Tory apologizes to couple in dispute

Mayor has ordered city workers to help elderly people by cutting grass

Sometimes, the boss has to get involved to resolve a problem, even something as simple as cutting a patch of grass.

We reported yesterday on a city order to 91-year-old Remo Michelini and his 88-year-old wife, Lina, to cut the grass within seven days on a traffic calming island in front of their Lauder Ave. home.

The city had cut it since the island was installed about 10 years ago, but decided this spring that the Michelinis had to do it, even threatening them with a bylaw violation if they didn’t.

That caught the attention of an incredible number of readers — more than 100,000 had clicked on the column by Monday afternoon on thestar.com— including Mayor John Tory, who was unhappy about it, to put it mildly.

Tory told reporters that “I hear about these things and they just cause me to shake my head,” adding that when he reads about it early in the day, “I honestly want to go back to sleep.

“The bottom line is I left word this morning with my officials, I want that grass cut immediately and I don’t want 91-year-old people to be harassed. It’s just not the kind of city I want to be leader of. “Just cut the grass.” At some point, city officials who had been on the pointy end of repeated notes from the Michelini’s son, J.P., asking them to cut the grass regularly, decided to put the screws to them.

In letters dated June 5 to Remo and Lina, the city referred to it as the Michelinis’ property, adding they had seven days to cut it or face legal action, including a notice of violation.

The mayor said he personally called Lina Michelini on Monday to confirm the grass had been cut by city staff, adding he apologized for the situation. What's broken in your neighbourhood? Wherever you are in Greater Toronto, we want to know. Email to jlakey@thestar.ca or follow @TOStarFixer on Twitter