Roads: Keep the Gardiner, fix it, or get rid of it? (2005-2014)

[ksun]

It doesn't really matter because at the time he was considered a great candidate - fiscally conservative that would save the tax payers money. Of course if people knew he would turn into a crack addict/joke they would have never elected him, but hindsight is 20/20.

I don't believe so. If he were in the mayoral election, he would still get A LOT of votes, maybe not enough to defeat Tory, but more than anyone else's.
He still won the seat as councillor. The matter of fact is, many people don't care what he consumes recreationally at all. They just want someone who spends less.

 

[ksun]

As one of the main candidates, of course he will get "many" votes downtown - let's not distract ourselves from the reality that he is mainly a suburban phenomenon. Let me rephrase - let's not blame the suburbanites - like us blame the voters, the majority of which came from the suburbs. How is that. And besides, let's not kid ourselves that his brother's run in 2014 isn't a referendum of his mayoralty, or that the split again suburban in nature (though you can also add in a wealth dimension to this, and no doubt along other axes as well). Fool me once...fooled me twice. Anyways, this is getting OT.

AoD

I wonder was there any Toronto mayor who is NOT suburban?
At the end of the day, they all drive back to their suburban house with backyards, garages in a pure car dependent residential neighbourhood where the nearest grocery store requires a car ride.

 

[salsa]

Mississauga is a total joke of a city with like 20% voter turnout and Hazel has left them in terrible shape for the future. She kept taxes low and now the city has traffic nightmares, not to mention abuses of power with her son.

Totally agree. I seem to be one of the few people who didn't fall for the hype about Hazel's greatness. Mississauga is one of the worst example of city planning in all of Canada, but Hazel will be long gone when the chickens come home to roost. For a city that's ranked 6th largest in Canada, there is literally less fun stuff to do here than Halifax. Other than a couple of decent areas like Streetsville and Port Credit (which weren't built by Hazel), the city is basically a bunch of gas stations, parking lots, huge roads that all look the same, and a shopping mall surrounded by an ocean of parking lots that they call downtown. It's just an ugly, mind-numbing, sprawling mess. And of course, only NOW they talk about LRT? Only NOW they talk about nice things like city building, downtown, etc? Lets see if the city will be in any sort of financial position of fund these initiatives, now that development fees have dried up. How amazing is it that a 36 year mayor didn't do any of that after all this time, while former North York mayor Mel Lastman could build North York Centre and several subway stations in far less time. But I guess it depends on how you measure success.

"To think this used to be a hayfield not long ago, we've done pretty well"
- Hazel McCallion

 

[PinkLucy]

It doesn't really matter because at the time he was considered a great candidate - fiscally conservative that would save the tax payers money. Of course if people knew he would turn into a crack addict/joke they would have never elected him, but hindsight is 20/20.

Plenty of folks never thought he was a great candidate based on his history as a councillor. Unfortunately, those with hindsight outnumbered those with foresight.

 

[TOareaFan]

I wonder was there any Toronto mayor who is NOT suburban?
At the end of the day, they all drive back to their suburban house with backyards, garages in a pure car dependent residential neighbourhood where the nearest grocery store requires a car ride.

Doesn't John Tory live in a condo at Bloor and Bedford?

 

[ksun]

Doesn't John Tory live in a condo at Bloor and Bedford?

I believe he spent most of his life (growing up, raising family) in the Don Mills/York Mills/Bayview/Eglinton area, like most rich folks. He may have a condo at Bloor/Bedford now, but I doubt that's his primary residence.

The truth is, the vast majority of Torontonians are suburban by nature and can't wait to move away from the core to their quaint cul-de-sac houses in the near suburbs. Let's not pretend any of the mayoral candidates are really "urban" and live a largely car independent life.

 

[nfitz]

Let's not pretend any of the mayoral candidates are really "urban" and live a largely car independent life.

Uh ... Olivia Chow? Does she even own a car?

 

[TOareaFan]

I believe he spent most of his life (growing up, raising family) in the Don Mills/York Mills/Bayview/Eglinton area, like most rich folks. He may have a condo at Bloor/Bedford now, but I doubt that's his primary residence.

The comment I responded to was not about where they grew up but, rather, that they all drive back to their suburban houses and backyards. I am pretty sure that 1 Bedford is his primary residence.

 

[DarnDirtyApe]

I believe he spent most of his life (growing up, raising family) in the Don Mills/York Mills/Bayview/Eglinton area, like most rich folks. He may have a condo at Bloor/Bedford now, but I doubt that's his primary residence.

The truth is, the vast majority of Torontonians are suburban by nature and can't wait to move away from the core to their quaint cul-de-sac houses in the near suburbs. Let's not pretend any of the mayoral candidates are really "urban" and live a largely car independent life.

The truth is that you're talking out of your butt again...

 

[PinkLucy]

Olivia Chow is urban; she and Jack rode their bikes all over and raised the kids to be urban cyclists as well. I don't see Olivia running for the burbs any time soon.

And DDA nailed it.

 

[arcum]

I don't believe so. If he were in the mayoral election, he would still get A LOT of votes, maybe not enough to defeat Tory, but more than anyone else's.
He still won the seat as councillor. The matter of fact is, many people don't care what he consumes recreationally at all. They just want someone who spends less.

I think Rob Ford would have gotten less votes than Doug Ford. He was only polling at 29% or something before he dropped out.

Doug had the same fiscal policies as Rob (generally good), but with none of the drugs/baggage (so bad it was even turning off part of Ford Nation).

 

[arcum]

Olivia Chow is urban; she and Jack rode their bikes all over and raised the kids to be urban cyclists as well. I don't see Olivia running for the burbs any time soon.

And DDA nailed it.

Chow has a nice million plus dollar home in a great area though. I'm sure if she lived in a noisy condo that is falling apart with two broken elevators she would definately be thinking about moving to the burbs.

 

[ehlow]

John Tory lives downtown and downtown and the areas surrounding downtown and along the subway lines, voted mostly for him.

These are all places where transit & walking mode is high and are usually described as "urban".

These are indisputable facts.

 

[ehlow]

Chow has a nice million plus dollar home in a great area though. I'm sure if she lived in a noisy condo that is falling apart with two broken elevators she would definately be thinking about moving to the burbs.

Well there are plenty of million dollar homes downtown in walkable neighbourhoods like Cabbagetown or the Annex, (which ksun would call the "burbs", but most wouldn't), so why would she decide to move to the burbs (which I take to mean places like Northern Scarborough or Etobicoke)?

 

[PinkLucy]

Chow has a nice million plus dollar home in a great area though. I'm sure if she lived in a noisy condo that is falling apart with two broken elevators she would definately be thinking about moving to the burbs.

Or moving to a nicer condo downtown.