Toronto City Council voted 35-3 Thursday to study a scheme to turn Old City Hall into a municipal museum. The decision has prompted Ward 3 Councillor Stephen Holiday to say any such undertaking will leave the 1899 seat of government building “bleeding money.” Elsewhere, the idea has gone down very well. And at the bottom of some stories are apparent facts that seem critical to the process. Just 25 percent of the old hall’s 406,000 square feet will be a museum, says the CBC. At least 50 percent will be rentable. Possible tenants are not named. Is there a business which will generate real foot traffic up those daunting stairs on Queen Street? There’s 18 months to mid-2019 allowed to figure it out. In another matter, City Council has approved a 10-per-cent cap on property tax increases for businesses, following an outcry from shop owners on Yonge Street and elsewhere that were slapped with skyrocketing tax hikes based on soaring assessment values. Small mercies.
Should Old City Hall be used for a museum devoted to Toronto's history? Councillor @JoshMatlow thinks so, making an impassioned speech Thursday to city council, which backed a study looking into the idea. pic.twitter.com/ydeuByio3u
— Toronto Star (@TorontoStar) February 1, 2018
COUNCILLOR’S TWIN RECORDED
Lastly, John Lancaster of the CBC says the brother of Ward 5 Councillor Justin Di Ciano is heard on a recording offering to reimburse donors $300 in cash if they donated the maximum amount ($750) allowed to his candidate. The secret audio recording now in possession of provincial anti-corruption police. Toronto had a contribution rebate program for the 2014 election, whereby someone who gave the maximum $750 to a council candidate would get $450 back from the City. The donor would only be out of pocket for the remaining $300.
