Mayor Olivia Chow's Toronto

[Northern Light]

Coming to next week's Council meeting, a Member Motion releasing funds for beautification, and pedestrian prioritization projects on Colborne Street and Leader Lane.

https://www.toronto.ca/legdocs/mmis/2025/mm/bgrd/backgroundfile-255353.pdf

Recognition to @DSCToronto for previewing this to UT many moons ago.

 

[christiesplits]

Councillor Jennifer McKelvie is now a Liberal MP after winning in Ajax, leaving her council seat Scarborough-Rouge Park seat vacant.

It is up to council to determine if they want to appoint a councillor for the remainder of the term or hold a by-election.

According to the Star, one contender is former councillor and current TDSB Chair Neethan Shan.

This Scarborough councillor just won a seat in Mark Carney’s government. Here’s who is already jockeying for her not-yet-vacant council seat

Jennifer McKelvie, sitting councillor for Scarborough—Rouge Park, won the riding of Ajax in Monday’s federal election for Mark Carney’s Liberals.

www.thestar.com

Chow will ask council to hold a byelection for McKelvie's vacant seat.

Mayor Olivia Chow backs byelection for Scarborough-Rouge Park to ‘uphold local democracy’

Council votes this week on whether the Ward 25 seat left vacant by Jennifer McKelvie should be filled by appointment or through a byelection.

www.thestar.com

 

[Monarch Butterfly]

Chow will ask council to hold a byelection for McKelvie's vacant seat.

Mayor Olivia Chow backs byelection for Scarborough-Rouge Park to ‘uphold local democracy’

Council votes this week on whether the Ward 25 seat left vacant by Jennifer McKelvie should be filled by appointment or through a byelection.

www.thestar.com

To be eligible to register for a municipal election (or by-election, in this case), you must be:​

• 18 years of age or older;
• a Canadian citizen; and
• a resident of the municipality; or
• a non-resident who owns or rents property in the municipality; or
• the spouse of an owner or tenant of property in the municipality

You can be a resident in only one municipality or unorganized territory in a Northern Ontario district unless you are a student.​

If you or your spouse own or rent property other than your home address in Ontario, you may be eligible to vote in more than one local election.​

So a resident of a house in the 905 can vote in Scarborough-Rouge Park, if they own or rent a property (like a store) in Scarborough-Rouge Park. If I understand it correctly.

 

[Monarch Butterfly]

Toronto was just ranked among top 20 cities in the world​

From https://www.blogto.com/city/2025/05/toronto-ranked-among-top-20-cities-world/

Overall, Toronto ranked #20 in the world and was the highest-scoring Canadian city included in the index. Given that it's Canada's premier centre for business, finance, culture, and art, Toronto was positioned in the top 20 for both the Economics (19th) and Human Capital (13th) categories.

Toronto was classified as one of the "Global Leaders," which is a true global city that drives the world economy, and is a financial hub with many corporate headquarters and universities.

Other "Global Leaders" include Beijing, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Hong Kong, London, Los Angeles, Madrid, Munich, New York, Paris, San Francisco, San Jose, Seattle, Seoul, Shanghai, Singapore, Sydney, Tokyo, and Washington D.C.

These are the top 10 global cities, according to the index:

1. New York, U.S.
2. London, U.K.
3. Paris, France
4. San Jose, U.S.
5. Seattle, U.S.
6. Melbourne, Australia
7. Sydney, Australia
8. Boston, U.S.
9. Tokyo, Japan
10. San Francisco, U.S.

From https://www.oxfordeconomics.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/OEGCI2025.pdf

 

[ShonTron]

These “top city” lists are pretty much useless.

Be mindful, Walter, of spamming threads again.

 

[guavadelic]

CTV is reporting former Liberal MP and current Carney Chief of Staff Marco Mendicino is considering a run for Mayor of Toronto.

Will Mendicino run to become mayor of Toronto?​

Several sources close to Mendicino have confirmed to CTV News that he is seriously considering a bid to run for mayor of Toronto.

In his resignation statement at the time, Mendicino indicated that he had been approached by Toronto residents and community leaders who feel he “should continue to play an active leadership role in our city,” and that he welcomes hearing from more people about how to do that.

Sharan Kaur, the former deputy chief of staff to former finance minister Bill Morneau, told CTV News “there’s definitely momentum building behind Marco Mendicino” to run for mayor.

“There’s a growing sense among organizers that the next mayoral race has to be different. Last time, the vote was split, and it handed Olivia Chow the win,” Kaur said. “If there’s any hope of beating her, the field needs to consolidate early around a single, viable candidate.”

Toronto’s next general municipal election is set for October 2026.

https://www.ctvnews.ca/politics/article/mendicino-to-leave-job-as-pm-carneys-chief-of-staff/

 

[ShonTron]

CTV is reporting former Liberal MP and current Carney Chief of Staff Marco Mendicino is considering a run for Mayor of Toronto.



https://www.ctvnews.ca/politics/article/mendicino-to-leave-job-as-pm-carneys-chief-of-staff/

There's about 16 months until the next election. He won't have the name recognition right away, but he's sure to be well-financed running as a right-leaning Liberal. I can already imagine the upcoming campaign as a law-and-order, low tax, "common sense" type - the connection to Bill Morneau says it. Seeing how the bubble zone bylaw vote went yesterday, I can see at least ten sitting councillors backing him.

He'd be bad, but Chow has been a bit of a disappointment on a lot of things so far.

 

[picard102]

After the embarrassment of yesterday's bubble zone law, No thanks.

 

[evandyk]

These “top city” lists are pretty much useless.

The thing is, Toronto *is* a great city to live in.... if you secured housing 10 years ago and either own a place or have a rent-controlled one.

Today, the trade-offs in terms of urban amenities vs cost of living are no longer favourable for Toronto. The survey actually notes that, though it's not clear how they weight it (if at all) in their assessment.

Oxford economists add that Toronto residents spend more of their income on housing than residents of nearly every other city in the world.

Our "historically stable economy" doesn't mean much if all the income it's generating goes to housing costs.

 

[Admiral Beez]

The city's "action plan" on coyotes in Liberty Village seems to be the same as their "action plan" on encampments in busy parks. The plan is to not really do anything about it, hope it goes away eventually and people living there should just suck it up in the meantime.

Downtown Toronto coyote action plan approved amid ‘unprecedented’ number of incidents

Councillors have approved an action plan to respond to an 'unprecedented' number of coyote attacks in the Liberty Village and Fort York neighbourhoods.

www.ctvnews.ca

It's not that there's absolutely no merit to that course of inaction. There are tradeoffs with taking action. But they should be honest that what they're proposing is not an "action plan" but the exact opposite.

Did the city consider tranquilizing the Liberty Village coyotes? They could then be relocated to well north of the city, Algonquin ways or so.

 

[afransen]

Did the city consider tranquilizing the Liberty Village coyotes? They could then be relocated to well north of the city, Algonquin ways or so.

It doesn't really make sense to relocate coyotes.

 

[AlvinofDiaspar]

The coyotes were shot euthanized.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/toronto-coyotes-euthanized-1.7533873

Longer story from the Star with more details:

Inside the Liberty Village coyote fight: How bloody attacks and clashing views roiled a Toronto neighbourhood

For many residents in the Liberty Village neighbourhood, the city's "difficult decision" to shoot the coyotes came as a relief.

www.thestar.com

AoD

 

[generalcanada]

The coyotes were shot euthanized.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/toronto-coyotes-euthanized-1.7533873

Longer story from the Star with more details:

Inside the Liberty Village coyote fight: How bloody attacks and clashing views roiled a Toronto neighbourhood

For many residents in the Liberty Village neighbourhood, the city's "difficult decision" to shoot the coyotes came as a relief.

www.thestar.com

AoD

as someone who lived in the area. this whole thing was blown way out of proportion, mostly by this community group who wanted them just straight up gone no matter what.

very much contrasts to the safe injection sites and shelters. "I dont care the risks or the benefits i just dont like them get rid of them asap"

 

[Northern Light]

* Cross Post to Toronto Parks thread *

‘We need visionaries’: Some eye changes to Toronto’s green spaces as city and head of its beleaguered parks division part ways

The city of Toronto has parted ways with the head of its beleaguered parks division who had been on the job for less than two years.

www.thestar.com

From the above:

 

[txlseries4]

* Cross Post to Toronto Parks thread *

‘We need visionaries’: Some eye changes to Toronto’s green spaces as city and head of its beleaguered parks division part ways

The city of Toronto has parted ways with the head of its beleaguered parks division who had been on the job for less than two years.

www.thestar.com

From the above:

View attachment 655729

oof, feel a bit bad for him and not at all envious of the next person to get the role. There's obviously so much dysfunction that runs deep. Shawn Micallef's take seems apt:
"This poor guy inherited a shit sandwich. Years of institutional mismanagement …. Would take a general to change that culture. But maybe they’ll hire one."