2018 Municipal Election: Toronto Council Races

[MetroMan]

Rumours running around City Council offices is that the NDP are in a jam. Layton and Cressy can't agree on who's running in which riding. Layton does better in the more residential single home neighbourhoods of his ward. Cressy isn't liked in the vertical communities in CityPlace and the Waterfront. Neither want to run in the more Conservative South Core.

This is why they're fighting the 25 ward arrangement like their political life depends on it. It does. This is an existential crisis for both city councillors.

Ultimately, one of them is going to have to take Spadina Fort York, and I honestly think that whoever does, whoever it is, is vulnerable. Kevin Vuong has been canvassing non stop since May. He's bar none, the hardest working candidate in this race. Meanwhile, Ausma Malik has been MIA in the ward. Han Dong has literally gone fishing.

 

[Filip]

And people seem to forget that Transit City was the first major transit plan that came close to being enacted since the 1985's "Network 2011".



The initial plan of Network 2011, *wasn't* to extend Line 2 further into Scarborough. The Sheppard line was to be built to Victoria Park and stop there, with a later option to extend Line 2 further east. It wasn't anything close to a guarantee. Nor was it a priority.

But you know what was in that plan, and was a priority over any kind of Sheppard Extension? The Relief Line.

I do believe it was a possible subway Relief Line or RT technology.

It was also strongly opposed by the downtown councillors and Layton's NDP municipal caucus.

 

[Northern Light]

Let the battle begin:

https://www.thestar.com/news/city_h...g-fords-slashing-of-toronto-city-council.html

Injunction hearing set for Aug 31

*cross-post from King Street Pilot thread; cause for some reason we're talking about this over there, LOL

 

[Avenue]

Rumours running around City Council offices is that the NDP are in a jam. Layton and Cressy can't agree on who's running in which riding. Layton does better in the more residential single home neighbourhoods of his ward. Cressy isn't liked in the vertical communities in CityPlace and the Waterfront. Neither want to run in the more Conservative South Core.

This is why they're fighting the 25 ward arrangement like their political life depends on it. It does. This is an existential crisis for both city councillors.

Ultimately, one of them is going to have to take Spadina Fort York, and I honestly think that whoever does, whoever it is, is vulnerable. Kevin Vuong has been canvassing non stop since May. He's bar none, the hardest working candidate in this race. Meanwhile, Ausma Malik has been MIA in the ward. Han Dong has literally gone fishing.

I completely understand the negative view of Gardiner expressway neighbourhoods but didn't Chris Glover of NDP just win there?

"Layton does better in the more residential single home neighbourhoods of his ward."

I don't think this matters since either of them will sweep in University - Rosedale. Cressy got a lot of bad press for backing the King Street Pilot so I say Layton should take one for the team and run in the southern riding.

 

[zang]

Let the battle begin:

https://www.thestar.com/news/city_h...g-fords-slashing-of-toronto-city-council.html

Achampong, who previously ran for mayor and provincially as a PC candidate, plans to argue that the proposed legislation breaches “basic democratic rights of candidates and electors in Toronto,” according to his court filings, and that it violates unwritten constitutional principles outlined by the Supreme Court of Canada, such as democracy and rule of law, by interrupting an election already underway.

I dare someone to say this is all the doing of the downtown "NDP Elites".

 

[zang]

I do believe it was a possible subway Relief Line or RT technology.

Not sure what you're getting at here, but by 1985, the ICTS (SRT) had already been built. It wasn't an option for anything further:

The whole network was supposed to be built by the year 2011, with the first segment of the Sheppard Subway opening in 1994. The ICTS technology was not considered for these lines, as it had proven itself to be too expensive and incapable of handling the loads that some thought these lines would experience.

https://transit.toronto.on.ca/subway/5111.shtml

It was also strongly opposed by the downtown councillors and Layton's NDP municipal caucus.

Your point being? Layton was a councillor (pssst. Toronto Council doesn't have political parties) and in the 1980s people had this crazy idea that "neighbourhood preservation" meant you can't have density, ignoring that many of our neighbourhoods were originally formed because of density (Cabbagetown, anyone?).

Modern city planning recognizes that creating separate work/living/shopping/entertainment districts often divides a city and creates a less-livable place. We know better now than we did in the 1980s, because we've seen the folly of such ideas played out in other cities.

Oh, and Mike Layton is certainly in favour of the Relief Line.

 

[Filip]

Not sure what you're getting at here, but by 1985, the ICTS (SRT) had already been built. It wasn't an option for anything further:

https://transit.toronto.on.ca/subway/5111.shtml



Your point being? Layton was a councillor (pssst. Toronto Council doesn't have political parties) and in the 1980s people had this crazy idea that "neighbourhood preservation" meant you can't have density, ignoring that many of our neighbourhoods were originally formed because of density (Cabbagetown, anyone?).

Modern city planning recognizes that creating separate work/living/shopping/entertainment districts often divides a city and creates a less-livable place. We know better now than we did in the 1980s, because we've seen the folly of such ideas played out in other cities.

Oh, and Mike Layton is certainly in favour of the Relief Line.

I'm just giving you some historical context as you seemed to think transit planning in Toronto began with Transit City.

Let me be abundantly clear - Transit City put transit planning back 30 years. There was a perfectly good plan - Network 2011 - that had to get dusted off. There was no use in reinventing the wheel, and that reinvention led to incredible amounts of bad will between the suburbs and city.

And without the facetiousness, I am well aware there are no political parties in municipalities - de jure. However, de facto - I believe you're well aware how ideologically aligned every single councillor is. It is not difficult to slap a label on them, and many happen to be card carrying.

Regarding RL technology - it was planned to be ICTS in the 80s - so thank God it wasn't built.

 

[bobbob911]

You and I both know I meant STC - you know, Scarborough's downtown - not its hinterlands.

STC is Scarborough's downtown? Have you ever been to STC? To the extent Scarborough even has a downtown, I reckon its probably already somewhere around Warden and Kennedy stations. The Crossdown is going to do more to rejuvinate Eglinton then a subway to STC ever will.

 

[Filip]

STC is Scarborough's downtown? Have you ever been to STC? To the extent Scarborough even has a downtown, I reckon its probably already somewhere around Warden and Kennedy stations. The Crossdown is going to do more to rejuvinate Eglinton then a subway to STC ever will.

Civic Centre, Big Mall, Office Towers, Condo Towers, 'Town Centre' moniker - ya smells like downtown to me... Let me know otherwise.

 

[bobbob911]

I just did let you know otherwise Similarly, I would not consider Dufferin and the 401 the "Downtown" of North York just because Yorkdale mall is there.

 

[Filip]

I just did let you know otherwise Similarly, I would not consider Dufferin and the 401 the "Downtown" of North York just because Yorkdale mall is there.

Are you being purposely obtuse?

Scarborough's 'downtown' (or what comes close) is clearly STC. Anyone saying anything differently is smoking whatever Rob Ford was.

Anyone who thinks this logic can be extended to North York and Yorkdale (while ignoring NYCC) is also smoking the good stuff.

 

[bobbob911]

I don't know what your definition of Downtown is, but to me it implies a population density and a density of attractions. Neither of which applies to the area around STC, despite the municipal building and smattering of office buildings.

And it certainly has no hope of ever being what Jane Jacobs would define as a "Downtown", since its largely just acres and acres of parking lot.

 

[Skeezix]

To my knowledge, there is no officially designated downtown for Scarborough. So no need for insults. Everyone is entitled to opinion, no matter what one thinks of it, and at the end of the day that's all it is - an opinion.

Having said that, the STC area was clearly envisioned by the former City of Scarborough as its future downtown. Whether it has lived up to those aspirations is a matter for debate.

 

[bobbob911]

It does seem likely that that was the plan at some point. However, the facts on the ground are that it's not and will never be, subway station or no.

 

[zang]

I'm just giving you some historical context as you seemed to think transit planning in Toronto began with Transit City.

No. For some odd condescending reason, you just assumed that's what I thought.

Let me be abundantly clear - Transit City put transit planning back 30 years. There was a perfectly good plan - Network 2011 - that had to get dusted off. There was no use in reinventing the wheel, and that reinvention led to incredible amounts of bad will between the suburbs and city.

And "The Big Move" was what then? It scrapped half of Network 2011's plans. But Transit City was the problem? Please.

And without the facetiousness, I am well aware there are no political parties in municipalities - de jure. However, de facto - I believe you're well aware how ideologically aligned every single councillor is. It is not difficult to slap a label on them, and many happen to be card carrying.

Like "NDP"ers Adam Vaughan and Shelley Carroll? Oh wait...

Regarding RL technology - it was planned to be ICTS in the 80s - so thank God it wasn't built.

Yeah, cite this please. None of anything I've read or have found has ever mentioned a plan for the Relief Line to be ICTS. The only reason the SRT was ICTS (and not pantographed CLRV/ALRV as originally planned) was because the Davis government was gungho to sell the tech to other cities and needed a demo model (See Detroit Peoplemover, Vancouver SkyTrain).