerate its (toothless) Vision Zero plan. (Related.)

• In deference to Uber, Council scrapped many proposed regulations and requirements. Now maybe it’s looking like a good idea to bring some of them back.

• Heritage Property of the Month: a quaint Tudor Revival house that backs on to the Humber River, near the Kingsway.

• Section 37 Benefit of the Month: §37 funds will partially fund the redevelopment of Davisville Jr. Public School, including “an aquatic and community recreation facility”.

• Well-Intentioned But Ultimately Non-Binding Plea To Other Order of Government of the Month: Cllr Layton really hopes the Province will consult the City and the public about Ontario Place. You get three guesses on how this shakes out, and the first two don’t count.

Thank you for reading along. I apologize again for the lateness.