Results tagged “denzilminnanwong”

Score one for the cycling community. After an intense and late-breaking campaign, and with a crucial assist from Councillor Kyle Rae, bicycle advocates have successfully introduced bike lanes into a major redevelopment plan for Jarvis Street. Yesterday afternoon the Public Works and Infrastructure Committee (PWIC) voted to remove the centre, reversible-direction lane of traffic, and use the freed-up space to install bicycle lanes in both directions from Bloor to Queen.

Toronto City Council, after debating yesterday evening and all of today, voted earlier tonight to prioritize the building of a so-called Downtown Relief Line—a new subway route meant to alleviate stress on the existing infrastructure—at the expense of expanding the Yonge line north into Richmond Hill. Council's executive committee had already attached substantial conditions to the controversial Yonge North Extension, worried that an influx of suburban transit users will overload subways running into downtown. Today's amendment, introduced by Councillor Michael Thompson, calls for Metrolinx to put the new downtown subway ahead of the Yonge expansion in its fifteen-year plan for the city, and will likely reignite claims of a turf war between Toronto and York Region. In a welcome moment of levity, Councillor Denzil Minnan-Wong's motion that the TTC "come up with a more inspiring name for the Downtown Rapid Transit Line" also passed in a 37-7 slam-dunk.

As Torontoist reported recently, City Council has been considering a local food procurement policy, which would mandate increasing the proportion of food that city departments purchase from GTA farmers. Though the proposal that made it to council was substantially more modest than the version first proposed by city staff, it too faced some resistance. Councillor Denzil Minnan-Wong seemed rather worried that the policy would lead to children in daycare being denied oranges, for instance. So great was his concern that he felt compelled to introduce a motion (ruled out of order by Mayor Miller) that the city first implement the policy at City Hall rather than in daycare centres, presumably so that councillors could show solidarity with the toddlers as they too went without their oranges at lunch. Interested citizens everywhere will be relieved to learn that the local procurement policy passed easily, and staffers assured the anxious councillor that oranges would remain available nonetheless. In even better news for local food advocates, Councillor Jenkins (possibly acting on the recommendation of the Toronto Environmental Alliance) successfully introduced an amendment calling for the city to investigate the feasibility of setting a target of purchasing 50% of its food locally (the rate is currently at about 20%).

One year ago today, City Council's Executive Committee approved [PDF] the awarding of the street furniture contract—for the purposes of designing, building, owning, and maintaining bus shelters, garbage bins, ad pillars, and more for a period of twenty years in exchange for advertising rights—to Astral Media Outdoor, despite the fact that the company had absolutely no experience with "street furniture" and maintains dozens of illegal billboards in defiance of City Council.

An ornately set table. A fine bottle of pink sparkling wine. A bouquet of flowers purchased in a hurry on the way home from the office. A filter on the window to simulate a blue moon. Andy Williams crooning "Moon River" or the 101 Strings playing "Light My Fire" in the background. All of the necessary mood-enhancing ingredients for a cozy tête-à-tête on Valentine's Day.

Liberals turf scandal-ridden MP. Blair Wilson (West Vancouver-Sunshine Coast) would just like everybody to know that he is very sorry that he impugned the Liberal Party's name with his electoral spending mishaps, although not quite so sorry that he's resigning as a member of Parliament.

Ontario Grits promise a new statutory holiday in February if they're re-elected. This is all well and good, but WHERE IS MY GODDAMNED PONY ALREADY? Come on, Dalton! How is anybody supposed to vote for you if there's no giving away of ponies?

mention is that the trees are actually sentient and will come to your home to politely discuss with you the merits of public transit, and help you compost and reduce your energy use! And people say government can't do anything.

From mid-September through year-end, all City Community Centres will be closed on Mondays. Skating rinks won't open until January. Fewer potholes will be repaired. Snow won't be cleared unless there is at least 15 cm of it (the current minimum is 8 cm). New materials from Public Health will only be available in English.

respect her if we get it. In other news, Jim Cuddy won the Juno for best adult alternative album, which means he did the best job of taking actual alternative music, dropping it to quarter-speed and setting it to acoustic guitar.

These seats are empty now, but they won't be after today, as Mayor Miller and the 44 other city councillors take office. We found out recently that councillors are seated randomly, which explains why during the last council term loyal lefty Adam Giambrone sat right next to dogged mayoral critic Denzil Minnan-Wong.

Have you looked at City Council lately? Rob Ford? Denzil Minnan-Wong?! Frances Nunziata?!! Surely there must be better people out there, people that won't make us roll our eyes everytime we watch council by debating the merits of peanuts in city vending machines, or name calling fellow councillors.

The nuts down at City Hall are at it again.

A dire situation dictates dire actions, not overblown reactions. Toronto City Hall, sadly, seems prone to the latter this month.

It's Denzil Minnan-Wong's worst nightmare: Posters everywhere! Not just posters on the street corners or on bulletin boards, but in his workplace. Minnan-Wong, who is scared of posters that are not in his election campaigns, now must face them on a daily basis (because there are none in his riding...). Everyday until April 10, the Porsche-driving city councilor with the receding hairline will be tip-toeing by City Hall's Artcity Festivals Poster Exhibit, with posters staring at him from every angle. At day four, the first ever poster bonanza holds a "display of artposters from world famous festivals and events held every year in Toronto." Posters range from hilarious to not-funny to, in Minnan-Wong's case, intimidating. Better than any of those Imaginus poster sales, and free. Open 10 a.m. till 10 p.m.

All these Mixtapes and you barely even know me! So here I've cut-and-paste my Blogger Profile for you.

Imagine the life of a Toronto City Councilor - the jet setting, the screaming fans, the intense media scrutiny. Toronto City Councilor Paula Fletcher works under this pressure everyday. And, like all Toronto City Councilors, she must dress accordingly.

The prospect of seeing giant-sized pictures of this guy flashing on a screen at Dundas Square just got a lot better. Cell phone behemoth Nokia is planning a North American first in Dundas Square with their "Say Hello Toronto" big screen ads. Using the Nokia 3220 and the Nokia 6225 mobile phones with built in digital cameras, Denzil Minnan-Wong and other downtown passersbys will have the opportunity to be photographed and see their photo displayed on seven giant video boards at highly obnoxious downtown Toronto areas. Photos are taken with the fancy new phones, and then they're posted within the hour on the giant video boards located at Dundas Square, Yonge and Richmond, Yonge and St Mary's and on Yonge Street at Sam the Record Man. Get your Minnan-Wong on at Dundas Square from Dec. 20-24.

Yesterday, our PM with the same initials admits he needs to focus more on specific issues for the upcoming year. In contrast, Ontario Health Minister George Smitherman admits nothing.