April City Council Recap

This week was City Council's April meeting.

We considered urgent items in response to the latest developments in Ford's waterfront takeover.

We also discussed motorized watercraft safety, RentSafeTO improvements and more.

Ford's Waterfront Takeover

Ford's waterfront takeover was again front and centre at Council this week, as we learned on Thursday that the province intends to expropriate a third of the city-owned land at Norway Park, a precious, well-used waterfront green space, to accommodate the expansion of the Island Airport.

This, along with the legislation introduced yesterday by the provincial government to formally take the city's place in the Tripartite Agreement governing the use of the Island Airport, is the latest blow from Ford, who continues to pursue his Trump-style destruction of our waterfront and Toronto's democratically elected government.

In response, City Council adopted an urgent motion officially opposing Ford's plan, considered potential legal action and passed several motions calling on the province to fully reimburse the city should they proceed with the expropriation of Norway Park and other city-owned waterfront land.

City Council also passed a motion calling on the federal government to stop Ford's land grab. As a party to the Tripartite Agreement, Ottawa has the power to intervene fully but has unfortunately declined to do so.

In fact, Prime Minister Carney has indicated his interest in Ford's plan. However, I am calling on PM Carney and all Toronto MPs to stand up for our city and not be part of Premier Ford's Trump-like actions.

I encourage everyone who is opposed to Ford's waterfront takeover and deeply troubled by his continued attacks on local democracy to sign Mayor Chow's petition and contact their federal representative to demand that they step up to protect our waterfront and stand up for Toronto.

View the two key motions from this week here and here to learn more.

Water Safety Exclusion Zones

As summer gets closer, there are again concerns with safety in the water with motorized watercraft – jet skis – in particular coming into swimming areas and onto the shores of our beautiful Toronto Beaches.

Exclusion zones were set up last year at the end of the season.  One of the members of the Cherry Beach Windsurfing Club spoke at the Executive meeting and showed the board, which was destroyed when struck by a jet ski at full speed.

Being an experienced windsurfer, he was able to jump off at the last minute – not something a beginner might be able to do.

So, in response to community requests and in support of water safety, Council adopted my motion asking city staff to work with Ports Toronto to establish a similar exclusion zone at Cherry Beach and the Outer Harbour, which will also cover the west side of the Leslie Spit.

Learn more.

RentSafeTO Improvements

City Council also approved a series of recommended improvements to RentSafeTO, the city's property standards bylaw program for apartment buildings.

The recommended improvements, based on stakeholder feedback, are designed to enhance landlord accountability.

These include an increased threshold for the use of remedial action, which involves a city contractor undertaking work to address a bylaw violation, with the city adding the cost of this work to the property owner’s property tax bill.

New colour-coded signage is also set to be introduced in July, indicating a building's RentSafeTO score.

There will also be greater accountability for landlords moving forward. Thank you to ACORN and other tenant advocates for their efforts to secure these great improvements.

Read more.

Paddle the Don

I moved a motion at City Council in April to bring back Paddle the Don, a long-standing community event providing residents with a direct, experiential understanding of the Don River as a living urban ecosystem.

The return of Paddle the Don is possible thanks to the city’s investments in the restoration, naturalization and public accessibility improvements of the Don River and its valley lands.

Learn more.

Read more about these and other City Council items we considered this week.

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