old boy
Senior Member
Stop using " world class " and Toronto in the same sentence. Not that TO isn't, or anything. JUST don't do it !
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If you could change one thing about Toronto, what would it be?
- Thread starter greenleaf
- Start date
jn_12
Senior Member
Rather than seeing Toronto be it's own province, which I think would be a huge disservice for both Ontario and Toronto, I'd rather see the province maybe move towards a British style of economic development by creating Regional Development Agencies. We're already seeing the creation of tourism regions in the province and I think they could take it one step further.
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TonyV
Senior Member
Sorry you said? "Sunday Painter Urbanist", that's a new one. Oh, well, at least you apologized.
Why don't you put this one to a poll? Oh, mustn't put the issue to the tyrrany of a majority.
Tewder
Senior Member
Good grief, just what are you separating from then? In terms of population there really isn't much left outside of the GTHA if you exclude Ottawa, and most of the significant urban areas that are left are already fairly prosperous to begin with (Kitchener/Waterloo, London, Kingston, Niagara Region). Besides, why would the 905 want to side with the 416? Just which is the bigger draw on the 'system' in that equation??
Proportional representation is not good enough for you? Almost a quarter of all provincial electoral ridings are in Toronto alone which is pretty much in line with the population percentage. Lets face it if Toronto suffers from a lack of political patronage, and I would agree with you that it does, this has far more to do with Toronto's blind partisanship when voting than any inherently unjust system of representation: the Liberals and the Conservatives ignore the city equally given that electoral results are always a foregone conclusion (witness the recent Toronto Centre by election). Why blame this stupidity on anybody else but Torontonians?
The tax base in the 'province of Toronto' would be significantly smaller than the tax base of Ontario as a whole (2.5 million people vs 11 million). Even if it keeps 100% of that tax base you have to also consider what it would lose in terms of economies of scale and in terms of what its share of the larger tax base would have been.
adma
Superstar
Well, it's too late anyway. Now that the NPS walkways have been deemed "essential", you can't put the toothpaste back into the tube--at least, unless you start some kind of Urban Tea Party movement against the modern-heritage pointy-heads or something.
Heck, said poll would probably welcome this kind of makeover for the Sheraton Centre...
TonyV
Senior Member
^^ You needn't discount (or undervalue) my urban tastes and experiences.
Too bad that the "powers" didn't opt for a breath of fresh air. I was a mere tot when the square opened, and I recall thinking "what a dumb idea" when I looked at the walkways, and in later years, when walking by the square almost every day, I observed that the walkways fell into disuse. Hopefully, since they're staying for at least another 50 years, the administration will see to it that (a) the walkways are programmed in some meaningful way, and (b) that they are maintained to at least a respectable standard. (Or, can we afford that?).
In one sense, the walkways are symbolic. New City Hall -- the main building, that is -- is a sexy looking thing, but the view of it is obscured to passers by on Queen St. The walkways serve as a "visual chastity belt", blocking the view of something really pretty and other-worldly -- the walkways are a nod to the very prissy Toronto that once was.
Too bad that the "powers" didn't opt for a breath of fresh air. I was a mere tot when the square opened, and I recall thinking "what a dumb idea" when I looked at the walkways, and in later years, when walking by the square almost every day, I observed that the walkways fell into disuse. Hopefully, since they're staying for at least another 50 years, the administration will see to it that (a) the walkways are programmed in some meaningful way, and (b) that they are maintained to at least a respectable standard. (Or, can we afford that?).
In one sense, the walkways are symbolic. New City Hall -- the main building, that is -- is a sexy looking thing, but the view of it is obscured to passers by on Queen St. The walkways serve as a "visual chastity belt", blocking the view of something really pretty and other-worldly -- the walkways are a nod to the very prissy Toronto that once was.
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adma
Superstar
When I was similarly a tot, I found the walkways a fun full-experience part of frolicking around, up and down and all around, etc. Maybe you were just a boring kid.
Or maybe you were just a...kid. Heck, as a youngster, I found that tonic water was yuck, and the memories of yuck stayed with me until circumstance led me to finally try some again at 25 and, well, I didn't mind it. And even if I still hated it, I'd respect those with a taste for it.
"Opting for a breath of fresh air" goes both ways, you know.
As we know over and over from "demolition by neglect" cases (most recently the south-side-of-Colborne crisis in Brantford), it's shortsighted to blame the architecture.
But the "visual chastity belt" is integral to the ensemble (and indeed, something that works more to preserve than obscure said really-pretty-otherworldliness), so it just proves you're grossly misunderstanding the full effect of the "sexy looking thing"...
Cranky Old Fart
New Member
In terms of economies of scale besides losing out on the bulk purchasing savings realized from the Worlds #1 purchaser of Liquor the LCBO there would be "more" savings made through economies of scale when you consider the integrated purchasing of Greater Toronto Area Transit, Municipal, Office and Emergency & Security Vehicles & Equipment for starters.
These savings on top of additional revenues realised from Sales, Income, Gas & Liquor taxes and lottery & casino revenues etc.
