Mayor Olivia Chow's Toronto

[Northern Light]

Ben Spurr has a preview of Mayor Chow's appointments:

Olivia Chow has picked her team at city hall, sources say. An inside look at which councillors are set to play key roles

Toronto’s new mayor has elevated a handful of left-leaning councillors, while still retaining a few John Tory favourites in key roles.

www.thestar.com

We have:
Malik as statutory deputy mayor
Colle, Morley, and McKelvie as fake deputy mayors
McKelvie as chair of Infrastructure and Environment
Nunziata stays on as speaker but is off the police board
Perks as chair of Planning and Housing (weird choice but OK!)
Bravo as chair of Economic and Community Development
Carroll as budget chief
Myers as chair of the TTC board
Ainslie as chair of General Government

Of the standing committee chairs and the Deputy Mayor, we have this composition.

NDP - 3
Progressive - 2
Centre/Centre- Right - 3

****

McKelvie is pro sidewalks and bike lanes, I'm ok w/her at I&E
Bravo is a good choice for a Ctte that oversees recreation and many community/social development policies.
Carroll as budget chief works.
Perks...... hmmm
Ainslie is fine, there....
Myers is an interesting choice over at TTC...... not sure what to make of that one yet, but I'll aim to be positive, certainly likely, one hopes, to be an improvement on Burnside.

Surprise to me is not seeing any role for Matlow there.

 

[Towered]

Of the standing committee chairs and the Deputy Mayor, we have this composition.

NDP - 3
Progressive - 2
Centre/Centre- Right - 3

****

McKelvie is pro sidewalks and bike lanes, I'm ok w/her at I&E
Bravo is a good choice for a Ctte that oversees recreation and many community/social development policies.
Carroll as budget chief works.
Perks...... hmmm
Ainslie is fine, there....
Myers is an interesting choice over at TTC...... not sure what to make of that one yet, but I'll aim to be positive, certainly likely, one hopes, to be an improvement on Burnside.

Surprise to me is not seeing any role for Matlow there.

And no sign of Holyday! Beautiful comeuppance.

 

[DSC]

Here is full list: https://www.toronto.ca/legdocs/mmis/2023/st/comm/communicationfile-171733.pdf

 

[turini2]

Here is full list: https://www.toronto.ca/legdocs/mmis/2023/st/comm/communicationfile-171733.pdf

https://www.toronto.ca/legdocs/mmis/2023/st/comm/communicationfile-171732.pdf

"Speaker Frances Nunziata will provide invaluable continuity in her role as speaker after 13 years of service"
Oh dear.

Northern Light:
Surprise to me is not seeing any role for Matlow there.

"Councillor Josh Matlow will also be bringing his depth of knowledge, innovative ideas and passion for this city to a service that is for many, the lifeblood of Toronto."
Phew!

Stephen Holyday is still on the TTC Board though.

 

[DSC]

https://www.toronto.ca/legdocs/mmis/2023/st/comm/communicationfile-171732.pdf

"Speaker Frances Nunziata will provide invaluable continuity in her role as speaker after 13 years of service"
Oh dear.

Though it really is time that Frances is put out to grass, as an occasional watcher of Council, I am actually quite impressed by her chairing and it is a hard job to do and one that means one needs to be there most of the time. She was VERY biased during Ford's tenure but after she got so much flak she has actually seemed far better in the last few years. Probably a good place to leave her and Council CAN over-ride her decisions.

 

[Northern Light]

Here is full list: https://www.toronto.ca/legdocs/mmis/2023/st/comm/communicationfile-171733.pdf

Fletcher on Executive..........grumble..........

Matlow on Executive, interesting, better.

***

General government is clearly one place where 'the right' have been buried, including @Towered 's favourite Councillor.

Economic and Community. Dev must have a lot of Chow's agenda, the Committee is stacked w/progressive-leaning votes.

I & E just barely leans pro-bike lane, 3.5/6 the point five is Pasternak; he likes power, should be ok.

Matlow and Myers at Planning and housing, and Bradford is now Vice-Chair. He is pro-housing, and knows the file backwards and forwards, its a reasonable choice.

Progressive Majority over at Budget.

Bradford is also returned to CreateTO; he's not being treated badly here.

Haha, Fletcher to the board of Green P; Parking for everyone!

Lets finish for now w/TTC:

This has to be punishment for Holyday. He sticks out like a sore thumb on that list.

Myers is a power-broker now.

 

[turini2]

Though it really is time that Frances is put out to grass, as an occasional watcher of Council, I am actually quite impressed by her chairing and it is a hard job to do and one that means one needs to be there most of the time. She was VERY biased during Ford's tenure but after she got so much flak she has actually seemed far better in the last few years. Probably a good place to leave her and Council CAN over-ride her decisions.

Yes, maybe it is a realisation that there's no one else competent/not overly biased to do the job. Anyone want Holyday as speaker?

 

[smably]

Yes, maybe it is a realisation that there's no one else competent/not overly biased to do the job. Anyone want Holyday as speaker?

Besides, nobody else wants it. From the (probably paywalled?) story in the Star:

Nunziata, a veteran conservative, may seem an unlikely choice for speaker under Chow. But some city hall insiders said she’s the logical choice, in part because no one else is eager to take on the job, which requires long hours in the speaker’s chair and wrangling sometimes unruly councillors.

“It’s an important role,” said Coun. Lily Cheng (Ward 8, Willowdale). “I think she’s passionate about it. And I don’t know that there’s anyone competing with her to take that position.”

A second source suggested allowing Nunziata to stay on as speaker could help heal any bad blood between the councillor and Chow’s office over the 2022 municipal election. Chow’s chief of staff, Michal Hay is former executive director of Progress Toronto, a political advocacy group that targeted Nunziata in the October 2022 election. It backed a candidate who came within 94 votes of beating her.

 

[Northern Light]

Ok everyone, since Jamaal is now a powerbroker; time for us all to butter up his friend @evandyk

I know Jamaal and like him a lot, and he is going to do a great job. I bet he will be the mayor one day.

So let's all get our wish lists ready and send them to Evan. LOL

 

[picard102]

Pasternak who whips up anti-palestinian sentiment in this ward and was a Trump supporter is in charge of the "Hate" profile. Sounds about right.

 

[W. K. Lis]

Fletcher on Executive..........grumble..........

Matlow on Executive, interesting, better.

***

General government is clearly one place where 'the right' have been buried, including @Towered 's favourite Councillor.

Economic and Community. Dev must have a lot of Chow's agenda, the Committee is stacked w/progressive-leaning votes.

I & E just barely leans pro-bike lane, 3.5/6 the point five is Pasternak; he likes power, should be ok.

Matlow and Myers at Planning and housing, and Bradford is now Vice-Chair. He is pro-housing, and knows the file backwards and forwards, its a reasonable choice.

Progressive Majority over at Budget.

Bradford is also returned to CreateTO; he's not being treated badly here.

Haha, Fletcher to the board of Green P; Parking for everyone!

Lets finish for now w/TTC:

View attachment 498996

This has to be punishment for Holyday. He sticks out like a sore thumb on that list.

Myers is a power-broker now.

Expect Holyday to say "no" for improvements on the TTC.

 

[Northern Light]

Expect Holyday to say "no" for improvements on the TTC.

Expect Holyday to be outvoted.

 

[christiesplits]

Some thoughts on the appointments:

- Perks as Housing Chair is a bit surprising. Not a terrible pick, but I sometimes find him to be aloof and insular. He’s very sharp on policy and procedure and has a good record on tenant issues.

- Deputy Mayor is a mostly ceremonial role, but it can help build your profile. I’m surprised McKelvie was given the role, given that she may have mayoral ambitions in 2026. I’m happy for Ausma Malik, who I’ve been impressed with so far.

- Myers for TTC Chair is a great pick. Scarborough has disproportionately felt the impact of TTC cuts and mismanagement, so I hope he can bring his community’s interests to the table.

Surprise to me is not seeing any role for Matlow there.

- Matlow doesn’t play with others, so I’m not surprised. Also, it’s possible he’s just on council temporarily as some have speculated he wants to run for the federal Liberals in St. Paul’s. Carolyn Bennett has stated she won’t run for re-election.

 

[Northern Light]

No surprise, Council has voted for a by-election in Scarborough South-West (what was Crawford's Ward) election date TBD:

Toronto City Council opts for by-election for Ward 20, Scarborough Southwest

News Release August 10, 2023 Today, Toronto City Council declared the Council seat in Ward 20, Scarborough Southwest vacant and opted for a by-election to fill the vacancy. The vacancy was created by the resignation of former Councillor Gary Crawford which took effect on Wednesday, July 26. The...

www.toronto.ca

 

[W. K. Lis]

No surprise, Council has voted for a by-election in Scarborough South-West (what was Crawford's Ward) election date TBD:

Toronto City Council opts for by-election for Ward 20, Scarborough Southwest

News Release August 10, 2023 Today, Toronto City Council declared the Council seat in Ward 20, Scarborough Southwest vacant and opted for a by-election to fill the vacancy. The vacancy was created by the resignation of former Councillor Gary Crawford which took effect on Wednesday, July 26. The...

www.toronto.ca

Expected. Toronto used to have annual civic elections (on January 1st) for years. We would be less than 3 years from the next general civic election.