Toronto City Council
The Toronto City Council is the governing body of the city of Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Members represent wards throughout the city, and are known as councillors.
For ease of electoral division, wards are based upon the city's provincial electoral districts, with each district (or 'riding') divided into two city wards. (The provincial boundaries was redistributed in 2007 along the lines of the new federal boundaries; it is unclear whether the city wards will also be shifted along these lines for the 2010 election, an adjustment which would increase the number of councillors from 44 to 45 or 46.)
The city council currently comprises 45 members: 44 ward councillors plus the mayor. The city posts agendas for council and committee meetings.
Executive
There are seven standing committees of council (government management, public works and infrastructure, economic development, parks and the environment, community services and recreation, licensing and standards, and planning and growth management) whom make up the executive body at city hall. In addition there are three other internal business committees: audit, nominating and striking. Sub-committees of the executive committee include the budget advisory committee, affordable housing committee and the employee and labour relations committee.
Community councils
In addition to the standing committees, all members of Toronto city council serve on a community council. The city is divided into four community councils, each of which makes recommendations on local matters to the full city council. Although they are named "councils" they are really geographic standing committees of council with no final authority. These are denoted in the chart below as a letter next to the councillor's ward number:
 E - Etobicoke and York,
N - North York,
S - Scarborough,
T - Central Toronto and East York.
Changes for 2006-2010 Council
A few changes are coming to the new council in 2007:
Executive Committee consisting of two city councillors and the six heads of the city committees (Policy and Finance, Administration, Planning and Transportation, Economic Development and Parks, Works, Community Services)
Speaker of Toronto City Council and Deputy Speaker of Toronto City Council
Criticisms
Toronto City council has been criticized by papers such as the Globe and Mail, right-wing think-tanks and even some of the councillors. Councillor Denzil Minnan-Wong was a strong advocate against the 2007 municipal tax hikes. Proposals called for a hike of $500 million. Minnan-Wong and several other right-leaning councillors criticized city council for having "no spending control".
Shortly after the 2006 municipal election, councillor Kyle Rae made a statement on television, saying : "People in the suburbs are simply going to have to wake up and understand that they're destroying the environment". This statement caused a mild stir, although no formal apologies were requested.
In August 2007 during a budget meeting, Ward 22 Councillor Michael Walker suggested that Council retract a nine percent pay raise it had given itself in January. After being ruled "Out of order" fellow Councillor Kyle Rae called Walker "A loser" for making the suggestion and accused reporters interviewing him of being "lazy" and "suckers" for covering the call for a pay cut. Rae's choice of words drew criticism from the Globe & Mail as well as several Torontonians.
Vacancies
If a vacancy occurs within the final year before the next municipal election, city council solicits applications for a temporary appointment to the vacant seat. Otherwise, a regular byelection is held in the affected ward.
Old ward system
During the 19th century Toronto was divided into a group of wards, each named after a Christian saint. While out of use for over a century, these ward names continue to appear in neighbourhood names and subway stations. A map of the wards can be found here. The old wards and their boundaries from 1871 to 1891 were:
St. Andrew's - bounded by Dufferin, King, Queen, and Yonge Streets
St. David's - bounded by Ontario, Don Mills Road (now Broadview Ave), Bloor and Queen
St. George's - bounded by King, Yonge, Dufferin Streets and lakefront
St. John's - bounded by Yonge, University, Bloor and Queen
St. Lawrence's - bounded by Queen, Yonge, lakefront, McGee
St. Patrick's - bounded by Yonge, Bathurst, Queen and College Streets
St. Stephen's - bounded by Yonge, Bathurst, Queen and Dufferin Streets
St. Thomas's - bounded by Jarvis, Ontario, Bloor, Queen Streets
St. James's - bounded by Yonge, Jarvis, King and Bloor
External links
Toronto City Council website
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