Thread by @dmrider

Mayor @JohnTory starts unrelated news conference by offering condolences on behalf of Toronto to Queen Elizabeth II & people of Great Britain for loss of Prince Philip, whom Tory says visited the city 20 times. City flags will be lowered to half-mast, TORONTO sign will be dimmed.

Tory says 129 people registered per minute this morning when vaccine appointments opened to people 50-plus in hotspot postal codes. Talking about health partners vaccinating people 18-plus in Thorncliffe today

News conference is for kickoff of city's annual spring cleanup. Tory says he knows residents will want to use public spaces a lot, so more than 1400 workers in April and May cleaning everything from catch basins to bike lanes

"Beach grooming" will start, perhaps optimistically, in late April. Park washrooms that were closed over the winter will be opened early given pandemic demand.

Tory thanks residents for doing their part to keep the city cleaner. Notes past times when masks and other PPE have littered the ground. Commends people who clean up parks and litter on their own. Mass cleanup event postponed until fall

Coun. McKelvie, chair of infrastructure and environment committee, says last year city crews 74 tonnes of garbage from ravines, urges everyone to put waste in proper containers

Asked why 50-plus people now eligible for targetted hotspots, Tory says part of drop in age eligibility, says hospital and health partners had already dropped age to 50 in those hotspots

Q: Since younger people including essential workers being hospitalized, why still older people? Tory: Hospital partners have started doing 18-plus in priority neighbourhoods, those people will "soon" be able to register for city clinics

Asked if they should have waited until 18-plus people in priority neighbourhoods can register for city clinics before announcing eligibility, Tory says welcome news to expand range "it was time to move forward" and everyone's moving as quickly as possible

Asked if he has assurances of vaccine supply for next batch of appointments, Mayor Tory says city only allows appoinments for which it has supply, hope to ramp up as supply increases

Asked re enforcement of physical distancing, bonfires etc. this weekend, Tory says will be city staff out but will be relying on residents to follow the rules and call 311 if they see people who aren't.