Toronto council agenda dominated by fallout from Doug Ford government

Thestar.com
Feb. 27, 2019
David Rider

Fallout from Premier Doug Ford’s decisions dominated Toronto city council’s February meeting.

The former Etobicoke councillor and his Ontario Progressive Conservative government have, since cutting the size of council itself last fall, proposed a barrage of legislative changes, many with potentially dramatic effects on Toronto.

Toronto council voted Tuesday against debating the merits of a city-funded ad blitz telling Torontonians why the subway upload deal is bad for them.

One is the Ford government’s determination to upload the building and maintenance of Toronto’s subway system to the Ontario government, while leaving the TTC responsible for day-to-day operations and keeping fare-box revenues.

Toronto council voted 30-6 last May to officially oppose the transfer but has since agreed on a framework to have exploratory discussions with provincial officials on how the upload would work.

Councillor Josh Matlow, a vocal critic of the plan who says Ford wants only to seize control of subway system land and valuable “air rights” to build above them, sought Tuesday to have council approve a city-funded ad blitz telling Torontonians why the upload deal is bad for them.

Messages on TTC vehicles and loudspeakers would say there is nothing stopping the Ford government from building mass transit without uploading subways, and the Ontario government contributes far less per rider to transit than do other North American governments.

But Mayor John Tory and his allies voted 14-12 to not debate the proposal. Instead, it will go to the March meeting of Tory’s executive committee when the city manager will give an update on upload discussions. Tory’s hand-picked committee could modify the ad blitz proposal before it goes back to council, or shelve it altogether.

Matlow said after the vote: “While Doug Ford and members of his government are actively pursuing a messaging campaign on why the province should upload Toronto’s subway, there has not been an effort by the city to give Torontonians access to facts, and understand the consequence of losing some of their most valuable assets, our land and air rights.

“We don’t have time to wait. The clock is ticking. The Ford government is preparing legislation now to upload subways -- these negotiations are just about them understanding how to do it well and quickly.”

Ontario Transportation Minister Jeff Yurek told the Ontario Good Roads Association on Monday his government and the city “are working to ensure that more subway lines will get built more quickly ...” according to his speech notes. “An upload of subway infrastructure to the province will get transit built faster and fulfil our campaign commitment to the building and maintenance of new and existing subways lines.”

Tory spokesperson Don Peat noted in an email that council reaffirmed in December the position that subways should stay with Toronto, but also to start exploratory talks with the Ford government. A city legal opinion obtained by the Star said the city has little chance to block an upload.

“Today, Council voted to make sure both items -- the city manager’s report and the issues raised in Councillor Matlow’s motion -- will be at the executive committee for discussion and feedback from residents,” Peat wrote.

Council also debated how to respond to proposed amendments to the growth plan for the greater Golden Horseshoe area aimed at boosting residential development, particularly around transit stations.

Council asked for a host of changes to the provincial plans, including a request to protect 95 per cent of Toronto’s “employment lands” from potential conversion to residential real estate.

Councillor Gord Perks tried and failed to convince colleagues to try to protect 100 per cent of the land earmarked for jobs, after a senior city staff member said converting Toronto employment lands to more lucrative residential zoning would net developers “billions of dollars, maybe tens of billions.”

Losing job lands means Torontonians commuting farther to work, Perks said, and neighbourhoods altered without city input. The city earns more property tax revenues per square metre from corporate land than it does from homes.

Councillor Mike Colle, a former Liberal MPP, said growth plan changes and a subway upload together amount to a major “land grab” by the Ford government to benefit developers.

The province “wants to control the land and offer the land to developers -- they said the developers will build (new) subways for free. How are they going to do it? This is another part of the plan,” he said.

Municipal Affairs and Housing Minister Steve Clark said last month the proposed changes will break down “barriers standing in the way of creating housing and attracting investment to the region.

Toronto’s drum-tight rental market has about 1 per cent vacancy, with rental costs escalating. The growth plan is mean to accommodate the growing population in the Greater Golden Horseshoe, which is expected to reach 13.5 million by 2041, an increase of four million people.

Council also voted unanimously to approve, along with the provincial and federal governments, prominent developer Steve Diamond the chair of Waterfront Toronto, the tri-government agency tasked with overseeing redevelopment of Toronto’s downtown shoreline.

The Ford government removed former Liberal provincial appointees, including former chair Helen Burstyn, from the Waterfront Toronto board in December. Tory said at the time he is open to provincial desire for change as long as it doesn’t “blow up” existing plans or sell off valuable land.

Diamond had planned to quit the board in late 2018, citing work obligations, but was convinced by Tory to stay as the agency navigates the controversial redevelopment of the so-called Quayside district with preferred development partner Sidewalk Labs, a Google sister company.

Meanwhile, Toronto council voted 24-2 to ban the purchase of made-in-Mexico General Motors vehicles for the city’s 5,500-vehicle fleet.

“The city should evaluate and change its purchasing practices with respect to Mexican-made General Motors vehicles unless General Motors maintains production in Oshawa and at its other Canadian facilities,” the motion states.

The city currently has 372 GM vehicles but none are believed to be made in Mexico.

In a statement, GM said councillors “have today directed the city to restrict specific sales which we do not make to the city in the first place.

“While this is confusing, GM Canada plans to remain focused on how our ongoing business transformation,” including 1,000 new software and engineering jobs in Oshawa and Markham.