Rob Ford's Toronto

[TonyV]

A leader doesn't blame the people for his losses, and the agenda creep in council is due to a lack of leadership.

The Star may not be my choice, but The Star certainly is correct in calling this a huge embarrassment for Ford.

What were "the people" thinking when they elected him?

 

[canmark]

The Toronto Star has a list of places with some form of plastic bag ban, which includes cities and towns, states and even entire countries! Toronto will not be unique. We will merely be following the crowd, which includes cities in North and South America, Europe, Asia, Australia and Africa.

 

[Riverdale Rink Rat]

Anyways, Ford burning some more bridges...

And good luck getting the votes of Shiner, Berardinetti and Robinson.

Ford really is a remarkably poor politician, at least for municipal politics. Why dump on three more people who could be allies on other, future, issues?

 

[jje1000]

Ford really is a remarkably poor politician, at least for municipal politics. Why dump on three more people who could be allies on other, future, issues?

Because he thinks he can turf them at the next election and replace them with nodding heads that will rubberstamp everything he does.

This is disconcerting because:

1. Our mayor is being paid to campaign when he should really be governing. This is a waste of taxpayer money.
2. Our mayor is asking voters to turf councillors who don't agree with him. This is disrespectful to the election results.
3. He is asking for more power. He thinks that it's other people who are the problem.
4. There is a possibility that he may be successful, if he can spin his ineffectualness as being due to the council.

 

[Paleo]

Funny that Ford says people should know more about the people they're voting for before they vote.. I mean it's ignorance and stupidity among voters that got him elected in the first place. Talk about biting the hand that feeds you.

yet he dissolves the citizen committees, saying it should be up to council itself to make the decisions. So council itself made up its own decision on bags, but now he wants citizens to be engaged in politics.

Backtracking on your decision to dissolve the citizen committees?

The irony is probably lost on him.

I can't wait to see the professional agitators out in force at the next meeting pulling an all-nighter to demand plastic bags be put back into stores.

He needs the people now that he's losing votes? Boo hoo.

It was more about the bag than the groceries themselves. Those bags are bulky and don't have handles - so you have to hug them. God forbid you have two of those to carry.

I use reusable bags every time I go to do planned groceries. If I realize I need this and that on my way home, I guess I can start stuffing meat and vegetables in my briefcase then..

You have unplanned trips to the grocery store that ends with you needing two large unhuggable bags full of food and produce? Whose fault is that? Stop blaming the government for your own faults?

 

[nfitz]

Chinese grocery stores generally don't sell black market goods.
People don't pick up bootleg DVDs at the same place they buy their tofu and chinese sausage.

I wasn't particularly referring to Chinese stores (grocery or not). Nor was I referring to DVDs. The best local example I've seen is a grocery item; Halls cough drops ... which were entirely in Portugese. Most of the local corner stores had them at one point ... and when I spoke to Halls, they confirmed they are not allowed for sale in this country, and that they were black market.

Start looking at some of the labels on some of the chocolate bars as well. Clearly have fallen off a truck or a boat somewhere ...

 

[Filip]

The irony is probably lost on him.

I can't wait to see the professional agitators out in force at the next meeting pulling an all-nighter to demand plastic bags be put back into stores.

He needs the people now that he's losing votes? Boo hoo.



You have unplanned trips to the grocery store that ends with you needing two large unhuggable bags full of food and produce? Whose fault is that? Stop blaming the government for your own faults?

Aw.. Did someone pee in your cereal this morning? My faults? How about your incessant complaints about the city not providing enough bike lanes.. I guess it's your fault you choose to bike! (See how stupid that sounds?)


The government shouldn't be coming up with feel-good useless bans and instead should be dealing with, you know, the issues they were actually elected for such as piss-poor transit, overcrowding, shoddy infrastructure, gun crime.. Maybe work on not hiring rapists who later shoot up a mall? Instead of working on these contentious issues (that require actual due diligence and work) we are offered a whole day of debate on a non-issue. I blame Ford for starting a debate on the 5 cent fee, but I fully blame council for deciding to implement a ban without any community consultation and studies.

Btw, I sense you live alone and probably don't cook much.. When the family calls on your way home and ask you to pick up items xxxx (mine likes soda water) well you're not gonna say no. And to anyone who thinks I should stuff those disgusting reusable bags in my briefcase (with documents I actually need for work), you're crazy! No matter how much they're cleaned, they have a distinctive odour.

 

[MetroMan]

You have unplanned trips to the grocery store that ends with you needing two large unhuggable bags full of food and produce? Whose fault is that? Stop blaming the government for your own faults?

They're not getting rid of these.

Since the 5¢ fee came into effect, I changed my habits. When I planned to go grocery shopping, I took my reusable bags. When I happened to go into a store and buy more than a few lemons and tomatoes, I'd buy another one of these bags. I have a few more than I need now so I just share them. When a friend comes over and needs to carry something out, I give them one of these bags.

The ban on plastic bags and removal of the 5¢ fee will be an improvement. If I have unplanned grocery shopping, it will often be for just a few things. Now I'll get a free paper bag to carry my groceries in. Buying 2 or 3 bags of groceries is not unplanned grocery shopping, it's poor planning on my part. If I need to do that much shopping, I'll go to the grocery store on purpose, and I'll bring my reusable bags with me. If I happen to fall into a major grocery shopping stint unplanned, well, I'll buy a couple of the reusable bags.

 

[PinkLucy]

A distinctive odour? Disgusting? Seriously? I have been using and washing reusable bags for years for all kinds of things and mine are not disgusting, nor do they smell.

 

[nfitz]

If I happen to fall into a major grocery shopping stint unplanned, well, I'll buy a couple of the reusable bags.

Normally when I fall into a major grocery shop unplanned, it's $200+ and requires far more than 2 bags. And sure keeping a dozen spare bags in the trunk is a good idea ... but given I can't get the rest of house to leave gas in the car half of the time, I don't know why they'd suddenly change their ways and start putting bags back in the car after they use them.

I suppose if one lives a very predictable life, with little variation to their day-to-day patterns, it will not be a big deal. But for many - well there's a reason that most stores will be offering paper bags. And if they don't, I'll probably end up at the one ones that do.

BTW, I do use a bag for almost all my purchases ... often I have to fight off the stores who seem to be trying to push them on me, without actually charging for them. But I seldom so the big grocery shops.

 

[Paleo]

Btw, I sense you live alone and probably don't cook much.. When the family calls on your way home and ask you to pick up items xxxx (mine likes soda water) well you're not gonna say no. And to anyone who thinks I should stuff those disgusting reusable bags in my briefcase (with documents I actually need for work), you're crazy! No matter how much they're cleaned, they have a distinctive odour.

How much soda water are you buying that paper bags would make it an undue burden?

And since you bring it up, I have 3 major grocery chains within a 5 minute walk so if anyone wanted something like right now they'd probably get it themselves.

Stick to complaining about the city wasting money on other people and the lack of express buses from your doorstep to your office.

 

[Filip]

How much soda water are you buying that paper bags would make it an undue burden?

And since you bring it up, I have 3 major grocery chains within a 5 minute walk so if anyone wanted something like right now they'd probably get it themselves.

Stick to complaining about the city wasting money on other people and the lack of express buses from your doorstep to your office.

Surprisingly a lot. We can't seem to get enough of the stuff, and it always runs out when you least expect it. I don't have three major grocery chains within a five minute walk (or at least until Metro opens), I have a Rabba that's close enough to hop to from work. Kindly take into account the majority of Torontonians don't live downtown and are not surrounded by a plethora of options.

With 13,000 new units set to be built in my area, yes, an express bus is necessary. Unlike some, we don't want to spend all day in a streetcar trying to get to meetings.

 

[typezed]

If anyone wants to print up some reusable grocery bags bearing Rob Ford's ugly mug and the quote "IT'S THE PEOPLE'S FAULT", I will gladly carry my purchases home in one.

 

[jje1000]

The government shouldn't be coming up with feel-good useless bans and instead should be dealing with, you know, the issues they were actually elected for such as piss-poor transit, overcrowding, shoddy infrastructure, gun crime.. Maybe work on not hiring rapists who later shoot up a mall? Instead of working on these contentious issues (that require actual due diligence and work) we are offered a whole day of debate on a non-issue.

Those things have already been brought up and some are being studied. Major issue like poor transit, infrastructure and gun crime can't be solved in council meetings alone, you know?

And city council is usually busy when it convenes- it's just that the contentious issues are the only ones that pop up in the news, leading to the oh-so-familiar idea that councillors do nothing at all all day at city hall.

 

[Filip]

Those things have already been brought up and some are being studied. Major issue like poor transit, infrastructure and gun crime can't be solved in council meetings alone, you know?

And city council is usually busy when it convenes- it's just that the contentious issues are the only ones that pop up in the news, leading to the oh-so-familiar idea that councillors do nothing at all all day at city hall.

Heheh.. Kinda like declaring Toronto to be a 'nuclear free zone'? Damn.. There goes my dream of having a nuclear reactor in the garage.