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Newsstand: April 16, 2015
Once more, with feeling! In the news: The provincial government gets set to sell some of its stake in Hydro One, loosening up restrictions on food truck permits, and the taxi industry cozies up to Jim Karygiannis.
The provincial government will announce plans today for it to sell 60 per cent of its stake in Hydro One. The government will retain 40 per cent ownership and new investors will be capped at a 10 per cent stake. It is also expected that an upcoming report will recommend the sale of Hydro One Brampton and the distribution chain of Hydro One Networks. The report is being produced by an advisory group assembled by Premier Kathleen Wynne to look into maximizing crown assets. The Liberal government has promised that all funds raised by the sale of Crown assets will help pay for infrastructure and transit projects across Ontario, with $15 billion being earmarked for the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area.
Next week, City of Toronto staff will recommend loosening up some of the restrictions on food truck licences to make them more attractive for potential vendors. Proposed changes include creating six-month and nine-month permits, as well as increasing parking time limits at pay and display spots from three to five hours. The shorter term permits would cost less than the $5,000 annual license, which has received a lukewarm reception from food truck owners. There are no plans to nix the bylaw prohibiting trucks from doing business within 50 metres of an open restaurant, which has been the biggest bone of contention for some vendors.
City Councillor Jim Karygiannis (Ward 39, Scarborough-Agincourt) is one of City Hall’s most vocal opponents of ride-sharing app Uber. Now, the Globe and Mail has learned that Karygiannis received at least $7,600 in campaign donations last year from people with direct ties to the taxi industry. At least one donor has since lobbied the councillor on taxi licensing issues. In one instance, donors tied to Diamond Taxi skirted election rules that prohibit individuals from donating more than $750 to a campaign by having 12 people listed as residents at the same home address in Vaughan. These people’s individual contributions to Karygiannis total $3,600. There is nothing in the City’s code of conduct that prevents councillors from participating in matters of interest to their campaign donors and Karygiannis denies that these donors have any influence his concerns over the safety of Uber, which he says predates his election campaign.