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Rob Ford's Toronto

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I wonder how Socknacki is planning on using the FOI release. Is he the one candidate who is smart enough not to fumble this?
 
From The Star, at this link:

Report dispels Rob Ford mantra, says Toronto in need of new taxes

University of Toronto think-tank concludes city has a problem with revenue, not spending.


The City of Toronto has a revenue problem, not a spending problem, says a U of T think-tank report that turns Mayor Rob Ford’s mantra on its head.

The report from the Institute of Municipal Finance & Government concludes the city needs new taxes, plus annual residential property-tax hikes, to maintain current services and repair crumbling infrastructure.

Toronto’s spending is virtually unchanged in the past decade given population growth and inflation, and compares favourably to that of other cities, says the institute at the Munk School of Global Affairs.

“Recent studies suggest there is little room to find further ‘efficiencies’ without reducing services,†the authors conclude.

But the repair bill for public housing, transit and other aging assets will hit almost $2.5 billion within six years.

“Queen’s Park and Ottawa have a role to play, but the City cannot simply wait for its pleas for funding to be answered,†the report says. “Toronto needs access to new taxes to grow as a world-class city.â€

Examples include a dedicated sales tax or a slice of income taxes.

Toronto’s financial health is like “an aging Maple Leafs defenceman: he may be a solid performer on the ice and well cared for by training staff, but he is increasingly expensive and in need of major knee surgery.â€

City manager Joe Pennachetti said the report is accurate. He hopes senior governments relieve some of the pressure by finally agreeing to help fund social housing and TTC operations.

“We don’t have all the revenues that are probably needed to build and grow a city that we all want,†Pennachetti said.

As part of his re-election bid Ford has promised property tax hikes “a lot lower†than inflation, which was 2.4 per cent in June. Rival John Tory is promising hikes at or below inflation; Olivia Chow “in line with†or “around inflationâ€; and Karen Stintz “within†the rate. David Soknacki said his policy pledges require increases “running to within a percentage point of inflation.â€

Any increase will be on top of the Scarborough subway extension levy — 0.5 per cent this year rising to 1.6 per cent in 2016 and staying at that level for about 30 years. Soknacki and Chow are promising to scrap the subway and revert to fully funded light rail.

Ford, elected in 2010 saying the city has a spending problem, not a revenue problem, responded in a release: “The reality is, my administration brought the City of Toronto back from the edge of a fiscal cliff.â€

Not true, said Pennachetti. “We’ve had a double-A credit rating for the last 10 years. We have never been on a fiscal cliff.â€
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Best to download the PDF report from this link, and read it first. Hopefully, while not driving in your car.
 
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Videodrome said:
I asked on Twitter when the last time was that Doug called a meeting to address the concerns of Ward 2 residents. It was apparently the meeting about the autistic kids where he showed up an hour late blasted people with mental illness.
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I wonder how long before that event he called a community meeting.
 
Just checking the site and saw this:

I Hate The War on Mayor Rob Ford
18 hours ago · Edited

Dear morons of Hate Ford Nation: public transit is primarily to keep people moving to-and-from work in a productive economy. If people aren't working, they aren't moving much. And if someone is not working out of choice, then they certainly have the means to pay for their own transportation to the country club or the union headquarters. And if someone is not working because they are physiologically unable, we have other methods of support in the social safety net to accommodate their movement.

So, does a Mayor or a Premier or a Prime Minister or a Professor or a Columnist or an Author or a Candidate or a Parent or a Student or a Union Rabble-Rouser or a Public Transit Rider speak in hyperbole sometimes to make a point? Does a Police Chief sh*t in a fishing lodge?
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casita said:
Warmington
Personal feud a waste of everyone's time
http://www.torontosun.com/2014/08/13/personal-feud-a-waste-of-everyones-time

"What a waste of time.

Waste of the police chief’s time, his staff’s and the city’s too.

Waste of an elected councillor’s time and unfair to the constituents put on hold for a personal, running feud.

And, unbelievably at deadline, it was still going.

Doug Ford told me Chief Bill Blair had yet to accept the apology unless it’s to his approval.

Their public, personal fighting is not helping anybody in the city. But forcing a perfectly written apology from a councillor, who is the mayor’s campaign manager, is such a priority in policing in Toronto?

Is this high school?"
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Good god, reading this makes my head explode.

First, it's a personal lawsuit. He meets with his lawyer, and lets him take it from there. It's hardly sucking up Blair's time.
Wasting Doug's time? Maybe. But no one knows WTF Doug does with his time beyond advocating for Deco customers, so maybe that's a good thing.

And of course Blair should demand a sincere and specific apology. Doug's remarks hit at the very core of Blair's integrity, which is crucial to someone in Blair's line of work.

I get that DoFo is an idiot and would understand none of the above, but that Wormington could actually type any of that with a straight face. My god.

I can't wait until this is over.
 
Silence&Motion said:
Duh... perhaps that's because 'acceptance' and 'approval' are basically synonyms. Kind of like how Wormtongue's an idiot because he's a moron.
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I think Wormington is in a crash and burn. I can't believe he still has a job. And yes, he's an idiot because he's a moron.
 
JWBF said:
Just checking the site and saw this:

Dear morons of Hate Ford Nation: public transit is primarily to keep people moving to-and-from work in a productive economy. If people aren't working, they aren't moving much. And if someone is not working out of choice, then they certainly have the means to pay for their own transportation to the country club or the union headquarters. And if someone is not working because they are physiologically unable, we have other methods of support in the social safety net to accommodate their movement.
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There's such a high cognitive dissonance density, it actually bends light.

basic said:
I wonder how Socknacki is planning on using the FOI release. Is he the one candidate who is smart enough not to fumble this?
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I like David Socks. But he has really bad luck with timing and staging an announcement sometimes.
 
I wonder what time the 9am presser ends up starting. That's an ambitious time for a chronic relapser.
 
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