Toronto Council meets today!
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Up now: Mayor Olivia Chow wants a pothole blitz. Staff say there have been a lot of potholes this winter, as our potholes are generally caused by the freeze/thaw cycle. https://secure.toronto.ca/council/agenda-item.do?item=2026.EX29.4
Some councillors are asking about the city's plan to test out using AI to identify potholes which has me thinking of responses like, "You're absolutely right. That wasn't a pothole. It was a sewer access hole. I was wrong to fill it with hot ash."
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Some councillors are asking about the city's plan to test out using AI to identify potholes which has me thinking of responses like, "You're absolutely right. That wasn't a pothole. It was a sewer access hole. I was wrong to fill it with hot ash."
"I have heard a lot about nanotechnology," Councillor Lily Cheng says. She asks if staff have considered using nanotechnology in asphalt.
"I'm not sure that we've considered it, but we're always actively looking and making sure we stay up to date," says staffer.
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"I have heard a lot about nanotechnology," Councillor Lily Cheng says. She asks if staff have considered using nanotechnology in asphalt.
"I'm not sure that we've considered it, but we're always actively looking and making sure we stay up to date," says staffer.
@GraphicMatt Oh my god. I can't. I'm dying. T_T
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"I have heard a lot about nanotechnology," Councillor Lily Cheng says. She asks if staff have considered using nanotechnology in asphalt.
"I'm not sure that we've considered it, but we're always actively looking and making sure we stay up to date," says staffer.
Council runs out of time. They'll come back to the pothole blitz debate tomorrow. They will also attempt to deal with the other 110+ items still remaining on this agenda. Wish them luck. They'll need it.
See you back here in this thread at 9:30 a.m. tomorrow.
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Some councillors are asking about the city's plan to test out using AI to identify potholes which has me thinking of responses like, "You're absolutely right. That wasn't a pothole. It was a sewer access hole. I was wrong to fill it with hot ash."
@GraphicMatt At Collision (the tech conference) a few years ago the City of Toronto person said they tried putting cameras on garbage trucks for that. It kept getting confused between potholes and raccoons.
The most Toronto story ever.
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@GraphicMatt Oh my god. I can't. I'm dying. T_T
@mayintoronto always entertaining!
@GraphicMatt -
@mayintoronto always entertaining!
@GraphicMatt@deborahh @GraphicMatt how do these staffers keep a straight face?!
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Some councillors are asking about the city's plan to test out using AI to identify potholes which has me thinking of responses like, "You're absolutely right. That wasn't a pothole. It was a sewer access hole. I was wrong to fill it with hot ash."
@GraphicMatt when has there ever been a problem with identifying potholes? Or even people reporting them? The problem is getting them fixed.
(I expect I'm not from where you are, but I'd also be surprised if this wasn't universal. "A bloody great hole" doesn't need AI to spot, and flling holes takes money councils don't have)
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@deborahh @GraphicMatt how do these staffers keep a straight face?!
@mayintoronto @GraphicMatt it's a reality show.
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Council runs out of time. They'll come back to the pothole blitz debate tomorrow. They will also attempt to deal with the other 110+ items still remaining on this agenda. Wish them luck. They'll need it.
See you back here in this thread at 9:30 a.m. tomorrow.
Council is getting set for the start of day two. We're anticipating a very long debate about flag protocol today, so get hyped for that.
The meeting stream for today is here. I'll keep posting until there's nothing left to post about. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v0CJH1SGjPo
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Council is getting set for the start of day two. We're anticipating a very long debate about flag protocol today, so get hyped for that.
The meeting stream for today is here. I'll keep posting until there's nothing left to post about. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v0CJH1SGjPo
Dealing with some quick items, Council votes to refer a forensic audit on the city's snow clearing contracts to the Infrastructure & Environment Committee. The new festival strategy is APPROVED via show of hands after an amendment from Ainslie to include digital payment options for permits.
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Dealing with some quick items, Council votes to refer a forensic audit on the city's snow clearing contracts to the Infrastructure & Environment Committee. The new festival strategy is APPROVED via show of hands after an amendment from Ainslie to include digital payment options for permits.
Council has resumed its debate on potholes. Councillor Paul Ainslie wants to know why reported pothole issues are marked as resolved when staff go out and can't locate the reported pothole. Staff say improvements are coming on process to "close the loop."
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Council has resumed its debate on potholes. Councillor Paul Ainslie wants to know why reported pothole issues are marked as resolved when staff go out and can't locate the reported pothole. Staff say improvements are coming on process to "close the loop."
Councillor Jon Burnside asks staff if it's true that state-of-good-repair funding for roads was higher under Tory than it is under Chow. The CFO says he'll need to look at the numbers, but points out much of the transportation repair budget under Tory was going to the Gardiner.
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Council is getting set for the start of day two. We're anticipating a very long debate about flag protocol today, so get hyped for that.
The meeting stream for today is here. I'll keep posting until there's nothing left to post about. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v0CJH1SGjPo
@GraphicMatt thank you, Matt.
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Councillor Jon Burnside asks staff if it's true that state-of-good-repair funding for roads was higher under Tory than it is under Chow. The CFO says he'll need to look at the numbers, but points out much of the transportation repair budget under Tory was going to the Gardiner.
Councillor Alejandra Bravo asks if the increasing weight of vehicles is causing more potholes on Toronto streets. Staff say that's a factor, yes.
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Councillor Alejandra Bravo asks if the increasing weight of vehicles is causing more potholes on Toronto streets. Staff say that's a factor, yes.
@GraphicMatt Sounds like a good rationale for registration fees scaled with GVWR.
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Councillor Alejandra Bravo asks if the increasing weight of vehicles is causing more potholes on Toronto streets. Staff say that's a factor, yes.
On potholes, Councillor Neethan Shan moves for staff to investigate ways to improve the pothole reporting process. He also wants a map to track requests for potholes "larger than a shoebox."
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On potholes, Councillor Neethan Shan moves for staff to investigate ways to improve the pothole reporting process. He also wants a map to track requests for potholes "larger than a shoebox."
Councillor Jamaal Myers, meanwhile, has a motion to create a road repair task force to try to get to the bottom of why Toronto roads are deteriorating so quickly.
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Councillor Jamaal Myers, meanwhile, has a motion to create a road repair task force to try to get to the bottom of why Toronto roads are deteriorating so quickly.
Councillor Holyday wants a report for Q1 2027 on the road repair backlog, with options to speed up repairs.
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Councillor Holyday wants a report for Q1 2027 on the road repair backlog, with options to speed up repairs.
Still stuck on potholes. Councillor Lily Cheng moves for staff to look at smart cameras on buses and other city vehicles to identify potholes. She also wants to look at new innovations in asphalt.
