Ineptness Of City Council Obvious Even To Miller's Children

Men's website pushes for `booty pass'
February 01, 2007

We've heard of the mayor's clean and beautiful city, but a group of guys appear more set on a "booty-full" Toronto.

The folks who run a self-proclaimed website for guys say they're asking city council to set up a "booty pass" that would allow people to get an overnight parking permit for $10 and eliminate expensive tickets people can get for parking illegally overnight on the streets of what used to be called Toronto the Good.

They're soliciting support through a site called bootypass.ca.

Lee calls for wage hike study

Councillor Chin Lee isn't quite ready to jump on the $10 minimum wage bandwagon. A pair of councillors have said they'll ask city council on Monday to petition the province to hike the minimum wage from $8 to $10. But Lee (Ward 41, Scarborough-Rouge River) said the city ought to study the issue before acting. "I think we'd have to consider the impact on small entrepreneurs," he said.

Miller parties on Pitfield turf

The final wheeze of November's election campaign takes place on Feb. 23, as Mayor David Miller throws a party to thank his workers and supporters.

"Even though two months have passed since you helped re-elect me, the significance of what we achieved has not diminished," Miller writes in the invitation.

The party takes place at a banquet hall on Dundas St. W. near Keele St. That's Miller's home turf, of course – but on the same stretch as rival Jane Pitfield's campaign headquarters.

Waterlogged councillor

The most unintentionally funny line in an otherwise mundane debate over increasing the price of water in Toronto came from Councillor Glenn De Baeremaeker (Ward 38, Scarborough Centre), who backs rate hikes.

In full rhetorical flight, De Baeremaeker told councillors you pay just 0.15 cents for a glass of water.

"You have to drink eight glasses of water just to spend a penny," he crowed, while some spectators smiled.

De Baeremaeker acknowledged later he was unfamiliar with the British expression "to spend a penny," which means to go to the bathroom.

Mayor's etiquette advisers

If Toronto councillors won't take direction from Mayor David Miller, perhaps they'll take it from his children.

Laughter bubbled through a city hall meeting room Friday when Miller called members of the executive committee to task for misbehaviour after being prompted by his daughter Julia, 11.

Sometimes, Miller said, "a pair of fresh eyes" is useful. Julia had whispered to him a little earlier: "Why is nobody listening when that person is talking?" Miller wouldn't say who had been speaking at the time.

He had brought his two children to city hall because their classes had been cancelled for a professional development day.

With files from The Star's city hall bureau