Mayor Rob Ford's Toronto

[Bruvyman]

I am surprised that no one is talking about the report commissioned by Joe Mihevic that confirms that Ford has no legal right to scrap Transit City unilaterally. Under the City of Toronto Act, the Mayor must have the support of council to undo motions voted on by council. A lot of us questioned how he was able to do that last year, and now, it would seem to me to be pretty clear-cut that he did not have a legal right to do so. Ford and his brother (on 1010 this morning) are going on about his "mandate" as if he has the right to bully through any of the platform issues that he ran on because he was elected.

His supporters seem to be dodging this issue and focusing on the question of who paid for this lawyer to write this report. Mihevic has not divulged this, but has insisted that he "took care of it" and that no tax dollars or any money from any interested parties was used. They are deriding the lawyer as "left wing" when some of her previous clients include Hazel MacCallion and Kim Campbell. Absurd.

Arlene Bynon (prob spelled her name wrong but couldn't care less) had Mihevic on her show last night, and peppered and pushed him with questions about the report's funding while ignoring the fact that Ford cancelled transit city without a legal right to do so. She then had on four callers, and not at all surprisingly all but one were Ford boosters. She of course did allow the one token dissenting voice on just for fodder that her and the other callers could mock. Listening to that lady is going to give me grey hairs before my time.

Here are some articles on the issue:

Toronto Star

Toronto Sun

Globe and Mail

[Automation Gallery]

This will be squashed by council in March.. Just more politics to keep Transit City on life support for a couple more months.

[Bruvyman]

This will be squashed by council in March.. Just more politics to keep Transit City on life support for a couple more months.

What will be squashed?

[Irishmonk]

"I was out in Scarborough over the weekend; people came up to me and said they want subways. That’s it."

Rob Ford on his unique approach to transit planning.

The lesson here: the next time you see Rob Ford on the street, don't ask him for spare change or a subway token, ask him for an entire subway system. He will give it to you.

http://www.thestar.com/news/cityhall...o-s-mayor-have

[Automation Gallery]

What will be squashed?

Huh....This whole vision/fantasy of having a bunch of proposed above grade LRT lines running all over the city.

[Riverdale Rink Rat]

Huh....This whole vision/fantasy of having a bunch of proposed above grade LRT lines running all over the city.

Nah, the thing getting squashed is this whole vision/fantasy of the private sector ponying up for a subway line on Sheppard.

Could someone refresh my memory, by the way... why IS this Mayor Ford's personal obsession? What is it about Sheppard East -- the fact that there's already a stub? It doesn't go near his ward/home base, so that's not it. Because it would link to Scarborough Town Centre?

AG -- I absolutely cannot understand how anyone can drive from Celestica to the power centre alley beyond Eglinton and O'Connor and say that you need to bury any transit on that stretch. It's way, way more appropriate for surface transit than anywhere else being proposed/implemented in the city. What, other than a fetish for below grade transit, makes this a place for anyone to pick a fight?

[Tee]

LOL, very clever.

[Tee]

"I was out in Scarborough over the weekend; people came up to me and said they want subways. That’s it."

Rob Ford on his unique approach to transit planning.

The lesson here: the next time you see Rob Ford on the street, don't ask him for spare change or a subway token, ask him for an entire subway system. He will give it to you.

http://www.thestar.com/news/cityhall...o-s-mayor-have

LOL, very clever.

[Automation Gallery]

AG -- I absolutely cannot understand how anyone can drive from Celestica to the power centre alley beyond Eglinton and O'Connor and say that you need to bury any transit on that stretch. It's way, way more appropriate for surface transit than anywhere else being proposed/implemented in the city. What, other than a fetish for below grade transit, makes this a place for anyone to pick a fight?

I dont know if its a fetish, thats what big citys do, they build underground transportation systems.....Toronto is past being, Portland, Pittsburgh or Minneapolis
Anyone in their right mind... in the middle of January/February would rather ride an underground rail system than above ground, especially that run from O,Connor to the Town Centre. That is one windy cold area to be waiting for a streetcar (i guess LRT)

[Tulse]

I dont know if its a fetish, thats what big citys do

And if big cities jumped of a bridge, would you want Toronto to do that, too?

But seriously, "big cities" that are fiscally responsible bury their transit when appropriate -- when the density is sufficient and the cost is reasonable.

Anyone in their right mind... in the middle of January/February would rather ride an underground rail system

Sure, and I want a pony. But although the same weather considerations apply, there is a reason that all the bus lines haven't been replaced with subways.

Public works projects, especially transit, often involve compromises, largely due to fiscal constraints. That's a reality that all cities, even the "big" ones, have to face.

[JoeParez]

I dont know if its a fetish, thats what big citys do, they build underground transportation systems.....Toronto is past being, Portland, Pittsburgh or Minneapolis
Anyone in their right mind... in the middle of January/February would rather ride an underground rail system than above ground, especially that run from O,Connor to the Town Centre. That is one windy cold area to be waiting for a streetcar (i guess LRT)

I once waited for a Tram in Milan on cold January night - I had no problems with it.
I waited with a bunch of local AC Milan fans who weren't bothered by it either - are you saying that Toronto deserves better than Milan? And Milan continues to build LRT/Tram lines.

Also, the tram lines in Milan are more frequent than their subway because that same tram I waited for, took me to the subway station that was supposed to take me to Milano Centrale - I waited 15 minutes for that train - I could've stayed on the tram and made my connecting regional train to Bologna on time.

[Justin10000]

Paris is much larger than Toronto, and is building LRT in it's suburbs, where it's not practical to expand the metro. It's a sorry excuse saying that big cities build underground. And no city would be foolish to build underground in a valley.

[Automation Gallery]

Paris is much larger than Toronto, and is building LRT in it's suburbs, where it's not practical to expand the metro. It's a sorry excuse saying that big cities build underground. And no city would be foolish to build underground in a valley.

Ah come on, Paris has already aprox. 225km and sixteen lines of underground....
Regarding a valley, citys usually build a bridge, or is that to much to ask in Toronto

[Justin10000]

Almost all within the dense part of the city. Not in the 'burbs.

And isn't it too much to just build the line on the surface?

[ttk77]

Now this is certainly an interesting development:

http://www.thestar.com/news/article/...r-the-bus?bn=1

If Ford hadn't already lost Stintz as an ally, then he certainly has now. This was pretty much Ford's last chance to save face on the transit issue and he just blew it.