2014 Municipal Election: Toronto Mayoral Race

[TheTigerMaster]

Sometimes I feel really sorry for Mr. Byford. Thankfully the media and City Hall haven't blamed him for the TTCs troubles.

 

[TheTigerMaster]

Even if she was a leftist, that shouldn't mean much. Labels don't work too well anymore. Seeing how Ford has squandered money foolishly on cancelled projects and things like the Scarborough subway, would we seriously consider him a conservative by its traditional (fiscal) definition?

He's an idiot populist.

 

[adma]

We don't really. Just making some assumptions about where she'd fall on the spectrum (which is all any of us can do at this stage).

Well, we're addressing someone who referred to her negatively as a "socialist"--as if that meant Militant Tendency Labour a la 80s Liverpool or something (now, *there* was a hellhole)

 

[SecretSquirrel]

Olivia Chow is a socialist. Toronto doesn't need a socialist mayor. It's too wealthy a city. Socialism would not work well here. We need a mayor with a balanced platform. Let's hope such a candidate emerges.

This is just a collection of disjointed sentences. Let's go from the top:

Olivia Chow is a socialist.

What does that mean? How do you know that? Until you've answered those two questions satisfactorily, we can safely dismiss this weird assertion.

Toronto doesn't need a socialist mayor.

Depends who you ask! Of course, business is vital to the success of the city, but what does 'socialist' mean here? Are you making a false equivalency with communism? Are you talking about pure socialism, which is an obvious non-starter in a society built up by capitalism? Or are you instead talking about the definitely-viable market socialism as practiced in Scandinavia & Finland?

That last one sounds pretty good to me, actually; Norway, Sweden & Finland were recently announced as the "least-failed" states. They are also world leaders in tackling homelessness and promoting public health, but not at the cost of success. I've been to Finland and Norway and seen it for myself: taxes may be high, but the rich are still rich there; you can pay high taxes, support the most vulnerable in society and still be rich and live large.

It's too wealthy a city.

I assume you don't mean that Toronto is simply "too wealthy", but rather that it is too wealthy for socialism. Again, without knowing what you mean by socialism, it's hard to know what you're thinking here, but if you mean more progressive redistribution of wealth, then how can a society be "too wealthy" for that? "We can't support the poor & downtrodden - we're just too rich!"

We need a mayor with a balanced platform.

Hard to argue with that. What does a "balanced platform" mean, though? Does it mean "improving quality of life for all", or simply "maintain the status quo, because it suits me to be on top of the dogpile"?

Let's hope such a candidate emerges.

At this stage, I'd welcome any serious qualified Mayoral candidate. I may not like all of Socnacki's platform, but I can absolutely respect him. What a refreshing change!

 

[JWBF]

At this stage, I'd welcome any serious qualified Mayoral candidate. I may not like all of Socnacki's platform, but I can absolutely respect him. What a refreshing change!

Agreed, Socnacki, is quite stable, and has a solid, and transparent fiscal record that uses real maths.

 

[ShonTron]

At this stage, I'd welcome any serious qualified Mayoral candidate. I may not like all of Socnacki's platform, but I can absolutely respect him. What a refreshing change!

I hope he does well. I'd be comfortable with him as a second choice, depending on who the other/left-leaning candidates are. How well will Chow do campaigning? Will she have a platform worth supporting? (I'm not a big fan of her.) What other dark horses/surprise contenders decide to run? I'd much rather have him than Stintz or Tory.

 

[newearthling]

Here is Olivia Chow's new memoir. Supposedly, the rumour is she is going to do a book tour around this book, and declare her candidacy afterwards.
http://www.harpercollins.ca/books/My-Journey-Olivia-Chow/?isbn=9781443428293
Book Description

Olivia Chow—Member of Parliament, seasoned politician and widow of former New Democratic Party leader Jack Layton—tells her story in this candid memoir

What drives Olivia Chow? How did she emerge from a turbulent childhood to become an inspiring political force? What influences and events have shaped her life? And how is she continuing her quest after losing her partner in life and politics?

When she was thirteen, Olivia’s middle-class family moved from Hong Kong to Toronto, but the transition was difficult. Her mother went from having a maid to being a maid. Her father failed to carve out a working life for himself in Canada—frustrated and bitter, he lashed out at Olivia’s mother and violence darkened their lives. A rebellious yet playful child, Olivia discovered self-discipline and became an excellent student in Canada, studying fine art and philosophy at university. After graduating, Olivia worked for a time as a sculptor. Then, driven by a desire to achieve social change, the artist became an activist, and she launched her political career.

As a popular and much-admired school trustee and Toronto city councillor—the first Asian woman in that role—Olivia honed a grassroots approach and crafted progressive programs that enhanced the lives of others, especially children. Strong-willed, focused and passionate, Olivia got things done by bringing together people from all parts of the political spectrum.

In the mid-1980s, Olivia met Jack Layton. Their dynamic partnership, unprecedented in Canadian political life, made a powerful impact in Toronto, and on the national stage. Together, they forged a strong vision for a better country and for enlightened political change. But when her beloved partner and political soulmate died in the summer of 2011, how did she find the strength to move forward? What might we learn from her inspiring story? Those answers are here, in Olivia: My Canadian Journey.

 

[BurlOak]

Mayoral hopeful could reopen Scarborough subway debate

http://www.newstalk1010.com/news/2014/01/12/mayoral-hopeful-could-reopen-scarborough-subway-debate

But mayoral candidate David Soknacki says he doesn't think subways are the way to go in Scarborough.

"I think that what is best for the communities of Scarborough in that area is light rail," he told Newstalk 1010's Mark Towhey. The former city councillor is familiar with Scarborough - he represented one of the two Scarborough east wards for years.

Soknacki argues in favour of light rail, partly because it will serve more people. "It's more stops rather than less."

He told Towhey that if elected, he would consider going back to the initial plan for an LRT, which would move the project forward.

Soknacki, who was Budget Chief for David Miller, wants to campaign as Ford without the distractions. He also takes offense as being compared to Miller.
Going back to support the Miller Transit City plan does not seem like the best strategy.

 

[jje1000]

Soknacki, who was Budget Chief for David Miller, wants to campaign as Ford without the distractions. He also takes offense as being compared to Miller.
Going back to support the Miller Transit City plan does not seem like the best strategy.

I agree. As much of a money pit the Scarborough subway will be, opening it up again will leave us arguing for another half year or so.

 

[BurlOak]

I agree. As much of a money pit the Scarborough subway will be, opening it up again will leave us arguing for another half year or so.

Well actually, you do not necessarily agree with me. The time to open up the debate is during the election. I think that if you want to open it up, you had better propose something better than what was proposed in the past.

In this case, I was pointing out how campaigning that you are nothing like David Miller will become a lot harder after having fully endorsed Millers transit plan. A statement against the candidate and not against the ability of any candidate to propose transit improvements.

 

[SJD_Toronto]

Mayoral hopeful could reopen Scarborough subway debate

http://www.newstalk1010.com/news/2014/01/12/mayoral-hopeful-could-reopen-scarborough-subway-debate



Soknacki, who was Budget Chief for David Miller, wants to campaign as Ford without the distractions. He also takes offense as being compared to Miller.
Going back to support the Miller Transit City plan does not seem like the best strategy.

Soknacki is shooting himself in the foot by wanting to go back to the LRT plan. If Toronto City Council were to actually go back to the LRT plan, then bringing better transit to Scarborough gets pushed back yet again. Besides, the current Liberal government is pushing for a subway instead. Heck, even if Tim Hudak's Tories get elected this spring (We all know an election is coming), a subway is still coming to Scarborough. In the end, it doesn't matter if he wants the LRT plan because it's completely dead in the water. A subway extension is coming. I think Soknacki should accept the Bloor-Danforth extension but push for more LRT like on Sheppard in Scarborough. That's a win win for him.

 

[MetroMan]

Soknacki is shooting himself in the foot by wanting to go back to the LRT plan. If Toronto City Council were to actually go back to the LRT plan, then bringing better transit to Scarborough gets pushed back yet again. Besides, the current Liberal government is pushing for a subway instead. Heck, even if Tim Hudak's Tories get elected this spring (We all know an election is coming), a subway is still coming to Scarborough. In the end, it doesn't matter if he wants the LRT plan because it's completely dead in the water. A subway extension is coming. I think Soknacki should accept the Bloor-Danforth extension but push for more LRT like on Sheppard in Scarborough. That's a win win for him.

I agree. I think that the Scarborough Subway is a terrible financial mistake that will set the real transit priorities back by decades but Soknacki is not going to win on the Subway vs LRT debate. Instead, he should use the subway decision to his advantage by accepting that we're building it but now we have to find a way to pay for it. That'll allow him to fight for the DRL and be the candidate promising two subways, not just one. He can support the Finch and Sheppard LRT's if he becomes Mayor.

 

[SJD_Toronto]

I agree. I think that the Scarborough Subway is a terrible financial mistake that will set the real transit priorities back by decades but Soknacki is not going to win on the Subway vs LRT debate. Instead, he should use the subway decision to his advantage by accepting that we're building it but now we have to find a way to pay for it. That'll allow him to fight for the DRL and be the candidate promising two subways, not just one. He can support the Finch and Sheppard LRT's if he becomes Mayor.

Well, I disagree with you that the Scarborough subway is a terrible financial mistake. I think it's the right choice for the route that is being pushed for (McCowan), but Soknacki could also campaign on what Karen Stintz had in her OneCity plan - a Scarborough-Malvern LRT from Kennedy station up to the future Morningside Station.

 

[innsertnamehere]

^ +1, there are many reasons to support the subway beyond "Scarborough deserves it", unlike Sheppard. Regardless, it has showed the hypocrisy of the right and their refusal to raise taxes.

 

[TheTigerMaster]

I suppose it could be said that the cost vs. benefit ratio isn't as good for the Scarb Subway as it is for the LRT.

But as insert pointed out, the Scarb subway isn't a total waste of money (like Sheppard). Sure it won't be as cheap as the LRT, but I think its best that we leave this debate to rest. We don't want transit in this city to become any more volatile.

What Soknacki should be campaigning on is the Malvern LRT to serve far east Scarborough.