Rob Ford's Toronto

[the lemur]

Now The Star's Mallick is staunchly defending the chair purchase. Quite honestly she just sounds clueless in her article.

On the flip side, I don't understand the complaints about a Pan Am dude claiming a $2 coffee as an expense. Yeah I understand there are other issues and he comes across as cheap but it is a legitimate expense and a more than reasonable cost. I would understand more the outrage if it was a $40 martini or $100 in a strip bar, but no, reporters are focusing on a $2 coffee and $1 parking.

My understanding is that buying reasonable facsimiles of the original chairs is cheaper than having them restored, and works out to a few pennies per taxpayer. I'm not sure if that's Mallick's argument as well, but I gave up trying to read her proudly irrational columns a long time ago.

I don't get why there are complaints about the Pan Am expenses either. There is a cost associated with preparing for these games (the organizers may want to pay their own way for really small expenses, though) and it was Ford himself who returned from Guadalajara claiming that TO2015 would bring in thousands and thousands of jobs and hundreds of millions in revenue, so what's a few thousand in upfront organizational expenses?

 

[animatronic]

Thanks for the suggestions/corrections - revised version below (will delete first cut).

 

[Anna]

Thanks for the suggestions/corrections - revised version below (will delete first cut).

View attachment 18554

(Alleged) drug dealer (Lisi)'s mother's basement is east of Islington on Madill St. (Just look for the Range Rover).

 

[the lemur]

For those who are playing along at home, here is a handy reference to Ford Nation. Let me know if I've missed anything important...

There's also the Gardenia House Chinese restaurant on Scarlett, south of Raymore, that Ford apparently visits a few times a week.

 

[christiesplits]

Is there any evidence to suggest that this bust is a part of Project Traveler?

 

[blahblahblah]

Oh I think you are reading too much into it. Just happened to be where he gets his smokes and visits the drycleaner, who perhaps buys from him.

Interesting thing about all this is that Richview is fairly "uppity" as suburban strip malls go--not on a Humbertown level; but higher than the Fords' Royal York Plaza. It's basically always been the local "plaza" for Princess Anne Manor, i.e. Harper's solidly upper-middle old nabe; and it's just a traffic light away from Richview Collegiate. It's certainly not the kind of place where, uh, Somali gangs would hang out.

That something like *this'd* happen in a node like *that* really illuminates the 40-odd-year history of affluent-class Etobi-vice.

Oh, and re Stockwell: 2003 "scandal" aside, I don't see much there that'd lead "Council lefties" to gang up and veto EYCC's decision; it'd be pretty churlish for those dreaded downtowners to force-feed a lefty replacement for Holyday...

 

[BurlOak]

I still wish more of a fuss was being made about the $100million + that is being wasted by going back to a subway in scarborough. That has so much more relevance to taxpayers than furniture at city hall, yet for some reason one causes outrage and the other, well, doesn't.

You are correct about the $100M. When Ford came in, he cancelled the plans almost immediately to minimize the extra costs. He wanted to extend the B-D subway to STC (and build the Sheppard Subway). The Provincial Liberals told him that the subway extension could not be done due to the LRT order. So they went with the combined ECLRT/SRT. Then Stintz and Council voted for cancelled this plan to go back to Transit City. Then the Provincial Liberals and Councillors went back to the original Ford plan of extending the B-D to STC. So I agree that the $100M is important, but who really is responsible for wasting it.

 

[eastcoastanddown]

Is there any evidence to suggest that this bust is a part of Project Traveler?

Based on the fact that TPS's Homicide Squad is handling this, it would suggest it's part of something larger.

 

[RC8]

You are correct about the $100M. When Ford came in, he cancelled the plans almost immediately to minimize the extra costs. He wanted to extend the B-D subway to STC (and build the Sheppard Subway). The Provincial Liberals told him that the subway extension could not be done due to the LRT order. So they went with the combined ECLRT/SRT. Then Stintz and Council voted for cancelled this plan to go back to Transit City. Then the Provincial Liberals and Councillors went back to the original Ford plan of extending the B-D to STC. So I agree that the $100M is important, but who really is responsible for wasting it.

Stintz and Ford, who want to build a 3-stop subway contrary to the wishes of the people of Scarborough.

 

[M.R.Victor]

... but who really is responsible for wasting it.

Maybe the people who decided to mess with an established and funded plan in order to feed their own grandiosity?

 

[James_D]

The good news is when Ford gets back from Austin he won't be able to use the press to talk about how his little trip created hundreds of jobs and will bring in millions of dollars to the city.

 

[Adjei]

You are correct about the $100M. When Ford came in, he cancelled the plans almost immediately to minimize the extra costs. He wanted to extend the B-D subway to STC (and build the Sheppard Subway). The Provincial Liberals told him that the subway extension could not be done due to the LRT order. So they went with the combined ECLRT/SRT. Then Stintz and Council voted for cancelled this plan to go back to Transit City. Then the Provincial Liberals and Councillors went back to the original Ford plan of extending the B-D to STC. So I agree that the $100M is important, but who really is responsible for wasting it.

Yeah it's the Liberals fault that $100 million was wasted..

 

[guitarchitect]

So I agree that the $100M is important, but who really is responsible for wasting it.

Are you kidding? There was a funded and established plan for an LRT line to replace the SRT. Work had begun, orders had been made - the cancelling of that plan has been estimated to cost $100 million, in addition to the costs above and beyond the LRT that the subway will generate. It's hilarious that you're attempting to blame the provincial government for cancelling the LRT though... keep grasping at those straws.

 

[Anna]

There's also the Gardenia House Chinese restaurant on Scarlett, south of Raymore, that Ford apparently visits a few times a week.

(Alleged) MSG dealer. Good one.

The (Alleged) Doug Ford Hash Plaza is right across the street from Mom's street.

 

[James_D]

This is just great. Robbie is going to have a press conference at a gas station at 12:45 and Douggie says he doesn't know who Lisi is and has never met him.