2018 Municipal Election: Toronto Council Races

[Admiral Beez]

Having the same councillors sit in their seats with little competition every elections has enables a culture of "kick-ball". No guarantee but it should create at least a bit more competition.

I’d also like to crack the idea of “councillor” as lifetime career choice. Put 2 term limits in place.

 

[Videodrome]

https://torontosun.com/opinion/columnists/goldstein-ford-did-the-right-thing-in-the-wrong-way

Wow, Goldstein disagrees with Ford.

 

[Urbinski]

I’d also like to crack the idea of “councillor” as lifetime career choice. Put 2 term limits in place.

The move by Ford will have the opposite effect. Only the most entrenched incumbents will be able to win in a 25 seat race. We were all set to get some fresh faces on council when this happened.

 

[toaster29]

It wouldn't shock me if Ford decided to eliminate school boards.

I've heard through a PC friend that we'll be hearing about some changes next year. My guess was merging public and catholic systems.

 

[zang]

I've heard through a PC friend that we'll be hearing about some changes next year. My guess was merging public and catholic systems.

I'd be surprised, considering the Ford family history with the TCDSB, and the fact that it'd likely anger a lot of his base, and the conservative base in general.

 

[Richard White]

I'd be surprised, considering the Ford family history with the TCDSB, and the fact that it'd likely anger a lot of his base, and the conservative base in general.

I give Ford around a year before there is a coup in the party.

 

[Admiral Beez]

I've heard through a PC friend that we'll be hearing about some changes next year. My guess was merging public and catholic systems.

No chance.

I wonder how Ford would handle a Caledonia type insurrection? That wasn’t McGuinty’s finest hour.

 

[Richard White]

No chance.

I wonder how Ford would handle a Caledonia type insurrection? That wasn’t McGuinty’s finest hour.

One word. Ipperwash.

 

[TrickyRicky]

While I’m clearly against this move on the basis of it being poorly timed and considered I do question anyone’s argument that 47 or 25 is a better arrangement or any less or more democratic. We really just don’t know. Not knowing is a bad rational for moving forward; However, we will see how this works because it’s happening.

While there might not be enough councillors to fulfill representation demands much of their work is already done by their assistants. With less councillors you would probably see more issues handled by the councillor team with the councillor themselves like a boss functioning more at the executive level and less direct contact with constituents. People who think councillors don’t work hard or are a waste of money don’t know their councillor or their work load. On the other hand does the person fielding calls about a skunk under a porch need to be the same person developing a mass-transit system for millions of people? Probably not.

 

[DSC]

While I’m clearly against this move on the basis of it being poorly timed and considered I do question anyone’s argument that 47 or 25 is a better arrangement or any less or more democratic. We really just don’t know. Not knowing is a bad rational for moving forward; However, we will see how this works because it’s happening.

While there might not be enough councillors to fulfill representation demands much of their work is already done by their assistants. With less councillors you would probably see more issues handled by the councillor team with the councillor themselves like a boss functioning more at the executive level and less direct contact with constituents. People who think councillors don’t work hard or are a waste of money don’t know their councillor or their work load. On the other hand does the person fielding calls about a skunk under a porch need to be the same person developing a mass-transit system for millions of people? Probably not.

All of this is true BUT the whole structure of City government in Toronto is based on Councillors being at the heart of everything. Serving on a 'community council', serving on several city committees and boards, serving on local bodies like BIAs, approving or at least signing off on all development projects, speed bumps, one-way streets etc etc. Their office staff (who would need to be increased) could not (should not) do all of these things. Yes, we could function quite well (if quite differently) with 25 councillors BUT making this change without much more thought and planning is a path to chaos and gridlock. If councillors are expected to be at the 'executive level' then most of the current ones are unsuited to the task - they generally got onto council BECAUSE they like (and some are good at) the local nuts and bolts issues.

 

[Admiral Beez]

With less councillors you would probably see more issues handled by the councillor team with the councillor themselves like a boss functioning more at the executive level and less direct contact with constituents.

That’s my hope, that the staff for each councillor is expanded. I say give it a shot.

Maybe Ford will do something urbanites like, such as abolishing the OMB.

 

[narduch]

While I’m clearly against this move on the basis of it being poorly timed and considered I do question anyone’s argument that 47 or 25 is a better arrangement or any less or more democratic. We really just don’t know. Not knowing is a bad rational for moving forward; However, we will see how this works because it’s happening.

While there might not be enough councillors to fulfill representation demands much of their work is already done by their assistants. With less councillors you would probably see more issues handled by the councillor team with the councillor themselves like a boss functioning more at the executive level and less direct contact with constituents. People who think councillors don’t work hard or are a waste of money don’t know their councillor or their work load. On the other hand does the person fielding calls about a skunk under a porch need to be the same person developing a mass-transit system for millions of people? Probably not.

It's not like the 47 Ward layout was totally democratic either. The boundaries were set by the existing council and a lot of them influenced the final map in order to save their little fiefdoms.

I also read that there were some wild population imbalances in the 47 wards. For instance the ward in Liberty Village had 80,000 people vs. 35,000 in the Corktown Ward.

 

[steveintoronto]

It's not like the 47 Ward layout was totally democratic either. The boundaries were set by the existing council and a lot of them influenced the final map in order to save their little fiefdoms.

Not quite:

The City of Toronto oversees the Toronto Ward Boundary Review. The study is being done by an independent team of consultants who are responsible for making sure the process is not influenced by political interests.

http://drawthelines.ca/overview
Ontario Municipal Board approves Toronto's new ward boundaries

Court dismisses councillor’s request to appeal Toronto’s decision on ward boundaries

Superior Court Justice Katherine Swinton said there was “no good reason” to doubt correctness of earlier decision contested by Councillor Justin Di Ciano and a local resident
NEWS MAR 06, 2018 BY JENNIFER PAGLIARO TORONTO STAR


A Superior Court judge has tossed the request from a city councillor to appeal the city’s new ward boundaries.

The decision, which came in writing on Tuesday, ends Councillor Justin Di Ciano’s nearly year-long endeavour to overturn a decision of the council he sits on. [...]

Court dismisses councillor's request to appeal Toronto's decision on ward boundaries

The parameters of the new wards were made compliant to SCC missives that can be read here:
https://www.toronto.ca/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/8d62-Attachment-1-TWBR-Final-Report-FINAL.pdf

pages 11 and 12 to start, already been posted in these forums multiple times.

 

[DSC]

It's not like the 47 Ward layout was totally democratic either. The boundaries were set by the existing council and a lot of them influenced the final map in order to save their little fiefdoms.

I also read that there were some wild population imbalances in the 47 wards. For instance the ward in Liberty Village had 80,000 people vs. 35,000 in the Corktown Ward.

as noted above; the predicted Ward sizes that were used for the City's Ward Boundary review were to achieve parity n 2026 (i.e. 10 years after this review.) The assumption being that there will be another municipal review in ca 20 years. The figures used for the Federal boundary review were to achieve parity in now and that there will be another review in 10 years. (The Constitution of Canada requires that federal electoral districts be reviewed after each decennial (10-year) census.) Though I do not know the details, the Liberty Village Ward is now pretty much 'built out' so no great population change is expected whereas Corktown/Distillery are expanding, rapidly, and the population there will change a lot.

 

[DSC]

This news may have escaped me (it has been a bit hectic) but Justin di Dunpar appears not to have filed. Awaiting a visit from the OPP?