New TTC chair & door-to-door mail on council agenda

City council will name a new TTC chair and debate the controversial elimination of door-to-door mail service during its regular monthly meeting on Wednesday.

In December, Canada Post announced sweeping changes to try to save money, including plans to discontinue door-to-door mail delivery across urban centres within the next five years, and replacing foot delivery with community mail boxes.

An online petition surfaced following the announcement of the changes to mail service and it garnered 120,000 signatures urging Canada Post to reconsider its decision. Canada Post had projected an annual loss of $1 billion a year by 2020 if they were to continue with the door-to-door delivery.

The motion, brought forth by Coun. Michelle Berardinetti, will have council ask the city manager to convey to the federal minister responsible for Canada Post that the federal government should direct Canada Post to keep the current system of residential door-to-door delivery in Canada. Click here for the complete motion.

Over the two-day session council is also expected to discuss the feasibility of Toronto hosting the 2025 World Expo, opening the city’s bars early for the last four days of Olympic hockey and creating a City of Toronto Day.

Click here for the complete agenda.

Click here to watch the live stream of the meeting, which starts at 9:30 a.m.

Follow CityNews and 680News reporters live tweeting at the meeting.

Early bar openings for Olympic Hockey:
Coun. Mike Layton is putting forth a motion that would see the city’s bars open at 6 a.m. between Thursday and Sunday for the last four days of Olympic hockey. The focus of the bill is to allow local cafes and restaurants to take advantage of the economic opportunities possible through hosting these celebrations. Layton noted that during the World Cup in 2010, bars opened at 10 a.m. Click here for the complete motion.

Hosting the 2025 World Expo:
City council will examine a report from the city manager and the general manager of Economic Development and Culture for information on the feasibility of Toronto hosting the 2025 World Expo. Among the topics to be examined are potential revenues, the cost of making a formal bid as well as the pros and cons of hosting the international event. Mayor Ford has openly stated that he would support the city hosting Expo — which could cost in the range of $1 billion to $3 billion. Click here for the complete motion.

Toronto Day:
Coun. Paul Ainslie is putting forth a motion to declare March 6 City of Toronto Day. The day would mark when the then Town of York was incorporated. The day would be used to celebrate the city’s accomplishments and its place in history. Click here for the complete motion.

E-bike policies and by-laws:
A proposal from the Public Works and Infrastructure Committee recommends city council change the definition of bicycle in the city’s municipal code to be more specific when referring to what constitutes an e-bike and prepare bills to make bylaws accordingly. The committee is also recommending the Ministry of Transportation review the types of vehicles being sold as power-assisted bicycles. The motion also looks age limit restrictions, and where e-scooters can be safely driven. Click here for the complete motion.

The Taxicab Industry Review:
Council will also look at the final report from the taxicab industry review which includes recommending the approval of 290 new accessible licences for on-demand wheelchair accessible taxicabs, changing minimum weekly work hours and allowing drivers to ask for payment upfront. Click here for the complete motion.

New TTC chair:
Council will also appoint a new chair of the Toronto Transportation Commission to replace Karen Stintz who announced in December she would be resigning to prepare to run for mayor. Her resignation is effective Feb. 22, 2014.

Councillors Josh Colle and Maria Augimeri both want the job, but the mayor has suggested his brother Doug would be a good choice.

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