2018 Municipal Election: Toronto Council Races

[torontologist]

With Doug, it's very clear that people wanted very badly to get rid of Kathleen Wynne. She refused to leave despite all the signs. Then campaigned against Horwath who could have beat the PCs had she not been fighting off Wynne. People didn't vote for Ford, they voted against Wynne.

Woah woah woah. The Libs were toast no matter what. Too much baggage. The ONDP would never have won in a million years, and will never win another provincial election. They are unelectable in the 905, particularly with the current leadership, which only constructs platforms for their post-industrial niche in Hamilton and SW Ontario.

Kathleen Wynne is NOT the reason Doug Ford is Premier. Period.

 

[sixrings]

Premier is not an entry-level job. That doesn't mean I think you need an outstanding academic pedigree simply to be a politician, but some semblance of an education and prior independent career are definite assets. Doug Ford inherited everything and built nothing.

In 2016, more than half (54.0%) of Canadians aged 25 to 64 had either college or university qualifications, up from 48.3% in 2006. Canada continues to rank first among the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries in the proportion of college and university graduates. (https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/daily-quotidien/171129/dq171129a-eng.htm)

For the Fords who think government workers get paid too much you would think some sort of educational requirements should be standard. So according to stats Canada at least half of Canadians are higher educated than any Ford.

 

[adma]

Winners:

- Mammo: With an expanded ward and list of candidates, Mammo now needs a smaller plurality of votes to win. Expect to see Doug Ford out stumping for him and a huge base of PC volunteers.

Are you sure? Remember that Perruzza won far more solidly than Mammo in '14.

Unless the Ford troops are super-devoted to this race, I can see him more hindered than helped by the multiple viable opposition candidates...

 

[Jasmine18]

Woah woah woah. The Libs were toast no matter what. Too much baggage. The ONDP would never have won in a million years, and will never win another provincial election. They are unelectable in the 905, particularly with the current leadership, which only constructs platforms for their post-industrial niche in Hamilton and SW Ontario.

Kathleen Wynne is NOT the reason Doug Ford is Premier. Period.

It's sort of hard to describe how unpopular Wynne was in the suburbs...

That is why I think the Tories and Ford are pretty okay politically because the names of Dalton and Wynne will keep the liberal party from being viable in the 905 and such for some time.

So its up the NDP who have an issue in the 905 as well.

 

[SunriseChampion]

it is so hard for me to understand how a cosmopolitan city could possibly elect Rob Ford (who went to school for one year at Carleton) to Mayor, Doug Ford (who went to Humber College for who knows how long???) to Premier and then possibly Michael Ford (who went to no secondary schooling) as Mayor.

Level of schooling attained is completely irrelevant to wisdom and leadership. Though, I do say, it wouldn't have hurt this bunch to learn more.

 

[Miscreant]

The other candidates went to University after High School...One even had their masters while the other a degree... Now did the Fords not continue because they weren't bright enough, weren't disciplined enough or were just counting on Dads company to provide for them is the real question. Neither answer reflects well on them. Some may think I am placing too much emphasis on education. However schooling at the bare minimum teaches discipline, work ethic, and consistency. Three qualities I would like in my premier.

Yep, I generally agree. Though I think we need to be careful about overstating the importance of higher education, done right it can give one nuance and subtlety.

One reason why Ford is so pugilistic is because he's never learned how to disagree without demonizing. He goes full-on reptile brain because that's all he knows how to do. He's never learned to engage on the level of ideas.

So he just bloviates.

 

[Miscreant]

The left looses an election and then tries to win with activists judges.
We have a parliamentary system of gov't where Parliament is supreme at the federal level and queens park at provincial level. These gov'ts can thus be voted out in the next election. if we want a system with judges passing laws then we should move always towards a presidential style of gov't like the U.S and have judges run and see those ads on tv with judges running which always has me shaking my head..

Yeah. Less judicial activism.

Unless we're spending 30 000 000 for an optical exercise in fighting the almost-definitely constitutional carbon tax. Then lets jurisprudence away.

 

[Northern Light]

Level of schooling attained is completely irrelevant to wisdom and leadership. Though, I do say, it wouldn't have hurt this bunch to learn more.

To be fair, while knowledge, wisdom and leadership skills can all be obtained without formal education, most people hone, refine and deepen their skill through that route and that route offers short-hand evidence for at least the first of those traits.

There are of course, plenty of examples of people with formal education in spades who were neither bright, nor ethical; and more still for those whose grasp far exceeded the reach evidenced by their level of education.

These things aren't absolutes.

I think what offends many about Ford is that he clearly lacks those desirable traits, lacks any education that would suggest he ever possessed any of these traits, and not only does he seem unconcerned by either of those facts, he seems incredibly proud of both.

 

[Northern Light]

Woah woah woah. The Libs were toast no matter what. Too much baggage. The ONDP would never have won in a million years, and will never win another provincial election. They are unelectable in the 905, particularly with the current leadership, which only constructs platforms for their post-industrial niche in Hamilton and SW Ontario.

Kathleen Wynne is NOT the reason Doug Ford is Premier. Period.

The last part is reasonable.

The NDP do, in fact have seats in the 905, 3 seats in Brampton and 1 in Oshawa.

They also finished second in many others.

They face challenges in gaining critical mass in suburbia, Fair.

Unelectable? Not fair.

 

[Miscreant]

I think what offends many about Ford is that he clearly lacks those desirable traits, lacks any education that would suggest he ever possessed any of these traits, and not only does he seem unconcerned by either of those facts, he seems incredibly proud of both.

Bam. This is definitely spot on.

 

[Midtown Urbanist]

It's sort of hard to describe how unpopular Wynne was in the suburbs...

You don't have to look far. She was detested even in Liberal Toronto.

She often took the same anti-Toronto stances as Andrea Horwath did, such as on road tolls.

 

[King of Kensington]

"Discouraging"? What's discouraging is a mechanic with only half a brain who couldn't finish high-school deciding to service an engine on a plane in mid-flight, and then wonder what all the fuss is about...

Yes that is all true, and it is discouraging that he got away with it!

 

[Miscreant]

You don't have to look far. She was detested even in Liberal Toronto.

She often took the same anti-Toronto stances as Andrea Horwath did, such as on road tolls.

Yeah. But on reflection I think I have a lot of respect for Wynne. Early in her tenure I felt disappointed by what I perceived to be her cunning. But over time, especially when listening to her in pressers and debates, I came to feel that this is someone who is highly intelligent and reflective. I think she attempted to run a more activist Liberal gov't, and I think that takes courage.

To be frank, I think she has been treated rather unfairly by Ontarians. Doug Ford isn't qualified to carry her briefcase.

That all being said, I do too feel that it was time for a chance. I think the anti-Wynne sentiment was in fact the confluence of extreme voters' extreme fatigue with the Liberals and pushback against a female premier who had the guts to push some more progressive policies. I also think misogyny played a non-trivial role.

 

[Jasmine18]

The sense I got from a lot of voters especially in the 30 plus demo was Wynne was taking their tax money and just 'giving money to others and doing nothing for me'.

As a result, progressive ideas that should have been popular just were shrugged off by voters.

 

[Miscreant]

The sense I got from a lot of voters especially in the 30 plus demo was Wynne was taking their tax money and just 'giving money to others and doing nothing for me'.

As a result, progressive ideas that should have been popular just were shrugged off by voters.

Yeah, so I think this is fair. And I fall into this demographic. I recently watched a segment on TVO's The Agenda where a law professor at Queen's argued persuasively that many of the green energy contracts the Liberals tendered with private firms were little more than cash grabs.

I don't know the details well enough to answer this question for myself. But I do wonder the same, and can clearly see how, even if these contracts weren't cash grabs, their politics were poorly communicated.