Samuel Trosow

Stratford votes to oppose strong mayor powers thetrillium.ca/municipalities… via @Thetrilliumca

London Free Press lfpress.com/news/national/… via @lfpress … but what we really need is better protections to preserve farmland from development pressure.

@DavidColetto A must-read thread!

While flying home this afternoon, I've been thinking more about the Ford government's decision to purchase a private jet for government use. I've thought about this through a lens of public opinion. First, this story is going to have legs, and not for the reasons most people think. Forget the money. This is about what the purchase does to one of the most carefully constructed political brands in Canadian provincial politics. #onpoli

A very busy London Transit Commission coming up Monday March 30 at 9:30am (LTC Office 45O Highbury N) -A new paratransit provider? -Conventional Transit Service Report showing ridership down.

Toronto City Council voted overwhelmingly to join the ongoing legal battle against Premier Doug Ford’s Ontario Place redevelopment as it heads to the Supreme Court. thetrillium.ca/news/municipal…

Hamilton’s rejection of an anti-trans bus advertisement back in 2023 has been upheld by Ontario’s highest court. lawtimesnews.com/news/general/o… The decision is now binding on all Ontario jurisdictions.

John Tory and five other ex-Toronto mayors come out swinging against Doug Ford's defunding of supervised consumption sites trib.al/sZ3xWCN

@ColinDMello It’s easy enough to say “reduce development charges” in order to lower housing costs. But someone has to pay the increased costs of new developments with respect to infrastructure and other marginal costs of delivering services.

“This is going to make a massive massive difference,” Ford says. Ford calls on municipalities to reduce development charges to spur even more development. #onpoli

NEW: Premier Doug Ford confirms what we reported this morning. All home buyers will get a hefty tax break on new build housing, for a one-year term. The federal government is mirroring the policy meaning the full 13% HST will be waived. This is a $1.4B provincial spend. #onpoli

@mike_vanveen @ColinDMello This is a crucial question. Prices in the private market are generally set based on what the market will absorb. This is one of the reasons why I (and other #LdnOnt councillors) are concerned about discounts based on dev charge savings.

@ColinDMello How will be prevent developers from just increasing the price by 13% to eat up the savings from consumers and increase their profits?

“What happens to Toronto's supervised consumption sites now that funding is gone?” Here's what we know A very revealing review about the negative implications from closing SCSs in Toronto and elsewhere in Ontario. thestar.com/news/gta/what-…

@JackAtLFPress The various conditions that councillors want to see on this program are all based on a desire to improve the program, make it more inclusive, and target discounts to Londoners most in need of assistance. Broader consultation at the outset would have been very helpful.

Josh Morgan said added conditions could shrink program and reduce uptake #ldnont lfpress.com/news/local-new…

@uwogazette For years the Brescia-Kings shuttle provided free, reliable and safe campus transit - not just for Kings & Brescia students, but for the broader UWO community. As the London City Councillor for the area, I call on Western admin to contribute to maintaining this needed service.

A plea from Clare Hall students to Western University: bring back the shuttle that made travelling to and from campus safe for Western’s only women’s residence. westerngazette.ca/opinion/op-ed-…

@peggy_blair @SturdyHugh @ColinDMello Similar claims as raised back in Ontario v. Criminal Lawyers’ Association. While the govt can limit access, a full bar to even filing requests goes too far. It may exceed reasonableness/proportionality standards vis the govt’s legitimate purpose in protecting confidentiality.

@strosow @SturdyHugh @ColinDMello Interesting in what kinds of challenges you think could be brought?

Here's Minister Stephen Crawford on the legal battle over Premier Doug Ford's cell phone records -- which will soon be shielded from public view by a law of the government's own creation. #onpoli

@ColinDMello Access to records should be expanded, not narrowed. Actually -eliminated- according to this report. The current framework sets rules for resolving conflicts between access requests and exemption claims. But this absolute bar could raise serious legal / constitutional issues.

BREAKING: The Ford government is changing Ontario's Freedom Of Information act system, effectively gutting a tool journalists use to obtain documents related to government decision-making: - The Premier, Ministers and their offices will all be excluded from the FOI system. - This applies to all existing requests - Only civil servants can be FOI'd - The government is extending the response timeline from 30 calendar days to 45 business days. #onpoli

@peggy_blair @SturdyHugh @ColinDMello While they have rights to exempt such records, that is still subject to reasonable limits. Under current law there’s a procedure for testing requests vs exemptions. But it sounds like they’re seeking a full and and absolute exclusion. That could run into several legal problems.

@SturdyHugh @ColinDMello No, I don't think so. The Ontario government lost this argument twice in court, but I don't think a court would find that a government doesn't have the right to exempt itself from the law. They lost because they hadn't. The recourse is at an election.

@ColinDMello This is a very troubling move which threatens basic norms of right to access to government information. As these access guarantees are rooted in the right to receive information, these questionable moves are likely to be challenged.

Global News has been engaged in a years-long transparency battle with Premier Doug Ford's office over his cell phone records. The government has lost a battle in court. The government is now changing the rules to neutralize the FOI. #onpoli

@DNewcombeCTV I won’t be supporting PEC’s recommendation for deferral until after the election. This move, as urged by local developers to delay the mapping, is disingenuous. Mapping must be evidence-based, centered on local scientific knowledge, not on political timing considerations.

Local developers pleading for more time for consultation on floodplain map in south London #LdnOnt ctvnews.ca/london/article…

@JackAtLFPress Here is the letter David Ferreira and I submitted to the Added Agenda for the CPSC in opposition to the proposal.

Ward 4 Coun. Susan Stevenson proposes restricting harm reduction supply distribution in #ldnont core lfpress.com/news/local-new…

As one of the four councillors who voted against this project, I stand by my vote. Council should have supported the staff recommendation for refusal. The approval is inconsistent with our planning framework and is not in the public interest.