Anyway, re: FIFA, the problem is that the province was like "we'll give you $97 million" but is now like, "oh, not all in, like, cash form. Like, we fund Metrolinx, which is going to help with FIFA, right?" Which is a problem now that (surprise surprise) hosting the matches is going to be more expensive than originally estimated.

News story: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/fifa-toronto-ontario-costs-city-council-1.7539782

Sounding more like a harried grade school teacher than ever, Nunziata says, "Councillor Colle wants pizza," so the mayor suggests a break from 6:30-7 for pizza.

The item passes handily. Now on to FIFA funding (https://secure.toronto.ca/council/agenda-item.do?item=2025.EX23.17). The feds and province are chipping in…but maybe not enough?

Colle is referring to "condo warehouses" (around transit stations). He thinks this is clever.

TL;DR: province takes over big money eating highway (among other things), in exchange City gives province land for province transit thing, land will be upzoned for "Transit Oriented Communities", local residents mad becaues like park i'm tired ok

Cllr Colle blames [Minister of Infrastructure] Kinga Surma.

Fletcher is like, this is old news, there's been plenty of consultations already, this thing is going ahead. "I hold those consultations. I don't expect the City/Metrolinx to hold them for me…I don't think City Council has to instruct anybody to have a consultation about something happening in their ward."

Lots of bickering ensues off-mic, which is the shit I come here in person for. You don't get this on the livestream.

Right, now back to EX23.2 (https://secure.toronto.ca/council/agenda-item.do?item=2025.EX23.2).

If the Toronto-Ontario New Deal was so great why isn't there a—

Mayor Chow: "The sooner we get done with this item the sooner we can get started on a 'New Deal Part 2'."

checks watch It's "Nunziata screeching at everyone to get back to their seats" o'clock

(and now quick releases, when councillors "release" items they initially held for debate, often with a quick recorded vote)

Quick recess so people who came for this item can leave, FUCK ALL Y'ALL I'M STAYING

Huh. It really looks like the mayor isn't going to speak on the motion?

Speaker Nunziata asks legal staff to comment on Chernos Lin's motion. Perks, like a dog hearing someone say "Walk?", leaps to his feet with a point of order: you can't have a second round of questions to staff. "I challenge you, you've been challenged."

Bradford, being a little shit, says Perks challenged the Chair because "he doesn't want Council to have that information."

Holyday says there's totally a rule allowing for it. The Clerk says the rule is only in the case of if a City official's personal reputation has been, like, besmirched.

I'm sitting here on the edge of my seat like

Des notes it's interesting to see how councillors are reacting to Matlow's motion that essentially cuts out the role of Municipal Licensing & Standards and the whole application process. Everyone hates it but for very different reasons.

For those not around back in the day, Matlow started out as cartoonishly True Neutral and has since evolved—genuinely evolved, a rarity here—into something more like Lawful Neutral. I did do up a whole City Council alignment chart once…

Matlow points out something I was wondering about earlier—the confidential advice offered by the city legal division only applies to the staff-recommended version, not all these amendments added on afterwards.

Anyway, the City is gonna get taken to court so fast its head will spin, so we'll see how it shakes out in practice eventually

I want us all to have a group hug after this

Cllr Matlow is maybe the first to allude to Jews criticizing Netanyahu.

His motion to "delete section 743-56 headed 'Establishing Access Area' in its entirety, including the requirements that Access Areas only be established on the receipt of a request meeting the listed requirements and that Access Areas only be in place for a 180-day term; and…establish Access Areas around all social Infrastructure as defined in the proposed by-law amendment" effectively automatically establishes "bubble zones" around every eligible venue.