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2014 Municipal Election: Toronto Mayoral Race

MetroMan said:
While I don't know that they'll issue a joint statement, both Tory and Chow are positioning their campaigns to only minimally address Ford like you suggested. They're going to pitch their vision for the city and take the position that Toronto deserves better than what has become of City Hall over the last 4 years. They'll certainly debate Ford but their campaign focuses will largely omit him.

I've been saying for the last few months that I expect Ford to come in 3rd or worse and the path to that result is starting to come together. It'll be Tory vs Chow in the end with Ford getting around 15-20%.
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What about Chow versus Soknacki?
Tory seems so washed up.
 
newearthling said:
What about Chow versus Soknacki?
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might be interesting for those that are willing to vote anyone but Chow (like myself). I guess it will depend on how well he's polling. I didn't even realise we had a councillor Socknacki until he declared his candidacy.

Chow's a master of the whole smoke and mirrors, she's never championed anything controvercial, stays quiet on important federal issues and only tackles local special interest groups. With so many galvanizing Toronto issues, it will be interesting to see if she'll be able to sidestep.

She probably has the same amount of baggage as Smitherman, but lacks the charm and public speaking abilities, I'd say she's going to lose pretty big.
 
I swear I'm going to vote for whatever candidate wants to improve TTC service. With the Province seeming intent of funding the big capital expansion projects, I hope there is a candidate that fights for improvements to the existing network. Get platform doors, fix the Capital backlog, time based transfers, reduce crowding levels, etc. I hope that as this election heats up that becomes the focus of the municipal level with the Provincial level dealing with expansion.
 
Transit is the #1 issue for me as well (as it should be for most people).

The candidate that brings forward a realistic funding strategy to massively expand our rapid transit network will get my vote. Frankly the Big Move isn't going to bring our transit infrastructure to where it needs to be. TBM will still leave huge areas of the city will still be without higher order transit. In particular I'd like to see Eglinton Crosstown extended to Pearson, Finch extended to Yonge and have the Scarborough-Malvern LRT, Jane LRT, Don Mills LRT/subway and Waterfront LRTs built. I'd also like to see a candidate commit to funding the "full" Relief Line from Dundas West Station to Eglinton-Don Mills Station (TBM only covers $7.4 Billion - Dundas West to Pape or St. Andrew to Eglinton-Don Mills).

I'd also like to see a commitment for more funding for the TTC. The TTC is desperately in need of more money to improve service quality. Most of the problems riders see on the system could be fixed with just a little more funding.

I'm closely watching Tory, Chow and Soknacki. It's nice to have so many qualified candidates to pick from. :eek:
 
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David Soknacki, the former city budget chief and candidate for mayor, apologized Thursday to the press corps who came to hear him speak at the Toronto Region Board of Trade.

“To those of you from the City Hall Press Gallery, I wish to say: I’m sorry. I know you drew the short straw. As we sit here, Rob Ford is speaking at the Economic Club — and I know I can never compete with Rob when it comes to entertainment value.

“This one is going to be less entertaining and take more analysis.”
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http://news.nationalpost.com/2014/0...acki-apologizes-to-press-covering-his-speech/
 
TheTigerMaster said:
Transit is the #1 issue for me as well (as it should be for most people).

The candidate that brings forward a realistic funding strategy to massively expand our rapid transit network will get my vote. Frankly the Big Move isn't going to bring our transit infrastructure to where it needs to be. TBM will still leave huge areas of the city will still be without higher order transit. In particular I'd like to see Eglinton Crosstown extended to Pearson, Finch extended to Yonge and have the Scarborough-Malvern LRT, Jane LRT, Don Mills LRT/subway and Waterfront LRTs built. I'd also like to see a candidate commit to funding the "full" Relief Line from Dundas West Station to Eglinton-Don Mills Station (TBM only covers $7.4 Billion - Dundas West to Pape or St. Andrew to Eglinton-Don Mills).

I'd also like to see a commitment for more funding for the TTC. The TTC is desperately in need of more money to improve service quality. Most of the problems riders see on the system could be fixed with just a little more funding.

I'm closely watching Tory, Chow and Soknacki. It's nice to have so many qualified candidates to pick from. :eek:
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Your being a bit too optimistic ther I think. Getting rid of the capital deficit will cost a couple billion alone.. Getting the service quality up is more important to me than an Eglinton line to the airport or finch to Yonge street. Getting the TTC back to its proud form of the 1960s involves getting the existing service to acceptable levels as well as simply expanding the system.
 
A tale of two candidates
As Rob Ford gets stuck in elevator, David Soknacki delivers speech to Board of Trade

While he called out Ford for failing to combat rising unemployment rates and red tape, Soknacki was unwilling to attack the mayor for his well-documented drug and alcohol use or for his links to alleged gang members.

He tried to pivot when reporters asked about the mayor's latest headline-grabbing gaffe, in which he was filmed intoxicated and rambling in a fake Jamaican accent at an Etobicoke restaurant.

"You're going to have to speak to the mayor. I'm speaking on the issues and the things that are important," he said. "He acted in my view improperly, but it's not my voice that matters nearly as much as the people's voice at the end of October."

When asked if he was surprised that Ford's political career is still alive despite last year's crack cocaine scandal, the candidate offered this explanation: "There will always be… a group that wants lower taxes at any costs," he said.
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http://www.nowtoronto.com/news/story.cfm?content=196371
 
evvabeing said:
A tale of two candidates
As Rob Ford gets stuck in elevator, David Soknacki delivers speech to Board of Trade
http://www.nowtoronto.com/news/story.cfm?content=196371
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As part of that effort, he vowed to accelerate the the completion of major projects like the Eglinton Crosstown LRT if he wins the October 27 vote.

"The Crosstown line is scheduled to be open in 2020. That's a long time. And no other major project takes nearly as long," Soknacki said. He promised to create a new position in the mayor's office dedicated to streamlining infrastructure contruction. The former Scarborough councillor also reiterated his support for the Scarborough LRT, which he said is less expensive and would serve more people than the council-approved subway. He plans to cancel the underground line if he’s elected.

"I'm still astounded to be the only mayoral candidate who believes it's better to have more rapid transit than less, for more people, years sooner, at half the price, without a property tax increase," he said.
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Well that is an early election decider for me personally!

At least the Eglinton part. I share others reserves regarding cancelling Scarborough plans yet again, but given the subway's position as a strong vice against Ford's "record" of responsibility to the tax payers, I wonder what Chow and Tory will do with Scarborough.
 
Socknacki, technically you don't support rapid transit, you support LRT. Two different things.

This rapid transit = LRT thing is just typical political BS.
 
doady said:
Socknacki, technically you don't support rapid transit, you support LRT. Two different things.

This rapid transit = LRT thing is just typical political BS.
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Umm... no. That's very wrong. There are dozens, if not hundreds of light rail rapid transit systems in the world. The Eglinton Crosstown is one of them.

For light rail to be rapid transit it just needs to be fully isolated from traffic and pedestrians. Usually either elevated, underground or in a dedicated corridor.

oct-lrt-fullerton-rend_octa.jpg


Anyways I've always taken issue with the rigid definition of rapid transit. You could easily find LRT systems that don't conform with the definition of rapid transit that are faster than much of the alleged "rapid transit" we see here in Toronto. Seattle's Soundlink LRT, which operates in a right-of-way with signal priority is probably faster than Toronto's downtown "rapid transit" (aka subway) network and is very likely faster than the Bloor-Danforth subway line.

At the end of the day whether or not a rail line is rapid transit or not has everything to do with the implementation and nothing with the technology. A "rapid transit" subway/LRT with stops every 400m would feel incredibly un-rapid. On the other hand a non rapid transit LRT line that runs in a ROW but has full signal priority and stations every 700 to 1000m would easily be much faster than the aforementioned subway.

Two more things that should be pointed out is that judging from the TTCs new signage guidelines it appears as if the TTC has decided that the Finch West, Sheppard East and Eglinton Crosstown LRT are all rapid transit. Also, Lagos has purchased are H5 "subway" cars for their LRT line. So screw arbitrary and rather misleading definitions of rapid transit :cool: (misleading because "rapid" implies that rapid transit is inherently faster than other modes of urban transit)
 
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