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Rob Ford's Toronto

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Gavin said:
Again, I'm being sarcastic, but don't pretend for a second that someone who buys into the "downtown elitist" narrative wouldn't be the first to lump a U of T employee in with that group.
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I agree with this, and thought you were part of the buy in. Didn't pick up on the /s
 
My comments weren't aimed at you or any specific poster.

I just find it hilarious how these stereotypes can be flipped in a flash to reflect other situations without people seeing it's the same.

The best thing about the scandals in Toronto, Mississauga, Vaughan, and Brampton is that more people are talking about municipal politics and giving it a thought.
 
Wynne wants to make up with Ford: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news...with-ford/article12659865/#dashboard/follows/
Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne is extending an olive branch to Toronto Mayor Rob Ford, offering to repair their rocky relationship and insisting she would not “stand in judgment” over the drug allegations dogging his administration.

In an interview at her Queen’s Park office on Tuesday, Ms. Wynne acknowledged her rapport with the chief magistrate of her province’s largest city has been difficult. But she said she wants to work more closely with him to improve affordable housing and solve the gridlock choking the city.

“There have been some rifts and that’s a problem from my perspective,” she said. “My hope is that over the next few months, we’ll be able to rebuild a better dialogue.”

While there are no immediate plans for a future meeting, a source close to Ms. Wynne said the Premier would like to sit down on a regular basis with Mr. Ford. The pair has not met since their only formal tête-à-tête in late March.

They have opposite personalities and political styles – Ms. Wynne is a left-of-centre intellectual, Mr. Ford a right-wing populist – and their disagreements on policy have played out publicly.

The mayor came out swinging against the Premier’s plan to build $34-billion worth of subways, light rail lines and other transit with new taxes and tolls. Mr. Ford also argued in favour of a special deal that would see his city get more money from a potential casino than other provincial municipalities; Ms. Wynne decreed that all cities would receive the same revenue-sharing arrangement. Mr. Ford’s older brother, Councillor Doug Ford, made plans to run for the provincial Progressive Conservatives and he used their weekly radio show to lambaste Ms. Wynne and her Liberals.

It further rankled Mr. Ford when, after his administration was thrown into disarray by allegations that he was videoed smoking crack cocaine, Ms. Wynne suggested she was prepared to step in if city hall became dysfunctional. The Premier backed off those earlier comments Tuesday, insisting that she would not meddle. Mr. Ford has denied he uses crack cocaine and has said the video does not exist.

“It’s up to the city to sort out its issues, whatever those may be,” Ms. Wynne said. “I certainly have never intended to interfere or to stand in judgment.”

Mr. Ford seemed to warm to her overtures. “We’ve always had a cordial relationship. We may disagree. Obviously, the revenue tools, the new taxes is something that we disagree on, but as a person she is very friendly,” he told reporters.

Ms. Wynne said the question of provincial-municipal relations is close to her heart – she became involved in politics in the 1990s to battle then-premier Mike Harris’s plan to merge Toronto with five of its suburbs into a single megacity.

Since coming to power in 2003, the Liberals have had a hot-and-cold rapport with the cities. The Grits earned high marks from municipal leaders for uploading some services, including court security costs and the disability support program, to the provincial level. They also agreed to build part of former Toronto mayor David Miller’s Transit City LRT network. But that relationship soured when the Liberals stretched the funding for those transit projects over a longer period of time, prompting Mr. Miller to run an advertising campaign shaming Queen’s Park.

“I’ve prided myself and ourselves on being able to rebuild that relationship,” Ms. Wynne said. “It pains me that it’s not as good as it maybe has been, and I hope that we’ll be able to rebuild those relationships.”
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TOvp said:
There is nothing elitist about public education and exercise.

Why is such vitriol aimed solely at downtown elitists instead of suburban elitists? I've lived in the suburbs, in the city, and in Etobicoke. I'm in the heart of Ford Nation almost daily.

How is it elitist to work for a school and teach yoga in Durham but not elitist to volunteer at Tumbling Tots and meet with friends at the Java Joe's in Thorncrest Village after Monday Moksha?

Throwing things at people is foolish no matter what their background is. If Toronto, if the GTA wants to move forward we need to get out of this nasty left/right divide that is polarizing people instead of bringing them together.

I lean centre-left but that doesn't give me carte blanche to close my mind to ideas from other political persuasions.

Now if you'll excuse me, it's time to drive my black Escalade over to Humbertown for a midday meeting with the neighbourhood mums on the horrors of wifi in schools. :)
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Well said, post of the day!


ttk77 said:
Maybe, but when I think of Yoga, it also seems very suburban desperate housewife-ish.
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Don't knock it until you've tried it.
 
gwanstarr said:
I agree with this, and thought you were part of the buy in. Didn't pick up on the /s
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I live in the "Art" Condos, work in fashion, sip a direct trade cortado every morning, shop at co-ops and farmer's markets, run 3-4x weekly, drink craft beer, and walk to/from work. Where on the political spectrum do you think I might fall? One guess ;)
 
dt_toronto_geek said:
Don't knock it until you've tried it.
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lol...I wasn't trying to be disparaging of Yoga. Just saying that as much as it's viewed as something for "latte sipping downtown elitists" it's also seen as a "suburban desperate housewife" thing. Both are labels meant to put a bad spin on certain groups of people though, and in reality they mean absolutely nothing.
 
Gavin said:
I live in the "Art" Condos, work in fashion, sip a direct trade cortado every morning, shop at co-ops and farmer's markets, run 3-4x weekly, drink craft beer, and walk to/from work. Where on the political spectrum do you think I might fall? One guess ;)
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Hipster-Hippie-Hyper-Hypo Java Party?

ps - definition of a Hyper-Hypo :D
 
PinkLucy said:
Wynne wants to make up with Ford: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news...with-ford/article12659865/#dashboard/follows/
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Argh! Wynne comes out of this looking very weak. She is wrong to say(as reported in the Star) that there is nothing she can do. She can and should ask the OPP anti-rackets squad look into allegations that the mayor has links to organized crime. Far better than leave it to the TPS to decide if they want to investigate this and release information, or use their power over the mayor for other purposes.

The trouble is, of course, that the OPP anti-rackets squad is currently busy investigating the Premier's Office!
 
CowboyLogic said:
If there was ever proof of a war on Rob Ford, its this Shannon Everett business. The mayor gets assaulted, and currently he's being lambasted for "talking" about the incident (which really amounted to him acknowledging a drink was thrown at him). If somebody shot Mayor Ford, people would be criticizing him for getting in the way of the bullet.

This is a minor charge - there's no good reason for a lawyer of Marie Heinen's stature to jump on this case. A 27-year-old yoga instructor affording Heinen's services is a stretch, so it would appear Heinen is either doing this pro bono solely for the opportunity to go against Ford or is being paid by some other vested interest.
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1) There is no proof yet that Robbie was assaulted. Pending court action will deliberate on the testimony of actual witnesses.
2) The Fords made conclusive comments on a pending court action of which Robbie is part, which is, if anything, is morally wrong.
3) Everyone is entitled to legal representation. Do you expect Robbie to show up personally? I doubt that, I see his lawyer showing.
4) Gee, a politician having to deal with the political fall out of their decisions.

FutureBuilder said:
Tax dollars are finite. What people "want" and what individuals think "might make life better" costs a lot more than what is collected as tax dollars.

With millions of people in a city, and so many different opinions, it is normal for people to have differing opinions on where to spend (or not spend) tax money.

There are a lot of things that can make my life better as well as my neighbours.... it doesn't mean there is enough TAX money to do all these things. And perfectly normal for ppl to have different ideas on what constitutes "priorities".
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That's why taxes have to rise, and proves the propaganda used to stay in positions of influence.

Priorities are like perspectives, they change to suit the influential few, not serve those in need.

k10ery said:
Argh! Wynne comes out of this looking very weak. She is wrong to say(as reported in the Star) that there is nothing she can do. She can and should ask the OPP anti-rackets squad look into allegations that the mayor has links to organized crime. Far better than leave it to the TPS to decide if they want to investigate this and release information, or use their power over the mayor for other purposes.

The trouble is, of course, that the OPP anti-rackets squad is currently busy investigating the Premier's Office!
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A bendable reed is always stronger then the stiff wind.
 
CowboyLogic said:
If there was ever proof of a war on Rob Ford, its this Shannon Everett business. The mayor gets assaulted, and currently he's being lambasted for "talking" about the incident (which really amounted to him acknowledging a drink was thrown at him). If somebody shot Mayor Ford, people would be criticizing him for getting in the way of the bullet.
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I refuse to acknowledge the occurrence of this supposed "assault" until I see a video of it. Shannon Everett is innocent until proven guilty!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

:rolleyes:
 
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