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Rob Ford's Toronto

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Brother Doug seems quite proud to not know who Margaret Atwood is.

National Post: Margaret Atwood? ‘I wouldn’t have a clue who she is’: Doug Ford
Globe and Mail: Doug Ford says he’d close a library, and tells Atwood to get elected
Toronto Star: Doug Ford blasts Margaret Atwood over libraries, ‘I don’t even know her’

The best coverage is, surprisingly, the Sun: Councillor Ford: Who is Margaret Atwood?

"All my point is, in my area, at Rexdale and Kipling, there is a library in an industrial area, that is an industrial plaza and no one knows it is there," he said. "Richview library is a great library, up in Albion is a great library, why do you need another little library in the middle of nowhere that no one uses?"

Ford said he would, "absolutely" vote to close that library.

"In a heartbeat and my constituents, it wouldn't bother because they have another library two miles one way and two miles the other way," he said.

The rookie councillor stressed "libraries are great."

"I don't want to be closing every single library in the city," he said.

Ford also blasted the public deputations stretching out meetings where committees are discussing the core services review over the last two weeks.

"This is all orchestrated by the unions … they are going to have the same usual suspects roll in there," he said.

While he acknowledged some people show up to voice valid concerns, Ford said the "vast majority" of speakers are "all union organized or orchestrated."

Asked why Ford Nation — the group of those who supported his brother Mayor Rob Ford in the election — hasn't shown up to the meetings en masse, Ford had a quick retort.

"Ford Nation is too busy working, paying taxes, creating jobs, that's what they're doing," he said
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I find this open anti-intellectualism - taking pride in being uneducated and ignorant - to be very troubling.

I hope it doesn't score any political points for their base, otherwise we might as well not be a democracy any more.

The-Death-of-Socrates-philosophy-380388_800_521.jpg
 
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That is so embarrassing.. Being proud of not knowing who one of the greatest authors this country has produced is? Wow.

I might like some of Ford's policies, but this anti-intellectualism is disturbing.
 
I just posted a new thread regarding City Council's meeting on Thursday July 28th at 9:30 AM to begin decisions for library cuts. Obviously Ford Nation won't be there because they all have jobs, but for book loving socialists, there should be no excuse for not attending this meeting and speaking out.
 
tkip said:
About this whole transit issue in Toronto. A friend of mine, who's super pro transit and loves this city to death has changed her attitudes lately.

She became so fed up with commute times on the TTC, delays and dealing with people she went out a couple of years ago and bought an ebike. She never looked back. In the winter she'd put the bike into storage and go back to the TTC. Last year she she finally announced that she's done with the TTC for good and is shopping for her first car.

She just can't handle the the declining quality of our transit system and that it takes forever to travel across this city using it.
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I was at a BBQ at a friends place last weekend and we got talking about city issues, Ford and such. She lives just east around the south end of Parkside Drive by High Park but lived downtown most of her life until she decided she wanted more space for herself and young daughter so she bought a townhouse. I was surprised when she told me she drives to work (Queen & Yonge) everyday. I said why don't you take the Queen streetcar and save yourself the hassle & cost and she said it takes well over an hour each way, although it can vary, so she drives in about 20 minutes. She's a very eco-friendly, pro-transit kind of person but she won't take transit to/from work because it just takes too long - and she lives in the city fairly close to downtown. She's an avid cyclist too but can't cycle right now because her daughter is in onsite daycare where she works so that's not a safe option until her daughter is in school. This is another example of someone who wants to use transit but it takes up too much of her time.
 
MetroMan said:
This is Rob Ford pulling out of the CTV parking lot after an interview. The CTV building is located at 299 Queen St. West, a mere 2 blocks away from City Hall at 100 Queen St. West. Nothing better exemplifies his policies towards a walkable, cycle-able city as this photo.
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I'd say in all fairness that he's a busy man, he needs to get from place to place in good time so I can't blame him for driving or taking a cab. Does Adam Vaughan, Kristyn Wong-Tam or Pam McConnell (all of whom I strongly support) walk or cycle to all of the events in their Wards that are walkable from City Hall? Probably not.
 
I have seen Vaughan walking from an event -- probably going home since it was evening, but he was walking. Driving 3-4 blocks isn't really a time-saver when you factor in parking time.

I do find allegedly giving the finger to a taxpayer -- the almighty taxpayer! -- more disturbing than seeing him in his vehicle, however.
 
Wow Doug is too honest for his own good. I mean I have read Atwood and have scene her in the newspaper. Truthfully I dont know if honestly I would recognize her if I did walk past her. But those are the types of things you keep to yourself. The fact that he thinks he can take pride in not knowing and make fun of someone who is oviously accomplished is disturbing...

Side note, I dont think I would recognize any raptor other then derozen and bargs, and I LOVE BASKETBALL.... (Laker fan tho)
 
I alos dont like how he gives an excuse for FORD NATION not showing up because they are hard workers. So CITY HALL could be stormed with "PINKYS" and the FORDS would believe that FORD NATION is just as big but at work. What kind of democratic process is that? Maybe the other 50% of torontonians who didnt vote were "pinkys" but couldnt get out that night because they were at a bikathon.
 
Thanos said:
I completely agree with you PCC. However, how many people who do drive actually need to drive?
LRTs can be used to feed to the subways in the city core. Having LRTs to feed an Eglinton subway line from the North, other LRTs that can connect to a DRL from the east and west.
Many larger cities use regional trains and LRTs for the suburbs. Why do Torontonians and 905ers think their special and deserve subways everywhere, even in the middle of nowhere.
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Many cities use LRT's because the routes are low volume. I can think of LRT's I've seen in Portland, OR., Denver, CO., and Salt Lake City, UT., and they all have one thing in common... they service cities that are less densely built up than TO. Much less dense. Toronto was built for subways if only because poor planning and lack of fortitude by politicians saw to it that the freeway network was grossly under-built. It is a situation that cries out for a mass transit solution, not a swanky trolley car. Look at the GO Trains. Huge success, and it is that way because it is capable of handling the volume. One 12 car train stops at a station and can scoop 1900-2000 riders at a time. Subway can't match that capacity at 6 cars, but they do a far sight better than the trolley and they can be run much more closely spaced than the GO Train and don't have to meet other modes at grade (at complicated traffic lights). Yes, they are costly, but again, money better spent on a bit of the right solution than on a bit more of the wrong one.

You can't build subways everywhere, but the existing system in Toronto is a real embarrassment. Long term planning should have seen continual construction across the city. Budgeting for 1, 2 or 3km per year for the last 25 years would have given us a better network that might now reach the places I needs to reach, or at least be a lot closer. Subways should have been built to Square One, Pearson Airport, Scarborough Town Centre (then Markville), Brampton, Vaughan, Richmond Hill, Pickering Town Centre (could pass closeish to UofT Scarborough). You want to capture commuters, and that type of network would. I might argue that in it's current form, the subway actually begins and ends in the middle of nowhere. Kipling? Kennedy Station? Finch? Downsview? The only one that makes sense is Fairview (Don Mills) because it is 1) a destination in itself, and 2) it is a sort of transit hub (TTC/GO buses, automobiles - beside the 400). Malls always become hubs for bus transit, and a natural place to a subway to begin/terminate.

Kipling is great... if you like hydro pylons or work at the Canpa intermodal terminal. Otherwise, it drops you off in a place not designed to accommodate a lot of surface traffic.
 
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