Post your ideas for a better Toronto.

[Second_in_pie]

I'll go one better & advocate that the GTA (Halton, Peel, Toronto, York, Durham) band together and separate from Ontario and be given Provincial status.

A GTA with Provincial Status would be able to collect income taxes, Liquor Taxes, Gas Taxes, Sales Taxes, get rid of property taxes (or keep them), set-up lotteries & casinos. Instead of going begging to Queen's Park for funds, funds which more leave the GTA than are ever returned in the way services or funding. We'd be able to eliminate 1 level of Government & bureaucracy and receive the benefit of the savings that entails.

Let's stop screwing around begging Queen's Park & Parliament Hill for handouts (handouts which are rightfully the GTA's) and start a Toronto Party much like the Bloc Quebecois. A party that is interested in the interests of Greater Torontonians. sending boatloads of Liberal MPP's & MP's to both Queens Park & Ottawa well on 40 years have done nothing of any great value for this region.

I wouldn't quite do that, but I'd give the GGH it's own government to oversee sustainable development and transportation, with a medium-sized provincial and municipal tax cuts, then a big new GGH tax (if I had it my way, it'd be higher than before, but what can I say; I'm a commie.) GGH tax would go towards making sure the GGH is the best place to live in the world, with infrastructure improvements including transit. Also, GGH ridings will be amalgamated so they don't have as big an impact on the province like it does now, though it'd still have an impact, especially since the Province would still be overseeing healthcare and other such sectors.

But I think the bigger winners out of that are the entire rest of Ontario. Right now, things are pretty solely centered in the GGH, and having the GGH manage itself would give a lot more time for the Province to grow other cities and manage those economies. The perfect division would probably come with a separation of Northern Ontario (to where, I'm not sure. Maybe some sort of Canadian Shield province along bits of Manitoba and Quebec.) But when it comes to who gets the shorter end of the stick in the South, it's definitely the rest of Southern Ontario, not the GGH.

 

[urbandreamer]

Toronto needs an outdoor flower growing competition. Perhaps each neighbourhood would compete from May-August for best-looking streetscape (flowers etc.) Would really boost attractiveness of the city.

 

[Second_in_pie]

^^ I actually like that idea a lot.

 

[Glen]

http://www.city.vaughan.on.ca/newscentre/cib/curb_appeal/index.cfm
http://www.cibontario.ca/

 

[dt_toronto_geek]

Toronto needs an outdoor flower growing competition. Perhaps each neighbourhood would compete from May-August for best-looking streetscape (flowers etc.) Would really boost attractiveness of the city.

BIA's would be a good tool to initiate something like this. Along with what the City contributes and the dozens of guerrilla gardening groups that get together around town this would be a nice touch to help beautify the city for half of the year.

 

[gman]

Hello,

We all have to be careful when buying a condo due to the fact that there are many stakeholders the condo owners have to deal with. Please, I encourage everyone to do some research when buying a condo such as how good the management is, the reserve fund status, the condition of the building, talk to the current owners and get some info about the current board, talk to the board, the management.

Currently we are going through some tough time dealing with our management who have miss managed our building, our board who is not cooperating with us and our corporate lawyer who supposed to be working for us and is now protecting the board and management.

We need strong condo owners association in Toronto. I was digging online and found a site that will help us do just that. This site will help connect all the condo owners and help them make better decisions about condo living. Please check out the following:

https://www.howtocondo.com

On that site, if you would like to be an admin for your condo then please contact info@howtocondo.com and they will create an admin account for you. By having an admin account on that site, you will be able to manage your condo users, add news, add your condo on the map, etc. If you don't want to create an admin account then simply create an account by going to that site. There is no cost for the service and it's free.

Let’s build a better and stronger condo community and hopefully the management and the board will not have any chance taking advantage of the condo owners.