Spacing learned early this afternoon that Mayor David Miller has started organizing the second meeting of Toronto City Council since the strike by civic employees began on June 22.
The right-wing of city council has been trying to petition for a meeting for several days, which the mayor and his allies had resisted. According to Spacing’s sources, Mayor Miller now believes that there are a critical number of “urgent” items that require a decision by council. Spacing has also been told that the list of urgent items is in the process of being assembled by City Manager Joe Pennachetti [Correction: this post originally named Deputy Mayor Joe Pantalone in place of Pennachetti].
The location of the upcoming city council meeting is also to be determined. When city council met on June 26 for an emergency meeting to approve the TTC’s purchase of new streetcars, the meeting was held at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre.
A regularly scheduled council meeting on the docket for July 6 and 7 was cancelled at the time because it wasn’t deemed to be necessary.
Update: As of 1:00PM, the National Post confirmed this story, quoting a letter distributed to city councillors saying the meeting is expected to be held within one or two weeks.
Photograph by Steven H.
One comment
A new definition:
“Organizing – to show no sign of doing something but acceding to a demand for that thing on pain of bad press.”