This new feature on my website, allows me to correspond with you regularily and provide you with my perspective on City Council, Community Council or Committee meetings; local issues as they unfold; community events that are coming up; or perhaps just chat about City policies and items that are under debate. I welcome comments and feedback. Please email me at the address below and state 'BLOG comments' in the subject line, along with your address in Ward 5: councillor_milczyn@toronto.ca

It's the first day of our July City Council meeting today. Things are moving along well and much of the routine business is being completed quite efficiently. Of course the hot topic at this meeting is the proposed pay hike for Council. The pay hike will be debated on Thursday morning. I can't believe that this issue is still alive since Howard Moscoe tried to slip it through in April. At that point a clear majority of Councillors voted for this unjustified pay increase, although some had a change of heart once it became public. I did not support the pay raise then, and I will not support it this week either. We cannot justify such an increase on the basis of our collective performance, the City's financial position, or the message it would send to City employees about their wage demands.