Rob Ford's Toronto

[Irishmonk]

SOE shuts down all malls,venues and events and an almost curfew like situation occurs where only emergency personal will be able yo travel freely through the city.
Ttc will be shutdown and go and via will not stop within the city.
It is in effect a shutdown of pedestrian non emergency traffic within the city limits.

Imagine what that would do to business who make it or break it during this one week alone.

Rob, is that you? (Or perhaps one of his merry minions being paid time and half?)

Seriously, these kinds of disingenuous, deliberately misinforming posts that have already been thoroughly debunked should be challenged by the mods and possibly removed, and the poster given a warning. There's just no excuse for this type of shite cluttering up this thread.

Hey, is today Christmas? Okay, back to the eggnog and BBQ'd squirrels...

 

[Kat_YYZ]

Yet how many times were intense weather conditions predicted and nothing ever happened? The true response now will be whether or not Toronto has learned anything from this situation. Sadly I suspect the answer will be it was a one-timer and it will not re-occur in the immediate near future ( translation: do not want to spend the money needed to deal with a 'rare' occurrence)

you know what that makes me think of? The mainstream media has no problem marginalizing people who -- for example -- buy organic or refuse to eat genetically modified foods. They always bring up counter-arguments and experts to "gently ridicule" such people and their beliefs.

They could easily use their platform to do the same to those who complain about spending a few thousand dollars preparing for an emergency that then "doesn't happen." I for one would be more reassured by seeing city/provincial bodies showing that they are ready for things before they happen than anything that they could do afterwards.

For the record, I also never agreed with the ridicule heaped on Mel Lastman for calling in the army in 99. As far as I'm concerned, that's what the army is for. I am not in favour of using our military to travel 10,000kms away from our borders to enforce Canadian laws and values in other countries. I think their first priority should be to defend this country. And in times of peace to use their resources (people and hardware/vehicles, etc) to help Canadians. God knows enough of our tax dollars go towards those all-terrain vehicles, tanks, etc. What is wrong with using them in that situation? Who cares about maintaining some kind of "tough-guy" image?

 

[adma]

I'm still wondering whether lunatic Fordistas are apt to blame Wynne treating this as an de facto emergency situation "no matter what Ford says" on the fact that she lives squarely within Toronto's hardest-hit zone, i.e. she's a self-serving shite, bla bla bla...

 

[Crazy]

For the record, I also never agreed with the ridicule heaped on Mel Lastman for calling in the army in 99. As far as I'm concerned, that's what the army is for. I am not in favour of using our military to travel 10,000kms away from our borders to enforce Canadian laws and values in other countries. I think their first priority should be to defend this country. And in times of peace to use their resources (people and hardware/vehicles, etc) to help Canadians. God knows enough of our tax dollars go towards those all-terrain vehicles, tanks, etc. What is wrong with using them in that situation? Who cares about maintaining some kind of "tough-guy" image?

Dead on with this. These sorts of situations are precisely what the army should be used for.

 

[LordWanker]

you know what that makes me think of? The mainstream media has no problem marginalizing people who -- for example -- buy organic or refuse to eat genetically modified foods. They always bring up counter-arguments and experts to "gently ridicule" such people and their beliefs.

oh for f*ck sakes.....so you have 100% confidence on the weather forecasts, as is? You be the boy who cry wolf too often.

They could easily use their platform to do the same to those who complain about spending a few thousand dollars preparing for an emergency that then "doesn't happen." I for one would be more reassured by seeing city/provincial bodies showing that they are ready for things before they happen than anything that they could do afterwards.

That was my original point, will the existing powers that are and to be learn from this and plan accordingly based on ethics, NOT on $$$$$. Considering what has not been done since the 2013 July Floods, no one has taken any initiative.....

For the record, I also never agreed with the ridicule heaped on Mel Lastman for calling in the army in 99. As far as I'm concerned, that's what the army is for. I am not in favour of using our military to travel 10,000kms away from our borders to enforce Canadian laws and values in other countries. I think their first priority should be to defend this country. And in times of peace to use their resources (people and hardware/vehicles, etc) to help Canadians. God knows enough of our tax dollars go towards those all-terrain vehicles, tanks, etc. What is wrong with using them in that situation? Who cares about maintaining some kind of "tough-guy" image?

Considering the current technical state of the Canadian Armed Forces, that is all they are qualified for unless cannon fodder is a job description.

 

[ColinZeal]

I've been tipped by the same TPS source who told me about the pipe bombs weeks ahead of the arrest yesterday that they're very close to wrapping up Brazen 2 and that more arrests are coming. He couldn't tell me if Rob Ford will be charged but given everything I've been previously told about the obstruction of justice investigation and Ford's likely involvement in Lisi's extortion charges, the extent to which Ford is mentioned in the Lisi ITO, and now with the police requesting a month before releasing the wiretaps, I stand by my conviction that Rob Ford is going to have an awful Christmas this year.

sigh.

 

[dbailey62]

---edit---

For the record, I also never agreed with the ridicule heaped on Mel Lastman for calling in the army in 99. As far as I'm concerned, that's what the army is for. I am not in favour of using our military to travel 10,000kms away from our borders to enforce Canadian laws and values in other countries. I think their first priority should be to defend this country. And in times of peace to use their resources (people and hardware/vehicles, etc) to help Canadians. God knows enough of our tax dollars go towards those all-terrain vehicles, tanks, etc. What is wrong with using them in that situation? Who cares about maintaining some kind of "tough-guy" image?

Kat, I agree with you re Lastman asking for help from the military during that storm. It was a "century" storm and a city like Toronto that isn't used to that amount of snow is not going to be able to cope .... and that also goes for any city that receives something beyond the norm. Heck, even Buffalo has to ask for assistance once in a while and generally speaking, they are prepared for much worse than Toronto gets.

When Mel called out the army, they were there in the main to assist ambulances and other emergency vehicles getting to emergency situations. Many downtown side streets were not passable so just imagine a heart-attack victim waiting for help and the ambulance can't get within a quarter of mile. If one life was saved by Lastman's request for help, it was worth it.

 

[jje1000]

Rofl declaring a SOE during the 3 busiest shopping days of the year would of crippled the local economy.

Ford and nearly every other non partisan emergency official said it was unnecessary.

But dont let facts and educated opinions stop you from the witch hunt.

SOE shuts down all malls,venues and events and an almost curfew like situation occurs where only emergency personal will be able yo travel freely through the city.
Ttc will be shutdown and go and via will not stop within the city.
It is in effect a shutdown of pedestrian non emergency traffic within the city limits.

Imagine what that would do to business who make it or break it during this one week alone.

I'm pretty sure the businesses who have been without power for this very crucial week would like to wait a bit longer until power is restored. Who am I kidding, Ford is bad for business. Compare his response to Nenshi's.

 

[newearthling]

Quote Originally Posted by MetroMan View Post
I've been tipped by the same TPS source who told me about the pipe bombs weeks ahead of the arrest yesterday that they're very close to wrapping up Brazen 2 and that more arrests are coming. He couldn't tell me if Rob Ford will be charged but given everything I've been previously told about the obstruction of justice investigation and Ford's likely involvement in Lisi's extortion charges, the extent to which Ford is mentioned in the Lisi ITO, and now with the police requesting a month before releasing the wiretaps, I stand by my conviction that Rob Ford is going to have an awful Christmas this year.

sigh.

Well, he probably DID have an awful Christmas, being stuck in that nice warm hotel room with room service and 24 hour porn.

It's just that one million other Torontonians had a crappy, cold, Christmas along with him.

 

[sno man]

sigh.

Think for a second about his kids. All the shiat they have to deal with daily, at least they get to pretend to have a decent Christmas this one last time...

 

[sno man]

I'm pretty sure the businesses who have been without power for this very crucial week would like to wait a bit longer until power is restored. Who am I kidding, Ford is bad for business. Compare his response to Nenshi's.

Someone brought this up elsewhere, and I haven't found a definitive answer, are insurance companies less on the hook, less likely to (have to) pay out without the SoE call? Not just for individuals, but for businesses too...

 

[EagleEye]

Paul Ainslie ‏@cllrainslie 55m

@TOmayorford came to #Ward43 for a photo op with Manitoba hydro workers in our area yesterday then they all left. My residents need power!

This was tweeted out about an hour ago. I have friends and clients in Guildwood and most do not have power. All Ford is doing right now is campaigning.

 

[newearthling]

Twitter told me that only if a SOE was called, could personnel be dispatched to go door to door to check on folks, especially in the high rises.

One man phoned into AM talk 640 saying he was in a wheelchair, in the dark, couldn't charge his chair, with no running water and his food was rotting. At least he had a land line to call in, and (presumably) to get help.

But what about seniors? What about people on dialysis, or respirators?

We need to be checking on people door to door. A SOE plan allows for a system to be put in place to organize volunteers who want to help out.

 

[NorthYorkEd]

SOE shuts down all malls,venues and events and an almost curfew like situation occurs where only emergency personal will be able yo travel freely through the city.
Ttc will be shutdown and go and via will not stop within the city.
It is in effect a shutdown of pedestrian non emergency traffic within the city limits.

Imagine what that would do to business who make it or break it during this one week alone.

It scares me more to imagine what this would have done to those of us in North York who were able to use Sheppard Centre (and later Empress Walk and NYCC), as a sort of refugee camp. We could also take the subway to Eglinton and/or downtown in search of warmth, supplies, wireless internet, electrical outlets to charge devices, food, coffee, warmth, and human company. If we were on lockdown, with these places and services closed, this power outage would have been a LOT worse. Having those options were the only bright sides in an otherwise miserable situation.

 

[sno man]

It scares me more to imagine what this would have done to those of us in North York who were able to use Sheppard Centre (and later Empress Walk and NYCC), as a sort of refugee camp. We could also take the subway to Eglinton and/or downtown in search of warmth, supplies, wireless internet, electrical outlets to charge devices, food, coffee, warmth, and human company. If we were on lockdown, with these places and services closed, this power outage would have been a LOT worse. Having those options were the only bright sides in an otherwise miserable situation.

SoE is not lockdown, and everything jusbokeh said is BullShit but please, fear monger on [strike]brave[/strike]dumb ass.