Fords Working to Fire Webster, Stintz, Scrap Streetcars: Star

[jeffreym]

Be careful what you wish, Rob.

The TTC may sooner or later be allowing private citizens to sit as commissioners on the TTC. Which means that Gary Webster may return as a commissioner, or even vice-chair, at some future date. Citizen members would be chosen through the city’s normal appointment process and needs to be approved by city council.

That's just the Executive Cmte wanted (pvt citizens on the board). That can be amended no problem if that's what council wants. What this really does is it gives an easy opportunity to reconstitute the board without a special meeting.

 

[Palma]

Yes, Webster's demise was politically motivated but that is hardly news, remember the Moscoe/Gunn saga. Mr. Webster was a sub ordinary leader at best during his time in the corner office, perfectly content to not make a wave, a perfect poster boy for everything that is wrong with the TTC.

I wonder what will happen transit wise when the provincial government chokes on their debt prospects and cancells the money they promised for subways, it could very easily happen. Imagine Toronto taxpayers having to pay for their own transit projects.

What subways? Its is all for LRT's. Putting it underground does not make it an LRT

 

[MetroMan]

Well, nobody saw this coming... Case Ootes is Ford's preferred candidate for a permanent replacement of Gary Webster.

Not an engineer. Not a transit planner. Nope. Ford wants a completely unqualified buddy who retired from City Council to immediately be appointed to a high paying job at the TCHC and now this. If Council fumbles on this and lets Ootes become GM, I'll have lost all faith.

 

[jeffreym]

From The Star:

"Behind closed doors, the commissioners who engineered Webster’s firing had planned to immediately name Byford to the top job but were surprised to learn that it wasn’t possible under the conditions of his work visa."

 

[gweed123]

Ha! Great line!

I gotta Tweet this! Are you on Twitter?

Hahaha, thank you. And yes I am, @JAndrewJ86. The line occurred to me today when I was reading some articles online about the whole Webster thing, and how Ford still wants subways. If he really wants subways that badly, have the left on council propose the alternative financing schemes that the Chong Report (the report that Ford himself commissioned), and then watch him grapple with his own ideology. Either way, he would come out looking like a fool, and his supporters would have to either abandon their ideological principles, or abandon him on that issue.

Either way, like I said, Ford will have turned himself into an ideological pretzel as a result.

Oh, man. That is a really funny - and fascinating suggestion.
It wouldn't be just Ford twisting whilst imploding - it's be The Sun and a great deal of it's readership, as well.

If such a thing were done, the reverberations throughout the city would be off-the-charts.

Too often the right is allowed to perform an ideological rampage through the political process, and it ends up being like a bull in the china shop. I for one have had it. It's time for the people in the centre and on the left to grow some balls and fight back. But you don't win by making grand vague statements or proposing token legislation, you win by beating them at their own game.

You find an issue where their ideological position is at odds with what they are proposing, and you squeeze. You give them exactly what their proposal needs, and then you let them fight an ideological war within themselves. You don't beat them by playing left vs right, you beat them by having them battle out right vs right. You toss ideological chum into the water, and then sit back and watch.

 

[ShonTron]

Well, nobody saw this coming... Case Ootes is Ford's preferred candidate for a permanent replacement of Gary Webster.

Not an engineer. Not a transit planner. Nope. Ford wants a completely unqualified buddy who retired from City Council to immediately be appointed to a high paying job at the TCHC and now this. If Council fumbles on this and lets Ootes become GM, I'll have lost all faith.

Wouldn't be surprised, but any truth to this rumour? I would have put my money on the evil dentist.

 

[Palma]

Not when 5 of the 9 are Ford plants who will mindlessly do his bidding.

In March, the TTC board will be dissolved and I assume Council will choose a better representation.

Well would that not mean they could hire Webster back if the same councillors who voted in favour of the original transit plan
get their people in there. Maybe thats what Karen Stinz meant when she said she will respect the decision of the Commission. This way if the new Commission members are not Ford;s hatchet guys they could bring Webster back and that means the Commission's decision would need to be respected.

 

[Palma]

I agree. If Ford would use the $8.4 billion and supplement it with a new source of transit-only revenue (like a GTA-wide transit tax) to implement a full subway on Eglinton, I'm sure he'd have all the support he needs (even if it wasn't the most efficient idea).

Ford proves time and time again he has no clue what leadership is about.

Ford does not understand what a full fledge subway is. He must really believe that LRT along Eglinton is a subway if its underground and these people who ,live in Scarborough are believing him to

 

[Palma]

Oh, man. That is a really funny - and fascinating suggestion.
It wouldn't be just Ford twisting whilst imploding - it's be The Sun and a great deal of it's readership, as well.

If such a thing were done, the reverberations throughout the city would be off-the-charts.

I would love to see that to but I still feel Eglinton needs a full subway before Sheppard so the one change i would make is tolls to build a true subway along Eglinton

 

[Palma]

From The Star:

"Behind closed doors, the commissioners who engineered Webster’s firing had planned to immediately name Byford to the top job but were surprised to learn that it wasn’t possible under the conditions of his work visa."

What a bunch of stooges

 

[OLM]

What a perfect opportunity for the province to step in and cure the malaise that is Metrolinx - appoint Gary Webster to run it...

 

[jje1000]

Well, nobody saw this coming... Case Ootes is Ford's preferred candidate for a permanent replacement of Gary Webster.

Not an engineer. Not a transit planner. Nope. Ford wants a completely unqualified buddy who retired from City Council to immediately be appointed to a high paying job at the TCHC and now this. If Council fumbles on this and lets Ootes become GM, I'll have lost all faith.

Where did you get that information?

Anyhow, this is likely a very Pyrrhic victory for Ford. Council likely isn't going to stay quiet on this one.

 

[Electrify]

Ford does not understand what a full fledge subway is. He must really believe that LRT along Eglinton is a subway if its underground and these people who ,live in Scarborough are believing him to

It would be a light rail subway. It would be entirely underground and separated from other traffic. The distinction between 'light rail' and 'metro/heavy rail' is almost non-existent, as both can be used in a variety of operating conditions, and some light rail trains are in fact larger than heavy rail ones. Even 'heavy rail' becomes a loose term, since in the UK it refers to commuter trains while 'underground,' 'subway,' or 'metro' is used to refer to rapid transit systems in different cities.

Once upon a time there might have been a clear distinction between the varying forms of transit, but today it is pretty much all 'rail.'

 

[MetroMan]

Where did you get that information?

I use my real name here so I can't say. You'll probably hear about it in the coming days and weeks.

 

[Palma]

It would be a light rail subway. It would be entirely underground and separated from other traffic. The distinction between 'light rail' and 'metro/heavy rail' is almost non-existent, as both can be used in a variety of operating conditions, and some light rail trains are in fact larger than heavy rail ones. Even 'heavy rail' becomes a loose term, since in the UK it refers to commuter trains while 'underground,' 'subway,' or 'metro' is used to refer to rapid transit systems in different cities.

I guess I would have to see if and when the LRT comes to 6 cars and the capacity to carry so many passengers plus the speed. I was told at the open house for the design of the Keele station that the LRT is the same width as a streetcar but will have 2 or 3 cars. This does not sound like a subway to me except its underground