Long July Council Session Finally Closed

Our hearts go out to the family and long time neighbours surrounding the Domestic Incident that turned tragic yesterday on Havenbrooke Blvd. Special thoughts also for our officers at Division 33 who have had to take on two particularly upsetting cases in one week as they also responded to the sad euthanasia case down in Ward 34.

It took four days to complete the July Council session but much progress has been made. I got my Works item approved which calls for the ramping up of waste recycling efforts in Multi-Residential buildings. Half of Toronto's residents live in multi-residential buildings. In Ward 33 that number is over 60% when we include our condominium owners.

The most newsworthy item was the 5 hour debate on regulating Holistic Health practitioners in a way that would drive out illegal body rub parlours from their ranks. I lost count of the number of amendments councillors placed at 24. I think we finally voted on about 30. Council has attempted to deal with the issues surrounding illegal body rub parlours without creating unnecessary disadvantages for the legitimate practitioners who treat Torontonians every day. It is important to remember that these people provide various forms of wellness therapy for sufferers of such ailments as cancer and degenerative arthritis.

We are fortunate in some ways in Ward 33 as commercial retail space is so expensive that we don't have a big problem with illegal operations such as body rub parlours in storefront locations. Indeed, our high retail rent is the reason I haven't been able to find an affordable constituency office. But these operations do move in overnight. The bottom line for residents to remember is that you have a right to expect action to be taken if an illegal operation appears in your neighbourhood. If you suspect such a thing, be sure to contact us so we can put the new bylaws to the test.

Complete council highlights will be typed up and posted next week. Tomorrow I'll have updates on the development applications in Parkway Forest and at 25 Buchan Court.