[Northern Light]

Some of us may want to look at this and complete the survey.

Stormwater Charge & Water Service Charge Consultation​

Stormwater Charge & Water Service Charge Consultation

City Council has directed staff to indefinitely suspend further consideration and/or engagement on a stormwater charge, and water service charge. A copy of the staff report is available at 2025.EX20.12. In July 2024, City Council directed staff to review and consult the public about the City’s...

www.toronto.ca

Yup, discussed in a post on the previous page:

Mayor Olivia Chow's Toronto

We really may be getting a commercial parking lot levy! This coming to Executive next week: https://secure.toronto.ca/council/agenda-item.do?item=2024.EX12.3 As a result of this research, staff are recommending the following parking levy design principles in the application of a commercial...

urbantoronto.ca

 

[chrisw]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1775668564965368151

 

[DSCToronto]

Yes, 'consultation paused".

 

[evandyk]

If they are actually going to do the parking levy, obviously they have to be coordinated. What will likely happen instead is they'll pause this, study the levy to death but no actually implement it, then we've lost two years on this as well.

 

[Northern Light]

Yes, 'consultation paused".

View attachment 553480

For clarity, the need to study aligning these 2 charges was flagged by Councillor Carroll during the City budget process.

Then I (among others) also chirped in on the problems, particularly w/the storm water charge.

Finally, the fact that that problematic pseudo Liberal curmudgeon Warren Kinsella managed to get the City some negative publicity around the world over its 'rain tax' all likely contributed to the need for a more public pause (the re-think was happening anyway)

 

[karledice]

Cut service around parks e.g. the expensive to maintain Love Park with water fountains and features etc. should be cut
I heard a study done on parks to build it yield the same results as all other studies around park (why people use them and what people want in them)
And the consultant charged the city 500k....????

Save those dollars for more important things.

 

[Northern Light]

Cut service around parks e.g. the expensive to maintain Love Park with water fountains and features etc. should be cut
I heard a study done on parks to build it yield the same results as all other studies around park (why people use them and what people want in them)
And the consultant charged the city 500k....????

Save those dollars for more important things.

huh?

To what are you replying?

 

[jje1000]

Yes, 'consultation paused".

View attachment 553480

Aka opponents/social media have seized onto it as a "rain tax" and that has gained a memetic life of its own, so depsite Chow's assertions, it is being being paused to allow the media attention to focus elsewhere/quietly sent behind the shed to be shot.

It's just politics, next time get ahead of the press instead of allowing them to define the battlefield.

How hard would it have been to have named it the "floodwater prevention fee" instead? This adds a layer of linguistic armour around it (same as BLM), and allows people to immediately connect the dots.

 

[DSCToronto]

Aka opponents/social media have seized onto it as a "rain tax" and that has gained a memetic life of its own, so depsite Chow's assertions, it is being being paused to allow the media attention to focus elsewhere/quietly sent behind the shed to be shot.

It's just politics, next time get ahead of the press instead of allowing them to define the battlefield.

How hard would it have been to have named it the "floodwater prevention fee" instead? This adds a layer of linguistic armour around it (same as BLM), and allows people to immediately connect the dots.

Yes, it could have been presented better but it is part of a whole array of projects and proposals dealing with climate change and it is wise if they are all aligned.

 

[Northern Light]

Aka opponents/social media have seized onto it as a "rain tax" and that has gained a memetic life of its own, so depsite Chow's assertions, it is being being paused to allow the media attention to focus elsewhere/quietly sent behind the shed to be shot.

As someone in on the discussions, nothing has been shot yet.

How hard would it have been to have named it the "floodwater prevention fee" instead? This adds a layer of linguistic armour around it (same as BLM), and allows people to immediately connect the dots.

Stormwater charge is the same name Mississauga used when it passed a similar measure years ago without incident.

 

[Dan416]

As someone in on the discussions, nothing has been shot yet.



Stormwater charge is the same name Mississauga used when it passed a similar measure years ago without incident.

I was already aware of the stormwater charge in Mississauga, but I admit I didn't know much about it.

In case anyone is interested, here is the link detailing it and there's an informative video about it too. TBH not even sure how something like this got so politicized, seems totally reasonable.

Stormwater charge

About the stormwater charge on your water bill. How the charge is calculated for residential and commercial properties, estimate your charge and report an error in your assessment.

www.mississauga.ca

 

[jje1000]

Stormwater charge is the same name Mississauga used when it passed a similar measure years ago without incident.

Yes, but memetic status is entirely unpredictable (who knew it would be seized on as the 'rain tax' by global social media), and dependent on a variety of contextual issues. In this case, Chow is continually viewed with suspicion by the right-wingers and the Sun (Kinsella particularly has a hate-on for her), and therefore the stormwater charge became a convenient platform of attack.

My opinion is that labeling potentially politically triggering things explicitly with linguistic armour helps diffuse the issue for low-information viewers.

 

[christiesplits]

By backing down on police cuts, Chow thought she could appease the police union for at least one year. She was wrong.

Mayor Olivia Chow weighs in on police union request that she condemn councillors over statement about protests​

Mayor Olivia Chow weighs in on police union request that she condemn councillors over statement about protests

The Toronto Police Association is urging the mayor to criticize her colleagues, noting violence and threats against officers policing protests over the Mideast conflict.

www.thestar.com

 

[allengeorge]

By backing down on police cuts, Chow thought she could appease the police union for at least one year. She was wrong.

I think most people would have predicted that…

 

[evandyk]

Cops are such crybabies. They bring out their horses to crap everywhere, then complain about it being returned to them?