This Week at Council: Planning and Housing 101

It’s been a couple of months since we’ve had something really juicy at a planning meeting to chew on, and boy was there ever something juicy at this planning meeting. Everyone’s favourite proposed student development was back at council again for the planning meeting, and after that, there was a council workshop that promised to be the first of many steps that will help council get their heads around the housing crisis. Continue reading “This Week at Council: Planning and Housing 101”

City Council Preview – What’s on the Agenda for the Meeting on July 25?

This is the regular meeting for July, and you know what that means… Yes, this is the last meeting of city council before summer vacation but there’s a lot of work that has to be done before the break. Remember the patio program? E-scooters? Potential bylaw reviews? All this unfinished business from Committee of the Whole returns along with one additional item about future election business. Continue reading “City Council Preview – What’s on the Agenda for the Meeting on July 25?”

LIVE BLOG: Second City Council Meeting for July 11, 2023

It’s time to talk about housing again! You can click here for the amended agenda from City Hall, and you can click here for the Politico preview. For the complete blow-by-blow of today’s council meeting, you can follow along on Twitter, or follow the tweets below. You can also watch the City’s own live-stream of the meeting here. Continue reading “LIVE BLOG: Second City Council Meeting for July 11, 2023”

LIVE BLOG: City Council Planning Meeting for July 11, 2023

A few planning matters to clear up before summer break! You can click here for the amended agenda from City Hall, and you can click here for the Politico preview. For the complete blow-by-blow of today’s council meeting, you can follow along on Twitter, or follow the tweets below. You can also watch the City’s own live-stream of the meeting here. Continue reading “LIVE BLOG: City Council Planning Meeting for July 11, 2023”

This Week at Council – Bars, Bylaws, and Bicycles

Some committees take the summer off, but Committee of the Whole is still in session, at least for July anyway. Committee this month dealt with a number of complex issues including the new version of the City’s Strategic Plan, the new version of the Seasonal Patio program, new bylaw reviews that need to be conducted, and a new bylaw for the use of e-scooters. So what final decisions were made? Let’s check out the recap… Continue reading “This Week at Council – Bars, Bylaws, and Bicycles”

City Council Preview – What’s on the Agenda for the July 19 Meetings?

In the penultimate meeting night of city council before the summer break, the horseshoe will tackle a complicated subject that’s progressively becoming more and more complicated. Development Charges is the topic of two back-to-back meetings; where they’ve been, where they are, and where they’re going next. Prepare to feel better informed about the subject! Continue reading “City Council Preview – What’s on the Agenda for the July 19 Meetings?”

City Council Preview – What’s on the Agenda for the Second July 11 Meeting?

The second Tuesday of the month is usually reserved for the planning meeting, and there’s no bigger planning matter right now than housing. So in a special meeting for this Tuesday, and as a special post-planning meeting treat, council will be holding a workshop that’s all about housing. What are the challenges? What are the opportunities? And what can council do to get more housing going in the city? Let’s take a look. Continue reading “City Council Preview – What’s on the Agenda for the Second July 11 Meeting?”

LIVE BLOG: Committee of the Whole Meeting for July 5, 2023

It may be summer, but some of us still have council meetings to chronicle, so let’s chronicle! You can click here for the amended agenda from City Hall, and you can click here for the Politico preview. For the complete blow-by-blow of today’s council meeting, you can follow along on Twitter, or follow the tweets below. You can also watch the City’s own live-stream of the meeting here. Continue reading “LIVE BLOG: Committee of the Whole Meeting for July 5, 2023”

This Week at Council: Strong Mayor Blowback

What was supposed to be a rather unexceptional week at council turned out to be very busy indeed, and it really had nothing to do with what city council was working on. Upset about the Ontario government’s decision to grant Strong Mayor powers to most heads of council in the province’s biggest cities, several delegates came out to let council know it, but it turned out even staff have problems with the implementation. Here’s the recap. Continue reading “This Week at Council: Strong Mayor Blowback”

City Council Preview – What’s on the Agenda for the July 11 Planning Meeting?

After a couple of months with nothing controversial in new applications, we’ve got something really controversial for you this month, and obviously, it’s not the new semi-detached home or the proposed garage demolition. There are two new applications, a demolition request and some changes to the delegated authority all on this agenda, the last planning meeting before summer vacation! Continue reading “City Council Preview – What’s on the Agenda for the July 11 Planning Meeting?”