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Fords Working to Fire Webster, Stintz, Scrap Streetcars: Star

Electrify said:
As I've said elsewhere, if Ford REALLY wants subways, he needs council's support. His job is to get council on board with his visions, and to convince then that his plan is best. Further polarizing council from him with stunts like this is just going to make his subway dream more of a fantasy than it already is.
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Ford could get council support for subway expansion in 10 seconds if he had the balls to implement a new revenue stream. He would have an easy majority vote on a $10/spot/day parking spot tax or something similar.

13 from his own group and a dozen from the left.
 
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Justin10000 said:
I would like to hear the justification from the morons who voted for Ford because they were so desperate for a freaking subway. Pathetic.
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I'd like to hear from the morons who voted for Ford because he was going to stop waste defend actions like this...

...guess I'll have to read Sue Ann Levy's column tomorrow.
 
Ford could get council support for subway expansion in 10 seconds if he had the balls to implement a new revenue stream. He would have an easy majority vote on a $10/spot/day parking spot tax or something similar.

13 from his own group and a dozen from the left.
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I agree. If Ford would use the $8.4 billion and supplement it with a new source of transit-only revenue (like a GTA-wide transit tax) to implement a full subway on Eglinton, I'm sure he'd have all the support he needs (even if it wasn't the most efficient idea).

Ford proves time and time again he has no clue what leadership is about.
 
With the firing of Gary Webster, I can see some of the left-leaning Councillors (and even bureaucrats) taking personal shots at Mayor Ford. Get ready to hear words such as "buffoon" "moron" and "fat f***" to be echoed in the halls around City Hall more often
 
Yes, Webster's demise was politically motivated but that is hardly news, remember the Moscoe/Gunn saga. Mr. Webster was a sub ordinary leader at best during his time in the corner office, perfectly content to not make a wave, a perfect poster boy for everything that is wrong with the TTC.

I wonder what will happen transit wise when the provincial government chokes on their debt prospects and cancells the money they promised for subways, it could very easily happen. Imagine Toronto taxpayers having to pay for their own transit projects.
 
spider said:
Imagine Toronto taxpayers having to pay for their own transit projects.
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Strange way of looking at it. It's not as if Toronto exists in a vacuum apart from the rest of Ontario. Matter of fact, right now it's doing better economically than most of Ontario. Yet Toronto is but one of many economic centres in the province, all linked together in a web of complex, organic connections. Those connections aren't always terribly obvious - especially whenever it's judged expedient to simply score sound bite points and simplify the situation on the ground for the sake of partisan politics.

Like it or not, Toronto is Ontario. It's the biggest economic engine the province haves. So much commercial traffic courses through this city on any given business day... traffic that's part of the economic lifeblood of the whole province, not just the GTA.

Make no mistake: the transit woes of the GTA translate directly to the economic woes of the province. Pretending otherwise is just silly.
 
My bet is that this stunt pissed off a few more centrist and/or moderate Ford allies. A few more and there should be a sufficiently large block of councillors against him that he will get anything he tries to pass through council blocked.

On a related note, it's time for someone in that block to really step up and become a shadow Mayor. Propose some legislation that really takes Ford by the balls. Implementing Road Tolls to pay for the Sheppard Subway would be a great way to do this. Propose that and watch Ford turn himself into an ideological pretzel.
 
Look at the video at www.citytv.com with Minnan-Wong commenting after the meeting. To paraphrase: I've been advised by council not to explain my actions. So Smarmy! And such a poor substitute for the atmosphere he displaces.
 
Neil:

You mean (legal) counsel?

gweed:

The only question is how many of the umpteen Ford loyalists are salvageable, and how many should be cordoned off for good. I can live with Doug Holyday as the budget chief if he behaves in a manner similar to Soknacki in Miller's first term.

AoD
 
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Be careful what you wish, Rob.

The TTC may sooner or later be allowing private citizens to sit as commissioners on the TTC. Which means that Gary Webster may return as a commissioner, or even vice-chair, at some future date. Citizen members would be chosen through the city’s normal appointment process and needs to be approved by city council.
 
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On a related note, it's time for someone in that block to really step up and become a shadow Mayor. Propose some legislation that really takes Ford by the balls. Implementing Road Tolls to pay for the Sheppard Subway would be a great way to do this. Propose that and watch Ford turn himself into an ideological pretzel.
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Oh, man. That is a really funny - and fascinating suggestion.
It wouldn't be just Ford twisting whilst imploding - it's be The Sun and a great deal of it's readership, as well.

If such a thing were done, the reverberations throughout the city would be off-the-charts.
 
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