You know that generative AI browser assistant extension is probably beaming everything to the cloud, right? theregister.com/2025/03/25/gen… Just an FYI, like ...
Generative AI assistants packaged up as browser extensions harvest personal data with minimal safeguards, researchers warn.
Toronto Council meets today! It’s the first post-budget meeting. The agenda features tough tariff talk, coyotes, shelter system problems, and councillor compensation.
City Council, meeting 28, March 26, 2025Agenda and background materials:https://secure.toronto.ca/council/#/committees/2462/25762The National Anthem played a...
As you’d expect, Mayor Olivia Chow has named the U.S. Tariff response item as the first order of business. The item about refugees in the shelter system has been scheduled for first-thing tomorrow.
Councillor Thompson rises to speak about the mass shooting at a pub in his ward earlier this month. He urges people to call the cops if they know anything.
“We have not been cowered by those amongst us who want to threaten our sense of security and enjoyment of our city,” he says.
“There are many rumours as to the potential motive for the shooting, including media speculation around the dispute in the tow truck industry. Police have not confirmed any motive. The owners are devastated … they have no idea why their establishment was targeted,” says Thompson.
Following the Piper Arms Pub shooting, Councillor Thompson says with the federal election, “It would be good to hear from our leaders vying to be the next prime minister … to promise to hold Donald Trump responsible for the flood of guns across our borders."
The City Manager has responded to an administrative inquiry by Councillor James Pasternak, letting him know that a report on a “bubble zone” bylaw restricting protests will be ready for debate at the May Council meeting. Pasternak says he’s looking forward to it. secure.toronto.ca/council/agen…
Councillor Colle steps in to introduce the agenda items from the latest meeting of the Infrastructure & Environment Committee. The chair, Councillor McKelvie, “has gone on to fight for our country” and “to try and do her best in Ajax.” (She’s running federally for the Liberals.)
Weird aside in answer to an administrative inquiry about snow clearing. Apparently 311 received 3,000 requests after a false media report that city would plow private driveways. The city doesn’t do that, but… visited the locations of the requests anyway? toronto.ca/legdocs/mmis/2025/i…
Call me mean and vindictive if you must, but I feel like way way more than 74 cars deserved to be towed for blocking TTC routes during the snow storms last month. (But at least a lot of drivers actually got tickets this time versus the last major storm in 2022.)
By show of hands, Council votes to buy two new “HTO To Go” water trailers to keep people hydrated at events and during emergencies. secure.toronto.ca/council/agen…
There is PROCEDURAL CONFUSION as councillors seek to time a bunch of items for scheduled debate. Too many items. Councillor Paula Fletcher seeks to clarify the schedule. Councillor Michael Thompson seeks to clarify her clarification. It's clarifications all the way down.
Thompson wants the Ombudsman to present later in the meeting on his report about the 2022-2023 decision to deny refugees access to the shelter system. Motion for a presentation CARRIES 21-1.
Carroll asks if it might be possible for councillors to email requests to schedule debates ahead of the meeting, so council doesn't have to spend an hour debating motions to schedule things. Nunziata confirms that email is a technology that exists and could be used for this.
Councillor Jamaal Myers, the TTC Chair, says he's looking forward to welcoming former councillor Joe Mihevc back to the TTC Board, as a "citizen appointee."
Council APPROVES Mihevc's appointment via show of hands.
The first debate begins. It's about the mayor's plan to respond to Trump's trade war. The ten-point plan includes restrictions on U.S. companies bidding for city contracts and a six-month deferral of industrial property taxes for affected businesses. secure.toronto.ca/council/agen…
"There seems to be an anti-American tone to this," notes Councillor James Pasternak. "Do you think that could hurt our ability to attract American tourists to Toronto for FIFA and all year round?"
Staff say the goal is to support local businesses and jobs "without tipping into anti-Americanism."
Holyday asks if the U.S. dropped the tariff talk, would mayor be open to doing biz with the U.S. again?
"If the federal and the provincial and this government collectively believe that there is peace in our land. If there's no more trade war ... then at that point, of course."
Councillor Mike Colle pulls up a photo of the new "Love Local" signs going up in the city. He wants to know why there's not a Canadian flag as part of the design. "Why would we be afraid to put a Canadian flag on our campaign?"
Staff say the "Love Local" campaign was worked on with BIAs, and is actually based on pre-existing campaign and design used in Riverside. Councillor Mike Colle isn't happy about that answer. He wants more Canadian flags.
"I think something has awoken," says Mayor Olivia Chow. "A feeling of pride. Of being Canadian."
She says she's been asking people if they're proud of being Canadian, and they say yes. She asks them if they want to be the 51st state and she gets a "resounding 'no way'."
Pasternak says he's a patriotic Canadian but warns about "economic nationalism."
"We are a city that relies very heavily on foreign tourism, particularly Americans... and the last thing we need is to send a message south of the border that Toronto is not friendly to tourists."
Councillor Stephen Holyday moves to review land use plans and develop a plan to grow Toronto's port. He also wants to include improving the "mobility of people and goods" in the economic action plan.
"It's important we have conversations about expressways. And about trucking routes. And about efficient movement of traffic throughout the city. Because it's important to our economy," says Holyday. He warns about moves that undermine this, but doesn't give any specifics.
- Including a sunset clause in this plan so measures get removed if a trade agreement is reached. - Ask Ottawa & Queen's Park to cover any lost municipal revenue from plan. - Consider impact on jobs as part of future reports on the plan.
Councillor Bradford moves to strike the part of the Trade War Plan that limits use of U.S-based rideshare companies like Uber.
He says these ride-share companies employ lots of people in Toronto. "These are good jobs. They are important jobs." He warns about making workers "collateral damage."
"It can't just be talk. It can't just be meetings about meetings. It needs to be real action. And so that's why I was hoping to see more action in this action plan," says Councillor Brad Bradford, calling Trump's trade war an "assault on our economy."
Bradford says instead of the tax deferrals proposed in the economic action plan, he would have liked to see tax reductions, like he moved during the budget debate last month. He says he supports this plan, but would have liked to see more "meat on the bone."
Mayor Olivia Chow asks Bradford why he doesn't want city workers to prioritize Canadian-owned rideshare companies and taxis. Bradford accuses Chow of bringing an "ideologically-driven battle to the floor." Nunziata quickly moves things along.
Councillor Mike Colle moves to add more Canadian flags to the "Love Local" campaign signs and other materials. He says he also wants to see flags on TTC vehicles and city trucks.
Councillor Paula Fletcher moves to amend Holyday's motion, so that it will direct staff to come up with a plan to maintain and sustain the city's port, instead of trying to grow it. She notes the city already has a comprehensive plan for the port lands.
"The port itself has now developed something great, which is cruising the Great Lakes on these boats — not Love Boats, but, you know, big ones — they go across the Great Lakes. It's very popular," says Councillor Paula Fletcher, touting the success of Toronto's port.
Councillor Carroll warns that because of "our sabre rattling and our booing at the hockey game," some visiting Americans are fearful they might be accosted in the streets.
"The more we sabre rattle, the more we are creating this beautiful fertile ground of politics for President Trump to use."
Council has returned. Perruzza tells us "the gist" of a joke he heard from a constituent
"President Trump is like a horse in a china shop. Doesn't know why he's there. And doesn't know what he's going to do next. But in the meantime, he's breaking it all apart."
Anyway, time to vote on Toronto's tariff response plan.
Councillor Bradford's motion to delete the part of the economic plan asking staff to limit use of US-based rideshare platforms like Uber & Lyft FAILS 5-17.
Councillor Fletcher's motion to amend Holyday's motion so that it focuses on sustaining and maintaining — instead of growing — the Port of Toronto CARRIES 17-6.
All other motions on Mayor Olivia Chow's economic action plan to battle back against Trump tariffs CARRY via shows of hands. Plan as amended CARRIES 23-0.
With that, Council ducks into private session to discuss the Local 79 union deal and the appointment of a new Deputy City Manager for Community & Social Services. I'll be back when they get back.
"The Mimico community is not afraid of density, but they do want something in return," says Councillor Amber Morley, before Council votes via show of hands to APPROVE a confidential item re: an OLT hearing for 266 and 268 Royal York Road. secure.toronto.ca/council/agen…
Up now: student food programs. There's an item on the agenda that would, if approved, request some extra cash from both the federal and provincial governments. secure.toronto.ca/council/agen…
Holyday is concerned that the school food program seems to have expanded to include a "mid-morning meal" instead of a snack. What's the difference between a meal and a snack, he asks.
Staff say terms are pretty interchangeable, but more substantial food mid-morning has proven helpful.
Staff cite examples where teachers have moved math class until after mid-morning meal, "because the teacher has seen there's a noticeable improvement in attentiveness and math scores."
"Have we thought of giving them coffee?" Holyday jokes. "No, you don't have to answer that."
Mayor Olivia Chow has a motion to increase the budget for school food programs by $5 million, paid for with unspent funds from last year's budget. She also wants to make sure the food purchased comes from local food producers.
Holyday says he criticizes school food programs because of a "fundamental philosophical discussion about the role of government — the role of this government — and the role of parents, and parenting, and what we want to teach our kids."
"What are we teaching the kids? That now, not only are many things in life the responsibility of others, now suddenly it's the responsibility of the school or the institution to put food into their mouths?" Holyday says.
"Kids should learn how to make and prepare meals," he says.
Mayor Olivia Chow's motion to allocate an additional $5 million to school food programs (paid for with unspent funds from last year) CARRIES 22-1. (Nunziata was also a yes.)
City Manager Paul Johnson rises to congratulate Denise Andrea Campbell for her appointment as the Deputy City Manager for Community Development, and Kate Bassil for her appointment as Deputy City Manager for Community and Emergency Services. Both are internal promotions.
Up now: a report on an incentive program to "unstick" condo projects that are approved but not moving forward. City is proposing deferring dev charges for four years for projects with an affordable housing component. secure.toronto.ca/council/agen…
"Just cutting red tape won't do it," says Mayor Olivia Chow, saying that the city has already cut a bunch. "The financial math is not quite there. The interest rate is still a bit too high." She says the program is about making the math work for projects already approved.
Councillor Stephen Holyday says he'll oppose this incentive program, which he sees as a subsidy for developers. He says the soft condo market means there are lots of condos listed for people to buy, so this program is unnecessary.
Nunziata says there are lots of speakers on this condo incentive item, so Council decides to finish it off tomorrow. They'll be back at 9:30 a.m. with 76 items on the agenda. That's a lot.
Council has risen from its slumber and is back for day two of the proceedings. This morning's first debate is scheduled to be about refugees in the shelter system.
City Council, meeting 28, March 27, 2025Agenda and background materials:https://secure.toronto.ca/council/#/committees/2462/25762The National Anthem played a...
But first, Mayor Olivia Chow has an announcement. She pays tribute to the firefighters, police, EMS and other workers who responded to a TCHC building fire at 275 Bleaker Street in February. "The successful response was only possible because of the seamless collaboration."
Council opts to quickly deal with Deputy Mayor Malik's call for a Coyote Action Plan. Malik says the coyote increase in Fort York & Liberty Village has been caused by a loss of habitat, including at Ontario Place. Coyotes are causing "incredible alarm" secure.toronto.ca/council/agen…
Up now: an item about refugees in the shelter system. After being denied the chance in December, Ombudsman Kwame Addo is here to present his scathing report on decisions in 2022 and 2023 that denied refugees access to shelter spaces. secure.toronto.ca/council/agen…
"I am proud of the report and stand by all my findings," says the Ombudsman. He urges Council to adopt all the recommendations. But City Manager Paul Johnson has said he doesn't agree with those recommendations. Hence the tension.
"Do you feel if the folks in this situation were actually white, the outcome would have been different?" asks Councillor Jon Burnside of the Black refugees who were denied shelter access.
"That wasn't what I investigated and I can't make that assumption," says the Ombudsman.
Councillor Myers asks if the city is confident this won't happen again.
"We were struggling coming out of the pandemic, and then we had 20,000 additional [refugees] we had to serve. If that happens again, I cannot say that we won't see people on the street again," says Shelters GM Gord Tanner.
Deputy Mayor Malik asks Tanner about coming federal cuts to support for refugees in the shelter system. The fed contribution will drop from 95% of costs this year to 75%, then to 50%, "and then the program is dead, as far as we know," says Tanner. Could cause a $50 million budget hole, the CFO adds.
"What we need to keep an eye on is the federal support for these programs, because if that goes away, we'll be having a similar conversation here at council that we had in 2022 and throughout 2023" when refugees couldn't access shelter spaces and were sleeping on the sidewalk, says Tanner.
Thompson asks the City Manager why he refused to accept the Ombudsman report.
"The report failed in my mind to stay focused on the situation that was presenting itself at the time. We had no funding federally, period, for refugees and asylum seekers at that time," says City Manager Paul Johnson.
Mayor Olivia Chow moves four requests to the federal government, asking them to not reduce funding for refugees in shelters over the coming years, to expand the definition of asylum claimant, and to establish a refugee housing benefit.
Chow notes the events in the Ombudsman's report predate her time as mayor, and outlines some of the stuff she's done since to help refugees. "We put our own money in," she says, but federal money is "winding down."
"95% to 75% to 50%? Why? Oh, maybe because the refugees will stop coming to Toronto. Seriously, you think refugees will stop coming to Toronto? Look at what's happening in Sudan today. Look at the number of people who have died," says Mayor Olivia Chow.
"There's a federal election going on. And I hope that every party running takes this refugee housing services issue seriously," says Chow, noting some success stories. "Refugees just need a bit of helping hand — and Canada has always been able to do that. Let's continue that tradition."
Councillor Alejandra Bravo moves a long 14-point motion. You can read it here. She says these are the recommendations of the Ombudsman from his report, "with technical updates reflecting council reporting structure and also updating timelines." secure.toronto.ca/council/agen…
"I came to Canada in 1974 as a refugee," says Councillor Bravo. "And when we arrived at the airport, the provincial government had a system to ensure we got the support that we needed ... so my commitment to this is profound, embodied, and relentless."
Councillor Moise thanks the Ombudsman for the report. "A Black man was writing this report, writing about the experiences of Black people who have been on the street, and having to come to council to talk about this issue from a distance — that's difficult."
"It is unacceptable that people arrive in Canada and wind up on a sidewalk in the rain," says Councillor Gord Perks. "It's unacceptable that the City of Toronto didn't have in place the correct tools to be able to manage that."
"I'm glad Councillor Thompson raised the issue of the current federal election. NOBODY gets my vote this election if they say that municipalities have to take on federal obligations to serve refugees," says Councillor Gord Perks.
Councillor Paula Fletcher moves for a report from City Legal on options for factchecking reports from accountability offices. She also wants a review of instances where City didn't comply with Ontario Human Rights Code.
Time to vote on the refugee shelter item. Mayor Olivia Chow's motion to request the federal government NOT phase out funding for refugees in shelters CARRIES 23-0.
The part of Councillor Bravo's motion calling for a renewed public education campaign to let undocumented Torontonians know about City Hall's AccessTO policy CARRIES 22-1.
All other motions on the refugees-in-shelters item, including Bravo's motion adopting the Ombudsman recommendations (with a few technical tweaks), CARRY unanimously, 23-0.
And that takes Council to lunch. Back at 2 p.m., with 75 items left on the agenda, including snow clearing, the island ferries, and councillor compensation.
Council is back, and beginning the run-through of member motions. In most cases, these items need two-thirds support to make the agenda. If they get it, many will be held for debate later. I'll post some notable votes. (If there's one you especially care about, let me know.)
Pasternak's motion calling for a report on getting some snow-making tech for Earl Bales Ski Hill CARRIES via show of hands. secure.toronto.ca/council/agen…
Mayor Olivia Chow's motion calling for staff to do an analysis of where we most need public washrooms gets added to the agenda but held for debate. secure.toronto.ca/council/agen….
Holyday's motion asking the provincial government to change regulations so Apple AirPods can be used as hearing aids in Canada CARRIES via show of hands. secure.toronto.ca/council/agen…
Councillor Josh Matlow's motion for a report in Q4 2025 on options to deal with vacant storefronts gets added to the agenda via show of hands and held for debate. secure.toronto.ca/council/agen…
Councillor Paula Fletcher's motion to look at ways to address the carbon footprint of Toronto's financial industry CARRIES 18-5. secure.toronto.ca/council/agen…
Councillor Fletcher's motion to increase the compensation for people who sit on the TCHC board makes the agenda, 17-6. Holyday holds it for debate. secure.toronto.ca/council/agen…
Councillor Lily Cheng wants to introduce this motion to use Section 37 funds to build a fence adjacent to the modular housing project at 185 Cummer Ave. Councillor Gord Perks doesn't like it and tells everyone to vote against it.
Councillor Dianne Saxe's request for a report on whether landlords should have to provide replacement units when rooming house residents get demovicted CARRIES 22-1. secure.toronto.ca/council/agen…
Council votes via show of hands to APPROVE making a deal with the Weston Foundation for a $50 million project to spruce up Queen's Park North. secure.toronto.ca/council/agen…
After that frenzy, there are 27 items left on the agenda. Council returns to an item from yesterday: an incentive program to "unstick" condo projects that have been stuck by market conditions, via deferring development charges. secure.toronto.ca/council/agen…
Councillor Brad Bradford has a long motion. He wants an indefinite deferral, resulting in a 25% reduction in development charges for all condo projects, and a 100% reduction for purpose-built rentals and three-bedroom condo units.
"We're seeing municipalities across the GTA putting forward something more ambitious than what was in front of us today, really recognizing the principal challenge to housing right is making these projects financially viable," says Councillor Brad Bradford.
Councillor Gord Perks, noting Bradford's motion redirects funds from the Housing Accelerator Fund, asks Bradford which affordable housing projects he'd cancel to fund his DC reduction. Bradford says he's been trying to get info about where those funds are going, but hasn't been able to get answers.
"My understanding of the Housing Accelerator Fund is it's for the federal government to provide us funding for bricks-and-mortar housing, and you want to use it to provide a financial incentive?" Councillor Ainslie asks.
Bradford says the HAF is to help deliver more housing, and this will do that.
Councillor Alejandra Bravo says Council should stick with the program as-is and not support Bradford's motion. "Supply has not made housing more affordable, and it won't. The market will not deal with this. This is what we have government there to do," she says.
"Members, from time to time, you're asked to do something thoroughly crazy, and this is one of them — the money Councillor Bradford wants to allocate to pay for his motion is ALL allocated to affordable housing projects," says Councillor Gord Perks, pointing to 19 projects with 2,100 units.
"This is LITERALLY taking money out of building the housing for people who cannot afford to live in the current market, and saying, 'A better idea is to reduce the fees and charges that the industry pays!'" says Perks of Bradford's motion.
Offering an anecdote about the time he went to Cleveland, Councillor Josh Matlow says it's a city that "still has massive surface parking lots in their downtown — seas of them. Like how Toronto looked in the 80s."
Up now: do you believe in ferries? Council will discuss a couple of reports about the Toronto Island ferries, with one showing that the cost of installing infrastructure to support new electric boats has risen by $10.3 million, from $41.8 million to $52.1 million secure.toronto.ca/council/agen…
Pointing out Council made the call to buy electric ferries in 2019, Councillor Fletcher asks, "At what point did we discover that, if we're going to buy electric ferries, they have to be plugged in?"
July 2024, staff say, was first time there was an estimate on charging costs.
Chow asks what other improvements the parks department is making to the ferry terminal.
Staff list better wayfinding, temporary shade, improved customer service, a "fast pass" line, and "surprise and delight opportunities" like food and entertainment offerings.
"How the heck did this happen?" wonders Councillor Fletcher, "I don't think any of us here would go out and buy an electric vehicle and not figure out where we're parking it and where we're plugging it in — but that's what was previously done about the ferries."
Councillor Burnside is sick of this ferry stuff. He moves to call the question and skip the rest of the debate. That FAILS 11-12. The ferry debate shall continue.
"We're going from ferries to snow," says Nunziata. Time to debate the city's handling — or mishandling — of the February snow storms. secure.toronto.ca/council/agen…
Nunziata asks if city workers drive around after snow storms to check on whether roads and sidewalks are actually plowed, or if they just rely on GPS. Transportation GM Barbara Gray says there are staffers doing inspections, but there aren't "nearly enough to cover things comprehensively."
I retired from the Army Guard after nearly 21 1/2 years at the rank of staff sergeant and apparently know much more about DoD policy about the transmitting of military secrets on unsecured devices and platforms than this moron. 😳
Through his signing of various executive orders and the implementation of mass layoffs, Trump is trying to eliminate the Department of Education without any input from Congress. It's right out of the Project 2025 playbook, and Democrats are fighting back. Don't let this showdown fly under the radar. Stay informed with The Big Picture. thinkbigpicture.substack.com/p…
I wrote about some new Anthropic research suggesting that its latest model hasn't led to the automation of more labor just yet — but people are getting increasingly uncomfortable using AI to learn platformer.news/people-are-usi…
Exclusive data from Anthropic about Claude usage finds that AI is both automating and augmenting human labor — and people are increasingly using it to educate themselves
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has paraded new military drones amid reports that he has sent an additional 3,000 troops to help Russia in its war on Ukraine.
UPDATE: A federal judge heard arguments and testimony today in the Associated Press‘ effort to regain access to the Oval Office and other White House events, after the Trump administration banned the wire service because it refused to change its styl…
just think in 10 years maga Americans will deny they voted for Trump or that they supported all the racist policies that led to the fall of the American empire. The rest of the world will not forget, or forgive!
FTC Democrats sue Trump, say firings break law and Supreme Court precedent "A President cannot remove an FTC Commissioner without cause," lawsuit says. arstechnica.com/tech-policy/20…
The Switch 2 shindig is next week, but today, Nintendo showcased Metroid Prime 4, Rhythm Heaven Groove, and the many other exciting titles on the horizon for its current console. pcmag.com/news/nintendo-direct…
A new FosseryWeb update just dropped! - "articles" I posted earlier on Odysee (and some of them also here on Mastodon) are now also available on FosseryWeb - the downloadable Markdowns of some CSS cheatsheets are updated to bundle images with them (so that images can load without Internet connection) - some additional info about contributions is added to About page - footer text is updated
some under the hood update: - year in copyright text is updated to include 2025 - copyright text is added to code files where it was previously missing from
A news audit found that a pro-Kremlin network has deliberately infiltrated leading artificial intelligence chatbots with false narratives about #Ukraine. This means that russian AI-generated propaganda and falsehoods are flooding the information space, another element of russia’s expanding #disinfo
A news audit found that a pro-Kremlin network has deliberately infiltrated leading artificial intelligence chatbots with false narratives about Ukraine.
I look at a lot of space images, but this one made my eyes bug out like a cartoon character.
What you see here isn't a spiral galaxy, exactly. It's a spiral galaxy whose image was bent into a circle by the gravity of an elliptical galaxy visible at the center.
@cratermoon I also thought of this character from ST:TNG, though it’s more distorted and sinister: memory-alpha.fandom.com/wiki/N… Not a great episode at all, but I remember the face!
Nagilum was a non-corporeal immortal being that lived outside the universe and could not be detected by Federation sensors, insomuch as being called by Captain Jean-Luc Picard, "something that both is and is not there.
Damn, this is tempting. I'm generally very pleased with my Sovol printers: they're hackable, #opensource, and perform well. They aren't prefect but they're very good.
The Zero would be nice to have an enclosed printer to handle more engineering grade things. Maybe throw it in the garage.
Of course, of the 5 printers I have right now one is currently functional. Maybe I should get the others all functional before getting _another_.
The World's Fastest CoreXY 3D Printer Faster & More Accurate & Easier to Use Auto-Leveling: Eddy scanning & Pressure sensing XYZ Full Linear Rails Build Volume: 152.4*152.4*152.
When I tried using ABS to print face shield frames on an open printer (which worked mechanically for just a few layers high) early in the pandemic, it was horrible even in a not-tight house. I even tried to stop up vents and contain the fumes to the printing room, and the family put the absolute kibosh on it. But a negative-pressure (active exhaust) enclosed printer with active carbon brought it down to no complaints. Doesn't mean no smell, just faint enough.
Chris M. Barkley, who won the 2023 Hugo Award for Best Fan Writer but never received the trophy after he and I wrote our report revealing censorship in that year's awards, has sued Hugo administer Dave McCarty. Details in linked funding update. 1/ gofundme.com/f/join-chris-bark…
This morning Barkley and McCarty went before a Cook County judge, where McCarty said regarding the case "I don't think I owe anything."
Gee, then why not give Barkley his Hugo trophy, which McCarty evidently has. McCarty refused arbitration and a trial date will be set in the near future. 2/
The image depicts a detailed pencil sketch of a knight standing in a heroic pose. The knight is clad in medieval armor, including a breastplate, gauntlets, and a skirt-like tunic. They hold a sword in their right hand and a shield in their left, which features a crest with a castle-like design. The knight's armor is intricately drawn, with visible folds and creases, suggesting a sense of movement and realism.
In the background, a unicorn is partially visible, adding a mythical element to the scene. The sketch is framed with an ornate border, enhancing the medieval aesthetic. The parchment-like background gives the image an aged, historical feel. The bottom left corner of the image includes a signature, "MOTOLAB," which adds a personal touch to the artwork. The overall composition is balanced, with the knight and the unicorn creating a harmonious scene.
Provided by @altbot, generated privately and locally using Ovis2-8B
However angry you feel right now, you're not nearly angry enough. Men and women who fled persecution in other countries - who came to this country doing all the things conservatives CLAIM they want them to do - are now being disappeared by this regime without due process or any notification to their families. We are the bad guys now and unless you stand up against it, so are you.
Why do government officials and journalists use Signal? It's not just about #encryption. A cybersecurity professor explains the key factors in choosing a secure messaging app: theconversation.com/signal-is-… #cybersecurity
Keeping your chats secure is a good idea, but end-to-end encryption is just the beginning of the list of options to consider when picking a messaging app.
It should be seen as a hint, that all the money spent ba Mark #Zuckerberg does not convince #Trump and #Vance, that #Whatsapp is a secure messenger. And having their poor understanding of technology in mind, it becomes clear, that whatsapp is obviously insecure.
Every face scan is a “unique opportunity” to assert your rights, EFF’s Saira Hussain told @huffingtonpost. If more people keep declining face scans, maybe TSA will think twice “about whether it’s actually effective to roll out programs like these.” huffpost.com/entry/tsa-facial-…
Matt Elliott
in reply to Matt Elliott • • •As you’d expect, Mayor Olivia Chow has named the U.S. Tariff response item as the first order of business. The item about refugees in the shelter system has been scheduled for first-thing tomorrow.
I’ve got a full preview of the agenda here: toronto.cityhallwatcher.com/p/…
Council to talk about coyotes, federal support for shelters, and a big pay hike
Matt Elliott (City Hall Watcher)Matt Elliott
in reply to Matt Elliott • • •Councillor Thompson rises to speak about the mass shooting at a pub in his ward earlier this month. He urges people to call the cops if they know anything.
“We have not been cowered by those amongst us who want to threaten our sense of security and enjoyment of our city,” he says.
Matt Elliott
in reply to Matt Elliott • • •Matt Elliott
in reply to Matt Elliott • • •Matt Elliott
in reply to Matt Elliott • • •Agenda Item History 2025.IA28.1
toronto.caMatt Elliott
in reply to Matt Elliott • • •Matt Elliott
in reply to Matt Elliott • • •Matt Elliott
in reply to Matt Elliott • • •Matt Elliott
in reply to Matt Elliott • • •Agenda Item History 2025.IE19.10
toronto.caMatt Elliott
in reply to Matt Elliott • • •Agenda Item History 2025.TE20.54
toronto.caMatt Elliott
in reply to Matt Elliott • • •Matt Elliott
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in reply to Matt Elliott • • •Councillor Jamaal Myers, the TTC Chair, says he's looking forward to welcoming former councillor Joe Mihevc back to the TTC Board, as a "citizen appointee."
Council APPROVES Mihevc's appointment via show of hands.
Matt Elliott
in reply to Matt Elliott • • •Agenda Item History 2025.EX21.4
toronto.caMatt Elliott
in reply to Matt Elliott • • •Agenda Item History 2025.EX21.2
toronto.caMatt Elliott
in reply to Matt Elliott • • •"There seems to be an anti-American tone to this," notes Councillor James Pasternak. "Do you think that could hurt our ability to attract American tourists to Toronto for FIFA and all year round?"
Staff say the goal is to support local businesses and jobs "without tipping into anti-Americanism."
Matt Elliott
in reply to Matt Elliott • • •Councillor Stephen Holyday asks the mayor if there's any desire to "reverse the policy and do business with the U.S."
"No. Not right now. We're under attack," says Mayor Olivia Chow. "We need to defend ourselves and attack back."
Matt Elliott
in reply to Matt Elliott • • •Holyday asks if the U.S. dropped the tariff talk, would mayor be open to doing biz with the U.S. again?
"If the federal and the provincial and this government collectively believe that there is peace in our land. If there's no more trade war ... then at that point, of course."
Matt Elliott
in reply to Matt Elliott • • •Matt Elliott
in reply to Matt Elliott • • •Matt Elliott
in reply to Matt Elliott • • •Matt Elliott
in reply to Matt Elliott • • •"I think something has awoken," says Mayor Olivia Chow. "A feeling of pride. Of being Canadian."
She says she's been asking people if they're proud of being Canadian, and they say yes. She asks them if they want to be the 51st state and she gets a "resounding 'no way'."
Matt Elliott
in reply to Matt Elliott • • •Pasternak says he's a patriotic Canadian but warns about "economic nationalism."
"We are a city that relies very heavily on foreign tourism, particularly Americans... and the last thing we need is to send a message south of the border that Toronto is not friendly to tourists."
Matt Elliott
in reply to Matt Elliott • • •Matt Elliott
in reply to Matt Elliott • • •Matt Elliott
in reply to Matt Elliott • • •Councillor Josh Matlow moves a three-part motion:
- Including a sunset clause in this plan so measures get removed if a trade agreement is reached.
- Ask Ottawa & Queen's Park to cover any lost municipal revenue from plan.
- Consider impact on jobs as part of future reports on the plan.
Matt Elliott
in reply to Matt Elliott • • •Matt Elliott
in reply to Matt Elliott • • •Councillor Bradford moves to strike the part of the Trade War Plan that limits use of U.S-based rideshare companies like Uber.
He says these ride-share companies employ lots of people in Toronto. "These are good jobs. They are important jobs." He warns about making workers "collateral damage."
Matt Elliott
in reply to Matt Elliott • • •Matt Elliott
in reply to Matt Elliott • • •Matt Elliott
in reply to Matt Elliott • • •Matt Elliott
in reply to Matt Elliott • • •Matt Elliott
in reply to Matt Elliott • • •Matt Elliott
in reply to Matt Elliott • • •Matt Elliott
in reply to Matt Elliott • • •Councillor Carroll warns that because of "our sabre rattling and our booing at the hockey game," some visiting Americans are fearful they might be accosted in the streets.
"The more we sabre rattle, the more we are creating this beautiful fertile ground of politics for President Trump to use."
Matt Elliott
in reply to Matt Elliott • • •Matt Elliott
in reply to Matt Elliott • • •Council has returned. Perruzza tells us "the gist" of a joke he heard from a constituent
"President Trump is like a horse in a china shop. Doesn't know why he's there. And doesn't know what he's going to do next. But in the meantime, he's breaking it all apart."
Matt Elliott
in reply to Matt Elliott • • •Anyway, time to vote on Toronto's tariff response plan.
Councillor Bradford's motion to delete the part of the economic plan asking staff to limit use of US-based rideshare platforms like Uber & Lyft FAILS 5-17.
Matt Elliott
in reply to Matt Elliott • • •Matt Elliott
in reply to Matt Elliott • • •Matt Elliott
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in reply to Matt Elliott • • •Agenda Item History 2025.CC28.9
toronto.caMatt Elliott
in reply to Matt Elliott • • •Matt Elliott
in reply to Matt Elliott • • •Agenda Item History 2025.EX21.8
toronto.caMatt Elliott
in reply to Matt Elliott • • •Holyday is concerned that the school food program seems to have expanded to include a "mid-morning meal" instead of a snack. What's the difference between a meal and a snack, he asks.
Staff say terms are pretty interchangeable, but more substantial food mid-morning has proven helpful.
Matt Elliott
in reply to Matt Elliott • • •Staff cite examples where teachers have moved math class until after mid-morning meal, "because the teacher has seen there's a noticeable improvement in attentiveness and math scores."
"Have we thought of giving them coffee?" Holyday jokes. "No, you don't have to answer that."
Matt Elliott
in reply to Matt Elliott • • •Matt Elliott
in reply to Matt Elliott • • •Matt Elliott
in reply to Matt Elliott • • •"What are we teaching the kids? That now, not only are many things in life the responsibility of others, now suddenly it's the responsibility of the school or the institution to put food into their mouths?" Holyday says.
"Kids should learn how to make and prepare meals," he says.
Matt Elliott
in reply to Matt Elliott • • •Matt Elliott
in reply to Matt Elliott • • •Matt Elliott
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in reply to Matt Elliott • • •Agenda Item History 2025.EX21.13
toronto.caMatt Elliott
in reply to Matt Elliott • • •Matt Elliott
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in reply to Matt Elliott • • •Matt Elliott
in reply to Matt Elliott • • •Council has risen from its slumber and is back for day two of the proceedings. This morning's first debate is scheduled to be about refugees in the shelter system.
The meeting stream is here. I will continue to cover things until the bitter end. youtube.com/watch?v=TvW84RFoWu…
City Council - March 27, 2025
YouTubeMatt Elliott
in reply to Matt Elliott • • •Matt Elliott
in reply to Matt Elliott • • •Agenda Item History 2025.EC18.8
toronto.caMatt Elliott
in reply to Matt Elliott • • •Matt Elliott
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toronto.caMatt Elliott
in reply to Matt Elliott • • •Matt Elliott
in reply to Matt Elliott • • •"Do you feel if the folks in this situation were actually white, the outcome would have been different?" asks Councillor Jon Burnside of the Black refugees who were denied shelter access.
"That wasn't what I investigated and I can't make that assumption," says the Ombudsman.
Matt Elliott
in reply to Matt Elliott • • •Councillor Myers asks if the city is confident this won't happen again.
"We were struggling coming out of the pandemic, and then we had 20,000 additional [refugees] we had to serve. If that happens again, I cannot say that we won't see people on the street again," says Shelters GM Gord Tanner.
Matt Elliott
in reply to Matt Elliott • • •Matt Elliott
in reply to Matt Elliott • • •Matt Elliott
in reply to Matt Elliott • • •Thompson asks the City Manager why he refused to accept the Ombudsman report.
"The report failed in my mind to stay focused on the situation that was presenting itself at the time. We had no funding federally, period, for refugees and asylum seekers at that time," says City Manager Paul Johnson.
Matt Elliott
in reply to Matt Elliott • • •Matt Elliott
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in reply to Matt Elliott • • •Agenda Item History 2025.CC28.2
toronto.caMatt Elliott
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in reply to Matt Elliott • • •Agenda Item History 2025.MM28.1
toronto.caMatt Elliott
in reply to Matt Elliott • • •Agenda Item History 2025.MM28.6
toronto.caMatt Elliott
in reply to Matt Elliott • • •Agenda Item History 2025.MM28.9
toronto.caMatt Elliott
in reply to Matt Elliott • • •Agenda Item History 2025.MM28.22
toronto.caMatt Elliott
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toronto.caMatt Elliott
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toronto.caMatt Elliott
in reply to Matt Elliott • • •Agenda Item History 2025.MM28.36
toronto.caMatt Elliott
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toronto.caMatt Elliott
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toronto.caMatt Elliott
in reply to Matt Elliott • • •Matt Elliott
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toronto.caMatt Elliott
in reply to Matt Elliott • • •Agenda Item History 2025.CC28.1
toronto.caMatt Elliott
in reply to Matt Elliott • • •Agenda Item History 2025.EX21.13
toronto.caMatt Elliott
in reply to Matt Elliott • • •Matt Elliott
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in reply to Matt Elliott • • •"My understanding of the Housing Accelerator Fund is it's for the federal government to provide us funding for bricks-and-mortar housing, and you want to use it to provide a financial incentive?" Councillor Ainslie asks.
Bradford says the HAF is to help deliver more housing, and this will do that.
Matt Elliott
in reply to Matt Elliott • • •Matt Elliott
in reply to Matt Elliott • • •Matt Elliott
in reply to Matt Elliott • • •Matt Elliott
in reply to Matt Elliott • • •Offering an anecdote about the time he went to Cleveland, Councillor Josh Matlow says it's a city that "still has massive surface parking lots in their downtown — seas of them. Like how Toronto looked in the 80s."
"Fantastic!" jokes Holyday.
Matt Elliott
in reply to Matt Elliott • • •Matt Elliott
in reply to Matt Elliott • • •Matt Elliott
in reply to Matt Elliott • • •Agenda Item History 2025.CC28.4
toronto.caMatt Elliott
in reply to Matt Elliott • • •Pointing out Council made the call to buy electric ferries in 2019, Councillor Fletcher asks, "At what point did we discover that, if we're going to buy electric ferries, they have to be plugged in?"
July 2024, staff say, was first time there was an estimate on charging costs.
Matt Elliott
in reply to Matt Elliott • • •Chow asks what other improvements the parks department is making to the ferry terminal.
Staff list better wayfinding, temporary shade, improved customer service, a "fast pass" line, and "surprise and delight opportunities" like food and entertainment offerings.
Matt Elliott
in reply to Matt Elliott • • •Matt Elliott
in reply to Matt Elliott • • •Fletcher says this electric ferry deal was a "failure on the part of the parks and recreation division," blaming previous leadership in the division.
"I don't like to use the words 'colossal fail,' but today we're going to be talking about a lot of colossal fails."
Matt Elliott
in reply to Matt Elliott • • •Matt Elliott
in reply to Matt Elliott • • •Matt Elliott
in reply to Matt Elliott • • •Agenda Item History 2025.EX21.1
toronto.caMatt Elliott
in reply to Matt Elliott • • •Matt Elliott
in reply to Matt Elliott • • •"I don't understand why we do bike lanes and not sidewalks," says Nunziata.
"We do both," says Gray.
"No we don't," says Nunziata, saying she had to walk in a bike lane on Bloor because the bike lane was plowed but the sidewalk wasn't.
mhoye (temporarily spooky)
in reply to Matt Elliott • • •