Mayor John Tory's Toronto

[Rufus8]

Its strange to me what you take from all that.

Your first instance from 2015 describes no violent acts; its unclear to me what his probation was for; and what condition he breached (But I'll wager it was possessing the drugs on the latter). I consider that to be charge stacking.

I also don't support any criminal charges, nor do I view it as a crime (morally) to possess drugs for one's personal use.

The 2016 incident is clearly violent, and serious; you don't identify what he was charged with, which means I can't assess a fair sentence.

But serving over 1 year in prison is no small matter.

It may be entirely inadequate, but I think that would depend on a wide variety of circumstances (how seriously injured was the victim, for a start; was the fight mutual, and did the victim have a weapon etc?)

The January 2018 matter was clearly not properly handled; but while I might favour more serious action, I'm also not sure I would have favoured substantially longer prison.

I'd be interested in community service; and seizure of the car he was driving (if it was his); if it was not (but taken legally) I'd still impound it 30 days tell the owner if they loan out their keys again, they lose the car, and the right to own or lease one.

The latest charges are serious indeed and do indicate no reasonable choice but a long prison term.

That, however, should be sad.

It means we failed to get through to, and help this man turn his life around at an earlier stage.

I'd love to know if he was offered proper addiction treatment for alcoholism or drugs, at gov't expense.

I'd love to know if he was offered education/employment training while in jail.

I'd love to know if he was set up with a potential (legal) job, before leaving prison, and if proper housing was found for him before he was paroled.

If the answer is yes to the above; and the man failed to take those opportunities, its all on him.

But, if as I suspect, we offered little or none of the above............what did we expect him to do when he got out?

***

Finally, on the media............you do realize he was not charged with murder, and there are more than a dozen comparable arrests most days in Toronto.

If the news is going to cover every arrest for assault or possession of a weapon, they'll be nothing else on the news.

***

Also can you link this to John Toronto, or the City of Toronto as a government in any way?

Because I could swear this is about Criminal Law (Federal); Courts (Provincial); and Jail/Prison (both, but likely provincial based on his sentence)

WOW so society failed him? really? Maybe his parents/family failed him. You forget he managed to wrangle himself a nifty set of wheels and young sidekick, so he's not without ability. As for Mayor Tory, he has to deal with the realities of the legal system and this charmer has been flagged by North Bay, Sudbury and Barrie - now he's our problem. I think getting into a fight in a bar, taking a car then following the other people home to attack them with a machete suggests he has a character that leaves a lot to be desired. There is only so much you can do to legislate character but someone like this has a lot to make up for public trust.

 

[Northern Light]

WOW so society failed him? really? Maybe his parents/family failed him. You forget he managed to wrangle himself a nifty set of wheels and young sidekick, so he's not without ability. As for Mayor Tory, he has to deal with the realities of the legal system and this charmer has been flagged by North Bay, Sudbury and Barrie - now he's our problem. I think getting into a fight in a bar, taking a car then following the other people home to attack them with a machete suggests he has a character that leaves a lot to be desired. There is only so much you can do to legislate character but someone like this has a lot to make up for public trust.

First off, you just included something you omitted in your first post.

You initially said 'bar fight'; you mentioned nothing about following someone home.

I don't know how you expect people to intelligently discuss something if you choose to omit pertinent facts.

***

Second, yes society likely did fail him.

People don't raise themselves.

Their parents, their school teachers, their neighbours, the Children's Aid if needs be; and yes, we as the community at large are there to be role models, a helping hand, and to intervene if things are going south in a child's life.

While its possible (I don't have the facts here) that he had excellent parenting, and every opportunity in life..............that seems a rather unlikely scenario and does not jive with most of the people who end up in our jails.

We know the number one predictor for someone sexually abusing a child, is that they were abused as a child.

We know the #1 and #2 predictors of someone abusing their spouse is that they saw their parent abused or were abused themselves.

Most stories that turn out badly didn't have to.

That does not let someone off the hook at the point where they become seriously violent or a danger to others.

The first thing is to have intervened, in a positive way, long before that happens.

Subsequently, if that didn't happen or failed to work; and jail has been rightly and justly employed, both as punishment and to protect society; we owe it to ourselves, if at all possible, to help the person change.

Its not in their best interest, or ours, to return someone to society, after six months or six years unable to function as a law-abiding citizen.

If we didn't do our best; then that part is on us; if we did; and the offender declined help or continued to offend despite our best efforts, that's entirely on them.

 

[W. K. Lis]

Rumours are flying that the City's long overdue report on the future of its Golf Courses is imminent.

Further that it will likely recommend closing some or all of them, in favour of parks and housing.

City golf courses could be repurposed as land for affordable housing, parks

With a review of Toronto’s publicly owned golf courses now one year overdue, there are suggestions the land could be converted into additional space for parks and affordable housing. The same idea is currently being considered in Vancouver while looking at alternative uses for at least one...

toronto.citynews.ca

Being in floodplains, they may not be suitable for housing.

See link.

 

[Northern Light]

Being in floodplains, they may not be suitable for housing.

See link.

Funny you should mention that, I reviewed each of the courses using that application earlier to confirm what I knew intuitively.

Humber, Scarlett Woods, and Don Valley are pretty much entirely in the floodplain; or so little is outside of it as to be impractical for housing.

However, Tam O'Shanter is probably 1/2 available.

Maybe 1/4 to 1/3 of Dentonia (while outside the floodplain, one would not, propose housing on forested slopes, I hope).

Blue is the regulatory floodplain.

Tam O'Shanter:

Dentonia:

 

[Northern Light]

In this image, I have highlighted the flat table land at Dentonia, that is outside the regulatory floodplain.

I believe the southern site (close to VP station may be viable for hirise housing.

The northerly site is boxed in by single-family which may limit it utility.

Additionally, the northern block lacks any tableland parks nearby (at least 740M away, without crossing a major road).

Even factoring that in, there are no regulation size soccer pitches within 1km.

So that might make sense up there. (its just barely large enough)

 

[Johnny Au]

There's this gem:

Opinion | Watch for sharks: Toronto’s newest beach at Bloor and Dufferin has everything — except water

An empty lot in downtown Toronto finds new life as Bloordale Beach — a humourous artwork with a serious message about the lack of public spaces in the...

www.thestar.com

 

[Towered]

In this image, I have highlighted the flat table land at Dentonia, that is outside the regulatory floodplain.

I believe the southern site (close to VP station may be viable for hirise housing.

The northerly site is boxed in by single-family which may limit it utility.


View attachment 263440

Additionally, the northern block lacks any tableland parks nearby (at least 740M away, without crossing a major road).

Even factoring that in, there are no regulation size soccer pitches within 1km.

So that might make sense up there. (its just barely large enough)

What about creating flood protection for these areas?

 

[Northern Light]

What about creating flood protection for these areas?

You want to fill-in the ravine? There aren't any 'flood' protection options when you're right in the valley short of piping/burying the creek, or filling in the valley.

Unless, I suppose you could do an New Orleans-style Levee; but I wouldn't recommend that.

Besides, terribly destructive environmentally.

****

If you meant the areas outside the floodplain, they really don't require it.

At Tam O'Shanter, I could see a modest 1M Berm for added safety.

 

[Rufus8]

First off, you just included something you omitted in your first post.

You initially said 'bar fight'; you mentioned nothing about following someone home.

I don't know how you expect people to intelligently discuss something if you choose to omit pertinent facts.

***

Second, yes society likely did fail him.

People don't raise themselves.

Their parents, their school teachers, their neighbours, the Children's Aid if needs be; and yes, we as the community at large are there to be role models, a helping hand, and to intervene if things are going south in a child's life.

While its possible (I don't have the facts here) that he had excellent parenting, and every opportunity in life..............that seems a rather unlikely scenario and does not jive with most of the people who end up in our jails.

We know the number one predictor for someone sexually abusing a child, is that they were abused as a child.

We know the #1 and #2 predictors of someone abusing their spouse is that they saw their parent abused or were abused themselves.

Most stories that turn out badly didn't have to.

That does not let someone off the hook at the point where they become seriously violent or a danger to others.

The first thing is to have intervened, in a positive way, long before that happens.

Subsequently, if that didn't happen or failed to work; and jail has been rightly and justly employed, both as punishment and to protect society; we owe it to ourselves, if at all possible, to help the person change.

Its not in their best interest, or ours, to return someone to society, after six months or six years unable to function as a law-abiding citizen.

If we didn't do our best; then that part is on us; if we did; and the offender declined help or continued to offend despite our best efforts, that's entirely on them.

Here's what I did not omit - concealed weapon broad daylight polson pier (populated area).
If you really can't see what is important then we are all doomed.

 

[Northern Light]

Here's what I did not omit - concealed weapon broad daylight polson pier (populated area).
If you really can't see what is important then we are all doomed.

At no point did I call that unimportant or overlook it in any way.

 

[Johnny Au]

You want to fill-in the ravine? There aren't any 'flood' protection options when you're right in the valley short of piping/burying the creek, or filling in the valley.

Unless, I suppose you could do an New Orleans-style Levee; but I wouldn't recommend that.

Besides, terribly destructive environmentally.

****

If you meant the areas outside the floodplain, they really don't require it.

At Tam O'Shanter, I could see a modest 1M Berm for added safety.

Behold!

Lawn Waterbed:

If we could place sod in a way above a ravine, Toronto can be home to the world's largest waterbed.

It would be a jiggly wonderland!

 

[Northern Light]

Apparently the City's stepped up efforts to permanently house shelter residents paying some dividends.

About 1,500 since the beginning of Covid; and increase of ~500 over last year.

However, at that pace, if no one newly became homeless, we're still several years away from housing everyone, much longer if the number of homeless continues to increase.

Toronto says it’s moved more than 1,500 people from shelters into permanent housing since COVID-19 hit. But that figure doesn’t tell the whole story

Although 50 per cent more people were moved to permanent housing since mid-March compared to last year, many had applied before COVID hit.

www.thestar.com

 

[TrickyRicky]

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/can...decriminalize-of-drug-possession-amid-opioid/

This is related to one of the topics discussed here. While I support this kind of drug decriminalization measure I don’t believe it should be an excuse to drop enforcement of anti-social and dangerous behaviour. In some ways I believe as we retreat from enforcement of things like drug possession laws we should step up enforcement in other areas such as health and safety, community safety etc. many of which occur at the municipal level.

 

[Northern Light]

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/can...decriminalize-of-drug-possession-amid-opioid/

This is related to one of the topics discussed here. While I support this kind of drug decriminalization measure I don’t believe it should be an excuse to drop enforcement of anti-social and dangerous behaviour. In some ways I believe as we retreat from enforcement of things like drug possession laws we should step up enforcement in other areas such as health and safety, community safety etc. many of which occur at the municipal level.

What I found curious here, how often would a Federal prosecutor in Canada deal w/simple possession charges?

That's a criminal charge and would normally flow through provincial courts, with provincial crowns...........or does it?

****

So I went and looked up why that might be the case............on the PPSC website (Public Prosecution Service of Canada is the formal name of Canada's Federal Prosecution group)

I found an explanation:

Drug prosecution files make up the highest percentage of the PPSC’s total caseload. The PPSC is responsible for prosecuting all drug offences under the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act (CDSA),
regardless of whether a federal, provincial or municipal police agency lays the charges, except in Quebec and New Brunswick.
In these two provinces, the PPSC prosecutes only drug offences investigated by the RCMP.
.
That's in addition to being the prosecution service for Criminal Offenses in the Territories.

 

[mdu]

https://www.cbc.ca/news/business/gfl-short-seller-1.5691766

TL;DR American short selling firm puts out evidence for GFL's shadiness.

Thoughts?