Community Newsletter: First Council meeting, Bill 23 + 39, and more

Spencer --

This week, we had our first session of council for the new term, and we’ve already got lots of work on our hands – including the impacts of Bills 23 and 39. 

Bill 39 is a piece of provincial legislation that will, if passed, allow the Mayor to pass by-laws on issues that are deemed “provincial priorities” with just ⅓ support of City Council. The most basic principle in any democracy is majority rule, and with this bill, we are witnessing the already undemocratic “strong mayor” powers left with no system of checks and balances.  

The provincial priorities are in Bill 23, another piece of provincial legislation, which has far-reaching impacts on how we build housing and plan our city. City Staff have told us that it, if passed, will leave our city with a multi-hundred million dollar hole in Toronto’s infrastructure budget, far less tools to build affordable housing and protect renters. Again, this bill disenfranchises the voice of our community and city by a provincial government who aren’t interested in protecting democracy.

Toronto is our city, and our democracy is our voice. We should all be working to strengthen it together. Bills 23 and 39 are part of a concerning trend that sees the provincial government preventing our community and city from having our voice heard.  

In the newsletter below, you will be able to read more about the efforts that we made this week to push back, and more updates about Davenport.

Sincerely, 

Alejandra Bravo
City Councillor, Ward 9
Davenport

In this Edition

1. First Council Meeting
2. Emergency Closure: Dundas St W, between Brock Ave & Sheridan Ave
3. We're hiring! Bilingual Office Manager (Portuguese)
4. In the news

First Council Meeting

The first meeting of the 2022-2026 City Council started on Wednesday and concluded yesterday. 

On Wednesday, we took part in a formal ceremony in the Council chambers, heard remarks from the Mayor, and elected a Speaker and Deputy Speaker.

When we returned on Thursday, we got to work. As my first action at Council, I presented over 850 petitions which I received from members of our community in opposition to the provincial government's Bill 39, the undemocratic overreach into our city government. I was heartened to see hundreds of people stand up for our city by coming to sit in the public gallery and show their opposition to this Bill. 

You can watch the presentation of petitions here:

After that, we started considering the impacts of Bill 23. Another piece of provincial legislation which will have far-reaching negative impacts on how the city is able to build housing and fund infrastructure. 

As part of that debate, I presented a motion, which was adopted, to advocate in favour of saving Toronto’s green building standards which help us reduce energy costs and meet our climate goals. This motion was in line with recommendations from the Toronto Environmental Alliance.

Emergency Closure: Dundas St W, between Brock Ave & Sheridan Ave

During a sewer replacement yesterday evening, Toronto Water discovered a large void under Dundas St W between Brock Ave & Sheridan Ave. This section of the street is closed until further notice.

Toronto Water and city divisions are on-site and working to repair this issue. A construction contractor has been assigned to this project and will be working 24/7 to remedy the issues, including sewer repair and backfilling. 

While the road remains closed, 505 Dundas streetcars/buses are detouring via Ossington Ave and College St.

It is currently estimated that the required work will take one week before the road can be re-opened, weather permitting and barring any unforeseen circumstances. You can find the latest updates on this closure on my website: www.alejandrabravo.ca/dundasclosure

We’re looking for a skilled administrator and community builder who is fluent in English and Portuguese for the full-time role of Bilingual Office Manager. 

Interested for you or someone you know? Visit www.alejandrabravo.ca/officemanager to learn more.

In the news

• Yesterday, in Spanish, I spoke to CHHA 1610 AM about my thoughts on Bill 39 and how the provincial government is meddling in Toronto’s democracy. Read and listen here
• Some of my comments at City Council about the responsibility of City Councillors to make the voices of our communities heard were included in this story from CityNews.