Rob Ford's Toronto

[dt_toronto_geek]

As the oldest of 4 brothers and just a kid in the '70's my mother would often send me out to Becker's or Mac's Milk with a list of things that she needed. I'd walk there and walk home with one, sometimes two paper shopping bags. When we'd go to the A&P, Loblaws or Dominion on Saturday morning we'd have a back seat (and floor) and sometimes the trunk with perhaps 12-16 grocery paper bags. When we got home we'd go back and forth carrying the bags from the car to the house. Just like we do today, but with no handles. It really wasn't that rough.
For garbage we always had bin under the kitchen sink lined with a couple of paper bags which, when full, would be transferred to a green Glad garbage bag in the laundry room or garage. On garbage day it was tied up and put out.
It's really not a lot different than what we do today except now most people sort their garbage and recycle which we didn't do when I was a kid. Some people are making a big deal out of nothing.

 

[EMP1729]

Can the city force private businesses to give away a product for free? Since when are we entitled to free plastic bags?

Oh, Rob Ford, why do you want hand-outs? You commie-pinko socialist!

 

[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. 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.

Going back to your point, things like transit are largely (and unfortunately) dictated by the province. Until cities gain more power, things will stay this way.

McGuinty puts off GTA gridlock debate
The Canadian Press Posted: Jun 8, 2012 1:31 PM ET Last Updated: Jun 8, 2012 1:28 PM ET

Premier Dalton McGuinty says it's too early to talk about a new tax to pay for transit improvements in the Greater Toronto Area.

Mississauga Mayor Hazel McCallion says she wants the province to consider a new tax to pay for $50 billion in transit upgrades over 25 years to deal with gridlock.

McGuinty says he welcomes McCallion's enthusiam for tackling the issue of gridlock, but he wants to wait for MetroLinx to recommend ways to foot the bill.

The provincial transportation agency is expected to issue its recommendations on how to fund the public transit projects a year from now.

McGuinty says he first wants people to engage in the debate about gricklock and what will happen if nothing is done to address the problem.

The premier spoke to high school students on Friday in Waterloo, where he said he has until October to call a byelection to replace Tory Elizabeth Witmer.

McGuinty refused to rule out a summer byelection, but said he wants to give all the parties time to find a candidate.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/story/2012/06/08/toornto-mcguinty-gridlock.html

The city council and the mayor can pass a proposal calling for subways crisscrossing the entire city, but until they make a deal the province for funding or taxes, it's about as good the thousands of plans there are for the GTA.

 

[EMP1729]

Can the city force private businesses to give away a product for free? Since when are we entitled to free plastic bags?

Oh, Rob Ford, why do you want hand-outs? You commie-pinko socialist!

Oh, I guess Rob Ford took my comment to heart and decided to vote against accepting $350,000 of free money from the federal government for gang crime prevention. I suppose he doesn't want to look like he accepts free handouts.

http://www.thestar.com/news/cityhal...s-against-free-money-for-gang-prevention?bn=1

 

[canmark]

Oh, I guess Rob Ford took my comment to heart and decided to vote against accepting $350,000 of free money from the federal government for gang crime prevention. I suppose he doesn't want to look like he accepts free handouts.

http://www.thestar.com/news/cityhal...s-against-free-money-for-gang-prevention?bn=1

It's bizarre, seeing as we just had a high-profile gang-related shooting that Ford should be the lone vote against "free money." Even his allies are perplexed.

Council voted 33-1 on Thursday to accept the funding from Ottawa’s National Crime Prevention Centre. Ford’s vote, which he did not explain, baffled even conservative allies like Deputy Mayor Doug Holyday.

“It’s free money,” Councillor Denzil Minnan-Wong, another conservative, said when asked why he voted in favour. “Why would you turn down $350,000?”

Sandra Costain, manager of the children and youth department at Regent Park’s Dixon Hall, criticized Ford harshly. “Isn’t that so disgusting? It’s just sad, it’s embarrassing and it’s disheartening. This is a man who has contact with young people who play football. So, c’mon,” Costain said.

 

[Juan_Lennon416]

Perhaps he doesn't think 'gang prevention' is actually working.

 

[gabe]

Back then, everyone had 2 cars, women stayed home and went shopping by car.

This policy affects smaller store more. It is the "stop on the way home at the convenience store to pick up a few items" that will be affected. Maybe people will just go home and drive out to the store later - as long as they are driving, they may as well go to one of the major chains and not a local shop.

And they still have to buy plastic bags (from the aisle and not the check-out) since they need bags for kitchen use, pets, etc.

Not only that, they also had enough staff to load the groceries in the car free of charge. I remember going to the A & P and getting groceries, when you get to the check out, they would put the bags in plastic bins and load them onto the conveyor belt which would take the groceries outside to the pick up area and someone would be outside to load them in your car. It was great during the winter months!!

 

[sarnya]

Not only that, they also had enough staff to load the groceries in the car free of charge. I remember going to the A & P and getting groceries, when you get to the check out, they would put the bags in plastic bins and load them onto the conveyor belt which would take the groceries outside to the pick up area and someone would be outside to load them in your car. It was great during the winter months!!

I remember that really well. They're even immortalized in a great episode of Trailer Park Boys when J-Roc is gankin' groceries.

[video=youtube;V_0crpt_9Lg]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V_0crpt_9Lg[/video]

 

[Electrify]

Can the city force private businesses to give away a product for free? Since when are we entitled to free plastic bags?

Oh, Rob Ford, why do you want hand-outs? You commie-pinko socialist!

It's not about forcing retailers to give away plastic bags. Now they will have the choice on whether they want to charge for them or not. Don't worry, your misunderstanding is in good company. Even though I am in Richmond Hill and work at Loblaws which has chosen to charge for bags and is not forced to, I fully expect to hear customers complain in the coming months that it is now "illegal" to charge for bags .

In fact, the other day I had a customer who didn't take a bag because his order was so small tell me that if he did want one, I would legally have to give it to him for free. And no, I don't think he was joking...

 

[ShonTron]

Not only that, they also had enough staff to load the groceries in the car free of charge. I remember going to the A & P and getting groceries, when you get to the check out, they would put the bags in plastic bins and load them onto the conveyor belt which would take the groceries outside to the pick up area and someone would be outside to load them in your car. It was great during the winter months!!

Yep, until the mid 1980s A&P stores were built with the "parcel pick-up" areas. The local store to me in Brampton had that set-up, and so did the Dominion in Shoppers World (pre-acquisition/merger).

 

[W. K. Lis]

I remember when department stores (Eaton's, Simpson's) and supermarkets actually delivered the purchases you bought in their stores.

Now a days, you have to rent a van for $19 (plus taxes, fuel, etc.) to do the delivery yourself. Having someone else do the delivery is even more. However, there are stores who will deliver for free.

 

[typezed]

Perhaps he doesn't think 'gang prevention' is actually working.

Is there anything that he would think does work, for any issue? Doesn't his small lizard brain tell him that trying to do anything is a waste of money?

 

[Palma]

Back then, everyone had 2 cars, women stayed home and went shopping by car.

This policy affects smaller store more. It is the "stop on the way home at the convenience store to pick up a few items" that will be affected. Maybe people will just go home and drive out to the store later - as long as they are driving, they may as well go to one of the major chains and not a local shop.

And they still have to buy plastic bags (from the aisle and not the check-out) since they need bags for kitchen use, pets, etc.

I am sorry but I find it hard to believe this is more about the stop on the way home at the convenience store to pick up a few items issue. And this back then everyone had 2 cars - this is not true. This is something that has become true probably in the past 20 years.. But the fact is whether 1 car or 2 cars there is no difference.

 

[Riverdale Rink Rat]

I was referring to the fact that they pushed this through so casually, more than who's fault it is.

That's what irritates me so much about this council, and people's reaction to it. The mayor put a ticky-tacky item (seriously, who was complaining about the bag fee? Anyone?) on the agenda, then once again lost control of it, then the world throws up its hands and says, "They shouldn't have picked on poor Rob, 'cause he's incompetent." They didn't 'push it through casually' -- the mayor put an item on the agenda casually, then lost control of it. AGAIN.

 

[Eug]

While I'm not really a huge fan of Wente in general, I think her latest column sums it up perfectly.

Plastic bags, the new Puritan cause

The residents of Toronto have every reason to stand proud today. Our elected representatives have no idea how to solve our traffic problems or fix our waterfront. But no one could be more committed to saving the planet. The other day, in a landmark vote, they decided to abolish the evil scourge of plastic bags.

Actually, they didn’t really plan to do this. It was a spontaneous act of revenge against Mayor Rob Ford, who wanted to get rid of the five-cent plastic-bag tax that was imposed three years ago. Lots of city councillors detest the Mayor, and vice-versa. So instead of voting to abolish the plastic-bag tax, they voted to abolish plastic bags instead. It’s really impossible to appreciate the lunacy of Toronto’s politics unless you live here.