Tag: councilwatching

Torontoist Explains: City Council Revenue Tools

This post first appeared on Torontoist.com in February 2016. It is very out of date and is republished here for historical purposes.

Featured photo by edk7 from the Torontoist Flickr pool.

I won’t call them revenue tools. I think that’s a misnomer. We have to have more taxes or fees to offset the cost of government.
—John Campbell (Ward 4, Etobicoke Centre)

John Campbell is right. A “revenue tool” is just any way the City can bring in more money. Using “revenue tool” may circumvent that knee-jerk response people get when you say “taxes”. The difference is that John Campbell thinks taxes and fees are inherently a bad thing, and others don’t. Welcome to the plight of the Toronto Revenue Tools Debate.

Continue reading Torontoist Explains: City Council Revenue Tools

City Council Preview: February 2016

Friends, we can all agree that the municipal budget is the most exciting part of the year. But don’t get distracted—there’s a regular City Council meeting this month, too. On the agenda: Uber, fireworks, Toronto Hydro, subways, animal control, and even some good old-fashioned Rob Ford drama.

Let’s check it out, and understand the agenda better than those 15 councillors who never raise their hand in class.

Read more at Torontoist…

How City Council Procedure Works

Tuning in to City Council for the first time—or even watching in person? You may feel lost and confused. Once you understand how council procedure works, you may still feel lost and confused, but at least you’ll know what’s going on.

Read more at Torontoist…

The Cheat Sheet: Nov. 3 City Council

City council revenge caricatures, Edward James Lennox, 1899 - main entrance, Old City Hall, Toronto

Hello again, everyone! It’s so nice to be back. On this month’s agenda: the poverty reduction strategy, hookah lounges, Old City Hall, and probably the first use of “selfie” in council history.

Read more over at Torontoist…

#TOcouncil Google Calendar

As a council-watcher, I live by the City Council & committee meeting schedule. You can download the schedule, but it’s not live—you need to check the web version or follow the City Clerk on Twitter to make sure a meeting hasn’t been cancelled or rescheduled.

To make things easier for myself (and hopefully others), I’ve imported the schedule into Google Calendar and am updating it manually as necessary. You can add it to your own calendar for timely notifications!

Back to School: Sept. 8 Toronto & East York Community Council

Well, we’ve had a lovely summer full of lakeside rambles and spider photography, but it’s time to head back to City Hall as regular committee meetings start up again. Here’s a quick1 skim over Tuesday’s TEYCC agenda: Continue reading Back to School: Sept. 8 Toronto & East York Community Council

Cllr Layton’s “House of Cards” moment

https://youtu.be/4cZKaiKFvVA

Just one of those little moments that make council-watching worth it: Cllr Layton breaks the fourth wall during the 2015 budget debate. I’ve included his whole speech for context; skip to around 3m40s for the good stuff.

The Cheat Sheet: July 7 City Council

Because we’ve apparently got to re-hash every major debate we had last term, this month’s big item will be expanded gaming at Woodbine. However, there’s many other important things on City Council’s agenda for this meeting before the August break, including the Poverty Reduction Strategy, childcare funding, flood management, new bike lanes, and more.

Continue reading The Cheat Sheet: July 7 City Council