The federal government is not responding directly to a Toronto city council motion opposing the presence of any U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents at upcoming FIFA World Cup games.
The motion, brought forward by Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow and adopted last week, calls on the federal public safety and foreign affairs ministers to reject any ICE deployment.
Maybe the Feds are hoping she’ll be deported.
The food production and distribution system in the Western world is an incredible marvel. With modern advancements, food production has expanded beyond population growth and continues to do so. In 1950, farmers in North America averaged 40 bushels of corn per acre. Today, those same fields have yields surpassing 180 bushels per acre. Soybean, wheat, canola, and other staples have seen similar rises in yields. Meat and dairy production have also greatly increased.
Ontario minimum wage workers are getting a cost of living boost that will bring their earnings to $17.95 an hour next October but that won’t pay bills in Toronto, says the Ontario Living Wage Network.
While an increase is appreciated, most workers earning basic wages in Toronto region need another $9.25 to reach the $27.20 living wage required for survival, said the network’s spokesperson Craig Pickthorne.
TORONTO – On Thursday, Toronto city council voted to move forward with a concept rarely seen in Canada, and meant to tackle skyrocketing food prices: not-for-profit, city-run grocery stores.
But critics believe Toronto is biting off more than it can chew by stepping into the business, against grocery store giants, with little experience and minimal supply-chain connections, in an industry that has razor-thin profit margins.
It’s hard to say what’s the worst part about Toronto City Council voting in favour of government run grocery stores. Perhaps it’s just that, shockingly, it’s a real thing that actually happened, taking valuable time and resources away from serious governance that could improve the livability of Toronto.
Last week, Councillor Anthony Perruzza put forward a motion that “City Council establish a pilot project to open four municipally operated grocery stores within the City of Toronto.” The locations would be chosen with “priority given to neighbourhoods with limited access to full-service grocery stores and where residents have lower average household incomes.”
Toronto’s mayor has been mocked after posting a video saying US Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents are not allowed in her city during the FIFA World Cup.
Olivia Chow took to social media on Thursday to say she won’t be welcoming US ICE into her city in June and July, when Toronto is hosting six World Cup games.
‘ICE has no place in this city,’ she said in a video. ‘Toronto is about to welcome thousands and thousands of families because of [the] FIFA World Cup, where everyone belongs, everyone’s welcome.
Here’s hoping. pic.twitter.com/Ny39nxyoVc
— Blazingcatfur (@fancypants_s) March 27, 2026
Toronto council has voted to end the long-standing policy of ceremonially raising flags at government buildings, with a majority of councillors seemingly accepting the argument that the practice is divisive in the current geopolitical climate.
In a 19-to-seven vote Thursday, council decided to “eliminate flying flags of foreign nations, or any flags which include the depiction of a foreign nation’s flag” — effective Dec. 1. The only flag raisings that will take place until then are those currently booked.
h/t Patti Jo
Toronto City Hall is so good at filling potholes, they’re now planning to put a chicken in every pot.
City council approved a pilot project late Thursday, proposed by Councillor Anthony Perruzza, that calls for four city-run grocery stores. His hope is that if the stores “forgo” profits and get a break on property taxes, Torontonians can buy good food for less.
h/t Auntie Polly
Just call it Hotel 501.
Or the 501 Hotel. Many people coming down from their narcotics fixes call it home.
Toronto residents will soon see more police officers in tactical gear with patrol rifles and other long guns around places of worship, tourist hubs and community centres.
On Tuesday, the Toronto Police Service (TPS) announced the launch of “Task Force Guardian,” which it said was aimed at deterring potential acts of violence.
“We know that visible police presence matters when it comes to deterring violence and reassuring our communities,” TPS Chief Myron Demkiw said at a news conference, where he announced the task force as well as his service’s standalone counterterrorism security unit.
If some of the crack being smoked by the person sitting next you on the subway gets on your skin or into your mouth, nose, lungs, eyes or brain, it could be a catastrophic heath risk.
Crack cocaine and crystal meth are dangerous enough but if fentanyl is mixed in with this concoction being consumed on the TTC, and is blown out for others to inhale against their will, it can kill a person or their kids riding with them.
Poor guy at the end of the video has no idea he inhaled fentanyl.
Should TTC chair Jamaal Myers resign due to the deteriorating state of the TTC? pic.twitter.com/QFO7sgcuaq
— IntegrityTO (@integrity_to) March 21, 2026
Micro-shelter communities are being floated as one way to provide emergency housing for people experiencing homelessness in Toronto.
However, some challenges have emerged, as 44 city-owned properties identified for potential sites have all been deemed unsuitable.
Nonetheless, the City of Toronto is moving forward with a two-year pilot, with the caveat that interested non-profits must come up with private land options.
Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow is asking city council to oppose any role for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Toronto during the 2026 FIFA World Cup, arguing the agency’s presence could “create fear” among visitors.
A motion, seconded by Coun. Paul Ainslie, will go before council next week and calls on the city to reject ICE involvement, direct staff to avoid supporting the agency, and urge both federal and provincial officials to oppose any deployment in Toronto.
A Toronto city councillor wants to “eliminate” flying the flags of other countries at City Hall.
In a motion dubbed “One Country, One Flag; Celebrating the Canadian Flag,” Don Valley East Coun. Jon Burnside also proposed banning the flying of flags requested by non-profit or charitable organizations at Toronto City Hall and other civic institutions “effective immediately.”
“The world’s a complicated place. History is complicated, and City Hall is not the place to debate that,” he told Newstalk 1010’s Moore in the Morning on Friday.
This makes way too much sense to ever be enacted.
