Rob Ford's Toronto

[Tulse]

Don't forget that Eglinton was dumped on him by Metrolinx - in his campaign, he explicitly stated that he wouldn't have bothered with it. So to call it "his plan" is slightly off-base.

And this is yet another bit of selective amnesia by Ford and his supporters. It's not like he really wanted to run anything out to Scarborough via Eglinton, underground or not -- his baby was Sheppard. He only suggested burying Eglinton because he couldn't otherwise get rid of it.

All of those suburban councillors whining about how Scarborough has been shafted are being hugely disingenuous.

 

[nfitz]

hawc:

2013, according to the TTC website:

http://www3.ttc.ca/About_the_TTC/Pr...Rail_Vehicles/Toronto_meet _your_new_ride.jsp

Not sure about the reliability of this figure.

AoD

It's a bit out of date ... as it calls for the prototypes to arrive in late 2011. If you go down the the Ashbridge's Bay page, and go through that to the most recent newsletter from last month, you get:

http://www.toronto.ca/involved/projects/lrv/pdf/ashbridges_bay_community_update_January_2012_en.pdf

which says "The first of three prototype vehicles is scheduled to arrive in Summer 2012 ... the vehicles will go through nine months of testing to ensure they are ready for service in early 2014" and also earlier "new streetcars (light rail vehicles) are scheduled to begin arriving in the summer of 2013".

So you'll actually start seeing the occasional one running around the city being tested later this year, but you won't be able to ride one for a couple of years.

 

[JasonParis]

Don't forget that Eglinton was dumped on him by Metrolinx - in his campaign, he explicitly stated that he wouldn't have bothered with it. So to call it "his plan" is slightly off-base.
AoD

Indeed. If his mandate was actually to "build subways" (and that's a stretch as it mostly revolved around "gravy"), than he can't claim to have a mandate to build a subway where he didn't even run on building one. That's just being dishonest to his own supposed mandate.

 

[Justin10000]

hawc:

If money is no object, that map would suggest a lack of imagination.

AoD

Ding. Beat me to it. If money was no object, the DRL would be top priority, with LRT on Finch, Lawrence, and Steeles.
And the Sheppard Subway being converted to LRT so the line can be extended west to Downsview and east to Meadowvale.

 

[MetroMan]

Ford's doing what he did during the election. He's framing this as an issue between false options. In the election it was lower taxes, same services (false) versus higher taxes and misspent money (false). Now, he's been able to make it a choice between subway or streetcars. Of course people want the former. Somebody needs to take charge of the message and thoroughly inform Toronto about what Transit City is and every time says he wants to build subways, attach higher taxes and toll roads to his plan.

 

[k10ery]

I remain baffled as to whether the man is just stubborn, truly delusional or actually stupid.

http://www.thestar.com/news/article...ince-would-support-council-official-says?bn=1

I don't get what happens next. We have a mayor and chair of TTC who fundamentally and publicly disagree on how to spend $8.4 billion. You'd think one of them needs to resign. Council passed Stintz's plan, so she's not going anywhere. And presumably Ford is too stubborn to ever quit. Are we now going to have 30 months with basically nobody in charge of city government? Almost as bad as Belgium, for God's sake!

By the way, there is no rule in Ontario for recalling a mayor, either through Council or a direct vote of the people. Legally, perhaps McGuinty could just fire him. I dunno.

 

[dt_toronto_geek]

I don't get what happens next.

Ford forges ahead and builds subways because that is what he was elected on and that's what the people of Scarborough want, or so he (via brother Doug) said in tonight's news. They are also suggesting a referendum, but doesn't that cost lots of money? Where's "respect for the taxpayer's dollar" here?

 

[MetroMan]

Let's have a referendum... on Ford. If he's so confident that people support him, have a referendum on adding a provision for Mayor recall. If Ford continues to get in the way of the Province building Council's approved plan, McGuinty can simply go around him or council can play the same game and abolish the Mayor's executive committee and remove some of his other powers. City Council gave those powers to the Mayor, they can take it away.

With nearly 3 years to go, this is going to get very ugly before it's all over.

 

[k10ery]

Let's have a referendum... on Ford. If he's so confident that people support him, have a referendum on adding a provision for Mayor recall. If Ford continues to get in the way of the Province building Council's approved plan, McGuinty can simply go around him or council can play the same game and abolish the Mayor's executive committee and remove some of his other powers. City Council gave those powers to the Mayor, they can take it away.

With nearly 3 years to go, this is going to get very ugly before it's all over.

Council has the power to remove the Executive Committee? That would be an important bargaining chip.

But whatever happens Ford remains Chief Executive Officer. Are city staff going to listen to him, if he asks for something they know Council doesn't approve?

 

[MetroMan]

Council has the power to remove the Executive Committee? That would be an important bargaining chip.

But whatever happens Ford remains Chief Executive Officer. Are city staff going to listen to him, if he asks for something they know Council doesn't approve?

They created it. So yes, if the majority of council found Ford to be a whiny obstructionist who they can't work around, they can take away many of his powers not granted by the Province.

Really, the way it works is Councillors are our representatives. If Ford isn't listening to them, he's not listening to us. Collectively, Council is far more powerful than the Mayor. My favourite quote of the 2010 campaign:

"Ford won't be able to pass anything. Ford won't be able to pass gas without council approval" -- Howard Moscoe. I hate that we missed getting to watch those two duke it out at City Hall. Would have been entertaining.

 

[Paleo]

Ford forges ahead and builds subways because that is what he was elected on and that's what the people of Scarborough want, or so he (via brother Doug) said in tonight's news. They are also suggesting a referendum, but doesn't that cost lots of money? Where's "respect for the taxpayer's dollar" here?

I'm all in favour of a referendum as long the following are attached:

1. Sales taxes, road tolls, local levies, etc.
2. Experts decide what projects get priority.

Of course that would never happen. God forbid if a downtown subway ever got approved in such a manner. Rob Ford would die from heart failure.

 

[Palma]

Ford forges ahead and builds subways because that is what he was elected on and that's what the people of Scarborough want, or so he (via brother Doug) said in tonight's news. They are also suggesting a referendum, but doesn't that cost lots of money? Where's "respect for the taxpayer's dollar" here?

Eglinton was never going to get a subway. Just an underground LRT. He is trying to deceive people. Just because an LRT is underground does not make it a subway. He thinks if its underground its a subway. And there was no way Finch was ever going to get a subway. The issue is most people are not informed. They hear Ford say subways and believe the proposed LRT was really gong to be a subway. He was not elected because he was going to build subways but because he promised to cut waste. I don;t know why this misconception that Ford was elected because he promised subways comes from.. Ford does not know the difference between streetcar, LRT and subways, Just because its underground does not mean its a subway

 

[Palma]

I'm all in favour of a referendum as long the following are attached:

1. Sales taxes, road tolls, local levies, etc.
2. Experts decide what projects get priority.

Of course that would never happen. God forbid if a downtown subway ever got approved in such a manner. Rob Ford would die from heart failure.

Sounds like a good plan. Politicians should not be involved.

 

[toraerach]

Legally, perhaps McGuinty could just fire him. I dunno.

As much as I dislike Ford, he was elected by the people of Toronto to serve a term (and serves us right, collectively, for electing the guy). The idea that the province could overrule the will of the people of Toronto doesn't sit right with me. Firstly, because given that power a less Toronto-friendly Premier could replace a popular, albeit unco-operative, mayor at will. Secondly, because the stuck-with-you relationship between the mayor and council helps, under normal circumstances, to foster compromise between various political factions.

Perhaps the solution is to move towards a Parliamentary system where the mayor is the councillor who can command the confidence of the house - although the requisite strengthening of political factions into full-out parties presents its own threats to the compromise dynamic.

I'm afraid, barring some sort of major controversy resulting in criminal charges, that we're stuck with Ford for a few more years. Council should be able to work around him when it must, and hopefully we will all be a bit more thoughtful the next time we head to the polls. Afterall, protecting the electorate from the consequences of their poor choices does little to promote an active and engaged citizenry.

 

[Irishmonk]

It would appear that Doug Ford has just tipped us his - and his brother's - hand when it comes to setting policy:

(From the Toronto Star):

"Doug Ford had a word of warning for any political opponents who might be celebrating his loss at council, noting that his brother carried Etobicoke and Scarborough.

“As far as I’m concerned (opposing councillors) just handed the mayor a second term,†he said.

“I know the math inside and out, and you can’t win without Etobicoke and Scarborough — and now those folks are behind Rob more than ever.â€

So, it's always been about Scarborough. Trouble is, Bob and Doug don't know the math. They should look at the recent census. Etobicoke and Scarborough together are about 1 million. Rest of Toronto is 1.6 million. ROT > ES. If that's their strategy they are even dumber than I thought. How they can run a business is beyond me.