Mayor Ford wants to outsource garbage pickup east of Yonge

Mayor Rob Ford is going to propose that council instruct city staff for a report on the pros and cons of privatizing garbage pickup east of Yonge.

“I want this back as soon as possible,” he said Monday, following the release of an annual report on the overall performance of Green For Life, which has been the contractor for garbage west of Yonge since August 2012.

The mayor said he hopes a decision would be made by the spring and, if not, then by the beginning of January 2015.

“I want to see it go east of Yonge.”

The mayor said he’d table a motion to direct the city manager and the general manager of Solid Waste Management Services to report back on the issue by January 2015 to the public works committee at Monday’s city council, the first full session since he was stripped of most of his executive powers.

But public works committee chair Denzil Minnan-Wong, who plans to introduce a similar motion, prefers that city staff report back in May or June.

Ford added that the garbage issue would become an election issue.

 

In November, council voted to strip Ford of much of his powers, slash his office budget and cut his staff amid a drug scandal and erratic behaviour. Much of Ford’s duties were transferred to deputy mayor Norm Kelly.

Speaker Frances Nunziata sent a memo to city councillors on Friday reminding them of a code of conduct in council chambers, which includes being respectful at all times, using appropriate language and participating without disrupting the proceedings.

The letter was prompted by the mayhem that broke out during the last session when Ford ran across the floor to help his brother, Coun. Doug Ford, deal with a skirmish and almost knocked over Coun. Pam McConnell in the process.

“I spoke to them personally and told them that it was unacceptable,” Nunziata told CityNews. “They were very, very apologetic.”

There are 184 items council needs to get through this week before it breaks for the holidays. Click here to read the full agenda. Click here to view the meeting.

Water rate hike

Council was debating Monday whether to increase the water rate by eight per cent in 2015, 2016 and 2017 after the so-called 9-for-9 plan which saw a nine per cent hike each year for nine years comes to an end in 2014.

The proposal didn’t sit well with some councillors, including Coun. Mike Del Grande.

“Now we’re basically reneging on a commitment to go back to reasonable inflationary increases,” he said.

But Toronto Water general manager Lou Di Gironimo said circumstances have changed since the program was implemented in 2005.

“Basement flooding wasn’t as big a concern. Since that time we’ve added a billion dollars to the 10-year capital program to deal with basement flooding.”

Click here for the agenda item.

Scarborough subway

Coun. Matlow will try to introduce a motion to reject the 0.5 per cent property tax increase set for 2014 for the Scarborough subway extension.

In October, council voted in favour of the subway over light-rail transit.

Matlow is arguing that the city should not spend or borrow any money for the project until at least 2015. However, it is likely Speaker Frances Nunziata will rule the motion out of order.

Parking ticket grace periods

The Government Management Committee has suggested police allow a 10-minute grace period for pay-and-display parking after the time expires.

It’s also proposing a 15-minute grace period (9 p.m.-12:01 p.m.) when street parking switches from one side of the road to the other.

Transportation Services staff will also report to the committee on Feb. 24, 2014, with possible changes to parking bylaws.

Click here to read the agenda item.

Higher fees for sports fields

Councillors will decide whether to authorize higher permit fees for sports fields. If so, the city would charge between $2 and $6 an hour, depending on the field, and the Parks and Environment Committee has recommended giving certain non-profit groups a five-per-cent discount.

Council will also review a report from Parks, Forestry and Recreation about how it has improved conditions on the fields.

Click here to read the agenda item.

Boosting the city’s music scene

Staff members are urging the city to set up an advisory council to start the discussion around boosting Toronto’s music scene.

The report by Economic Development and Culture also recommends an Austin-Toronto Music City Alliance Advisory Committee to cement the partnership signed during a trade mission to the U.S. city in October.

Click here to read the agenda item.

Mr. Christie’s bakery site

The Economic Development Committee recommends that council endorse the site of the bakery  — located at Lake Shore Boulevard and Park Lawn Road —  to be used to develop employment opportunities.

On Nov. 1, 2012, Mondelez Canada announced it’d close the bakery in the third quarter of 2013.

At its meeting later that month, council directed city staff to work with labour groups, post-secondary institutions and other stakeholders to explore options for Mr. Christie’s site, including the potential housing of food industry tenants.

Click here to read the agenda item.

Reducing traffic congestion

Council will debate the merits of Transportation Services’ five-year, $56-million plan to reduce traffic congestion in Toronto.

It includes signal lights which adapt to traffic flow, providing better information to drivers and improving the city’s traffic operations centre and how it communicates with emergency services, the TTC and GO Transit.

Click here to read the agenda item.

Connecting Yonge and waterfront

The Waterfront Culture and Heritage Infrastructure Plan approved by council in 2001 aims to create a zone connecting the remote lakefront to the downtown core using cultural, natural and heritage landmarks.

Its architects say a distinct area would draw investment and tourists, protect the waterfront’s resources and provide a context for planning.

The zone is built around a grid of seven corridors, including two shorelines (one where the water used to stop before the city built out into the lake), Garrison Creek, the Don River and Yonge, Jarvis and John streets.

The Economic Development Committee is recommending that the Yonge Street Cultural Corridor — which currently stretches north to Dundas Street —  extend up to Davenport Road so it can encompass new and renovated sites like The Carlu, Maple Leaf Gardens and the Toronto Reference Library.

Click here to read the agenda item.

Renewal of Toronto Arts Council agreement

The Economic Development Committee is seeking that council renew its agreement with the Toronto Arts Council from Jan. 1, 2014 to Dec. 31, 2018.

The Toronto Arts Council administers arts and culture funding on behalf of the City of Toronto.

The city entered into a formal agreement with the Toronto Cultural Advisory Corporation operating as the Toronto Arts Council (TAC) in 2002.

The current agreement is set to expire on Dec. 31, 2013.

Click here to read the agenda item.

Union Station overhaul costs

Council will talk about how to account for an $80-million increase in the cost of the $1.5-billion Union Station revitalization.

City staff has recommended taking on more debt and drawing from a reserve fund, but says the funds could also come from Transport Canada and Metrolinx or from development fees.

Councillors will also get a progress report on construction, which is on schedule in the fourth year of a six-year project.

Click here to read the agenda item.

Free programs at priority centres

Staff is urging for council to designate 16 existing community centres where residents can receive programs for free as “community centres” and not as “priority centres” —  as was initially suggested in the 2013-2017 Recreation Service Plan.

The Community Development and Recreation Committee also requests that council continue its free programing at existing priority centres in Toronto Community Housing revitalization areas and defer the designation until after two census cycles, or around 10 years.

Click here to read the agenda item.

Human trafficking

The executive committee recommends that the city train front-line and management staff at the Municipal Licensing and Standards to recognize cases of human trafficking and how to report them.

The committee also wants the executive director of Social Development, Finance and Administration to oversee the Human Trafficking Working Group and report on its initiatives to the city by 2015.

Click here to read the agenda item.

Toronto Parking Authority capital budget

The executive committee wants council to approve the 2014 recommended capital and operating budgets for the Toronto Parking Authority.

The TPA’s capital budget has a project cost of $49.6 million and a cash flow of $57 million for 2014. Its operating budget is $76.1 million gross ($62.3 million net).

Also up for discussion at council is the TPA’s 2015-2023 recommended capital plan, with project estimates of around $346 million.

Click here to read the agenda item.

With reports from Charlene Close and John Stall, 680News staff

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